On What To Ask A Prospective Agent's Clients by Joy McCullough-Carranza

You’ve gotten an offer of representation! Huzzah!! Perhaps you’ve even gotten more than one offer!! And you’ve had your call and asked the agents all the questions you’re supposed to ask. (If you need a list, my wonderful agent recently wrote a blog post listing those questions you should ask.) And one of those things you’ve asked the agent is for referrals to a couple clients you can talk to. This is important whether you’re deciding between multiple offers, or only assessing whether or not to accept one offer. It can be such a struggle to get an agent offer that it’s tempting to accept any offer, but an agent who’s a poor fit for you really is worse than no agent at all.

So you’re going to do your due diligence with the offering agent’s clients. And hopefully, when you asked for referrals, you also specified that you’d like to talk to someone whose book has not yet sold. Left to their own devices, agents are likely to point you toward clients for whom they’ve sold lots of books! And that’s great! But…it’s extremely likely those clients are happy. The real clincher is finding a client whose book hasn’t sold who STILL thinks the agent is terrific. If the agent only refers you to established authors, you can seek out those not-yet-published clients. If the agent is active on Twitter, checking out who they interact with is one way to find their clients. If the grapevine leads you to a client who was formerly represented by an agent, they may also have some interesting information for you, and there’s nothing wrong with asking former clients if they’d be willing to answer a few questions. (Just respect if the answer is no: It’s a small industry and some people may not want to be forthcoming about why they split with an agent.)

So you’ve got that client phone number or email address in hand—what do you ask? Before we get to my list of questions, let’s be clear that there are no right answers to any of these questions. For example, you may want an agent who’s all business, or you may want one who’s a bit more nurturing. You may hope for a heavily editorial agent, or want one who’ll simply try to sell what you give them. The main thing is to assess what you want out of your agent relationship and see if client experiences reflect the relationship you’re hoping to have. 

Communication

Because poor communication is one of the main reasons agent-client relationships fall apart, it’s one of the most important things to evaluate when signing with an agent. When you talked to the agent, you probably asked them how long it takes them to respond to emails and read client manuscripts. But you shouldn’t necessarily take the agents’ word on this.

It’s not that they’re lying to you—at least not intentionally! During The Call, an agent is nervous too. In a situation of multiple agent offers, they’re trying to convince you to partner with them. So when they get asked how long it takes them to respond to client emails, they may tell you how long it takes them under perfectly ideal circumstances, or what they shoot for, or how long it took them when they were first starting out. The reality, however, may be a bit (or a lot) different. So this is where talking to clients about their actual experiences can come in handy.

Here are a few key things to ask about communication:

• How long does it take the agent to respond to your emails?

• How long does it take the agent to read and give revision notes on client manuscripts? 

• Does the agent answer questions about your bigger picture career path, or only the manuscript at hand?

Editorial Feedback

Another important part of the agent-author relationship is editorial feedback. Some agents are very hands-on, giving in-depth editorial feedback on manuscripts from the earliest stages, some give line edits on every misplaced comma before going on sub, and others are much more hands off, submitting the manuscript more or less as the author turns it in to them. So in that vein, you should ask clients:

• How editorial is the agent?

•  At what stage do they like to read a manuscript and begin to offer input?

• Do they do line edits, editorial letters, both, or neither?

• Whatever their feedback style, is it clear? Do you understand what they’re asking? Do you know how to proceed after you’ve received and digested their revision notes? Do you feel comfortable asking clarifying questions about their notes?

• Does the agent read pitches and give feedback on which new projects to pursue, or do you write a whole new manuscript before showing it to your agent? 

Submission Approach

Going on submission is an exciting and nerve-wracking part of the publishing journey. There’s little info out there on how it happens, in part because agents vary widely in how they handle the submission process. Here are a few things to ask their clients:

• How does the agent approach submission? Do they submit in rounds to editors? How many in each round? When editors pass, does the agent send out new subs on a rolling basis, or wait until all the passes are in and then send out a new round of submissions?

• How does the agent communicate about editor responses (ie, forwarding them in their entirety as they come in, waiting until all the editors in the round passed, or something in between)?

Personality

This is something you’ll get a feel for when talking to an agent on the phone, but you may be so nervous that you can’t assess it as well as you otherwise would. The agent may be nervous, too! So talk to clients who’ve worked with the agent for a while to get a feel for these things:

• Is the agent all business, or more personal?

• When things are rough, is the agent warm and encouraging and/or does the agent give tough love as needed?

• Do you trust your agent’s business instincts and experience?

• Are you comfortable telling your agent what you need, asking questions, and expressing concerns?

I’m sure there are many more questions to ask, and feel free to add yours in the comments, but this is a good starting point. If you’ve had an agent, what’s the number one thing you think writers should ask clients when evaluating whether or not to sign with an offering agent?

Writing Advice by Marissa Burt

I often get queries from aspiring writers who ask me for tips on how-to-get-published, and I find my responses now falling into a familiar set of recommendations.  On the off chance that these tips might be worth more than the proverbial two-cents, I post them here.  I’ll also leave the comments open for tips or road-to-publication questions.  Join the conversation!

On Writing

Read.  Read.  Read.  As much as you can and as widely as you can.

Write.  Write.  Write.  If you are stuck on a story, write a scene or a character sketch.  Journal.  Not only is it good practice, but you have a nice little keepsake at the end of it.

Revise.  Revise.  Revise.  Don’t be afraid to make dramatic changes.  Edit boldly.  Cut scenes.  Kill off characters.  If one or two crit partners offer you similar feedback, listen.  Don’t respond immediately to critiques and try not to argue with readers.  Most are on your side.  If they had a particular response to a scene, consider what they’re saying.  Sit with reader input for a few days, then revisit their advice and see what you want to implement.

