literary agent offer of representation

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Nathan Bransford | Writing, Book Editing, Publishing

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How to handle an offer of representation

April 9, 2018 by Nathan Bransford 19 Comments

The day an agent offers you representation is one of the most incredible moments in your publishing journey.

I’ll never forget when my agent, Catherine Drayton , called me to offer representation for Jacob Wonderbar . I had doubted myself nearly every step of the way before that point and hadn’t even told my friends and family I was working on a novel. But suddenly there was someone else who believed in my novel’s potential! A publishing professional, no less!

Since you’ll inevitably experience a rush of euphoria, it’s all the more reason to plan out your strategy for handling that offer ahead of time. Don’t immediately yell, “YES, DEAR LORD YES” even if you really want to. Take your time to make sure it’s the right fit.

This is a crucial conversation. A bad agent (or a bad relationship with your agent) can do more harm to your writing career than having  no agent. If an agent sends out your work to publishers, that’s your shot.

Having been on both sides of this phone call, as both an agent and as author, here’s my advice for how to handle an offer of representation from a literary agent.

Also, I offer  online classes with exclusive resources  about finding and working with literary agents that you can take at your leisure. They will help you every step of the way!

And if you need personalized help, I can help  edit your query letter  or you can  book a consultation  to ask questions.

Thank the agent and set up a different time to talk

Even if your agent calls to give you the good news, sure, have a conversation with them, thank them for believing in you, but schedule another time to talk through the logistics.

You’ll probably need some time to mentally prep for the conversation, as well as to handle any necessary follow-ups with other agents who have your manuscript (more on that in a sec). Give them a time-frame for the conversation that accounts for these follow-ups.

Don’t worry about putting off the full conversation, you’re not going to offend the agent. They  expect that you’ll take some time to think it through and make sure it’s a good fit. (And if they’re putting pressure on you to decide, don’t necessarily run away, but be wary).

Also don’t worry about the agent thinking you’re weird for being a blubbering, excited mess. They’ve seen it all (and they’re excited too).

Follow up with the other agents who have your work

If other agents have already requested your manuscript, it’s customary to give them a heads-up that you have received an offer of representation and give them a reasonable time frame (7-14 days) to consider your work.

Opinions vary a bit on whether to follow up with agents who only have just your query and haven’t requested your manuscript. I don’t personally advise this, but some agents do expect it, and if you have a dream agent on that list, it’s not likely to kill your chances with the first agent if you are getting back to them in a reasonable time frame.

Regardless of what you decide on that, I wouldn’t advise taking that offer from the agent and blasting out a million new queries to everyone else on your list. That’s not cool. Be respectful to the agent who jumped first.

Also, follow through with the outreach on this step even if the agent who offered you representation is at the very top of your wishlist. You’ll benefit from the additional conversations even if you go with the original agent, and you’ll be more confident in your choice.

Triple-check once more that the agent is reputable

You should have already done this step when you researched your list of literary agents , but it couldn’t hurt to check again.

Make sure you know your rights as an author .

Prep your list of questions

It’s okay if you have a million questions. Here are the ones I think are especially important:

