So you’ve been querying agents for awhile and have gotten good responses. You have a couple of fulls out and are feeling pretty good about how things are progressing. And then, you open your email and discover that one of your possible agents wants to talk to you, on the phone.
It’s THE CALL!
Once you recover from your feelings of awestruck glee, you should take a some time to prepare.
Here are a list of questions you may want to consider asking your prospective dream agent.
- Are you a member of AAR?
- Honestly, you should already know the answer to this one. You did do your homework, didn’t you? But just in case you don’t know, ask. You really want to hear a yes on this one. If the answer is no, ask why not.
- Who do you represent? Can I contact them?
- Remember, as flattered and excited as you will be to have a real live agent want to talk with, and possibly offer to represent you, this is a two way street. While she is scoping you out, you should be scoping right back to ensure that the relationship will be a good fit. Don’t be afraid to interview her.
- What are your strengths?
- Ideally, your dream agent will be strong in the areas where you feel you need the most help. Do you need editorial input? Marketing advice? Help with career planning? Make sure he has what you need.
- What do you read for fun?
- This question may help you discern if you are a style match. That’s not to say you should dismiss someone out of hand if she enjoys different genres than you, but this question may help you get a better feel for what (other than your fabulous book) she enjoys, and what she may be hoping for from you as far as future projects.
- How many deals did you do last year? Who with?
- Again, this will just help you to get a feel for where someone is in their career. Someone fairly new to agenting will likely have lower sales numbers than someone who has spent years building their career. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is good to know.
- Is this your full-time job?
- This goes along with the prior question.
- Do you have a plan for pitching my manuscript? What publishers do you think would be a good fit?
- If you are certain your work is Big Six quality, but your prospective agent is considering pitching to smaller independent publishers, you should ask why. Perhaps your expectations are set too high, but maybe not. This is a good time to discuss that.
Of course you’ll also want to discuss commissions (no more than 15%), who handles sub rights and what those commissions are (standard is 20%), and how expenses like postage and copying are handled.
One last thing, remember Yog’s Law: Money flows toward the writer. Always.
A reputable agent will only get paid if you do. If he asks for reading fees, admin fees, or other such fees – hang up the phone.
You’ll need the line clear for an agent who is a real dream.
Did I miss anything? What should you ask when you get THE CALLl?
