advice please!!!

speirbhean

wishing I was reading
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 16, 2007
Messages
276
Reaction score
64
Location
getting there, 500 words at a time
First of all, thanks so much for the nice messages and rep points on the Rollercoaster thread. The support on this forum is unreal, I know I don't post much but it had been fantastic and I always had it in my mind that you'd be the first to know if things worked out! Well I just had a great phone call with the agent (she lives in London, I'm in Ireland). She really likes the book, very businesslike attitude, can see a market for it etc. Anyway I put it to her that my friend guessed whodunnit and she said she read through it quite quickly but will go back again and read it and see if she agrees, although she doesn't think it's a big deal, a few more red herrings will fix it if there is a problem she reckons. I'm not a bit precious about these things by the way. Anyway she wants to meet the next time she's in Dublin, but I'm busy that day :( so we're meeting in June. In the meantime she's going to go away and write down notes and mail them to me so I can work on revisions. So I suppose my question is... is she my agent? That sounds really stupid but I didn't actually ask... She's very bubbly and bright and positive and I just got kinda lost in all of that, and it was soooo amazing to be speaking about my book as a real living thing that I didn't really talk business. I was waiting for her to bring it up and she didn't! We just left it that she'd write down her notes and mail me and I'd work on them. She made suggestions at an earlier meeting and I took them on board and she was thrilled. I guess I'll just ask her when we meet if we should put this on a business footing or not ? This sounds crazy... I'm a very assertive person in real life but this has me knocked for six!!!!! I like her and more importantly she works with a VERY reputable agency and represents exactly what my book is which is probably best described as a cross between a thriller and women's commercial fiction.
She said lots of words like great voice and pacy and sellable and markets and filmic. I'm actually really calm right now because I'm too afraid that this might, finally, be happening.
All advice appreciated!!!
xxxxxx
 

BfloGal

Lost in a plot hole
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 20, 2008
Messages
1,028
Reaction score
153
Location
Western NY
Website
barbearly.blogspot.com
It sounds promising! My guess will be she'll formally offer representation after evaluating your revisions. She'll be your agent after you see (and sign) a contract--assuming it's done the same way on that end of the pond.

Congratulations!
 

heyjude

Making my own sunshine
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 15, 2007
Messages
19,740
Reaction score
6,192
Location
Gulf coast of FL
:snoopy: That's fantastic! Wonderful, wonderful stuff. :)

She's not officially your agent if she hasn't offered, I suppose, but you could always ask if you wanted to. Or you could wait and see how the revisions go.

Do you have other queries/material out?
 

Namatu

Lost in mental space.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 12, 2006
Messages
4,489
Reaction score
968
Location
Someplace else.
I second hj. You could ask a clarifying question. I'm sure she won't mind. :)
 

Shakesbear

knows a hawk from a handsaw
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 4, 2008
Messages
3,628
Reaction score
463
Location
Elsinore
Two things - if she is business like she should not mind you asking - and she should have clarified the situation rather than put you in the position of asking. Hope it works out well for you.
 

mellymel

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 9, 2009
Messages
4,689
Reaction score
713
First of all, yay for agent interest!! congrats.

I don't know how things are done there, but it does not sound to me like Rep has been offered at this time. Over here in the states being offered rep is pretty cut and dry. Like, you would KNOW if you had just been offered representation and you officially had an agent (and there is usually a contract involved). This to me sounds like what we call here an R&R (Re-write and Re-submit). The agent is interested but thinks it needs a little work to get it to where it really needs to be to make the story stronger, so she'll send you notes and then she'll ask to re-read it and see how well you've taken suggestions and whether or not she likes the direction you took it. It gives them an idea if you are someone they can work with and how well you follow through on given suggestions and how well you do with re-writes etc. At least, that is what I know about R&Rs though there are exceptions to everything.

GL!
 

speirbhean

wishing I was reading
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 16, 2007
Messages
276
Reaction score
64
Location
getting there, 500 words at a time
Thank you all. Mel that's exactly what it sounds like. In fact I got the impression on the phone that I was being "interviewed" as in she was trying to figure out if we'd work well together, if we're a good fit. There's another complicating factor in that I'm a journalist by trade and met her through work so there's a need on both our parts to keep things friendly but professional as we will be bumping into each other again no matter what happens. But I'm happy we can both do that. I've no other queries out as our initial contact was informal and through work. Basically we were chatting about books, she asked if I write myself, I said I did and she said she'd take a look if I wanted. So that's how it began. But I'm happy that her response, which was 'amazing' was not just politeness!! Will keep you all informed... I'm due to get revisions this week and we meet face to face early June.