Top 10 Reasons Your Query Got a Request
- By: BookEnds | Date: Nov 24 2021
You got a request! Congrats! Whether it’s a full or partial, receiving a request from an agent is worth celebrating. If an agent wants more of your work, it means something clicked. Jessica and James run through the reasons that an agent might have for asking to read more.
Enjoy!
You guys are so charming! (Truly. Not an attempt at shameless flattery.) A critique partner sent me the link to your video because I wrote a short story with MAGICAL BAKING in it. Let me know if you are interested in reading it. Either way, thanks for the query insights.
Thank you! Feel free to query the agent you think would be a fit!
The information you share in your videos is extremely helpful but what I love most about watching your videos is seeing the friendship between the two of you. It always leaves a sparkle in my heart.
You two are so engaging to watch! I just binged a bunch and learned a lot. I haven’t gone through all 280+ pages, but do you ever talk about if (God willing) a writer is given the opportunity to contract, how much say the writer has? I can only imagine myself agreeing to everything for fear that I will upset the agent, yet I’m pretty sure that’s bad business. Which components of a contract are up for negotiation and which are not?
Hi, Nicole! I’m Michelle, the literary assistant, and I’m still learning about contracts too, so this is a great question. First, I want to advise you to trust your agent! Whoever the agent is, you surely signed with them in the hopes that they have your best interests in mind. So don’t worry about having to agree to everything just to avoid upsetting your agent because if you’ve got the right one for you, you’ll be able to have this conversation. Next, there are upfront negotiations that happen where your agent will first learn of the advance money, the division of rights (examples: translation, film, and more), and/or the number of books that the publisher is offering on. There is also a ‘boilerplate’ contract (the last negotiated contract between the agency and publisher) that the editor and agent use as a base for negotiations. Basically, there’s a lot that’s up for discussion but at the same time, a lot that will be accepted for the sake of being able to have a productive conversation on what can or can’t be pushed. Hopefully that helps! I know we have a video coming up soon about contracts so keep an eye out for that!