• What did they like about your book?  This is such a simple but crucial question. Hopefully the agent already communicated this when they offered you representation, but if they didn’t: ask. Why? 1) If they’re faking their enthusiasm you’ll know it (and if they’re a scammer or bad agent they’ll probably stumble through it) and 2) Their answer will help you make sure they “get” you and your book.
• What is their communication style? This one is super important. Agents vary greatly in their approach to the information they communicate to their clients and how often they communicate it. Some agents share everything, including all rejection letters, some check in at periodic intervals and just share a summary. Some agents get back to you in 24 hours, some take a month or two. And some give their clients discretion over what they see. Try to suss out their style and make sure it works for you.
• Is there an author/agency agreement? Most agents (though not all) have author/agency agreements that you’ll need to sign in order to become a client. Make sure that you understand and are comfortable with everything in the author/agency agreement and that there’s a reasonable termination clause if things don’t work out. Note that most agents will have the right to receive commission for deals they initiated even if you then part ways (so you can’t get a deal and then just bounce on them to avoid the commission). PLEASE NOTE: I’m not an attorney and don’t construe this as legal advice. Consult a publishing attorney if you have any questions.
• What’s the normal time-frame for remitting advances and royalty payments? The author/agency agreement (as well as your eventual agreement with a publisher) will likely have a provision that will direct the publisher to pay the agency, who will then subtract your commission and pay you the balance. Find out how long this turnaround usually takes.
• What incidental charges will you be responsible for? As you should know by now, agents shouldn’t charge you anything up front (they get paid when you get paid). The exception is that they may recoup incidental charges (like copying and things like that). Make sure you know what these charges are and that you’re comfortable with them.
• Are they interested in you for just this book or for others as well? How will that work?  This isn’t necessarily the time to pitch the agent on the seventeen manuscripts in your drawer, but you should understand whether the agent is interested in more projects from you no matter what happens with this particular book. They may well want to focus on this first one and see what happens, but find out how and when they want to discuss future book projects.
• Do they plan to only submit to the major publishers or will they submit until the bitter end? I’m a little hyperbolic with that last part, but this is really important. Bear in mind that an agent receives a 15% commission on any advance, and small presses may well only offer in the low $1,000s of dollars. Multiply $1,500 x 15%, calculate the hours involved in submitting a project for the agent, and you’ll see they’re lucky to crack minimum wage. Some agents are still willing to go to small presses in the hopes of building up an author over the long haul, others may want to stop at the majors. Make sure you’re satisfied with the agent’s approach.
• How does the agency handle subsidiary rights like audio and film?  Some agents have in-house departments to handle film rights, some will work with other outside agents. But make sure you understand how it works.
• Does the manuscript need any changes or are you good to go?  Some agents are hands-on and will work with an author on revisions, others only take on projects they think are ready to go. Don’t be alarmed at either answer, but if they do want changes, make sure they’re consistent with your vision for the book.
• Can you talk to some of their other clients? Bear in mind that almost by definition, these authors are going to be happy with their agent. So don’t look to these conversations to help you with an overall verdict, but do try to suss out or double-check some of the things that are important to you, like communication style.
• Anything else that is important to you . Seriously. Now’s the time.

Go with your gut

Try to be as calm as possible for this conversation, be honest and transparent with everyone throughout the process, listen to what the agent (or agents) have to say, and the answer will become clear.

And then you’ll have that advocate who believes in your work.

For a more lighthearted take on this step, check out The Publishing Process in GIF Form!

Need help with your book? I’m available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching ! For my best advice, check out my online classes , my guide to writing a novel and my guide to publishing a book . And if you like this post: subscribe to my newsletter !

Art: Detail of A Lady Reading a Letter by Gerard ter Borch

Reader Interactions

April 10, 2018 at 3:38 pm

A challenge heartily to be desired! Thanks for this informative view from both sides of the fence, Nathan.

April 20, 2018 at 2:58 pm

I found your article very interesting. I am wondering (since I write mostly nonfiction for the Christian market), if the points in the article would apply to nonfiction? Would there be any points that need to be added? Thanks! Janis

April 20, 2018 at 3:11 pm

I can’t think of anything that would be different.

April 20, 2018 at 7:20 pm

What do you mean by going to small pressed to “build up the agent over the long haul”? Can you please flesh this out? Thank you! Great article!

April 20, 2018 at 8:03 pm

correction: I meant to flesh out “build up the author”…

April 20, 2018 at 10:09 pm

Small presses can potentially be a great avenue for authors to find their niche and some go on to be nominated for awards and things like that and build their audiences through time. A literary agent in it for the long haul could see a small press deal as an investment that could reap dividends down the line as an author’s career builds (or they might just be happy to try to do right by the author even if it’s not totally lucrative).

April 22, 2018 at 8:13 am

Thank you for this. I was worried small presses wouldn’t have the oompf in getting the book out on the market in the ways a larger press would. But, shall I understand that small presses have the same influence in getting the book to independent bookstore, chain book stores, and online retailers in the same way as large presses?

April 22, 2018 at 9:07 am

I definitely wouldn’t necessarily say “the same” influence, and it varies a lot from publisher to publisher. But there are definitely small presses who have strong relationships and reputations with bookstores and can give an author a lift. There are other small presses who don’t do that much more for an author than they’d be able to do on their own. It really depends.

