In 2017, there were one million new self-published books. Most of which were published on Amazon.
But let's imagine for a second that Amazon KDP doesn't exist. No IngramSpark. No WalMart books. Where would all of these manuscripts go?
It wouldn't be possible for a handful of big-name publishers like Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, or Simon & Schuster to sift through all of these submissions.
So what publishers have always had in place is similar to the world of job postings and external recruiters. The book publishing space has a network of Literary Agents - most of whom are based in New York City - who review manuscripts, find the ones they believe can sell north of 500 copies, and bring these to the publishers; similar to recruiters sorting through the vast pool of job candidates.
But since self-publishing already exists, why would I still need an agent? Why have any gatekeepers?
The question here is why can't you self-publish your book on Amazon, it gains a loyal following, then the publishers take notice and swoop in. Examples of this process happening include, famously, 50 Shades of Grey as well as The Martian and Wool.
In this scenario, book publishing would function similar to the world of tech startups. You start your company (book), gain a few customers, a few more, then go pitch investors. You don't have to ask someone for approval to launch a product in the first place.
But going back to the recruiter analogy, imagine this scenario: Your dream job has just been posted on LinkedIn. It's a company you could see yourself working at for the rest of your career.
Even better, you have a recruiter friend who knows the CEO. And one of your best friends went to school with the hiring manager.
Before applying for the job, wouldn't you want to reach out to these two connections? Have a better shot at getting in the door?
Going the self-publishing route is like foregoing the recruiter friend who knows the CEO or your best friend who knows the hiring manager. Sure, you could still apply through the company's website, still do everything on your own, but the odds of getting through becomes that much harder.
The agents and publishers all know each other. It's a small community with most of these conversations happening in New York City. It's a similar world to Hollywood agents and studios out in Los Angeles. Agents still have their advantages.
What's the benefit of having a literary agent?
A literary agent is the first step down the traditionally published path. The main advantages of being traditionally published:
You're being paid for your work
With self-publishing or hybrid publishing, you are taking on the costs to get your book out there. With an agent, they are landing you a contract with a traditional publisher (minus 10-15 percent for the agent's commission)
Editing, cover design, formatting, that's all on the publisher, nothing leaving your pocket.
Writing as a Career
If you land a part in Hamilton, every audition after becomes that much easier. If you get into Harvard or Yale, every job interview after college is that much easier.
Likewise, being traditionally published makes it easier for your second and third books to not only be published again but potentially receive higher advances/payments.
Teaching Opportunities
Having traditionally published books to your name helps in the pursuit of teaching at a university. It's harder to reference self-published or hybrid published works with the same academic clout.
The Bestseller Path
Landing a literary agent and then a traditional publisher doesn't guarantee your book will become a bestseller. But it does, at least, increase the chances.
The reason for this is the connections to bookstores, their experience with promoting books, and connections to reviewers/magazines/newspapers who help get the word out there.
Traditional publishing is more work upfront. It's harder to get a Yes from an agent vs. self-publishing an ebook on Amazon. But all of this hard work (potentially) pays off and makes the next 5-10 years easier in your writing career. In terms of getting the book into bookstores, reviews, being a guest on a radio show/major podcast, becoming a professor, having your second book be published faster, turning writing into a full-time career, those challenges become easier as a traditionally published author vs. self or hybrid-published. Plus you're not taking the risk of shelling out $1,000 - $5,000 of your own money, you're getting paid to write.
This is why I'd be weary of any articles saying, "Literary agents are dead" or, "Literary agents don't matter anymore." I'm not sure what publishing world those writers are looking at. It's not the one I've observed. It's kind of like when I see articles boldly declaring, "College is dead." I don't see Harvard and Yale closing their doors any time soon...
So then what are the downsides to the literary agent route?
I mentioned it's a lot of hard work upfront. And that hard work goes really slow.
It's not uncommon to send out your manuscript and not hear anything back. Or wait 6-8 weeks and then receive one of those, "Thank you for sending. Unfortunately..." responses.
