I don’t have an agent. I’ve never had an agent. The reason for this is very simple.
No agent so far has wanted to have me.
That might sound a bit dramatic, and sometimes it feels dramatic, but the truth is that while I’ve sent out submissions to various agents over the years, I have yet to receive an offer of representation. I confess I haven’t queried in a very long time, so perhaps there’s an agent out there who would love my silly little stories, but alas, we haven’t found each other yet.
Would I like to work with an agent one day? Certainly! The submissions process is time-consuming and laborious, and having someone to go through contracts for me would be a treat.
I’ve managed to do alright on my own, and I’ve developed good relationships with the wonderful publishers who were willing to take a risk on an unknown author without an agent. I’ve published three picture books so far, with another three coming out this year, so I’d say I haven’t done too badly!
Don’t let not having an agent stop you from pursuing traditional publishing, if that’s the route you want to take (as opposed to self-publishing). Nothing in publishing is perfect, and even having an agent does not guarantee success. If you’re willing to put in the work and do your research, you might be surprised by how many publishing houses are open to submissions from writers without agents. Many smaller publishing houses in particular accept unsolicited submissions, and I’ve had wonderful experiences working with independent publishers. If your end goal is to be New York Times best-selling author or work with one of the big New York publishing houses, you will most certainly need an agent to represent you. But if you’re open to a path that might look a bit different, you can still make beautiful books with inspiring people, even if you’re representing yourself.
One day perhaps I’ll get myself in gear and start querying agents again. Until then, I’ll keep plodding along on my own, working towards my goals and, slowly but surely, making my dreams come true.