Getting and Working With
an Editorial Agent
By Mary Kole
Mary Kole is a former literary agent, freelance editor, writing teacher, author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit, and IP developer for major publishers, with over a decade in the publishing industry.
In today’s competitive publishing market, it’s even more essential to try and find an editorial agent who might have story and market feedback for you. What is an editorial agent? That’s a literary agent who gives creative writing, story, and writing style advice to writers before taking a project on submission to publishers. Why is this important? Read on to find out.
What Is An Editorial Agent?
An editorial agent is a hybrid of a literary agent and book editor. Ideally, they will understand the market, and also how to coach their client writers to create a book that’s competitive in said market. This means they bring not only their publishing industry savvy, but also their best book coaching to each project.
Is every agent an editorial agent? Far from it. But most have realized that they need to be. There are a ton of agents out there, all vying for the same strong projects. Sometimes, an agent will need to invest time and care into a project that has potential but isn’t there yet.
Either way, writers should prepare to revise and self-edit again with an agent, if they sign with one. (Then you will revise again with a publishing house editor. It truly takes a village to make a book! The sooner you realize you’re in it for the long haul, the better for your writing mentality.)
How to Work With an Editorial Agent
In the world of creative writing, there is nothing more exciting than getting an offer from a literary agent. After months or even years of pouring your heart and soul into your manuscript, it’s exhilarating to know that someone else believes in the project enough to take it on. But before you go on submission to publishers, you need to be sure that your book is ready. That’s where working with an editorial agent comes in.
Working with an editorial agent for feedback can be incredibly beneficial for writers. Agents are experienced professionals who have intimate knowledge of the publishing industry and understand what kind of stories are likely to sell to publishers successfully. When an editorial agent offers feedback on your project, they will often provide valuable insights about commercial viability, as well as ways to improve the narrative arc and characterization. They might make you write a novel outline, or a reverse outline.
It’s important that you’re prepared to receive writing notes at this stage in the process. You’ve just accepted an offer of representation. You are one step closer to publication. That means the feedback might be tougher, and your ability to respond to it will have to be more robust.
When working with an editorial agent for feedback, it’s important to approach things professionally and keep an open mind. Be prepared to make changes if needed. After all, agents want what’s best for both you and your manuscript—they just might see potential improvements that you had not considered before. It can also be helpful to establish clear deadlines so that everyone involved is on the (bad publishing joke) same page. This will help keep both parties accountable and ensure that progress is made in a timely manner toward a submission goal.
Troubleshooting the Editorial Agent Relationship
It’s important to keep in mind that not all agents are a fit for all writers or projects. Ideally, you will have asked the agent questions before an offer of representation, and you will be aligned in your goals, philosophies, and communication styles.
But this doesn’t always work out wonderfully. Yes, sometimes a writer will have to break up with a literary agent. In an ideal world, you will have heard the agent’s broad-strokes ideas for your project before signing on, and you will agree with the direction they want to go. If you don’t, it’s worth a very frank conversation. Agents and writers often split over creative differences.
See if there’s a way back to common ground before you give up on working with an editorial agent. Or ask why they’re making certain recommendations. They might have reasons that you don’t yet see. Once you’re in an agent relationship, the best thing you can do is keep an open mind and keep communication channels open.
Working with an editorial agent prior to going on submission can be incredibly beneficial for writers who want their books polished and ready to go before their agent reaches out to publishers on their behalf.
An experienced editorial agent can provide invaluable guidance on how best to position your work in the market while providing insightful editorial agent feedback along the way. Approach things professionally and keep an open mind—this will help ensure that everyone involved has a positive experience … one that, ideally, results in a sale and a long-term and productive business partnership.
Click here to purchase Writing Irresistible Kidlit, my book on fiction craft for MG and YA novels, out from Writer's Digest Books. This will show you my writing craft philosophy and give you lots of valuable advice, including tips for the novel revision process and self-editing. There are over 35 example novels cited and discussed throughout. It’s a valuable resource for any writer’s toolkit.
Click here to purchase Successful Query Letters, my book on query letters, including over forty examples with comprehensive notes on each one. There’s a ton of submission advice, best practices, and insider information in these pages, and you’ll really enjoy seeing what other writers are doing in the slush.