April 29, 2018 at 4:15 pm

Thank you for sharing your inside info, Nathan. This is really helpful. I so agree that the right agent is important. The same applies to a publisher. Maybe that’s another blog! Warm blessings.

January 29, 2019 at 9:25 pm

When an offer of representation is made, do you recommend sending a courtesy email to only queried agents who have requested additional materials (partial/full) or also to those who have recently (in the last 4 weeks) been queried but have yet to reply? Thank you in advance!

January 30, 2019 at 11:56 am

I think I address this in the post?

January 30, 2019 at 12:52 pm

HA, you sure did. Sorry! Hadn’t had my coffee yet. Great post 🙂

February 4, 2019 at 4:03 pm

When updating agents about another’s request for a full MS, do you need to name the requesting agent or not? Just wonder how they know you do have a legitimate request for full MS otherwise… Thanks!

February 4, 2019 at 8:34 pm

I’m a bit confused by the question because I don’t recommend updating other agents on a request for a full manuscript?

February 5, 2019 at 4:17 am

Hi Nathan. Some UK agents state on their website to update them with “any interest or offers of representation” and I just wondered what the etiquette was about naming other agents. Thanks.

February 6, 2019 at 5:11 pm

I think it’s customary to update when there’s an offer of representation, but not that there’s been another manuscript request.

In terms of telling them who the other agent is, it’s up to you. I don’t know that I’d proactively offer them the information, but it’s okay to tell them if they ask.

May 12, 2019 at 10:51 am

Are you a literary agent yourself Nathan? If a book was rejected in the past by publishers but has been completely re written since does it have a chance to be published through an agent and must we inform the agent that it has been rejected in the past?

November 14, 2021 at 1:26 am

Hi Nathan – I found everything you’ve written very interesting and helpful, but I do have one question. I’ve noticed there are some agents who request or state that they’re not interested in books or authors who have sent queries to numerous agents, and who want to be given a certain period of time for exclusivity on the opportunity to represent you. This seems pretty limiting, and not very realistic for new authors who are looking to find a good agent and get their work published. Should an author really sit back for at least a month until they receive a response from this agent, (or no response at all) they have sent a query letter to? That doesn’t seem like a wise choice for a new author, or a fair request from an agent. What do you think? Thanks for you info and help! Linda

November 14, 2021 at 12:37 pm

I cover that in this post: https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2008/08/exclusives-and-literary-agents

Requesting an exclusive at the query stage is really odd and I probably wouldn’t go with any agent who has that requirement. It’s a bit more common at the manuscript request stage, but you’re within your rights to say no. The only time I personally think it’s really warranted is if the agent is working with you on a revision and investing time in your work. But otherwise, I think it’s poor practice on the part of the agents.

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Offer of Representation from a Literary Agent

by Literary Agent News | 6 December, 2022 | Looking for a Literary Agent

Home » Literary Agent Blog » Looking for a Literary Agent » Offer of Representation from a Literary Agent

When you get an offer of representation from a literary agent, what should you expect and do? Use this step-by-step guide to navigate the process of getting a book agent offer of representation. It’s part of our free 15-Part Guide About How to Get a Publishing Agent .

Offer of Representation From a Literary Agent – FAQ

• Questions a Book Agent Will Ask
• Questions to Ask a Publishing Agent
• Choosing a Book Agent
• Standard Book Agent Contract
• Publishing Agent Contract Terms
• Book Agent Contract Red Flags

Publishing Agent Lawyer

First Meeting With a Book Agent

What should you expect during your first meeting with a book agent? If a publishing agent suggests a meeting via phone, a video call, or in person (this happens rarely), it usually means an offer of representation is coming–or has already been made–but not always.

What do you need to consider when you get an offer of representation from a literary agent?

Approximately two thirds of the time, literary agents offer representation via email before the author has their first meeting with the book agent. On other occasions, authors are offered representation during their first meeting. And, in a smaller number of situations, authors are invited to a first meeting that doesn’t end with a literary agent offer for representation.

If you have a first meeting with a literary agent that doesn’t include an offer for representation, don’t worry. The first meeting will likely include an invitation to resubmit your manuscript after applying suggestions the book agent shares with you during the meeting. That is, if you decide to incorporate the suggestions.

In rare cases, writers will find themselves having a first meeting with a publishing agent that doesn’t include a representation offer or an invitation to resubmit. When a book agent does that, the manuscript feedback is simply a gift to help the writer improve their manuscript so they can improve their chances with other author representatives.

