If you came to this page hoping to find a magical list of literary agents looking for Black clients and eager to sell Black books, there isn't any. If I knew of any such agents, I would probably be with one of them. Like most writers, I would love to be represented by a good agent, though like many writers I've discovered that finding a good agent -- or an agent who is right for my work -- is an often hard and time-consuming process. To begin, I suggest reading the latest issue of Jeff Herman's Guide To Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents for a solid list of agents to query. What is on this page are a few of my own experiences with literary agents, and a little advice based on those experiences.

If there's one thing I've learned in twenty years of playing the writing game it's that it's usually harder to find a good agent than it is to find a publisher. What does this mean? Basically that you shouldn't be discouraged by agency rejections. Of course, you shouldn't let any rejections discourage you, but the fact is your work is more likely to be rejected by agents than by publishers, so you should keep sending your work to publishers even if you're shopping for an agent. While this might not make sense (don't you need an agent first?) you will probably find that very few things in the writing game make sense... and the longer you play it the less sense it makes.

You might get the feeling that a lot of the nonsense that goes on in the publishing world is a smoke-and-mirror show designed to confuse and discourage Black writers -- and some of it is -- but, trust me, the whitefolk are just as confused!

You could say that the publishing industry is a lot like the old southern story of the bird that flies backwards because it's more interested in where it's been than in where it's going. "New and Different" tends to scare most mainstream publishers, and the same applies to most agents.

An honorable profession?

Most people of Color would agree that calling someone a pimp is not always a bad thing and can be a compliment. On the other hand, many whitefolk -- at least many over thirty -- would take being called a pimp as an insult. Fact is, during a breakup with a former agent I used the word pimp to describe her profession and was promptly informed by her lawyers that to call a literary agent a pimp (at least this particular literary agent) could get me sued.

(By the way, calling a lawyer a shyster can also get you sued... even if it's true!)

But, whether you regard the word pimp as an insult or a compliment, the fact is that pimping is exactly what literary agents do: they pimp your work -- your novel, story, non-fiction book, magazine article, essay, or children's book -- to editors at publishing houses.

If an agent is a good pimp, they not only sell your work but they treat that work and you, the author, with all the respect you deserve. They pimp their asses off to make sure you get paid as much as possible and as soon as possible. They take their rightful cut of your earnings with no BS or "extra expenses", and they pay you promptly what you are owed.

A good agent also tries to sell that same work to other publishers -- usually foreign -- as well as the film, stage, TV, electronic, serial, and reprint rights. In other words, a good agent makes sure that your work works for you and keeps making you (and them) money in every way possible for as long as possible.

Like a good pimp, a good literary agent is always hustling. Selling their clients' writing is what their profession is all about; and your stories or novels are never going to sell unless editors read them. Therefore, you don't have to be a genius to figure out that editors aren't going to read your work if your agent isn't sending it out.

Time Out

Very few people like being rejected unless there's mental illness involved, but if you aren't getting rejections from publishers back through your agent, then your agent isn't pimping for you. Some writers don't want to see rejections, but if you're one of them you should have told your agent not to send rejections to you. But you really should look at rejections because, except for sales, rejections are the only way you know that your agent is pimping your work.

Rejections probably won't make you feel good, but they can be helpful in improving your work and making you a better writer.

How can rejections be helpful? Like this: if three different editors reject your work for the same reasons, then I'd suggest a rewrite to fix those things.

On the other hand, if three different editors reject your work for different reasons -- say each editor loved something about your novel that the others didn't like -- then you just have to put it down to editorial taste and make sure your agent keeps pimping that work until it sells.

Back to the game

Time to get down with the questions that most new writers ask about finding a good literary agent. Remember that like everything else on this site, I can only speak from personal experience, and what has worked for me might not work for you. Likewise, where I have failed you may succeed.

The good agent

How do I define a good literary agent? After twenty years in the writing game, and after being associated with six different agents, I define a good agent as one who can sell your work. Period. Anything else that you like about them is just frosting on the cake.

