Need Schooling

Hi Honeycomb!

No doubt you'll have lots of replies from others shortly. My two cents:

honeycomb said:

- Do they call, write, or email you saying "Yup, you've got the right stuff?"

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When they're ready to offer representation, a phone call will usually be involved. Often, that phone call will have been scheduled through an email. Before that, of course, there will have been the request for the full manuscript, often preceded by request for partial; offers of representation generally aren't a complete surprise.

So, the usual order can be summed up: query, request for partial, request for full, email to schedule phone call, phone call including offer (the purpose of the call is to feel out if the two of you are a good match, so sometimes the offer itself won't come until the end of it).

Of course, there are many possible variations on this (going straight from query to full, skipping the partial, for example). But that's the general usual.

Here are two links from agentquery about getting "the phone call":
http://www.agentquery.com/writer_or.aspx
http://www.agentquery.com/symposium_thecall.aspx

honeycomb said:

- Do they send out a contract with the "Yup"?

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It's rare that an agent will offer representation through the mail. They usually want to talk on the phone first, to see if you're crazy or unpleasant. The contract will be sent to you after representation has been agreed verbally.

honeycomb said:

- Do they call you in for a meeting before or after the "Yup"?

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Many (most?) writers and agents work together without ever actually meeting.

honeycomb said:

- Do you have to look for an agent every time you write a novel or does the agent who says "Yup" rep you until you're tired of each other? I really want a long term "Yup".

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The default is for a long-term relationship (though I imagine there are some specific scenarios that could involve intending to represent one book only, especially if you write in more than one genre).

honeycomb said:

Just need some schooling that's all because I believe I'm going to get a coupla "Yups" by Jan. It's just one of those things that you feel in your bones.

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Hope you get those yups! But, if you don't, *don't* give up. Lots of eventually successful agent searches have taken a long time.

If you really feel you're that close, make sure you've researched every agent on your list to be confident of their legitimacy and track records. (If you're here, you probably already have.)

Good luck!

honeycomb said:

- Do you have to look for an agent every time you write a novel or does the agent who says "Yup" rep you until you're tired of each other? I really want a long term "Yup".

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As Emily said, you may need another agent for certain projects.

If you are typically a romance writer, but decide to utilize that PhD in Quantum Physics and write a textbook, you'll need to find a textbook
agent. One of my English professors wrote the typical analytical tomes about Renaissance poetry, which required a highly specialized agent. But he also wrote military thrillers, and those had a different agent.

One of the biggest eye-openers was when I discovered that my former agent had an agent herself to rep her books.

Mine emailed the offer. I didn't even talk to her on the phone until I called to accept. She sent me a sample of the contract to look over, but the official contract didn't arrive until later.

Don't say yup right away when you get an offer. Thank them and tell them you'll get back to them with an answer soon. If you get one offer, tell the other agents who are reading the full that you have an offer and give them a chance to respond. That way you can speak with each of them and figure out who would be your best match.

This is an interesting question and one I may add to my firm's FAQ list.

Generally speaking, when I want to offer representation, I do call. Though, in one or two cases I have, instead, sent a letter and a representation agreement.

I think it's better to call, though, and if an agent doesn't, it may indicated lukewarm enthusiasm.

Z

I first got an email offering, but I talked to the agent on the phone before I accepted.

Most agents offer a contract, but it's not unheard of for there to just be a verbal agreement, which I have with my agent. In the case of a verbal agreement, when you get a contract with a publisher, there will be a section stating how much money the agency gets, that type of thing.

I haven't got called in for a meeting. As far as I'm aware, meeting your agent in person is not always essential for a writer.

Usually, this agent will represent your other stuff too, depending on if your work continues to be in a genre they represent.

My agent called me more than once and my agent made it clear she was interested in my career not just in one book, I got an agency contract, I met my agent in New York twice when I had scheduled meetings with my publisher and publicists but I know many writers who have never met either their editor or agent-

So when you tell an offering agent you need time to think, say a week's time, is that all you need to say? Do you specifically say you need to notify other agents (assuming other agents have your work) or will they just assume that's what you're doing?

My agent was the one who said that I needed to contact all the other agents and tell them I had an offer. She also said that I would get other offers and then make up my mind. She of course was my top choice (Dorian Karchmar of William Morris Agency)

I don't know that I would take a week to think- you should know that you would accept representation from those you query. Enthusiasm is huge for an agent.
It should only take days. If another agent hasn't even read your manuscript it does not bode well for the relationship. All the agents came back with offers but I still chose Dorian...

