Are Your Expectations for a Literary Agent Too High? Part 1

When I meet with writers at writing conferences, they aren’t always afraid to share why they want a literary agent.  

I want an agent who can help me become a bestselling author.

I want an agent who can serve as my energetic cheerleader, offering encouragement when I face self-doubt.

There’s nothing wrong with having certain expectations as you search for an agent. In fact, it’s a good thing! It’s important, as an aspiring author, to go into an agent/author relationship with certain goals and refuse to settle for an agent who cannot help you attain your author vision.

But what if you never find the perfect agent?

Let’s say you’ve received interest from multiple agents and realize none of those are “good enough” for you. Or what if, after signing with an agent, you soon realize this agent just isn’t meeting your expectations? Do you then call it quits and try to find one who might do a better job at fulfilling your requests?

Yes, it is important for aspiring authors to refuse to settle—but at the same time, overly-high standards can cause frustration to both the agent and the author.

Relationships that are focused on what the other person can grant us never turn out well. And when we demand unreasonable expectations in a relationship, then guess what? We will never learn how to have a healthy relationship. We will never be content, because we will always focus on what the other person doesn’t provide rather than what they do provide.    

So as an aspiring author, how can you set expectations that are both reasonable and necessary?

To answer that question, let’s take a look at what the job of a true literary agent entails.

A true literary agent should…

• only receive 10 – 15% from their clients’ income on book deals they have secured (book advances and royalties). This means they should never ask for an upfront fee.
• help their authors make wise decisions based on the current state of the market
• shop their authors’ books to the right editors and secure the best publishing deals
• negotiate publishing contracts on behalf of the author
• support the author’s vision
• keep the author informed as to when their projects are submitted and which house they have submitted to
• stay informed on the publishing landscape
• build relationships with editors at publishing houses
• provide their authors with career advice, encouragement, and support
• resolve potential conflict that may arise between an author and acquisitions editor
• only send projects that are ready for submission

These are the standards by which aspiring authors should build their expectations. However, each agent is different. Agents have various work styles, methods of organizing the submission process, and personalities. Some agents are more hands-on and known as editorial agents, while others would prefer that their clients’ projects are professionally edited beforehand.  

The agent preferences will vary from author to author. There’s nothing wrong with this; however, a problem may arise when these preferences become high standards that are impossible for any agent to meet.

In the next post, we will discuss the tasks that literary agents are not required to fulfill. Hopefully this will help you to enter the submission process with a level head and healthy expectations. You will approach a new agent/author relationship with the right attitude, less likely to be disappointed, and ready to work with this agent for the long haul. 

What kind of expectations do you think it’s important to set when shopping for literary agents? Let me know in the comments!

Tessa Emily Hall writes inspirational yet authentic YA fiction to show teens they’re not alone. Her passion for shedding light on clean entertainment and media for teens led her to a career as an Associate Agent at Hartline Literary Agency, YA Acquisitions Editor for Illuminate YA (LPC Imprint), and Founder/Editor of PursueMagazine.net. Tessa’s first teen devotional, COFFEE SHOP DEVOS, will release with Bethany House in 2018. She’s guilty of making way too many lattes and never finishing her to-read list. When her fingers aren’t flying 116 WPM across the keyboard, she can be found speaking to teens, decorating her insulin pump, and acting in Christian films. Her favorite way to procrastinate is by connecting with readers on her blog, mailing list, social media (@tessaemilyhall), and website: tessaemilyhall.com.