Consider...

You and your agent might not like each other on a personal level.

Your agent might not have a clue what your work is all about or what you're trying to accomplish by writing. And, as strange as it may sound, a good agent doesn't have to understand your work -- or you -- to sell it.

Your agent will probably be white, at least middle-class, and know absolutely nothing about ghetto life or gangstuh games. ...Or want to know.

Take it from someone who may have had the best agent in the world but was too freakin' stupid at the time to know it: none of the above matters as long as your agent is selling your work! You might not like a doctor, but if he or she saves your butt then you should respect that person as a professional.

The perfect agent

Ain't no such animal.

Just about every new Black writer thinks they have to have a Black literary agent. I did too. That's a cool concept, but is it realistic?

Not very; especially if you're looking a Brother or Sister who instantly returns all your phone calls and e-mails, loved your work the second they saw it, understood everything you were trying to say, speaks fluent hip-hop, sells your first novel within a week to a major publisher for at least 50k, and then sells the film rights a week later for a million.

Reality check, folk. Just like every other U.S. industry, the people at the top of the publishing industry are almost always white. Racism, either blatant and deliberate, or subtle and misinformed, influences many things in the publishing world; and even the best Black agents have to deal with this just like you and me. While I haven't deeply researched the subject, I keep hearing that out of over 6,000 literary agents in this country only about 20 are Black.

What does this mean (besides the fact we need to get off our asses, stop watching rap videos with light-skinned Sisters, fistfuls of green, and fancy-ass cars made in places most rappers can't even spell or find on a map, and get busy... including making it cool for our kids to start reading again)? Basically it means that most powerful Black agents have so many clients already that they either won't accept a new author, or, if they do, they generally don't have time to give a new author's work the attention it deserves... including pimping it.

The powerful agent

What is a powerful agent? Basically, it's an agent who has spent years developing and maintaining contacts with editors at major publishing houses. If a powerful agent (no matter what color) submits a manuscript to a publisher, then the editor at that publishing house knows that the work is probably worth reading and will generally give it a look... at least. When a powerful agent speaks, editors tend to listen. This doesn't mean an editor will always buy a manuscript from that agent, but at least they will usually read it.

But, having a powerful agent doesn't necessarily mean that you, the writer, or your work will be treated with respect, either by a publisher... or even by your agent!

I was once represented by one of the top Black agents in this country. Naturally I'm not going to give her name on this site and risk getting sued, but if you want to write me a letter I'll be happy to tell you. Anyway, I sent her several novel manuscripts and then, confident that I was well represented and my work was going out to publishers (being properly pimped), I went on with new writing projects. After almost a year without one sale, one rejection, or even one word from this agent, I finally contacted her and found that she had not submitted a damn thing of mine to publishers! In fact, she had lost all my manuscripts!

The primary purpose of an agent is to keep to keep sending a writer's work out to publishers, leaving the writer free to write -- the primary purpose of a writer -- secure in the knowledge that his or her work is being pimped. As I've already said, no one is going to buy your work unless they read it, and no one is going to read your work unless either you or an agent keeps sending it out. This agent wasted almost a year of my life. Worse, she violated my trust by letting me think she was doing her job while actually doing jack.

She claimed she had just been too busy to give my work any attention. Know what? I believe her. But, so what? If she was too busy to send out my work, then she simply should have said so up front and not wasted my time by accepting me as a client.

You may find that many agents, black, white, pink or purple, will take on more clients than they can properly serve. This is an important thing to consider when shopping for an agent... especially a Black agent. Be wary if they tell you how busy they are, or admit it if you ask them... which you definitely should. Watch out if they say something like they "have a lot on their plate at the moment, but will get to your work in a month or two." Try to contact other writers who have dealt with this agent and find out what their experiences were. (I later found out that a fellow author had a similar horror tale about this Sister.)

Don't expect an instant sale from any agent, but if you don't hear anything from your agent after about four months -- you get no rejections -- then it's time to find out what's up with that. This is one good reason not to sign an agency contract up front... more on agency contracts later.

