What is a "Boutique" Literary Agency?
Q. What is a "boutique" literary agency?
- Joan
A. "Boutique" is a strange word agents use when their agencies are small and/or specialized. See, there are a decent number of big agencies out there, with big-name clients, closing big-time deals. And then there are plenty of smaller agencies in pockets here and there, handling clients that sell modestly, getting medium advances, etc. The second category may call themselves a boutique.
Agents will start an agency Web site, and they want to describe their agency to the public. They can't call themselves a big powerhouse agency, but they don't want to classify themselves as a "small" agency, either. That's where the word boutique comes in. It means small, specialized, and loyal to its clients. It means, "We don't take on a whole lot of projects, and we don't get a whole lot of million-dollar advances, but we put out really good work and take pride in every project we handle."
With a growing catalog of instructional writing videos available instantly, we have writing instruction on everything from improving your craft to getting published and finding an audience. New videos are added every month!
