How to be agented

Maximizing your relationship with your agent

Hi everyone,

This newsletter (which is going to be a long one - SORRY ALL!) is inspired by the following Tweet:

I love this prompt (thank you, Kelly!) because it struck a chord with where I’m at in my agenting life. I signed 11 clients in 2023. My relationships with these talented writers are developing as we move to the next phase in their journeys.

One of the first clients I signed - the very first from my ‘slush pile’! - was Marvellous Michael Anson, whose fantasy trilogy deal (48-hour pre-empt! 6 figures!) with Penguin Michael Joseph has just been announced (YAY!):

Marve and I have a close author-agent relationship so I was curious to chat about her expectations vs reality and what she has taken away from the experience so far. I’ll be drawing on my own experience, too. I love my agent - we’ve been working together for a stonking 9 years over 3 books - but have a different but equally excellent kind of relationship. So with this in mind, let’s dive in…

Know your expectations

Imagine you have a call (or maybe more than one!) set up with agents. At this point, it’s important to consider what you’re really seeking out of your relationship with your agent. Marve kept it quite simple: ‘I wanted two things from my author/agent relationship: a partnership and incredible sales.’ Diving in to what that really meant to her, she said:

‘Partnership means a close working relationship, mutual respect, effective communication, and a champion for myself, my books, and my business - the writing of books. A huge plus is gaining a friend whose love for you and your books goes beyond small talk about the weather and a curt “kind regards” at the end of an email. While being friends isn’t mandatory (or needed to sell books), for me, the thing I could not and don’t think anyone should compromise on is that champion. This is your person, the one who makes clear the chaotic publishing journey before, fighting and winning battles before you even have to hear about them and, most importantly, creating a safe space for you to create and making sure the world gets to see your work.’

Marve was really clear to me on our call that she wanted us to be close partners in this endeavour - I think it’s super important for all authors to be clear about what they want and for agents to be transparent in return about what they can offer. In this instance, as a newer agent with a small list, I felt confident my time investment in Marve and her book (both of whom I really believe in) would be considerable. And given our personal connection on our calls, it was clear to me that we would work well together!

In contrast, I was naive going into my author journey (aged 22 during my first meetings with an agent, before I started my first job in publishing!) and a little unclear about what I was seeking. That resulted a lot of confusion for me including an offer of rep which I ended up turning down. Next time around, I knew I needed someone who shared my vision, who was experienced, calm, reassuring and responsive. That ended up being my wonderful agent, Veronique Baxter - three years after that first meeting.

Before you meet with any agents, write down what your ideal agent relationship would look like and ensure you discuss this as part of your call. This doesn’t mean that you won’t sign with the agent if they don’t exactly fit the bill, but it does mean you can start off the conversation with honesty and make a clear-eyed decision.

Ask the right questions

Knowing your expectations of the relationship with your agent is important but there are many more questions you should be asking on the call.

So much has been written on what precise questions to ask so I won’t pitch in here. Instead, on Marve’s recommendation, I refer you to Ann Zhao’s list. Marve followed it closely and we spent over an hour chatting on our initial call - I found the list to be an excellent basis for discussing what I was able to offer. We had another call about a week later. Questions are not awkward, annoying or intrusive; I actively want authors to understand my approach and to give me an opportunity to address any possible concerns. As Marve puts it:

‘It’s your agent's job, even on that first call, to make you feel comfortable enough to ask [all these questions]. On my call, I really appreciated that my agent answered a lot of the awkward questions before I even had to ask. This is how you do it. She’d responded to questions about what happens if no one buys my book, if it takes a while to get a book deal, and if she leaves her agency or retires. I asked particular questions about my agent being new to agenting; her agency was mainly non-fiction, and she was an author. All these are questions that I needed to know about her plans, and her answers were good enough for me to say yes. As long as it’s within the professional boundaries of publishing, no question is out of bounds.’

In addition, if you consider yourself part of an underrepresented group, it’s a great idea have a conversation about that too during this first call. How your agent addresses any concerns you might have will be really important in determining whether you feel comfortable being authentic in your communications.

‘I explained that it does mean we'd have to fight harder for some things cause racism is alive and well, unfortunately, and asked how she felt about that. Again, your champion will see you for who you are and welcome you in a way that unapologetically encourages you to be the best version of yourself.’

Basically you should ensure you give your possible agent the information necessary for them to support you:

‘If you can’t handle phone calls or video calls, tell them. If you need certain accommodations, tell them. Tell them everything that would help them best support your creative process.’

In terms of the means of communication, I now do a lot of it over WhatsApp - I find it quicker and more casual than emails for short messages! And a few of us do voicenotes for general chatting or brief updates, which I love as they save so much time and are fun to listen to. I’m happy to be accomodating and appreciate my authors letting me know what works for them. (Formal/important communication always goes over email, however!)

Lastly, Marve advises to always ask for references and to take those references seriously if there are any red flags. I am always happy to provide references from existing clients, and other agents will be too. I’m also extremely pro the author whisper network as long as everyone involved goes in with a clear head and accepts first-hand information over hearsay. Anything authors can do to support each other is excellent by me.

