• Menu
  • Skip to left header navigation
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Books & Such Literary Management

A full-service literary agency that focuses on books for the Christian market.

  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Books & Such
    • Our Agents
    • Our Behind-the-Scenes Staff
    • Our Travel Schedule
  • Our Authors
    • Author News
    • Collaborators and Ghostwriters
  • Submissions
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Editors Select
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Books & Such
    • Our Agents
    • Our Behind-the-Scenes Staff
    • Our Travel Schedule
  • Our Authors
    • Author News
    • Collaborators and Ghostwriters
  • Submissions
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Editors Select

An Agent’s Favorite Words

January 16, 2020 //  by Cynthia Ruchti//  6 Comments

Blogger: Cynthia Ruchti

An agent’s favorite words?

A joke used to make its way through the family circle whenever someone took out a checkbook (remember those?) to repay another family member for borrowed money or for his/her portion of a group wedding or baby gift. The recipient would wait until the payor’s pen touched the check and then spout, “Million is spelled m-i-l-l-i-o-n.”

favorite wordsLaughter ensued. Every time. We were easily amused.

One might think an agent’s favorite word might be million. But the last time I or any other agent I know negotiated a million dollar advance for a client was…

An agent’s favorite words–to speak–fall along the lines of:

Congratulations!

Way to go!

They’re offering you a contract!

A murder of crows (just because it’s such a cool and unexpected literary device for describing a bunch of crows).

agent's favorite words
(If these are ravens, not crows, don’t tell me. The image was too perfect.)

An agent’s favorite words–to hear from publishers, readers, and reviewers:

We’re prepared to offer your client a contract.

Yes to all of your negotiation requests.

An important book and an author to watch!

Great book. What else has your author written?

This book spoke to my heart.

An agent’s favorite words–to hear from clients and prospective clients–sound more like this:

Is it okay if I turn this in two days earlier than anticipated?

Bring on the critique. It helps me grow as a writer…and as a person!

I don’t mind waiting.

I made the changes you suggested.

Other projects? Yes, I have several in the works.

I’ve been studying the market.

I followed your advice and…

I’m seeing a rapid trajectory in my platform numbers and an uptick in social media engagement.

Thank you (in an email, publicly, in the book’s acknowledgments…)

An author’s favorite words likely mirror the first two subhead lists.

words agents love
image by Wooden Earth Limited

Yes, these are a few of our favorite things. Sing it with me.

Or favourite, if you live in Canada, the UK, or Australia and related islands.

 

What are among your favorite words to hear from an agent, editor, or reader?

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Category: Agents, Authors, Writing LifeTag: author agent relationships, editors, Publishers, readers

Previous Post: «writing distractions; emergency pull sign Unusual Distractions and the Writing Life
Next Post: Reasons Your Query Might Be Passed Up »

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Susie Crosby

    January 16, 2020 at 6:07 am

    What a fun and inspiring way to share the heart of an agent! I loved starting my day with this. I’m working on a way to share my book and my theme is ENCOURAGE, so I love the scrabble letter picture! Thank you Cynthia!

    Reply
    • Cynthia K Ruchti

      January 16, 2020 at 10:30 am

      Glad this was useful, Susie!

      Reply
  2. Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

    January 16, 2020 at 6:30 am

    The greatest plaudit ever,
    the one that gets my vote
    is that the reader never
    expected Christ in what I wrote.
    I’m writing for His glory,
    I’m writing as I’m bidden,
    and in each Jesus-story
    He stays amused and hidden.
    Concealing things is His own joy
    and my readers, queens and kings
    who by grace my words employ
    to learn of treasured things.
    Thus, to each faithful scribe and bard
    may Kingdom-work be its own reward.

    Reply
  3. Kristen Joy Wilks

    January 19, 2020 at 1:08 pm

    Ha ha! Yes, those are crows. We have ravens at our house and they love to follow Princess Leia Freyja and I on our walk and swoop down at her to make her bark. They also sit in the tree above our chickens and imitate a hawk’s cry just to watch all the chickens freak out and make a run for it!

    Reply
    • Cynthia Ruchti

      January 19, 2020 at 8:22 pm

      Thanks, Kristen!

      Reply
  4. Morgan Tarpley Smith

    January 20, 2020 at 11:21 am

    My favorite words would be:

    “This is promising.”
    “Please send me the proposal.”
    “Your writing is very good.”
    “I’m interested in hearing more.”

    I so hope to hear these words from an agent in the future!

    But my favorite words would be something like “You are just the kind of author I’m interested in working with.” šŸ™‚

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to the Blog

Awards

Top 50 Writing Blogs









Site Footer

Connect with Us

  • Books & Such
  • Janet Grant
  • Cynthia Ruchti
  • Rachel Kent
  • Wendy Lawton
  • Barb Roose
  • Debbie Alsdorf
  • Janet Grant
  • Cynthia Ruchti
  • Rachel Kent
  • Barb Roose
  • Debbie Alsdorf
  • Cynthia Ruchti
  • Wendy Lawton
  • Barb Roose
  • Debbie Alsdorf
  • Debbie Alsdorf

Copyright © 2023 Books & Such Literary Management • All Rights Reserved • Privacy Policy • Site by Design by Insight