Get a Literary Agent: The Complete Guide to Securing Representation for Your Work (23 page)

One of the first questions you need to ask an interested agent is “What changes do you think need to be made before we submit?” Once you sign a contract with an agent, the key first step is making any final changes to the manuscript so the agent can attempt to sell it. This is the time when you work through those changes and create a finished product the agent believes she can sell.

After the manuscript is finalized, your agent is ready to submit to editors who seek what you’re writing. This is what agents do best. Pitching to editors is their forte, and it’s why you sign with them in the first place, so don’t butt in and evaluate their decisions at this juncture. Step away, and let your agent work.

Typically the agent pitches to various “ideal” editors first—those who can offer the most money and support, or individuals who may have a deep personal connection to the work. Following her contact of “top tier” editors, agents may also target “secondary” markets if the initial contacts pass on the book.

All this takes time. A lot of editors will reject the work outright, but concerning the rest of the submissions, no news is indeed good news. If an editor likes the book, he has to jump through several hurdles before a deal is offered to the author and agent. The acquiring editor will have to present it at an editorial board meeting, run it by marketing, create a profit and loss estimate sheet, and get everything signed off by some of the highest bosses at the company. This is a not a quick process. So the truth is that to get a book deal, you don’t just need one yes from an editor—you actually need several yes responses from key people who review it over the course of weeks or months.

Different agents will have different styles of keeping writers abreast of happenings—this is why discussing communication style is so critical when signing with an agent—but you should always be able to get a status update if you occasionally ask for one—such as potential markets considering the work, as well as those that have formally rejected the book already. This stage of the process—the agent’s submissions—has very little to do with the writer, and this is a great time to focus all your efforts on writing your next project or building your platform.

As the submission process continues, one of two things may happen: (1) Your book may hit some walls (i.e., lots of rejections), and the agent will touch base with you to regroup and discuss next steps moving forward, or (2) the book will attract the interest of one or more publishers as a deal comes closer to fruition.

If your book is not attracting interest from editors, your agent may suggest the submission process temporarily stall so changes can be made to the manuscript in an effort to make it more attractive to publishers. It’s a time to evaluate your status and discuss next steps, whether that means a major overhaul of the book/proposal or abandoning the project and starting anew on another.

If the fortunate, opposite situation happens—interest does manifest for your novel or nonfiction book—three different things may happen, none of which are a bad thing.

1. A PREEMPT.
   This happens when your agent is still in the thick of submitting to editors and gauging responses. An editor will receive the book and like it so much that he contacts your agent and makes an offer right then and there. Because you and your agent have yet to hear replies from many editors, this offer is called a “preempt”—it is designed to stop the submission process in its tracks. If an editor offers a preempt, it is a clear sign of passion for the project and can lead to a quick deal for all parties. Such an offer is rare. And while preempts are a sign of enthusiasm, they should be scrutinized and evaluated just like any other deal offer.
   
2. AN AUCTION.
   This occurs when two or more publishing houses want to buy the book, and thus your agent fields a bidding war during a particular day—until someone makes a winning bid that is not beaten. Publishers bid not only with money but also with promises of marketing support as well as possible offers to buy multiple books rather than just one. Auctions are rare but ideal. In such a bidding war, the competition drives up how much money you can make for an advance. In fact, editors are like agents in that they can smell blood in the water. Just as a writer’s ability to get an offer of representation can draw quick interest from other agents considering the work, an agent’s ability to secure a book deal can draw quick interest from other editors looking over the book.
   
3. A NORMAL OFFER.
   This is simply when an editor makes you an offer for the book—without the fanfare of a preempt or a bidding war with others. Most times, finding a publisher happens this way—including the long series of yeses throughout the company that we talked about earlier. At the heart of the process, though, is an editor who feels a deep connection with the work.
   

There are several major items that your agent and the editor must agree on before a deal is made. These are called “deal points” and involve things such as how much money you’ll be paid up front and what rights to the material you’re selling away. Once these crucial points are ironed out, the deal is, in all probability, going to happen. This is when your agent will call and tell you to finally pop open the champagne.

And although you can personally celebrate in this moment of happiness, it’s wise to keep the good news under wraps for now. Yes, if your agent says the deal is good, then there is an overwhelming chance it’s all said and done. But no contract has been signed yet, and anything can happen. Several years ago, my agent told me to pop the champagne on a book deal, and I did just that. (It was delicious.) But in the weeks to come, an unexpected disagreement concerning royalty rates in the contract shut down the negotiation process and the deal fell through. I was told this doesn’t happen 95 percent of the time, but evidently this deal just fell in that 5 percent. For months, relatives and co-workers were asking me when the book would be out, only to hear my sheepish reply that there would be no book.

Besides running the risk of counting your chickens before they’ve hatched, if you celebrate too early and tell the whole world via Facebook, somebody could try to beat you to the punch. This is a much more common problem for nonfiction authors than novelists. Let’s say you come up with a unique hook for your nonfiction book—such as the history of salt or a memoir “written” by God (both of these are real books), somebody can see that concept posted online and self-publish a book in an attempt to beat you to the punch. While nonfiction authors cannot completely prevent this type of idea theft, they can do themselves favors by not spreading the word until the book’s marketing plan begins—perhaps at six months prior to its release.

Since an agent’s job is to submit your book to all the editors she feels are a good fit for the work, chances are she’s met these editors personally at least once, if not many times. That’s what agents do—get to know editors. So if one of these editors makes an offer, your agent should be able to quickly give you the lowdown on the editor and what he’s known for. In fact, there is a good probability your agent has sold to this editor before and can explain the process of how their previous collaboration transpired.

This is also when your agent will explain all the ideas and concerns that the editor has brought to the table. Before you say yes to the deal, it’s important that you’re completely aware of what you will get—i.e., money—and what you will give up—i.e., rights you’re selling away. But it’s also important to understand how the editor wants to change the work during his editorial process. Perhaps he wants to trim 10 percent of the book. Or perhaps he wants you to eliminate a subplot. You must be A-OK with these changes before signing any paperwork.

The reason you should be completely aware and comfortable with any suggested changes is this: Once you sign the contract and Publishing House XYZ is now paying you money for your book,
they
are in charge. They have purchased your material and therefore have the final say. Don’t panic: Your opinion will factor in during the editing process. After all, you created the work and will have valuable thoughts on any changes to the story as well as other elements such as the cover and marketing ideas. A good editor will welcome your suggestions and start lines of dialogue on points that need to be ironed out. But when push comes to shove, remember who makes the final decision and who holds the purse strings.

Ideally your experience working with an editor will be pleasant, but that’s less likely to happen if every little change to the manuscript generates an argument for you. Keeping a positive relationship is good for your future, too—you want to sell another book to this publishing house and work with the editor again. So keep the future in mind throughout the process, and remember that many writers praise editors after the fact for making their books stronger.

To keep your relationship with your editor positive, voice your concerns and frustrations to your agent first. Make your rep your sounding board and go-between. A good agent can help talk you down from ledges and explain why an editor’s idea or opinion is actually not a bad thing and that it will help with the finished product. And if you have a legitimate problem with something the publishing house proposes (such as an unwise change to your title), it’s better to let the agent bring up these thoughts with the editor. Remember, an agent, not you, should play bad cop. It’s too important for an editor to have a good opinion of you so you’ll work together again.