Blogger: Mary Keeley
An agent is interested in taking your proposal to the next level. She suggests a phone or video interview to discuss the possibility of representation. After your feet return to terra firma, lasso your nerves and divert that energy for the next step: prepare. You have a lot you can do to give yourself the best chance of making a great impression.
Step 1: Prepare to Communicate Important Information.
First, review the proposal you sent to the agent to refresh yourself on what you communicated there, including your hook, synopsis (fiction) or overview and chapter list (nonfiction), platform information. The tone you used in this business portion of the proposal is equally important. The agent liked what she saw here as well as in your writing sample.
Next, update your social media numbers, and have them handy to refer to during the call.
Step 2: Prepare to Communicate Your Knowledge.
In the course of your conversation the agent wants to learn that you:
- Are prepared to explain your qualification for writing your novel or nonfiction book
- Have familiarized yourself with the agent and the agency. You don’t ask questions that are clearly addressed on the website.
- Did your homework. You’ve learned a little about the publishing industry by attending writers conferences and following industry and author blogs.
- Are a go-getter about doing all you can to market your book. You understand that while it’s the agent’s job to guide and suggest marketing efforts, it’s your job to plan and implement them and follow through with enthusiasm.
- Have grown a sizable audience for your work. You can describe your target audience and how you connect with them through your social media, author newsletter, speaking events. You understand what attracts them to your writing.
- Can be relaxed and comfortable when communicating professionally about your proposal. One of the reasons the agent requested a phone or video conversation is that he wants to know if you can interact with professionalism and friendly ease in a business setting.
- Developed a sense of your author brand, and that your book and future book ideas fit the brand. It demonstrates that you’ve given your unique brand a lot of thought and are invested in your future writing career.
- Investigated publishing house websites. You’re savvy about which publishing houses publish your type of books.
- Understand the author-agent relationship. You know the questions to ask about what the agency offers to clients, and you acknowledge your responsibility in the relationship.
Step 3: Prepare for Your Author Presence.
Finally, remember that the author-agent relationship is a business partnership. Approach the conversation as a professional. If you will be conversing via a video session, business casual is the dress code.
Prepare to exhibit these personal characteristics that contribute to a positive author-agent relationship:
- Good people skills. Thank the agent for the call. Be pleasant and friendly. It shows you have the skills you will need to promote your book and interact with publishing professionals. You don’t have to be a super extrovert. Agents know that many authors are introverted, as are many agents and editors. So relax. Trying to project yourself as someone you are not doesn’t work for long. Be your best professional self.
- Confident yet humble. Showing confidence is very important because it tells the agent you can interact successfully with publishing professionals and in media interviews when your book is published. A balanced blend of confidence and a humble attitude is most pleasing.
- Teachable. You appear to be patient and eager to learn. And you show that you’re a forthright communicator.
The better prepared you are, the more relaxed you’ll be. The more relaxed you are, the sharper your thinking will be.
What makes you most nervous when you think about a phone or video interview with an agent? If you’ve had an author-agent interview regarding representation, were you pleased with how you did? What would you do differently next time?
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Great post, Mary. This will be a keeper for many if not all of the members of this community.
* I’m one of those people who do much better in person than on the phone, as I have a hearing deficit that makes telephone conversations extremely uncomfortable (and no aids help); I actually don’t HAVE a phone any more. It’s not worth it.
* That being said, circumstances will likely preclude my ever having an in-person interview, but should my miracle find me, the agent in question will be met with enthusiasm, good cheer, and a wardrobe straight out of a Jimmy Buffett album, for there is always a place for truth in advertising.
Well, clearly the Jimmy buffet apparel will seal the contract for you. 😉
Damon, my shirt and my future are so bright, the world’s gonna need shades.
Dude!!! I know, right? I’m clear up here by the Canadian border and I’m having to shade my eyes already!! (Love your spirit, brother.)
Thanks, Damon! 🙂
In my dreams, I handle the agent call with grace and finesse. In my heart, I suspect I’d be excited to the point of silliness.
* Prepared . . . that puts a whole new spin on the dream. Thank you, Mary, for this dose of reality.
* “Confident yet humble.” Make it so, Lord, make it so.
You’re welcome, Shirlee. And as you mentioned, prayer is an obvious addition to the preparation list.
After considering this through the night, I thought I’d offer a perspective that may resonate at least a few members of this community.
* I had an agent interview by phone several years ago, and I did not feel I handled it well. I was fighting deafness, awkward in my speech, and trying to hold a tiny cell phone in a hand that is entirely too large. The agent was gracious and understanding, and did work with me to try to make the manuscript acceptable. Though this did not end in representation, I’m very, very grateful for the agent’s time and kindness. (And yes, this was and is a top-tier ‘dream agent’.)
* But as my life has changed, and I grow a bit more cognizant of the dreadfully tough path that is the road to representation, I have the feeling:
“There will never be another interview; why prepare for something that won’t happen?”
* And I’m sure that at least a few others, reading the title of this essay, had some version of that response in their own hearts.
* It may seem realistic; it may even seem wise. But it’s dead wrong.
