Agent Process

When You’re Missing the Mark

Katie asked: I was wondering, what if I get an agent and she tries to sell two or three of my novels, all in the same genre, and nothing sells. What would happen in this case? Well Katie, sounds like you and your agent will be at a crossroads and need to make some decisions.…
Read More

Don’t Make These Mistakes When Submitting to Agents

The most common mistakes writers make, in my opinion, are… a They don’t research the agency they want to pitch. a They pitch their product long before it is actually ready. They are so anxious to get published that they don’t rewrite and edit well. a They don’t do a good job with the competition…
Read More

Agent-Client Communication

A writer asked: “How much communication should you expect from your agent? Is it unrealistic to ask them to let you know to which publishers they’ve sent a proposal? Should they give you periodic updates (perhaps quarterly?) or are agents generally so busy that it’s unfair to expect them to contact you unless they receive…
Read More

ASK THE AGENT: Exclusivity

A writer asked: “If you are working on revision suggestions for one agent with whom you have NOT signed, should you still query other agents?” Simple answer: No. If the agent has given you revision suggestions but not agreed to represent it, you should honor them (the fact that they took the time to give…
Read More
Knocking on door

Steps for Approaching an Agent

So, I happened across a Facebook group for writers and there was a discussion about finding an agent. One of the writers mentioned that an agent to whom she’d submitted had requested a book proposal for her non-fiction book. Her question was: What is a book proposal? Perfectly good question. But it shows this writer needs…
Read More

What are the Odds of Getting an Agent?

Dear Rachelle: You’ve blogged about how to write a good query letter, but what about the stage after a successful query, when several agents have requested partials or fulls? How many requested partials or fulls become clients? Could a dozen agents be interested enough to take a look, but none of them love it enough…
Read More

Difficult Conversations, Part 1

“This book isn’t going to work.” I know many of you worry that agents gossip about writers behind the scenes. I don’t find this to be true, but what I’ve found is that agents often commiserate with each other about the hard parts of the job (like people in any kind of job). And one…
Read More

What Will Agents Do in the Future?

In the midst of all the talk about the changes in publishing, the question often arises: What will the role of agents be in the future of publishing? I’ve received emails and blog comments from those who assume agents must be running scared because we’re going to be out of jobs soon. I’ve heard from…
Read More

Why "No" Comes Quickly…

But “Yes” Seems to Take Forever For the last couple of days we’ve been going over some basics of fiction writing – things that someone editing your book might be looking for in their efforts to help you produce the best book possible. But acquisitions editors – and agents – won’t be spending time analyzing…
Read More

When An Agent Gives Up on a Project

As you know, agents aren’t able to sell every book we decide to represent. But the decision to stop trying to sell a book is always a tough one. We’ve already put a lot of work into it, we haven’t made a dime, and we may really like the client. When do we know it’s time…
Read More

When Multiple Agents Are Interested

A writer asked:If there are two or more agents interested in representing me, how do I make my decision? I’ve heard it can be better in some cases for a less established author to go with a younger or newer agent — is this true? What other factors would you consider? If there are two or…
Read More

When You’re Missing the Mark

Katie asked: I was wondering, what if I get an agent and she tries to sell two or three of my novels, all in the same genre, and nothing sells. What would happen in this case? Well Katie, sounds like you and your agent will be at a crossroads and need to make some decisions.…
Read More

Fishing Lessons

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” ~Ancient ProverbI frequently receive emails from writers asking me if the process they’re experiencing is “normal.” Maybe they’re seeking an agent, and they’re in the midst of a convoluted and confusing…
Read More

The Agent-Client Relationship

If you’ve been reading my blog and other agent blogs for awhile, you’re aware that the agent-client relationship can be a wonderful, long-term, productive association, but like any important relationship, it’s not always easy. Sometimes it takes work to make it succeed. It has a better chance of working well if each of you has…
Read More