I don’t have an agent yet, but I have a body of work published in the gaming industry and I’m trying to move forward.

In my opinion, many writers “forget” that the publishing world is — first and foremost — a business.

Perhaps my view on agents is limited because I don’t have one yet, but I view an agent much like I would a business partner.

Thanks, Justine! Great post!

When I first started out, a good friend of mine introduced me to his agent. She offered to read my MS, said it was good and offered to represent it. Sounds good, right? Well, she didn’t represent my genre, had no real interest in it and just wasn’t enthusiastic about my work but I thought any agent is better than none, right? Wrong.

I’m not saying the MS would have sold in another agent’s hands but I am saying that the thought of something I put my heart and soul into in the hands of someone who really didn’t care about it was a feeling I wouldn’t like to repeat.

It hurts, it’s frustrating–who likes rejection?– but they really are doing you a favor.

Katie: You know I didn’t come close to listing everything an agent does. One important area I didn’t mention is all the long-term planning they do with you.

I think a big part of the disconnect is that so many people are used to being customers and complaining about customer service.

“I had to wait!” “She wasn’t very friendly!” “He didn’t give me enough time!”

Writers seeking representation are not the customers. They’re the vendors.

Tch.

*bins Great Unpublished Echidna Novel and closes goatskin treatment plant*

One day, they’ll see.

Fortunately I’ve only had one bad agent experience, and that was someone who said he was looking for new clients never getting back to me about my submission, including silence after a single polite query about six months in.

I’ve had nightmares that started like this! I thought it was just me! =)

Now I’m with Mr. Perfect for Me, who may not be Mr. Perfect for You, or Mr. Perfect for Them. That’s another thing. After firing first agent and starting all over, I was going after everyone else’s Perfect Agent for a long time, and not getting anywhere. And p.s. feeling like a loser because of that. Anyway, in the end my patience and willingness to work ON MY WRITING paid off and I lived happily ever after. So far.

Years and years and years ago an agent kindly took the time to read my first complete novel, and she was kind enough to talk to me about it in person, and she was kind enough to tell me some things I needed to hear which I did not want to hear and which made me both angry and upset, and which later I came to realize were all true. In fact, she went easy on me. Why on earth this woman was that kind I cannot imagine, but she was, and I now recognize it.

Yes. That.