Finding a Picture Book Agent
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For authors seeking a children's picture book agent
There's something you need to know about the economics of agenting that's particular to picture book authors and illustrators.
If you aren't an author and illustrator, then you are only half a client to a prospective picture book agent, and therefore it's going to be that much harder to get one.
Ouch!
It comes down to simple economics. Authors and illustrators share royalties on published picture books. Therefore, an agent takes his/her cut on your shared royalty. They're looking at making only half the money on you as from any other client. Yet they're likely to have to work just as hard for you.
(All the work. Half the money. Maybe you should be looking for an outsourced agent in India!)
If you look at agent listings, you'll see that most children's book agents are much more interested in chapter book and Young Adult authors than they are in picture book authors and. However...
If someone is an author and illustrator, the door is wide open! But if you're like me, illustrating isn't an option unless the demand for stick figure illustrations starts going through the roof! So here's what I recommend for unpublished authors:
Forget trying to land a picture book agent (for now) and focus on finding a publisher. Then the moment a publisher accepts your manuscript, it's time to get an agent. Fast!
Don't mess with snail mail; get on the phone and get aggressive. Do the research to find some agents you'd be comfortable with, call them up and say you need someone to negotiate a contract!
You see, most of an agent's job is finding you work. If you've already found it, then the agent is barely going to care that you're only half a client. He/she is going to get to do the thing agents love most: negotiating contracts!
But if I already have a publisher, do I need an agent?
No, at that point you surely don't need an agent. But the fact remains that you may still want one. Yes, an agent will likely cost you 15% of your earnings, but if their knowledge of the market results in negotiating a deal that's 40% richer than the one you could have negotiated, it's all gravy!
Of course, there's no guarantee that they can do that. But chances are this picture book literary agent who negotiates your deal now becomes your agent. They see you now as a saleable, money-making client. They might be able to negotiate you more deals than you would otherwise find for yourself. In fact...
They might find you a better, more lucrative publisher for that first book!
An agent can also keep you on top of trends in the market, steering your creative energies so that you have the choice to write that which is more likely to sell.
Picture book agent wrap-up
Don't seek an agent until you have a publisher. When that happens, seek your picture book agent RIGHT AWAY!
More on picture book agents.
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