Stop revising.  You can make changes forever, and at some point, you’ll need to send your manuscript off to face its fate.  Polish as well as you can, and then get ready to submit.

On Querying

 

Do your research.  There are so many fabulous resources available to help make the querying process less intimidating.  You’ll easily be able to find some of your own favorite blogs, forums, and books to help you figure out how to format a query letter and find reputable agents.  My favorites are:

The Absolute Write Forums.  There is a wealth of information here and the added bonus of writerly companionship in what can often be a lonely journey.  You’ll find space here to indulge in a bit of submissions-angst but you’ll also find practical tips for every stage of the writing process.  One of my personal favorites is Query Letter Hell, where you can post a draft of your query and receive expert advice.  This lovely people were a huge help to me when I was querying.  And after you receive some input, pay it forward!  Drop by and offer your tips for other writers and share the love.

Nathan Bransford’s Blog.  I discovered this gem back when Bransford was still agenting and blogging regularly, but I think all the posts are archived and easily searchable. 

2013 Writer’s Market.  You can easily find this at your public library or local bookstore.  For those of us who are often overwhelmed by the searchability of the internet, this provides a finite way to search for agents, understand what they’re looking for, and find further contact info.  I recommend starting with the book and then following up with an agent’s website as sometimes submissions requirements change between printings.

Once you’ve done your research and crafted your perfect query letter, you’re off and running.  You’ve probably heard the sound advice of sending out your queries in batches.  This is a good idea, because if you send out your first round of ten queries, and get ten form rejections fired back at you, you have the opportunity to tweak your query and get input from crit partners on what might not be working with your story idea. 

As far as finding agents that represent MG, I’ve found that many who represent “juvenile fiction” or “young adult” also represent middle-grade.  It’s often lumped in there somewhere, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t find MG specified on agent listings.

A word of advice: we all know this industry takes a bit of a thick skin.  The first rejection still stings.  It does get easier.

On the Call

  

Do more research.  This will help you from obsessively checking your e-mail while out on submission.  Read up about what the agent’s role is in publishing and determine what kind of professional relationship matches your personality.  I know some writers who loathe phone calls.  Others who have regular friendly chats with their agents.  I found that the Idiot's Guides were helpful for understanding the agent role.

If an agent does call to talk about representation, have a list of questions about things that are important to you.  Of course you’ll have done your research on scammy agents on the outset, so only reputable agents will be contacting you. 

I would suggest considering:

1.     How enthusiastic is the agent about your project?  How many clients do they represent?

2.     How do they handle communication?  When can you expect to hear back from them if you e-mail a question?  How available are they by phone?  Something I have profoundly appreciated about my own agent, is I can count on a speedy reply to every e-mail.  Figure out what elements of communication are important to you and make sure you find out if the agent is a good match.

3.     Do they have a “handshake agreement” or a written contract?  I’ve heard mixed opinions on this.  Study the ins and outs of both and find out how your potential agent operates.

You’ll find other elements that you may want to consider, but I think understanding an agent’s communication style and figuring out how that matches with your own expectations is central to a positive professional working relationship.

On Submission

Congratulations!  You’re agented and you’re on your way.  Over the first hurdle, that is.  The submissions process can be quite the rollercoaster.  In some happy success stories, authors land an agent and then a deal almost immediately.  For debut authors, it seems to typically be a longer road.

Most agents have some editorial input, so plan to make revisions before your book even goes out on submission.  This will be good practice for your eventual editorial letter.  Remember, that your agent is your friend.  They want to sell your book.  They have experience in the industry.  Listen to their professional editorial advice.  

Unplug.  Go offline.  Start another writing project.  Get caught up on your reading.  While your book is on submission, you’ll go nuts with the waiting.  Twitter-stalking potential editors will only leave you half-crazed.  Was that snarky comment about your lame manuscript?  Or maybe the rave was because she read your masterpiece?  Opt out of this.  It will also be good practice for future book reviews.  At this point, there’s not a lot you can do except wait, check in with your agent, and wait some more.  This is yet another reason why it’s important to determine communication styles early on and make sure you find an agent that’s a good fit.

Be positive and try and cultivate humility.  In my case, my now-editor asked if I’d be willing to do an exclusive revision for her.  We went through two significant revisions over a period of about six months before she took my book to acquisitions.  I loved her for her willingness to invest in my book and me as an author.  I learned so much through the process and owe much of the final book’s form to my editor and agent’s astute input.  An exclusive revision was not at all what I imagined.  I imagined the “Of course we want it!  I couldn’t put this book down while I was reading it!  I stayed up all night to finish it and we must buy it now.  At auction.  For lots of money” reply. 

This is a touchy subject, because our creative work is always dear to our heart.  We obviously think it’s in great form before we send it out to agents and editors, so hearing that it’s less-than-perfect, in fact that there’s much room for improvement can sting.  Remember that your well of creativity won’t run dry.  You won’t miss out on an opportunity by being willing to listen to someone else’s feedback.  But you can pretty much guarantee stagnation if you’re only listening to your own creative voice.  Be willing to learn from others.  Seize every opportunity.  Even if a revise-and-resubmit request doesn’t pan out, you’ll have benefited from valuable insider professional input on your work.  Celebrate that!

On Writing (Part 2)

Enjoy the process.  Enjoy writing.  Enjoy your story.  The road to publication can rob you of some of the joy.  Hold on to joy. 

What about you, dear readers?  What questions do you have about the road to publication?  What tips would you like to share with others?  Where do you find your favorite resources for writing good queries or researching agents?