BEING AGENTED IRL – Part Three

A Twenty-Five-Question Interview Published as a Five Part Series

Part One Part Two

| Hosted by MM Finck |

| Anonymously Answered By Agented Authors* with Varying Publishing Career Durations and Successes from Debut to Bestselling and Represented by Multiple Literary Agencies of Varying Sizes |

QUESTION ELEVEN

Historically, how many story ideas do you pitch before your agent greenlights one? Has that changed over the course of your career?

Abha: I had a two-book deal with my publisher, and only recently sent a proposal for a third book to my agent, which she loved. After this third book, I will have to decide what to write about for my forth and I’ll definitely ask for her input.

Anna: It’s been 2 ideas/1 book, and 1 idea/1 book.

Billie: Usually only a couple.  I don’t do a scattershot kind of thing–I usually know when an idea is sound or not.

Carly: My agent has pitched 100% of my ideas and sold all of them as well. She has offered advice on timing – I’m almost ready to pitch again, but she wants to wait until my third book is released so that we can make a stronger case with (hopefully) strong sales numbers.

Cowriters N: Our discussions with our agent are collaborative—we decide what to write but always welcome her support and listen to any objections she may have.

Emma: I pitched my current book to her and she rejected the first several ideas until we agreed on this one. I’m in the midst of finishing this novel.

Evelyn: So far I just pitched the one ms and she sold it in a 2-book deal, with the editor buying book 2 sight-unseen (and unwritten!)

Gemma: I’m currently working on getting my debut published, and I’m working on my next book. I pitched the idea to my agent as a part of our initial phone conversation about representation, so she knows what I’m working on. But she doesn’t “greenlight” projects. She wants us to work on what we want to work on, and she’ll figure out a way to sell it.

Jasmine: Three or four. Too soon to tell what our pattern will be.

Joan:  The last time I typed up maybe six short paragraphs, and I think we narrowed it down to maybe four. I always try and give her a handful to run by my editor, but I know if she thought they were all crap, she would tell me.

Katalina: I’m working on proposals right now, and the process involves me blitzing my agent by email with a billion half-formed ideas, and her subsequently responding with what she thinks works and doesn’t work about them.

Nelly: She has never rejected a project.

Padme: She greenlighted all of my ideas, even ones I decided not to pursue once the proposal was fully fleshed out, except one—didn’t even want to see the proposal.

Rala: We do things slightly differently.  I’ll play with an idea, then mention it.  Then I write a paragraph pitch when it’s clearer in my mind.  We discuss, tweak. Has that changed over the course of my career? Not too much.  Since I write in two genres, we build on previous works.

Seraphina: I always like to give three options. That’s always been my thing. I’ve never had to give more than three, but I would if I was having a rough time coming up with something that was both commercial enough and artistically satisfying.

Zaylene: I have always sent him the story that I feel passionately about and he always says yes, write it.

Zoe: This isn’t how my agent works—which I like, actually. I write what I write, and I submit it to her. If she thinks she can sell it, we go forward. If not, she gives me feedback to help me revise, and then I work to get it into something we can successfully market.

QUESTION TWELVE

What does your agent need – telephone conversation, pitch, synopsis, first chapter, first fifty pages, etc. – before she or he greenlights a project? Once it is greenlighted, does that status stick through to submission or has she or he ever later decided, after you’ve worked on it, that it wasn’t the right project for you?

Anna:  My agent doesn’t really greenlight. It’s my career. I wrote 70 pages of one book, happened to mention another idea, and she loved it, so I did that instead since she knows the market and was so enthusiastic.

Carly:  I originally pitched my agent with a query letter and then turned in 50 pages as requested, and then the full. The second time, I sent in five chapters. The third time, she wanted to get us a two-book deal, so I did two chapters of one book and two paragraphs of another. What she’s looking for from me is getting smaller and smaller! She does believe in branding – she advised against my books taking place in different locations and wanted continuity to them, but she pitched them anyway and they all sold. So, she hasn’t mentioned this again.

Cowriters N: We usually throw ideas out over the phone. We try to send the first 30k words to her to make sure we’re on the right page.

Emma: We had a telephone call followed up with a more detailed synopsis and the first 30 pp or so. I don’t know if it will go on submission yet!!

Gemma:  I don’t know yet! I’m still working on book two. My agent doesn’t want to see anything until I’ve taken it as far as I can on my own. She knows what it’s about, we developed the pitch together. But I have a lot of freedom to work on it without her input.

Jasmine: I send a pitch and/or synopsis. Then we have a phone call. Once she’s greenlighted an idea, she has stayed true to it.

Joan:  My typical proposals have been three polished chapters and a synopsis, but one of my books sold on one paragraph. If she thinks the ideas have potential, she’ll always say, “Let’s send it to your editor and get her feedback.”

Katalina:  Once we get an idea that seems good, we’ll work on developing a synopsis, outline, and the first fifty pages to send to my editor.

Nelly:  For the second book, it was already written by the time the first sold. For the next one, I sent a few chapters, I think. For the most recent, I wrote a proposal of about 10 pages. We’ve been working with the same editor all along so once it passed the agent’s desk, it went straight to the editor.

