Talking Agents and Authors

 Suzanne wrote to ask, “How do agents feel about being ‘talked about’ by their clients? I rarely see published authors mention their agents in conversations, or hear them say, ‘My agent told me…’  Is there a protocol for mentioning your agent?”

I think you should feel free to say, "Sandra Bishop is my agent” or “I’m represented by Amanda Luedeke.” Most agents don't mind at all being talked about by their authors. We might get nervous if you were giving it out to everyone at a conference ("Call my agent Chip with this idea – here’s his home number"), but aside from that, there's no problem with talking about your agent to people. However, if it makes you feel nervous, you can just pass around a note in gym class ("I like Chip - check X for 'yes' or Y for 'no'").

Joni wrote and noted, “In a recent column, you said that agents prefer ‘proven authors.’ But then you went on to talk about how tough it is to get published without an agent. How can I be a ‘proven writer’ if I’m not published? How can I be a ‘proven writer’ if I don’t have an agent?”

You know, on its face that might seem logically inconsistent… but it's not. At least, not in my view. What I mean by a "proven writer’ is someone who has proven themselves, whether by books, articles, a blog, e-zines, curricula, or what have you. Someone who has done enough writing to prove himself or herself to me. If you haven't proven you can write, then you're going to have a hard time finding an agent. That's what I meant. Not just proven by doing books, but proven as in "she has proved to everyone she can write, and she knows it."

Writing fiction has its own set of issues, and it's very hard to prove yourself apart from doing some books. Joining a writing group and doing well with them is a nice step. I don't know if there's a way to prove yourself apart from that with fiction – maybe by doing short stories in literary journals.

This is the classic author/agent question. You can’t get published unless you have an agent; but you can't have an agent unless you're published. A conundrum, to be sure. It is fair? Of course not. (Show me the Bible verse where God promises "life is going to be fair.") It's just one of those frustrating difficulties we live with.

Jim wrote this: “I’m just starting out and really want to get my Christian book published. What sort of advice do you have for me?”

To begin, you may find it helpful to begin connecting with other writers via an online web group. Try visiting the Yahoo group The Writers View, a Christian discussion group of more than a thousand writers who explore topics and questions each week. That's a nice place to start, and it's free. (If you’re not writing religious fiction, there are a bunch of other online groups you can locate.) You could also consider attending a writers' conference -- check out something like the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference, or the Write to Publish Conference at Wheaton College. There are many others, but those are two excellent conferences. (If you’re writing a novel, you should definitely check out the American Christian Fiction Writers organization. They’re great, and their conference is happening in Indianapolis later this month.) A conference like that will give you a chance to meet other writers face to face, take some excellent writing workshops, and introduce yourself to editors and agents. And, of course, you can always choose to take a live or online writing class, just to improve your craft. You may want to check out a proven writing journal such as Writers Digest, which offers a TON of writing advice for very little money. There are a bunch of excellent writing books on the market, of course, and they can really help you hone your skill. If you need some suggestions – well, check the sidebar of this blog. And if you've got a writing group in your community, it's nice to be able to show our work to others and let them critique it once per month. That should get you started. Blessings on your writing journey.

By the way, literary agent and friend Janet Grant wrote about agents and authors  today on her blog. I love what she had to say (and you’ll find all sorts of useful stuff on her blog anyway). Check it out at:   http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/

And, while I'm thinking about it, novelist Ted Dekker often has interesting stuff to discuss on his Facebook blog. Today he's talking about "how much sex to insert into a novel," noting that his publisher in Holland just dropped his latest book for being "too sensual." He's got an interesting discussion going -- as he often does on his Facebook wall. Check it out at: http://www.facebook.com/notes/ted-dekker/the-final-taboo-why-holland-has-banned-my-novel-immanuels-veins/431675774854

Finally, in case you can’t get enough Chip, Nicole Petrino-Salter interviewed me on her blog yesterday. It turns out I’m charming and acerbic. You can read the whole schlamozzle at : http://hopeofglory.typepad.com/into_the_fire/

 

 

 

Comments

[Richard Mabry]

"Acerbic?" Will there be a test afterward? If so, I need to look that one up. I just thought you were a plain-spoken agent who wears a kilt when the occasional permits.
Good advice, as always.

[Pam Halter]

This is what I've heard at every conference I've attended: if you want an agent, you need to blow them away with your writing. You need to be engaging. Excellent. Know the craft. You don't have to be published if what you have is stellar.

I believe my friend, Joyce, did that.

[MGalloway]

Chip wrote: "What I mean by a 'proven writer’ is someone who has proven themselves, whether by books, articles, a blog, e-zines, curricula, or what have you."

But what agent actually has the time to assess an individual's writings as a whole (whether it is on a blog somewhere, or articles, etc.)?

It's been my understanding that you have about 10-30 seconds in a query letter or maybe a few minutes at a conference (at best) to "prove" yourself to an agent...assuming you have a manuscript in hand. Sort of like the resume stage of applying for a job.

[Sam]

"just pass around a note in gym class"

Too funny!

[Wendy]

Like Richard, I looked up acerbic. Mordant. Barbed. Nice.

I plan to carry around a banner with my agent's name on it everywhere I go. :D

Still teaching. Thanks for that.
~ Wendy

[Teri Dawn Smith]

I've often told my kids and my basketball team that life isn't fair. Now I'll just ask them to show me the verse.

[Monika]

That's an excellent interview. Thanks for sharing, for being candid, and yes, for being refreshingly "acerbic."

[Rachel Hauck]

It is true, though Chip, that editors and agents are always looking for a fresh new voice. Plenty of writers got started without having been published but because they wrote an amazing story with a unique voice.

Also, I really challenge starting out writers to blog faithfully. Why? Because it forces you to notice life and write about it in an engaging, entertaining way. Observing life and making it into the story IS the core of every novel. And vital to non fiction.

If you can't blog about life, events, thoughts, emotions by forming words and stories that communicate well, writing a book is going to be hard.

IMHO.
Rachel

[chip responds]

Michael, if I see writing I like, I'm definitely spending more than 30 seconds on it. Don't confuse the "quick slush pile toss" with "evaluating manuscripts that show promise." Every agent does boht. You hear about the former, but wll the good agents I know take time with the latter.

[Crystal Laine Miller]

I taught "gym" class back in the day, and if you passed a note in my class, you'd get 25 push ups, along with the whole class who would hate you for making them do 25 push ups, too. Watch it on that note-passing, people. Old gym teachers never die. Their socks live on.

Would you say that you notice certain "novice" or unpublished writers long before their proposal hits your desk? (I'm thinking more about fiction than nonfiction.)

I just wondered if you take note of the "voices" you hear before they publish, or even make it to the proposal/query stage.(In reference to Michael's lament.)