Questions a Book Agent Will Ask – offer of representation from a literary agent

Prepare for these questions a book agent might ask when you get an offer of representation from a literary agent. Publishing agents offering representation often ask questions about your book, past and future works, promotional plans, and more.

• How many queries have you sent out?
• Are other book agents reading or seriously interested?
• Has your book been submitted to publishers?
• Is the book previously self-published?
• What else have you written?
• Has anything you’ve written been published?
• What other books do you plan to write?
• What are your goals as an author?
• How open are you to manuscript revisions?
• What are your promotional plans for the book?

The above list of questions an author representative might ask is just a potential partial list. Some book agents ask very few questions. Each situation is different. However, the list above highlights the questions a publishing agent is most likely to ask.

Questions to Ask a Publishing Agent – offer of representation from a literary agent

These questions to ask when you get an offer of representation from a literary agent will help you avoid problems, and choose the best book agent. If you get a representation offer from a literary agent, you need to know what to ask about your book, the book agent, and the book agent’s plans for your book.

• Is there anything you believe I should change or do to make it more likely the manuscript would be successful with publishers?
• How many publishers do you believe you would submit the book to?
• When do believe you might start submitting the book to publishers?
• What do you believe our best-case scenario might be? (For example, how quickly an offer might come in, the size of the advance.)
• What do you believe a more modest success would look like?
• Would you be my agent, or someone else at your literary agency? (Only ask this if you know there are multiple book agents.)
• How do you handle subsidiary rights? (For example, international rights, feature film, television, etc.)
• How do you share submission updates and publisher feedback with your clients, since I know it might take a while for publishers to respond?
• How do you prefer your clients communicate with you if they have a question or an important update?
• Will you consult with me before accepting an offer on my behalf?

There might be additional questions to ask a literary agent that you should consider. Each situation is different, so the best questions for literary agents can vary. However, this is our standard list of questions to ask a literary agent if the book agent offering representation doesn’t volunteer that information.

Multiple Offers From Publishing Agents

Getting multiple offers from publishing agents doesn’t happen often. Do these four things to increase your odds of getting multiple offers from book agents–and to manage multiple offers from literary agents.

• Submit a large number of submissions to increase your chances of getting multiple offers. Divide the book agents on your submission list into two categories, based on your literary agent research : very successful and not as successful. Query one person at every literary agency you believe should be in your top tier of literary agencies.
• If you get an offer of representation from a book agent, immediately notify any other book agents who’ve requested more material but haven’t yet rejected the manuscript or offered representation.
• Decide how long you’re going to wait to get a final decision regarding an offer of representation from the other agent(s) considering your work. Don’t wait too long, though, as you can lose the first offer of representation from a literary agent.
• If you end up with multiple offers for representation from book agents, do more literary agent research to help you decide who to sign with. You should also follow our tips below about selecting the best author representative.

Choosing a Book Agent – offer of representation from a literary agent

Choosing a literary agent starts with knowing what to look for in a book agent. Not all book agents are created equal. Follow these four steps regarding how to pick a publishing agent so you can select a literary agent you’ll be happy with.

• Research the publishing agents. Look at our step-by-step guide to finding and researching literary agents . Then look on Google to find all you can about the book agents offering to represent you, including at PublishersMarketplace.com . It’s worth paying their small fee to get access to their deals database if you have two or more book agents offering to represent you.
• Make a pros and cons list for each book agent. Make a checklist of what’s important to you in a literary agent, then make a list of the positives and negatives for each author representative offering to represent you. Consider the research you found online, but also your interaction with the publishing agents.
• Talk to someone. Choosing a literary agent is an important decision. Don’t decide alone. Consult someone knowledgeable about the publishing industry to help you choose.
• Take your time to decide. Most literary agents offering to represent authors aren’t pushy. However, some are. It’s also easy to be impatient and impulsive when you get an offer from a literary agent for representation. Don’t rush.

Literary Agent Contract

Most literary agencies provide a literary agent contract when offering representation. Some don’t. The main thing a literary agent agreement does is ensure the publishing agent gets their literary agent commission if they sell your book. Here’s everything else you need to know about getting a publishing agent contract.

