Meeting with agent or publisher

tomz563 · Apr 28, 2014

I hope I've posted this in the right thread, but I was just curious whether there were benefits to writers who met personally with their agents or publisher? I'm still putting the final touches on my manuscript, so haven't begun querying yet, but was wondering if a personal meeting may be beneficial if everything goes perfectly and I get an agent who in turn gets a publisher interested. Also, when I begin querying, as I'm also only 22 and my book is a humorous memoir, would it be best to leave my age out or include it in the query?

Thanks for any help!

MandyHubbard · Apr 28, 2014

You're putting the cart before the horse here. Don't worry about in-person meetings.

I've not met most of my clients. I didn't meet my initial agent until we'd worked together for 3 years, and I met my first editor (at Penguin) a year after signing the deal and a month after the book came out. You really don't need a sit-down with them unless you want to for fun.

Kerosene · Apr 28, 2014

If you have one or some planned with agents/editors who work with memoirs, awesome.
However, I've only heard of rare cases of writers finding success from doing so.

Jo Zebedee · Apr 28, 2014

I've never met my agent and three of four agented friends haven't either. It hasn't been a barrier, but I'd like to some time (we nearly did at a conference last year but I got the message too late.) a personal meeting before the offer of rep wouldn't have been relevant as it was the mss that was on show, not me. Afterwards, it would be nice but not essential.

Meeting with agent or publisher

tomz563

MandyHubbard

Once Upon a Time....

Kerosene

Your Pixie Queen

Jo Zebedee

space opera-popcorn lover!