Keep Your Agent's Name Off Your Website
The photo above depicts a writer, hiding from the world. The sort of writer who wants their literary agent to “take care of them.” To see to the business side of things so they, the writer, can “just write.” The sort of writer, in other words, who makes me want to frow up. One of the small things an empowered writer can do to take back the night is to stop putting their agent’s name on their website. It makes sense if you’re a name writer, and it makes sense in certain other situations, but in general, a newbie or mid-list author would be better served keeping intel to themselves. I have more to say about this topic, obviously. It’s the subject of an entire article I wrote for SleuthSayers, the mystery blog.
It’s up today, and it’s called:
Information Flows to the Writer!
The subject of this week’s post comes personal experience. Basically, my feeling is that if someone comes to your website, which is real estate that you pay to maintain, you should control the leads that the site generates.
If a stranger wants to talk to your agent or book-to-film person about a project of yours, you have the right to know that info first. Then you can pass that along to your representatives.
A quick taste of the article:
Almost any writer who’s been doing it long enough will accept as gospel the maxim “Money flows to the writer.” I hereby nominate a sub-clause to be enshrined in our holy tabernacle: “Information does, too.”
But what is the first thing a writer does when they land a literary agent? The writer puts the agent’s contact information on the contact page of their, the writer’s, website. And as the writer accrues more representatives in their careers, they add still more.
Want to hire me for a speaking gig? Talk to my speaker’s agent! Want to inquire about book-to-film rights? Write to my book-to-film agent! And so on…
I understand and sympathize with such writers. They have worked hard to acquire these people. Finally, they are validated! Someone cares enough about their work to help them make as much money as possible from the rightful exploitation of their growing creative empire. If they’re being honest, they will admit that slapping these names on the website gives them a rush. Their contact page looks busy, alive, and ripe with juicy links. They are broadcasting to their family, friends, and other writers: Look! I’ve arrived!
But what have they really done? They have given strangers license to talk about them and their careers without their knowledge. Now, anyone can write to one of these agents and the writer will never know that the possibility of an offer is in the air.
Early this morning, I got a comment from one of the other writers in our cadre. They pointed out that writers should also not erect walls between themselves and readers because, duh, those are the people who keep us in business! Well said, I thought. You can read our exchange in the comments.
This year is shaping up to be the year I take aim in my blog posts at many of the things that annoy me about the writing business. Things I wish I had known and understood when I was first starting out. Not for nothing do some friends call me Angry Joe.
I’m angry because most of us do just want to write. Most of us don’t want to deal with the business end. Most of us want to take shelter from the outside world. All that stuff feeds our fiction. It makes us create worlds that other people want to escape to.
But that kind of constitution often makes us prey and easy marks for a world that wants to exploit our work. And the problem is getting worse. It just pays to stay aware, and to act with intention.
Didn’t mean to get off on a rant today. So I’ll stop here…for now.
Be well!
I usually try to mention one of my books when I post here. Preferably, one that fits the topic I’m writing about. But I’ve never written a book about author websites—nor will I, ever. But I did write a cozy mystery with a hilarious new detective, Murder on Book Row, (affiliate link) which has a great new cover.
Click for details (affiliate links).
Theater image copyright 2019 Joseph D’Agnese.
