How to Vet a Graphic Novel Agent

As graphic novels continue to boom in the children’s and young adult markets, more literary agents are seeking to represent creators in this space. Whether you’ve been approached by an agent or are actively seeking representation, this is a guide to help you navigate the process.

What Type of Agent Do You Need?

The first step is understanding the different types of agents with whom you could work. There are two types of agents who commonly work with graphic novelists: literary agents and illustration agents. They have different business models and typical contract terms, so it’s good to know the difference between them.

Literary Agents typically represent writers and author-illustrators who are primarily creating their own original work. They:

• Focus on original book deals with publishing houses
• Handle contract negotiations, subsidiary rights, and career planning
• Can sometimes help you find collaborators or build teams for graphic novel projects
• Tend to be stronger in editorial development, and often are not aggressively marketing you for work-for-hire gigs
• Should have a strong editor network but sometimes don’t have as many art director contacts
• Usually take a 15% commission on domestic sales (and 20-30% for subsidiary rights sales such as foreign translation and film/tv deals)

Illustration Agents, a.k.a Art Reps, represent illustrators and visual artists who are primarily focused on illustrating other people’s work. They:

• Often focus on securing illustration work across various markets (books, editorial, commercial, merchandise)
• Should be actively marketing your work to a broad range of potential clients, including editors, creative directors, designers, etc, both inside and outside the publishing industry
• Might be better for you if you’re an artist seeking steady paid gigs rather than pitching your own stories
• Typically take a higher, 25-30% commission

Agents Who Specialize in Graphic Novels

You definitely want to work with an agent who has specific experience in the graphic novel market. Look for:

• Experience selling graphic novels in your target age category (picture book or early reader, middle grade, YA)
• Understanding of both the traditional book market and comics industry (they have very different norms!)
• Familiarity with the unique production needs of sequential art 
• Connections with editors who specifically acquire graphic novels

An agent who represents prose books but has no graphic novel experience may not understand the unique challenges and opportunities in this format.

Speaking of that, let’s discuss….

Unique Considerations for Graphic Novelists

One of the most important things you want your agent to understand is the typical graphic novel production process. Graphic novels go through specific phases (scripting, thumbnailing, pencilling, inking, coloring, and lettering), though comics creators approach those phases in different ways. 

Bottom line is that graphic novels are extremely production-heavy and can easily run into problems when the editor or art department at a publishing house doesn’t have a lot of graphic novel experience or has unrealistic expectations.

Having an agent who knows the ropes with GN production means they can anticipate problems, try to ensure that there’s adequate communication around production expectations, and make suggestions for a smoother production process.

A good graphic novel agent should:

• Understand realistic timelines for completing a graphic novel (often 1-3+ years)
• Pay close attention to contract deadlines and help negotiate reasonable ones
• Advise on scheduling advances (“payouts”) to support you during the creation process
• Help you gauge whether deliverable dates suggested by the publisher are realistic for you

You want to avoid agreeing to an unrealistic production schedule at all costs. Comics creation can be bad for your body if you aren’t careful – many comics creators have gotten tendonitis, carpel tunnel syndrome, and other repetitive stress injuries. Your health is more important than money!

You also want an agent who has knowledge of:

• Major graphic novel publishers and imprints 
• The specific editors who acquire and champion graphic novels
• Current market trends and opportunities
• Standard page counts and format expectations
• Print production considerations unique to comics

And if you’re part of a writer/artist team, it’s good to have an agent who understands:

• Typical collaboration agreements between writers and artists
• How to navigate split rights and royalties
• Standard page rates for each stage of production
• Fair credit and copyright arrangements
• How to handle situations where one creator wants to leave the project

How to Research Potential Agents

The first step in researching an agent is to look for online information about them. The initial things you’ll want to look at are:

1. What books have they sold to publishers?
2. Which creators do they work with?

You want to get a sense for whether the creators and projects they’ve successfully represented “vibe” with you. Based on their past work, do they seem like a good fit?

