At conferences, attendees always (always) ask about self-publishing, and they ask a lot of questions—which is why I'm titling this post "Part 1," because more will follow. These attendees, some of which have already self-published, invariably inquire about whether or not agents will consider representing an author's book even if that author has already self-published said book.

So will they? The answer's complicated, but usually leans toward "No."

First of all, if you self-publish a book, it has to sell well to get the attention of an agent. How many copies, you ask? I've heard some agents say 8,000, while others say 30,000. Let's compromise at 15,000. That's no easy task, my friends. You're selling every copy yourself, peddling your wares every day. Yes, you may get distribution in a few local bookstores, but then again, that's just a few local bookstores. 
      Also, good sales can actually be a deterrent to a publisher if your book is very regional. Let's say you self-publish a book called Oklahoma's Rodeo Champions and tour the state, selling it at small events and out of your car trunk. Maybe you sell 9,500 copies—a notable feat. Then, when you present your work to an agent or a traditional publisher, they may think that everyone who will likely buy the book has already bought the book.

Agents want to find undiscovered gems. If your book is self-published and, perhaps, some of it is available online for free, an agent will likely pass on your work. The basic thinking is: If the book was so good, why self-publish in the first place? Why not just sign with an agent and sell the book to a traditional publisher?

There are success stories concerning this. At a recent conference in Tennessee, I met motivational speaker Tama J. Kieves, author of This Time I Dance: Creating the Work You Love. Her self-published book was of much higher quality than most self-published works, and word-of-mouth praise boosted sales enough for her to sign a deal with Tarcher/Penguin-Putnam for them to publish/distribute the book. Now, she's a successful author with another book on the way. So: It can happen, but you have to sell a lot of copies, and that's extremely difficult.

More to come on agents and self-publishing...