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I've been an agent with my own list for TEN years.
Thanks for believing in me @CurtisPSLA.
Here's my ten bits of advice after ten years of doing this (incredible! wild! bonkers! exciting! fun! exhausting!) job:
Thanks for believing in me @CurtisPSLA.
Here's my ten bits of advice after ten years of doing this (incredible! wild! bonkers! exciting! fun! exhausting!) job:
1. Career envy gets you nowhere. Your taste as an agent is completely unique to you. There is no one out there that has *exactly* the same interests as contacts as you. Get very good at identifying and succeeding in your lane.
2. Writers (queriers for sure & sometimes clients) will always want more than you’re willing to give. Read faster, read more, more notes, more time. The biz model prohibits that. Triage your to-do list. It will get done. If you miss out on a project it wasn't meant to be.
3. Never shoehorn any author or any project. The best projects are the right fit for every party involved. Recognize that gut feeling when it's happening. You will sense it. This job should never be too easy or too hard. Use those senses.
4. It will always hurt to lose a project to another agent. Beauty contests are vulnerable & often heartbreaking. I don’t ask who they end up signing with if it’s not me. Eventually I'll see the deal in PM and that's fine.
5. Editors can & will leave for another job.
Sometimes in the beginning or middle of the book process.
If you’re *lucky* it won’t be during a crucial time in your book’s life cycle.
One year I had 4 editors leave client books behind while they were in pre-pub.
Sometimes in the beginning or middle of the book process.
If you’re *lucky* it won’t be during a crucial time in your book’s life cycle.
One year I had 4 editors leave client books behind while they were in pre-pub.
6. Life is too short to keep editors on your sub list that never reply to nudges. There's another editor at the publishing house, connect with them instead.
7. It is possible to make a good living at this.
You need a) excellent and confident taste b) opportunities given to you c) to be nice to editorial assistants d) good reputation e) know when to give up f) know when to be relentless g) know your blind spots
You need a) excellent and confident taste b) opportunities given to you c) to be nice to editorial assistants d) good reputation e) know when to give up f) know when to be relentless g) know your blind spots
8. Every agent exists on a sliding scale of business driven <-> creative spirit. We have both sides to us! But figure out where you are on that scale and join an agency that supports the underdeveloped side of the scale.
9. Boundaries and expectation management are the unsung hero of this job. You must establish these or you will burn out. You will redefine these at many points in your career. Pay attention to when you need to adapt them.
10. No commission check is worth breaking your moral compass.
