When, Why, & How to Leave Your Agent

Something must be in the air, because over the past few weeks alone, I've supported half-a-dozen authors through the process of breaking up with their agents.

Since I've had so many of these conversations recently -- including "is this really bad enough to be worth leaving" and "how exactly do I do this without hurting their feelings OR my career" -- I figured this was the perfect topic for our second issue of Real Talk for Writers.

Buckle up, friends. Let's go.

What an Ideal Agent/Author Relationship Looks Like

When it comes to healthy author/agent relationships, I start with the premise that you and your agent are creative business partners. 

Your agent is not the boss of you.

You are not your agent's boss, either.

Your agent is there to support and guide your career, but ultimately, you are the final decision-maker. They share their experience and professional opinion, even when it's not what you want to hear, but they do not pressure you into decisions that you don't feel good about. 

Ideally, you also trust your agent's instincts and expertise about the industry. If they provide feedback on the marketability of a project or share a sub plan that maybe isn't your favorite situation, you can at least see the wisdom of their approach, even if it's not your preference.

While the level of editorial input can vary widely even among good agents, speaking with them about your work should leave you feeling inspired, at least most of the time. Sometimes, agents have to deliver disappointing news (like, the book you thought was ready for sub still needs considerable work), but that isn't automatically a red flag. 

This is where some nuance comes in. If you deal with rejection sensitivity, receiving notes from anyone may suck the wind out of your sails for a few days. A good-fit agent's feedback should ultimately be something that helps you feel more creative, not less, once you're past that initial sting. 

For more of my thoughts on what makes a good agent/author match, check out this podcast episode.

Bad Agent Basics

This section is probably stuff you already know, but I'd be remiss if I didn't include it.

So, here are some signs that your agent is Not Great and could do more harm than good for your career:

• They refuse to share anything about the submission process for your books
• They have no submission strategy beyond "send to literally every editor they know all at once and hope for the best" 
• They consistently ghost your emails (you should not regularly need to wait weeks for any hope that your agent might reply to your messages!)
• They agree to things on your behalf without actually talking to you about it
• They pull submissions without letting you know
• They go against your stated wishes in contract negotiations 
• They have never sold to the types of publishers you see yourself working with (ex: all their sales are digital-first imprints and you don't want to be at that type of publisher) 

There are more things I could add to this list, but these are the biggies that I watch out for. Basically, anything where the agent is withholding information, outright lying to you, or ghosting you are big ol' red flags. 

A Good Agent... But a Bad-Fit for You

This is where things can get a bit... emotionally sticky.

It's easy to second-guess your decision to leave an agent who is technically good (or at least "okay") at their job but who doesn't feel like the right match for you.

They might've given you good editorial advice on previous manuscripts. Maybe they've sold one (or more) books for you. You actually get along great and overall have a positive working relationship. 

And yet... Something just isn't quite right. 

Maybe your tastes in books have diverged over the years, or you want to write in a category or genre your agent isn't interested in. 

It could be that they were the perfect agent for you in that pre-debut through your first couple books, but now that you've grown as an author, you're looking for a different kind of support. 

(If that's you, be sure to check out this podcast interview I did with author-extraordinaire Dahlia Adler about debut vs mid-career agents.)

You might find that you want an agent who's more or less editorial than the one you have now. Or someone who is more assertive and proactive with publishers than your current agent.

Maybe you've started to juggle multiple contracts and need an agent who can get back to you more quickly about new projects and can help you strategize how to balance all those different age categories. 

Every author deserves to work with an agent who is a great fit for them. No one is perfect (agents are human, too!), but publishing is a business, and you deserve a business partner who is a good match.

Making the Decision to Leave

Like dating, you don't actually need a "good" reason to leave your agent. You don't need to have a perfect argument laid out. You don't need to have a list of "reasons" why they're bad at their job or ways they've failed you.

You're allowed to leave simply because you want to. 

I'm going to repeat that for the people in the back...

You are allowed to leave your agent simply because you want to. 

While your agency agreement will likely lay out how to formally end your working relationship, and may also include some timeline restrictions around when you can query for new representation or how long they have claim to a percentage if your next agent sells something they worked on, you can leave your agent for any reason.

