Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Do agents need permission to sign clients?

When an agent finds a manuscript gem, can they make an offer independently? Meaning, do they need the agency's okay first? What about junior agents, or an assistant just breaking into the business and dipping her toe into agenting?
What are you worried about here?

There is no industry standard, and any agency practice is specific to the agency itself.
So, the answer is: it depends.

Obviously someone very junior will most likely need advice.
Whether s/he is required to get permission is something you can't know, and an agent most likely wouldn't tell you.

If a prospective client asked me that, I'd be mortally offended, so be careful here.





15 comments:

E.M. Goldsmith said...

By the power vested in me, all agents have permission to sign me as their client. If they dispute this, I will not query them.

I think OP is thinking of a publisher acquiring a book when it is on submission? Because then there is an editorial board or something at the publishing house which approves the acquisition of a book? Is that right?

Anyhow, anyone can call themselves an agent and sign a client which is why we, as writers, must do our research when querying perspective agents. I think the "permission" thing is only when book is on submission. But I could be wrong.

Jennifer R. Donohue said...

This is the "will this offer I'm so excited about turn out to not be real" fear, I think?

Did they accept me by accident?
Do they regret it?
Were they allowed to accept me?

Author Fears are real and valid, and it's hard to be reasonable about them.

Colin Smith said...

This sounds to me like a general "how does publishing work?" kind of question. I've asked a number of these kinds of questions myself over the years. They have no bearing on what I'm writing or how I query. Just curiosity. I think OP is trying to get a handle on how much autonomy an agent has when they're a part of an agency. Are they free to sign whoever they want, or, like an editor at a publishing house, do they have to go before a group of people who will give approval? Of course, a big difference between a literary agent and an editor is that the editor is looking to spend the publishing house's money (sometimes big money) to snag a book. The literary agent is committing to invest time and energy into a potential new client with the hope of reaping a financial reward for them both.

Anyway, that's how I understood the question.

Carolynnwith2Ns said...

Imagine this.

Our illustrious QOTKU being told,
"...Janet my dear, you have to ask our permission before you sign a client."

The results would go viral. Um...it is still shark week on cable.

LynnRodz said...

Is OP thinking of Bryony Evans? I would assume the assistant would show the gem to the agent s/he was assisting and the agent would take it from there. What happens next depends on each agency's guidelines.

julie.weathers said...

Or! An agent loves your work, but the owner of the agency thinks you're an ads and has blocked you on twitter.

julie.weathers said...

And auto correct is trying to make me polite. I meant arse

Kristin Owens said...

The publishing biz is fraught with unknowns, especially to those outside it. Hence the questions to Janet. A writer friend was at the signing process with junior agent and the contract was pulled back because Literary Agency Pres said no. Heartbreak all around. One of the ills of being a new writer is not being prepared for all the 'what-ifs?'The more we know the better we can insulate ourselves. Thanks to Janet for answering these questions, whose answers may be obvious to others other than the OP.

literary_lottie said...

As others have pointed out, I think this question was prompted by the very reasonable writer fear that even once you've gotten to a "yes" with an agent, a "no" from someone above them might derail representation. But publishing is full of gatekeepers and worrying about this particular scenario seems a bit silly, especially as the remedy is the same one as always: write the best book you can, with the best query you can.

Adele said...

The last time I needed to sell real estate, I met an agent, talked with her, agreed to use her as my agent, signed the agreement - and I found out later that she then had to take the agreement to her boss to get permission to be my agent. That was normal at her agency, and with all the shenanigans going on in the real estate industry where I live, it's easy to see why. So I think it's a reasonable thing for somebody to wonder - is my agent search over? Can I celebrate, or are there still more hoops to jump through? I can see somebody wondering, but it would still be pretty cheeky to ask. People don't like it when you doubt their qualifications.

ashland said...

Not for nothing, but I'm unsure why this question might be considered offensive to ask. I've read on a few agents' blogs or in interviews that their agency operated on a quorum when signing new authors. I don't believe it was said (or I at least don't recall) when that quorum took place, whether before or after speaking with the author, but had I not read your response I would have thought that question to be within the realms of normal discussion when having The Call. Are we that wrong?

Lennon Faris said...

"Mortally offended" - I can guess to whom the "mortally" would apply...

A few months ago, a pesticide guy looking for work came around knocking on doors. He asked if I 'was the boss here' to start. Slightly offensive, as I am clearly an adult and answered his knock, but OK. Then when I interrupted him (politely) to tell him not interested, he asked again if I was 'the one usually in charge of those things."

I am not one to get offended, but boy you should have seen the smoke pouring out my ears.

Sadly, the more dominant side of me won. I smiled, said yes and good-bye, and quietly shut the door. If only I had rows and rows of teeth...

Going off on a rant though. Interesting question. It seems here is the best place to have asked it, and OP did --so good job, OP.

Sharyn Ekbergh said...

If people call and ask for the head of the household we put Ramona on.

Beth Carpenter said...

I could also imagine it sort of like a car dealership where the saleman offers a deal and then comes back with the sad, "My sales manager won't go for it." Although, unlike the dealership, I can't see any negotiating advantage for an agency to do this. They either want to represent the manuscript, or they don't.

Craig F said...

With the advent of social media the only liability sits on the agent's reputation. The writer could a lot more damage to the agent than vice-versa.

The writer might look like an ass for doing it, but that is the true essence of social media.