Nancy I. Sanders's Blog, page 81

How to Find an Agent Today

About 4 years ago I decided I was ready to work with an agent again. As I embarked on my search, however, the world was a vastly different place technologically than when I had signed with an agent twice before.

There was a different type of protocol to follow. Now, most agents don’t accept phone calls. Now, most have websites where they list how to submit or contact them.

Each agency has a slightly different protocol they want you to follow if you want to approach them. Some agencies accept e-mail queries. Others expect to receive an entire manuscript in the mail. Some agents accept manuscripts as e-mail attachments. Others state they don’t accept attachments because of viruses. To find out how each different agent works, visit their websites, read their blogs, and attend their sessions at local conferences. Learn what their submissions policies are and follow their guidelines exactly.

Author Interview: Terri Fields

Meet Author Terri Fields!

Web site: Terri Fields

Facebook: The Most Dangerous

Bio:

Terri Fields (Burro’s Tortillas, The Most Dangerous) sees the world around her in terms of the wonderful stories it reveals. She has written nineteen books which have garnered a number of awards including the Maud Hart Lovelace Award for Middle Grades Fiction, the Georgia Children’s Choice Award, being named to the Recommended Reading List for Chicago Public Schools, the TAYSHAS (Texas) Reading List, the Southwest Books of the Year List, and the One Book AZ. In addition to writing, Ms. Fields is also a educator who has been named Arizona Teacher of the Year, and been selected as one of twenty teachers on the All-USA Teacher Team of the nation’s top educators.

Featured Book: The Most Dangerous

By Terri Fields

Art by Laura Jacques

Hardcover ISBN: 9781607185260, $17.95

Paperback ISBN: 9781607185352, $9.95

Published by Sylvan Dell Publishing

The book is also available in Spanish as a hardcover and it is an E-book.

Description:

Dangerous animals from all over the world gather for the Most Dangerous Animal of All Contest. Snakes, spiders, sharks… who will the winner be? Deadly poison, huge teeth, razor -sharp horns, and fearsome feet are just a few of the ways that animals kill. Predators mean to kill. Prey simply defend themselves. And yet, the unexpected most deadly-animal doesn’t mean to harm at all!

Portion of a review from School Library Journal: “With animals a perennial favorite and a cover featuring the gaping mouths of a shark, snake, and crocodile, this contest is likely to lure the most reluctant readers.”

Interview:

Q: Share a highlight for you personally about this book.

A: When I write, I see wonderful visions of the way the pictures should look, but I am a terrible artist. I would never dream of trying to illustrate my own picture books. That means I turn my manuscript over to an editor, who selects an artist, and then I hold my breath, hoping I will like the artwork. When it comes to a picture book, what child will even open the book to get to the words if s/he doesn’t like the cover art? Luckily, I just love Laura Jacques’ cover for The Most Dangerous.

Q: Describe part of the research process it took to write this manuscript.

A: I write for many different age groups, and in some ways, writing a picture book is the hardest for me because I get to use so few words. I had pages of information about each of the animals in this book, and it had to be condensed into a couple of sentences. Researching was not hard; parsing that research down to a few sentences was much harder.

Q: How did you experience breakthrough to get a picture book published in today’s tough market?

A: I had worked with this publisher previously.

Q: Share one tip you would like to give about school visits.

A: I love doing school visits, and I’ve been able to visit schools throughout the United States and other countries. As a former educator, I look at school visits a little differently than many children’s authors. I’ve lived the visits from both sides. In fact, I have done workshops for both children’s writers and teachers on ways to make the most of an author visit One tip I would give authors is to make their presentations interactive. One tip I would give teachers/librarians is to make sure that the students are familiar with the author and his/her books before the visit. It will make that visit much more exciting and memorable for students.

For both authors and teachers, I would like to say that not all wonderful authors are great presenters. If you as an author are really uncomfortable speaking in front of kids, get some help in your preparation. You may have written a terrific book, but that alone will not hold a large group of squirming children. And if you are a teacher/librarian, before booking, try to either hear the author yourself or at least speak to someone who has had the author at their school.

More Information

Terri Fields just finished a blog tour celebrating the release of her newest book, The Most Dangerous. To visit other places she toured, check out these exciting sites!

October 5th

Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing

http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing...

