by James L. Rubart, @jameslrubart

With conference season in full swing, I thought I’d give you a few thoughts on how to snag that elusive agent you’ve always dreamed of working with. Ready? Here we go:

1. Remember, that agent you’ve always wanted to work with might not be the best fit for you. Several years back I was watching an agent panel answer questions when it struck me hard: Out of the 12 agents on the panel, I realized I would only click with 3 or 4 of them. I had an agent at that point which—I believe—made me more objective. If I didn’t have an agent at that point? I would have probably signed with any of them. You get my point. Just as you wouldn’t marry someone without getting to know them first, you don’t want to sign with an agent simply because they’re an agent. 
2. Who is working for who? I’ve had many author friends who’ve said things like, “I’m not sure if she’d like that”, or “I’d need to work up my nerve to ask him to do that for me …” Most of us are so enthralled with the idea of an agent signing us, we embrace the mentality that we’re working for them. Huh uh. They are OUR employee. Don’t misunderstand. I see my relationship with my agent as a partnership 100 percent. Just remember, they are working on your behalf. 
3. They are the gatekeepers, yes, but the gate is wide open – when I started in the industry, I thought agents and I were adversaries. I had to win the battle (win them over) in such a way they couldn’t refuse to work with me. (Yes, quite deluded back in those days.) Good agents WANT you to bring a compelling idea. Wait—more than want—they long to see a new writer appear with a fresh voice. It’s one of the more thrilling moments for an agent—to introduce to the world a previously unknown talent. Yes, they might reject you because they don’t think you’re ready, but they are still on your side. If you doubt that, start asking for stories of writers that were rejected multiple times by an agent, and then ended up signing with that very agent years later. As my friend Randy Ingermanson says, “When you’re at a conference, think contacts, not contracts.” Build relationships. Work on your craft. Work on your platform. Do those three things? It’ll happen. You’ll find your agent.

4. Questions- With point number one in mind, when you’re considering signing with an agent, ask questions. Lots of questions. Then ask a few more. Like …
   1. Do you enjoy the genre I write in? 
   2. What type of fiction do you like the most?
   3. How long have you been in the business?  
   4. How many contracts have you sold?
   5. Are you stronger in fiction or nonfiction?
   6. All agents have strengths and weaknesses. What are yours?
   7. Can I contact some of your clients?
   8. What makes you stand out over other agents?
   9. What editors can I talk to about your agency?
   10. How often will we be in contact, and what will that look like?
   11. Have you written anything yourself?
   12. Do you help with career planning?
   13. What are your feelings about hybrid authors?
   14. What happens if things don’t work out between us?
5. Let it go – As I’m fond of saying, it’s not about the writing. It’s about the person you’re being shaped and molded into through the writing and the writing world. So do your best. Then breathe deep and let it go.

 

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The Pages of Her Life

How Do You Stand Up for Yourself When It Means Losing Everything? Allison Moore is making it. Barely. The Seattle architecture firm she started with her best friend is struggling, but at least they’re free from the games played by the corporate world. She’s gotten over her divorce. And while her dad’s recent passing is tough, their relationship had never been easy.

Then the bomb drops. Her dad was living a secret life and left her mom in massive debt.

As Allison scrambles to help her mom find a way out, she’s given a journal, anonymously, during a visit to her favorite coffee shop. The pressure to rescue her mom mounts, and Allison pours her fears and heartache into the journal.

But then the unexplainable happens. The words in the journal, her words, begin to disappear. And new ones fill the empty spaces—words that force her to look at everything she knows about herself in a new light.

Ignoring those words could cost her everything . . . but so could embracing them.

James L. Rubart is 28 years old, but lives trapped inside an older man’s body. He thinks he’s still young enough to water ski like a madman and dirt bike with his two grown sons. He’s the best-selling, Christy BOOK of the YEAR, CAROL, INSPY, and RT Book Reviews award winning author of ten novels and loves to send readers on journeys they’ll remember months after they finish one of his stories. He’s also a branding expert, audiobook narrator, co-host of the Novel Marketing podcast, and co-founder with his son, Taylor, of the Rubart Writing Academy. He lives with his amazing wife on a small lake in Washington state.