Padme:  I don’t really relate to this question too much as my agent and I don’t have this stoplight language or arrangement. I am a writer; my agent should try to sell my work. If she thinks that for some reason she can’t sell it, I would expect her to give me ideas for improvement or, if she thinks it wouldn’t sell in today’s market, try anyway, since all is subjective on every level in this industry, and something is only out of fashion until the next  great manuscript comes along. If she can’t sell it, I’d figure out what to do with it then (such as sell it myself to a small publisher or self-publish).

Rala:  We do things slightly differently.  I’ll play with an idea, then mention it.  Then I write a paragraph pitch when it’s clearer in my mind.  We discuss, tweak. Has that changed over the course of your career? Not too much.  Since I write in two genres, we build on previous works.

Seraphina:  Usually I pitch my ideas to her over the phone, and then follow up in writing if we’re pitching to my editor.  When I was writing YA, I wrote two full novels that never made it to the submission process. I was bummed at the time, but now I realize why.

Zaylene:  We have a phone conversation and he says run with it.

QUESTION THIRTEEN

What does your agent’s submission strategy look like? ie, a series of small rounds, small round followed up by increasingly larger ones, a large blast, something else. What amount of say, if any, do you have in the strategy?

Anna:  My last book was an option project. My next book is going out conservatively.

Carly:  I think she sent my manuscript out in fairly small batches – she had an “A” list, a “B” list, a “C” list. We were almost moving on to the “B” list when an “A” list offered a contract. She readily shared feedback with me and we made adjustments to the manuscript on comments that we agreed with.

Cowriters N:  She tends to send in smaller rounds.

Emma:  She sends an email blast to a dozen or so editors. I’m not sure if this is the best strategy, as I’ve read many agents will dine with editors and pitch the book ahead of time.

Evelyn:  Being new to the process, she led the way the initial Big Five submissions. We had one “maybe” but couldn’t get a commitment so she submitted her second choice round. When we received an offer from a medium-sized pub she asked if I wanted to wait for a major publisher or negotiate with the house that made the offer. I decided that the enthusiasm put forth by that editor was worth taking the offer.

Gemma: We submitted to about twenty and we knew going in it was all or nothing. If this book didn’t sell, we were ready to work on the next one. And truthfully, I would have been fine with that, since I was SO burned out on those characters and trying to figure out how to fix what still needed to be fixed.

Jasmine:  I only know what she does for me, but I think she has different strategies for different clients and manuscripts. I do make suggestions which she is intermittently open to and annoyed by. The first round, I offered nothing. Since then, I’ve been more assertive about the strategy I wanted. We have the same goal and genuinely like and respect each other so she deals with me and I put my trust in her. She has always been able to get my work in front of every editor either of us was interested in.

Jennifer:  My agent submitted in a series of rounds. Because this is her area of expertise, I really didn’t offer a lot of input in terms of submission strategy.

Joan:  She’s always had a vision for me, and I’ve always listened to her—even though she’s had to hold my hand through a few major changes. But yes, she is totally open to any suggestions I make.

Katalina: When my agent submitted my first book, she made a list of thirteen publishers (most of them Big Five imprints with a couple of smaller presses) and submitted to all of them at once. I know she followed up on them, going out to lunch with the editors we were targeting, etc. She set a deadline for offers, which terrified me but I think ended up working brilliantly.

Nelly:  I let her control the process. That’s why she’s there, after all. There was only one submission and she did two rounds, I think, before it sold.

Padme: My debut experience was that she sent a round of a dozen or so, and as the no’s came in, she replaced those with new submissions to keep a dozen out there—kind of a constantly rolling round until we got a yes. Second time, the same publisher bought my option book. This time we will submit more widely and she not only will send me the editor names in advance to check out, since author circles can have intel to which she might not be privy, but she is also receptive to my suggestions of who to submit to.

Rala:  Sometimes we discuss, but I don’t usually make suggestions.  An agent knows the business, who’s acquiring what, those editors with whom she has a relationship.  

Seraphina:  The last time I went on sub, my agent came up with a list of eight good first round picks. We didn’t need a second round, but I think she had about that many planned for a second go. She asks for my input after she puts the list together. Currently, I’m working on a proposal, in the hopes of selling it to my current publisher. My agent has definitely offered quality guidance regarding this process, and also keeps the lines of communication open with my editor, who will be taking my pitch to the board. My previous agent gave me a list of imprints, but never included the editor’s names. I did not have any input, and if I’d offered my opinion, I think she would have interpreted my involvement in a negative way. To her mind, I needed to trust her instincts.

Zaylene:  He makes giant, broad submissions off his own contact list. He’ll also submit to anyone I ask.

QUESTION FOURTEEN

How open is she or he to your suggestions of editors or houses? (If you don’t make suggestions, please state that.)

Carly:  I did not make suggestions to my agent about where to submit, as I supposed (rightfully) that she already had a strategy.

Cowriters N:  We may make a suggestion here or there, but overall, we trust her to handle the submission process-that’s why we hired her!

