Hello everyone, New here and in need of some friendly advice. Take a seat, this might take a minute or two.

I am a co-author of a non-fiction humour book on being a new mum. At the end of last year we sent out our first three chaps and proposal to agents and got eventually got signed up by one. She proceded to send our MSS out to a group of 12 publishers (the biggies). They all rejected- many saying they liked it but also unsure if a book like this would make it without a celebrity name attached, or market was too dicey, so passing on it. Disappointing but we're under no illusions about how hard things are right now. The agent then subs to one other publisher giving them an exclusive. This publisher reads partial and then gets back saying they would like to see full MSS, which we have not finished (as non-fiction, we submitted partial as is norm and will complete on offer-nothing unusual about that).Agent tells them no outright in email for that reason without informing us. We are gobsmacked.

Then our agent tells us she's exhausted all possibilities and we're free to go elsewhere. She's given up on us, despite some positive feedback and a request for full MSS. All plans to submit to other publishers, hawk round London Book Fair (previously intimated by agent) not even considered. Where does that leave us, and what would forum regulars' advice be in this case?

(nb: if we went at it, we could finish the MSS in 3 months as we never stopped working on it whilst suns were doing the rounds)

Hi and welcome to writewords

Forgive me for being blunt, but it seems clear to me that you just have knuckle down and finish it (regardless of it being non-fiction, this is the sort of book that is more fiction novel than academic tome) and then resubmit directly to the editor who was interested in seeing the full mss.


- NaomiM

Thanks Naomi- We're resolved to finish it anyway, so I absolutely agree there. But what about this agent? She made the first sub to the publisher in question, and although she's responded to the request for full M and effectively said "not possible", how feasible is it for us to bypass her and contact this publisher directly once we've got the finished goods? Does the agent have any right to still get commission on this should we get a deal, even though we've taken over the reins?

I am also interested to hear if agents giving up submitting their clients' work after on 13 subs is the norm. Are we right to be up in arms about this? Or should we just "man up" and stop whining?

Hi Misssy and welcome to WW.

I'd agree with Naomi that the best thing to do is to finish it anyway - it sounds as if there isn't all that much more to do - and try to send it to that editor.

It sounds as if the agent really liked it, and thought it would be a quick, easy sell, and has lost all interest now it's turned out not to be the case, even if for external reasons. Which is a real shame, and I'm surprised she didn't at least pursue the request for the full MSS but as Naomi says, leaves things open for you to do that.

If you haven't already, do make sure you get the names of the editors to whom it was submitted. If you do finish it, and feel confident in it, and particularly if it's turned out rather differently from how you expected, you could always email them - or any other editor you might think like it - and see if they'd look at the whole thing anyway. Chances are they'll say no, but you haven't lost much by trying.

Emma

That all depends on your contract with your agent. In my case, it most definitely would, especially if I was dealing with the same editor. The only way around it would be to get a letter from your agent saying you are free to go elsewhere without consequence - overriding any clauses in your original contract that she has a claim over any future contracts due to a contact made by the agency. This can cause problems in getting a second agent to approach a publisher already contacted by the first.

Is there a lawyer in the house? )



<Added>

whoops, cross posted. My reply was to your line about your old agent being eligible to commission. Very muddy waters.

Crossed with you, Missy. Colin's right, you need clarification about the position a propos commission for a contract with someone she originally introduced you to. The Society of Authors will advise you. I think your position is a bit stronger if she's said she won't submit to them, and then you've parted company with the agency, and only then do you submit direct. But you need to know.

A propos being dumped so quickly, it's a horrible feeling, but I have heard of it happening, usually in the sort of situation this seems to be - they thought it would be an easy sale, to a publisher who'd pay enough for the commission to be worth it, and it wasn't. It sounds, too, as if they were thinking of dealing with just this one book, not necessarily the sort of longer-term developing-your-career-as-a-writer that novelists hope for (and sometimes get) with their agents. It's not nice, and I think that if an agent sees a book as a one-off project for them they should be honest about that at the start... But there are lots of smaller presses and independent presses who you could approach directly - many are on the look out for good non-fic.

Are you hoping to establish a career of some sort in writing? Do you have other projects in mind? Because one possibility if you don't have any joy at the moment with this book would be to develop something else, and try for a new agent with that, and then see if the current book could go out afresh after a while.

Emma

Thanks Colin and Emma- it all makes sense. We need to be clear on where we stand. And yes, Emma, you're right, the contract was only for this one book. Currently taking solace in the fact that only a few months ago she was loving us and thought we had a good shot. Disappointing she's given up so quickly, but I don't think it should mean we give up completely.

Thanks for all your advice.