Agents
| Agents, Publishing
How to Fire Your Agent
(Encore presentation of a previous post.)There comes a time in every agent’s life when one of their clients needs to move on. Yep. We all get fired by an author at some point. It isn’t pleasant, but it’s a reality in business. What are some reasons writers opt to terminate their agency relationship? I think…
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Reading for a Living
A Woman Reading by Claude Monet, 1872Everyone knows that agents and editors are reading practically all the time. We read queries and manuscripts of people hoping to secure representation, we read the manuscripts of our clients, and we read as many published books as possible – partly because we love reading, and partly because we…
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Behind the Scenes… "The Call"
Me: Hello, may I speak with New Author? New Author: Speaking. Me: Hi, this is Rachelle Gardner. How are you today? NA: I’m fine…wait…did you say Rachelle Gardner? Me: Yep. NA: This is Kelly, isn’t it. Ha ha, very funny, Kelly. Me: Um, no. It’s Rachelle. Would you rather speak with Kelly? NA: No! Uh-oh.…
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In Search of Specific Information
Lately I’ve been hearing complaints from writers that agents are not specific enough in telling writers what kinds of projects they’re looking for. On my post “Too Much Information?” I received several comments that echoed this opinion from A3Writer: Agents are sometimes a little closed-mouthed about what they are looking for. I love the agents…
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Your Questions, My Answers
Okay, here are more questions I’ve received lately. I’ll warn you right now, my answers are NOT FUNNY. They are, in fact, boring. Sorry. JR Beasley said:I have queried multiple agents. One agent has requested a full manuscript and three others are reviewing partials. When offered representation by an agent, what is the proper protocol…
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What Does an Agent Offer?
I’m gathering information about what works for writers in the agent/client relationship. So here’s a question for all you agented authors out there: What do you appreciate most about your agent? I’m interested in hearing all kinds of opinions. Some areas you may consider addressing: -The working relationship-Your agent’s style (i.e. more businesslike; more relational,…
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Your Questions Sweetly Answered
Kati Patrianoceu asked…Do you get tired of writing about the same things on your blog over and over? Do you enjoy writing dozens of blogs about good-and-bad-queries, or does it drive you nuts?I like writing the same things over and over. I like writing the same things over and over. I like writing the same…
Read More | About Me, Agents
How I Became an Agent
Recently on the blog, Kelsey Sutton asked… I’d like to know why and how you began your career as an agent. Would you change any of your choices? Best and worst aspects of your job?Since many people express an interest in becoming an agent and ask me how to do it, I thought I’d explain…
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What to Ask an Agent
I’ve received several questions lately about how to handle things when an agent calls (or multiple agents call) offering representation. How do you decide what to do? It’s exciting to get The Call, but it also means you’re going to want to find out as much as possible about the agent before agreeing to representation.…
Read More | Agents, Just for Fun, Publishing
You Might Be an Agent If…
You know Jeff Foxworthy, right? You might be a redneck if…You think “loading the dishwasher” means getting your wife drunk. You ever cut your grass and found a car. You own a home that is mobile and 5 cars that aren’t. You think the stock market has a fence around it. Your stereo speakers used…
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Darn Lazy Agents!
An anonymous commenter on Friday wrote: “It’s hard to know if agents/editors are rejecting you because of the economy or genre or market or what. All they say now is they doubt they can sell it – well, then I don’t want a lazy agent anyway.” I’m sure most agents reading that would just have…
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Differing Advice on Signing with an Agent
Yesterday we started our week of discussing mixed messages, so today I want to continue by addressing some contradictory advice on signing with an agent. With so many agents and others writing blogs, it’s natural that many of us are saying things in opposition to one another. As a writer, it must be hard for…
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One-Sentence Summary Critiques & Tips
Today I’m offering some thoughts on a few of the one-sentence summaries that were entered in the contest. Sometimes it’s helpful to see what’s not quite working, in order to learn how to do it better. Maybe these examples will help you spot something you can improve with your own pitch. We’ll group them according…
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