Hey everyone,
I’ve always made it my mission to talk about the behind-the-scenes in a way that actually helps empower writers and help them make decisions that are right for their careers. And what I want to talk about today is absolutely one of the things that I wish I would have understood at the beginning of my journey, and that would have saved me so much time and heartache.
So, remember how I told you that I’m co-authoring a memoir and that when I sent out the query for this book, we had 6 requests for the proposal within 12 hours?
We had several offers of representation, too. One of the agents I spoke to, and the one we eventually signed with, said she thought it was scandalous that my co-author doesn’t have a bigger platform. That if she had been in the West, she would have millions of followers right now, that she would be THE go-to voice in her community. This is, of course, something I believe completely and is part of the reason I took on this project. Our goal, our agent said, is to correct this, to make sure my co-author becomes a known voice in this space, that the book will help launch her platform.
But, at the same time that I was having this conversation, I was also getting rejections from other agents. One, who I personally know and whose opinion I respect highly (and who loves my novel), wrote me the following email:
Thank you very much for sharing this project with me and it sounds really interesting but my main concern is that I do not think the platform is big enough in order to convince publishers to take on a project like this. I think that you are a fine writer and have a very good platform of your own but I am finding that publishers need to see nonfiction that has a platform in the hundreds of thousands if not millions of followers.
I could have been disappointed by this response, questioned whether it was worth going out with this book, and had this agent been the first person I had spoken to about the project, perhaps I would have. But by the time he emailed me, I’d already had not only several responses, but offers.
Does this mean that this agent is wrong?
Or, is my agent wrong in thinking this book and this story have potential?
Neither, actually, because this is a very subjective industry, and agents have preferences, experiences, and biases, just like everyone else. Where one sees a bestseller, the other sees an impossible sale. (Don’t we experience this as readers, wondering how the book we hated so much became a bestseller, or the other way around?)
I get really weary of people, especially writers, who present agents and editors as some form of demi-gods, and every word they say as gospel. No, they’re just people with opinions. Perhaps more informed opinions than the average person on the street, but still opinions.
Which is why, years ago, when an agent sent me feedback on the first few pages of my novel, I asked if he’d enjoyed the rest of the book and would be offering representation. He said no.
You won’t believe how many well-meaning writers told me that it was wise to take this agent’s suggestions, not be precious about my chapters, and if he’d “taken the time” to send me edits (that I didn’t ask for), I should be grateful.
It didn’t make sense to me. If someone doesn’t like the entirety of my book, well of course they don’t like the first three chapters either. If he’d loved the entire book except for those chapters, we might have had a conversation. If he’d offered to represent it after I’d finished editing, we might have had a conversation. But he didn’t like any of it. He wouldn’t represent it no matter how much I edited it. So why would his opinion hold any value?
Sure enough, when I did get offers on that novel, the people who liked the rest of the book seemed to like the beginning just fine. The agent I signed with back then did ask for edits, but she loved the book, offered representation, and ONLY THEN, did we talk about what changes the book would need to get ready for submission.
I’m not anti-advice. Of course not. As a journalist for 15+ years, I’ve had my work edited, rewritten, chopped up into pieces, and even thrown out. Both of my novels have gone through extensive edits, with two professional book editors. I’m currently stupidly excited about receiving notes on my book proposal from my agency.
But I don’t take advice from people who have no skin in the game. I’m not interested in feedback from random people; I’m interested in feedback from people who already buy into my vision and can help me make it better.
Listen to advice, especially from people you respect, but don’t detract from your vision and what you know to be true because an agent who won’t even offer representation said you should.
There is something to be said about large platforms, and we will certainly have that conversation at some point, but here is what I have to say about all of it for now: An agent who is taken with your story and feels passionately about it will look beyond your lack of platform; someone who is only mildly interested will not.
Neither is wrong. In fact, if you can, you absolutely should be working on building your platform. However, not having one does not have to be a death knell for your author career.
I’ll see you again tomorrow.
Cheers,
Natasha