An agent by any other name

For most of my working life I’ve been a salesman.

I may have had different titles but I was a salesman – and a good one.

I sold advertising for newspapers, then for my own.

Even when I assumed the title publisher and editor I kept an active client list. My most valued employees were my sales staff.

Eventually, like everything else you enjoy but do too often, the thrill of the sale became not exciting as it once was. It was time to move on. Fortunately, I’d sold enough.

What has this got do with finding an agent for my novels?

An agent by any other name is a salesperson.

I know they vaunt themselves as the key to your success as a writer, the gatekeeper to all the fame that will come once you’re published, the oracle that guards all the secrets to the nether world of the publishing industry, but they’re salespeople.

The only reason they have such power and esteem is that we authors give it to them. They are only as good as the product they’re selling. Which means even a good agent can’t sell a bad book. The opposite is probably true as well, but the emphasis is on the product, not the salesperson. In other words, you, the writer, the creator of the product, hold the key to success. Agents are the conduit.

So what do agents offer as their qualifications to rep my book? What do they include in their resumé, their curriculum vitae?

Some tell you they love books and are prolific readers.

Most people I know have read a lot of ads but that didn’t mean they could sell advertising.

Some have written books.

Why are they agents?

Some have a successful, clever blog.

What has this got to do with anything except self-aggrandizement? I’m thinking the time they spend promoting themselves might be better spent promoting their clients.

Some tell you how to write. 

I never, never, ever (to infinity) told a client how to run their business no matter how dumb they were.  It just pissed them off and was the kiss of death for closing the deal.

Some have degrees in English Literature, Creative Writing, blah, blah, blah.

So you’re educated? I sold to businesses but I didn’t have, nor did I need an MBA. Selling is gritty stuff. You don't learn that in academia.

If an agent is a salesperson by any other name than shouldn’t the qualities of a good agent be the same as those of a good salesman?

What qualities did I look for when hiring sales staff? What qualities do I have that made me a successful salesman?

I made more calls.

The success of salespeople is directly related to the number of calls they make. The more you make the greater the success. I made more calls.

I was self-motivated. 

I didn’t need to be prodded, pushed, pumped or primed. Hour after hour, day after day, month after year I was up for the job.

I was hungry.

For money, recognition, success, self-esteem. I was/am never satisfied, never complacent.

I sold smart.

I had knowledge of the market, the industry, the needs of my clients.

The one ingredient that put me over the top, the one that is intangible and can’t be taught is the ability to make people like you. If you’ve got this you can forget the rest. If the client won’t take your call all the motivation, hunger and smarts aren’t worth bugger all. I can make people like me, though these days I’m less and less inclined to.

Wouldn’t you know, it’s all about relationships – again.

So that’s it. The agent I’m looking for is self-motivated, hungry, smart, and has consummate people skills. He or she should also be looking to take on a new author with a dubious track record.

Any takers?

Rod Raglin is the author of three e-published books in the past year. Visit his website at www.rodraglin.com