In the classic 1999 movie comedy Office Space, there are many memorable lines, such as, “The people to cake ratio is too big,” describing an office party, and “Yeah, I’m going to need you to …” sentence starter for anything the boss wants, to my favorite, delivered by one of the consultants tasked with finding inefficiencies, “What is it you do here?”
I have thought of asking that question any number of times in my career when the role of someone I encounter seems “ambiguous” at best.
So, when an attendee of a Christian writers conference asked me that question in a panel Q&A a couple of years ago, I knew what to say. But I paused for a few seconds, since the real answer is not something many Christian writers want to admit.
A literary agent’s role is to help an author be published well and maximize financial compensation for their work.
Some Christian authors seem compelled by the Christian subculture to give a disclaimer before meeting with anyone about their work: “Money is not important to me. I don’t care if I make any money at all.”
If you genuinely mean this, you are the only one in the book-publishing ecosystem who isn’t considering the cost or potential financial return of a book. Even self-publishing or hybrid publishing companies regularly reevaluate their pricing and royalty structures to ensure they make a profit on every project.
Everyone else is considering the financial aspect of publishing books. Authors need to as well.
Why are we embarrassed to discuss it?
Let’s face it, every church needs money to continue its work. If a congregation meets in a church building, there are expenses like any household would encounter. At some point, the roof will need to be replaced, and it will incur a cost. Also, the pastor and most staff need to be paid.
Any time you feel uncomfortable when a church discusses money, you need to get over it.
Authors who get a book published deserve to be paid for what they do. Everyone else in the process is paid, so, too, should the person who writes it. Of course, an author is writing for free until someone decides to publish the book, but agents are there to make sure they are treated fairly.
I am much kinder about this subject than I am likely to come across in person. When I am in a meeting with an aspiring author to discuss their work and they say that money is not important, I don’t respond with the obvious, “Then why are you talking with an agent whose primary job is to maximize your compensation?”
On the other hand, I wouldn’t look kindly on a Christian author who came to me and said, “I am only in this for the money.”
“Virtue signaling” is a derogatory phrase that has been used in recent years, referring to actions or statements made to make others view the person in a favorable light. For the sake of clarity in the publishing/money discussion, assume everyone knows the proper place for a financial discussion and leave it at that.
Even agents, if you can believe it.
Just what am I doing here?
Tonight, I do not know,
and God’s made it all too clear
that someday, maybe soon, I’ll go
to another, wider place
where life will be more kind,
but is there any sort of Grace
in what is left behind?
Did the ripples of my days
wash some distant shore?
Did the echoes of my praise
to God open a door
through which benighted heathen peered,
finding naught that he before had feared?
The answer to your questions, Andrew is YES!
Thanks, Sy. That means a lot.
I agree with Sy, Andrew!
Dan,
I would never contradict you, and of course you have given the correct answer to the underlying purpose of agents. But in my own experience, (of which you are fully aware) the procurement of financial recompense is not the only thing for which agents are for. A good agent (this is based on my own experience of one) also is encouraging when things look bad, is supportive of their clients’ efforts to promote and perfect their work, gives advice on proposals, subject matter, dealing with publishers (not just financially) and steps in when needed to smooth everything over that can go wrong with getting a book out there for people to read.
So yes, it is all about the money. And so much more. Thank you, Dan.
Yes, there are a lot of things under the heading of being “published well.” All that you mentioned!
If I have a fantastic idea for the perfect kluge, and am able to build everything but-say the casing I want to wrap it in, and I require a machinist to complete it, it’s because I need help with what I don’t already know how to do myself. A big paycheck from it might be a blessing but either way… without the help from someone who knows how to bring it to fruition, my perfect kluge just becomes a perfect paper weight. This, unfortunately, turns out to be the case too, when the machinist requires the inventor to already know how to build the casing then give them a step by step blueprint, which must fit a very detailed procedure, before they will take on the project.
Oh, I love metaphors.
And when you and the machinist work together to make sure it all works and would be great, the machinist takes the kluge to a company to manufacture and sell, and is met with a lukewarm response since they have 200 other kluges to consider for the five available spaces.
Not a metaphor – for every book a publisher publishes, they reject from 25 to 100 proposals.
This is a great mindset clarification! Thank you. 🙂
We all gotta pay our bills, right?
I always think, when an author says money doesn’t matter, that they should be blogging instead of working to get a book published.
I’m not being snarky. If we have a message we want out there but we don’t want to get paid, the logical thing is to start a blog and build an audience, right?
I am glad you were the one to suggest that! Yes, you are right.