Break-Ups Happen

As with any new relationship, entering into an author-agent agreement is one of hope for forever. The ideal is that we’ll grow old together and sell many books.

Of course we all know the ideal, in dating, marriage, and publishing isn’t always the reality. While there are many wonderful tales of authors and agents who stuck together for a lifetime (I’m hoping to have a few myself) there are always tales of break-ups.

I’ve written on this a number of times for the blog. From how to break-up to how to handle a break-up.

Recently though, a reader wanted to know more about this,

 I’ve heard about plenty of authors “breaking up” with their agent. Do agents ever initiate the break-up?

Sadly, yes. Because not all author-agent relationships are forever. In my experience, the biggest reason for a break-up on either side is vision. Sometimes we just no longer have the same vision as we once did. Maybe the agent’s career focus has changed or maybe it’s the authors. Either way, if we aren’t on the same page, it’s difficult to work together.

We sign an author-agent agreement partially because we have the same vision and goals. When that changes on either side, the relationship must change with it and sometimes that means, sadly, a parting of ways.