Okay, I know this image might seem a little strange considering the topic of this post, but stay with me here, I'll ramble on to the point eventually. For starters, many have described the relationship between an author and an agent as marriage-like with the books being the children. I'm kind of fond of this idea, and here is why:
1) The partnership is contractual, as marriage is.
2) You spend a lot of time working closely together to grow a book until it's time to send it out into the great big world of publishing.
3) You both start out with nothing but hard work and sweat you pour into words you both love.
4) Once things start going, you end up with commingled finances. Yeah, I know it's not the same as marriage level of commingling, but still you are tied together.
5) So, there is no exchange of rings or vows, but if things go well, there are contracts and bookmarks.
6) Like marriage, the match between author and agent has to be right.
7) Also like marriage, no two relationships are the same, even from the same agent to one of their other clients.
8) No matter how much like a marriage the relationship is, both parties remain fully aware that it is a business relationship.
Does my picture make more sense yet?
Good. (You see, I assume if you're still reading that you agree with me... BWAHAHAHA).
Anyway, as I was saying, just as every author's path is different, every author has different needs from their agent and the right one isn't always what you think when you first set out. In my case, my agent hadn't started agenting when I started querying. And now that I am where I am, I can look back at all one hundred rejections and I have a lot of gratitude that they came because I am where I belong. Between what Golden Wheat Literature stands for and the way my agent (Yes, I'm talking about you Jessica Schmeidler, in case your ears are burning) runs it, I know that I am exactly where I belong. That and God has made it clear that this is His plan. I'm all about following God's plan.
So, back to you, Dear Reader. Do you know what you want from an agent? Do you want one with an editorial background or are you looking for a large agency? If your answer is "I'll take whoever says yes" that's okay. That's where I started, but,by the time I found my agent, that was no longer my outlook. As you move along through the process, I urge you to think about it because once you get an offer, things can get a little crazy and you may find that you have multiple offers. If that happens, you'll want to know who you'll work best with.
Bottom line about this whole post, Agents are people who work about a million hours a week. They are amazing humans who love words and books and are really driven to do what they do with major amount of passion. And the right partnership with one of these amazing people is a huge gift for any author. I wish you each a yes with the right agent for you if that is part of your path to publication. :)