For aspiring authors, getting "the call" from a literary agent is a monumental step. It means an agent has read your manuscript and is interested enough in your writing to discuss potential representation. This call signals that your work has caught the agent's attention amidst the huge slush pile they sift through daily.
While not a guarantee of representation, an agent requesting a call is their chance to learn more about you as an author and determine if you'd be a good fit to work together. For you, it's an opportunity to ask questions, convey your passion for the project, and get a sense of the agent's approach and vision for your work.
The main goals of an initial call with a literary agent are to:
Get a sense of compatibility and fit. This call allows you to assess if the agent is someone you'd have a productive working relationship with. You want to see if your communication styles, personalities, and visions for your book align.
Convey your enthusiasm and professionalism. The call is an opportunity to showcase your passion and demonstrate that you are a committed, serious writer ready to put in the work required of a publishing deal.
Start to build rapport and trust. A strong author-agent partnership is built on mutual understanding and trust. Use this initial conversation to begin establishing that foundation of rapport.
Signing with a reputable literary agent is crucial for authors seeking publication by major trade houses. An agent's editorial guidance and industry knowledge can significantly boost your chances of securing a book deal and reaching a broad audience. So what do you actually ask when you get one of these calls?
Key questions to ask a literary agent:
1. Ask about their background
One of the first things you'll want to know is what types of books and authors they have represented successfully. Does their expertise align with your writing goals? Or if they are new to agenting, do they have an experienced mentor working with them? If they don't have many deals under their belt, politely ask why. There may be a reason: traditional publish is slow so maybe their deals haven't been announced yet. Perhaps their client list is still quite small or they've only been agenting for a short while. Otherwise, that could be a red flag.
Agents typically represent authors rather than manuscripts, so it's important to understand their overall experience. If this agent offers on your picture book, but you also want to write adult non-fiction in the future, you'll want to know whether or not this agent has experience representing both genres. And if they don't, what does that mean for you?
Some good questions to consider:
How long have you been an agent and how did you get started in this career?
What genres or types of books do you typically represent? Do you have particular areas of expertise?
What authors do you currently work with that I may be familiar with?
Are there any particular writing strengths, styles or voices you're looking to add to your list?
Understanding their background and interests will help gauge if you may be a good fit to work together. Don't be afraid to ask for examples or have them expand on their answers.
2. Ask about your manuscript
One of the key things you'll want to understand is the agent's perspective on what made your manuscript stand out from the crowd. Don't worry about spoilers—the agent will have read your full manuscript before offering (and if they didn't...🚩🚩🚩)
What do you think are the strongest aspects of my manuscript?
What revisions or changes do you think it needs, if any?
What unique elements resonated with you?
How do you think my writing style and this book fit into the current market?
How do you envision pitching and selling my book to publishers?
While the questions about a literary agent's experience will help you get a general feel for them, asking specific questions about your manuscript will give you a deeper dive into what your partnership might look like, should you both move forward.
3. Ask about their working style
Agents are people too and many of them have a day job. Ask them details about the logistics, like:
How editorial are you?
How involved do you like to be during the writing process?
How do you prefer to communicate with authors - by email, phone, video calls? How frequently?
4. Ask about their strategy
One of the key reasons for your call with a literary agent is to understand their vision and strategy for your book. Don't be afraid to dive into specifics about how they plan to position and pitch your manuscript.
Describe your strategy for submitting my manuscript to publishers.
A reputable agent will have relationships and insights into different publishing houses that could be a good fit. They should be able to articulate a clear path for getting your book in front of the right editors and publishers.
Do you have any particular editors in mind for my book?
Top agents often have existing relationships with specific editors at publishing houses. If the agent already has target editors in mind who they think would be enthusiastic about your concept, that's a great sign of investment in your project.
During the Call
Some agents will offer right then and there with you on the line, but others will think it through and reach out later. Don't assume you've been offered representation just yet. The agent may want to have this exploratory call before making any commitments. Avoid asking about contract terms unless the agent brings it up first. Your focus should be on determining mutual interest and asking any questions you have.
After the Call
The agent will likely provide guidance on next steps and a general timeline for when you can expect to hear back from them. Once you have an official offer of representation, your next step is to notify any other agents who are currently considering your manuscript so they can bump you up in their reading queue.
The first literary agent to offer you representation should give you a minimum of 2 weeks to consider the offer and give them an answer. This also allows literary agents who already have your query materials to throw their hat in the ring, if they also love your manuscript.
Take your time making a decision. If you have follow up questions, ask them. Do your research, contact other authors represented by that agent, and think it through. Some would argue that a bad agent is actually worse than no agent so I can't stress enough how important it is to find a good fit.
Want help navigating the querying process? Check out our Kidlit Query Kit!
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