Here’s where to research this information:

• Agency websites: Review their submission guidelines, client lists, and recent sales
• Publishers Marketplace: Track their graphic novel deals (PM requires a subscription, but you can sign up for one month and then cancel. PM is the BEST place to get actual data about publishing deals)
• Social media: Many agents share their interests and recent sales on Twitter/X, Instagram, Bluesky, and/or LinkedIn
• Query Tracker: See submission statistics and creator experiences (QueryTracker is more geared towards prose submissions though, so some graphic novel agents don’t use it)
• Manuscript Wishlist (#MSWL): Agents often post their specific interests on this site

Once you’ve done a thorough round of online research, the next thing I highly recommend you do is try to get word-of-mouth intel about the agents you’re most interested in. Honestly, nothing beats insider information from other creators.

A few different ways to get word-of-mouth feedback on specific agents include:

• Connect with graphic novel creators you know personally – or with “friends of friends” – and ask about their agent experiences
• Join specialized Discord servers, online communities, or forums for comic creators
• Participate in comics conventions and creator meetups; talk to people in person about their experiences with agents
• Check if the agent has any complaints registered with the Writers Beware database

Once You’ve Connected with an Agent

Once you’ve connected with an agent, most of the time they’ll want to speak with you before officially making an offer to represent you.

(I would be very wary of signing with an agent who offers you representation without speaking with you!!)

The Initial Meeting

I have two primary pieces of advice for an initial meeting with an agent.

1. Remember that this is a two-way interview. It’s not just that they are trying to judge whether you’re a good fit for them; you also need to be deciding whether they are a good fit for you.
2. Prepare for your conversation in advance. Make a list of questions that you can refer to during the meeting. While you’re in the midst of speaking with someone, it’s easy to forget all the things you want to ask, so it’s immensely helpful to have a list written down.

Below are questions you might want to ask in your initial meeting with an agent:

Experience and Sales Questions

• What graphic novels have you sold in the last year?
• Which editors and imprints do you regularly work with for graphic novels?
• [If relevant] What is your experience with co-creator agreements and split royalties?

Process Questions

• How hands-on are you with editorial feedback before submission?
• How do you help creators manage the lengthy production timeline of graphic novels?
• How do you prefer to communicate with clients, and what is your typical response time to client communications? (This question might be one of the most important ones, because one of the biggest issues I hear from creators is communication problems with their agent or editor.)

Career Questions

• How do you see the graphic novel market evolving?
• What strategies do you offer to help a creator’s career beyond individual book deals?
• Do you offer any advice for your clients on marketing and promotion? 

Business Questions

• What is your commission structure?
• Do you handle just North American rights or international/subsidiary rights as well?
• How do you handle payments and reporting?
• What happens if we decide to part ways?

A final question I think it’s perfectly reasonable to ask is the classic “job interview” question:

“What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses?”

I think it can be very helpful to hear what they say in response to this. (And of course, it’s good to think about how you might respond if they turn the table and ask you the same question!)

If Possible, Try to Speak with More Than One Agent

It’s totally okay to get only one offer—but that doesn’t mean you have to say yes right away.

Even if you’re over the moon, take a deep breath. It’s usually best to speak with a few agents before deciding to sign with one. This gives you a basis for comparison.

Most agents expect you to take 1–2 weeks to consider an offer. Use this window to reach out to other agents who have your query/pitch, or who you think you might want to work with.

Send a quick, respectful “nudge” email to those agents; something like:

Subject: Offer of representation received; would love to know if you have any interest

“Hi [Agent Name],

I wanted to let you know I’ve received an offer of representation for [Project Title] and would love to hear from you if you’re interested in reading or discussing before I make a final decision. I’m planning to decide by [date]. Thanks so much!”

This gives other agents a chance to jump in—and it lets you compare approaches and personalities.

In the end, I’m a strong believer in relying on your gut feelings. If you end your first meeting with an agent feeling like, “This is the person for me!!,” that’s a very good sign. As long as you’ve done your homework and haven’t uncovered any big red flags, if they then officially offer you representation, you can feel good about deciding to work with that agent.

On the other hand, if you end the meeting with any doubts or second thoughts, I’d listen to those feelings. There are many agents out there. It’s much better to sign with someone you feel comfortable and happy to be working with.

What If an Editor Approaches You Before You Have an Agent?

It’s definitely possible for an editor to discover or be interested in your work before an agent does. It’s super exciting to get an email from an editor saying, “I love your work and want to make you an offer!!” 

But if you don’t already have an agent, it can also be a bit anxiety-producing.

