I just returned from RT in Los Angeles and one of the big topics of discussion, both formally in workshops and informally in conversations, was “do you need an agent?” Opinions were all over the map. I talked to everyone from writers who adored their agents and couldn’t imagine living without them to those who passionately stated “why would i give someone 15% of my earnings to do what i can easily do without them!”. Those in the middle usually said, “I have an agent for anything i want to pitch to the New York publishers, but i do all my own ebook pitching and negotiating myself”.
And therein lies the crux of the argument. Yes, if a writer wants to do multi-book deals with traditional New York publishers, an agent is an advantage — but these days isn’t absolutely required. In a panel of editors i sat in on, the moderator asked were there any of the pubs represented that would NOT accept an unagented submission and not one person raised their hand. These editors represented everything from the large traditional pubs to the smallest indies. So submitting to traditional publishers is possible without an agent, but if you want to feel secure about getting the best deal for future books, usually an agent is important. But lets face it, the future is in digital. Print won’t go away, but any publisher ignoring digital is a dinosaur living in neverland.
Currently, agents have little place in digital contracts with indie publishers. These agreements are usually generous in terms of royalties, promise little in the way of advances, and require relatively little of the author except to produce a quality product and give the publisher first right of refusal on sequels and series.(That’s not to say that really successful e-pubbed authors don’t do a lot more in terms of self-promotion, creative submissions, business planning, etc, but it’s not required by the contracts.) Those terms that are at all questionable in e-contracts are generally negotiable between the author and the publisher. If a writer wants to submit to a digital-first publisher, they can usually go to the website and read the guidelines, follow them and submit. A very few e-publishers are “by invitation only” but there are so many others to choose from, authors don’t have to care. Successful e-published authors make substantial annual incomes without the need for an agent.
But what about the future? Already, a few agents are starting to stake their claim in the digital turf. As New York pubs become more aggressive in the digital arena, agents will find their roles becoming more important again. BUT, agents must wake up and smell the future. The future agent will understand digital publishing, respect it, and create ways to add value to the author’s work. Above all, they will be partners with the author in ways that today’s traditional agent can barely appreciate. A friend that went to an agents’ workshop at RT said that some of the agents were sneering and joking at authors who submitted to them. I can’t imagine that that attitude works well for them today. I feel very certain it won’t work in the publishing world that’s coming — a world in which truly creative and collaborative agents will find ways to stand with their authors at the top of the digital heap.