Young Literary Agents - Just Your Cup of Tea
I don't want to sound ageist here, because I'm not, and I think older professionals have a lot going for them and can be a tremendous resource.
But for the new writer it's better to get a younger literary agent.
You can grow in your careers together.
The younger agent will have more time for you than the older agent.
And the younger agent is going to be more receptive to new clients than a mature agent.
Plus, many times younger agents are working in an agency with older agents and if they have questions they can ask the older agents for advice.
This means that you'll get all the benefits of an older, more mature, wiser literary agent even if the agent you select is younger and new to the game.
HOW TO TELL IF A LITERARY AGENT IS YOUNG You can tell if a literary agent is young if they recently graduated from college.
Sometimes you can find out when they graduated by googling them.
You can also bet a literary agent is younger if they say, "I'm actively seeking new clients.
" Older more mature agents almost never "actively seek new clients.
" They're too busy working with the clients, or the estates of the clients, they represent.
You can also tell if an agent is young from photos.
You can sometimes find these by going to Google's "image search" or just through Google itself.
Wilhelm Reich, one of Freud's followers, said you can tell a lot about someone just from looking at their photo, especially from looking at their eyes.
Study the photo critically.
Does the agent look friendly? Of course you don't need a personal friend in a literary agent, but you do want someone you can talk with and who has some degree of rapport with you.
LOOK AT THE AGENCY, NOT JUST THE AGENT Finally you want to consider the agency, not just the agent.
This means you want to get a younger literary agent, one who is enthusiastic and who has energy and who is actively looking for new clients, but you also want to make sure this agent is with an agency that has at least one other agent who is more mature who can give your young agent advice and guidance.
Then you'll have the best of both worlds: a younger energetic agent and a wiser one to guide him or her.
By considering these criteria, you'll be able to select a literary agent who is good for you and your long-term writing career.
Copyright © 2007 William Cane
But for the new writer it's better to get a younger literary agent.
You can grow in your careers together.
The younger agent will have more time for you than the older agent.
And the younger agent is going to be more receptive to new clients than a mature agent.
Plus, many times younger agents are working in an agency with older agents and if they have questions they can ask the older agents for advice.
This means that you'll get all the benefits of an older, more mature, wiser literary agent even if the agent you select is younger and new to the game.
HOW TO TELL IF A LITERARY AGENT IS YOUNG You can tell if a literary agent is young if they recently graduated from college.
Sometimes you can find out when they graduated by googling them.
You can also bet a literary agent is younger if they say, "I'm actively seeking new clients.
" Older more mature agents almost never "actively seek new clients.
" They're too busy working with the clients, or the estates of the clients, they represent.
You can also tell if an agent is young from photos.
You can sometimes find these by going to Google's "image search" or just through Google itself.
Wilhelm Reich, one of Freud's followers, said you can tell a lot about someone just from looking at their photo, especially from looking at their eyes.
Study the photo critically.
Does the agent look friendly? Of course you don't need a personal friend in a literary agent, but you do want someone you can talk with and who has some degree of rapport with you.
LOOK AT THE AGENCY, NOT JUST THE AGENT Finally you want to consider the agency, not just the agent.
This means you want to get a younger literary agent, one who is enthusiastic and who has energy and who is actively looking for new clients, but you also want to make sure this agent is with an agency that has at least one other agent who is more mature who can give your young agent advice and guidance.
Then you'll have the best of both worlds: a younger energetic agent and a wiser one to guide him or her.
By considering these criteria, you'll be able to select a literary agent who is good for you and your long-term writing career.
Copyright © 2007 William Cane
Source...