It also becomes frustrating because one of the most common rejections is, "We like the book, but we're not sure you have the platform yet. Not enough of a following." Which as the writer you're thinking, "Yeah, but I thought you guys would give me the platform?" Buckle up for this sentence cuz it gets real messy: But how can you get in front of more people, if the people who get you in front of people are telling you that you don't have enough people?
Time and Money
If you get a yes from an agent, and they get you a deal with a publisher, and that deal has an advance of $30,000, I'd say all of the time and energy is worth it.
But if you spend 1-2 years sending query letters out to agents, and then another year waiting before the agent inks you a publishing deal, and that advance is only worth $3,000, I have to wonder if the time and energy is worth it.
Because what if you took the same 2-3 years, self-published your first book and finished the rough draft for your next one. You also found other authors in your town or other self-published authors in your genre, and teamed up. Started to publish their books. You may have spent $3,000 vs. making $3,000, but I wonder if you'd be in a better spot. You'd have some momentum going with a new small publishing house.
Reasons NOT to pursue a literary agent
Running short on time - Maybe you're writing a political book and want it to be released months before the 2020 election. In this case, I'd go with self-publishing. Anything time-sensitive, ask yourself, "Am I willing to wait 1-2 years with the traditional path?"
Small local audience - If your book is something primarily intended for friends, family, and people in your town, I'd skip the traditional route. Go with self or hybrid-publishing.
More of a hobby than a career - Those pro-literary agent points I listed earlier in the article - easier to get into bookstores, press, publications, secure a teaching position, higher advances on the next book - if writing is more of a hobby for you, these things might not be as important. For example, if you are retired and just started writing for the fun of it, you may find self and hybrid -publishing more enjoyable.
The money thing - The thought of paying $300 - $1,000 for a book cover, plus $1,000 to $5,000 on editing, another couple hundred on book formatting, that might sound awful to some authors and feel totally reasonable to others. Everyone has different budgets for their project.
Or you may start with an e-book. Create a book cover in Canva. The editing was done by friends and family, and since it's an ebook, the costs of formatting might only be $10-15 through a freelance site like Fiverr. In this scenario, you got your ebook out there for less than $50.
If you're okay with paying for these expenses vs. receiving an advance and having the publisher cover all of the book creation costs, you're fine skipping the agent.
You're entrepreneurial in spirit, not shy to sell or self-promote
Quick quiz, do any of these things feel out-of-character?
- Get done with an Uber ride, make a quick sales pitch to the driver about your book.
- Go on Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn, post about the book. Do videos, podcasts, sample chapters.
- Find other authors in town, host events. Start your own small publishing house.
If these scenarios are right in your wheelhouse, you're totally fine going solo. You might even just cold call the publishers yourself.
One Final Thought
If you're taking the ACT/SAT, why not send the scores to Harvard and Yale?
If you're searching for a new job, why not put in an application at Google and Amazon?
The worst thing you'll hear is "No thanks."
That's how I ultimately feel about literary agents - and that goes for both the aspiring career-focused writer or the writer doing this as a fun hobby. Why not send your manuscript out there to 3-5 agents. See what happens. Whether that leads to a $30,000 publishing contract, a $3,000 advance, or five rejection letters, at least you'll know. You can say you tested the waters. There are other paths for getting your book out there, but no sense skipping over this traditional path.
This is why we have the "Seeking Publisher" category on Long Overdue Books. Authors can post chapters of their book, at no costs, and have something to point to when pitching the literary agents or share on social media, email to friends and family, This way you can build an audience while you decide which publishing route is best for your book.
Reward for making it this far in the article
Special reward for making it this far, I want to give you lists of literary agents and some helpful resources on the process of creating query letters and how to reach out.
Note - My personal favorite on the list is the Harvey Klinger agency. Even though my two manuscripts weren't accepted (for Meet the Godfreys and Here or There), their response time was great, courteous, and extremely helpful.
Literary Agents
The Process of Reaching Out
This was a lot of ground to cover in one post. If you have any specific questions for your book/manuscript, please feel free to reach out to library@longoverduestories.com. And tune in for more articles in the Unpublished series where we'll dive into more details about self-publishing on Amazon, different hybrid publishing options, and using sites like Wattpad or Long Overdue Books.