The new agent

(Could be subtitled: "The Weak Agent.")

I had another Black agent for a month or so. He was a young Brother just starting out and was full of energy, determination and hope. The problem is that energy, determination and hope are seldom good substitutes for age, experience and wisdom. As I've already said, a successful and powerful agent has usually spent many years developing contacts with editors... editors who are generally white, at least middle-class, and don't speak hip-hop or G. In his determination to sell one of my books, this young Brother got an editor so pissed off -- an editor who had already published one of my books -- that the editor refused to consider any other new works of mine.

Moral? An agent may be a pimp, but he or she probably shouldn't act like one.

In any case, even if you do land a first-class Black agent, both the agent and your work will still probably receive second-class treatment from mainstream publishers.

The bad agent

In this case bad is bad... and color don't make a damn bit of difference.

If I define I good agent as one who can sell your work, then it's only logical that my definition of a bad agent is one who can't.

I had a white agent for almost two years who not only didn't understand any of my work and didn't have a clue which publishers to send it to, but who actually advised me to give up on two novels I had written. I sent both novels to major publishers and sold them myself. Both were fairly successful, are still in print and paying me royalties.

As a result, this agent now gets 15% commission from these books, along with 15% of any other sales, foreign, film rights, etc... and by doing absolutely nothing to earn it! I should add that she hasn't tried to sell any of these other rights. It's not that she won't, it's just that she can't. Why? Because she's a bad agent... at least for me.

She also couldn't read a film contract and gave me some really bad advice on a film rights sale... which got me cheated out of $20,000.00.

She also once asked why I wanted to bother with foreign sales because "they hardly paid anything." Most of my foreign book advances have been under $2000.00. After all, many countries are small compared to the U.S., therefore most books sales will be relatively small. I don't know about you, but if I didn't have a very patient landlady I would have been pushing a shopping cart out on the street years ago. $2000.00 makes a lot of difference in my life, so it was pretty disturbing -- to say the least -- to hear that my agent thought it was only chump change and didn't want to bother with it!

But, understand that any agent puts their reputation on the line every time they submit your work to an editor. I think it's safe to say that most agents are more concerned about their reps than in selling your work; and a weak or bad agent is usually scared of making wrong moves when dealing with editors. Of course, there are logical reasons for this: as I've already mentioned, a successful literary agent has spent many years developing contacts with editors; and naturally if they send garbage to an editor then the editor won't want to read any more submissions from that agent. Make sense?

While many agents manage to stay in business year after year by selling books, their relationship with editors is often shaky and they are terrified to make any submissions that might make them look bad.

For this reason, I think it's also safe to say that most agents tend to be more critical of your work than an editor would be. This is something to consider if an agent gives you advice about your writing.

Writing advice from agents? Hmmmm...

The problem with agents giving editorial (writing) advice, is that most literary agents are not published writers, or haven't been editors in any major way. I have never gotten good editorial advice from a literary agent; and unless your agent has had a few successful books published and/or has worked as an editor at a major publishing house, be very careful about taking editing suggestions from them.

I'm not saying that you should always refuse such suggestions, but I would think long and hard before doing major rewrites for anyone who doesn't have money invested in your work. The key words here are "money invested in your work."

For example, it's fairly common for an editor to reject a manuscript, but tell the agent or author that he or she would be willing to give it another look if the author made some major changes. What has always happened to me is that after I spent weeks or months making those changes -- changes I usually didn't want to make because they tamed a story or pulled all its teeth, especially on racial issues -- the editor rejected it again.

Of course, this is only my experience, but I have always found that doing major rewrites for people who have no money invested in your work is a big waste of time. And, oddly enough, when I put the work back the way I wanted it to be, it has always eventually sold.

Agents with issues

One of my agents was a devout Christian. I have nothing against Christians who actually read and understand the Bible, but in this case I wrote a young-adult novel about Voodu and she refused to pimp it. I wonder if she thinks the Harry Potter books are "Satan's work" too?

