5 Lessons from my Agent Appointment

I had my very first agent appointment at the GLVWG conference at the end of March. I scored time with Michelle Humphreys, an agent with the Martha Kaplan Agency. Since this was a little bit different than most professional meetings I’m used to, I had to get a little bit of a game plan together before I went in for my appointment.

Be professional, but friendly and upbeat. My appointment was the last item on my schedule for the day, so this meant I was Michelle’s last appointment of the day, as well. It didn’t matter—I’ve gone into enough business meetings to know that no matter what time you’re scheduled, you have to act like this is the first thing you’ve done all day. I can’t imagine how jam-packed Michelle’s schedule must have been (there were nearly 200 attendees and only about 4-5 agents), but she was upbeat, as nice as could be, and most importantly, interested in what I had to say, which was a great sign. I tried to match her friendly, easygoing tone and hoped my nerves didn’t show (but just in case, I told her flat out that I was really nervous!)

Keep it short. I was only given a 10 minute slot for my pitch, so I had to keep it short and sweet. No problem there. I saw many folks with note cards and even heard a few practicing their pitch. Not a bad idea, especially for a manuscript with several characters or plot twists.

Talk about yourself (a little). I just reminded myself that Michelle was a professional, yes, but if things went well, we might be working a bit closely together, so I saw no harm in talking about myself a bit. She asked me about my other writing projects and we talked a little bit about the area where I live. She was super sweet and friendly, which went a long way toward putting me at ease.

Have more to pitch. Once I got through my initial spiel, I was encouraged when she asked me if I’m working on anything else. Unfortunately, the first response that came out of my mouth was a project I’d just been talking about with my friend Jodi on the way to the conference—a bit of an experimental work that I know would probably not be a huge bestseller. I completely blanked on any information about another idea that’s been stewing in my mind for a few weeks—an idea that would probably be much more marketable and successful and would no doubt have held her interest, giving me two projects to send her way. Oh well—I’ll have to remember to include that in my query.

Leave the manuscript at home. To be honest, the agents don’t feel like lugging around dozens of manuscripts even more than the authors don’t feel like lugging them to the conference in the first place. So make it easier on everyone and stick to emailing what the agent suggests—leave the 700 pages at home and just work on polishing a stellar pitch that will make the agent immediately excited about your project!

Any other advice for meeting with industry pros?

Guest Post: Are You Ready for an Agent?

by Laura Cross

Have you researched agents and created an agent file?
Individual agents within each literary agency represent specific types of books. If you approach an agent who does not consider your particular genre, you have wasted your time submitting a pitch. A well researched and focused approach will help you acquire the right agent more quickly. You can download a free chapter on “Finding and Selecting Agents” from my book The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent at www.GetALiteraryAgent.com

Do you have a pitch package?
An agent expects you to know the selling points of your book and be able to convey them effectively with your pitch package. For fiction writers, a pitch package consists of a query letter, synopsis, and completed manuscript. For nonfiction writers, your pitch package is made up of a query letter, book proposal, and two sample chapters.

Is your novel or book idea marketable?A key component to acquiring an agent and publishing deal is a marketable product. Below are questions you can answer to determine the marketability of your idea or book to an agent.

1. Does a nearly identical book already exist?
If a book already exists that is almost identical to your idea you will have trouble selling yours to an agent or publisher. You will need to ensure and show an agent how your book will be better than the ones already on the market.

2.How large is the potential audience for your book?
Who will buy your book? A valuable resource for determining how many potential readers there are for your subject matter is to browse the sales ranks of similar books on the market and review the bestseller lists in your genre. Publishers Weekly magazine (www.publishersweekly.com) provides bestseller lists, and columns on “Retail Sales” and “Trends and Topics” that you may find helpful. The New York Times’ book review section (www.nytimes.com/pages/books) also lists bestsellers by category. The Web site Titlez (www.titlez.com) allows you to track Amazon.com sales rank history by keyword, title, or author and compare similar books by genre or title.

3. Does your book have series potential?Spin-off or series potential is not mandatory to sell your manuscript or book idea, but an agent or publisher is more interested in projects that begat more product. Books with spin-off or series potential are considered more valuable.

Do you have a platform and strong promotion plan?Agents and publishers prefer authors who have an established platform. If you are a nonfiction writer, especially, your ability to promote your book will be vital for acquiring an agent and a book deal.

Have you mapped out a writing career?
Agents represent writing careers, not authors who write only one book. They look for authors who have a vision and plan for their writing careers. Before approaching an agent it’s a good idea to have a clear understanding of what you want to accomplish with your writing and the next step along your path as an author.

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Laura Cross is an author, screenwriter, ghostwriter, freelance book editor, and writing coach specializing in nonfiction books and script adaptation (book-to-film projects). She writes two popular blogs, www.NonfictionInk.com and www.AboutAScreenplay.com, and teaches online writing workshops www.ScenarioWritingStudio.com/workshops. Her latest book is The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent: Everything You Need To Know To Become Successfully Published. You can download a free chapter, view the book trailer, read the full table of contents, and purchase the eBook at www.GetALiteraryAgent.com.

Guest Post: Literary Agent: Yes or No?

by Priscilla Y. Huff

A recent article in “Galley Cat,” e-zine of Mediabistro.com debated whether authors will need agents any more, now that they can upload their manuscripts to various services and sell them directly to readers (http://tinyurl.com/yzaja6k). My own experience is that I have had one agent. She was professional and negotiated a new revision for one of my books; and contract for a new book. When I decided to venture into different areas of writing, though, I chose to approach publishers on my own. I am fortunate that I also have an excellent lawyer who has advised me on the content of several writing project contracts. My published writer-friends do and do not have agents and each has his/her own opinion on the subject. You will have to conduct your own research and decide whether or not to seek an agent to represent your work. As to what to expect from an agent:

Agents will expect authors to know what types of manuscripts they represent (See “Suggested Resource"). Find out before you contact an agent if they handle your genre of writing.

Agents are the mediators between publishers and editors and you like to stay on good terms with both parties; so the agent will do her best to see that each side is satisfied. She is not going to alienate them with antagonistic tactics on your behalf, because she wants to maintain a good rapport with those in her industry.

Do not expect frequent updates from agents. Some stay better-connected with their authors than others; but most are occupied with additional writers and reading manuscripts from new clients and other business matters. They will contact you when they have or want information.

Having an agent is not a guarantee that she will find you a publisher. If your manuscript has not sold in a year or so she may no longer want to search for a buyer for it. Then it’s back to you to decide to approach another agent or to market it on your own.

Agents are not publicists. They search for publishers and negotiate contracts, but it is your responsibility to create your book’s marketing plan. Competition is fierce for paying readers. As you write your book, you should also be planning talks, workshops, a web site, and other promotional tactics to sell your book’s copies. This also increases your chances of receiving a book contract when a publisher knows you, the author, will actively help promote it. No matter how good an agent is, she still has to have quality work to sell. Hone your writing skills to produce the best writing you can do and that will gratify your readers. If you do that, your book will practically sell itself with the “buzz” of excited readers’ word-of-mouth referrals.

**Based on the article “What Your Literary Agent Won’t Do” by Fern Reiss, CEO of PublishingGame.com (www.PublishingGame.com) and Expertizing.com (www.Expertizing.com); and author of The Publishing Game: Find an Agent in 30 Days, The Publishing Game: Bestseller in 30 Days, and The Publishing Game: Publish a Book in 30 Days as well as several other award-winning books.

Additional Suggested Resource: Jeff Herman's Guide To Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents 2009 (19th Edition)

Who They Are! What They Want! How To Win Them Over! by Jeff Herman