When you're too old to land an Agent...

...what options does a Writer have?

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Literary Agents have a difficult job. This might not be a popular view — especially amongst writers! — but theirs is a job I simply wouldn’t want: inundated with unsolicited submissions day after day (sometimes 30 or more a day); existing clients to keep happy, all wanting more (exposure, sales, money); and simultaneously being under pressure to find the ‘next big thing’, to make sure their clients are ‘earners’.

It’s this latter element which is most likely to derail the more mature writer — especially if they write ‘non-genre’ or literary fiction. Someone posted recently on Substack that in the ‘big five’ publishing houses only 2% of titles are literary fiction. That may or may not be true; indeed it may be out by a factor of five or ten, but the underlying message is clear. And I’ve seen stats which suggest that if you’re over forty — and certainly over fifty! - you’re highly unlikely to be taken on by an Agent as a new client.

So, if you’re an un-Agented mature writer over fifty who writes ‘literary fiction’, maybe you should forget it.

And why would an Agent take you on anyway? There’s a fair chance the agent will be half your age and have a different set of beliefs, expectations, cultural references. Would you hire one of your parents or grandparents? Plus there’s more certainty of longevity, inventiveness, flexibility — not to mention youth — in a twenty- or thirty-something. And over time, probably more books too. Plus they’re less likely to be losing their creative marbles any time soon.

Let’s be frank, against such commercial and practical pressures the quality of your work might not necessarily be uppermost in a publisher’s — and hence Agent’s — mind. “Can I sell it?” that’s their key question. Closely followed perhaps by “Can I sell the author?”

“Ah, but what about Bonnie Garmus whose Lessons in Chemistry debuted in her sixty-fifth year?” No. She’s such a radical outlier. One in a million. The “what about” argument is one which needs to be roundly disqualified.

There is one question which cannot — and should not — be avoided however: “what choices does a ‘mature’ writer (primarily of fiction) have if they are struggling to find an Agent?”

No right answers, of course, but here are a few thoughts:

Keep trying

Any why not — this is assuming you’re still writing, still producing material you think good enough to get picked up and be traditionally published. In a way you’ve nothing to lose; all it takes is a little effort when you’ve something finished, some research, a few emails…

The important thing, I would argue, is to do so with open eyes and very limited expectations i.e. your work will be rejected, you will not ‘land a deal’. Prepare yourself for disappointment.

You may think this is defeatist, but surely it’s realistic. And more important than that, making such an assumption is all about self-preservation and staying sane. Don’t make getting an Agent the ‘be all and end all’ of why you write, it could destroy your love of the craft or corrupt who you are as a writer / person. You should have a better reason for writing than that.

Self-publish

If no-one else will publish your work, why not do so yourself? No-one is going to stop you. And these days — thanks to the raft of services and tools on offer — it has never been easier to do so.

But again, be realistic (and don’t get sucked into expensive vanity publishing arrangements). There are many thousands of other writers self-publishing; Amazon is awash with them. If you think that via self-publishing your dormant masterpiece you will suddenly be found by all those readers Agents couldn’t see were waiting for your work, well, think again. Self-published books are essentially invisible.

The percentage of self-published authors who garner decent levels of sales is miniscule. Partly that will be down to competition, and partly to the absence of a marketing function behind those books. (And partly — whisper it — because they may not be very good.) Some self-published authors do make good money, however, but that’s often down to a combination of genre, a good network / being known elsewhere, and because they’re great at selling themselves.

So self-publish by all means — but be clear not only why you are doing so, but what you expect the outcome to be. Realistically. There are thousands of self-published books hitting the virtual shelves each week. Thousands. If yours was going to be a true stand-out then you might have expected an Agent to have picked it up already…

Find your niche (or ‘bigger fish, smaller pond’)

For many writers publication is about proof, personal vindication. For some it can also be about prestige, standing out, being ‘first among equals’. If your motivation is akin to the latter in any way, you may be trying to ‘find your niche’ i.e. achieving a level of recognition which marks you out as ‘a writer’.

There are others ways of doing this: running writing groups, attending open mics, mentoring etc. And such endeavours have the benefit of being social activities too.

Self-knowledge plays a big part here — and we’ve already established that you are a ‘mature’ writer. So know what kind of person you are first, then what kind of writer your are; and finally, understand what it is you are looking for. Success in terms of Agent-hunting is all about book deals, publication, sales, a name in lights… okay, maybe not the last one! But what do you want to get from finding your ‘niche’?

Enter competitions

This may be the small scale option, but if you have the material why not enter competitions? Although the judging process is often more about subjective appreciation than objective merit, you might get lucky. And a few prizes or commendations can help when it comes to landing an Agent i.e. they know you’re serious, and they can see that your work has been independently valued.

But as before, be realistic. It is much more likely that you will be rebuffed than win. Expect nothing — then celebrate small victories.

Give up - or invent a Time Machine

Surely there are better things to do with your time than chase constant disappointment? After all, you’re not getting any younger… Maybe you should consider a new hobby: painting or gardening, dress-making or building model railways.

But I’m joking — at least partly.

For many of us giving up is not an option. We’re addicted, both to the craft and the quest to find readers. And one way of celebrating that is to keep writing, keep trying…

But if you’ve truly had enough though, then who not consider stopping? Doing something else with your time might just make you a happier person.

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Other than the last of these — the negative ‘nuclear option’ — none of the others are mutually exclusive: you can choose any combination and pursue them simultaneously. No matter which of the above you choose, the one thing I would counsel is that you are honest with yourself in terms of why you are doing so — and that you have realistic goals in terms of outcome.

For a broad sweep on the subject of the why of writing — and other related matters:

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