This is an example of when an agent's personal tastes, beliefs, quirks, phobias or issues, can hurt your career. It's also a damn good reason why you should get to know as much as possible about an agent before you sign a contract or entrust them with your work. Some agents have personal issues that can affect how well they work for you... besides the one agent's Voodu phobia, my former bad white agent was convinced that the "devil" caused her computer to crash. On the same day a virus was crashing computers all over the world! She also had an issue about "saving trees," and hated to make manuscript copies! (I'm not making this up!) I think most normal people would agree that if one has a phobia against wasting paper, then they shouldn't be in the publishing business!

More on getting to know your potential agent later.

Anyhow, other than the example of a bad agent I just gave (an agent who advised me to give up on two novels that have proven to be fairly successful after I sold them myself) you might consider that out of my thirteen published books so far, ten were rejected by agents, while Way Past Cool, my most successful novel to date, was pronounced "marginal" in terms of sales potential by an agent.

In the latter case, and fortunately, the agent was powerful enough to risk her reputation on a book she didn't entirely believe in. If you guessed that this agent was probably the best agent I could have had, you guessed right.

This is something to think about... a powerful agent will be more likely to pimp your work than a less powerful one. Not only that, but a powerful agent can afford to make many submissions, while a less powerful agent will be concerned about copying costs and postage expenses (or maybe saving trees), and will be hesitant about making a lot of submissions. In fact, this bad agent of mine would only make multiple submissions if I supplied her with multiple manuscript copies at my own expense... something a lot of new writers can't afford.

I guess that made it okay because I was the one wasting trees, not her.

On the other hand, a powerful agent is less likely to accept you as a new client. After all, they didn't get to be powerful by taking too many chances. In fact, most really powerful agents won't even consider a new client unless he or she has already had a successful book published by a major publisher.

This leads to a classic Catch-22 for new writers: namely that most powerful agents won't accept a new writer unless that writer has already had a book published with a major publisher. The problem is that most major publishers won't accept submissions from anyone but an agent!

Really bad agents

(Could be subtitled: "How To Murder Your Writing Career Before You Even Get One.")

This seems to come as a shock to new writers, but the fact is that anyone can call themselves a literary agent. There are virtually no standards, licenses, or qualifications to meet... including screening out people with illogical beliefs or weird-ass phobias.

Most agents manage to stay in business by constantly working to establish and maintain contacts with editors, thereby selling a few books every year. As in other professions, most small literary agencies are small because they deserve to be. They are small because the agent can't choose enough writers who produce work that sells. They are small because the agent either doesn't work hard enough developing contacts with editors, and/or simply lacks the public-relations skills needed to promote themselves and their clients. They are small because they can't or won't pimp their clients' work.

On the other hand, some perfectly good agencies remain small by choice, either by not wanting to hire assistant agents to handle more work, or by simply deciding this is as big and powerful as they want to be.

There are many older agents in this category, some being semi-retired. This is fine for them, but it can mean death for a new author. Why? Because while the agent may be satisfied to make a few leisurely submissions every year -- and mostly to editors of their own generation -- this usually doesn't sell a new writer's work.

Back in the 1970s, there was a best-selling book titled Winning Through Intimidation by Robert J. Ringer. In this book, Mr. Ringer put forth the proposition that there are only three types of people you'll meet in the business world.

The first type is out to screw you and tells you right up front that they're gonna screw you, so you better watch your ass. These are usually the easiest people to deal with because you know where they're coming from. The film business is filled with these types, and your best defense is a good lawyer and/or film agent to get every word and promise in writing.

The second type is also out to screw you, but pretends to be a good guy. They are harder to deal with because they are usually very skilled liars and put on the best benevolent fronts.

Thirdly, there are people who would never knowingly screw anybody, but though their own incompetence, lack of business sense, or motivation, they end up screwing you anyhow!

