ASK THE SISTERS!

This week’s winner is Caryl Kane! Her question is: “How did you choose your agent?”
 
Caryl’s won a copy of A.K. Arenz’s book, “The Case of the Bouncing Grandma!”

If you have a question for us, leave it below. You might be our next winner! You could win a book by one of today’s top suspense/mystery writers – or a gift certificate to Amazon! (Questions submitted without contact information won’t be considered.)

I found my agent based on the strong recommendations by good

friends who are with her. I'd seen the great job she was doing for them and was very happy when I did sign with her. She is excellent--very prompt, professional and experienced.

Roxanne Rustand

I met Chip and a conference when I'd already had a book or two

published. He didn't take me on then, but after a few more I queried him again and he signed me. Chip's the best! He has my back, for sure.

Dana Mentink

 

I’ve had two agents. I met my first when I was at a conference, just having had word from an editor that if I hired an independent editor

to clean up the manuscripts of my two novels, he’d probably give me a contract. On the basis of that, I asked the agent about representation, and she accepted. I hired the independent editor, paid him a lot of money, didn’t get the contract from the editor, and then the agent tried unsuccessfully to place my work. When she said, “Richard, I don’t know what to do with your books,” we figured it was time to part amicably.

The second agent I’d met when she was an editor. She left editing to become an agent, and I followed her blog. I’d given up writing by now, but decided to enter one of the contests she ran, one involving the best first line for a novel. I won, with “Things were going along just fine until the miracle fouled them up.” The prize was her edit of the first five pages of a manuscript. I sent her the one that had most recently been rejected, she liked it, and soon became my agent.

PS—I’ve just had my ninth novel published, and still have her as my agent.

Richard L. Mabry, MD

Funny question. He contacted me about some out of print books he wanted to put on a line he was starting up. He said to check with

my agent. I replied that I let her go. He said, "Send me something." I did, and he signed me a week later. I know own the line he started and turned it into a small press with thirty-one clients.

Cynthia Hickey (Melton)

 

I met my first agent online through a group called “Murder Must

Advertise.” When she left to pursue other things, she referred me to my current agent. Online connections are really important!

Nancy Mehl