1. Your agent stops returning your phone calls.
2. Your agent takes months to read your submissions.
3. Your agent forgets to submit your work.
4. Your agent stops returning your emails.
5. Your agent sends back all the work you submit to them with a ‘thanks, but no thanks’ note attached.
Not all these things happened to me, but they have happened to friends. I know that to most writers landing an agent is a high point in a career. It falls somewhere behind selling your first book/s. But getting an agent doesn’t solve all your writing biz problems. Sometimes, landing an agent will be the beginning of the end of your career. Just as a good agent can make a career, a bad agent can stall it. And by good and bad, I’m not necessarily talking about disreputable. Disreputable agents have their own special category (and place in hell:). I’m also not talking about needing to change agents with the phases of your career. Sometimes you have to leave a reliable agent, if they can’t take you to the next stage of your career (ie bestseller land). If you’re a newbie writer reading this entry, please don’t freak. It’s just the nature of the beast business.
You can be with the top agent/agency in the country, but if they don’t get your work, then it won’t matter. They will not manage to sell you. Heck, they may not even manage to submit your work to a publisher. Having a bad agent can mean just a bad agent for you and your career. Right about now, you’re probably asking, how can I determine who’s bad and who’s good? The truth is that you can do all the research in the world and it still won’t amount to much. Research can keep you from making a fatal agent mistake, but it can’t prevent you from signing with an agent who is wrong for you. You won’t know how that person truly works until you’ve signed your name on the dotted line. Yeah, I know, it sucks.
Some writers are lucky enough to get a good agent right out of the shoot. Others, like me, take the long route. (wg) I had to go through a few people before finding a good fit. That doesn’t mean that all my old agents were bad agents. They weren’t. I know some writers who are on their fifth agent. :-O I hope that I’m done agent hunting for a while. Stopping and starting over does little to progress one’s career. *g*
I’m now going to open my blog up to questions, but I reserve the right to plead the fifth. 
Does anyone have any questions about finding an agent?
October 16th, 2007
1. How long did it take you to realize your agent was a bad fit?
2. Have you ever had an agent represent you from Canada?
3. When you have an agent, how long does it normally take for them to look over your submission.
4. If your agent doesn’t normally represent the genre of your new book, do you find one who does, or do they take a crack at it first?
I hope this doesn’t keep you from your word count.
by BernardL October 16th, 2007 at 9:35 amBernard, I am screaming right now. I just wrote out a LONG, LONG answer for you and my website freaked and ate it. GRRR…
by Jordan October 16th, 2007 at 10:18 amWhen you queried a new agent, having been published and with contracts in hand, did you query them like normal with a new project, or did you just send them a query about you, your work, and that you’re looking for new representation? Or did you phone instead?
by Vivi Anna October 16th, 2007 at 10:48 amHow timely… In the instance of the agents who were good agents but just not a good fit for you, did the list of 5 things you gave happen or did you know it was time to leave some other way? In other words, #1 through #5 seem to be more than a “bad fit” issue. Was it ever just a feeling, a general sense that you were not a priority? And, as a newbie, can we expect to be a priority?
Here’s the scary part: how do you know another agent is going to be any better? I guess I always fear it’s me and not them
by HelenKay October 16th, 2007 at 11:08 amCan you tell I’d been hoping you’d talk about this?
by HelenKay October 16th, 2007 at 11:09 amBernard, I’m going to try again.1. How long did it take you to realize your agent was a bad fit? It took me three and a half years with the first agent. Part of that was me changing genres and the other part was my fear of leaving. 2. Have you ever had an agent represent you from Canada? No, because at this stage of the game I prefer someone in N.Y. I know it’s not mandatory anymore for your agent to live in N.Y., but it helps when it comes to face to face meetings with editors. 3. When you have an agent, how long does it normally take for them to look over your submission? Allison Brennan said 2 to 4 weeks. I’d say no longer than two months. If it’s taking longer than that, then there would need to be a very good reason. 4. If your agent doesn’t normally represent the genre of your new book, do you find one who does, or do they take a crack at it first? Most agents don’t want you to walk a project to another agency. In fact, depending on the contract you sign, you might not be able to without violating the agency contract. You have to look at all these things before you decide on an agent/agency. Does this agency represent ALL of your interests? If they don’t, then think hard and fast before signing.
