Literary Agent Confidential: What It Means to be an Agent

Today Movable Type Literary Group agent Jason Allen Ashlock invited Twitter-based agents to contribute 140-character dispatches about their lives to the Twitter thread #whatitmeanstobeanagent.

The thread generated 300 responses in 90 minutes. Ashlock opened with this happy post about what it means to be an agent: “Waking up in the morning unspeakably excited about somebody else’s genius.”

Upstart Crow Literary agent Danielle Chiotti had this thought: “Saying ‘no’ to a talented author because their project isn’t right for your list.”

Caren Johnson Literary Agency agent Elana Roth cheered a recent literary trend: “Getting to put work events on your calendar called ‘Zombies and Cupcakes.’”

D4EO Literary agent Mandy Hubbard reminded readers of an agent’s crowded reading schedule: “Deciding what’s more important: sleep or finishing that requested full (and picking the full).”

FinePrint Literary agent Colleen Lindsay pointed out a bad habit exhibited by some pitch letters: “Getting queries cc’d to @MandyHubbard @JasonAshlock @ElanaRoth and every other agent on the planet.”

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