Questions for agents

[gilesth]

This is mostly to any agent or agented writer out there, but if you have anything to say, I'm open to hearing it. I'm curious, as a writer, if an agent extends an offer of representation to me, what are valuable, vital, or even just mildly important questions that I should ask them before accepting their offer? What, above and beyond their Publisher's Marketplace and AgentQuery profiles, should I know about them?

I certainly don't want to offend any agents, but at the same time, I plan on working with this person for several years (I'm very loyal to those who remain loyal to me). I don't want to start a working relationship just to have it fall apart or become detrimental to my career simply because I didn't cover all of my bases. So, thanks for the advice :D

[Krista G.]

I don't have any personal experience with this, but a lot of blogging agents have done posts containing questions you should ask an offering agent. Definitely check those out, since that's where a lot of my, albeit limited, knowledge comes from.

Having said that, here are a few of the highlights I remember:

1. What did you like - and what didn't you like - about the manuscript?
2. What revisions will you want me to make before you start submitting the manuscript to publishers?
3. What houses and/or editors do you plan to submit to? Why?
4. Will you be interested in my next books, too?
5. Do you have a written contract you'd like me to sign? If so, what are its termination conditions?

And you are well within your rights to ask the agent for referrals, a short list of current (or former, I suppose) clients you could contact to get a more behind-the-scenes feel for the agent. And a few days or weeks to gather information, contact agents who still have your partial or full, and consider the offer.

[tameson]

A few I remembered that seemed important- what is your method for submission (ie, do you submit to 20 places at once or one at a time)?
What happens if you leave agency or quit the business or die (might need better phrasing)? Are you signing with agent or agency? How much involvement will agent have vs say a junior agent? What about my next book?

[Lorelei Armstrong]

Think of the three major changes you would least like to make to your book. Ask the agent when he/she will ask you to make those changes. Consider now whether you will be willing to make them. In my experience with three agents, they will eventually ask for those changes. Will your head explode?

For the book I just finished, I anticipate:

1. Rewrite it to take place in the U.S. rather than England.
2. Make the main character a girl instead of a boy.
3. Change it so it can be YA. Cut 30K, etc.

If my eventual query letter attracts interest, I will ask if those changes will be requested. And then I shall move along, and then the book will go in a drawer. Note that with the previous three agents I have had similar discussions before signing. That conversation goes:

"No, I love it as it is! How about I send a contract?"
"Great!"

Three months later, they're asking for those changes and more.