What Are Agents Looking For?: A Q&A with Graphic Novel Agent Janna Morishima

A big thank you to Janna Morishima for this comprehensive Q&A. Please see her note at the bottom for details on how to join Kids Comics Studio.

A few quick notes: Agents, editors, and publishers can view and like the pitches from now until Oct. 31 at 8 pm EDT. 

GN Creators, you have until 8 pm EDT tomorrow night, Oct. 3, to load your pitches. No pitches will be accepted after that time.

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KidLitGN asked me to write a blog article about something helpful for graphic novelists. I asked in Kids Comics Unite what topic people most wanted me to write about, and got a bunch of great responses. This made me realize that instead of focusing on a single topic, I should structure my article as a Q&A. That way I can answer ALL the questions!!

Without further ado, below are some burning questions from writers and artists, and my answers to them. (Keep in mind that these are my personal responses – other agents might answer differently!)

“How does a graphic novel creator find agents after building their platform/readers? What is the standard agent’s fee? Are agents also experts in the legal side of the business? How long does an agent-creator relationship typically last?”

Most creators do a lot of research to find their agent. One of the best ways to get started is to identify a big list of “comp titles” – ie, “comparable titles,” books that are aimed at the same age level as yours, in the same genre, with a similar tone. When it comes to comp titles, the question you should ask yourself is, “Would a reader who loved this book also love my book?”

Once you have your list, you should then figure out who represented the authors and illustrators involved. The easiest, quickest way to do this is to get a subscription to Publishers Marketplace, an online database of book deals. Publishers Marketplace costs $25 a month, and it’s definitely worthwhile to join for one month when you’re ready to invest in research on the book market. You can search Publishers Marketplace for your comp titles, and in many cases it will list the agent, editor, and publisher involved, as well as their contact information.

The other way that creators find an agent is via word of mouth. They talk to their creative peers to find out about agents that have a good reputation and like the sort of work they do. They go to a conference or festival and meet an editor who recommends their work to an agent (yes, this really does happen). A published graphic novelist, who’s a mentor or friend of the creator, recommends their agent look at their work.

Word of mouth is actually the most common way that creators and agents get connected. Therefore, it really pays to be an active member of the comics community.

A typical literary agent works on a commission basis, earning a percentage of the deals they negotiate on behalf of their clients. The standard commission for domestic book deals is usually 15% of the author’s earnings from advances, royalties, and other payments. For foreign rights deals, this can go up to 20-30%, as agents often partner with foreign co-agents or agencies to sell rights internationally. For subsidiary rights like film, TV, or audio, the commission is usually around 20% (also split with co-agents), depending on the complexity of the deal.

In terms of whether agents are experts in the legal side of the business… it depends on what you mean by “legal side.” Literary agents are basically experts in negotiating book deals and literary contracts. Some agents are lawyers, but many are not. (Many agents, like me, are former book editors.) Larger agencies have in-house legal departments with registered attorneys; but smaller agencies don’t. I am too small to have my own in-house legal department, so I work with a literary contracts consultant.

Some creators choose to work with an entertainment or IP attorney instead of working with an agent. If you choose to go this route, my biggest piece of advice is: find a lawyer with plenty of experience in book contracts. Norms and standards in various parts of the entertainment industry are very different. Film and TV deals are very, very different from book deals, and it’s important to have a legal advisor who understands the ins and outs of working within the book industry.

“What is your vision for the stories and characters you want to see in the world – I know some agents gravitate towards specific genres and tropes, so which ones do you most enjoy or promote?”

There are books and creators out there who appeal to me personally, so of course I gravitate toward them. I love graphic novelists who have a quirky, distinctive style, and I’ll admit I especially love dry and ironic humor.

But one of my most important driving forces is simply to help kids (and readers of all ages!) fall in love with books and reading. So I’m a big fan of “commercial” graphic novels and illustrated books of every type. What I mean by “commercial” is genre fiction, series, books that are “formulaic in a good way” 😂, and laugh-out-loud slapstick.

Another type of work I’d love to see more of is illustrated and graphic novel nonfiction. I hope the market for graphic nonfiction grows and grows. I’d like to see more history, science, cooking, “how to,” self-help, journalism, etc. in graphic novel format.

“How do you want the GN script formatted in the submission? Specifically, do you want the panel layout to be planned and described in the script? Or do you want the script to be more flexible in that stage?”

When it comes to graphic novel scripts, the most important thing is consistency. I have received scripts that are formatted in many different ways, and all of them work just fine as long as they are internally consistent. This means that art notes, dialogue, captions, etc are formatted in the same way throughout the script.

For me, I don’t necessarily need the panel layout to be planned and described in the script, especially if it’s a single graphic novelist working on the project. If it’s a single author-artist, they will have sample pages that show how they would bring the script to life in the artwork.

