A few years ago my book agent retired and for a couple of years I handled the contracts for my non-fiction work myself. However, I realized that in order to get my first novel to publishers it would be much better to have an agent so I went on the hunt again. Having fairly extensive film and TV credits and having written eight non-fiction books didn’t give me any advantage in this genre, so it was back to square one, just like when I was looking for a script agent when I was starting out in Hollywood. It’s always a humbling experience to be sent back to “Go”…
My first round of inquiries met with no success and I did what I tell my students NOT to do—give up. Well, not really, but I did pause. Eventually, though, I rewrote the query letter, polished the summary of the story, and sent out a batch of inquiries.
One of the agents requested that I send him the first 100 pages and, later, the whole manuscript, and I've just signed with him. I’ve looked over the contract, which is gratifyingly free of legalese. It’s for this book only, and there’s a get-out clause that either party can use after six months if they’re not happy.
I think it makes sense to start with that kind of contract because these things only work when both sides feel satisfied with the working relationship. Some agents offer multi-year contracts that cover everything you do, including your laundry list, and although that may seem flattering it’s a nightmare if, six months or a year down the line, you’re not getting the service you were promised.
Anyway, this agent is having two colleagues read the manuscript, too, and then collating his notes and theirs—he says he has some ideas, which I’m eager to hear, for tweaks that will help the book’s chances with publishers. Then he will take it out in September, when the summer lull is over.
It’s only a first step, of course, but an important one and I’m very pleased. In terms of passing along any lessons from this experience, the main one is persistence, persistence, persistence.
