Having An Agent Is Not A Guarantee of Success

I know this is going to sound like I am saying you don't need an agent, so I want to warn you, that is not the way I am going to with this. When I argue that having an agent is not a guarantee, it simply means there are a lot of other factors that come into play when we talk about getting your book published.

There is this belief that once you have an agent, your book immediately moves to the front of the to-be-read pile of editors and will immediately get signed. There is also a belief that once you have an agent, your advances will automatically be double or triple of anyone doing this along. Nope. Not the case.

Here is the reality. 

Once you have an agent, YES, you do get a bit more attention from the editors out there. Editors know that if they get an agented submission, then the book has been looked over, it has probably been through a developmental editing process, and the author has been vetted. These are not "slush pile" submissions. But... we also have to remember that the agent signed you because they saw something in the project. They believed in your project. They loved it. Unfortunately, it still comes down to an editor liking it and loving it just as much. 

And yes, there are times when what we see in a story is not what the editors see.

So what is the point of having an agent?

As an author, you now have someone with that direct line to the editors. It is our job to keep an ear out for potential opportunities for our authors and point you in the right direction. It is also our job, when we get into negotiations or touch situations, to be the liaison. We want you and the editor to be friends and think only creatively about your story. Leave the business stuff up to the agent and the business departments. 

But there is also another thing that becomes a variable when it comes to your success, even after having an agent. It is what YOU put into the situation. A friend of mine at a school I teach at is also a writer. He has not published anything yet but has an agent. He told me one day that he still has yet to finish the project the agent signed him for. I did not want to tell him this, but the odds are, the agent has given up on him and has moved on. 

I have had that in the past with authors who just disappeared. They went off to work on a project and just went "poof." Not sure what happened. I have also had authors who have had opportunities for some new projects that I found for them, with editors excited about the pitch I submitted, but never end up producing a final project. Not much I can do here either. What is worse is that if the author does finally get around to finishing that story, the opportunity might be gone.

I think the thing to understand is that if you are really interested in looking at traditional publishing, having that agent might be something to consider. Just don't assume it means immediate success!