Unfortunately, many small agents fall into this third category... they are on the real and very nice people with the best of intentions, often easy to talk to and devoted to great writing. However, they are already satisfied with what they have and don't feel any need to go out and pimp their asses off for a new writer. They are often the first friendly and positive contact a new writer has in the game, and the writer instantly melts in gratitude and signs a contract. (More on agency contracts later.)

There follow months of friendly e-mails and phone conversations. The new writer feels blown up to the max... at last they have found someone who believes in their work! Someone who is going to sell their work! But time continues to pass, and the writer slowly begins to realize that few, if any, submissions are being made... not because the agent is incompetent, bad, or lazy, but simply because the agent feels no pressure to pimp the new writer's work. The agent isn't hungry, and may have forgotten how hungry most new writers are. If the agent is elderly, many of the editors the agent has dealt with in the past might be retired or dead!

Remember that when you entrust an agent with your work, you are trusting that they know the right editors to send your work to. You are trusting that the agent has enough experience to know that one editor at a publishing house likes your type of story and might be inclined to buy it, while another editor at the same house would probably reject it. In other words, not only is it important that an agent know the right editors to submit your work to, they also have to know who not to submit it to.

Of course, if you knew the right editors to send your work to, then you probably wouldn't need an agent. About the only way you're going to know if your agent has this knowledge is if he or she sells your work.

Anyway, I'm not saying that an elderly agent can't sell a young writer's work -- there is no substitute for age, wisdom and experience -- but make sure they're actually still in business full-time, not semi-retired but still dabbling in the publishing game as a hobby.

This is another important question to ask before you sign with an agent... is being a literary agent the only thing they do? Or is it a sideline, or even a hobby? In most cases, if being an agent is a sideline to their day job, then they're not going to pimp as hard for you as someone whose living depends upon selling books.

But, an agent can also be young and still feel that he or she has gotten as big and successful as they want to be. That's an admirable goal to have reached, but it usually doesn't help a new writer break into the game.

A good agent is powerful enough to have many contacts with editors and to keep submitting your work, but a good agent is still hungry enough to pimp your work because they need the money.

Your best strategy when considering an agent is to find out what books they have sold recently, and to what publishers.

Reading fees? $$$ Watch your back!

Also in the category of really bad agents are many who charge reading fees. (Meaning a fee to read and supposedly give you advice on your manuscript.) While there are some totally legit agents who charge reading fees, most successful agents make their livings from selling writer's work. However, there is no shortage of hopeful young authors who would do almost anything to have someone read their novel -- including paying somebody to read it -- and there are more than a few agents who make a damn good living off reading fees and almost never actually sell a book to a publisher.

Not surprisingly, most such agents advertise for suck... I mean clients, in literary or writing books and magazines as well as on the web. And there's one of those born every minute.

Again, your safest strategy when considering an agent is to find out what books they have sold recently, and to which publishers. I can't think of any legitimate reason why an agent would refuse to tell you what books he or she has sold within the last two years... unless that number is zero.

On the other hand, some totally legit agents won't disclose the names of the authors in their stable. But if you know what books the agent has sold, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out who wrote them!

FAQs about literary agents

Do I need an agent to get published?

No. But that depends on what you mean by getting published. Most major and mainstream publishers will not accept submissions from un-agented authors... including authors like myself who might called "successful." So, if you're hoping to make the big-time with your new novel, then you will probably need an agent.

On the other hand, many smaller and independent publishers -- including some Black presses -- not only accept submissions from un-agented authors but actually don't like to deal with agents.

And most magazines, no matter how large, don't require you to have an agent when making submissions to them. As I mentioned above, of my fourteen published books to date, I sold ten of them myself without an agent. Several of these sales were to independent publishers, and others to majors. Most of my stories were sold to magazines or anthologies without an agent; and the film deal for Way Past Cool was made without an agent (or at least without an agent who knew anything about film contracts).

Also understand that most agents -- like most editors -- are usually not published writers themselves. This doesn't stop editors from messing with your work... but at least they have bought and paid for it. If an editor speaks about rewriting or altering your work, or even bothers to give you a note about why he or she rejected it, it's wise to listen and take their advice.

