Manifesting Magic

Agent Laura Bradford gave a talk entitled “Everything You Want to Know About Literary Agents” at the Valley Center Library in San Diego Saturday, May 14th. I posted Part One of my write-up last week. Here is Part Two: her advice on what to do once you get that all-important “call,” what questions to ask a prospective agent, and how she goes about pitching her author’s books to editors:

• When an agent calls, ask questions. According to Ms. Bradford, it’s important for an author to learn everything they can about an agent before they sign with them. Ask about communication style (and frequency), their process, their editing style (if they edit), how they submit work to editors, if they have an agency agreement, and which editors they plan to submit to. Ask them what their expectations are of their authors.
• While you are feeling the agent out, the agent is feeling you out. Ms. Bradford always talks to the author before making an offer—the offer is the last thing in the conversation. She wants to get a sense of who the person is first. She also wants to know that an author she’s thinking of signing is an active participant in their own career.
• Ask for time to decide. If an agent makes an offer, she recommends the author ask for a week to decide. Take that time to do research and determine if that agent is a good fit for you. Check with other agents you are currently working with. They will pay much more attention now that you have an offer on the table. E-mail them and let them know about your offer, and give them a chance to make an offer of their own.
• Once you get an agent, s/he gets to work pitching your book. Ms. Bradford creates a pitch list of the best editors to target. She usually can’t submit to multiple imprints at the same publishing house, which can limit the number of editors she submits to. Often she can do multiple pitch rounds, depending on the genre. She might use some of the material from the author’s query in her pitch, or she might rewrite the pitch entirely, considering another element of the book to be a better hook.
• The pitching process varies by agent. Ms. Bradford likes to call rather than email—she uses the phone call as an opportunity to build interest in the book and bring it to the top of an editor’s pile. After eight weeks she follows up with the editors. She has no set timeline for how long it takes to sell a book – her books have  taken from 24 hours to 16 months. The average is 3 to 4 months.
• Closing the deal. When she gets an offer, she may ask for a week to make a decision. She talks to the editors who still have the manuscript and gives them a deadline. Depending on the process of each editorial house, some can respond within that deadline, and some cannot. The decision of which publisher to go with is made by the agent and the author together, and depends on many factors, or deal points—— format, publication dates, advance, royalties, and options on the next book. She advises an author to make an option as narrow as possible. Instead of giving a publisher an option to all future books, for example, narrow the option down to something like “your next romance featuring these specific characters.”
• The Pros and Cons of Auctions. If more than one house is interested, the agent can call an auction. According to Ms. Bradford, auctions sound more exciting than they are. They don’t necessarily mean big money. In a typical auction, the editor who wins is the person with the most money — not necessarily editor who “gets” the book and will support the author’s career. Ms. Bradford conducts a “best bid” auction — one sealed bid from each interested party. She consults with the author and they choose a winner.

I learned a lot from Ms. Bradford’s enlightening talk. I thought her point that choosing a publisher is more than a monetary decision was thought-provoking. What did you find surprising or interesting about her advice?

For more on Ms. Bradford’s current needs and submission guidelines, please visit the Bradford Literary Agency.

Agent Laura Bradford gave a talk entitled “Everything You Want to Know About Literary Agents” at the Valley Center Library in San Diego last Saturday. Here are some of her tips for getting an agent, and what she is looking for in a submission:

• Do your research. Decide what kind of agent you want. Do you want a teddy bear who will hold your hand through the long process of publication, or a shark who will get you the best deal? Most agents are closer to one end of the spectrum than the other. Once you have a short list, find out about your chosen agents through conferences, organizations like RWA, websites like AAR, blogs, and twitter. QueryTracker has some information, but agents can’t post information so the data can be out of date. Word-of-mouth is another good resource. Books like Writer’s Market are also good sources, but can be out of date by the time they are published.
• Personalize your submission. She gets from 800-1000 queries per month. If you want to stand out, always personalize your letter. Refer to the type of material the agent is looking for, make sure your genre is one the agent represents, mention attributes of your book similar to an author they represent, say if you’ve met them at a conference. Show that you’ve researched this agent, and say why this agent is the right agent for your book. Personalization and research show a level of care an agent appreciates.
• What Kills a Submission: Addressing the query letter to the dreaded “Sir/Ms.”, instead of the agent by name. Not checking the agent’s submission policies before sending your material in. Nothing annoys an agent more than getting submissions outside the genres they are selecting for. Many queries Ms. Bradford receives are thrown out because they are for the wrong genre, the word count is wrong, etc. She can’t sell a novel that’s only 20,000 words long.
• On putting together your submission packet: When writing your query, boil the story down to its essence. Throw out confusing or distracting details. Get rid of any point that might be a red flag. For Ms. Bradford, the point of the  synopsis is to tell the agent where the story goes. She doesn’t care how long it is, but says to check other agents guidelines. Before sending in your sample chapters, have a second set of eyes look over your work — critique partners, beta readers, even a friend who knows grammar, punctuation, and spelling. If you have no one who can help you, she recommends a new site called Book Country. They have an online critiquing forum.
• Getting Past the Slush Pile: Whether or not she requests a partial is a gut reaction. “Can I sell this? Is it emotional appealing?” This isn’t something the author can know or prepare for. If she likes what she sees, she asks for a partial. If she likes that, she asked for full. Occasionally she requests a revised and resubmit. If she has a problem with the storyline, plot, voice etc. she will write a letter making suggestions to the author. She does not send out a lot of these. If you get a revise and resubmit, she advises that you do not make changes you do not agree with. Use your own judgement.
• How to submit to Laura Bradford: Check her website for the latest information, but in her talk she said she wants a one-page cover letter with a brief blurb on the story. Keep it concise. She also wants a blurb on the author’s publications and contest wins. It important to include the word count and the genre. In addition, she wants a synopsis, and the first 10 pages.

What do you think? Does personalizing a query help your success rate? How do you research agents?

In my next post I will cover the rest of her talk – her advice on what to do once you get that all-important “call”, what questions to ask a prospective agent, and how she goes about pitching her author’s books to editors. See you next time.