Recently I was asked by an author (not a client) if I could spend “ten minutes” talking on the phone about a book before I see the submission.
I prefer to see the work first.
Some questions may enter the author’s mind in response to that. Here are my answers.
- What’s the matter, are you too “busy” or snobby to talk to authors? No, I am not. In fact, I believe most people find time to do what they believe is important. I do think authors are important, and I enjoy talking to authors. But a telephone query to an agent is risky for an author. The call is likely to interrupt an agent in the middle of other work, and she’s not mentally prepared to listen to a pitch. And that’s even if he answers the phone since he doesn’t know who’s calling.
Bottom line? Best not to telephone an agent until the two of you know one another.
- Are you saying you can’t find ten minutes in the day to talk to a new author? Rarely does the “ten minute” conversation take ten minutes. A half-hour to an hour might be more like it. If an agent listens to eight (or even 50) telephone pitches in a day, that is one fewer day the agent gets to spend serving her current clients.
Bottom line? You want your agent to serve you once you start working together. Showing an agent right away that you respect her time means she will also respect you and your time.
- But I’m great at pitching in person! I get it. In fact, I once represented a minor celebrity who wanted to fly here, there, and yonder to “take a meeting” with various editors. Finally, one editor said, “I don’t need a meeting. Write the book.” The celebrity didn’t want to pay the co-author to do the writing, so we parted ways. To this day, the book has not been published.
Bottom line? After the publisher, the reader is the person who’ll ultimately buy the book. The reader has no interest in the fabulous lunch you shared with an editor. You must sell your book through the quality of your book, not your presence. That’s why we want to see your proposal. Then we can have a conversation.
- So I shouldn’t bother talking to agents at a conference? Yes, you should pitch to agents and editors at conferences. Why? Because that is a great way for publishing professionals to meet authors and hear pitches. I love talking to writers at conferences. I am there, totally focused on hearing pitches and talking to authors at all levels about their careers. That’s a huge difference from taking a call from an author I don’t know during the normal business week. But again, no matter how charming you are during a meeting, the agent or editor decides based on the worth of your project. The conference meeting gives you an opportunity to meet many publishing professionals in a short amount of time, so you can form opinions about the best agent and publisher for you.
Bottom line? Prepare your best proposal and submit to agents. A great project presented in a professional manner has the best chance of garnering interest and ultimately being a success.
Your turn:
Do you agree with sending a proposal first, or do you prefer to query by phone? What works for you?
What is the best conference appointment you ever had?
Finding Great Book Ideas
I hate speaking on the phone to anyone. I would never use it for something as important as a query. I prefer that all communication be written (email, letters, etc.), That leaves less opportunity for error and misunderstanding. In addition, I would not want to interrupt you any more than I want you to interrupt me. I have had only 2 conference appointments: one with an agent, one with a publisher. Neither went well because I was too stressed by circumstances and the conference environment. I did obtain some excellent feedback, however (from the agent, not the publisher).
Diana, I feel terrible for you that you felt so uncomfortable during your conference appointments. Sometimes conferees tell me up front that they’re nervous and I do my best to put them at ease. Yes, any appointment is likely to be stressful, but don’t give up on meeting us. We’re here to help!
And you’re right about putting important notes in writing. There is less room for error that way.
It wasn’t the interview that made me stressed–I’m fine one on one, it was the environment with lots of conversations going on all over the room and the fact that at one of the conferences my mother was dying and at the other I had given a ride to a blind woman who I had never met and who was supposed to be spending time there with her friends, but instead she attached herself to me.
Oh, wow, those WERE mitigating circumstances. I really feel for you. Praying that in the future, conference circumstances will be much less stressful for you!
As for one-on-one? I enjoy those conversations, too.
Great post, Tamela. I would NEVER pitch on the the phone. I don’t think it’s necessary to talk on the phone with an agent until agreed between parties. Even then, I prefer some sort of bullet points via email (save for a quick “FYI”) or at least a scheduled time. Phone calls I see as more of a next step once representation is secured. Agents and editors worth their salt want to see the writing. That’s what they do, that’s the business: W-R-I-T-I-N-G! This is why I’m not a fan of query letters, even. I prefer to say as politely as possible: “Please read the sample chapters.” Although if I actually have to say that in a phone call I’m pretty sure that’s not the agent for me. 😉
I’ve never really been keen on pitching at conferences, either, although if pushed into a corner, I’d pitch an agent if I really wanted them to represent me. I refuse to pitch editors at conferences, they have too much going on and I don’t really think most of them enjoy that aspect of their jobs, Christian markets or otherwise.
Publishing is a busy industry, and people haven’t time to yak it up on the phone. Written communication is better; it doubles as permanent record down the line to help resolve disputes or misunderstandings that can (and will) occasionally arise. Thanks, Tamela!
Jon, that’s a great point about query letters. And everyone saves time since the agent or editor can see the actual writing backing it up right away. Thanks for commenting, and for your encouragement. Glad you enjoyed the post.
