In the few months since I started this blog, at least four writers have told me that I would make a fabulous agent, and have asked if I’ve ever considered becoming one.
Well, no, I haven’t, and here’s why. I’m a writer, and that’s what I’m happy doing.
But there’s more to it than that. I don’t have the experience, contacts or tact to be an agent, even if I did have the talent. An agent has to be able to nurture and encourage talented writers; to negotiate a contract; and to match books and writers with editors and publishers, which alone takes far more time and skill than I have.
I’ve sometimes thought it might be fun to try being an actor, a private investigator, a figure skater, a psychologist or even a lawyer (the kind who reduces suspects to a quivering jelly in the witness stand, not the kind who draws up patent contracts).I’ve NEVER thought it might be fun to be a literary agent. Draw your own conclusions.
Still, it seems to me that if one lives in a state that borders another country one is therefore qualified as a foreign policy expert, then if you’ve ever rubbed shoulders or shaken hands with a literary agent, you must be even more qualified for that job.
Marian, you reminded me of that joke that ends, “But I’m not a REAL welder,” which I can’t post in full because it’s too rude and would make me blush.Paul, thinking a little more along those lines I should also qualify as a doctor as not only have I shaken hands with a few, but I live next door to one! It’s a scary thought.