Do You Know Your Agent?

The author - agent relationship is a unique one that requires a great deal of trust, probably more so than any other relationship you'll ever have within this industry. An agent is basically a person who will manage your career. They will help you edit and polish your manuscript; create an outstanding query package; sell your manuscript to a publisher; negotiate your contract for you; and just be an all-around champion for you and your work. In addition to all of that, your agent will be responsible for collecting and disbursing your royalties to you, so there's a very delicate fiduciary relationship that shouldn't be ignored or left un-discussed. 

There are a lot of agents out there with new ones showing up on the scene every day. So, how do you know which ones are the good ones? By doing your homework. I always tell authors to research, research, research! NEVER sign with an agent unless you're 100% confident in them and their ability to represent you. 

Here are the steps I took BEFORE I ever sent a query letter to any agent:

1.      The Agent's Website – Okay, this might seem like a no-brainer. I mean, duh, right? How else will you know how & where to submit? But, don’t just visit the submissions page. Take the time to click through every single page on the website. Do all the links work? Are there missing pages? Does the site itself look professional? Is it full of silly grammatical errors? Is there an “About Us” or a “Staff” page? What kind of experience does the agent have? Is there a list of current authors? Is there a page for recent deals? What kind of deals has the agent recently made? Are they to traditional Big 5 publishers or are they small press deals? How long has the agency been in business?

2.      Preditors & Editors – (http://pred-ed.com/) This is an alphabetical listing of publishers and agents along with a “recommendation.” Search for the specific agent you’re thinking of submitting to and see what recommendation they’ve been given. If they’re listed and “not recommended” or “highly not recommended” you might want to cross them off your list.

3.      Absolute Write Forums – (www.absolutewrite.com) Go to Google, type in the name of the agency / agent, and then add “absolute write” after it. This usually results in the first hit being a direct link to the forum that discusses said agent. Take the time to read every single posting. Some will have 20+ pages, and some of the comments will be nothing more than “I got an offer!” Weed through those to get to all the other stuff. Oftentimes, current and/or past authors will chime in and give their personal experiences with the agent. This information can be invaluable.

4.      Ask Friends & Fellow Writers – If you don’t already belong to writing groups on Facebook, go join some right now! They’re invaluable. Make a posting asking about said agent. Ask if anyone has any experience with the agent and if so, what it is.

5.      Check the Agent's Social Media Accounts – Facebook, Twitter, blog, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc. How big of a following do they have? Are they active on those accounts or has it been months since they last posted? Are they using them to help promote their authors? Are they using it to interact with readers? Are they conducting themselves professionally?

6.      Make Google Your New Best Friend – Google the agent's name. Do any articles or interviews come up? Read them. Is there anything that gives you pause?

7.   Check Publisher's Marketplace - Most agents will announce deals they've made on this site. It's a great way to see what types of things they've been selling and to whom. Are you looking for a traditional deal, but the agent works primarily with small presses?You may want to cross him/her off your list and move on. 

So, your agent of choice has made it through your initial round of scrutiny and you polish up your query and hit send. Then you wait and wait and wait… Until one day you get an offer! YAY! I know how tempting it will be to just sign on the dotted line and get your book moving toward publication. DON’T! Take a step back. You’ve still got a lot of work to do.

AFTER you’ve received an offer for representation, it’s time to dig a little deeper and do more research.

1.      Read the Contract – Again, a no brainer. Read it two, three, four times. Have a lawyer read the contract. If you don’t have one or can’t afford one, ask a friend who has experience working with contracts to read it for you. As you do, compile a list of questions. Even if everything seems straightforward and you understand it, ask a question anyway. Create a list of items you want to negotiate. If you feel the contract is fair and there isn’t anything you want changed, come up with something anyway and ask for it. Doing these two things (asking questions, negotiating) will show you two things: (A) how communicative the agent is, and (B) how willing they are to work with you as an author. The standard agent fee is 15%, so if the contract is granting the agent more than that, find out why!