If it’s a writer who wants to be paired with an artist, then it might be more important that they list the panel layout in the script. First, because it helps me and the editor ascertain whether the writer really understands comics storytelling. And second, because it will make the work easier and faster for the artist.

“Can you pitch with mostly art and a synopsis, or do agents prefer to see both (if you’re trying to sell yourself as an author/illustrator)?”

Yes, you can pitch a graphic novel with mostly art and a detailed synopsis. I think when you say “do agents prefer to see both,” you mean “do agents prefer to see both synopsis and script.”

For me, the answer is, “not necessarily.” When I’m evaluating a graphic novel pitch, the things I care about are: 1) does the sample art pull me into the story, and give me a good sense of the author-illustrator’s storytelling style in sequential art?; and 2) is there a synopsis or script that gives me a solid understanding of the complete story? Whether it’s a detailed synopsis or a script that helps me grasp the full story doesn’t matter. I just need something that relates the full story from beginning to middle to end.

My answer above is only relevant to projects from author-illustrators, though. If it’s a pitch from a writer-only, then yes, I would definitely need to see a script in addition to the synopsis, because I would need to know that they are an effective comics scriptwriter.

“Why are more GN agents not excited about pairing up GN writers with GN illustrators, and prefer an existing team? I’m sure agents have access to a lot more portfolios than mere writers do, and would be delighted to make a love connection.”

The biggest problem is that selling graphic novels to publishers is such an intensely competitive market, and anything that would make a deal more “complicated” automatically makes it less attractive.

Here’s a sort of shorthand to illustrate just how competitive the market is. Niki Smith is an artist who maintains a list of literary agents who represent graphic novels on her website. There are currently 137 agents on her list, which was last updated in 2023.

If you check Publishers Marketplace for the number of graphic novel deals registered on the site in 2023, you’ll find that there were 134 children’s graphic novel deals, and 58 adult graphic novel deals, for a total of 192 deals. (Niki’s site probably doesn’t list every agent who represents graphic novelists, and Publishers Marketplace doesn’t list every deal that actually happened, but like I said, they are a good “rough shorthand” for trends in the industry.)

So with 137 agents and 192 graphic novel deals in 2023, that’s about 1.4 deals per agent. If you estimate that each agent represents a handful of graphic novelists – and some, like me, represent 30 or more graphic novelists – those are really, really tough odds.

Pairing GN writers with illustrators is not an easy task. Not only do you have to find an artist who has the right style and enthusiasm for the project, you also have to find someone who is available to take on a graphic novel-length project – which could consume 1 to 2 years of full-time work – and not be paid very well! (What many graphic novelists earn for their work ends up being less than minimum wage.)

Plus, they have to be willing to take the project “on spec,” meaning that whatever sample art they create for the pitch is unpaid until a publisher makes an offer (unless the author is willing to pay the artist upfront, out of their own pocket). And there is certainly no guarantee that the agent will find a publisher willing to make an offer.

Thus, sadly, because they know the odds, most agents are willing to pair up writers and artists for graphic novel projects only rarely.

“What do you see missing from GN pitches, whether in the text or the art used in the pitch?”

What I see missing most often from graphic novel pitches is not related to the script, synopsis or art. What I see missing most often is information about the creator or creative team, and how they will help sell the book.

When editors are evaluating a pitch, they are asking themselves a series of questions:

1. Is the story really strong? Am I totally hooked?
2. Is there a clearly identifiable audience for the book? Is it immediately obvious who the readership would be, and how we would reach them?
3. Does the creator seem like they understand how important they will be in helping sell the book? Do they have a good website, and are they building a fan base in one way or another?

Some pitches focus entirely on question 1, and don’t address questions 2 and 3 at all. A good pitch addresses all three questions in one way or another.

“I’ve heard from other agents that most only take on one or two clients a year and many have about 25-35 clients. To this end – is that what you know to be true? How many new clients do you take on each year, and how many clients do you have?”

This sounds about right to me, though I do know some agents work with many more clients, anywhere from 50 to 100. But I think the majority of agents can only reasonably handle 25-35 or so. I personally take on only one or two new clients a year, like you said. And I have about 35 active clients right now.

“How do you deal with your already established agent who seems too busy to contact you back? What kind of waiting time should there be between responses? Days? Months? When is it time to look for a new agent?”

It is entirely normal for it to take days to get a response from a busy agent. But taking months is not normal!!

Taking months to reply to an email is way too long, in my opinion. If you follow up on unanswered emails (you should always follow up, since emails do sometimes get buried or sent to spam!), and your agent still isn’t getting back to you for months at a time, it’s definitely time to look for a new one.

