Let me preface this by saying I have nothing against literary agents. They’re the gatekeepers to getting published by the large traditional publishers such as Penguin Random House or Harper Collins, and if you want to be published by one of the Big Five, you have no choice but to find an agent. Every agent I’ve met has been charming, knowledgable and passionate about books.
So why have I never had an agent? My first (non-fiction) book was published by Bloomsbury Publishing back in 1999 in the days before Harry Potter. Can’t get more traditional than that. I ducked the queue because I knew someone who worked there and I sent her a really good proposal (although I say it myself!) setting out all the commercial reasons why my book should be written and why it would be a success. She forwarded it to a commissioning editor who subsequently signed me. I very much doubt that would happen today. Years later I wrote a biography and submitted it to an agent who generously suggested I should send it directly to The History Press. Again, no agent required.
Fast forward to my psychological thrillers and my books are published by Inkubator Books, a digital-first, independent publishing house based in Dublin. I’m writing genre fiction, sometimes disingenuously known as popcorn thrillers, and Amazon is our number one marketplace. You might balk at that. Sometimes I do too, and I wonder whether the business model is sustainable in the long term. Occasionally, I’m sad that Waterstones or WHSmith won’t carry my physical books. Despite having sold many hundreds of thousands of copies on Amazon, Waterstones is not allowed to sell my books because my publishers don’t print stock and hold it in a warehouse or allow returns if the books don’t sell. And then pulp the books because the cost of warehousing is too high. Does that still happen? Probably. It’s called remaindering your books - about as un-environmentally friendly as you can get. But I digress. I don’t have an agent because Inkubator Books accept unsolicited submissions.
They’re far from the only ones. In my world of psychological thrillers, publishers such as Bookouture, Bloodhound, Boldwood Books and Storm all accept unsolicited manuscripts. In other words, you can send off your book, someone at the publishing house will read it and if they like it, they’ll offer you a contract. You’ll have to negotiate the contract yourself, but at that point it’s best to join The Society of Authors (in the UK) or The Author’s Guild (in the USA) and they’ll help you. None of these publishers expect a cent / penny from you the author. If a publisher requests money, they’re a vanity press, and you should steer clear of them.
Sometimes I wonder what I’m missing by not having an agent. No one is fighting my corner to get me seven figure deals. I’m reliant on my publishers to translate foreign rights and seek out film opportunities. But I’m also keeping every penny that I’ve earned.
Agents typically take 15% of your advance and royalties. To be clear, you have to earn out your advance before you receive any royalties. Many authors will never receive royalties. And most first-term novelists can expect a modest advance of up to $10k (minus your agent’s commission). Certainly not enough to leave the day job. Of course, your agent will negotiate the best deals for you and this stepping back from handling the business side of publishing is very attractive to many authors.
I don’t get any advances for my books and I’m genuinely happy with that! Instead, I get 45% of all sales (no cuts to any agent) and I get paid monthly (this is quite unique - it’s normally quarterly) which means I can manage my income with some certainty. Most publishers pay royalties quarterly which makes life difficult. Of course there are traditionally published authors in my genre who will be earning considerably more than me, but I do well enough. Enough for writing fiction to be my only job.
The vast majority of new or wannabe authors assume their first step must be to get a literary agent. Except even if you do get representation by an agent, there’s no guarantee that your book will be signed by a publishing house. In fact it’s more likely that it won’t than it will. And the process is so long… From the time you’re signed by an agent it might be a couple of years or more until you see your book on a shelf. In that period, I’ve likely written and published eight novels!
So this is my controversial thought for the day. If you’re writing genre fiction, I really don’t think it’s necessary to have an agent. And if you’re an agent reading this, I hope I haven’t offended you. Oh, and if you’d like to sign me, I’m happy to be proven wrong!