Hi Tamela. I teach online for two of the three colleges where I am an instructor and find that phone calls are very distracting when I am trying to teach. I imagine that you find the same thing as you are trying to dig through the pile of queries you get at any one given time. A brief interruption, especially if I am writing, can take me 20 minutes to get back to where I was in the thought process. Again, I imagine that you have the same problem. Therefore, I woudl say that a written query would be better, with the querier offering to speak by phone at the agent’s earliest convenience.
My best interview was when an agent told me he was interested in both my nonfiction and fiction writing. I was at a conference, where agents were focused, like you say, on talking to authors. I signed with that agent a few weeks later.
Sheri — Twenty minutes to refocus is hard to believe, but I have a feeling (Gulp!) you are right! Now I feel even better about choosing this topic today. 🙂
And congratulations on finding the right agent for yourself! That’s not always an easy task.
Tamela,
I agree a written presentation (a proposal) is better to send via email before speaking with you on the phone. The author may have a great oral pitch but it is the words on the page that will be convincing–and you can waste a lot of time on the phone with a potential author–and time is valuable. I say this after talking with hundreds of unpublished authors and reviewing thousands of pitches over my 20+ years in this business.
Pitch first in writing–then later speak with the agent. Great post. Thank you,
Terry
Straight Talk From The Editor, 18 Keys To A Rejection-Proof Submission
Terry, thank you! I hope all my blog readers will click on your link!
Practical information – thanks!
A writer by definition should be able to write … but maybe I would be too awed to speak.
I would hope a great agent would be busy reading … not answering the phone.
A win – win.
Beverly, you made me smile. 🙂
Tamela, I prefer written queries. I cannot imagine the magnitude of time it would take you to listen to phone queries. At least with a query writers can fine tune their written words, where cold calls could turn into regrets for making an unnecessary comment. To me, written queries protects both the agent and the writer.
Exactly, Loretta! Then, once the agent asks to chat with you, she is very interested and already “knows” you, so at that point if anything comes out “wrong” then it’s much less consequential.
Authors must sell the agent; the first rule of selling is to “sell” in the manner the buyer wants to “buy”. If the Agent is busy with a critical project, and you interrupt with a enthusiastic, but aggressive pitch, you will be half-heard at best, and it will be a wasted effort.
Sell your book in the manner that an Agent will favorably receive it.
You said it, Barron!
Don’t like talking on the phone. Just as well I don’t have one. Lousy reception where I live, and it’s not missed.
Although SmartPhones do make good coasters.
I’m sure you don’t miss all the robot and scam calls!
Yeah, Tamela, but I bet the robots and scammers miss ME! 🙂
It’s always best to follow the preferred protocols of any business. Written is the way to go for books.
Personally, I love talking with new people, so I’d be comfortable calling. I had to do that a lot in my tech job.
Carol, it’s good to feel confident either way, especially if you’ll be seeing other publishing professionals at a conference or other event.
Pitching someone without an appointment, on the phone, at their office is insane. You want that pitch to be when the agent is the most receptive. What works best is putting it in writing. That way the person you are trying to impress, will review your work at the time that’s best for them and with their full attention.
In regards to conferences, I am beginning to wonder what their worth is outside of the workshops. I’ve met a number of agents and book publishers who express great interest in my work and when I send it at their request, I get no response at all. I can get that response without spending money and time at a conference.
One lack of response that irked me was from the head editor of a children’s book publishing house. I had a paid critique with her. She raved about my picture books to the point of making me cry with joy. She said she wanted to take my two stories to their editorial board for review and asked me to send some additional paperwork to her after the conference. I emailed what she wanted in under a week. That was in August. I’ve sent 4 follow-up emails with no response.
On the other hand, I got a response from an agent at a conference months later who pointed out some issues with my novel and what I could do to make it better. I didn’t like hearing she wasn’t interested in the story, but I really did appreciate her tips to make it more sellable.
Christine, I can understand why you were frustrated, yet I maintain that it is indeed worth a writer’s time to talk to agents and editors at conferences for many reasons. Yes, it’s true that you must have gotten some “false positive” responses, but that’s probably because it’s extremely difficult for most caring people to say “no” to someone’s face. As for the children’s book editor, she may have indeed taken your work to her board and raved about it to them, but it simply didn’t get the go-ahead for her to pursue further. It would have been nice for her to update you, but her style may be to write only if there is business at hand. I’m just guessing; I don’t know for certain. But these things happen. And I’m sorry they left you discouraged.
But your time wasn’t wasted. Now that you have made face-to-face contact with agents and editors, you can refer to your meetings when you contact them again. That fact alone can put you higher up in the queue.
Tamela,
I’ve never queried an agent or editor, but If I did, it would be in writing. It’s too easy to be misunderstood over the phone. I don’t like to be interrupted when I’m concentrating on something, neither would an agent or editor.
Thanks for taking the time to give the view from your side.
So glad you could benefit from the post, Peggy!
When I can write as well as I can speak, I won’t have any problem publishing. Meanwhile, I adhere to the requirements an agent or publisher asks of me in their submission guidelines. Last thing I want is to be viewed as a prima-dona.
It makes perfect sense to me that an agent or editor wants to see it in writing. If the author can’t grab them with their words on the page, what are they selling?
I know we authors crave the immediate feedback of a phone conversation. But we’re selling our written words–no one ever said the writing life is easy!