What’s even trickier is when you have a book contract and your editor isn’t replying to your emails. This seems to be happening more and more, due to layoffs and downsizing at publishing houses. Most publishing staff are overworked, and very few publishers have systems in place to help authors whose editors have gone AWOL.

“I often hear different answers for this one, but once you land a deal, how much time are you given as an author/illustrator to complete a 200+ page GN? How much time can you negotiate since you may not know the scope of revisions? And if you know you won’t be able to meet the deadline without the help of a colorist or letterer, are they able to offer recommendations for one or do you have to state upfront who you’d like to work with?”

Publishers usually expect an author-illustrator to complete a 200+ page graphic novel in one to two years. Realistically, it often takes longer than this, and it is sometimes possible to negotiate a longer production timeline if the publisher is flexible.

Negotiating the production schedule is one of the most important things to do when you are negotiating your book deal. As you’re working on your pitch, pay close attention to how long it takes you to complete one page for each stage of the process: scripting, thumbnailing, penciling, inking, flatting, coloring, and lettering. Once you have a good sense of how long each stage takes you, you can estimate how long it will take for the whole book based on the total page count.

While you are discussing the deal, it is entirely fair to ask the editor, “How long will it take for me to get feedback at each stage, and is this built into the schedule?”

It is quite common for graphic novelists to recognize that they won’t be able to meet the deadline without the help of a colorist or letterer. However, only a small number of publishers with extensive experience in graphic novels are able to offer help with finding a colorist or letterer. Usually, it’s going to be up to you to find someone.

You can ask at the deal stage if the publisher can allocate funds to pay a colorist or letterer. Sometimes they’ll agree to this, and usually this money would come out of your advance. (In other words, they will pay you less so they can pay a colorist or letterer work-for-hire.)

In many cases, though, the publisher won’t take care of the agreement and payment for you; you’ll have to find the colorist or letterer and pay them yourself. There is usually no stigma or problem with doing this. You should always tell the publisher if you’re going this route, so the letterer or colorist can be credited in the book.

“What can you expect from an advance, and what are the duties of a publisher to promote and advertise your book? How much of the promotion should be on you?”

Advances are all over the map!! The most important thing to understand is that the size of an advance has no correlation with the amount of work involved. It is not calculated based on a “page rate.”

An advance is essentially an advance payment against future earnings from the book, such as royalties from sales. So the size of the advance is entirely dependent on the revenue the publisher estimates they can earn from the book, whether that be within a year, or a few years, or the lifetime sales of the book.

A small press with expensive distribution costs could offer an advance in the low $1000s for a full-length graphic novel. A “Big 5” publisher with comprehensive distribution and a robust internal “subrights” team could offer an advance in the mid 5-figures. You would typically only see a 6-figure deal when there is an auction (ie, many publishers vying for the same project), or the project is by an established, best-selling creator.

Regarding the duties of a publisher to promote and advertise your book, versus how much of the promotion should be on you – well, you and the publisher are basically equal partners.

Publishers typically handle the following types of promotion:

1. Submitting the book to trade journals for review
2. Submitting the book to awards
3. Distribution of advance copies to buyers and “influencers”
4. Media outreach (though they may not go “outside the box” in this area unless you help them)
5. Presenting the title to buyers at major retailers and wholesalers
6. School and library marketing via conference displays and webinars
7. Promotion on Netgalley and Edelweiss
8. Social media and email marketing campaigns

Your promotional activities could encompass any of the following:

1. Maintaining and growing an email list of readers
2. Keeping your author/artist website current with book information, event dates, and blog posts
3. Encouraging readers, friends, and other connections to post reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and other sites
4. Organizing events and “author visits” in your local community, libraries, or schools
5. Researching niche influencers who might be too small or specific for the publisher’s PR team to know about, and either passing their info to your publicity team, or reaching out to them yourself
6. Participating in forums or online communities (like Goodreads, Reddit, Kids Comics Unite, SCBWI, or others) to share updates and interact with like-minded people
7. Attending literary/comics festivals or comic-cons to build connections and meet new fans
8. Writing guest articles or blog posts related to the book’s themes for relevant platforms
9. Contacting independent bookstores to set up signings, consignment sales, or events
10. Regular posting and interaction with fans on personal social media channels
11. Hosting a podcast or YouTube channel related to some aspect of your work
12. Contacting local news and online media outlets for interviews or features

I hope this Q&A was helpful to you!! 

If you’re interested in connecting with me directly, make sure you check out Kids Comics Studio, my membership program for serious creators. It includes accountability group meetings, workshops with graphic novel pros, curated critique groups, and an awesome, highly engaged community of fellow writers and artists. If you’d like me to place you in a graphic novel critique group, you must join Studio by Oct 11th, 2024.I also offer one-on-one consulting to writers and artists. You can find out more at jannaco.co/consultation.