October 8th

Writing Teazurs

http://teazurs.blogspot.com/

October 9th

Tif Talks Books

www.tiftalksbooks.com/

October 10th

Inspired by Savannah

Www.inspiredbysavannah.com

October 11th

Vonna Carter

www.VonnaCarter.com

October 12th

Books and Needlepoint

http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/

Steps I Took to Find an Agent, Part 2

As I mentioned in my previous post, there came a time when I wanted an agent to just represent one or two of my picture book manuscripts. This time around I didn’t want someone to rep my entire career. And I wanted someone in New York, but I wanted someone who still had a hand in the Christian market as well.

So I went back to the same way I landed an agent the first time. I went through the Writer’s Market and called the first place. No. So I called the second agency that interested me. No again. I called and called agencies listed in the Market Guide as having headquarters in the New York City area and asked them basically 2 questions: Are you open to just representing one or two picture books, not someone’s career? And do you rep books in the Christian market? Everyone I called said, “No” to either one question or the other…so it took me a bit of calling.

Finally, I called an agency who answered Yes. But her answer was a conditional yes. She said she only represented books for adults and had never represented a children’s author. But she said she was willing to take a gamble to see if our relationship would work if I was. I was! She was a delightful gal to work with, but after a year she wasn’t able to sell my picture books so we mutually agreed to cancel our contract.

Once again, I worked for a number of years without an agent again, just marketing my stuff to smaller houses.

Steps I Took to Find an Agent, Part 1

The first time I looked for an agent 15 or so years ago, it was simple! I just looked through the Writers Market in their list of agents, contacted one that looked like she represented the types of books I liked to write, and she accepted me!

Easy Peasy. At that time I had numerous books published in the Christian market and she was one of the top agents there—both adult and children’s market. At that time I was interested in writing Bible Studies and Christian marriage books, etc. Not just books for children. She represented my career.

Our relationship lasted for several years, but then I reached a point in my career where I wanted to write mostly for the educational market. As I mentioned earlier, you don’t need an agent for that market, so I asked to cancel the contract with my agent and then I just marketed my own manuscripts and contracts without an agent for awhile.

But then came a time when I wanted an agent to just represent one or two of my picture book manuscripts. I wanted someone in New York, but I wanted someone who still had a hand in the Christian market as well.

In my next post, I’ll tell the steps I took to find my next agent.

When an Editor Tells an Agent They’re Interested

If an editor likes a manuscript and offers a contract, the agent forwards this information to the author.

At this point, several of the publishers might respond and say they love the manuscript and are interested in it. Someone I know in my local writing group had this happen. So the agent took the manuscript to auction and the big publishers bid on it and the highest bidder won! It was very exciting.

Other times, one publisher might offer a contract but the terms aren’t very good. After the author and agent discuss this and agree on a response, the agent might tell the editor they’re turning down the contract. I’ve seen this happen, too.

Usually, however, the terms are okay when a contract is offered. At this point the agent goes back and forth with the editor and discusses the contract both with the author and with the publisher until a mutual agreement is settled. The agent is the go-between. Meaning that the author talks to the agent about what she likes or don’t like in the contract and the agent goes and talks with the publisher about it.

I remember one book contract that happened was a very interesting process for me to watch. The agent made an offer to change some of the wording on the contract. The publisher said flat out no to everything, I think. The agent came back with a different offer and the publisher said well, okay, to some of the things and still no on others. In the end, some of the “nos” the publisher had initially stated came back as “yeses.” It kind of felt like a bunch of saber rattling going on, but in the end we were all satisfied with the results.

Then, after the contract is signed, the agent is the one who gets the advance checks and royalty checks in the mail directly from the publisher. She deducts her 15% fee and then mails you a check.

Then you start the process all over again with your next manuscript.

More on How an Agent Works

If an agent acquires a manuscript of yours to represent, then the agent usually prepares a cover letter to go with the manuscript. Sometimes the agent does this on her own and sometimes she asks for input from the author.

Every single agent will work slightly differently based on their own personality and work habits.

Once they prepare a cover letter, the agent then sends out the manuscript with its cover letter to a list of editors/publishers. Usually e-mail.

Then the waiting game begins.

If they never hear back from an editor, it means it’s been rejected. (Yes, this is how publishers are treating agents, too.)

Some of the editors are courteous enough to e-mail a rejection.

In my next post I’ll share what happens when an editor expresses interest to an agent.

How an Agent Works

Every agent works a little bit differently, but I’ll tell you how the agents I’ve known work:

Usually an agent expresses interest in one or more of your manuscripts.

Then you need to sign a contract with an agent. This is not a contract to publish a book, but it is a contract that says the agent will represent you in the publishing industry. This contract doesn’t guarantee the sale of your book to a publisher, but it provides legal guidelines to your relationship with your agent. Such as which books she’ll represent for you and how the money will be handled when you get a book contract, etc.

