I Still Find It Hard To Believe I Have An Agent
You'd think I'd get more used to having an agent, not less.
I'm sure as time goes by, my reasons for loving my agent will only pile onto the list. I've heard other authors talk about how wonderful they are when it comes to contract negotiations, fighting on your behalf with the publisher (the book cover, for example), and generally keeping your writing life in order. That stuff is all part of publishing-land, which I have yet to explore.
For now, I'm a mere initiate to the Agented Authors Club. But it's an excellent place to be!
I love having an agent in general, and I also love my agent. (Caitlin McDonald of Donald Maass)
1. She Has Superpowers
Apparently she can wave a magic wand and come up with ten different ways to fix plot holes, character arcs, structural issues, and whatever other dilemmas I run into. Problems that have stumped me and my writing partners for years are like breakfast to her. Not only does she have a zillion ideas, those ideas are great.
2. She Loves The Same Stuff I Do
Diversity! LGBT characters! Strong women and women's issues! The geekiest sci-fi and the fantasiest fantasy! Can't say I've ever not loved her blog posts.
I knew we were a match made in heaven when I sent her a brief description of my next project, and based on ONE non-specific sentence, she mentioned it reminded her of the browser game Fallen London... which was my original atmospheric inspiration. (And it's not like it was a direct correlation--I've deviated quite a bit from the source material)
3. I Have An Agent Who's My Agent And Will Keep Being My Agent
I see other writers commiserating about querying, writing contests, twitter pitches, conference pitches, and all the other miseries that go with trying to get an agent's attention. And while I pat my friends on the back as they struggle through it, I'm soooo happy to have the security of my own agent. No more deep dark moments of "Maybe this is totally unpublishable and everyone will think it's stupid," or "Is my writing even good enough to get an agent?"
It's some serious validation to have an industry professional love your book and want to advocate for it. And she's there for my next book, and the others after that.
4. She's With A Super Agency
Donald Maass is a big name in the industry. My friends have all read his books. The agency has represented some serious authors. My name is on the same page as Jim Butcher's (of the Dresden Files) on the client list!
I try not to go on about it too much with my unagented author friends. But gosh it's a constant amazement and I'm thrilled to be where I'm at right now. I get super excited whenever she emails me. (I like emailing her with questions, because then she has reason to respond... as opposed to her being some person off in the beyond who may have forgot about me).
I suppose my advice to the non-agented is that it's true when they say you only need to query the right agent. I still get form rejections occasionally, from old queries. They're still a bummer--but it goes to show how subjective the whole thing is, and how important it is to "click" with that perfect agent.
I'm sure as time goes by, my reasons for loving my agent will only pile onto the list. I've heard other authors talk about how wonderful they are when it comes to contract negotiations, fighting on your behalf with the publisher (the book cover, for example), and generally keeping your writing life in order. That stuff is all part of publishing-land, which I have yet to explore.
For now, I'm a mere initiate to the Agented Authors Club. But it's an excellent place to be!
I love having an agent in general, and I also love my agent. (Caitlin McDonald of Donald Maass)
1. She Has Superpowers
Apparently she can wave a magic wand and come up with ten different ways to fix plot holes, character arcs, structural issues, and whatever other dilemmas I run into. Problems that have stumped me and my writing partners for years are like breakfast to her. Not only does she have a zillion ideas, those ideas are great.
2. She Loves The Same Stuff I Do
Diversity! LGBT characters! Strong women and women's issues! The geekiest sci-fi and the fantasiest fantasy! Can't say I've ever not loved her blog posts.
I knew we were a match made in heaven when I sent her a brief description of my next project, and based on ONE non-specific sentence, she mentioned it reminded her of the browser game Fallen London... which was my original atmospheric inspiration. (And it's not like it was a direct correlation--I've deviated quite a bit from the source material)
3. I Have An Agent Who's My Agent And Will Keep Being My Agent
I see other writers commiserating about querying, writing contests, twitter pitches, conference pitches, and all the other miseries that go with trying to get an agent's attention. And while I pat my friends on the back as they struggle through it, I'm soooo happy to have the security of my own agent. No more deep dark moments of "Maybe this is totally unpublishable and everyone will think it's stupid," or "Is my writing even good enough to get an agent?"
It's some serious validation to have an industry professional love your book and want to advocate for it. And she's there for my next book, and the others after that.
4. She's With A Super Agency
Donald Maass is a big name in the industry. My friends have all read his books. The agency has represented some serious authors. My name is on the same page as Jim Butcher's (of the Dresden Files) on the client list!
I try not to go on about it too much with my unagented author friends. But gosh it's a constant amazement and I'm thrilled to be where I'm at right now. I get super excited whenever she emails me. (I like emailing her with questions, because then she has reason to respond... as opposed to her being some person off in the beyond who may have forgot about me).
I suppose my advice to the non-agented is that it's true when they say you only need to query the right agent. I still get form rejections occasionally, from old queries. They're still a bummer--but it goes to show how subjective the whole thing is, and how important it is to "click" with that perfect agent.
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