Why I Wanted an Agent

Following up on my previous post announcing I had signed with an agent, I wanted to explain why I decided to go the agent route.  This is a question a lot of beginning writers struggle with, including myself, and I don't think it gets addressed enough.

I know over the past 18 months I certainly read everything I could find, and there wasn't a whole lot out there. A lot of people seem to assume an agent is a necessary part of the publication process, and some people reject the whole system and want to make it work on their own.

Neither of these positions is wrong--it all depends on the individual temperament and talent of the writer in question. Context is key here. So is making a knowledgeable decision.

It seems to me that the basic problem with these two possibilities--and one of the reasons writers going through the submissions process can wind up feeling simultaneously defeated, confused, and disgruntled--is that a lot of the literature out there in books and online confidently positions these two paths as mutually exclusive.

But they're not, at least not necessarily, and certainly not in the beginning.

My plan of attack was agents first, then direct to editors/publishers second, and self-publication third. Not because this last was the least or worst option, but because the first and second were the better options for me.

Why?

Because I want someone experienced in the industry who will go to bat for me and knows her way around contracts; I want an experienced editor who can tell me what's not working in my book so I can fix it; I want a copy editor to go through my manuscript and check for continuity errors, make sure my worldbuilding is consistent, and ensure I haven't made some glaring science error that will make me look idiotic in print; I want an art department who will commission a professional artist to create a cover image, and place that original artwork within the collage of other items that make up a great cover; I want a marketing budget, however small it may be for a first-time author, and marketers who understand their industry, who know where to send ARCs, where to place ad-buys, where and when and whom to target.

And, let's be honest, I want the credibility conferred by a publisher's stamp on the spine of my books. We all have our favorite publishers, and we all know when we see their mark on the spine of a book that we're looking at quality work. I want readers to have that same confidence when they seem my book on the shelf.

Now let's be honest: I can do all of these things myself, or hire someone freelance to do them for me--except for that last one.  This is the argument many people make in favor of self-publication, and they're not wrong--I can do all those things.  And you can find examples of writers who have successfully done them, and no doubt every year a few more will make it work.  This is wonderful: it's good for readers, it's good for the writers in question, and it's good for the industry as a whole.

But it's also not for everyone.  For one thing, doing all those tasks is a lot of work. Hours and hours and hours. Plus it's a significant financial investment. If you want quality and credibility, there's always going to be an associated cost. Some clever people find ways to get around the financial cost, but it still takes time.  And time is what I don't have.

I have a six month old son. I have a full time job. I have a part-time job. After 7 years teaching university courses, I am also returning to graduate school as a full time student. And I'm working on revising one manuscript and drafting a new project.

I don't have time to be agent, editor, copy editor, artist, art director, marketer, and publisher on top of all those other hats I'm wearing. Even if I did have time to do all those things, there's an additional reason why I wouldn't want to: I'm not experienced at them. I'm sure I could learn the ropes as I went along, and several years from now might even know some valuable things.

Experience is a wonderful teacher.

But in the meantime, while I gain that experience, the books I want to share with readers now might very well be languishing due to my own incompetence or inexperience at any of the above roles I'm forcing myself to fill. And it only takes one misstep to doom a book; the chain of publication is only as strong as its weakest link.

So yes, I want that chain to be strong. I want to stand on the shoulders of giants.

And I want to preserve my sanity.

That's why I wanted an agent.

That Big News

Yesterday, I promised that I would be able to share big news soon.

It arrived sooner than I expected, and I am able to share it today.

I have signed with an agent!

And not just any agent: I've signed with Julie Crisp, former editorial director at Pan Macmillan’s Tor imprint.  She's worked with some of the best in the business, including Ann Cleeves, Peter F. Hamilton, China Mieville, and Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Here's the official press release, via The Bookseller.

The manuscript she's representing at the moment is At Close of Day, a near-future crossover thriller that "explores the lengths that society will go to in order to find a cure for humanity’s greatest threat – death."

