Question 2.5
We got input on Question 2 from multiple mentors! Check out this other perspective!
I'm worried this is a silly question, but: when you get an agent, does that agent stick with you and help you with your next book? Or do you need to find a new agent for every book you publish? Does this change if your first book is YA and your second is Adult? Thank you!
You can find this mentor, Daphne Dador, here!
Dear Author,
First, please don’t ever think your questions are silly! There are no silly questions when you’re trying to learn something new. And chances are there are others wondering the same thing as you but weren’t brave enough to ask. So go you!
Now turning to your question, here’s my take: When you sign with a literary agent, you’re ideally agreeing to enter a business partnership that will last throughout your writing career. Your agent should work with you on the book you sign with and your future ones. This is why it’s important to research agents before you query them to make sure they represent what you write (age category and genre) and their working-style and personality align with yours (as best as you can tell based on whatever is publicly available e.g. on social media).
If your current book is YA, and you know you want to also write adult novels, it would be in your best interest to seek an agent who represents both YA and adult. However, if you are uncertain about writing in different age categories, I’d recommend focusing your search based on the book you are querying. Ultimately, literary agents make offers based on the manuscript you submit, not your future projects.
Pro-tip: if you receive an offer, make sure you have other book ideas in the same genre ready to discuss. If your offering agent is interested in your YA horror manuscript, but all your other book ideas are rom coms then your long-term writing career may better be suited with another agent. (Also, maybe consider querying a rom com instead!)
If you end up signing with an agent who only does kidlit, and you have an epiphany later that you want to write an adult novel, it may be possible to find a different agent to represent your adult work.
Once you receive an offer, whether you’re noodling about writing a different age cat/genre or not, I’d recommend asking during your offer call: “I know you represent x, but if I decide to write y will you represent it, or may I seek another agent for that project?”
TL;DR: Make sure to research the agents you query to ensure they represent the age categories/genres that you write. Ideally this will lead you to signing with an agent who will represent all your work throughout your entire writing career. However, if you decide to write a book in an age category and/or genre your literary agent doesn’t rep, it may be possible to get a different agent for that work.
Thanks for your question! And good luck in the trenches!