But, don't get discouraged by agency rejections. As we've already learned, most agents are nervous about sending out new work... especially new work by Black authors. Understand that each time an agent makes a submission to a publisher they are putting their rep on the line. If an agent gets known for submitting trash, they are not likely to stay in business very long! This makes them very cautious.

Can an agent get me a better deal?

Usually. ...A good agent, that is. Most new writers are in no position to haggle with a publisher... and the publisher knows it! Most of the time you will be offered a standard off-the-shelf contract with the lowest possible advance (if any) and all the terms in favor of the publisher, including foreign, paperback, reprint, film, stage, TV, and electronic rights. Remember that there are many things about a book deal besides the advance money... like, how much in royalties are you being offered? And, what other rights to your work (as mentioned above) are you selling along with your book or story? The list goes right on down to how many author copies you will get.

Most average folk, myself included, aren't very good at reading contracts written in legalese, and, like I've said, most new writers are in no position to argue with a publisher. And, with that ass-kickin' first contract in your hand-- the one that proves you're a "real writer" at last -- most new writers wouldn't even dare to haggle. This is when having a good agent is really worth their 15 or 20 percent commission.

This can also be the time when you find out just how good or powerful your agent really is. Just as when making submissions, new or over-cautious agents are often very reluctant to bargain or argue with editors.

Just having an agent is no guarantee that you won't be screwed by a publisher, though most major publishers don't screw writers... at least not blatantly. The real art of screwing writers is practiced in the film industry!

Maybe the best way for a new writer to feel is that you're probably going to get screwed to some degree, but a good agent can make that screwing a little more comfortable, while a bad agent will only make it hurt a lot more.

A lot more.

How do I find an agent who's right for me?

That's one of the biggest questions in the game... and if you find the right answer please let me know. As we've already learned, most powerful agents won't take on a new writer until that writer has proven they can sell big-time. And most big-time publishers won't read your work unless you have an agent.

What applies to selling your work on your own also applies to finding a good agent... you send out lots of well-written query letters and wait, and wait... and wait. (See the Submitting Your Work page.)

How will I know if my agent is right for me?

A little Voodu might help, but most of the time you won't... usually not until you've sold at least one book (or not) with them. As we've already discussed, a good agent knows the right editors to send your work to, and will be pimping your work until it sells, or at least until your work collected a lot of rejections. If your new agent doesn't start pimping for you right away --- and keep on pimping until they've exhausted all the logical markets for your work -- then they're probably not the right agent for you.

What questions should I ask a potential agent?

Lots! What books have they sold... lately... and to what publishers? What genres of work does the agent handle? What genres of work don't they handle? The second question is probably twice as important for a writer of color.

But, setting aside the color issue, don't find out, as I did, after you've signed with an agent, that your agent doesn't handle ghost stories (for example). You may not be writing ghost stories at the moment, but you might want to write one someday.

And don't find out, as I also did, after you have signed with an agent, that the agent's religious and/or personal beliefs will get in the way of their willingness or ability to pimp your work. A good agent doesn't necessarily have to believe in your work with all their heart and soul to sell it, but they're not going to be able to convince an editor to buy it if they hate, fear, or loathe it.

If possible, try to meet your potential agent face to face. We've all had the experience of imagining how someone looks like from a voice on the phone and then finding out how wrong we were. Are an agent's looks, clothes, style, speech, important? You'll just have ask yourself if you want to be represented by this person... if you want this person marching into an editor's office or taking an editor out to lunch in your name.

Setting aside looks and threads, what kind of personality does the agent have... would you buy a book from him or her? Would you trust their judgment if they claimed this book would be a best-seller? Would you buy a used car from this person? As I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, I once had a brief association with a young Brother who was just starting out in business. He was very aggressive, which is a good quality for an agent to have; but as we know, "aggressive black males" are usually avoided, despised and feared by whites. I'm told that after a meeting with him an editor supposedly said he would "never buy any book from this loud-mouthed guy!" (I suspect another word was used in place of "guy"... privately, anyhow.)

