by Beth K. Vogt, @bethvogt
On the journey to publication, writers often hope to connect with a literary agent who will represent them. Yes, there are both traditional and indie published authors who succeed without agents. But there are definite advantages to having an agent.
What can an agent do for you?
- Decipher all the legalese found in a book contract. A contract is a mutually beneficial agreement between an author and a publisher. An agent understands how contracts have changed in recent years and also will work to ensure you know everything you’re agreeing to before you sign on the bottom line – your advance, your deadline, your audiobook rights, and much more. Never underestimate the value of an agent’s expertise when it comes to helping you navigate all the different paragraphs and sub-paragraphs in a publisher’s contract.
- Help choose a book cover. Most publishers include their authors as they create cover art. How little or how much authors are included varies from house to house. You may be sent a single cover with the message, “Here’s your final cover” or you may receive several options and be invited to give feedback. An agent can discuss potential covers with you – the pros and cons – and even help you word your feedback in the best way possible to ensure your concerns are addressed.
- Ask for a deadline extension. Of course, authors should always strive to meet their deadlines. When you don’t turn a manuscript in on time, the entire production schedule is thrown off. But life happens, right? Years ago, I was dealing with severe back issues. It got to the point where I could barely crawl up my stairs and into bed, much less sit up and type. Flat on my back, I called my agent and confessed, “I’m not sure I can meet my deadline.” She took it from there, talking to my editor and getting me a much-needed extension.
- Talk you down off a virtual ledge. Every writer has ups and downs, both professionally and personally. A good agent is one who believes in you and supports you, in both good times and in bad. They don’t hesitate to applaud you or to be a shoulder to lean on – or to give you a good mental shake, if that’s what you need.
- Brainstorm what’s next. Life is about growing and changing – adapting to the demands of your publisher and yes, sometimes to a pandemic. An agent can help you envision what’s next for you, in the context of the ever-changing publishing industry.
How can you choose what is right for you when your decision will break the heart of someone you love? Having abandoned her childhood dream years ago, Johanna Thatcher knows what she wants from life. Discovering that her fiancé was cheating on her only convinces Johanna it’s best to maintain control and protect her heart.
Despite years of distance and friction, Johanna and her sisters, Jillian and Payton, have moved from a truce toward a fragile friendship. But then Johanna reveals she has the one thing Jillian wants most and may never have—and Johanna doesn’t want it. As Johanna wrestles with a choice that will change her life and her relationships with her sisters forever, the cracks in Jillian’s marriage and faith deepen. Through it all, the Thatcher sisters must decide once and for all what it means to be family.
Beth K. Vogt is a non-fiction author and editor who said she’d never write fiction. She’s the wife of an Air Force family physician (now in solo practice) who said she’d never marry a doctor—or anyone in the military. She’s a mom of four who said she’d never have kids. Now Beth believes God’s best often waits behind the doors marked “Never.” The Best We’ve Been, the final book in Beth’s Thatcher Sisters Series with Tyndale House Publishers, releases May 2020. Other books in the series include Things I Never Told You, which one the 2019 AWSA Award for Contemporary Novel of the Year, and Moments We Forget.
Beth is a 2016 Christy Award winner, a 2016 ACFW Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RITA® finalist. Her 2014 novel, Somebody Like You, was one of Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2014. A November Bride was part of the Year of Wedding Series by Zondervan. Having authored nine contemporary romance novels or novellas, Beth believes there’s more to happily-ever-after than the fairy tales tell us.
An established magazine writer and former editor of the leadership magazine for MOPS International, Beth blogs for Learn How to Write a Novel and The Write Conversation and also enjoys speaking to writers group and mentoring other writers. She lives in Colorado with her husband Rob, who has adjusted to discussing the lives of imaginary people. Connect with Beth at bethvogt.com.
Comments 1
Beth, all valid things, with the provision (as always) that you choose an agent that–as we say in Texas–“gee-haws” with you. Thanks for sharing.