Is a Bad Agent Better than No Agent?

When query after query to agents is returned with a “no thanks,” many writers become frustrated by the endless search for representation. Just getting someone to read your material seems an overwhelming task, which is why many writers settle for a less than ideal agent, only to find themselves in much worse shape than they were on their own.

Is a bad agent better than no agent?

“A bad agent is definitely worse than no agent at all,” said Cathy Yardly, author of The Driven Snow, a Harlequin Blaze romance, and the upcoming L.A. Woman, published in June, 2002, under Harlequin’s Red Dress Ink imprint. “Of course, my experience is with romance, primarily, where you don’t really need an agent, for category especially. But I have had a friend go through horror stories of signing with an agent who claimed to have an ‘in’ with a publishing house that my friend had a manuscript in with. Afterwards, it turned out that the publisher wasn’t even returning the agent’s calls! What’s worse, now that she’s signed, she is contractually obligated to give up a percentage of the profits should that book sell because of ‘work done on the author’s behalf on this project,’ even though she’s already fired that agent!”

Before signing any contracts, a writer should always research the credentials of an agent. This can be as easy as surfing over to my favorite search engine, Google (http://www.google.com) and typing in the agent’s name. For more on agents, see Jeff Kleinman's article this month.

Red flags to look for when researching a prospective agent include disputes with former clients, no verifiable track record of sales, and, believe it or not, your own correspondence with the agent in question. Emails returned full of typos and Web sites that are unprofessional tell you many things, but the most important message you are being sent is this “literary” agent is not very literate. How can they possibly represent you well?

“I’m a living, breathing testimonial to the fact that a bad agent can cause you sleepless nights, confusion, hand-wringing, horrible disappointment, and eye-twitching,” author Jerri Corgiat said. “My bad agent experience lasted only a few months, thank goodness, which is just a few weeks longer than it took me to raise holy heck with her agency and wiggle out of my contract after I’d discovered she’d, to put it politely, bent the truth. I’m sorry I won’t name names as she’s no longer employed there. And I do a Google search every once in a while to make sure she’s not lurking around conferences!”

I've heard from many, many writers who asked not to quoted, primarily because they were still locked in horrible contracts with bad agents. “Bad agents don’t return your calls promptly, don’t shop your manuscripts around, have an irritating reputation with publishing houses, which consequently reflects on you, and basically can damage your career,” Yardley said. “Better off without.”

So, how can you keep this from happening to you?

Along with researching the agent extensively, develop a list of qualities that you are looking for in an agent. Writer Karen Brichoux shared her “wish” list with me, and I suggest each writer should have a similar list.

• An agent with an established, recognizable agency

• An agent who likes my writing style and voice

• An agent who allows me to work in my own way

• An agent who likes my ideas

• An agent who gives some editorial advice but, for the most part, concentrates on selling the manuscript

• An agent who is capable of getting the best deal

• An agent who is open and honest, and who discusses the details of submission--who makes plans with me, not for me

• An agent who shakes and rattles publishers’ cages, and who can sell ideas and new voices

• An agent who is excited about my work but also has his/her feet firmly on the ground

• An agent who will sell my manuscript right away or has ideas for how to sell and market the manuscript as opposed to an agent who goes through the motions, sending the manuscript to the same places he/she sends every manuscript--basically duplicating what I could do without an agent

• An agent who exudes confidence, joie de vivre, likes animals, has curiosity, and who will be something of a friend as well as a business partner

• An agent who will be a partner rather than someone who lords it over me

• An agent who will make logical criticisms of my work rather than using critiques as a way to make me feel like a lousy writer or as a way to blame me for a lack of sales--she/he is not a bully or a blame-shifter

• An agent who is careful and detail oriented

• An agent who is ethical and honest in all of his/her business dealings

• An agent with ties to the publishing industry

• An agent with good ideas about marketing, one who will take risks, but not at my expense

• An agent who is interested in forming a long-term relationship over the course of a career

• An agent who is young enough to last throughout a career

• An agent who will keep me updated automatically; who won’t make me beg for an update

• An agent who is professional and business-like but who isn’t frightening to talk to; doesn’t make me feel like I am wasting his/her time.

• An agent who is open and honest with praise and with criticisms--someone who doesn’t just tell me what’s wrong with the book when he/she reads it

• An agent who loves reading and imagination, who has an active brain not deadened by TV and who enjoys the journey as much as the plot line

• An agent who carbon copies all correspondence concerning my book; who understands that this is my career and that it is important to me to know what is happening on every level

Brichoux said her most important criteria, however, was an agent she could respect. “It is possible to have an agent who does everything right but somehow manages to convince you that he or she is a dim star in the universe, might do something shady if she or he had the opportunity, and who basically gives you the impression that she or he never thinks very deeply about anything, but accepts the general, popular consensus without question. Every person has buttons which when pushed make them respect or disrespect someone. I would like an agent who doesn’t push my disrespect buttons.”

“At the top of my list is an agent who is ethical and professional,” Jerri Corgiat adds. “The biggest thing I learned from that [bad] experience was to listen to your innards—if you have doubts about someone, don’t go for it without very, very careful investigation. My lesson was easy and brief compared to some horror stories I’ve heard, and I’m grateful I got to learn it quickly.”