Does My Literary Agent Need to Be Based in New York?
ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE YOU OR YOUR AGENT ARE BASED.
I’ve gotten a few questions from writers wondering if their agents need to be in New York, in the same city as them, or even in the same country. This blog post is going to answer all your questions on an agent’s location!
Do agents need to be based in NYC?
The short answer is: no, agents don't need to be in or even visit NYC frequently.
We all know that the hub of US publishing is in New York, and that’s because that’s where publishing houses have offices. Not all publishers are based in NYC, though, but New York remains the hub of publishing. And despite that, many publishing folks are not in New York— and for some publishing professions or roles, you’re not tied to an NYC office space.
Most publishing houses are concentrated in NYC and have office spaces there, meaning most (not all!) editors at big 5 publishers live and work in NYC because they are tied to their offices. Agents, however, are not necessarily tied to offices. Some agencies require being based out of an office for the collegiate experience, whether that office is in Toronto, NYC, or elsewhere. But a lot of agents I know work remotely, because our jobs can be done well remotely— and that has been the case for some agents even before the pandemic.
But as I mentioned, Not all publishers and editors are based in NYC, which means that agents network with editors in NYC, but we also network with editors outside of NYC. So being able to have calls/ zooms with editors has been the way to go for quite a while now.
Where agents do their industry networking doesn’t matter as much as actually doing it, be that virtually or in person. However, many remote-working agents still visit New York frequently so they can network with the editors there in person.
If an agent isn’t based in NYC, should they be taking trips there frequently?
Depends! As much as networking virtually is great, many agents still visit NYC or other hubs. There’s nothing that beats the collegial feeling you get when you see someone face to face and you can share a coffee or lunch with them!
The frequency of these NYC visits depends on the agent and their list, and the way they view networking. Agents can also meet with NYC-based editors at conferences all over the world. There are plenty of international and national conferences that attract both agents and editors. That also gives these industry folks an opportunity to connect in person. Generally, depending on the agent's calendar for the year, an NYC visit may or may not make sense for them that year. Some agents can go a few years without a visit to the big apple.
Some non-NYC-based agents aim to visit NYC every 1-2 years, while others do so more frequently because it makes sense for their business. In general, an agent’s approach will depend on the value a work trip will add to their list and clients. It’s the same cost-benefit analysis any company would make for offsites, if you think about it!
Do you need to be in the same country as your agent?
This question is also one that I get asked a lot. The answer: you also don’t need to be based where your agent is. For the most part, there are no location limits in publishing. You can be represented by a literary agency in the US while you live in the UK, or have a literary agent based in Canada and you’re in Kuwait. I’m based in Canada and one of my clients is based in Chile, and it’s working great for us!
All that being said, are there benefits to being in the same location as your agent? Of course! Being in the same time zone helps your communication, being able to meet in person can’t be replaced, and having your agent able to attend your book launch or book events at your local bookstore is an amazing experience. But all of that doesn’t make or break your author-agent relationship. Your agent is able to support you and do their job just as well from a different city or country. Just like being in the same city as editors doesn’t make or break an agent-editor relationship. It just depends on what you value and what you want out of those relationships.
I hope this post has helped to clarify some of your questions about locations and home bases. If you’re in conversations with an agent and you’d like to hear more about their personal approach to agenting, this is an appropriate question to ask. You can always ask an agent about how they work during an offer call, too!
Keep your questions coming through the contact button below! I love getting them in my inbox and will continue to do my best to answer them in posts if I can!