This left me with a hard decision to make because breaking up with an agent is usually not a pleasant experience -- at least for a writer -- but you can't sell a book if an editor won't read it because your agent pissed him off.

Watch your back with agents who advertise for "ethnic" writers. I don't know why, but they are often exactly the kind of agents you don't want!

Another important question to ask up front is who will pay for copying and mailing/shipping your manuscripts? As you know, copies and postage aren't free; and, as I've mentioned, I was with one agent for over a year before I discovered that she only sent out as many copies of a manuscript as I provided her with.

Some agents may charge you extra, over and above their commission, for postage, copying, and mailing expenses... whether or not they have sold your work. Find out if this is going to be the case with your agent. Many good agents will take a chance on a new writer and not charge for these things until your book is sold. But then you may find that, just like hospital supplies, you're paying way too much for things you could have bought a lot cheaper yourself.

What about agency contracts?

An ultra powerful agent once told me that she didn't believe in agency contracts -- meaning a contract between you (the writer) and the agency -- for the simple reason that if you decide an agent isn't right for you, and/or don't like working with them, then it's stupid to have a piece of paper forcing you to stay together. Likewise, it's just as bad for an agent to be bound to a writer who they don't get along with.

Agency contracts are for the benefit of the agent, not the writer. Most agency contracts are pretty one-sided, saying what you have to do, but not very much about what the agent has to do.

If an agent sells a book for you, then he or she automatically becomes the agent-of-record for that book, and will usually add this provision into the publisher's book contract, so there's really no reason to have a separate agency contract.

Think long and hard before signing an agency contract: be sure you understand what you are being bound to. Having a lawyer look it over is a cool idea, but most new writers can't afford that... or wouldn't dare.

Setting aside the pimp concept, the ideal relationship between you and your agent is like a happy marriage with children... the children being your books. If your marriage turns out to be childless, or becomes more like a shotgun wedding from hell, then you should be able to divorce with a minimum of yelling and screaming and lawyers.

What are my obligations to an agent?

Just as in a good marriage, you need mutual respect, trust, and understanding. In this kind of marriage both people work... you, the writer, provide your agent with new manuscripts to sell, and he or she sells them, gets the best possible deals, and you both make a living.

There are children... your books. Your main obligation to your agent is to keep producing those children, and to meet whatever agreements or deadlines there may be after a sale of your work... such as doing rewrites (as specified by your editor) making corrections, reading the galley proofs, and getting the corrected proofs back to the editor ON TIME.

There is no point in constantly bugging your agent by asking about sales... if there is a sale, and since a sale is in both your best interests, your agent will probably phone or e-mail you a minute after a sale happens.

It is not reasonable to expect an agent to give you their home phone number: if they do, treat it as a privilege and don't abuse it. And, just as in a marriage, remain faithful and trusting of your agent... at least until (or if) you find that your loyalty and trust have been betrayed. Even if you suspect that your trust has been betrayed, please make every effort to be sure there has been no misunderstanding between you and your agent. Breaking up with (or divorcing from) an agent can be a very traumatic experience... usually for the writer.

What are an agent's obligations to me?

Just as if you were out working hard (in this case writing) and came home every night to find your spouse kicked back on the couch with a forty in hand, having done nothing all day but watch TV; and the kids are dirty and hungry, you need to make sure the relationship between you and your agent isn't all one-sided.

Never forget that your agent works for you, not the other way around. (Literary agents often forget this... and film agents flatly deny it. ) Just like tending the house and taking care of the kids, an agent's work is sending out your manuscripts to publishers and (hopefully) eventually selling them.

Obviously your agent can't sell your work if he or she isn't sending it out... pimping for you.

But, understand that agents can't make miracles happen or change what's wrong with this society; and in the case of black books only a limited number will be published each year no matter how good they are.

