A question...

nachonaco_Grippers said:

So, a bit of background, I'm from the midwest. NOT a lot of agents here, as far as I know, and I don't even think there are any in the same state, let alone area code, which means I'd probably not be able to call them.
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I'm not sure I understand why you can't call them. Long distance phoning isn't nearly as expensive as it used to be. Nevertheless, I think e-mail can work. As for meeting face-to-face, I can't answer that one.

They phone you if they are your agent.

Plus if you are in the position of having an agent, then the costs of doing business as a writer, such as phone calls or airfares, can be set against earnings for tax purposes.

I'm in Michigan; my agent is in New York. Most of the time, we use e-mail, but if there's a deal in the works, he usually calls me to discuss the details.

And he'll be flying out to a Chicago convention so we can actually meet and hang out a bit, but that was by no means a mandatory thing. Should be fun, though

nachonaco_Grippers said:

Will I, at some point, need to meet my agent face to face, and if I do, will they reimburse me for the airfare?

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It's nice--though not mandatory--to meet your agent face to face. However, you certainly won't be reimbursed for your expense in doing so.

- Victoria

nachonaco_Grippers said:

My parents hate when I make long distance calls.

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Which tell me that your still quite young, probably still in high school. Nevertheless, I think if you were to explain to your parents that this is a legitimate business call, they might be more willing to allow it. Really, a long distance call can be as cheap as 5 cents a minute with a phone card. That's not a big expense and it's tax deductible, assuming you make enough to itemize. Talk to them.

is this just to send queries out? If so, I'd recommend emails first before you start cold-calling agents to see if they're interested.

if you do get a nibble from a legitimate agent that you've checked out beforehand I doubt your parents would be upset about a business call or two - if it's a legitimate agent discussing a possible book deal.

it'd be a good idea to post your query letter here first and get some opinions before you send them out, imo - never hurts to get all the help you can!

might want to write the book first.

Midwestern Agents

I disagree with your premise. I'm from the heartland and every state, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota etc. has a number of different agents. Chicago has a ton of agents, Twin Cities has at least four. Milwaukee has at least three, Madison one for sure and there are several in some rather small towns in Wisconsin, Iowa etc. Indianapolis has two I know of, probably more. Well, you get the point. Never query until you have a polished manuscript, however. If you have two or three good chapters and try to add on a quick two hundred pages and it's certain the agent will catch on to this trick when s/he reads your work.
Write the novel, let it sit. Then read it, re-write it. Polish! Polish! Polish! A half-dozen passes through a completed work isn't a bad start. How many passes are too many? There is no hard number. As many passes as it takes to make your work as perfect as you can make it.
The second worst thing is being rejected without a fair read. The worst thing is to have an interested agent who's read a few chapters to an unfinished work. If an agent sends a request for manuscript and all you have his the first 30 pages, you're sunk. Stephen King on Mountain Dew with his butt glued to his desk chair and fire ants in his jockeys couldn't type and edit that fast.

Transom-Jumper

transom-jumper said:

I disagree with your premise. I'm from the heartland and every state, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota etc. has a number of different agents. Chicago has a ton of agents, Twin Cities has at least four. Milwaukee has at least three, Madison one for sure and there are several in some rather small towns in Wisconsin, Iowa etc. Indianapolis has two I know of, probably more.

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But are they real agents? Do they have track records?

Location is doubly irrelevant. It's irrelevant because a good agent can set up shop anywhere, as long as she makes regular trips to New York (the center of publishing) to do business and maintain relationships. And it's irrelevant because your agent doesn't need to be close to you--she needs to be close (either physically or through travel) to publishers.

Let an agent's track record, not her location, be your primary guide.

- Victoria

I agree

Yes, Victoria you're right their location is irrelevant. Some of these agencies have been around quite a while with good track records and NY connections. One from (Hayward?) Wisconsin (A small northwestern Wisconsin town for sure) has been around for 20 plus years and has dozens of authors placed with major publishers. So it's up to the author to research that. My agent is a thousand miles away and with e-mails, phone calls etc. it makes no difference.

All my best,
Transom-Jumper