how do I get an agent? #1
Monday, November 22, 2010 at 12:08AM This has to rank as the most asked question of writers by other writers newer to the game. The simple answer is: hustle. Paul Schrader, the rather austere director of Mishima and American Gigolo, said that 'in Hollywood everyone has to hustle. Everyone.' And unfortunately I think it's quite likely also true about writing. And if you don't hustle in the commercial world of publishers and agents then you'll have to be prepared to hustle in the equally byzantine world of grants and arts councils. Take your pick.
OK, so how to hustle? You're a writer and maybe a little wary of being brash, of foisting yourself on others. Don't worry- you don't have to- that's unintelligent hustling. Intelligent hustling is all about offering something first. Bringing something- even if it is just an interested ear- to the party. Here are some better examples. A friend of mine found a fairly rare first edition of Wallace Stevens poems in a charity shop. He bought it for almost nothing and thought about selling it on the web for a couple of hundred pounds. Then, at a book launch he was talking about poetry (one rule of hustling is always talk about something interesting and other than what you want to talk about which is yourself) and discovered the editor he was talking to, at a top publishing house, loved Wallace Stevens. He sent him the book asking him to recommend a good agent. Masterstroke. The editor cannot bear to send the book back so recommends best agent in town. With the publishers recommendation my friend's MS is read and he easily gets a meeting and is signed up and then sold. My own hustle was to ask everyone I knew if they knew an agent. Or someone who knew and agent. Or...you get it. By the law of six degrees of separation you are only six people and probably about two, away from a literary agent. I ended up with two options: a friend of a friend's mother and the wife of a friend's friend. I sent my MS to both and the wife of the friend's friend, who was just starting in a newer and bigger agency having come from a smaller one, signed me up.
An agent is necessary at the beginning because they are the first person to say 'I believe' in this world of non-believers. Later you may dispense with one, but then you'll have to master two heads: being all pally about the book and what changes are needed, and being all tough about the money. On balance it is probably worth 15% to be able to separate these. An agent is also THERE, and if you don't live in London or New York you aren't.
Being there is very helpful, which is why so many writers live in those cities. But actually if you can get to attend a launch party or two whenever you are in town that is a good enough substitute. Launch parties are the easiest things to crash in the world. Check the bookseller magazine for upcoming books to be published. Get in touch with the publicity department of the publisher concerned. Ask to be invited as you are 'a number one fan' or, because you will write about it for a student paper, blog etc, or because you work in a bookshop. Yep, launches are full of bookshop employees being 'paid' in a free wine and a titbit of glamour for making sure the author's books get onto the three for one table and not lost in the basement. Even better say you work as a box lifter for the distributor. I jest, but only a fraction.
Once in the launch - and arrive five minutes early- that way the author will talk to you (he/she is nervous however famous they are that people won't show and will be grateful to you- especially if you have read the book). The author's publisher and agent will see you talking to the author and maybe will be introduced. Just get chatting. You can even target them for a quick chat - make it before the hordes arrive, or, even better, outside with all the smokers. I've chatted with the boss of the UK's largest publishing house outside with all the smokers. You don't even have to smoke yourself- just hold a cigarette and hand them out free- you'll be loved.
What do you chat about? Any old cobblers basically- but not your book and how great it is. Talk about the author who's launch it is, the venue, and if they are a publisher ask them to recommend a good agent- in their considered opinion- for the type of book you've written/will write. They'll ask about that too. If it's an agent just talk as per the above but no asking. Then, later, ring their office to get their email and send a note about how pleased you were to talk etc- and can you send a few pages for them to look at. Then reel 'em in. Two pages, a few chapters, the whole MS. Repeat as necessary.
If you can't get to parties, arrive early at readings to pal up with the author/author's editorial rep. Start your own blog and get into the hospitality tent at festivals as 'press'. Hustle! Another very clever, almost devious, route is to volunteer for good causes that famous writers espouse. Under 'real' conditions you can meet that author and maybe discover how hateful they really are...or maybe glean some titbits that make your submission get read by that agent you send it to.
All along you'll be picking up info and making pals which will make hustling a lot lot easier. But I'll write more on this later.
Reader Comments (2)
Very interesting and original ideas, thank you! A somewhat different approach from the one suggested on www.writersandartists.co.uk but I imagine your succeeds a lot more often!
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