This devastating rejection can cause severe heartache,
especially if other opportunities were lost during that long wait. In order to
avoid the agony of rejection, in whatever form, I asked successful authors how
they approached their agents. I soon gathered that most had mapped out their careers
before they began work on their first novel. Not one of these subjects rushed into
the submission process. Instead, they spent many years studying their craft,
entering competitions and collecting prizes. Even after they had completed their
first draft, these cunning little foxes didn’t trust an agent to be in receipt of
their work without getting independent editorial advice. While waiting for
feedback, they did a spot of research - staring at profile pictures until they
knew every agent by sight. They learned to sniff out influential people at
parties and conferences, homing in on their favourites, targeting two or three
at a time. Eventually, after years of apprenticeship, they sent off a round of submissions
to a selected few. Excitement ensued. Contracts were signed. Publication agreements
followed......
A trusting and somewhat impatient person might be tempted
to submit three chapters of an incomplete novel. It is perhaps naive, but not
stupid for an unpublished writer to trust an interested agent from a reputable
agency. No one expects to be published overnight, but what’s the harm in hankering
after a little advice? If an agent voluntarily reads your work, invites you to
their office and/or provides feedback free of charge you could be excused for
thinking that they are committed to developing your career. You might surmise
that they are generous souls who work in an agency that is perhaps a tad too overstaffed?
However, remain vigilant.
Be curious if an agent asks you to make changes
without a client agreement. Literary agents don’t usually have the time to
nurture. It’s not the job of publishers either. Publishers rely on established agents
to send them work of a certain standard. So you may be asked to make a few alterations
in preparation for publisher submissions, but surely not before you have signed
a contract? Take another look at their clients. Assess whether your work sits
comfortably on that list. Perhaps it’s time to move on before that long
goodbye?
Remember, if your work isn’t ready for submission the
vast majority of agents will thank you for your interest and bid you a short goodbye.
Be aware that there are some unscrupulous agents who might string an aspiring author
along: either to prevent their premise going to any other agency or to provide
one of their existing clients with that idea? For this reason, I warn everyone
to beware of the long goodbye......
