For our Renewal Issue we wanted to tap a literary agent to talk about branding and agents and asked P.S. Literary Agent – who we share many clients with – Carly Watters to weigh in on how agents are even having to think about branding in this market. Here’s what she has to say:

Literary agents used to be very elusive figures in the industry. Writers only got a sense of agents based on a client list in resource books like Writer’s Market and were only able to send snail mail submissions. (When I started as a literary agency assistant in the UK it was my job to take the rejected manuscripts back to the post office everyday in a shopping cart.) 2016 is a whole new world that is simultaneously energizing and daunting—for writers and agents.

Social Media

For the first time in the history of the profession, agents have been available to every writer (not just our own clients). With that openness comes demands from all sides: pitch contests, Q&A like Twitter #askagent sessions, and 24/7 surveillance of our activity (and the manuscripts we should be reading!). The benefit being that as agents we can brand ourselves in a certain way and increase our networks with both writers and industry professionals. I enjoy being on Twitter and Instagram personally, but also professionally to help amplify my clients’ publicity and success. My opinion is that if I’m going to consult on my authors’ social media habits I better know what I’m talking about. (15,000 Twitter followers later, I think I know the trick!)

Client Management

This job has never been harder. Authors are now expected to do more which means this falls on to agents to manage it: manuscripts have to be nearly perfect before editors see them, clients must have a consistent digital footprint, we have to maintain partnerships with editors and publicists, we’re fielding blurb requests, selling sub rights, vetting royalty statements, and career strategizing—as well as growing our networks on our clients’ behalf. A good agent doesn’t just do the job in front of them, they foresee the changing landscape and help their clients navigate through it before they even know they’re not on solid ground.

Value-added

Agents have never been more necessary than they are today. If this was the film industry we’d be doing the job of both the manager and the agent. Gone are the days of just processing books and payments. Today you have agents who live and breathe their work—at their desk all day and online. Agents have always had reputations in the industry, but now they are digital and interpersonal.

My brand

My blog and Twitter feed have been the places I’ve shared my “agent brand” with writers and industry professionals and I’m honored it’s been rewarded. My blog has been named “101 Best Blogs For Writers” by Writer’s Digest magazine for the past 3 years and Twitter is where many of my clients find me. I see what I do as not only value-added for my clients, but also sharing industry news from a credible source that has a wide-angle lens to the industry. Good agents help writers exceed expectations by empowering them with these important digital skills led by their agent’s example. 2016 is about going all-in and learning to recognize and embrace your brand. Whatever it is, you’re in charge.

Carly Watters began her publishing career in London at the Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency. She has a BA in English Literature from Queen’s University and a MA in Publishing Studies from City University London. Since joining PSLA in 2010 Carly has had great success launching new authors domestically and abroad. She’s now a VP and Senior Literary Agent representing debuts and bestsellers like Andrea Dunlop, Karen Katchur, Jay Onrait, Jennifer Carlson, Allison Day, Debby Carreau, Larry Smith and Jael Ealey Richardson. Carly is drawn to: emotional, well-paced fiction, with a great voice and characters that readers can get invested in; and platform-driven non fiction. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.

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