The lovely T. Anne asked: Do you need to run future story idea’s past Rachelle? I’m not sure how that works once you’ve got an agent, but I’d love to know!
What a fabulous question. I wondered the same thing before I had an agent. The thought of having somebody entrenched in the business guiding my steps, for me, was one of the most alluring aspects of representation.
I’m sure every agent-client relationship is unique. The answers are bound to vary. With that said, here’s my experience.
I submitted my third book to Rachelle. This was the one that led her to offer representation. I’d planned, from the very beginning, to make this book into a series. So soon after Rachelle officially became my agent, I emailed her the back cover blurbs for books 2 and 3. I have lots of ideas floating through my head. If these two books weren’t going to sell, why waste my time writing them when I have other ideas waiting to be told? I didn’t want to dedicate six months of my life writing a book that has zero appeal to publishers. Thankfully, she really liked both my back cover blurbs and gave me the confirmation I needed to move forward.
One of the biggest things I wanted in an agent was career guidance. Rachelle expressed during our phone conversation (the one where I rambled like an idiot and told her I had dreams about her) that career guidance is one of her favorite parts of agenting. After she said that, I was sold (like I wasn’t already).
I think, if you have an agent, it would be silly not to run future ideas by him or her. It’s nice knowing I’m working on a book that at least has a solid, saleable premise.
Question to Ponder: Do you have people you run your ideas by before you commit to writing the story?