by Jordan October 16th, 2007 at 11:40 amVivi, ***When you queried a new agent, having been published and with contracts in hand, did you query them like normal with a new project, or did you just send them a query about you, your work, and that you’re looking for new representation?*** By ‘contracts in hand’ do you mean having just sold or a deal on the table? I actually queried them with a new project, but I mentioned my sales and upcoming releases. ***Or did you phone instead?*** I didn’t phone, but I did email. I sent a rather informal letter. I wouldn’t have done this, if I hadn’t spoken to the agent previously.
by Jordan October 16th, 2007 at 12:09 pmHelenKay, Your answers bounced too. Grrr…***In the instance of the agents who were good agents but just not a good fit for you, did the list of 5 things you gave happen or did you know it was time to leave some other way?***Not everything on the list happened to me. Thank goodness. Some of them happened to friends. I knew it was time to leave when my writing changed and my agent didn’t care for the new work. Leaving still scared the daylights out of me.***In other words, #1 through #5 seem to be more than a “bad fit” issue. Was it ever just a feeling, a general sense that you were not a priority?***No, in the example I used, not being a priority ever came up. I always received prompt responses and general feedback.*** And, as a newbie, can we expect to be a priority?***No, you have to earn that right. ***Here’s the scary part: how do you know another agent is going to be any better? I guess I always fear it’s me and not them :)*** The scary answer is that you don’t. You won’t know that until you sign with the agency. Relationships are never one-sided. Mistakes were made on both sides. You simply learn from them and try not to repeat them in the future.
by Jordan October 16th, 2007 at 12:31 pmHelenKay, Yes, I can tell.
by Jordan October 16th, 2007 at 12:32 pmThis is a great post, Jordan.
I’ve heard stories about writers with sagging careers and problems with their agents. I swear I don’t want to be one of them.
by Tempest Knight October 16th, 2007 at 1:54 pmTempest, Believe me when I say that none of us want to be one of them.
*g*
by Jordan October 16th, 2007 at 2:01 pmVivi, I think it’s important to have something new to show a potential agent. It’s not mandatory, but it certainly helps a lot.
HelenKay, I know a lot of people who are feeling neglected by their agents. I don’t know if the agents are overworked (probably) or if they aren’t into the projects (a possibility). I noticed an unsettling trend, when the erotic romance wave hit. Agents that hadn’t been interested in ER started signing authors because those types of stories were selling. As the wave has died down, I’ve been seeing a lot of authors set afloat by agents (ie they weren’t fired, but they aren’t receiving much attention). I know this doesn’t apply to you (or me), but I do think it’s possible for an agent to lose interest in a writer and a genre. I also think that when it happens an author goes through a few different stages. First comes denial, second comes panic, third comes acceptance. In the third stage, the author realizes that their agent really isn’t into (and might not have ever been into) their work. An author has two choices at this point, they can either stay and hope it gets better (good luck with that) or go looking for an agent who gets their writing and wants to build their career. Sadly, fear keeps a lot of authors frozen in place.
by Jordan October 16th, 2007 at 2:13 pmThis is not the first time I’ve felt blessed to have a day job. Thanks, Jordan, I appreciate it.
by BernardL October 16th, 2007 at 2:59 pmBernard, You’re welcome. I hope the answers help.
by Jordan October 16th, 2007 at 3:54 pmDoes anyone have any questions about finding an agent?
Yes. What am I doing wrong? (running…)
by raine October 16th, 2007 at 9:02 pmRaine, I ‘might’ be able to answer that question if I knew ‘what’ you were doing in the first place.
The truth is finding an agent is harder than getting a book deal. Sometimes it’s better to concentrate on shopping work to publishers, then go after an agent. You have much more power if you have something on the table. 
by Jordan October 16th, 2007 at 10:06 pmI just wanted to say, GREAT POST, Jordan! Wish these kinds of Q&As were around when I first started writing.
by Patrice Michelle October 17th, 2007 at 7:59 amThis is a great subject.
