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 …
Agents
The Joy of Anticipation
Blogger: Rachel Kent
A family Christmas tradition that I love is one that I now believe was established by accident and out of necessity. Every Christmas, my parents would have the children wait in the hallway with the door closed …
Hoops Jumping for Writers: Another Perspective
Blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
This was initially posted a couple of years ago, but it’s as evergreen a topic as a Christmas tree. We hear the resistance to “hoops” almost every day in the publishing world. Maybe this will strike you–as …
Why the Agent Did Not Say Yes
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
An agent says no. A writer is left wondering why unless the agent has the time and inclination to give a brief–or even more rarely, a lengthier–explanation why the answer wasn’t “Yes! I’d love to represent you!”…
A Writer’s Blind Auditions
Blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Are you a fan of the reality competition TV show THE VOICE? Each season’s early episodes start with blind auditions. Four professional musicians/judges/coaches sit with their backs to the stage. They’re listening only to the …
Twenty Questions: Who is it?
By Wendy Lawton
Who is it? If you’ve followed Books & Such for a long time, you probably know quite a bit about us. Let’s test your knowledge of these fun facts, both common knowledge and obscure. There will be …
The Perfect Time to Submit
By Wendy Lawton
Ever since I became an agent, I’ve been trying to figure out the rhythm of this industry— the perfect time to submit proposals. Every industry has “seasons” and because we agents are always trying to second-guess things, …
Keeping Your Agent Informed
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Literary agents and agencies are not one-size-fits-all…not that anything bearing that label ever truly is.
We share common ground. We differ in specialities, connections, level of hands-on or hands-off involvement in our client’s projects, and approaches to …
What Are Lit Agents Looking for Anyway?
by Janet Kobobel Grant
When literary agents sit on a panel at a writers conference, inevitably questions pop up about what agents are looking for. Generally a lot of heming and hawing occurs in response to the queries.
“I’ll know …
Can You Trust Your Agent?
blogger: Cynthia Ruchti
Can you trust your agent? Coming alongside a client often puts an agent in the position of saying, “Don’t do that.” Kindly, of course. Or firmly. Depends. Much like the difference between a mother who urges her …