As im reading through the Guide To Literary Agents book, it noted finding connections or making a connection with the agent. In my day job, i reach out to agents all the time to book author visits for events and to do author interviews. It has occured to me to reach out to them again (with my personal email) but im worried about burning those bridges in my work life. Im worried about being unprofessional by reaching out... But in the flip side, i've had some pretty great experiences with a few agents and authors in my job. Im really confused right now...
Hmmm. I can see the dilemma in that. I'd be inclined to suggest that you use every advantage at your disposal since the odds of landing agents/trad deals are so remote. Like what... one manuscript out of every thousand? Every five thousand? Pick a number. But on the other hand, I can see where using professional influence for personal gain may not play well with certain agents, all of whom, I'm sure, have seen authors pull every trick imaginable to get themselves noticed. But, honestly, all business comes down to personal relationships. I try to stress with all my chefs and managers--many of whom go on to run their own joints or purchase their own businesses--that your success in the business world won't always be determined by the inherent value of your product. Many times, it will depend on whether people like you or not. People who like you will want to see you succeed and be able to say they contributed to your success. People who don't like you will want to see you fail. That's in the hospitality world, though. Publishing is a very unique business that exists in its own small world obviously, but the fundamentals still apply. I would still advise you to use your relationships and to be honest about your intentions. People hate dishonestly. Nothing irks me more than when I feel I'm being gamed, hoodwinked, or unduly influenced. It's like, do I have a sign that says "stupid dumb-dumb" on my forehead? Agents probably feel the same way times 10,000 because they're bombarded with random queries all day long. However, an agents job is to represent their clients, and if you're the one on the other end of the phone/email offering their clients events, exposure, and sales-growth opportunities... well, you might be able to leverage that provided you do it subtly and honestly. Tough call... I think it would depend on your read of a particular agent. If you get a good feelings, swoop in!
Weeeell.... I reached out to my contact about the agent that works in her agency.... I made it clear that i was using my personal email on my own time so as not to mix with work, and let her know that, regaurdless of how this goes, i would still like to reach out to her about her authors for work. I hope this goes well
What's the worse that can happen? If you have nothing going in and end up with nothing walking out, your net loss is nothing.
You could reach out to your work contacts and ask them if they would be offended if you were also to contact them about your own books. That leaves it in their court, so it shouldn't burn any bridges.
That really seems like a complicated matter. I guess it´s like tossing a coin. You just wait to see what happens. I agree with H Potvin. You have to be very subtle and honest. And I guess, you can never know what to expect.
I don’t envy you your quandary. There’s an old saying about burning bridges: if you’re going to burn a bridge, make sure you get off it first. I get what you’re saying about wanting to preserve professional relationships with the agents you deal with in the course of your work, but how might your employer react? Would this put your position at risk? Employers can be touchy about that things like that. Hell, I run a small vape shop in Ohio, and even I have an NDA and a non compete.
I may have mentioned that my life-long profession is architecture. I'm currently licensed only in my home state but in years past I also maintained licenses in multiple other states. Most states have a code of ethics for architects, either in statute or in regulation. What my state's code of ethics has to say about conflicts of interest might serve as an indicator of what at least one state's legislature views as acceptable: So, basically, ethics amounts to being honest, and not double dipping. I'm not at all sure to what degree this transfers to J.T.'s situation, but it's a start.
I emailed the owner of the agency and told her i enjoy working with her and look forward to our continued working relationship. Then i asked if it would cause a problem if i query her agent, and i thought i'd reach out to her first. She was surprised and touched that i emailed and thanked me for the courtesy and gave me the goahead to query her agent when im ready (I havent done so, though .... God dang anxiety!!)
God damn it woman if you do not query the agent right now I will have you arrested... for stupidity. (name the movie!)