I just did a work shop on the subject of contracts, agents, houses, and how to make them all intertwine into one’s career goals. It took me a lot of interviews (meaning my side of the process) to find an agent with whom that I felt I meshed. So far it’s been wonderful, but I was pretty upfront about what I needed, what I wanted, what drove me crazy, what I didn’t care about, and so was she so there weren’t any surprises in how we interacted or what we needed in the form of communication.
Fingers crossed that it continues that way.
by Sarah McCarty October 17th, 2007 at 8:12 amJust messin’ with ya. I’ve got a pretty good idea what I want…just need to find them. :-/
Good post.
by raine October 17th, 2007 at 8:27 amPatrice, You and me both! I also wish I would’ve had a better idea of what ‘I’ needed from an agent in the beginning. It would’ve saved a lot of time and missteps on my part.
by Jordan October 17th, 2007 at 10:13 amSarah, I bet that was a good workshop.
All writers should attend talks like that. You were very smart. I actually did what you described this last time. I think it’s important to talk about expectations and working styles long before signing your name. Saves everyone a lot of time and trouble. I think the most important thing a writer can do is avoid panicking during the search. When you panic and become desperate, then you have a tendency to sign with the first person who asks. This is a mistake.
by Jordan October 17th, 2007 at 10:20 amRaine, I figured as much. *wg*
by Jordan October 17th, 2007 at 10:20 amHaving just changed agents, I just want to say, I know its scary, but agents are like finding a man to marry.The person can be perfect for one and not another. Deep in your heart, you know when its not right. But its scary. I don’t think I have ever been so terrified as when I made that decision. I feared that I was wrong. The grass is always greener scenario might be in play and what if the greass wasn’t greener? Then what if my reputation was effected with editors? And all kinds of thing! I am good at coming up with things to worry over! So I wish I would have seen this post then:) Again, Jordan, this is so great! It’s a hard choice.
by Lisa October 17th, 2007 at 5:04 pmLOL I can’t spell. Sorry folks. Can I blame my diet that is starving my brain and apparently my fingers but not my backside!
by Lisa October 17th, 2007 at 5:05 pmLisa, Yes, no one tells you about the fear. In this business, so many writers that I know are terrified of making a mistake (of any kind). It used to be in publishing that an author could stumble a few times and still manage to rebuild their careers. Not so much any more. A few mistakes and you’re tossed out of the game.
by Jordan October 17th, 2007 at 6:30 pmLisa, No worries. *ggg* Right now, I’m starving, so I understand.
by Jordan October 17th, 2007 at 6:31 pmHere’s hoping this is the perfect fit for you for many years to come Jordan!
by Sarah McCarty October 18th, 2007 at 7:34 amHelenKay for what it’s worth, when #5 happened twice in a row with my last agent, I knew it was time to go. And I”m sure Jordan said this, but some if it is gut instinct too
Raine…you should have had an agent a long time ago *sigh*
by amie stuart October 18th, 2007 at 10:19 amUm, amen, sister.
Having been through two agent-author relationships myself now, I hafta say, it’s such a bummer, but what you said is true–you really don’t know how an agent will be for you until you’ve signed an agency contract and started working with them. (And even then, sometimes it takes a while for their true colors to come out, or change.)
by Catherine Morris October 18th, 2007 at 1:42 pmThank you, Sarah. It’s definitely off to a very good start.
by Jordan October 18th, 2007 at 3:16 pmAmie, Heck, twice is nothing. My record is four times in a row.
*ggg* Always listen to the gut. It knows the truth, whether you’re ready to face it or not.
by Jordan October 18th, 2007 at 3:18 pmCatherine, I know you feel me, sister. Onward and upward.
by Jordan October 18th, 2007 at 3:19 pmJordan…….AMEN!
by Amie October 19th, 2007 at 1:26 pmAmie, (wg)
by Jordan October 19th, 2007 at 1:50 pm