On Writing Romance_ How to Craft a Novel That Sells - Leigh Michaels [137]
You can find agents who specialize in romance by consulting the Web site of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR) at www.aar-online.org and searching its database. Agents who belong to AAR agree to follow the organization's code of ethics, which is also posted on the Web site.
Literary Market Place, a directory of the publishing industry available at most libraries, includes agent listings. Writer's Digest Books updates its directory of agents, Guide to Literary Agents, every year.
Romance Writers of America lists agents in a members-only section of their Web site (www.rwanational.org) and periodically in their magazine Romance Writers Report. RWA also maintains a list of agents with whom members have reported problems.
Most agents have Web sites, which give more information about the services they offer and the kinds of books they prefer to represent.
Agents attend many romance conferences and seminars, and most accept appointments with writers who wish to pitch their story ideas. If an agent is interested in a book, he will generally invite the author to send more material for review before agreeing to represent her.
Taking Care of Yourself
It can be so difficult to get an agent interested in your career that, once you do find an agent, you feel like he's doing you a big favor by representing you. Don't forget that the agent works for you, not the other way around. Don't hesitate to ask questions before signing with an agent. For example, consider asking:
• Which publishers has the agent has sold to in the last year, and how many sales has he made?
• Is the agent knowledgeable about the kind of book you're writing, and does he have relationships with the publishers you want to sell to?
• Is the agent a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR)? (No licensing is necessary to be an agent, but membership in the national organization is a strong indication of professionalism.)
• What other agencies or publishers has the agent worked for?
• How long has he been an agent?
• How many clients does he handle?
• Who would be handling your work—the agent himself or an assistant?
• How does the agent view his job—does he provide editorial input and career guidance, or concentrate on selling? Does his philosophy fit with your needs?
Finally, be sure to get your agreement in writing, and make sure there's an out clause that provides a reasonable way to conclude the partnership in case the two of you don't work as well together as you'd hoped.
An Agent's Fees
An agent is paid when the author is paid. Usually, the publisher sends a check to the agent, who takes out his percentage (usually 15 percent) and forwards the rest to the author. Some publishers split checks and send each party's percentage directly.
Though some agents absorb the costs of phone calls, courier service, photocopying, etc., it is more common for an agent to charge the author for the out-of-pocket expenses he has incurred in selling a book. An ethical agent itemizes those charges and deducts them from the author's check—the agent should not charge the author before the author has been paid.
Some agents ask authors to pay a fee in advance to cover the costs of submitting a manuscript. This practice is not approved by the AAR and agents who do this are not allowed to join the AAR. An agent who asks for expenses to be paid up front may be perfectly legitimate, but some have been exposed as scam artists
who collect submission fees but do not seriously market the work—it's prudent to avoid agents who ask for fees up front.
A few agents charge a monthly fee for representation. This provides an incentive for the agent to keep your work dangling as long as possible, rather than try to sell it. This practice is also not approved by the AAR, and agents who charge such fees are not allowed to belong to the AAR. Authors should avoid such agents.
If the agent is paid and reimbursed for expenses only when he sells the work, he has an incentive to try harder.
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