2.      Contact Current Authors – Go back to the publisher’s website and look through their current author list. Randomly chose 6 – 10 authors, hunt them down on the intranet, and email them. Politely let them know you’ve received an offer of representation with Agent and you’re touching base to see what their personal experiences have been like. It’s very rare an author won’t respond, and trust me, they will be brutally honest with you. 

** An argument can be made to do this step before querying, but I find this specific step to be very time-consuming and is often better done once an offer is on the table because at that point, you have a lot more invested and a lot more to gain / lose. **

3.      Do a Business Search – Once you get the contract, it will have a lot of information such as the owner’s full name, business address, telephone number. Plug these into trusty ‘ole Google and see what comes up. Alternatively, you can search for the state where the business is located and search their business database. (All companies registered as an Inc., LLC, etc is public information and as such must be listed somewhere.) Is the business legally registered in the state listed in the address? Are there any formal complaints against the business? Does the business listing information match what is on the contract?

** Note: A lot of agencies will have this basic information available on their website -- if not a full street address, at the very least a state listing. Those that don't -- take pause and ask yourself why? **

4.      Ask to Speak on the Phone – Nowadays, a majority of publishing is done online and communication is via email. However, don’t be afraid to ask to schedule a phone call to speak about contractual terms or anything else you want to talk about. Honestly, I don't know of a single agent that won't immediately schedule a call with you, so if an agent isn't willing to do this, it's a major red flag! It’s so much easier to gauge tone and inflection when speaking as opposed to email. You can ask the tough questions on the phone and listen to how the agent responds. Is he/she dodging your questions? Talking in circles? Are they actively engaging you regarding your manuscript? Are they excited about it? Did they even read it?? (Yes, I have heard of this happening.)

6.      Ask Questions – In addition to asking contractual questions, ask lots of other questions, too. Some common ones to ask are:

• Will you edit my manuscript before we begin to query? If so, what is your process for that? How long does it generally take? 
• What is your vision for my book? What types of big, global changes do you think need to be made?
• What is your submission plan? Who will we submit to first? 
• Will you represent just this book or every single book I ever write?
• What happens if my book doesn't sell?

I typically save this questions until after I’ve reached out to current authors and have heard back from them. This way, I can compare the publisher’s answers to the actual experiences of the authors. 

Remember that everyone’s experience is different, and although these steps will help you make an educated decision whether or not to query an agent, use common sense and come to your own conclusions. Only you know what is best for your career.  

Do you have anything to add? Are there any other steps you take or websites you visit? Share them in the comments :) 

H is for Humble

When I was a kid, I had a T-shirt that read: "It's hard to be this great when you're as humble as I am." Back then, I had no idea what it meant, but the adults who read it always thought it was funny. Now, years later, I get the joke. My mom, also a writer, has a really twisted sense of humor. I mean, who would slap that on their child and parade them around in it? I digress...

Dictionary.com defines humble as: not proud or arrogant. Yes, there are other meanings for this word, but this is the one I'm going to focus on today.

As writers, we're told we need to believe in ourselves, believe in the value of the stories we write, and to never give up despite the massive rejection we face. And that's really good advice. I'm not here to dispute that. I mean, if we don't believe in ourselves, no one else will be believe in us. But when does that unfaltering belief turn to arrogance? When do we cross the line from humble belief to I'm-the-greatest-thing-since-sliced-bread attitudes?

Allow me to throw out some hypothetical scenarios...

You get a request from a dream agent and/or publisher for your full manuscript. You squeal with delight. Tell all your friends. Announce it on social media. Then you sit down to actually send it. In your reply email you gush about how excited you are and thank him/her profusely for wanting to read your book. But you don't stop there. You continue to ramble on about how unique and wonderful your book is. You let him/her know that it's a bestseller waiting to break all previous sales records and you've already starting putting together your dream cast for the movie adaptation. You know he/she is absolutely going to love it and can't wait to have "the call" with them.