– First, by following the guidelines Mary wrote today one will grow into a greater knowledge of what’s required, and thereby make oneself a more savvy and attractive prospect. That will show in every part of one’s proposal, the proposal that WILL (be positive!) eventually elicit a call.
– Second, well…Be Positive! A positive attitude makes you more creative,more adaptable, more open to learning. It’s not the Pollyanna-positive of the new writer who thinks his first draft will be a masterpiece (yes, I just looked in a mirror; how did you know?). It’s the logical affirmation that representation is not only for the anointed elect, and that there are no magic keys beyond creativity, hard work, the willingness to learn, and the touch of luck that attends all great endeavours.
– Third…and perhaps most important…take an interest in and encourage others on the same path. In showing the light of hope to those who feel lost, you have to find it yourself, and we all teach best that which we most need to learn.
You never cease to encourage me, Andrew.
Sue, thank you…I have learned so much of writing and life and hope in this community that whatever good I may do was fashioned by a hundred hearts before I am privileged to pass it on.
You are an indomitable inspiration, Andrew. And an example of the advice you gave here.
Excellent content. One of the challenges of this entire process is that it is SO easy to misstep, and equally critical that we not do so, because the costs of an errant step can be painful to absorb. I find myself being exceedingly deliberate about implementation, and fearful of doing something improperly, or in the improper order, or that I am not investing my resources (primarily my time) in the best arenas. I want this to be an enjoyable process (stressless), but also a successful one (stressful). I feel like a walking contradiction. 🙂
Damon, a misstep can be overcome if you view it as a learning experience for your next attempt. But avoiding them in the first place by good preparation reduces unnecessary stress. Treat the remaining unavoidable stress as a challenge to be tackled and enjoyed. This attitude will produce the thick skin all writers need for the ups and downs of your writing life.
Thank you for the kind encouragement, Mary. I am constantly learning the value of the Rhinoceros Hide, 😉 and the value of continuing to walk the course laid out before me with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. (Having an amazingly supportive wife/best friend is a huge help.)
Mary, this is also a great list for anyone getting ready for a writers’ conference!
I agree, Carol.
You’re so right, Carol.
Oh those make-or-break first impressions. ?Scary stuff. Thank you for this post, Mary. I’ll definitely refer back to your suggestions. I also imagine myself being strapped to a chair so I don’t pass out during an interview.
Lara, agents understand this, and most of us try hard to put a writer at ease in the first few minutes of an interview. It might help to keep in mind that you are also interviewing the agent. You need to think about what it would be like to partner with the agent if he or she doesn’t put you at ease or engage with you.
Hmm. I never thought of that. Is this the part where a nervous nellie calms her fears by imagining the other person is sitting in their underwear??
Mary, I remember our interview so clearly. Your ability to put me at ease was a great blessing, as was the fact that we obviously share the same warped sense of humor. And ridiculously idealistic goals for CBA.
You would know this now, but I prepared extensively for that interview. As extensively as when I was pitching a concept to a client. I wrote out how to present my work, looking for concise, clear ways to convey what I was doing. I thought through questions you might ask so that I could then try to formulate answers that left nothing on the table.
It’s important that this interaction not be seat-of-your-Jimmy-Buffet pants on the part of the writer. (Hey, Andrew! Hope you’re doing well in Margaritaville.) Even though God is in control, He gave us a brain for a reason. This is one of those times to use it!
Thanks for the post, and the lovely memories it triggered. You are the best.
Waving back from the beach, NB! Seat of the pants is actually what I do best, and I figure that I ought to protect my brain from wear and tear by using it as infrequently as possible (which would come as no surprise to my long-suffering wife). The world needs both good examples and cautionary tales, and I still hope that my last words in this life will be, “Yo, DUDE! Watch THIS!”
Well, Andrew. I’m from Texas, and there they say, “Dude! Hold my beer and watch this!” (Thanks for the chuckle.)
Norma, I remember our interview too. I was impressed by your confident-humble willingness to be your authentic self and professional at the same time. That and the obvious evidence that you had prepared thoroughly.
Good tips here from the writer’s view toward an interview.
Terrific information here, Mary. I haven’t seen a specific breakdown of tips for the interested agent interview anywhere else. Thank you! I’ll be printing this one.
You’re welcome, Jerusha!
1) Wear waterproof mascara
2) Try not to cry
And wow, oddly enough, I failed at both.
What I would do differently is realize that when an agent asks for my time, that maybe my time is actually worth it.
What I mean is, if I’ve gotten as far as an interview, then the agent sees something that he or she finds worthy. So don’t sit there and panic, thinking that they’re going to find out you’re an untalented pretender. Straighten your spine and prepare to answer their questions like you belong there, and dare yourself to prove that you’re worth their time.
As far as I know, most agents I’ve met aren’t setting up meetings to watch people fail.
If all the “be strong, you can do this” words in your head are failing, do what I did and whisper “I made it through Bolivian airport security, eight times, I can sit and talk to Mary Keeley”.
As I recall, and thanks be to God, that meeting went fairly decently. Although, I still wonder about damaging your hearing with all my squealing.
No one ever said “If you want an example of refined under pressure, Jennifer Major is your girl.”
That’s the attitude, Jennifer! You’ve encouraged many a writer here.
This is very encouraging, thank you for this Jennifer