2019-10-01_Writer_s_Digest

8 I WRITER’S DIGEST I October 2019

When Your Agent Isn’t a Good Fit

Two authors who discovered that their agent wasn’t their perfect match share their

advice on how to break peacefully—and avoid a bad match in the fi rst place.

BY JERA BROWN

F

inding representation is

one of the biggest hurdles

in the publishing process.

Once you’ve signed with an

agent, it’s easy to believe that it will

be smooth sailing from there. But

this isn’t always the case. Besides the

challenge of securing a deal with a

publishing house, sometimes writers

fi gure out that their agent is not the

best fi t for them. Here’s advice from

two authors who found themselves in

that situation.

AMY ROOST

Amy Roost produced a podcast about

a family secret that was subsequently

picked up and retold by Th e New

Yo rk Ti m e s. Aft er the story went viral,

Roost received several inquiries from

agents interested in representing her.

One of the inquiries came from a

powerhouse agent prepared to handle

both book and fi lm rights—an attrac-

tive off er to Roost. But aft er several

conversations and draft s of a book

proposal, it became clear that they

did not agree on the direction of the

book. So they decided to part ways.

Aft erward, the author of Th e New

Yo rk Ti m e s article recommended

his agent, who loved Roost’s story.

Although not as big of a name, Roost

says this new agent seems more will-

ing to work with her and preserve her

vision for the book. “She has said to

me so many times, ‘Th is is your book,’

and that’s what I needed to hear,” Roost

explains. “All in all, I feel like I’m get-

ting the book I want with her expertise.”

Here’s Roost’s advice on fi nding

the right agent:

Know What Book You Want to

Write Before Trying to Sell It

When you’re selling a book based on

a proposal as opposed to a fi nished PHOTO ©

GETTY IMAGES: SIRINAPA WANNAPAT/EYEEM