To Get An Agent...Or Not

Posted by: Susan Lute
Currently working on: revisions, researching a new story idea
Waiting on: a green light from an editor, and a high five from my agent on a single title contemporary proposal I sent her last week.
Mood: impatient, hopeful

The question of whether to get an agent or not is one that occupies every writer’s mind. There are pros and cons. Everyone who’s been writing for any length of time has heard them all, so I’m not going to go into them here. What I will do is tell you why I like having an agent.

I’m published in category romance. Standard contract. Very little wiggle room, not that I’m inclined to wiggle much. Most say an agent isn’t needed to write for Silhouette. For the most part, I think that’s probably true, but one day I wrote a single title women’s fiction novel...okay, not in a day...but when I submitted it to my agent, she read it fast and said it made her cry. That’s why I signed on with her and I’ve been very happy I did.

That story didn’t sell, the market flattened, and the next two didn’t get her okay, but here’s what I like about having her for my agent. She tells me when I’ve hit the nail on the head, and when I don’t, as well. She won’t represent something she can’t say she's a hundred percent behind. That integrity means a lot to me. When she does like a project, she’s my biggest advocate, even when I get crazed by how this business goes. Knowing she can’t sell a manuscript if she doesn’t have it to shop keeps me writing even when I find myself wondering if it would be easier to make a living as a door to door saleswoman. She’s my ra-ra section. She’s my kick in the pants. She’s not my mother. She’s my business partner. For all these reasons, even if my next contract is with Silhouette, she’s worth every penny I’ll be paying her.