When you get an offer of representation from a literary agent, you can expect your literary agency to provide a written book agent contract. It might be a literary agent contract template or sample literary agent contract instead of a final book agent contract with your personal details.

After you review the publishing agent contract sample, you’ll be expected to ask questions if you have any, and negotiate any necessary changes. After that, the literary agent offering to represent you will send you a final book agent contract via email, postal mail, or a secure online file sharing service such as DocuSign, for your signature.

Literary agencies often send a publishing agent contract without a signature, then they countersign the document. Don’t worry if you don’t get your countersigned book agent contract right away. Some literary agencies take weeks or longer. If you don’t receive your final contract within two weeks, send a polite follow-up email to make sure it hasn’t gotten lost.

Standard Book Agent Contract – offer of representation from a literary agent

A standard literary agent contract includes clauses about the author, book(s) to be represented, term of the agreement, literary agent commission, and more. Here is a list of the typical literary agent contract clauses you can expect if a prospective literary agency sends you a literary agent agreement sample.

• Parties Involved: The legal names of the author and the literary agent offering to represent you.
• Book(s) To Be Represented: This clause reveals which book(s) of yours is/are included in the agreement.
• Term: This clause reveals the duration of the agreement.
• Renewal: Typical publishing agent contracts have “auto-renew” language that extends the agreement for an additional term unless you or the literary agency terminates the agreement.
• Termination: Most literary agencies include the ability for either party to end the relationship for any reason.
• Assignment: This covers the transfer of your agreement if the literary agency is sold or you want to leave your royalties to a family member, etc.
• Commission: This ensures your author representative gets paid if your book is sold to a book publisher.
• Expenses: If your literary agency charges expenses, they will be listed here.
• Payments: This says how soon you will get paid by your literary agency after they get paid by your publisher.
• Governing Law: This clause usually says the agreement will be governed by the laws of the state where your literary agency is located.
• Dispute Resolution: This clause usually says a mediator much be engaged if there is a dispute that can’t be resolved.
• Notices: This clause usually says that any legal notification regarding the agreement must be sent via certified mail.
• Authority: This clause says the author has the authority to sign the agreement.
• Entire Agreement: This clause says that anything not included in the agreement isn’t relevant.

Publishing Agent Contract Terms – offer of representation from a literary agent

Literary agent contract terms vary, but here are the standard terms you can expect to see in your book agent contract. Most literary agency agreements are similar. However, this guide will help you realize if a literary agency sends you something unusual.

• Some literary agents offering to represent an author only mention one book. Others include every book the author has ever written–and every book the author will write during the term of the agreement.
• The most common term or duration is twelve months. Some say six months, and others multiple years. The term might not matter to you if you have a good termination clause.
• Most book agents don’t try to “hold authors hostage” if they want to terminate their agreement. Instead, those literary agent have contract terms that say the author (or author representative) can terminate the agreement at any time.
• Book agent contract terms typically say the agreement will “auto-renew” at the end of contract term–unless the author or literary agency terminate it prior to the renewal date. You can usually get the literary agent offering to represent you to change that to say the agreement will expire at the end of the term unless the author extends the agreement for another term.
• Most publishing agents receive a 15% commission, and 20-30% for “subsidiary” sales such as movie or international rights that require sharing or splitting their commission with a sub-agent or co-agent.
• Some literary agencies include language in their literary agent contract terms about reimbursement for phone, photocopy, and courier costs associated with managing a writer’s work. This amount is usually $100-$350 per year.
• Most literary agent contract terms say the literary agency will send all author payments within 7, 10, 15, or 30 days of receipt from the publisher.

Book Agent Contract Red Flags – offer of representation from a literary agent

Watch out for these literary agent contract red flags when a literary agent is offering to represent you. Red flags are usually in these areas: term, books represented, termination, renewal, commission, expenses, and payments.