And what about the agents you've sent queries to who haven't responded? Is it best to let them know of any offers and give them time to reply, or should you just withdraw your submissions?

P.S. I queried Dorian yesterday with a quirky YA story. I saw that she'd made a few YA sales on Publisher's Marketplace so I'm hoping she doesn't mind. Fingers crossed! And good luck on the Yups honeycomb!

RLSMiller said:

And what about the agents you've sent queries to who haven't responded? Is it best to let them know of any offers and give them time to reply, or should you just withdraw your submissions?

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If they're agents you'd still be interested in having represent you, then you should definitely give them a chance to throw their hats in the ring. It's not a bad thing to have more than one offer.

Otherwise, just a short note to let them know you've accepted representation.

I ignored any that I only had a query to. I only contacted Fulls and Partials. I guess it would depend on how badly you would rather have a particular agent BUT I only queried those who I would be happy to have represent me.
If a query then responded (and some did a month later LOL) I just sent a note saying I had accepted representation. To me it was crucial to have an agent who was eager to represent my work and welcomed contact - It was interesting to me (at the time) that Dorian assured me other agents would also want to represent me and that I would be making a choice. She actually gave me advice on how to do this so I didn't burn my bridges so to speak which I thought was really professional.
There is no advantage to having a bevy of agents compete for you really- you have plenty of time to look them up on Publishers Marketplace as they are reading your full and determine who makes a great fit for your work and how many deals they've made. (That's how I prioritized each agent) The 15% commission is standard- there are no weird contractual obligations - most all agents have open ended contracts - even a big agency like WMA- Only scammers have the bizarre ones...

I tend to feel that the agent who is first to offer you representation is the one you should go with. They should get points for reading you quickly (well, hopefully they read your work quickly) and for enthusiasm. If they weren't your first choice, why did you submit to them before your first choice got back to you?

When I hear "I have to think about it," I immediately lose enthusiasm for the author. It's on par with asking a girl to the dance and being told, "Well, I have to wait and see who else asks first."

Z

Andrew Zack said:

I tend to feel that the agent who is first to offer you representation is the one you should go with. They should get points for reading you quickly (well, hopefully they read your work quickly) and for enthusiasm. If they weren't your first choice, why did you submit to them before your first choice got back to you?

When I hear "I have to think about it," I immediately lose enthusiasm for the author. It's on par with asking a girl to the dance and being told, "Well, I have to wait and see who else asks first."

Z

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I understand your POV, but at the same time isn't it a bit unfair to just sign with the first agent and leave all the others in the dust? Just because one offers first, it doesn't necessarily mean the others are less enthusiastic. It might just mean the offering agent has more time to read unsolicited material at the moment. And I hate the thought of rushing into a long-term partnership without considering all my options. After all, a dance is for one night. An ideal agent>client relationship could last for years.

I would be happy to sign with any of the agents I queried, but that doesn't change the fact that a certain agent, who initially takes more time to respond, might be a better fit on a professional and personal level than the first agent to offer. And from an agent's POV, isn't it better to know that your client signed with you because they took a little time to make a decision and genuinely thought you were the best man for the job, rather than just the first option they had?

I think this topic actually leads on to a new question. Namely, what is it that differentiates agents? As writers on the outside looking in, it's easy to think big name agent with loads of big sales is the best man for you. You might be tentative to sign up with a smaller agent because you think it'll translate into a less fruitful career.

Are big name agents more likely to command better advances & contracts in general, or will a smaller agent be just as capable provided you have something worth a publisher's attention? Will a big name agent be more successful in getting a big publisher's attention? We don't have much to go on as writers. Sales and the clout of the agency are the most concrete thing. If you're lucky your agent will have some interviews or maybe a blog that'll give you an idea of his/her personality. If you're really lucky maybe you know a client that can share their own experiences. But other than that, it's difficult to know which agent is going to do the best job and connect with you the most.

I took a week before deciding. My agent was awesome about this. She encouraged me to take this time--and as much time as I needed--to make sure that I wanted her representing me. It seems to be an industry standard, and if an agent no longer wants you because you want a week to think over what is a major decision in your writing career, then you're better off without them, in my opinion.

