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Literary Agents: Do You Need One? What Should You Expect? And How Do You Know You Have a Good One (or a Bad One)?

Literary Agents: Do You Need One? What Should You Expect? And How Do You Know You Have a Good One (or a Bad One)?

A “Cranky Editorial Guy” session held on July 16, 2025

Agents – a lot of people love them, some people don’t, and most can’t even get their foot in the door to talk to one, so that cranky editorial guy Jeevan’s bringing (a good) one to you!

Wendy Keller is the founder of Keller Media, a 36-year old premier nonfiction literary agency based in Marina del Rey, CA, that not only represents authors to all major publishers but also handles various subsidiary rights and agreements with foreign agents and houses.

Jeevan Sivasubramaniam is the VP of Editorial at Berrett-Koehler. He has been in publishing for thirty years in acquisitions and administration and has worked with over 700 authors and books.

Session Summary

  • 4 things an agent can do for you:
    • Figure out if your book will sell to a publisher . . . and to the public
    • Refine your proposal so it shows the publisher (1) how much your book will sell, (2) your proof that it can sell that much, and (3) your marketing plan to make it sell
    • Introduce your book to the best editors for it
    • Get you a fair publishing contract
      • Create a contract that both the author and the publisher feel is fair
      • Ensure that the author’s IP is protected in the case of a publisher getting bought or going out of business
      • Help guide the author through the contract process, making decision that make sense for the author
      • Help the author retain audio or foreign rights if it makes sense to do so for that author
  • 4 things an agent CAN’T do for you
    • Sell a book in a genre that they don’t specialize in.
    • Make a book sell (to either a publisher or the public)
      • If you stop growing your platform, your sales won’t amount to much
      • Timing matters. If a similar book comes out just before your book, or if a big world event happens, that can impact your book sales
    • We can’t get you a bigger advance than you warrant.
    • We can’t make you rich
      • Being successful as an author is a process that requires a lot of time, a lot of work, and a lot of people. And becoming a huge name also requires luck and good timing.
  • Realities
    • Authors, agents, and publishers are all on the same team, rowing together. We all want to publish good books, sell lots of copies of those books, and impact lots of people.
    • Publishers and agents are desperate for well-written, unique books by driven and passionate authors. Be that author!
    • Publishers and agents need YOU. You are the one who writes the books they publish. You determine how well written it is. You determine how well it sells.
    • Agents reject 99.8% of books pitched to them, because the vast majority of book proposals have no proof that the book will sell.
  • Top 4 reasons for rejection:
    • Your idea is too similar to 100 other books
    • You self-published a book and only sold a few copies
    • Your proposal is stupid
    • You have zero platform elements and only a vague wish of a marketing plan
  • Questions from Jeevan:
    • Q: Why do agents barter for every nickel and dime for every right and exception for their author?
      • Wendy: I will look at the publisher’s track history. If the publisher has a track record of selling foreign or international rights sales, then I let them keep those rights. But if they don’t have a track history and I know that I can sell those rights better or faster, I work to retain those rights.
    • Q: The stereotype is that an agent will go with the biggest advance offered, and maybe bypass a publisher that can’t give a big advance but can do more for the book.
      • Wendy: If the author is really bad at writing, I will try to pitch them to a publisher known for more editorial shaping. I will try to match the personality and needs of the author with the publishing program best suited for them. But if two offers come in from similar publishers, then yes, I will go with the higher advance.
        • In the United States, all agents get 15% of the royalty advance, and 20% of foreign rights sales advances.
  • Questions from the open Q&A:
    • “As a nonfiction author, do I need to have a complete manuscript before reaching out to an agent, or can I start pitching my book with a clear outline, chapter breakdown and a few sample chapters?”
      • Wendy: The most important part of your proposal is your marketing plan. You don’t need the full manuscript. A sample chapter and outline are sufficient.
      • Jeevan:
        • Not all ghost writers are created equal. Some ghost writers have written New York Times bestsellers, but they’re going to charge 40,000-50,000 or higher. Then there are high school English teachers on summer break who call themselves ghost writers.Ask ghost writers what they worked on previously. Get samples of their work. How well do they know your particular subject and genre?Have a clause in your contract where at various points in the process, if it’s not working, then you resolve the relationship and can go find a new ghost writer.
        • I would much rather you come to me with your best work, before hiring a ghost writer, so I can see your own work. Then if I think your work needs a ghost writer, and you can afford it, then I can help you find a ghost writer for your genre.Most authors know what they want to write, but they don’t know what should be written. An agent can help with that.
        Wendy:
      • Wendy:
        • My firm is unique in that we will offer limited support in getting speaking gigs, if you are already a speaker. Most literary agencies don’t help with marketing or speaking support.
      • All agents in the United States get 15% of the advance and royalties, and typically 20% of foreign rights sales. If an agent wants more than that, something’s wrong.
      “Can you expand on hiring a ghost writer?   What are the credentials to look for and what is the cost structure ? (Flat fee vs word count, etc.)”“If I am understanding this correctly, an agent may help with PR/Development after the publication (speaking/media). How does that differ from hiring a PR firm?”“When you partner with an agent, do you align on a fee structure at the front end? Anything to watch out for?”
    • “Is there a resource listing the genres of books various agents are interested in?”
      • There are a bajillion sites that will list agents. Many of them are not accurate or don’t reflect what agents are currently representing.
      • https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/ is one of the best ones
      • Always refer to an agent’s own website and query guidelines.