Your timing for this topic is spot on for me. I'm on the cusp of both finishing a novel and attempting to find an agent soon after. It's nice to see a video on the things to look out for going forward. Thank you for this!
The information you put in the conversation space is very detailed - thank you. But, perhaps it is because I am older or maybe I am just a crabby old man, but if I am paying someone they are NOT my business partner, they are my employee or service provider. Agents operate much like a lawyer does, they choose to accept to represent a client or they pass. If they elect to do so, they had better hold their loyalty to that client and not to the opposing party in the court room! They do not have to take me on as a client but if they do, they WORK FOR ME.
wow, such an eye opening this video! I'm still waaaay on the early process of even thinking on finding an agent, but it's good to know it's just like any other company or business you may want to work in- if things simply aren't working out, you can always quit/ leave, there's no tie to hold back
I absolutely love your videos Alexa! They are even more informative and helpful than the other Booktuber channels even though they're great as well. Thanks for the insightful video about shady agents and for always uploading videos of you talking about traditional book publishing (and other stuff) because no one else on UA-cam that I know of seems to talk about that so it's a real eye-opener for me :)
GIRL. Lilac eyeshadow is your COLOR. My goodness. A+++ Also, thank you for the wonderful videos!! I just found your youtube channel, and then realized I had walked past your DPCC booth probably a dozen times a couple of months ago- I wish I had stopped to talk to you!! I will next year if you come back!
These tips were super helpful, Alexa!:) I haven't begun querying yet, so is there a way you can look at the agents past sales before you query them or is that something you only have access to once they give you a contract?
The best place is Publishers Marketplace, but it does require a subscription. If you make friends with other authors, one of them might have a subscription and be able to look up information for you, though. You can also see some sales listed on Publisher's Weekly: that is free and posted every week on their website, but it's a small snapshot of sales (and not searchable by agent).
Great video with wonderful advice, thanks for posting! I think an author and agent fitting together is so important. If they don't have the same passion or same vision for the book their selling, then I don't think it will work out. I feel like I might be scared of talking to my agent if I ever get one, but only because my anxiety gets so bad, haha.
Nice post. Off topic...and maybe this is discussed elsewhere in your channel: the book you mentioned that didn't sell through no fault of your agent...what are the reasons it did not sell (if there's something specific you can point to)?
I totally love this video. I had to break up with co- partners etc because mostly all of the above. Oh plus they published an eBook and copyright in their names and the ebook is OMG! Crap....my pen name is on in but it's so awful because they reorganize my work it's a hot mess lol. I'm starting over on my term's 😁.
Hey Alexa, another wonderful video! I was wondering if you could make a video about what an agent /really/ does and what you should expect when starting with one? Sorry if you already have one, i tried to check but im not 100% sure😁
Question: You mention checking out our Agent's sales history to makes sure they aren't a shmagent. How do we check their history? We just like, google their names?
I love how your channel is different from the other BookTuber Channels.
Love that you did this video! I feel like a lot of people would be terrified to leave their agent so this is a great guide/thing to think about
Your timing for this topic is spot on for me. I'm on the cusp of both finishing a novel and attempting to find an agent soon after. It's nice to see a video on the things to look out for going forward. Thank you for this!
I also have a video on agent red flags, which should be helpful! ua-cam.com/video/bGMqs7nm3IY/v-deo.html
It was. Thank you. And thank you for the quick reply as well. It's a small thing but it does brighten my day. Take care.
Jeff
Also, your makeup is always on fleek, love the purple eyeshadow
The information you put in the conversation space is very detailed - thank you. But, perhaps it is because I am older or maybe I am just a crabby old man, but if I am paying someone they are NOT my business partner, they are my employee or service provider. Agents operate much like a lawyer does, they choose to accept to represent a client or they pass. If they elect to do so, they had better hold their loyalty to that client and not to the opposing party in the court room! They do not have to take me on as a client but if they do, they WORK FOR ME.
But you're not paying them until you get a publishing deal...
wow, such an eye opening this video! I'm still waaaay on the early process of even thinking on finding an agent, but it's good to know it's just like any other company or business you may want to work in- if things simply aren't working out, you can always quit/ leave, there's no tie to hold back
I absolutely love your videos Alexa! They are even more informative and helpful than the other Booktuber channels even though they're great as well. Thanks for the insightful video about shady agents and for always uploading videos of you talking about traditional book publishing (and other stuff) because no one else on UA-cam that I know of seems to talk about that so it's a real eye-opener for me :)
GIRL. Lilac eyeshadow is your COLOR. My goodness. A+++ Also, thank you for the wonderful videos!! I just found your youtube channel, and then realized I had walked past your DPCC booth probably a dozen times a couple of months ago- I wish I had stopped to talk to you!! I will next year if you come back!
That eyeshadow!! 😍
Huzzah! I've had to fire two now. I'm beginning to think good agents are like unicorns.
These tips were super helpful, Alexa!:) I haven't begun querying yet, so is there a way you can look at the agents past sales before you query them or is that something you only have access to once they give you a contract?
The best place is Publishers Marketplace, but it does require a subscription. If you make friends with other authors, one of them might have a subscription and be able to look up information for you, though. You can also see some sales listed on Publisher's Weekly: that is free and posted every week on their website, but it's a small snapshot of sales (and not searchable by agent).
Great video with wonderful advice, thanks for posting! I think an author and agent fitting together is so important. If they don't have the same passion or same vision for the book their selling, then I don't think it will work out. I feel like I might be scared of talking to my agent if I ever get one, but only because my anxiety gets so bad, haha.
Nice post. Off topic...and maybe this is discussed elsewhere in your channel: the book you mentioned that didn't sell through no fault of your agent...what are the reasons it did not sell (if there's something specific you can point to)?
I totally love this video. I had to break up with co- partners etc because mostly all of the above. Oh plus they published an eBook and copyright in their names and the ebook is OMG! Crap....my pen name is on in but it's so awful because they reorganize my work it's a hot mess lol. I'm starting over on my term's 😁.
Hey Alexa, another wonderful video! I was wondering if you could make a video about what an agent /really/ does and what you should expect when starting with one? Sorry if you already have one, i tried to check but im not 100% sure😁
Awesome video! These are really serious reasons so I think in these cases it is really good to leave the agent. Have a blessed day!
Question: You mention checking out our Agent's sales history to makes sure they aren't a shmagent. How do we check their history? We just like, google their names?
Thank you
WELL ALEXA DONNE I M LOOKING FOR A AGENT TO LOOK AT MY MANUSCRIPT. . 5/16/20
It sounds like we all need agents for our agents.
I got a tip for improving your videos. You should crop your videos a bit more and only show the important bits
I may actually read brightly burning the idea of humans having to live in orbit because of an ice age sounds pretty cool, pretty... my cup of tea