Dean Wesley Smith has an interesting blog busting myths about agents that can damage a writer’s career. [Please note, if you read this blog, but not the comments, that Dean actually thinks it is advisable to have an agent to handle negotiations (he says this in earlier posts on writer-agent relationships). He just doesn't think writers should sit around waiting for agents to help them make their books "better" or know the market well enough to connect a writer with a perfect editor. And you probably should read the comments, because they delve into more depth on the subject of what it is that an agent can and can't do for a writer.]

Dean believes an agent is an employee, and speaks of the relationship that way. I’ve never agreed with that take on agents. It doesn’t really make sense to me, since agents are the one turning writers away, and the ones publishers trust, not vice versa. It seems more a partnership to me. The writer writes the book, the agent sells it to the best market for the best price. However, Dean’s myth busting reveals why either the agent-as-employee or agent-as-partner relationship can cause trouble if a writer doesn’t pay attention to business. If, as Dean and his commenters provide evidence for, many agents don’t bother to aggressively do their job of selling the writer’s work (or, conversely, are too aggressive), then the writer needs to know that sooner rather than later.

How can you know that, if you don’t want to do as Dean does, and market all your own work and only use an agent for negotiation purposes? Decide (with your agent) how you will be notified of what editors are going to be queried, when, and what the next step will be if no one buys. Then sit back and wait and see if your agent does what you both have agreed, and keeps you updated. If there are problems, act on them sooner rather than later.

Sooner rather than later seems to be the key. And the key to solving a problem before it becomes a disaster is to pay attention to it. For example, a leaky roof. When it’s a drip on a heavy rain day, you can just put a bucket under it. But if you don’t fix it sooner, rather than later…. You’ll be paying for the roof repair, and the lack of attention for a long, long time.

None of that answers the question of whether or not you need an agent. After reading Dean’s post and the comments, you should know whether or not you want to try marketing your work yourself (and if you do, good for you, go for it!). And if not, join the crowd. But if you only want an agent so that you don’t have to think about business? I hope that myth is busted, now. A good agent will know the business better than you…unless you’ve got a natural head for business. But you can never afford to assume you don’t need to know what’s going on in every aspect of your own business.

Kelly