That's the short version. The slightly longer explanation is that ACoD involves neuroscience, hacking, artificial intelligence, cyber warfare, a scientist on the run for her life, and online gaming, and it was inspired by the poetry of Dylan Thomas.

I'm thrilled to be working with Julie on bringing this exciting project to the public. Her editorial background working with some of the biggest names in genre means a tremendous opportunity to bring the best possible book to readers everywhere.

I can't wait to be able to share this with you.

Finished Reading - 22 April - Catching Up

Once again I let a little too much time lapse between updates.  I've been really busy with a new job, and haven't had as much time to read lately, so I've only got 10 books to show for the last 6 weeks.

As with my last catching up post, I'll offer short microreviews for each.

Lirael (The Abhorsen Trilogy) by Garth Nix.
This book, like the first in the trilogy, Sabriel, was a delight to read.  The world of these books feels so comfortable and real, as though you're visiting a place you once knew that has been lost to memory.  Lirael is a great book in its own right, but is not quite on par with the excellent Sabriel.  Still, I very much enjoyed it, and am looking forward to the final book in the trilogy.  I recommend this title.
9/10

Looking for Alaska by John Green
A great book.  I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, particularly after reading The Fault in Our Stars (who could top that book?), but John Green is a master at facing head-on the darkness that a lot of teens experience, and he does it in a way that is honest and unforgiving and completely genuine.  Highly recommended.
9.75/10

Words of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive) by Brandon Sanderson
Another very good book that is slightly over-shadowed by its prequel. All the risky elements I loved about the first book in the series, The Way of Kings, are still here--interludes, interior artwork, very original and alien worldbuilding, and a scope that is beyond epic--and we still follow the same main characters from book one.  I liked that this book was more about Shallan, but Kaladin's storyline was not as interesting and the book's ending left me a little disappointed.  Still, this is a recommended title.
8.25/10

The Ginger Man by J. P. Donleavy
I picked up this book after reading a NYTimes Magazine article on the 87 year old author that really caught my fancy. I can see why the book is still a bestseller 50 years later, and it's mostly stood the test of time.  It actually reminded me a lot, in both pleasant and not so pleasant ways, of reading Malcolm Lowry's Under the Volcano.  I liked this book, but it did little else for me.
6.5/10

Something More Than Night by Ian Tregillis
This book was fascinating in many ways, and I was happy to write a review of it for Strange Horizons. As I wrote there, this is part tongue-in-cheek noir detective story, part ontological examination of the foundations of reality, ever so slightly and amusingly absurd, and dripping with lush, weird descriptions.  It won't be for every reader, but some will find it as wonderful as I did.  I recommend this title.
9/10

The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma
I read this book because it was given to me by my new boss, who really likes Robin Sharma (he attends his retreats every year).  As I wrote in my Goodreads review, this book basically takes all the favorite tricks of pushy evangelists--saying your first name way too often, grandiose but vague promises, unnecessarily withholding "important" information that is the "key" to "unlocking" something, encouraging the status quo by telling people to always do their best no matter what their position in life is--and then combines it with very poor writing.  For even my low expectations, this was a very disappointing book.
2.0/10

Halftime: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance by Bob Buford
Another book given to me by my new boss.  Despite being outside both target audiences (businesspeople and Christians), I still found it interesting and engaging, with lots of useful lessons.  Buford is a good writer, and if he's only interested in a certain segment of the population, that's his prerogative. I ended up liking this book, despite its being heavy-handed.
6.75/10

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Another book given to me by my new boss, and the best self-improvement book I've read. Carnegie clearly knows what he's talking about, and practices what he preaches. Plus his narrative approach is refreshing after the overload of superlatives and unlocked secrets found among contemporary writers of these types of books.  I recommend this title (and, as of this writing, it's only $2.99 on Kindle).
8.25/10

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
The book that brought Asperger's syndrome into the mainstream when it was released back in 2004. This is a great book with an utterly convincing narrator, and his atypical observations and interpretations help us not only understand a little of what people with Asperger's go through, but they also help us see ourselves in surprising new ways.  Highly recommended.
9/10