Writers Digest Writers Digest University Writers Market Writers Digest Shop Writers Digest Tutorials Writers Digest

Writers Digest Conference 2nd Draft Critique Service

Register Log In

Search

HOME ARTICLES COMMUNITY EDITOR BLOGS COMPETITIONS EVENTS EDUCATION RESOURCES SUBSCRIBE SHOP

The Writing Prompt Boot Camp

enter your email address here
Subscribe to our FREE email newsletter and receive a
free eBook of writing prompts!

Inside the Agent-Author Relationship

By: Jessica Strawser | July 28, 2017

11Share

Compiled by Jessica Strawser

When you sign with an agent, youre choosing a partner for your careerwhich means its important to choose
carefully. We asked subscribers to share the best parts of their agent relationships, showing both whats impor-
tant and whats possible. Let the stories below be a guide as you seek the right matchand read more about
the requirements of a solid partnership in the October 2017 Writers Digest.

My agent, Jane Dystel (Dystel, Goderich & Bourret) is a tiny, ferocious bundle of energy. She barely stands 5
feet tall but shes indefatigable, making decisions and churning out opinions at warp speed. Heaven help the
fool who stands in her way. To mea product of the bless your heart Southshe embodies the quintessential
New Yorkiness we all have in mind when we picture a literary agent: a smoky-voiced unfiltered fast-talker, drip-
ping glamour and competence in equal measure. She hasnt whipped out a cigarette holder and a martini at
any of our lunches, but its not in the realm of the impossible.

I met Jane in person for the first time in the spring of 2016, and we had plenty to celebrate. Janes partner, Miri-
am Goderich, who is gifted at centrifuging their slush pile, had emailed me a few months before to say she
loved my manuscript, and would I be willing to put any other offers on hold for a short time for Jane to read it?
Why yes, I would. But after an infinite, soul-sucking period of query rejections, Id finally restructured my ghastly
letter to the point where it was getting some attention. Jane and Miriam said they understood, and they moved
fast, making an offer within a day or two. I considered the other agents who liked my story, but Jane is persua-
sive: She laid out her plan to sell my manuscript, detail by detail, and by the end of it I found myself in an
agreeable trance, unable to do much more than grunt assent. I figured if Jane could reduce me to a state of
such helpless acquiescence, she could probably do it to editors, too.

And yeah: Jane sold my book right away, to an editor I love. Shes a merciless advocate for me, but she also
displays no remorse in sharing her opinion if she thinks Im messing up. This is not a bad thing. I get in touch
when Im in New York, in case she can meet, and we have long lunches where we talk about the book and the
industry and our strategy for my career and our travels and fashion and politics and whatever else crosses our
minds. This is not strictly necessary in an agent-author relationship, of course, but getting to know the person
with whom you have significant business dealings is in your best interest. And in theirs: Its surely easier to go
to bat for someone you know and trust. So I think I hit it out of the park with my agent. I wish for that for every-
one.

Kimmery Martin, author of The Queen of Hearts, (forthcoming in February from Penguin Random House)

Like the boy who made the Velveteen Rabbit real with his love for the bunny, my agent (Les Stobbe of
the Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency) made my dream real with his love for my manuscript. His offer of repre-
sentation (after four years of querying and hundreds of rejections) was the beginning of my dream come true.
Hes been a great supporter, encourager and friend. And hes always rightthe good, the bad, and the ugly.
Every time he makes a prediction about the industry and/or product placement, he turns out to be right. Its im-
pressive. Are you reading this from the querying trenches? Keep writing and keep querying. It really only takes
one yes.

Patricia Beal, author of A Season to Dance (May 2017)

I was surviving the query process, barely. My collection of requests for chapters or the full manuscript was
slowly growing but not as quickly as my pile of rejections. Then the unexpected happened. My phone rang with
a cheerful voice on the other end responding to a cold query I had emailed the evening before. The agent
quickly put me to task revising Chapters 13. I knew this was the test. Was I teachable? Was I easy to work
with? I was determined to ace this. The agent taught me about deep point of view and helped me identify
crutch words and eliminate unnecessary words. She improved my craft. But during the process, a feeling set-
tled in that I couldnt shake. In conversations, she was all over the place, and I often ended a phone call won-
dering what we had just talked about. A question nagged at me, and I didnt like the answer. Was this the per-
son I wanted to represent my manuscript? Were her conversations with editors as chaotic as some of our con-
versations? As much as I wanted an agentneeded an agentdoubt grew heavy. So, I shifted to Plan B
just in case.

