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About
Carole Blake
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'My
strongest recommendation by far, when deciding to be represented by an
agent, is to take time to find the right one.'
'It is far better to spend more time at the beginning making sure, as
much as you can, that you and your potential agent are well suited to
each other.' 'Does
the agent expect to be involved in the planning process for your next
book? Will they advise you on marketable areas before you start writing?' '
Does the agency use its own contract with most publishers? If not,
does it have a specially negotiated agency boilerplate contract with the
big publishers?' 
To purchase From Pitch to Publication
'Does
the agent intend to offer single territory rights to publishers in each
market, or offer world rights in all languages to the first market they
sell?' |
' Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted'
It is as true when looking for a literary agent as it is in the
spy world that coined the phrase! My strongest recommendation by
far, when deciding to be represented by an agent, is to take time to
find the right one. The commitment that a client and agent make
to each other should be long term and should result in a close
relationship that is more than just a business relationship. It can
be painful to sever ties between client and agent, and writers can
find it immensely upsetting to have to change their representation.
It is far better to spend more time at the beginning making sure,
as much as you can, that you and your potential agent are well
suited to each other.
When you do talk to or meet with an agent, ask them to describe
their work methods, how they deal with the various subsidiary rights
areas and how much of the publishing process they are involved in.
Questions might include:
General
 | How many agents work for the agency and where does your agent
stand in the hierarchy? |
| What writers do they handle? |
| Are they members of the Association of Authors' Agents? If
not, why not? |
UK deals
| If the agent takes you on, will your negotiations in the UK
market be handled personally or will they be handed to another
staff member? If so, whom? Can you meet that person now? |
| Will your manuscript be sent out on single submission,
multiple submission, or will it be auctioned? What is the reason
behind their answer? |
| How long are they prepared to go on submitting projects before
giving up? |
| Do they handle, and solicit commissions for, short stories?
(And journalism too, if that's another writing area that interests
you.) |
Editorial input
| Does the agent expect to be involved in the planning
process for your next book? Will they advise you on marketable
areas before you start writing? |
| Will they read and comment on synopses? |
| Will they read, comment on and edit early chapters and whole
manuscripts? |
| Once you are contracted to a publisher, will the agent still
read your material or rely on the publisher's editor for a report? |
The publishing contract
| Does the agency use its own contract with most publishers?
If not, does it have a specially negotiated agency boilerplate
contract with the big publishers? |
| What is the agency's stance on royalties on high discount
sales? |
| Do all the agency contracts contain non-assignment clauses?
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Marketing, sales and publicity
| Will the agent make sure that you see the cover design in time
to pass comment on it? |
| Will they become involved in the publisher's marketing
planning? Will they ask for a promotion plan? |
| Will they also monitor it and make sure that everything
promised is actually carried out? |
| Will they talk to your publicist and monitor progress on the
publicity front? |
| Will they get you regular updates on sales figures in the
first few months after publication? |
American and translation rights
| Does the agent intend to offer single territory rights to
publishers in each market, or offer world rights in all languages
to the first market they sell? |
| Do they get personally involved in selling these rights or
does someone else handle that? Who? Do they think they can place
your work in other markets? |
| Does the agency have co-operating agents around the world? Ask
for a list of the agents and the territories that they cover. |
| What arrangements do they have for handling American rights? |
| Do they attend the Frankfurt Book Fair and other trade fairs?
If not, who covers them for the agency? |
Film and television rights
| Does the agency have a film and television department? Will
this department know about your book before it is published? |
| Have they been successful in selling film or television rights
to books in your area? What are they? |
Copyright © 1999 Carole Blake
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