Humble belief or arrogance?

You've finally gotten a sweet book deal and you're so super excited you're telling everyone you know. You've told the story so many times you could recite it in your sleep. Then you get the (dreaded) editorial email. It's pages upon pages upon pages detailing everything that is wrong with your story. You take it personally and even shed some tears. After your rant fest with a few of your closest writing pals, you take a deep breath and reread the email. You see the value of the edits and realize you're story isn't as perfect as you think. Although you don't agree with everything your editor has suggested, you resolve to try and compromise even though there are certain things you absolutely refuse to change and you will be as stubborn as a  toddler throwing a tantrum on those points. 

Humble belief or arrogance?

The line isn't so clear cut is it? And the line will absolutely be in different places for different people. But the lesson is the same: Think about what you're saying and how you're presenting yourself to others. Stop and ask yourself, "If someone said this to me, would I think they're an arrogant jerk?" If the answer is yes, then chances are good if you say it, someone will think that way about you, too.

Believe in yourself. Believe in your talents. Believe in your ability to write a stellar story. But balance your belief with a healthy dose of humble pie. The world will thank you for it :-)

How to Write a Bad Query: Part Two

Welcome to the second installment of How to Write a Bad Query. At this point in time, I have a total of three posts in this series. (Part three will go live in early February.) However, I plan to keep this as an ongoing series, adding new parts when I have more wisdom to share.

If you missed part one, you can take a moment and go read it HERE before we get started.


The Arrogant Query

Authors have to have two things (1) confidence and unfaltering belief in the book they've written, and (2) the ability to take rejection. However, it's important to have these two things in moderation. When you have item #1 in excess, it leads to queries like this:

Dear Editor,
     Have I got a book for you. GLUCOSE INTOLERANT VAMPIRES & THE HUMAN WOMEN THEY LOVE is going to be bigger than Twilight, The Hunger Games, and The Vampire Diaries combined. I'm so excited for this book and cannot wait for you to share in my joy.
     And it's your lucky day, too! I've queried forty-seven agents and publishers alike. Once the bidding war is over, I will choose the best possible person to represent my book. Please note that I have already picked the cast for the movie adaptation.
Sincerely,
Amy Author

Okay, so this might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I have seen queries where an author will talk about selling all their subsidiary rights when they haven't even sold the actual book yet. We get that you're excited about your book and all the possibilities, but the ratio of books in publication compared to books in publication that are turned into movies is skewed very heavily against you. I'm not saying it won't happen, but be realistic when you query. Sell the book first. Everything else will come later.



The No Query at all Query

I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true. There have been queries just like this one:

Dear Editor,
     My book is attached for your review. Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Amy Author

Anyone want to take a guess as to what's wrong with this one? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Right. So, moving on...



The Telling Query

Authors are constantly being told to show don't tell. Well, the same advice applies to your query.

Dear Editor,
     Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a world where there was no milk? That is the life that sixteen year old Bertha must endure. BERTHA WANTS MILK is the story of a young girl who is tasked with the daunting chore of locating a cow and repopulating her town with milk. She will face heartache, setbacks, and hopelessness as she is faced with one obstacle after another. Complete at 82,000 words, this is a young adult fantasy about learning how to grow up and persevere.
     Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Amy Author

*Yawn* Oh, sorry, did I doze off? The only thing you should be telling us in your query is the title, word count, genre, and all that other identifying information we discussed during part one. As an editor, this type of query makes me think only one thing: the book will be as boring and dry as this query. Honestly, ask yourself, would you want to read 82,000 words that were written exactly like this letter? Probably not.

How to Write a Bad Query: Part One

As an editor, I read a lot of queries. Some of them are knock your socks off fantastic and others leave me wondering, what were they thinking? So, I've decided to share my knowledge with you in a new blog post series entitled: How to write a bad query.

