Not-So-Secret Agents
An Ursa interview with literary agents extraordinaire Danielle Chiotti and PJ Mark, a books-by-my-besties holiday gift guide, silliness and frivolity, and more
This week on Ursa Short Fiction, my Duval homegirl and co-host Dawnie Walton and I sit down with our agents, Danielle Chiotti and PJ Mark, to chat about the publishing industry. What does it mean to be a white agent representing authors of color? What are the gold standards for blurbing? Where are the best places to find an agent and what are some common red flags with scammy “agents”?
We discuss the significance of the agent-author connection, the questions that an author should ask of a potential agent, as well as what makes an agent say “hell yes” to a pitched book.
If you’re already an Ursa Member, you can access the full podcast episode in your Member Account, or in Apple Podcasts if you subscribed there.
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OR you can become a paid subscriber1 to this newsletter now for access to a limited number (while supplies last!) of free one-year memberships to Ursa. Discount codes for the free memberships will be accessible at the end of this newsletter, for paid subscribers only. Again, while supplies last!
(I’m happy to report that the previous issue with payments has been resolved. Thanks to those who let me know you tried to subscribe and couldn’t.)
Speaking of subscribers, HUGE THANKS to Writing, Wandering, Wondering’s very first paid subscriber Rachel Kramer Bussel. Rachel edits Open Secrets Magazine and is the author of How to Write Erotica and Lap Dance Lust.)
WHAT MAKES A GOOD AGENT
Speaking of agents, over on Thread recently, I posted that it’s better to have no agent than a bad agent. Then Ashley Coleman asked me, “In your opinion, what makes a great agent?” My response:
A good agent is a fan of your work, a champion of your work, should be excited about your work, really believes in your work. I was shocked to hear from writers that their agents are meh about their work and/or don’t know how to talk about it or pitch it.
A good agent understands that what y’all have is a mutually beneficial business arrangement; they’re not doing you a favor by being your agent. As such, a good agent values your relationship, is professional and responds in a timely manner.
Even if they are busy or need time to get an answer to your question or whatever, they at least acknowledge your inquiry and let you know when they will get back to you. They should also check in with you periodically. They should be interested in how things are going, what you’re thinking about working on next, they should help you have a big-picture idea of your career, etc.
In other words—and this may be a matter of personal preference—I think a good agent is relational and not transactional, meaning you don’t just hear from them when they are actively conducting business on your behalf.
A good agent is transparent. They have a strategy for taking your work out on submission, and they share it with you. (My agent shares with me the list of editors/publishers she submits my work to and her pitch letter.) They keep you updated, educated, and informed on processes with editors and publishers.
A good agent is your advocate, intervening on your behalf if you have issues with your editor/publisher. They should not be conspiring with your publisher to “manage” you when issues arise. Yes, this happens.
A good agent is your advocate, intervening on your behalf if you have issues with your editor/publisher. They should not be conspiring with your publisher to “manage” you when issues arise. Yes, this happens.
A good agent should have integrity and be honest in their dealings with you and others. This should go without saying, but…yeah.
If your agent is an editorial agent, then they will give you feedback and guidance on your work. Not every agent is an editorial agent, so be sure to ask.
A couple of caveats: If an agent says they can’t sell your work or seems meh about it, it would be awesome if they offered some advice about how you might improve or better position your work for publication. But this doesn’t always happen. So I recommend spending some time working on your craft, taking workshops/classes, getting a manuscript eval, etc. before you query another agent. Sometimes, it’s not the agent; it’s us.
A good agent who wants to sign you won’t balk when you ask to speak with a current client before you make your decision. My agent asks me if I will speak to prospective clients who she wants to sign who want to hear what it’s like to work with her. She is white and is cool with non-white prospective clients asking to speak with a non-white current client to ask what it’s like to work with her, specifically as a white woman.
More about my agent: She signed my ex-husband and me nearly 15 years ago based on a book proposal for our book COPARENTING 101. I had not published a book before and my ex is a banker, not a writer. So we had little publishing cred, but she believed in our book, which came out in 2013. My agent knew I had also been working on a novel since 2007, and she nudged me about it. For years. Many years lol
When I stalled on the novel in 2014/2015, she said, “I really like these church lady stories you’ve been writing on the side. Maybe take a break from the novel and build a collection?” CHURCH LADIES came out in 2020. And summer 2023, we sold the novel I started in 2007. My agent played the long game and believed in my work. And I’m so grateful.
Last caveat: These are my perspectives on agents, based on my experiences and those of other writers I know. Mileages may vary.
Leslie Lampetti shared the thread and commented, “As an agent, I’d add that your agent needs to focus not just on your sales, but also administering your contracts once the books have sold.” So very important! An agent negotiates your contract and then makes sure the terms are followed.