We don't query one agent at a time. Hopefully we're only querying agents we want to work with, but there might be several in the same pool. Both Orion and Jamie Ford have posted about exciting lists of offers of rep they received once they notified all reading agents that an offer had been made. Orion accepted the offer of the first, Jamie Ford didn't. They both ended up with great agents who they respect and who have made excellent sales for them. First means first, not best.

First could also mean less busy.

I started to answer this and then tried to use the spell-check button to check this long posting and by the time I installed the spell-checker, it refreshed the page and deleted a very long response.

Hence, a short response.

1. Enthusiasm counts for a lot in publishing. Maybe more than anything. I once sold a book to Tom Doherty over beers because I recounted how much trouble I was having selling it and he offered to publish it, unread, in hardcover, because he liked my enthusiasm.
2. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. As any agent will tell you, when you get the offer from editor A, it will not sit there on the table forever. And if you say, “I just need to check in with all of the other editors considering it before we can accept this,” you’ll get “until end of business tomorrow or its off the table.” If an agent believes in a project, believes it will make him money, he may be pleasant and agreeable on the outside, because he doesn’t want to lose the chance to make some money, but I assure you that he is not happy on the inside and will always question your loyalty.

Z

Andrew Zack said:

1. Enthusiasm counts for a lot in publishing. Maybe more than anything. I once sold a book to Tom Doherty over beers because I recounted how much trouble I was having selling it and he offered to publish it, unread, in hardcover, because he liked my enthusiasm.

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But can you really measure enthusiasm by which agent has your novel in which place in its pile of manuscripts? Can you really measure enthusiasm by one agent having you a few spots ahead of where another agent had you? One may just have more submissions! Plus, what if the agent who is the first to offer has had your manuscript longer than another agent who could turn into the second to offer?

I measure enthusiasm by the fact that the agent read it and called to offer you representation, not by how fast he read it.

If you tell an agent, "That's great, but let me first check in with the other six agents who have it," you'll deflate the agent's enthusiasm and, as you may have seen elsewhere on this board, possibly even lose the agent's interest in repping the work.

Z

Andrew Zack said:

If you tell an agent, "That's great, but let me first check in with the other six agents who have it," you'll deflate the agent's enthusiasm and, as you may have seen elsewhere on this board, possibly even lose the agent's interest in repping the work.

Z

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No offense, but I really believe this is the exception and not the rule. Several agents have blogged about this and they have all said that they prefer the client be unreservedly signing with them rather than signing because they happened to bite first. And in the other corner, I see all the time agents saying that they really appreciate it when an author contacts them when they have an offer of representation.

Personally, I wouldn't want an agent who is so unenthusiastic about my book that they would be insulted and lose that enthusiasm in a week if I didn't embrace them immediately. This is a business decision, not one in which you should have to worry about maintaining warm fuzzies with a prospective agent.

(BTW, the analogy about asking a girl to dance would only hold true if we were talking about a short-term relationship. I think a more appropriate if the request to dance was a marriage proposal . . . and then I would hope the girl would not just jump at the first guy who asked.)

As I've said elsewhere, of course an agent going to say that. She wants the client. But what she's thinking is that she's the second or third choice, not the first, or the author would have said yes immediately. So that cannot help but put a wrench in the relationship from day one. It's pretty basic psychology, actually.

Z

When my soon to be agent called to offer representation, before I signed with him, I told him I wanted my attorney to review the contract - which was actually code for: I'm going to contact the other agents reading my mss. When none of them offered representation I signed with this agent. But in all honesty, I felt his enthusiam had cooled by the time I got back to him. Maybe, other people can handle this better, but I understand Zack's position.

Andrew Zack said:

As I've said elsewhere, of course an agent going to say that. She wants the client. But what she's thinking is that she's the second or third choice, not the first, or the author would have said yes immediately. So that cannot help but put a wrench in the relationship from day one. It's pretty basic psychology, actually.

Z

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I don't know if you can assume that for all agents. Maybe that's how it psychologically effects you, but agents have different personalities, different thoughts, etc. Some may understand--even encourage--prospective clients to take their time. Some may be of the position that, if a client takes their time, thinks things through, and compares said agent to any other agents who may be making offers, and still chooses them, that this is a more enthusiastic client. One who just signs with an agent because they are the first to offer may very well feel stuck with them afterwards and regretting that they didn't give any other agents a chance.

Plus, there are many writers who have went through the process many at AW endorse, waiting a week or so to think things through and hear back from the other agents, who have gone on and had agents sell their books. Isn't that a successful agent-author relationship?