My Agent

Shh, Shhh, secret agent . . . dum, dum, dum.
OK. I clearly have watched too much Backyardigans with my kids. If you don't know what I'm talking about, ignore this. If you do. Let me apologize now for the song that will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

OH-Kay.

I've wanted to do this FOREVER, but timing just seemed good.
My agent, Lauren, agreed to answer a few questions about her job as an agent :D
So - HERE YA GO!

How do you approach queries and pages. Do you start with the query or the pages?

Pages. Always pages. Some people can't write a good query, but can write an amazing book. So I'm a pages first kinda girl.

What is the most common mistake you see in queries?

After I read the pages I'll go back in and read the query. I know it's kind of strange that I do it backwards, but that's just how I prefer to do things.

I wouldn't really say there are mistakes, but there are things that irk me. If you're querying me never ever tell me your book is the best darn book ever written.

I'll decide that for myself if I choose to request it.

At what point do you stop reading a sample of writing?

Chapter three. If I'm not pulled into the book by the third chapter it's a no go for me.

What do you see too much of?

Paranormal romances. I'm not taking anymore at the moment. 

What's on your wish list?

I'm dying for some good horror novels and contemporary romances.

What's the best part about your job as an agent?

My clients of course :)

And the fact that I get to read all day.

What's been selling? (genre-wise, or whatever you want to talk about here)

Honestly, I know I say this a lot, but there is no specific genre that sells better than the other. What sells is a great book and a great book in any genre can sell - all it takes is that one person to love it.

Thanks so much for having me, Jo! This was fun!

<3 Lauren

I'm going to share a few things I LOVE about my agent.

I sent her this random email over the weekend, thinking she'd get back to me sometime the next week. She called me that night.
It was 9PM my time. This means it was 1 AM her time.
What did we discuss??
The movie she just saw.
Breaking Dawn.
I mean, we did discuss the writing stuff I had going on, but who on earth calls their client back on the way home from a movie?

Too fun.

Also, she starts most of her emails to me with
Hey Jo,
And they end with
<3 Lauren

Also, she writes, so she understands the craft of putting a story together, and the urgency that we, as writers, feel in wanting our people and stories OUT THERE!!

There is NO WAY to have a subdued conversation about anything with Lauren. She is way too enthusiastic. AND that means she's pretty excited about anything and everything I send her way. She's a fabulous cheerleader. I need that.
She's also an amazing salesperson - I could NEVER push and sell my writing the way she does. EVER. And the woman knows her way around a publishing contract - SO important.

I said this in my post a LONG time ago - it's not just about finding an agent, you need to find the agent that's right for YOU.

You can find Lauren HERE at the ADA Management site, and HERE on her blog.

So, if you're agented, what's the favorite thing about your agent?
And if not, what do you think will be most important to you??