Here are some of the common reasons I've seen authors move on from their agents (outside of the ghosting and other shenanigans discussed in the "Bad Agent Basics" section above): 

• The agent consistently left the author to "fight their own battles" with the publisher instead of advocating on the author's behalf. The author felt like once contracts were signed, they were basically on their own/didn't have an agent in their corner 
• The agent's general vibe was "you're lucky that I signed you" and regularly talked down to or talked over the author
• After several different manuscripts/pitches, it became clear that they were no longer creatively compatible 
• Agent didn't know much about the new genre the author wanted to write in and wasn't interested in learning 
  • Note: this doesn't make them a "bad" agent - just not a good fit for that author.
• The author wanted an agent who was more proactive and strategic about long-term career building and felt those skills were outside their current agent's skillset 

Deciding WHEN to Terminate the Relationship

Here's the bad news: there is no perfect time to end your relationship with your agent. 

You will probably never feel 100% good about it before you send the termination notice. It can feel scary to go from having an agent to not having one. You might feel like you're back to square one (don't worry - you're not) or that signing the first time was a fluke (which is highly unlikely). 

While there is no "right" time, there are some stages in the publishing process where you might want to hold off for a short period of time. 

For example, if your agent is actively negotiating a deal for you... You probably don't want to send that termination notice until the deal is finalized and the contract is signed. (Unless something egregious has happened during the course of negotiations, but that's probably pretty rare.) 

Being on submission is another tricky time to leave. If you're on the fence about leaving your agent, it's a good idea to solidify that decision before they send the book out (even better - before you send them the next thing to work on). In most cases, if an agent has helped you prepare a book for sub and has sent it out, the agency agreement gives them a claim on their 15% if you sell it through someone else within a certain window of time (check your agreement!).

The tricky thing about sub, though, is that it can last a LONG time. Six, twelve, even eighteen months on sub isn't unheard of, and you don't need to be tied to an agent you want to leave during that time. If you decide to leave while there are still editors will the manuscript, you can ask your agent to pull them from sub when you send your termination request. (Be sure to get a full list of where it went and who passed -- your next agent will want that.) 

What if You're Under Contract?

If you're in the middle of a publishing contract, you can still switch agents. 

While having a new manuscript to share is nice, it's no longer required the way it was before your first book deal. 

A good agent sees their clients as a long-term investment. They're interested in your career not how just quickly they can sell the next book.

You can query with info about what's currently under contract and what you have planned for option materials. (There are probably other options here, too, but this is what I've seen most often with folks who didn't have another fully manuscript ready to go.) 

HOW to Leave Your Agent

Once you've decided it's time to part ways, start by pulling out your agency agreement. This document should detail the process for terminating the agreement.

Keep in mind that the agency will continue to receive their 15% for the books they sold for you. The exact details for this (and if it applies to anything they submitted but didn't sell if you go on to sell it within a certain timeframe) should be in your agreement. 

In most cases, a simple email to your agent stating that you'd like to terminate the relationship is sufficient (but again - check the specific language in your signed agreement!). If part of the reason you're leaving is the consistent ghosting of emails, you may want to Cc the head of the agency, too.

I have heard some cases of needing to send certified letters... but that was years ago, and I'd like to think we've moved on from that. But (and say it with me) check your contract! 

What to SAY When You Say Goodbye

First thing's first: you don't need to detail the reasons you're parting ways. 

If things were shady... They probably aren't interested in growing anyway. You don't need to give them something to argue with you about. 

And if they were a good agent who's just no longer the right fit for you, you can share your genuine appreciation for their work as you leave. (You can leave and feel so amazing about your time together despite knowing it's time for something new!) 

Sample Email

There's no perfect email for this, but feel free to use this as a starting point: 

Dear Agent,

It has been a pleasure working with you, and I’m so proud of the books we’ve worked on together. But as I reflect on the direction I'd like to take my career, I feel like our working relationship has reached its natural conclusion. Please consider this my formal request to terminate our agency agreement.

I appreciate everything you've done for me and my career, and I wish you all the best. 

-Your Name

Final Thoughts

It's rarely feels great to end a relationship--even a business one--but every author I've talked through this process has felt so relieved once they get to the other side.

Remember that you are not starting over. You already have a book deal (or have at least signed with an agent before). That tells me you have what it takes to secure an amazing agent.

Don't stay with an agent who isn't right for you simply because you're afraid no one else will want to represent you.

There is, of course, more nuance to this discussion than I can include in a single post, but I hope this helps get you started. If you want personalized support as you navigate your author career, you can learn more about that here. 

Happy writing,
Isabel

PS - Don't miss a single issue of Real Talk for Writers. CLICK HERE to sign up for the Real Talk email list. You'll receive an email every Monday morning with the newest issue plus notifications about upcoming workshops.