Finding an agent - Do you need one?

Before I get started, let me openly say, and it should not seem shocking, that I have a personal bias for this.

The argument you often hear at writing conferences is whether or not you need an agent to succeed. Is it possible to "go it alone" and succeed? Does an agent give you more of an edge? Do you get more money with an agent? Those questions go on and on... Let's examine this question though.

Let me first dispel a myth that so many who argue against agents use. Agents just negotiate contracts and take your money as a commission. This is far from the case. Yes, agents work on commission and, if you are someone who is looking at an agent who charges fees, run the other way. But the real issue here is, what does the agent do for you.

Because editors know a writer has an agent, they know that writer is getting another set of professional eyes looking at that project. They know the agent and the writer have probably sat down and discussed approaches that will make the project more marketable. When that project gets to the editor, they can really make that project pop.

Agents also assist with your career planning and branding. Because they are directly connected with the editors and publishers, they can aim the writer in the correct direction to maximize their successes. I had an author I worked with who wrote western romances. When we saw the market starting to slide, I was able to recommend taking that same voice and shifting to a slightly different direction to allow the writer to continue the historical voice and, at the same time, keep that western feel.

Agents are also able to work with those editors to get a writer on board with special projects. Again, because that agent is talking to the editors, ideas pop up in discussions and the writer's name is immediately plugged in for that project.

But, one of the biggest advantages is the ability of the writer to just focus on the writing and leave the business side out of the equation. All of the editors I have worked with have said the same thing. They just want to work on the stories with their writers and leave the contract negotiation "stuff" to the agent and the business departments.

There are also many publishers that still will not look at your writing without an agent. If your goal is to be a part of those larger publishing houses, you need someone to work with you.

You may be saying that you can do all of these things. Yes, you can and you might not need that agent.

So let's look at some specific situations to see if you need an agent or not.

• You want to self-publish - no agent needed
• You are interested in primarily boutique or indie-publishing opportunities - no agent needed
• You are new to this business and are unclear on directions - agent recommended
• You are new to a publisher and are seeing only "boiler-plate" contracts - agent recommended
• You have a lot of different genres you focus on - agent recommended
• You have done self-publishing and want to move into traditional publishing - agent recommended
• You want to be a part of those special projects - agent recommended

The reality of the situation is that agents are not needed for everyone. If, however, you have people telling you that agents are not needed, but you have a feeling that you need one, I will be very honest - trust your gut feeling. You need an agent. Just because someone is telling you otherwise may not be your situation.