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1. I
have never had my work published, but I have a text which I
have just finished writing. Do I need a literary agent?
Your work needs,
initially, to be read critically. And if it is carried out
by a literary agency, your work may be able to enter the
list of authors and works represented by the agency. However,
if you decide to send your work directly to a publisher, it
may be read by an editor, and he may decide whether or not
to publish your manuscript.
2. I sent my work to various publishing houses, however I
think that many did not even read my work. Do I need a
literary agent?
Literary agents
have a set of criteria used to choose with which books they
want to work and know what to offer each publisher. Authors
realize that this facilitates their work being read by a
publisher, but are aware that this process does not
guarantee that their manuscript will be published. In any
case, the literary agent is the person who knows what each
publishing house is buying in terms of national and
international books, and, knowing the past and present
interests of the editorial market - and of each publisher in
particular - can make the right book reach the hands of
those interested in reading it.
3. I already have some books published. Amongst the
publishing houses with which I work, some are excellent,
whilst, with others, my relationship is very tense. Do I
need a literary agent?
This is a very
personal decision. There are authors who just want to
develop their projects and write. Others, however, are able
to write, negotiate their contracts and accompany the
payment of their royalties.
What the literary agent can do - and can do very well - is
sell works, negotiate contracts and accompany the payments
of royalties of unpublished and published books. In this way,
the author continues to have contact with his editor, whilst
the agency looks after the judicial and financial part.
4. How much do I need to pay a literary agent?
The international
standard is that literary agents receive a percentage of
what the author is paid in royalties. This percentage can
vary between 10% and 30%. For example, if the author gets R$
1,00 of royalties (per book) the division would be: between
R$ 0,90 and R$ 0,70 for the author and between R$ 0,10 and
R$ 0,30 for the literary agent. It also varies from agency
to agency to charge for the expenses with postage, telephone
calls, photocopies and transport.
5. I am the heir or the heiress of the books of an author.
Do I need a literary agent?
This is a personal
decision. There are heirs that know how to sell, negotiate
contracts and receive payments of royalties.
Others prefer to transfer these functions to a literary
agent. Like various other types of inheritance, what is
inherited is a private business. For example, for someone
who has never sold or bought a property, it would be very
hard to administrate by themselves an inheritance consisting
of property.
6. If the literary agent does not guarantee to sell my work
to a publishing house, why do I have to pay for it to be
critically read?
Your work needs to
be read. Without the referral of a reading made by a
professional which the literary agent trusts, he will not
feel at ease to offer your work to the editorial market.
There are agencies that, due to the way in which they work,
are able to carry out the reading without incurring any
costs for the author. Others have a team of professional
critical readers who already work in publishing houses, and
are hired, according to demand, for this particular service.
The reading guarantees that the author receives a written
evaluation, which points out the strengths and weaknesses of
what he has produced. Different to an evaluation made by
friends, a critical reading, although still subjective, can
supply the author with important elements for him to manage
to be published, or for him to begin to rethink the
production of his text.
7. I have written poetry, short stories, novels and even
essays. Do literary agents work with all kinds of genres?
No. In Brazil, the
agencies select particular genres, such as literature,
business administration, esotericism etc. Some reject one
type of text or another, just like there are publishing
houses that only publish essays on social sciences and
others which only publish technical books.
8. What is most difficult? To publish my book or to have a
literary agent?
If we consider that
there are approximately 3.000 publishing houses in Brazil
and less than ten literary agencies, numerically, finding a
publishing house seems easy. However, some publishing houses
receive over 500 manuscripts each month, including
unpublished national and foreign books. So you can see that
to have your work selected will not be so simple. There are,
however, all kinds of agreements that can be made in order
for your book to be published. Some authors take part in the
costs of production, when they are published by small
publishing houses. Others have their payment made by
carrying out part of the editing. However, these agreements
- which do not follow the usual practices for the payment of
royalties - are rarely negotiated through an agent.
So, there are many aspects to be considered between the
author, agent and the editor. That is, in the relationship
between author, agent and publisher there are many variables
which need to be evaluated; and in an insecure market such
as the Brazilian one, the agent is an additional guarantee
that the author will be paid correctly for his work.
9. I already have my work represented by a literary agent,
but wish to change agencies. Is this possible?
Despite this
happening a lot abroad, in Brazil this is not common, as the
options are limited. However, it is an option that is
legally possible. Like any other contract, the one
established between an author and his agent can also be
reviewed or terminated.
10. Are an author's books published in the same order in
which they were written?
Not necessarily.
Often, an author's first manuscript is not approved by a
publisher, but later, when he offers another manuscript, it
may attract the attention of the publisher, opening the way
for the publication of all his other books.
Usually, who determines the order of publication is the
publisher. He understands more about the market, and, for
this reason, has more information about which book would be
best received. The truth is that the publishing house needs
to have a certain amount of control over the publication of
the book in order for sales to occur. And the author needs
to trust the publisher for this partnership to work. If this
does not happen, even a good book may be condemned to
failure. Obviously, the author will be consulted during all
the stages of the production and sale of the book.
11. Are authors easily recognised by the press, critics and
teachers?
The public
recognition of a writer is a tortuous path, in which many
different forces come together: the marketing of the
publishing house, the interest of the critics, popular taste,
the relationship of the publishing house and the author with
the press etc. Many great authors were turned down
repeatedly by publishing houses to then be recognised as
great authors. And many others, despite being published,
only came to be known many years later. It is the writer's
responsibility, however, to dedicate himself to his writing
and to making his work public. It is the literary agent's
responsibility to fight for the authors that he has decided
to represent, trying to guarantee, the result which the book
effectively deserves.
An author's book is an intellectual product. Those who
manage to publish a book start to be seen with a certain
aura of an ideologist, a communicator specialized in a
particular subject and can become a reference for thousands
of people. For all this to happen a number of the factors
mentioned above have to come together. There are authors who
do not grant interviews and become celebrities; others who
appear all the time and are recognized for their opinions.
Others do not manage to achieve any public recognition, but
the fact that they have had their work published helps them
in their professional career. |