Is it OK to do a deal with a publisher on your own? 

My answer to that question would be, “Maybe… but the odds are VERY high that you’d get a better deal if you had an agent.”

Publishing is a business, and the publisher’s “boilerplate” (ie, standard) contract is written in such a way to get the publisher the very best deal. It’s not necessarily that they’re trying to take advantage of you, but let’s just say they are not bending over backwards to take care of you.

If you have an editor interested in working with you, you have three options, the first of which I STRONGLY recommend you avoid:

1. Negotiate the contract yourself
2. Get a publishing lawyer and have them negotiate the contract
3. Get an agent and have them negotiate the contract

99% of people are not that great at negotiating for themselves, whether it’s because they aren’t experts in the financial and legal norms of publishing, or because it’s hard to be emotionally objective when it comes to business negotiations about your creative work – or both.

Considerations for Working With a Publishing Lawyer

At the very least, if you don’t have an agent, I recommend that you find a publishing lawyer. The nice thing about having a lawyer negotiate your contract is that they will charge you a flat fee, and you won’t have to pay them any commission on your advance and royalties. But that flat fee might be fairly high, and you’ll have to pay it upfront.

Important: note that I said “publishing lawyer.” Publishing is its own specialized world, and is surprisingly different from “media” and “entertainment” law. (For example, in a book contract, the word “option” has a specific meaning, and in a film/tv contract, it has a completely different meaning!!) You definitely want to find a lawyer who’s got a lot of experience negotiating book contracts. 

To find a good publishing lawyer, I’d follow the same advice I listed above about researching agents: get word-of-mouth recommendations from other creators and industry pros.

Another option is to join the Authors Guild, which offers contract reviews as a membership benefit. The advantage of this route is that it would be much more affordable than hiring a lawyer directly. The disadvantage is that Authors Guild will only give you a written summary of recommendations for your contract; you’ll have to do all the negotiating yourself.

How to Use Editor Interest to Get a Graphic Novel Agent

The final option – and the option I generally recommend most – is to leverage this editor interest to get yourself an agent! Having an editor interested in working with you is one of the BEST ways to grab the attention of an agent.

One of the hardest parts of an agent’s job is helping a creator develop a pitch, submit it to publishers, and get an offer. It’s a process that takes months or even years, and is completely unremunerated until you finally get an offer.

If you have an editor saying they’re interested in working with you, that means the agent can potentially leapfrog months and months of effort and focus exclusively on the “meaty stuff” – negotiating your deal.

So even if most agents say they are “not open to unsolicited submissions,” the vast majority of them WILL pay attention to and open an email that says something like “Offer received – seeking representation.”

Therefore, if you want to use a book offer to get an agent, I would follow these steps:

1. Compile a shortlist of the agents you’re most interested in working with
2. See if you can get any personal connections to those agents from other creators or industry people you know
3. For those agents for whom you can’t get any personal connection, use Publishers Marketplace to get their contact information
4. Write up a concise email describing your project and situation, explaining which editor/publisher is interested in working with you and what they’ve told you. Put “offer received” or something like that in the subject line so it’s very clear that you’re already in conversation with a publisher.
5. Send this email to all the agents you’re interested in working with

This should help you get through the door with at least some of them!

Final Thoughts

There are a few graphic novelists who’ve written blog posts – and even comics! – detailing their journey to getting an agent. Check out these creators’ work to hear about the process in their own words:

• Brigitta Blair on How I Got My Literary Agent
• Del Hahn on How I Got My Agent
• Danielle Chuatico & Jesncin Wibowo’s Comic Creator’s Guide to Literary Agents (“name your own price” pdf)

OK, let’s sum up. Once you’ve reached the point where you’re actually talking to agents, you want to:

1. Check their credentials and sales records
2. Talk to them and see if you “click”
3. Make sure they appreciate the challenges and opportunities that are unique to comics
4. Ask around to see if you can get any feedback on them from other creators

Do they share your vision for your career? Do they genuinely connect with your work? Do you feel comfortable talking to them?

Trust your instincts, do your research, and remember that you don’t need to rush. 

Any Questions or Tips?

If you still have questions about vetting graphic novel agents, or if you’ve gone through the process yourself and have any tips I missed, please comment below!