On Finding an Agent

Cover of my first book, My Queer Life. Design and photo by Callen Harty.

Writing a book may prove to be much easier than getting one published. Part of the reason for this is that with a book a man might create a deep philosophical treatise or aim to create a great piece of art, yet still remain unpublished. It could even be a great book, but that may not matter, because publishers are not interested in art as much as money. Publishing is a business and whether a book can sell is of far more import than what it has to say.

I don’t know that what I’ve written is a great book or a great work of art. I do know I’ve written a book that is important to me and I believe important to get out into the world. I know that I’ve written it with all the honesty and ability I have. I also know that it could languish for a long time before ever finding a publisher. Or, it might find the right place tomorrow.

To get noticed by publishers these days one pretty much has to have a literary agent to even get a foot in the door. Some of the smaller publishing houses still deal directly with authors but most of the larger ones do not have the time to wade through thousands of submissions and they count on agents to winnow the field for them. Twenty or thirty years ago authors would query publishers and get rejected. Now authors must query agents who then query publishers and the authors face rejections on both fronts. One has to be a bit tough to handle the rejection.

I’ve received six rejections from agents so far and have quite a few more queries out there just waiting to hear one way or the other. Some agents do not bother even writing a form letter to say no if they are not interested. They just leave the author hanging and wondering if they are ever going to hear back. I’ve been doing a lot of research on agents and querying and am okay with the process because I’ve learned enough to know that it is just the way it is. They may get dozens or hundreds of queries in a single week and simply cannot respond to all of them.

I understand that a book about surviving childhood sex abuse is not going to appeal to everyone and that there may be a limited market for it. I knew that even as I was writing it, but I knew I had to tell my story and I knew I had to try to find a traditional publisher for it once it was done. I understand that publishers and agents who want to make money also want to pursue books that have a built-in market. While one in four girls and one in six boys are survivors of sex abuse that doesn’t mean that one out of every four, five, or six people would buy a book about it. In fact many of them may want to read anything but someone else’s experience of their own worst nightmares.

Still, I believe there is an audience for it. I believe that many other survivors would appreciate hearing from a fellow survivor. I think there is also a potential market for professionals in the field, family and friends of survivors, and others. I also know there are scant few books out there from men who have survived that kind of abuse. All I need is an agent who is passionate about the subject and the importance of getting it out there. They also have to love the book. I am confident I will find the right person. The early rejections are simply eliminating the wrong people to represent my work.

Most rejections from agents or publishers are a variation of “This isn’t right for us.” I have seen writers on message boards and websites complain about that “excuse”. I don’t see it as an excuse or a bad thing. If it is not right for them, for whatever reason, then they are not going to do their best to represent you. It doesn’t matter whether it’s because they don’t think it will make money, they don’t deal with the subject, they don’t like your writing, or something else. If it is not right for them they will not be able to convince a publisher it needs to be published.

The last rejection I got came with a nice personal note from the agent who said she applauded me for my “human resilience and the urge to help others.” She then told me that she deals primarily with larger commercial publishers and she believes they are less inclined to do such a book because they don’t believe there is a market for it. She added that she felt that publishers of religious or inspirational books might be the route to go, but that she was not familiar with that part of the book market and would have to pass. To me it was a great rejection. It was personal and gave me encouragement when she didn’t need to do so, it offered suggestions, and it ended with a regret about declining. It wasn’t right for her. Why would I want to sign with her if she didn’t have the tools or connections to approach the publishers who would be best for the book? Why would I want an agent who wasn’t 100% behind the book? She made a decision that was best for both her and me.

I want an agent who is as passionate as me about the project. I want one whose enthusiasm for my work will make a publisher listen and make them want to take a chance on a book that may not sell millions but that is important enough that they want to be a part of it. I know that the publishing universe is unfolding as it should and that things are moving in the right direction. I am passionate, determined, and confident. I know that things will fall into place when and as they should and I know that at some point in the near future my book will be in the hands of those who need it.

Note: I never ended up finding an agent. The book was published through CreateSpace and is available on Amazon, Kindle, and through local bookstores. http://www.amazon.com/Empty-Playground-Survivors-Callen-Harty/dp/1518802575/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454446613&sr=8-1&keywords=empty+playground