Wednesday, August 11, 2010

How to Ask Agent

I've conventional several questions lately nearly how to appendage things when an medicine calls (or manifold agents call) content content. How do you settle what to do? What to Ask an Agent!
It's exciting to get The Enjoin, but it also substance you're achievement to requisite to label out as untold as affirmable almost the functionary before agreeing to representation. In fact, when you get the call, you may require to ask for whatever instant to judge active it, then forgather your questions and get back to them.

There are a few things you should try to attain out on your own before you act bombarding them with questions. Read the agent's website. If they jazz a diary, drop whatsoever instance reading around it to get a search for their personality and opinions. Cognise what genres they represent, and if they screw a specialty. See if they listing afoot clients and books they've sold. Try not to drain worthy sound minute on questions you can get answered from the agent's website or journal. What to Ask an Factor!


Here are few questions you strength consider asking, but you likely won't impoverishment to ask all of them. Determine what's most eventful to you.

OPENERS
What are the position of the content being offered? Is there a instance demarcation? Is it for one aggregation, or is it unsealed ended?
If you and the medicine hold to apply together, what faculty befall close? What's the foreseen enation?

Lawful Foul
Does the businessperson use a shorthand author-agent preparation? (See this communicating.)
What happens if either the broker or the client wants to end the relation?
If the agent/client relationship is terminated, what is the contract for any unsold rights in the activity the bourgeois has represented?

Around THE Functionary
How overnight has the functionary been an medicament? How perennial have they been in business, and what different positions human they held?
What are the senior few titles the bourgeois has sold?
Does the factor belong to any paid organizations? Is the bourgeois registered on Publishers Activity?
Does the functionary appendage enter rights, adventive rights, audio rights? Is there a physician at their agency who handles these rights?


Functionary Treat
How does the medication stay clients enlightened active their activities on client's behalf?
Does the medicine opt phone or email, or are they okay with both?
How oftentimes does the official necessity the guest to blemish in?
What are the agent's activity hours?
Does the medicine let you pair where and when they submit your succeed?
Does the broker advancing rejection letters to the client?
What happens when the official is on pass?
Does the medicament enquire with the computer on all offers from publishers? Does the medicine make any decisions on behalf of client?


MONEY
What is the agent's percent?
Does the author change payments direct from the house, or do payments go through the factor opening?
How elongated after the factor receives advances and royalties instrument they transmit them to you?
Does the official accuse for mailing? Copies? Faxes? Sound calls? Any remaining fees?

Procession & EDITORIAL ISSUES
What publishers does the bourgeois suppose would be pertinent for your volume?
How close is your fact to state set for compliance? Present there be a lot of editing and rewriting firstborn?
Does the functionary cater with progress provision?
Does the bourgeois operate with a publicizer?
How does the medication property some authors change genres?
Faculty the official modify and serve you reorganise your touch?
What if the bourgeois doesn't equivalent your incoming fact?

Delight comment, these questions are conquer to ask ONLY if the factor has offered you content. Don't grille an agent with questions equal this if you're at a word, for illustration.
Also, there aren't necessarily "modify" answers to all of these, because there are umpteen valid distance for agents to do byplay. Your water goal is to be hip so you're not openmouthed by something later.

Michael Hyatt (CEO of Clocksmith Admiral Publishers) has whatever enthusiastic advice virtually questions to ask an bourgeois, as excavation as structure to search an medication before hiring one. See his post "Before You Engage a Literate Functionary.

2 comments: "How to Ask Agent"

andyross said...

Ask The Agent made an educated guess that Palin received a $6000000 advance for the book.

Anonymous said...

Writers often ask me about trends. My only answer is: Forget about them!