A Kind Of Call
Some of you (specifically T. Anne *grin*) were wondering about the call.
Well, it came as a surprise and was different than I expected. I had some fulls out but Les only had a proposal. I'd sent a status-check e-mail and he asked me a few questions about the story. Next thing I knew, he sent another e-mail offering representation.
So it wasn't a phone call, but that was fine with me.
I was nervous and excited. I had to keep rereading that e-mail to see if it said what I thought it did.
After that, I contacted the list of agents who had my full. There's a certain process to follow in this type of situation and I wanted to make sure I did it right. The BookEnds blog and Rachelle Gardner's blog both have archived posts on how to handle an offer of representation. For my checklist, I used a post on Nathan Bransford's site. HERE
The stats on responses were kind of interesting. Out of four agents who'd recently requested the full, one immediately declined representation, another never responded, and the remaining two said they'd read it over the weekend. Of those two, one got it read and also offered representation.
That made me even more nervous!
This is why it's really important to know what your priorities are when selecting an agent. It's also important not to be afraid to ask questions, especially if you can't find the answers online.
In the end, after praying and worrying and pestering my writer friends :-), I felt like I should go with industry veteran, Les Stobbe.
Does he meet all my secret hopes for an agent? Like a marriage, no. But I really love his strengths and I don't mind his weaknesses. I had to figure out my priorities and what would matter to me.
So I e-mailed him back and accepted his wonderful offer. :-)
I think with this whole process it's important to show thankfulness, to be polite and considerate of those agents involved.
What are your priorities when it comes to an agent? If two offered you representation, how would you choose?
Well, it came as a surprise and was different than I expected. I had some fulls out but Les only had a proposal. I'd sent a status-check e-mail and he asked me a few questions about the story. Next thing I knew, he sent another e-mail offering representation.
So it wasn't a phone call, but that was fine with me.
I was nervous and excited. I had to keep rereading that e-mail to see if it said what I thought it did.
After that, I contacted the list of agents who had my full. There's a certain process to follow in this type of situation and I wanted to make sure I did it right. The BookEnds blog and Rachelle Gardner's blog both have archived posts on how to handle an offer of representation. For my checklist, I used a post on Nathan Bransford's site. HERE
The stats on responses were kind of interesting. Out of four agents who'd recently requested the full, one immediately declined representation, another never responded, and the remaining two said they'd read it over the weekend. Of those two, one got it read and also offered representation.
That made me even more nervous!
This is why it's really important to know what your priorities are when selecting an agent. It's also important not to be afraid to ask questions, especially if you can't find the answers online.
In the end, after praying and worrying and pestering my writer friends :-), I felt like I should go with industry veteran, Les Stobbe.
Does he meet all my secret hopes for an agent? Like a marriage, no. But I really love his strengths and I don't mind his weaknesses. I had to figure out my priorities and what would matter to me.
So I e-mailed him back and accepted his wonderful offer. :-)
I think with this whole process it's important to show thankfulness, to be polite and considerate of those agents involved.
What are your priorities when it comes to an agent? If two offered you representation, how would you choose?
Comments
Melissa, I hope so...:-) Hopefully I'll be reading some news on your end soon!
This is so awesome! And I love that you prayed. I think that is where a lot of my clarity has come from in the past few weeks.
~ Wendy
My friend, Clella Camp is one of Les' clients, and she really likes him. I believe he will work hard to help you succeed. One of the best things about a veteran agent is they know what works and what doesn't.
Congratulations, my dear!! Here, have a chocolate covered caramel.
Wendy, yep, nothing like praying to help us see things clearly. I hope you find that agent who falls in love with your work. :-)
Megan R, wow, your comments are so sweet! Thank you.
Lynn, I tried to be strategic, even though strategy isn't my strong point. :-) Thanks for stopping by!
Hey Jeanette,
Yep, I saw that on her website. I also met her at my first conference, though I doubt she remembers me. I agree about Les. I asked a few questions and he had all this industry info to share with me. I was def. impressed!
Thanks for the caramel. Why don't you come over and we'll share a box? :-)
Thanks Jennie and Jaime! And Jaime, it just happened and I haven't posted about it much...:-)
I'm so happy for you! Thanks for giving us the story on how you landed an agent.
I need an agent, who will be as passionate about my book as I am. It's also important that we have a good rapport. This is one reason I like meeting agents face-to-face at writers conferences.
Blessings,
Susan :)
Susan, I totally agree about that. I think it also helps agents to know who they'd want to work with too.
Heh.
Have a great day in the blogasphere, BQE!
I'm so thrilled to learn about your good report. You've been wonderful to me. I am saying a prayer that you will have wonderful success. Blessings galore!
Thanks, too, for the link about agent representation. I appreciate the resource!
I've never had two offers at once...I can only imagine what I'd do!
So excited for you, girl!!!
Happy, happy weekend!
Karen
Hi Nancy,
I don't know if I have class but I sure didn't want to burn any bridges or be unprofessional, so hopefully I answered okay.
The rest of you, thank you so much for your congrats and excitement. It makes things seem a little more real to me. :-)
It was nice to step outta my writing cave and say hi.
Hmmm. I guess I love Natasha's passion for books. It's so cool to share that with her.
Blessings,
Patti
CONGRATS!
As for choosing, I think you know deep inside who you can work with, who gets your book, who will be your truest champion. That comes when you talk to them.
Katie, thanks for the sweet comment. I HOPE I handled it okay. Time will tell, right? And I hope to hear wonderful news from you soon too!
Thanks Jill! I tried... I'm just really thankful for the author and agent posts around the web. I definitely used those to guide me.
Elana, thank you! People are always falling through my cracks, so no worries. It's def. been awhile since I hit up anyone's blogs. Tomorrow is the day....