I registered for my first writing conference and scheduled agent appointments. I needed to be ready to pitch. I
discovered a writing guild was offering a class, so I attended for the first time, wrote and work-shopped my
pitch, and practiced with my group. At the end of the session, the instructor asked volunteers to pitch so she
could critique. I didnt volunteer until the very end when my group members insisted. So I didin a shaky, mo-
notone voice Id never heard before, certain I would never attract an agent. When my 30 seconds of torture
ended, the instructor asked if my manuscript was complete. I nodded. She asked me to stay after the work-
shop. Little did I know, I had just pitched to acquisitions editor Donna Essner from Amphorae Publishing Group,
who within weeks offered me a publishing contract. One year later, my April 2017 debut, Waiting for
Butterflies, is in Barnes & Noble stores and available online.

My path to publishing didnt go as I had envisioned. It happened serendipitously in a room full of strangers, one
of whom just happened to be a perfect fit for my manuscriptand for me.

Karen Sargent, author of Waiting for Butterflies

I never queried my agent. When my first agent left the business, Michelle Richter (Fuse Literary) read my man-
uscript and graciously offered to continue to represent me. For the first couple of months, I wondered if shed
really wanted to take me on or if the agency partners made her. (She did nothing to make me think thisit was
just writer anxiety.)

Although I had a good relationship with my first agent, Michelle has been a gift. She answers all of my ques-
tions, no matter how stupid. Even when I email like 15 at a time at 5 a.m. She is endlessly patient. Shes also
very thorough and detail-oriented. One of my biggest strengths is that I work fast. But Michelle has helped me
learn to slow down, think about what Im doing and not rush. I am a better writer since signing with her. Shes
more than someone I pay to sell my booksshes a partner, someone to be with me throughout my career.

Laura Heffernan, author of Americas Next Reality Star

The process of finding an agent feels a little bit like a junior high dance, where everyones waiting for someone
to ask them to dance while Lovefool plays in the background. No wonder, given that this industry is a dream
factory: the fictional dream, the fulfillment of lifelong dreams, dream agent, dream publisher, dream deals, etc.
The process often goes: throw a bunch of query letters at agents to see what sticks. After a few unsuccessful
attempts at this myself, I began to research agents based on fit instead: for my book, my long-term goals and
my communication needs. In doing so, I found a dream agent after all in Patricia Nelson (Marsal Lyon Literary
Agency).

For me, fit was key. Im a LGBTQ writer who has LGBTQ characters. If an agent isnt comfortable with those
characters or those storylines, then theyre not going to be the right advocate for my work. From our first phone
call, I knew that I had found someone who got me and my work and was excited for the other novels I have in
the pipeline. We were both in it for the long haul. However, she didnt sign me immediately. I got extensive
notes back from her and she told me that if her feedback resonated with me that shed take another look at my
manuscript after extensive revision. Those notes and the subsequent revision were critical to me moving my
novel in the right direction. I knew that I wanted an editorial agent, someone who would help me shape the
book and ensure that it had the best chance possible on submission. When we went on submission, I had a
book I not only believed in but loved. Patricias editorial eye and support all along the way has been critical [to
my success].

Another essential factor for me was effective and quality communication. Ive worked in software and informa-
tion technology teams for years, so I know how poor communication can wreck a team. Its no different with an
agent. Good communication, such as weekly check-in emails from Patricia during the submission process,
helped temper my anxiety.

I know my publishing career is in good hands with Patricia, the same way I know that my retirement accounts
are in good hands with my financial planner. Its a business partnership built on trust, communication, and
aligned goals.

Kelly J. Ford, author of Cottonmouths

My agent, Liza Fleissig (Liza Royce Agency), inspires me. She believes in me and my writing even when, as is
inevitable in a writers life, I experience doubts. Shes a consummate professional and deal-maker, but to me,
the personal part is more important by far. When she loves a writerand she loves all of her clientsshe nev-
er gives up on them.

Writing can be a very lonely business. A lot of the time, its just you, the computer, and the visions in your own
head. Having an agent whos at once a friend, an advocate, and a partner makes all the difference.

