What happens after you get an agent?
What happens after you get an agent?
Submitting to agents can be a long, slow process. But once that ‘yes’ comes – things can turn super-sonic. This newsletter prepares you for what to do when the ‘yes’ does come and what to expect an agent to do for you once you’ve signed with them. 
 
EVENT: The Getting Published week Рdigital edition! 
STARTS THIS WEEKEND. After making the decision not to go ahead with the physical Getting Published Day event due to health concerns – we are pleased to be one of the first companies offering an entirely digital alternative! Ticket sales are now open once again for this new-look event, featuring one-of-a-kind webinars with agents, publishers and tutors that you won’t find anywhere else.  
The Jericho Open Doors Event  
It’s been a rollercoaster start to the year for us all. Here at Jericho, we believe that we’re all better off together (even when we’re not in the same room!) That’s why we’re throwing our doors open to new members for two weeks, absolutely free. No small print.  
FIND OUT MORE AND JOIN US FREE
Spotlight 
 
FEATURE: Interview with literary agent Diana Beaumont  
What does a literary agent do? Learn this and more in this in-depth feature interview with Marjacq Scripts agent, Diana Beaumont.  
 
BLOG: What I learned about publishing as a debut author 
Tor Udall’s A Thousand Paper Birds was published by Bloomsbury last June. Here are some of the things she learned in her first year of publishing. 
 
Content corner: What happens after you get an agent? 
-
If you get a ‘yes’ from an agent, send an urgent email to all other agents you are querying, letting them know that you’ve had an offer. This should catapult you to the very top of their to-read lists, and (hopefully) you’ll end up having multiple offers that you can choose between. It sounds crazy – but it really happens! 
-
Choose the agent you like the best. This could be the one who represents your favourite authors. It could be someone you can go in and meet. For me, I chose the agent who was most passionate about my writing and really seemed to understand my style.  
-
Sign a contract with them. These are all pretty standard, but never, ever give money upfront to a literary agent. That’s not what they do.  
-
Work with them editorially to whip your book into shape. Some agents love this part and will spend years working with a writer. Other times, they will hire an editor on their behalf. In either case, expect some editing!  
-
Now comes submission. Your agent will take your manuscript and send it to multiple publishers. You probably won’t hear very much from anyone at this stage and I can tell you, it is one-hundred times worse than even submitting to agents(!) was. Your agent will know this and will hopefully do all they can to help you through it. 
-
When you get interest from a publisher, they might organise a meeting with you and them. They will also try to get other interest to use in an auction. They will try everything to get the offer to the best it possibly can be by raising the advance, negotiating the rights and questioning the royalties.  
-
Once you’ve signed with a publisher, an agent will act as a go-between for any awkward conversations. They will always be on your side and they will be with you for the duration – not just that first book. 
Want to know more? Our own Holly Seddon will be speaking about getting her agent during a webinar as part of the new Getting Published Day. Hope to see you there! 
Meanwhile – what happened when you got your agent? Or what are your biggest questions on how agents work? Share them in the townhouse here.  
Plus, don’t miss: 
Complete Novel Mentoring (Discounts available for members) 
Work with one of four of our expert mentors when writing or editing your book – each with decades of experience (and prize-winning books!) 
Manuscript Assessment  (Discounts available for members) 
 Our most popular editorial service matches you to your dream editor and gives you tailored feedback on your work. It doesn’t get better than that. 
Community Writing book club (Open to all) 
Join the Townhouse community for the first writing book club! We‚Äôll all be reading ‘Into The Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them’ by John Yorke by the end of March. ¬†
Responses