| Author |
Message |
    
Pacwriter
Unity Member
Post Number:
1615
Registered: 04-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, August 26, 2004 - 09:19 pm: |   |
Do you get a better deal with or without an agent?
Will a publisher say, "Aha, we can get this cheap, there is no agent involved!"
The author gets less in advance and a "boilerplate" contract without an agent. But would that be better than 15% over the life of the book for a slightly better contract and advance?
http://www.pacwriter.netfirms.com/ |
Jan Fields
Wisdom Member
Post Number:
723
Registered: 09-2001
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 27, 2004 - 05:33 am: | |
Every happily agented author I've ever spoke with generally felt they got a better (and easier) deal with an agent. But a first-time author doesn't tend to get a lot anyway (I know a couple who have but it's pretty infrequent). It tends to depend on your type of book. For some publishers (Christian for example) it is almost totally impossible to sell without an agent. For others, (University Presses, for example, or many children's book publishers) it's not really a huge impediment to be agent-less.
But when strictly talking about money, a good agent is better than no agent. But a bad agent is worse...much much worse.
Jan |
Emily Veinglory
Awareness Member
Post Number:
38
Registered: 07-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 27, 2004 - 07:05 am: | |
I have no agent but it seems to me they are helpful for getting a deal in the first place! |
Laurel Johnson
Unity Member
Post Number:
3314
Registered: 01-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 27, 2004 - 07:26 am: | |
I know writers who are very happy with their agents and have made great progress thanks to their agent.
I know writers who have had agents, cut them selves free of that agent, and gratefully moved on without them.
I know writers who have languished for a couple years and have had more luck shopping their work than the agent has.
And I know people - like myself for example - who have reached a pinnacle of cynicism where agents are concerned because they seem to talk out of both sides of their mouths. |
Gary D. Kessler
Wandering Member
Post Number:
248
Registered: 07-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 29, 2004 - 04:56 pm: | |
Agree with Jan. It will be very rare that you receive much of an advance at all without an agent, as most publishers offering significant advances will only accept agented work.
You're going to stay in the minor, little-to-no advance leagues without an agent (which might be just fine with your goals). If you reach the big leagues of publishing on your own, you'll be strongly urged to go get an agent, because agents do a whole lot more than just cash their royalty percentage checks and publishers need them for big book projects as much as the authors do.
http://www.editsbooks.com
"Finding Go: Matching Questions to Resources in Getting Published" (with Carol Kluz; Winterwolf, September 2004) |
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