Yes, you read that correctly ;-)

Despite the hundreds and thousands of websites that "teach" you how to write a stellar query, there's no magic formula for writing a query letter, and the argument can be made that there really is no wrong way to write one....but let's face it, there is. You can go anywhere and learn how to do it right. Well, no worries! I'm going to teach you how to do it the wrong way. Why?  Because I hope that you won't make any of these mistakes.

(**Please note that although the situations are real, the examples are completely fictional and are a figment of my own imagination**)


The Fantastic Pitch & Nothing Else Query

Anyone who has ever researched or actually written a query letter knows that the book pitch is hands-down the most important part of the entire letter. If you can't pique an agent or editors interest then you have no hopes of getting them to read your book. However, giving said agent or editor some identifying information is equally important. Why? Because we like to know what genre the book is, how long it is, who you are, what credentials you have, how to contact you, etc.

Dear Editor,

     Tallulah would do anything to land her dream internship -- including playing babysitter to the boss's obnoxious tween son, Furbrow. But when Furbrow sneaks out of the house to go visit a girl who convinces him to sneak into a movie, Tallulah must figure out a way to get Furbrow home and tucked safely into bed before his parents return. That's a lot easier said than done though -- especially when Tallulah is faced with an impossible decision: tell the truth about Furbrow and possibly lose her internship or keep it a secret even though she knows that's not the right thing to do. Is she willing to risk her personal morals for a shot at a life-changing opportunity?
      Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Amy Author

As you can see, there is no information in this type of query. We have no idea what genre this book falls into -- YA? NA? MG? -- it's anyone's guess. Is it 50,000 words or 150,000 words? Has Amy Author ever been published before? If so, where? What type of book?

Please, please, I beg you, take the extra paragraph and give us some information! It really will help you in the end, I promise.


The TMI Query

On the flip side, I have read queries that told me the author's entire life story and absolutely nothing about the book. Granted, I like to get to know the authors I will be working with. It's good business to build rapport and develop a relationship. Your query letter is not the place to do that!

Dear Editor,
     When I lost my husband to cancer last year, I knew I had to find something to help me cope. I turned to the written word and have healed through my writing. If it weren't for the journey I took with the characters in this book, I would've been reunited with my husband in Heaven much sooner than I should've been.
     Upon deciding to write this book, I quit my job as a teacher and focused on this new, exciting career path. Prior to teaching, I was a marketing executive and before that a sales clerk at a major department store. As you can see, I bring a variety of life experience to the table and will use my knowledge to help sell my book.
     My children are grown and out of the house. Having not blessed me with grandchildren, I am fully devoted to working on this book and the sixteen other books I have planned and outlined. I at your complete disposal.
     Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Amy Author

Wow. Okay, well, I'm sorry for your loss and for your lack of grandchildren, but could you maybe tell me something about your book? The title, maybe? Please, give me something, anything!


The "I Can't Follow Rules" Query

Every single agent and publisher will outline their submission guidelines on their website or blog. Most of them are easy to find and even easier to follow. Before you send a query letter to anyone, be sure to find these guidelines and follow them!

Dear Editor,
     Brazen Blueblood is the last of her kind, and she's fighting to stay alive. The world wants her dead because she saw something she wasn't supposed to see. With the help of a kind, homeless stranger, a stray dog, and her trusty blue metal sword, Brazen will face her demons and hopefully she'll come out alive.
     BRAZEN BLEEDS is a young adult fantasy complete at 90,000 words.
     I currently haven't had anything published, but I'm a contributor to a successful young adult blog. I'm active on social media and have built a strong following on Twitter.
     Your guidelines ask for the first three chapters pasted into the email. I've taken the liberty of attaching my full manuscript because there is no way you can get a feel for my characters in three short chapters.
     Thank you for you consideration.
Sincerely,
Amy Author

Uh....can you say reject? Seriously folks, those guidelines are there for a reason. If you don't follow them, you're asking begging for a rejection. This type of query tells me two very important things: (1) you can't follow simple rules, and (2) you're going to do whatever you want and will probably be very difficult to work with. No thank you. Next!