Then you submit more manuscripts. I try to send brand new manuscripts to my agent. (They rarely want to see a manuscript that you’ve already submitted to publishers because if the publishers have rejected it already, how can the agent expect to sell it?)

The agent provides feedback.

They might say it’s just not something they feel is quite right for the market

Or they might say they’re interested in representing it

At this point, some agents will help you edit it A LOT because they know what the editors they work with like.

Some agents don’t edit too much because they like to keep the author’s voice intact at this stage and wait for the actual editor to give more input.

Then it’s our job to revise the manuscript in a timely manner per their requests. We resubmit it and rework it until it’s what the agent wants to see.

The Agent’s Job

Basically, an agent does exactly the same thing that we as authors do.

They send out our manuscript with a cover letter to a potential publisher. If the publisher offers a contract, the agent negotiates the contract (with your input of course). And if the contract is signed, the agent handles the royalties and money.

Right now the standard in the industry is for the agent to earn 15% of the money from the contract she negotiated.

If an agent responds to your submission (or contacts you initially) and requires a reading fee to read your manuscript or other type of fee, BEWARE!!!! That is technically against the “rules” they’re supposed to follow.

I submitted to an agent once and they sent me back a letter saying they loved my manuscript but required a reading fee first to officially comment on it. Red flags went up and when I reported their name to the market guide where I found their listing, they said that was wrong and that they were reporting them and removing them from their listing.

The only fees an agent charges is office supplies. But in today’s technology where e-mail is free and long-distance phone plans exist, my agent has never charged me a penny for office supplies. When I get paid by a publisher she negotiated a contract for, she gets paid. 15%. It’s how agents earn their money.

Are You Ready for an Agent?

One question to ask yourself is, “Are you ready for an agent?”

Agents work with big publishers and big publishers work with big money and big deadlines and big companies such as movie companies and toy companies.

Many times, big publishers need new material fast. They might sell a movie deal and need a new middle grade novel written based on your chapter book, in one to three months. Or an easy-reader series based on your picture book…3 books at the same time to launch the series.

If you’ve never written fulltime at this pace, it will burn you out.

Sometimes publishers send call-outs to agents for authors who can submit writing samples based on writing prompts for new series and they need these books…multiple books…written fast and written well. Think Nancy Drew books and Hardy Boys books and other series. If your agent forwards a call-out like this can you meet the demand?

If you’re not ready for this yet, but want to get to that place, draw up some long-term and short term goals for yourself so that you can stretch your writing muscles and grow to be in the place you want to be.

On the other hand, I do know some authors who only want to write a book here and there and just want an agent for that. They feel that their writing is solid enough to land a big contract but they don’t want to write fulltime. If that’s you, that’s okay. Some agents are okay with that.

The key is that the quality of writing has to be top-notch to work with an agent. If you’re a first time author, chances are you need to keep working, keep taking writing classes, keep writing books from beginning to end even if they don’t get published, and keep improving your skills at writing so that your writing improves BEFORE you search for an agent.

But some authors (not many!) have natural skills and their writing shines from the get-go. If that’s you, then go ahead and look for an agent.

And if you’re not sure if your writing is good enough for an agent to take notice, then go ahead and try submitting your manuscript on a round of submissions to agents. See what their response is.

Why Do You Want an Agent?

As you’re searching for an agent, what exactly do you want from your writing at this point in your life?

Do you want representation at the top houses but want to manage your own career? Look for an agent who will represent your book, not your career.

If you want someone who will give advice on how to shape a more successful career, look for an agent who offers to spend time helping you develop long-term goals.

Also take an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses. Are you interested in writing for the educational market and have numerous ideas for titles in this genre? You probably don’t need an agent to follow your dreams.

Have you experienced solid success in the work-for-hire nonfiction market and love the fast, frenzied pace and tight structure of nonstop assignments? An agent in the loop might slow down your pace—and your income.

However, if you feel you have the skills to write picture books with pizzazz or sweep-‘em-off-their-feet YA novels, then acquiring an agent will probably be to your advantage to land lucrative contracts with top publishing houses on a continuous basis.

Tip:

If you have a book contract offered to you and you want to work with an agent, it’s almost like you’ve got Willy Wonka’s golden ticket. Look seriously for the agent that you really are interested in working with (I’ll explain how to do this in an upcoming blog post.) Then approach them with your best manuscript and also in the query letter tell them that you have been offered a contract on another book and are looking for an agent to represent you.