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RE: agents

Here's an excerpt from a mediabistro.com seminar transcript about agents. It seems right on target to me.
 
Clark: You write your proposal or you start to write your proposal. Usually you need to go to an agent with a proposal. So you want to work really hard on getting the best proposal that you can. Now, chances are your agent is going to make you rewrite it. That's fine, that's helpful, that's good, you want that. But that's why you want to find an agent who is on the same wavelength as you so you're rewriting it in a way that you actually think is going to help you and it's going to be better. So you send a proposal, you can send it to as many agents as you want. What you should do actually if you want to find an agent, just go online and Google agents and you'll come up with a list. Another thing to do is go to your favorite books, your recent favorite books, read the acknowledgements. And everybody thanks their agent, or most people who like their agent will thank their agent. So that's another good way to get names. Then you can just do a Google search to find their addresses. And if you don't have an introduction to them, it's fine to just send a letter, send the proposal, and write a really good pitch letter. You're going to write the proposal, and they're going to understand what the book is, but you need to say it in five sentences or less in the actual pitch letter to the agent, which is exactly what I'm going to have you all do, when we do our little exercise, is write your idea in five sentences or less. So you're going to have that when you walk out of this room, so you're going to be able to write that in your pitch letter to your agent.

Usually what you'll do is, the agent will have their standard contract. You'll decide if you want to sign it, you'll go with the agent, and you make an agreement with them that they're going to represent you. Then what they do is send the proposal out. They have the relationship with all the publishers. They take them to lunch, whatever, they have their people that they like to work with, and then they'll send your proposal out for you. And they'll manage the sale of the book. They'll manage any auctions. They'll take care of all that. Then once the book is actually sold they'll walk you through the contract process. Then they get the checks and then they pay you, so that's it. And then they hold your hand and they take you out to lunch. It's good.

Question: Should you ever be concerned about an agent that's got a lot of other writers that they're working with? As far as getting back to you, or-

Clark: You know what, if your agent doesn't call you back in a timely fashion, fire them. That's unacceptable. Seriously, you need to have a working relationship with someone that's acceptable to you. I don't know how long a phone call not returned is good for you, but for me if someone doesn't call me back in like two or three days, and I call again and they still don't call me back, that's unacceptable. Especially when they're making money from me. So just watch it. And you're not going to know that though until you start a relationship with them. But you can absolutely fire your agent, so don't worry about being trapped. Even if you sign a contract, usually there's a get-out-of-jail-free card, so just make sure it's there.

 

Sarah Kinbar
Associate Editor
Garden Design Magazine
460 N. Orlando Ave.  Suite 200
Winter Park, FL 32789

407.571.4824

www.gardendesignmag.com

 
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