SCBWI Florida Workshop Part II- Querying in the Digital Age

    This is my second blog post from the young adult workshop I recently attended. Erica Rand Silverman is an agent with Sterling Lord Literistic and Jacquelyn Mitchard is a prolific author as well as an editor-in-chief at Merit Press. Click here for Part I. 

Erica Rand Silverman

These notes are from Erica's powerpoint presentation.

* Research agents in advance. Find out who represents what genre.

* Don’t ever pay for query services. Using Query Tracker is acceptable.

*  Prepare your query letter carefully. Agents will respond with the same amount of care which you take. "Sometimes we hear pings within our office and know everyone is getting the same query at the same time." That's ridiculous with an office full of agents looking for everything from children's picture books to adult non-fiction. It is appropriate to reference the agent's client list and mention what you like about these books. By doing this you are showing why you are seeking representation from this agent. 

*  Don’t name drop in your query.

*  There was a phase when publishers bought self-published books because they had great sales on Amazon. This is no longer happening.

*  Don’t be overly personal. Be yourself! Your work has to be first and foremost.

*  It's all about timing: the right moment with the right person.

*  Don’t list ten different projects you have.

*  Mention your work first, then your credentials.

*  If you find someone you really want to work with don’t submit to another agent. If you do multiple submits, be transparent at the bottom of the email.

* Follow the agency's guidelines for email vs. snail mail. Email may get seen quickly, but may never be seen again. Paper will eventually get read.

*  If an agent responds with “I’m interested,” feel free to nudge if you haven't heard back in a month. If they don’t respond to your initial query, don’t nudge.

*  A big problem in publishing is not having enough time to think. Writers need to be patient!

*  If you receive more than one offer, do a happy dance and then select wisely.  You need to give agents time to respond- at least one or two weeks. It is appropriate to write, “I’d love to hear from you if you’re interested before I make a decision on how to move forward.”  Treat other professionals with respect. If an agent is workshopping your work, they’re interested. It's like dating. Don't query another agent if the first agent is subbing your work.

* Erica recommended reading this blog from Wolff Literary on  choosing the right agent.

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Here are some of my previous posts on agents:

A Day in the Life of an Agent

Insights into Editing: A Conversation with Carin Siegfried 

If You Give a Writer a Cookie 

And on querying:

Putting Your Best Query Forward

Chasing Your Dream

Quintessential Queries (including Josh and Tracey Adams' tips, "Do's and Don't of Queries") 

Insights into Editing: A Conversation with Carin Siegfried Part VI

Today Carin Siegfried,  an independent editor in Charlotte, NC, provides nine reasons an author needs a literary agent:

1. They will sell your book for you.

2. They keep current with editors’ tastes and needs, know when new imprints are starting up and when established ones are downsizing, stay abreast of changing corporate policies, keep track of who’s newly hired and who just got fired or laid off. 

3. They will provide more editorial insight.

4. They will negotiate an excellent contract for you.

5.  They will hold your hand throughout the editorial process which can be fraught with emotional and complicated details.

6. They will work to help you craft your career and make sure what you’re doing now progresses towards what you want to do in the future.

7. They will attempt to sell foreign/translation/film rights (if they don’t sell those rights to the publisher. Every agency is different in terms of who they partner with and what they think they can do a better job selling than the publisher and vice versa.)

8. One ugly truth in the publishing process is that you can get an awesome, amazing editor who you really click with and who totally gets you… and a few months later she can quit or be fired. And you get stuck with an overworked editor who doesn’t like your genre and is possibly 21 and only a few days out of college. But that can’t (usually) happen with your agent. While of course there are outs for both of you, if your agent leaves her agency for whatever reason (with a couple of exceptions like William Morris), she can take you with her. So your relationship with your agent can actually last much longer than your relationship with your editor, who can keep changing.

 9. They are worth their weight in gold and will make your life easier and will get you more money.

Next week Carin will give advice on what to do when you get "The Call" from an agent!

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     Hear are the previous installments of this series:

• Part I: Carin's insights into the different types of editing. 
• Part II: Common editorial problems
• Part III: More editorial problems. 
• Part IV: Show, Don't Tell
• Part V: Can you over-describe?