What Literary Agents Ask Authors on an Offer of Representation Call
One of the most exciting moments when searching for a literary agent is the “offer of rep” phone call. When an agent is interested in your manuscript or book proposal, the next step is usually to schedule a call to discuss your project and literary representation.
Many writers get anxious when an agent asks to speak to them on the phone or a Zoom call. Having a discussion in real-time is one step closer to receiving an official offer of representation! It’s helpful to know that agents get anxious about these phone calls too. When we find a project we love, we also want the introductory call with a writer to be successful. The author/agent relationship goes beyond having one great project to work on, so making sure everyone will work well together is an important component in establishing a long-term business relationship.
There are common questions agents will ask you about on an initial phone call, which I’ve outlined below. But remember that an even more important part of this call is that you ask the agent questions to find out if this is the person you want to represent your work. Agents are expecting and hoping you will show up to the call prepared with a list of your own questions so you have all the information needed to make a decision about whether or not to accept an offer of representation.
To give you an idea of what to expect to talk about with a literary agent on an “offer of rep” call, here are five questions I always ask potential clients:
Why do you want a literary agent?
The answers to this question are never the same. Some writers think having a literary agent will guarantee a book deal and make them millions of dollars. Others respond with a more modest response, like how they’re hoping to find someone to stand in their corner and help them navigate through the many decisions they’ll need to make on their path to being a published author.
Whatever the initial response, this question allows me to find out what expectations a writer has about agents in general, and about me specifically, and it opens a conversation about how the author/agent relationship works and what expectations I have when signing a new client. It also gives the writer a chance to talk honestly about their publishing goals and how an agent will help achieve them.
Do you agree with my revision ideas?
If I’m considering offering representation on a project, I likely have a few changes in mind to accomplish before it’s ready to share with editors. On an offer of representation call, I like to give an overview of my suggested changes with the author to make sure we’re on the same page about where the project needs to go. And it’s totally okay if an author doesn’t agree with my suggestions! That just means I’m probably not the right fit for the book.
It’s important to have this discussion so that both the author and the agent know what’s next in line for the manuscript or proposal. This question also allows me to find out if the author is collaborative and appreciative of editorial feedback, an important quality in traditional publishing.
What is your creative process?
I like to learn the creative process of any potential client, author or illustrator. This might tell me how long they spend on a draft, whether or not they make use of beta readers and critique partners (tip: all writers should, even after they have an agent), and how long it takes to finish revising a manuscript.
Some writers write every day, early in the morning, before anyone else in their family wakes up. Others only have time to write on their daily commute home from work. Whatever the situation, I like to know that the author is taking their writing seriously and carves out time to work on their book(s). It’s a good sign when the act of creating has been explored long enough for some sort of process to take shape.
What is your publishing history?
This is a really important question. It’s okay if an author hasn’t published a book before—that’s not something that will change my mind about offering representation; most agents love debut writers. But I do need to know if an author has self-published a book, has published a book that didn’t do so well, or even if the author has a best-selling title! The agent/author relationship requires a lot of trust, so it’s crucial that the author is honest and lays everything out on the table, so I’m fully aware of the history of their career. I’m also interested to know if the author writes for any online publications, has had short stories published in literary magazines, etc.
This question often leads to a conversation about author platform and literary community. What steps have you already taken on your journey to publication?
What else are you working on?
I like to sign clients with their long-term careers in mind, not just based on one project, so I definitely want to know what else they’re working on. Since the writer is querying a finished manuscript or proposal, I expect that they’re now working on something new. I don’t need to know all the details, but I do need to know if the writer plans to write in specific categories or genres. If someone wants to write a variety of genres and for a variety of audiences, I need to know I’m interested in representing all of those things. A short “pitch” is always nice to hear, but I never expect to hear a fully-formed story during this type of phone call.
This question also opens a discussion about long-term goals and how what the author has written, and what they’re working on, fits into their career as a whole.
Additional questions will inevitably come up during a phone call, and the specifics often change depending on the author’s publishing history or even the type of project. But these five questions will come up in some way time and time again, so making sure you have those answers should help you feel more prepared for the discussion.