• Language including every book you’ve written and/or every book you’ll write during the contract term: Author representatives usually pitch one book (or series) at a time. Additional books can be added to your agreement later.
• More than a one-year term: One year, or less, is enough. Especially if there’s no termination clause that lets the writer terminate the agreement during the contract term.
• Termination: Many author representatives say you can only terminate your contract after the initial contract term. If your contract says that, it would be best to make sure the contract term is one year or less. Avoid any literary agency that charges a fee to terminate an agreement.
• Renewal: If your agreement says it will “auto-renew” at the end of contract term, make sure the renewal term isn’t longer than one year.
• Commission: If you’ve queried most literary agencies, only have one offer for representation, and the literary agent requires a higher percentage than 15%, it is worth considering. The book agent probably won’t reduce the commission unless you have another offer from another literary agency offering the standard commission.
• Expenses: Though many literary agencies require a small reimbursement for costs associated with managing a writer’s work (usually $100-$350 per year), be wary of those asking for more. Especially if the expenses are to be paid directly by you instead of from publisher payments.
• Payments: If your literary agency contract says it will take longer than 30 days to send you publisher payments, try to get it changed to 30 days.

What is a literary agent lawyer, and what’s the difference between a book agent lawyer and a literary agent? Here’s an explanation, along with the ten reasons a writer might hire a book agent lawyer.

• Review your literary agency contract
• Review your book publishing contract
• Your book content requires permissions
• Your book include content some might call libelous or defamatory
• Terminate a literary agency contract
• Terminate a book publisher contract
• Assistance with a writer collaboration agreement or dispute
• Register or protect your manuscript copyright
• Register or protect your trademark
• Register your company or DBA for tax purposes, etc.

Should you hire a publishing agent lawyer when you get an offer of representation from a literary agent? Most writers with books published by large publishing houses such as Random House don’t have a literary agent lawyer. They also don’t usually have entertainment lawyers. They simply rely on the advice of their book agents.

Literary agents advise their clients about contracts, but most author representatives aren’t lawyers. If writers want or need “legal advice,” they might decide to hire a literary agent lawyer. That way they can consider the advice of their publishing agent and their publishing agent lawyer.

This article about getting an offer of representation from a literary agent was written by former literary agent turned author coach Mark Malatesta , creator of The Directory of Book Agents , host of Ask a Publishing Agent , and founder of Literary Agent Undercover and The Bestselling Author .

Mark has helped hundreds of authors get offers from literary agents and/or traditional publishers. Writers of all Book Genres  have used our  Book Agent Advice coaching/consulting to get  Top Literary Agents at the Best Literary Agencies  on our List of Literary Agents .

Offer of Representation From a Literary Agent – Next Steps

Now that you’ve read about what happens when you get a representation offer from a literary agent, click here to:

• See the next part of this guide about What Happens After You Get a Book Agent.
• Visit our  Ask a Book Agent  page, where you’ll find a complete list of questions and answers about getting a publishing agent.

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How I Got My Book Agent

Successful Authors

Thanks in part to your query letter, manuscript suggestions, and support prioritizing agents, I received multiple offers from agents. Within two weeks of sending out the first query, I knew who I was going to sign with. I value our friendship.

N E L S O N . J O H N S O N

NY Times bestselling author of  Boardwalk Empire , produced by Martin Scorsese for HBO, and Darrow's Nightmare: The Forgotten Story of America's Most Famous Trial Lawyer

After following your advice, my book was acquired, the prestigious PW gave it a great review, and Time Magazine asked for an excerpt. Thank you for believing in my book, and for helping me share the surprising truth about women’s most popular body part!

L E S L I E . L E H R

Author of A Boob's Life: How America's Obsession Shaped Me―and You , published by Pegasus Books, distributed by Simon & Schuster and now in development for a TV series by Salma Hayek for HBO Max

Fine Print Lit got publishers bidding against each other [for my book]. I ended up signing a contract with Thomas Nelson (an imprint of Harper Collins) for what I’ve been told by several people is a very large advance. What cloud is higher than 9?

S C O T T . L E R E T T E

Author of The Unbreakable Boy (Thomas Nelson/Harper Collins), adapted to feature film with Lionsgate starring Zachary Levi, Amy Acker, and Patricia Heaton

AHHH! OMG, it happened! You helped me get three offers for representation from top literary agents! A short time later I signed a publishing contract. After that, my agent sold my next book. I’m in heaven!