HELP ELECTRIC LIT KEEP THE LIGHTS ON
I’m honored to be an Electric Literature board member, and if you’re among the 15,000 people who visit EL every day (3.5 million per year) to read essays, reading lists, short stories, flash fiction, poetry, graphic narratives, interviews, and criticism by over 500 writers annually, I hope you’ll consider contributing to our year-end fund drive.
URGENT NEWS FROM THE RUMPUS
From Courtney: “I’m writing with urgency about a literary organization I’m on the board for called The Rumpus. Founded in 2009, The Rumpus is one of the longest-running online literary magazines around—no small feat in a climate where literary magazines are shuttering left and right.
“The Rumpus is headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, which was absolutely devastated by Hurricane Helene. The hurricane hit during our annual fund drive, and both our Asheville-based directors have been deeply involved in mutual aid work, despite the fact that neither of their homes have water restored yet. Needless to say, we are far behind our 2024 fundraising goals: 22K short, to be frank. Asking for money is not a strong suit of mine…but if we lose The Rumpus as a cultural outlet, we will be losing one of the last places where writers of all stripes can publish their work and find a positive and uplifting community to develop as an artist alongside…”
I love The Rumpus, as a reader and as someone who inaugurated and curated a reading series there, VISIBLE: Women Writers of Color.
HONORING TINA MCELROY ANSA
A scholarship fund has been established in honor of Tina McElroy Ansa, one of our most beloved writers. The Tina McElroy Ansa Endowed Scholarship for Emerging Writers will support students at Ms. Tina’s alma mater, Spelman College, continuing her legacy of impact and inspiration. Please share with your network and consider a donation. (On the donation page, scroll down to “Make a Gift to Today,” choose “Other” under Designations, and enter “Tina McElroy Ansa” in the designation field.)
WHO SAID THAT?
We must be vigilant about writers getting their flowers, their due, and credit for their words. You’ve probably seen this quote floating around online over the years, especially during the last two election cycles:
“We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.”
And there’s a good chance you’ve seen it misattributed to James Baldwin, when it was actually Robert Jones Jr. who so perfectly captured the feelings and frustrations of so many of us.
!!!COOL WORKSHOP ALERT!!!
The Center for Fiction is offering How She Wrote: Generative Exercises Based on Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, a workshop led by the immensely talented and kind Sidik Fofana.
NEIGHBORS IS A NOTABLE
Neighbors and Other Stories by the late Diane Oliver is among the NYT’s 100 Notable Books of 2024. Dawnie and I devoted two episodes of Ursa season one to Oliver and her work.
A GIFT FROM DEBUTIFUL
The Unofficial Debutiful Short Story Reader is a roundup of “24 short stories from some of Debutiful founder Adam Vitcavage’s favorite debut short story collections, all published since the website’s launch in 2019. Each book cover is linked to an online literary magazine where you can read the story in full.” Adam is such a wonderful friend to writers! Happy reading!
PRE-ORDER LOVE TIME!
A gift that never goes out of fashion for writers, especially debut writers, is the gift of a pre-order. Check out these fantastic forthcoming titles!
My good sis Denne Michele Norris, editor-in-chief of Electric Literature, is the author of the forthcoming debut and future classic When the Harvest Comes.
Literary treasure Marita Golden is the co-founder of the Hurston Wright Foundation and author of 20 books of fiction and nonfiction. Her latest work, How to Become a Black Writer: Creating & Honoring Black Stories That Matter, is part-memoir part-inspiration guide for fellow writers.
BOOKS BY MY BESTIES: A HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
I’m not just recommending these books because they’re by some of my dearest friends; I’m also recommending them because they are awesome and make great gifts for the readers in your life. (click each thumbnail to learn more and purchase at Bookshop.org)
for folks trying to get free…
for folks trying to heal…
for lovers of Afrofuturistic poetry…
for your teen and young adult readers…
for the babies….
for lovers of history and Black joy…
for lovers of stories of Southern Black womanhood…
for lovers of fiction about family and gentrification…
for lovers of tales of Black women’s resistance…
for lovers of Black queer memoir and humor…
for lovers of fiction-memoir hybrid collections…
for the poetry and music lovers in the house…
and for lovers of hilarious memoirs-in-essay…
BOOKS EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ RIGHT NOW
In case you need more books by brilliant writers…
Felon by Reginald Dwayne Betts
South to America by Dr. Imani Perry
Patriarchy Blues by Frederick Joseph
BOOK PIRACY ALERT
Is your book on the notorious piracy site OceanofPDF.com? Probably. Mine is, along with a bunch of writers I know; I stopped checking after finding ten of my friends’ books there. The Author’s Guild tells us how, and more importantly, where to send takedown notices.
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