Emma:  She was very open with who she was sending to, asked for input on any editors I thought might work, took my advice and was good at sending me feedback only after multiple rejections so that I wouldn’t be discouraged.

Gemma:  I didn’t make any suggestions because my agent’s list had every dream editor’s name on it already.

Jasmine:  The first round, I offered nothing. The second one, I did.

Jennifer:  I did suggest one specific editor based on a #MSWL tweet I saw, but my agent did not seem keen on submitting to this editor, so I deferred to my agent’s judgment.

Joan:  Yes, she is totally open to any suggestions I make.

Katalina: I didn’t make any suggestions—I trusted that she knew more than me!

Padme:  She is receptive to my suggestions of who to submit to.

Rala:  Sometimes we discuss, but I don’t usually make suggestions. I may make the occasional suggestion, but it’s just that.

Seraphina:  The last time I went on sub, my agent came up with a list of eight good first round picks. She asks for my input after she puts the list together. My previous agent gave me a list of imprints, but never included the editor’s names. I did not have any input, and if I’d offered my opinion, I think she would have interpreted my involvement in a negative way. To her mind, I needed to trust her instincts. (replicated, in part, from Q13)

Zaylene:  He’ll submit to anyone I ask.

QUESTION FIFTEEN

Do you have a relationship with your agent’s or agency’s other clients? If so, what is the nature of those relationships?

Abha:  Not really. I know of a few authors whose agents are also with my agency, but we’re not close.

Anna:  Some, just by chance.

Billie:   Not because of the agency, only by circumstance–friends are also at the agency.

Carly: Any relationship I have with other authors at the agency is coincidental. I have heard of other agencies that intentionally foster relationships and that is something I wish they did. I think it would be great to build those friendships and cross-promote. I have thought about instigating that myself, but any time I spend on that will be time away from writing, and I can’t afford that distraction right now.

Cowriters N: Yes! It’s like a sorority—there’s a camaraderie.

Emma: No – except I follow them on Twitter/FB etc.

Gemma:  Not really. My agency is kind of big, with a lot of big name authors who don’t necessarily need to build author community in the same way I do as a debut author. My agent connected me with two of her authors when I was considering signing with her, and they were both lovely. But we don’t keep in touch. We don’t chat. Maybe that will change? I’m okay if it doesn’t.

Jasmine:  A few. I wish I had relationships with more, but I now understand that it’s not always to the agent’s advantage. There is fear that the clients would be sharing unflattering stories or resentment might build for real or perceived different treatments. On the other hand, it could extend the reach of each client’s book news and create greater loyalty to a team.

Jennifer: I am connected with some of my agent’s other clients online and through WFWA. The relationships I have formed with her other clients have been so valuable to me, both personally and professionally. There’s nothing better than the support of fellow writers who can relate to your experiences!   

Joan:  YES! I love my agent-sistas. I’m close to at least three of them.

Nelly:   A little back and forth on Twitter. We are in different genres.

Padme: I count some very good friends among my agency sisters and brothers. I’ve connected with as many as I know about on social media. Any chance I see to surround myself with another supportive community, I take it.

Rala:   [Yes.] Friendly, supportive colleagues.

Seraphina:  So far, I’ve always had an “agent sisters” relationship with my agents’ other clients. Competition is at a minimum; unconditional support is generally given. We tweet and FB about each other’s work, and the general attitude is “ a rising tide lifts all boats.” It’s nice.

Zaylene: He sends prospective clients my way to talk about how great he is. We usually end up staying in touch.

Zoe:  No, but not for lack of my agent creating a great, collective atmosphere. I am sort of crappy at that kind of thing, though I don’t mean to be—might be an offshoot of being self-employed for twenty-plus years in a very solo business. That watercooler thing doesn’t come naturally to me. But it’s a fun, supportive group.

The next issue will feature five more questions.

Not only that!

There will be an accompanying series to follow this one with self-, hybrid-, and indie-pubbed authors.

Our members’ success is our joy and purpose.

*“Author names” were assigned with absolutely no logic (aka, my children made them up; some names may not even be real names) to allow for anonymous candor.

Interviewed by –

MM Finck is a writer, essayist, and offers query letter coaching and opening pages editing as The Query Quill. She is the Vice President, Communications for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She also oversees WWWB’s Interviews and Agents’ Corner segments. Her women’s fiction is represented by Katie Shea Boutillier of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.

She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and past contest chair for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association 2016 Rising Star writing contest for unpublished authors. Her work has appeared in national and regional publications, including skirt! magazine.  http://www.mmfinck.co

Her work has appeared in national and regional publications, including skirt! magazine. When she isn’t working on her work-in-progress PIN UP, you can find her biting her nails over her novel #LOVEIN140 which is currently on submission, belting out Broadway tunes (off key and with the wrong words), screaming herself hoarse over a soccer match (USWNT!), learning to play piano (truly pitifully), building or fixing household things, or otherwise trying to squeeze more than twenty-four hours out of every day. She is active on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Litsy (@MMF). Say hi!  http://www.mmfinck.com/queryquill

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Category: Agents, Contemporary Women Writers, Interviews