Recognize that there is no identikit author-agent relationship

Marve and I are pretty close! I’ll let her explain:

‘When I write, I always need a sounding board. Someone to hear my ideas, tell me the truth and help me unpick the distractions. My agent has constantly supported me, listening to all my ideas from the moment I signed up with her. When I got my book deal, it was both the happiest and most nerve-wracking day. We probably went through 100+ messages between us. Half of them were screaming voice notes, and there were long texts and many calls. I don’t think anyone is as excited for me as Kesia is, perhaps, except my mum. Edits are particularly hard for me; it takes me a few rants, calls, grumpy days, brainstorming sessions, and days of ignoring the edits before I settle into a rhythm and go full-on. My agent is always there at every stage of this transition and gladly welcomes my rants.’

I genuinely love this closeness and it’s been a joy to see Marve go from strength to strength so far - but different authors need different levels of engagement and that’s OK too. My relationship with my agent is different. I keep her posted with my relevant news (when is book 4 arriving in her inbox, for instance… imminently, I hope!), she’s responsive and lovely, and we have a long call probably a couple of times a year to properly catch up. That’s OK too - it’s what I want and need. As with everything in publishing, comparing yourself to others is a rocky road. Be objective about what is working for you in your agent relationship; you don’t have to be super close to have a successful partnership.

‘Some agents are very hands-off and interact at the point of sale or sub, with no edits, etc. I know people who that works perfectly for. I couldn’t operate like that, but again, trust and understanding (and a good book) are what you need to make that sale. … Again, this is a relationship that needs fostering as much as any other in your life.’

Be honest if your expectations aren’t met

‘I think communication is the secret key to an author-agent relationship,’ Marve says - and I couldn’t have put it better myself.

In a good author-agent relationship, you should feel comfortable bringing up any issues in a sensitive and professional way. The biggest concern I hear from authors is ‘I worry that I’m bothering my agent if I ask questions or bring anything up’. You aren’t! Especially not if you set solid foundations for expectations in your original chat, which is why that’s so important. For instance, if you discussed receiving edits or going on sub by a certain date, and that date passes without explanation, you are well within your rights to check in with your agent and find out where they’re at. If your agent promised weekly updates once you’ve gone on sub and you haven’t received any after a week, ask. If you don’t feel supported or listened to, make sure your agent knows. In general, you should feel comfortable communicating with your agent in whatever ways you discussed. Marve makes an excellent point here:

‘If you feel too anxious or afraid to ask your agent a question about your books, career, publishing, etc.… if you feel like you’re a bother to your agent and questioning what’s happening in your career… if you ever have to fight your own way through publishing pit holes… something is wrong.’

As Marve points out, your agent actually works for you. You are paying them 15% for a service. If you feel you are not receiving that service, you should ask questions. Of course, the possible closeness of an author-agent relationship - and the nature of working in a creative industry and the personal investment we all have in the books we work on - can make that feel awkward, but I do think it’s important nevertheless. You may be friendly with your agent but it is a business relationship, first and foremost. As Marve says: ‘Understand the dynamic and don’t ever feel like a burden’.

The author-agent relationship AFTER you get a deal

I’ve seen a lot of authors assume the agent’s role ends once they’ve sold your book - but that’s absolutely not the case! I’m going to hand over to Marve here almost completely because her image of agenting post-deal is pretty much exactly my ideal too (and I’m glad to hear I’ve lived up to it so far):

‘The simple answer here is, if I’m unhappy about it, my agent is on it like a fantasy character with a flaming sword and years of assassin training. The reason people want experienced agents is that they know all the pitfalls of publishing and how to avoid them. Your agent shouldn’t make mistakes that you’d make if you didn’t have an agent. There should be a clear positive and significant positive. I might add the impact of having an agent negotiate the deal and life after the deal. You shouldn’t be the one chasing for contracts, edits, marketing, or anything else that was promised at the signing. All this to say, I have had a very smooth journey pre and post-book deal because my agent is killing it. The dynamic shouldn’t change either. I know authors who don’t edit or show their agents their work when they get an editor, which is fair. However, my agent has incredible editorial skills, and I value her opinion, so she sees all my work before and after my editor’s notes. Again, this is something that works for us because we discussed and agreed on this. Communication is key.’

Again, as Marve says, different levels of involvement are totally NORMAL - and having been an editor in the past, the last thing I want is to step on her editor’s toes or create an unwanted ‘too many cooks’ situation! But being a sounding board, buffer and guide through publishing - and allowing the author to step back from any potentially awkward communication with their editor to preserve that relationship as a purely creative one, as much as possible - is what I’m here for.

Top tips

I’m going to leave you with some top tips from Marve:

• Do not settle for less than what you deserve. If it feels wrong, ask questions.

• I don’t think any agent will take on a book they didn’t think they could sell or make money off (I agree! - KL), so believe in yourself and your work and trust that you’re in the right place.

• Value and respect your agent relationship. It could make or break your career. If it’s good, you’ll never want to leave. If it’s not, don’t stay longer than you need to. You’ll know your champion when you find them.

Thank you so much to Marve for your valuable perspective and advice (and all the kind words about me). And thanks to everyone reading for persevering with my longest post yet! I hope you’ve enjoyed it. I’d be happy to hear any further questions, thoughts or ideas for future letters.

In other news, I was able to announce my first official deal back in February, for the amazing Yueh Yang’s YA fantasy, The Omen Girl. This high-concept adventure from a Wattpad superstar was acquired by Wattpad’s traditional publishing arm and will be out in fall 2025 - I couldn’t be more excited! You can read more about it via my Instagram, here. (UK rights are available…)

Until April - when I’ll be writing about the Perfect Query…

Kesia