The career novelist

More on choosing an agent

Speaking of creative problems, there is another that often besets
genre writers: weariness with a series. Arthur Conan Doyle got sick
of Sherlock Holmes, so why shouldn't you get sick of your series? It
will probably happen at some point. When it does you will probably
feel pressure to keep everything status quo. And why not? If you
have come to this point then the series is undoubtedly successful.
So what should you do?
The solutions are as varied as the writers who devise them. Some
authors start a second series. Others develop other types of fiction.
Still others drink (which I do not suggest). Whatever your solution,
stay fresh. If it makes sense, your agent will support your
diversification and help you strike a balance between your bread-
and-butter writing and your developmental work.
Stay alive, grow, and more likely than not your agent will happily
keep you. But what if you do not want to keep your agent? Some
thoughts follow.

MOVING ON
How do you know when it is time to leave your agent? Boy, that is a
tough one. Having taken over many authors from other agencies, I
can tell you that the level of problems authors experience varies.
Some problems are slight, but of long standing. Others are so sud-
den and big that they boggle the mind.
One factor that remains constant, though, is that leaving your
agent sheds light on your own shortcomings as well as your agent's.
Smart authors use this opportunity to examine themselves and
their writing.
But back to the first question: how do you know? Breakdown of
communication is one warning sign. Do your calls go unreturned? Is
there no follow-through on routine requests? If so, examine the sit-
uation. Are you being unreasonable? Are there differences or dis-
agreements causing bad feelings?
Lack of progress is another worry, but again it is wise to study the
situation before making any moves. Say that your advances have hit
a plateau; is this your agent's fault or yours? Maybe your writing has
hit a plateau. If your sales are not growing either and your publish-