Some writers think that once they have an agent, their marketing days are over. Wrong, very wrong, especially for scriptwriters.
Your agent will be representing a number of writers (once mine let slip that he had 36 on his books). That means they will be devoting a relatively small amount of time to each one. If you write a book a year, that's not so bad: the agent will make a concerted effort to get the manuscript out to the right publishers, negotiate the contract, and then move on to other clients until your next manuscript arrives. But if you're writing scripts, especially if you're free-lancing TV episodes, you'll be looking for assignments throughout the year and will require more effort from the agent and from yourself.
Whatever you're writing, here are a few of the things you will still need to do:
* Read the trade papers, the L.A. Times, the N.Y. Times, and other publications to keep you eye on who is looking for what (this includes publishers, networks, studios, publishing houses, actors, and directors). Yes, that's the agents' job but they do miss some opportunities;
* Suggest to them the names of people you feel you should be connecting with (but not to an obnoxious degree);
* Go to meetings with editors and producers, either to pitch specific projects or to get acquainted and considered for assignments. These may be set up by the agent or by you as a result of networking;
* Maintain contact with any of the above that you meet, whether or not they use your services or buy your material right off the bat.
As you can see, having a good agent is extremely helpful--but not the end of your marketing work.
