 Please remember these articles are copyrighted. If you wish permission to use an article in any way, other than reading it for your own education and entertainment, please contact Joan Reeves for permission. Email and hard copy addresses are scattered throughout this site. Older articles are collected in Archives. For more articles, visit Sling Words.   Authors Guild Build A Web Site Category Romance Gila Queen The Motivated Writer Preditors and Editors Romance Writers of America RWA, Bay Area Houston Chapter RWA, Mystery-Suspense Chapter RWA, NW Houston Chapter RWA, West Houston Chapter Romantic Times Magazine Sisters in Crime Writers Beware Writers Digest Magazine |
  For the next few months, I'll focus on the Business of Writing by providing, for your consideration, information about the all-important subject of AGENTS. by Joan Reeves Here are 5 questions to ask a prospective agent about how your relationship will work. 1. What is your style of agenting? Hands-on? Hands-off? Mommy? Tyrant? Boss? 2. Are you interested in helping me build a career? If so, how will you help me plan my career? 3. How often will you communicate with me regarding my submitted manuscripts? 4. If I want to change genres or add another genre to my repertoire, how will you react? 5. How do you react when a client disagrees with you regarding your strategy for a submission? 6. What do you do if you don't like a manuscript or proposal I send to you? 7. Do you brainstorm ideas with clients from a marketing standpoint? 8. What would you do if I don't get a contract right away? 9. What would you do if I get dropped by my publisher? 10. If I currently have a publisher, what will you do to improve my position with that publisher? by Joan Reeves 1. What, if any, fees do you charge and why? Some agents charge an office fee, and their clients pay it willingly. Decide if that’s part of the package you can live with. 2. Do you send an accounting of the office fees or is it a flat fee? 3. What percentage commissions do you charge for various rights sold? Be wary of any agent who wants to represent self-published works or ebooks because most don’t. That’s an area that an author can easily represent herself. 4. Do you maintain separate escrow or trust accounts for client funds? 5. Do you have a separate signatory for the client account in case of your death or incapacitation? 6. How do I get my money if you become incapacitated of die? Things happen. Know in advance what to do. 7. Do you have a surety bond? 8. Do you maintain some sort of error, omission or fidelity insurance? 9. If I ever have to return an advance, do you forfeit the commission? 10. Do you send 1099 forms and a year-end statement? by Joan Reeves March 2008 Here are 5 ways to research agents. 1. Post to the lists and ask if anyone has information about the prospective agent. Request they contact you by private email so you can pick their brain. 2. Google the agent’s name and read whatever you find on the agent's work experience past and present. 3. Check the name on Preditors and Editors and at Writer Beware. 4. If you are a member of RWA or another professional writers’ organization, call the head office and ask if there were any complaints filed against said agent. 5. Ask the agent for references by asking for names and contact information for some of his or her clients then contact them. You wouldn’t hire someone to replace your roof without references would you?  "There is nothing so important as the book can be." Maxwell Perkins Copyright 2002-2008 by Joan Reeves. All rights reserved. For permission to reproduce anything on this web site, please contact: Joan Reeves, P. O. Box 1045, Richmond TX 77406-1045 or email: joan @ |
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