There's really no rule, but I'd say that it's not unreasonable to expect a good agent to submit a manuscript to at least six different publishers before giving up on it, or advising you to give it up. In other words, you should have at least six rejections to prove that your work was indeed sent out.

Just because an agent gives up on one of your books doesn't mean that you have to; but make sure your agent understands -- even if they might not approve -- if you're going to keep sending out an "unsalable" work on your own.

Some agents resent this: I don't know why, unless it makes them look bad if you sell what they couldn't. In the case of my bad agent, she resented it like hell, but she didn't let her resentment get in the way of claiming her commission!

But, make sure you don't send it to the same editors your agent already has! This will make YOU look bad.

If you do sell the work on your own, then you may still have problems with your agent (as mentioned above) especially if you have signed an agency contract. You may resent having to pay someone for a sale you made yourself, but it's usually cheaper and easier than trying to fight it in court. Just learn from the experience and don't make that same mistake again.

If it becomes obvious that your agent isn't making enough submissions, any submissions, or isn't following up on any leads for submissions you may have discovered, then it's time to have a long talk.

Your agent is expected to fight for you during AND after the sale of a work. This means that your agent should get you the best advance and terms, make sure that you retain the most rights to other sales or uses of your book, and act as a mediator if necessary between you and your editor during the publishing process.

But, just as when submitting or pimping your work, your agent is putting his or her career on the line each time he or she argues with an editor; and you may quickly learn whether you have a weak or a powerful agent by how fiercely and/or effectively he or she is willing to battle a publisher in your name.

As long as you're not making a pest of yourself, an agent should respond to your letters, phone calls, faxes or e-mails within a week or so... if there is nothing especially time-sensitive about them.

My agent hasn't responded to my calls, letters and e-mails for two months. Have I been dumped?

Possibly. Just like they say about Hollywood, when your agent stops returning your calls it's time to worry! Life ain't fair as we know, and if an agent decides to dump you, you may not even know you don't have an agent for months... time you could have been spending sending out work on your own or finding another agent. If you suspect you've been dumped, send a certified letter with return receipt saying that if you don't hear from your agent within two more weeks you will assume you've been dumped (or words to that effect) and will begin seeking other representation.

I don't think my agent is doing her job, can I look for another agent while I'm still with her?

Most agents will tell you that soliciting other agents while still with your present agent is the worst sin in the Bible and is "just not done".

Actually, it's done all the time. Many successful writers simply outgrow their first agents... agents who for one reason or another just can't deal with big-time publishing or Hollywood. Matter of fact, it's also very common for agents to steal each other's clients! But don't expect an agent to admit this.

And don't expect any understanding from your agent if you do this. Also be aware that the publishing world is a very small place and word will get around.

Can changing agents hurt a writer?

As far as I've been able to tell, not in the eyes of most editors, but definitely in the eyes of most agents! If you have a ten-book contract with a publisher then you probably won't care what agents think; but if, like most black writers, every book is a first book and every agent is a first agent, then you should be damn sure you're doing the right thing. How? Good question, I haven't figured it out myself.

At best be prepared for a verbal or e-mail drive-by from your present agent.

Also be aware that author/agent divorces can be messy, especially if there have been children -- your books -- or if your present agent still has manuscripts of yours out for consideration by publishers.

Unless other arrangements can be made -- in writing -- your present agent will still be agent-of-record for whatever books she has already sold and rightfully entitled to her commission(s) from them.

She is also entitled -- if she chooses -- to keep on pursuing other sales of whatever works of yours she has sold, such as foreign or film. Even if she doesn't choose to do so, you may still be obligated to pay her a commission on any future sales of those works.

As far as any work she still has out in submission, you need to arrive at an understanding -- in writing -- about what will happen if she makes a sale after your divorce.

And be sure to get a complete list of the submissions she has made (and the editors who considered them) to make life easier for yourself and for your new agent.

If anything here has been helpful to you, a note of thanks and/or a dollar or two in PayPal is always appreciated.