Comments on: What Should Your Agent Know About You?

By: Sharon A. Lavy

Sharon A. Lavy — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:04:45 +0000

>Renee cracks me up!

By: Renee Gold

Renee Gold — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 03:27:15 +0000

>HI Rachelle,

Ask them how they order at Starbucks. You can tell a lot about an author that way. Are they an Americano, Espresso Macchiato, or a Cafe-Au-Lait kind of writer? Hot or iced? Tall, Grande, or Venti? I might be kidding, but, maybe not. Coffee is an important part of the writer’s life. It could be revealing...

I love the world famous and sought after, Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, made in the Clover Machine, with a sprinkle of skim milk….or, a Frappuccino in any size. Both beverages are best sellers

Thank you for your generous question and phenomenal blog!

By: Charise

Charise — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 02:33:48 +0000

>I think you've had some good suggestions. Along those lines, I think asking how a writer feels about the other part of being a writer (other than the writing). Are they able/willing/eager (or none of the above) to do the marketing necessary to be successful? Do they possess these skills or are they willing to develop them? On the writing/craft end of things, what are they doing to improve their ability.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:58:33 +0000

>I would not be pleased to be given most of these Rorschach-test questions. Ask me what you need to know and get on with the business at hand.

By: Chris Clausen

Chris Clausen — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:10:09 +0000

>Rachelle,

I would recommend adding some questions to identify your author's skillsets, resources and connections which might be helpful when developing a marketing plan for the author and for their work. Ie. Please identify skillsets which would prove helpful in marketing a book>

Check all skillsets which you have proficiency and prior work experience:
-Public Relations
-Editing
-Graphic Design
-Web marketing
-Public Speaking
-Sales (business to consumer)
-Sales (business to business)
-Marketing

You get the idea. Might also be good to identify business/personal contacts that could be of help.
-publishers
-retailers
-media

Though judicious use of LinkedIn might just get you all that. Not sure if agents link to their authors.

Seems like authors will need to be heavily involved in marketing their work and selling their work. Might be good to identify strengths/weaknesses and resources that will make that job a potential success.

By: nightwriter

nightwriter — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 17:40:22 +0000

>An agent doesn’t need to know our life story to be successful. Rather, I’d want them to know what motivates me, how I like to interact/communicate, my goals and expectations, and how I work with deadlines, etc. In turn, I’d want to know what to expect and when, how they operate, best times for contact, etc. I’d rather have an agent with similar work styles so we can function as a team, not as opposites.

By: Glynis

Glynis — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 09:50:11 +0000

>Building a relationship this way, is an excellent idea.One question I would like to be asked, is: What are you prepared to do for your book, should you be published?I have writer friends who say it is up to the publisher to promote. I disagree, I think I have a responsibility to see my book through all stages of its life.Nissi Peters

By: Pat

Pat — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 13:37:59 +0000

>Rachelle,This is a wonderful idea. I have read each of these suggestions and can’t think of a thing to add. These folks are smart! Thank you for being so transparent on your blog, sharing the role and expectations of an agent. Your visionary and progressive style is a blessing. I am THRILLED to be one of those clients soon to receive a questionnaire!BTW, did you receive what you wanted from me??

By: Sharon A. Lavy

Sharon A. Lavy — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 12:58:17 +0000

>As I read this continually growing list I would cringe if I thought they would all go in a questionnaire. But I think they are wonderful ideas to use in conversation with a client or potential client as and agent and writer get to know one another.

By: DiscoveredJoys

DiscoveredJoys — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 08:51:13 +0000

>There are some terrific questions here – I’ll have to go away and think about my own answers.My only word of caution is questionnaire design. Good design is quite difficult to achieve. A particular problem that may trip you up is that how you word the question may prime the client to respond in a particular way – which may not be as ‘honest’ as you want. So for instance if you ask people ‘Where do you want to be in 10 years time?’ some will be able to tell you straight away. Others may not have considered the question seriously before but will make up an answer they think will satisfy you. How will you be able to tell which is which (they are fiction writers after all)? Good design can help you tease out the difference.

By: Wendy Bertsch

Wendy Bertsch — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 07:24:34 +0000

>Since we, as authors, are expected to participate enthusiastically in marketing as well as write, you should understand the demands on my time. Do I have pressing family responsibilities? Is my day job demanding or flexible? Do I need long vacations, or will short getaways do? A description o recent vacations should paint the picture.It might be helpful to get a sense of my comfort with the internet and social media. They’re becoming more and more essential to book marketing every day, and you need to know if you’ll have to deal with resistance.

By: Judith Robl

Judith Robl — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 07:10:06 +0000

>Maybe I missed it in this super list of great questions, but I think I’d ask: What hinders your writing?Is it a major stumbling block, or just a nuisance?

By: Sana Quijada

Sana Quijada — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 03:47:32 +0000

>Hello Rachelle. I’m enjoying your blog and growing because of u. thx. I’d like u to ask me, why i’m writing. what’s it doing for me. aside from making truck-loads of money, what do i hope to get out of the writing process as well as end results. if we don’t get real from the start, our agenda’s may not get in sync. Have a great week-end yourself. Keep on!

By: Old Salt

Old Salt — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 03:14:30 +0000

>I think the first question should be, “What do you expect of me?”