Joshua David Bellin, author of Freefall, a YA science-fiction adventure forthcoming in September from Mar-
garet K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster)

Everyone tells you to have a list of questions prepared when a literary agent makes an offer of representation. I
had such a listbut when Jill Marsal (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency) offered to represent me, I was so shocked
that I lost the ability to form sentences. I actually had to call her back later to ask the questions. Luckily, Jill is
very patient and straightforward when dealing with someone brand-new to the business of publishing! Thats
one of the many things I love about working with her. I also love that she is quick to respond to emails. Given
my tendency to be a spaz about things (such as the aforementioned phone call), a quick email back is so reas-
suring. But the thing I love most about Jill is how good she is at what she does. Jill has a tremendous track
record of selling manuscripts, especially mysteries, and she was able to place mine with Minotaur Books within
one month of going on submission. Im thrilled to have her in my corner, and I value her expertise beyond
words.

Kristen Lepionka, author of The Last Place You Look

When I queried Jennifer Johnson-Blalock (Liza Dawson Associates), my book didnt know whether it was con-
temporary romance or commercial womens fiction. She stepped in with a vision and a plan of action, helping
me with revisions that placed it firmly into the womens fiction category, before securing an awesome deal.
Since then, shes been helping me with long-term career planning and establishing my author brand. Jennifer is
strategic, creative and super supportive!

Kristin Rockaway, author of The Wild Womans Guide to Traveling the World

Be sure to pick up your copy of the October Issue of Writers Digest right here.

You might also like:

The Deals That Dreams Are Made Of

A Guide to #PitchWars & #PitMad
Michael Connelly: Bonus WD Interview
Top 10 Winning Poems from the 2016 WD Poetry Awards
2016 Writers Digest Poetry Award Winners

CATEGORIES
Writers Digest Magazine October 2017 Online Exclusives

TAGS
online exclusives

RELATED POSTS
The Deals That Dreams Are Made Of [http://www.writersdigest.com/online-exclusives/oct-17/deals-
dreams-made]
A Guide to #PitchWars & #PitMad [http://www.writersdigest.com/online-exclusives/oct-17/guide-pitch-
wars-pitmad]
Michael Connelly: Bonus WD Interview [http://www.writersdigest.com/online-exclusives/oct-17/michael-
connelly-bonus-wd-interview]
Top 10 Winning Poems from the 2016 WD Poetry Awards [http://www.writersdigest.com/online-exclu-
sives/aug-17/top-10-winning-poems-2016-wd-poetry-awards]
2016 Writers Digest Poetry Award Winners [http://www.writersdigest.com/online-exclusives/aug-
17/2016-writers-digest-poetry-award-winners]

DID YOU LOVE THIS ARTICLE? SUBSCRIBE TODAY & SAVE 58%

Name City

Email Address State/Province Select

Address 1 Zip

Address 2 Submit

You might also like:

No Related Posts

SEPTEMBER ISSUE

Writer's Digest
Magazine
Preview the Issue
Buy It Here
Give a Gift Subscription
For the Holidays!
Save 58%!
SUBSCRIBE

FREE WRITING DOWNLOADS

How Do I Write & Sell Short Fiction?

Freelance Pricing Guide

Promoting Your Work and Yourself

Why Am I Getting Rejected?

Protecting Your Writing

Selling Your Work Online

Fiction Genre Descriptions

More Free Writing Downloads

WRITERS DIGEST SHOP

Write and Sell

Superior Short Stories
 Save 82% in August on this premium collection of
10 resources where you will learn about getting
started, beating writer's block, researching your
work, and getting published.

BUY NOW!

WRITING WORKSHOPS STARTING SEPTEMBER 14

Writing Historical
Fiction

Breaking into
Copywriting

12 Weeks to a First
Draft

Short Story
Fundamentals

Query Letter in 14
Days

Form and
Composition
View All Online Writing Workshops
Creativity and
Expression

Revision and
Editing

UPCOMING BOOT CAMP

Agent One-on-One:
How to Craft Query
Letters & Other
Submission
Materials That Get
Noticed Boot Camp
SignBUY NOW!
up now to interact one-on-one with an agent
and submit ten double-spaced pages of materials
(in any combination) for valuable feedback provided
by successful literary agents.

Sign Up Now!

ADVERTISEMENT GET PUBLISHED AND PAID FOR YOUR ADVERTISEMENT

WRITING
The Essential Online Tool for
LISTING UPDATES
Writers If youre serious about
selling your work, meet your
Past 30 days: new personal assistant:
1,242 WritersMarket.com. With a
subscription, you can easily
locate new, up-to-date markets
Total listings: for publishing your work, get
8,000 expert "insider" advice, and
track your manuscript
submissions and publishing
contracts.
 Subscribe Now | Learn More

I'm not a robot

reCAPTCHA
Privacy - Terms

I'm not a robot

reCAPTCHA
Privacy - Terms