From my understanding, a literary agent makes money by getting authors signed with publishing houses. If we're skipping the middle man (the agent) what does that mean for them? Are they going to lose their places in society as gurus with the inside track on a publishing house?
I don't know many indies that didn't try to go the traditional route before self-publishing. If their book happens to hit the ebook market and become a best-seller, and the author is then picked up by a publishing house, what happened to the agent's commission? It's gone. There is none.
We all have jobs in the publishing industry; an author's is to write, a cover artist's is to design, an agent's is to sell a work to a publishing house, an editor's is to make sure all the Is are dotted and all the Ts are crossed, and a publishing house's is to get that book into print and sell it to distributors.
But wait! Indie authors do all of the above on their own (except for the cover/interior design and editing in most cases). If they get picked up by a publisher, they do it on their own.
Where does that leave the agent?
Things I don't know:
- Are agents allowed to choose an indie title and offer representation?
- Do they watch the market for successful indie published titles and consider it?
- Is there an agent out there that does this?
- Why wouldn't they (what are the drawbacks)?
It seems to me that agents may become superfluous if they aren't proactively changing with the market. That's a major loss in revenue for them. Think about super successful indies like Amanda Hocking and what her book may have done for an agent. Did she submit her manuscript and get rejected? Is that agent now kicking him or herself in the ass?
Question for you indies out there: Did you submit your manuscript to an agent? Multiple agents? Did you get rejected? What are your sales like now?
I'm a curious person by nature. Humor me, please?
I have great news! Mystic ~ Bronya, the first book in my Mystic series, releases tomorrow! The print version is already available for sale but the "official" release date is August 21, 2012. Keep your eyes here for the link when it goes live for Kindle and KDP Select. Don't forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway (see the widget on the side of my blogger blog) starting tomorrow for your chance at a printed, signed copy! I'm giving away TWO!
Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!
Jo
Your posts are always great! Good luck with the book release tomorrow! I added it to my TBR pile, I love the sound of it, very cool concept.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Heather! I appreciate the accolades and the well wishes. I hope you love the book!! I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say.
DeleteI know I've tried to land an agent and/or publisher every which way possible. Hasn't worked yet. Still trying though. I think maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment. Would also love to read some stats for people who have gone on to do it on their own. I totally agree - agents are going to have to change to succeed. It's an interesting industry right now, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment, Jen. I know a lot of indies struggled with this very thing before they became self-published. I'm thinking I may research stats on this and write a post later this week about the real numbers (if I can find them).
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