My Literary Agent Dropped Me—Help!
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.
“What do I do if my literary agent dropped me?” is a question no writer wants to find themselves asking. But let’s reframe this potentially upsetting career event into something positive. Because writers who find themselves between agents or with a book that didn’t sell are being handed an opportunity to pivot. Let’s explore this difficult topic a bit more.
My Literary Agent Dropped Me, Now What?
The unfortunate truth is that agents aren’t a magic bullet. And sometimes a writer’s relationship with their literary agent ends. Sometimes this happens suddenly. Sometimes it’s the writer’s choice (read more about how to break up with your literary agent). Sometimes it’s the agent who makes the move to sever the relationship, leaving blindsided writers thinking, I can’t believe my literary agent dropped me.
There are a lot of parallels to romantic relationships in the agent/client connection (though I would strongly discourage you from dating your literary agent). And when that relationship ends, it can really feel like a break-up and can send a former client into a spiral of writer problems. Was it something they did, or maybe something they didn’t do? Did the agent fall out of love with their project? Was one unsuccessful submission round enough to end what once felt like a promising relationship (see more on “what if my book didn’t sell”)? Or did the break-up happen a bit later, even if the writer and agent had a few sales together?
Situations That Have You Saying “My Literary Agent Dropped Me”
There are a few scenarios that generally lead to an agent dropping a writer client. Here are some examples:
A difference in working or communication styles that seems insurmountable;
Initial enthusiasm about a project waning when the project didn’t sell;
The agent deciding to go in a different direction with their list;
Frustration on one or both ends about how much the agent can feasibly do for the client;
Agent is leaving the business or changing jobs; and
Publishing market forces that aren’t personal.
The thing is, sometimes you’ll be in a situation that’s within your control, but most likely, your agent break-up was inevitable or due to a confluence of external factors. You probably shouldn’t hit back at the agent or cause a scene. Publishing is a small business and, unless the agent was downright unethical and you want to warn writers that they’re a potential publishing scam, you don’t want to burn bridges or smear them all over social media.
There’s also the possibility that you and your agent can find your way back to one another after a meaningful conversation. A notable exception here is if the agent is leaving the business. In most cases, an agent may offer a connection to one of their colleagues (though this isn’t a given). If you’ve already excluded outright malfeasance (which means you’re better off without that particular agent) or a potential repair, the best approach is to try and move on.
Hit With “My Literary Agent Dropped Me”? Time to Reassess
If you’ve been fired as a client, the temptation might be overwhelming to get right back out there into the slush pile and try for representation again. After all, it doesn’t feel good to suddenly be a “free agent” with no, well, agent. However, you might want to spend some time unpacking what happened, what might’ve gone wrong, and what you could do differently. The agent got to make a decision in this case, but you still have options in your writing journey.
If your “my literary agent dropped me” moment came as a result of market forces, consider whether you are working in the right category for your goals. This might be the perfect time to write something new, especially if your agent’s departure was due to a project (or several) not selling. That’s telling you something. If you want to continue aiming for traditional publication, you might need to work on your book ideas.
In the meantime, take a moment to get to know who’s out there. You have probably been out of the literary agent query game for a few years, so it’s safe to assume that the landscape has changed. You might want to take the time to do some literary agent research. Think of who else you queried back in the day, as well as any agents you may have met at writer’s conferences, etc. Reach out to your network and talk to other writers online. See what people are saying on resources like QueryTracker about agents and their response times or communication styles.
See who might be a better fit. Take everything you learned from your experience, including the break-up part. Searching for a literary agent can be a taxing process, but if you take the right approach, it can make the transition smoother. This is not the end of the road for you. In fact, it’s only the beginning of a pivot to a new writing journey. Don’t let “my literary agent dropped me” be the defining plot point of your writing career.
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Click here to purchase Irresistible 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.