When you sign the typical multi-book contract with an agent or agency, you essentially are agreeing that they will represent you on future projects. And you are agreeing that they will get paid a percentage of whatever you earn (or are advanced) on future projects.

Earlier I wrote that under that arrangement you cannot use another agent or agency to represent you on a future project.

Not quite true.

You can, but under terms of the first contract, you are still obligated to pay your first agent/agency the percentage cited in the contract with them (typically about 15%).

So if you went with another agent, you basically would be paying out 30% to the two agents (unless you could get them to negotiate a split fee, which occasionally happens under some complex conditions).

Hope that helps,
ken winston caine

An agent can negotiate a much better deal for you, can shop the proposal to several publishers at once and get them bidding against one another, knows what contract clauses to watch out for, and only makes good money if she gets a good advance and good contract terms for YOU.

One proviso: Realize that most agents/agencies will expect you to sign a multi-book contract with them. You may want to negotiate that clause a bit.

1. You want to make sure you have great rapport with the agent because they will be representing your interests for years to come. You can’t use another agent or agency under the standard contract terms.

2. If you have great rapport with a great agent at a big agency and sign the contract with the agency and then, as happens so frequently in publishing, the agent moves to another agency, you don’t get to move with your agent. You stay with the *agency* which will appoint a new agent for you — with whom you may or may not find great rapport; who may or may not be enthusiastic about you and your kinds of proposals. Better, if you can swing it, to tie yourself to an agent who has a great track record of getting big advances on projects similar to yours, and who thinks you and your proposal are really really hot, rather than tying yourself to an agency that the hot agent who loves you is currently representing.

Tricky to do first time out. But you can do it.