M I R I . L E S H E M . P E L L Y

Author/illustrator of Penny and the Plain Piece of Paper (Penguin Books/Philomel), Scribble & Author (Kane Miller), and other children’s picture books

Interviews/Tips from Successful Authors

Fiction/General - J. Jago Fiction/Mystery - B. Harper Fiction/Mainstream - K. Cox Fiction/Christian - K. Sargent Nonfiction/Business - D. Hamme Nonfiction/Self-Help - A. Goddard Nonfiction/Environment - J. Biemer Nonfiction/Diversity - S. Peer Narrative Nonfiction - D. Cohen Memoir/Women - L. Lehr Memoir/Christian - S. LeRette Memoir/Family/Identity - S. Foti Memoir/Multicultural - N. Aronheim Memoir/Inspirational - L. Subramani Memoir/Mainstream - E. Armstrong Children's/Pic Book - M. Leshem-Pelly Children's/Chapter Book - J. Agee Children's/YA - C. Plum-Ucci Children's/YA - D. Bester Children's/YA - L. Moe

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When An Agent Offers to Rep You

It was a question of both professional etiquette and wise decision-making.

I advised her to send a brief email to the other agents, politely reminding them that she’d sent them XYZ Proposal. Then say something like, “I wanted to let you know that I’ve received an offer of representation from a literary agent. Would you like a chance to respond to my proposal before I finalize the arrangement with the other agent?” This should solicit a response from the others fairly quickly. They’ll probably either say, “Hold it! I’d like a chance to discuss this with you!” Or they’ll give their blessing for her to accept the offer she has, and wish her the best.

Fairness and common courtesy can help you make the right move in almost any situation. When in doubt, err on the side of the most respectful thing to do.

Eventually you’ll make a decision, and then you should follow up with the agents whom you didn’t choose to work with. Send an email, thanking them for their consideration and letting them know your project is no longer available, and that you’ve accepted an offer. Usually there’s no point in being evasive about it—feel free to let people know exactly which agent you’ve chosen, or which publisher.

Think of it this way: In any situation in which you’re not sure of protocol, be polite, treat people with respect, and avoid making enemies. Mind your manners, just like your mama always told you.

The author I told you about? She let the other agents know she had an offer. As I suspected would happen, she received another offer for representation, so she had to make a choice. She ended up making a fantastic decision, and we’ve been partners and friends ever since.

Do you have any questions about what to do when you receive an offer of representation? If you already have an agent, how did you respond when you got that call?

Rachelle Gardner

58 comments.

[…]  When An Agent Offers To Rep You […]

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Undeniably believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason seemed to be on the internet the easiest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed while people consider worries that they just do not know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well as defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks

Thank you for always being straight-forward and real in your posts, Rachelle. Your posts are very encouraging and great reality checks.

Rachelle, I agree with you and think it is a wonderful suggestion on how to encourage the additional potential agents to respond, but how long is it acceptable to make the original agent that did make the offer wait?

Dan Koepke – Author WATDOT:List of Twenty

I signed a contract with an agent to rep me. Usually, how long must a writer wait before following up? Two months, six months? What’s a reasonable amount of time?

Coach Theresa

I have a question: supposing Author Sally has written a really good book. She’s learned from her past mistakes, spent years practicing her craft, and waited until the book’s really polished…

So then she happens to bump into well-known Agent Fred (a good agent with a proven track record) at a networking event and tells him about the book. Fred requests a full, and two days later offers representation.

Sally’s really tempted by Fred’s offer, but she just knows in her gut that she’s written a winner and feels that other agents would also be interested. She doesn’t want to just jump at the first offer (even though she’s waited years for the moment).

My question: how long could she reasonably expect Fred to wait? Should she commit to getting back to him by a certain deadline?

For all you authors just starting out, it’s a wise idea to try to be published first in a literary magazine. I found a really good one the other day, http://www.raglitmag.com .

Good luck future published authors!

I’ve been querying agents for a bit now and have had some positive rejections but am still waiting for the call…lol. I think when I finally do get the call, I’ll look just like the picture you have posted at the beginning of the blog and I’ll forget all the wonderful suggestions you’ve posted here. I’ll just be thrilled if I can talk 🙂

This happened to me and I jumped at the first offer. I knew if the agent loved my story half as much as I did she was a winner. In fact, my A Marked Past book trailer came out today. Take a peek and see if you love it 🙂 http://vimeo.com/28443440

I remember meeting my agent at the ACFW conference (which I unfortunately won’t be attending this year) in Denver. We agreed to work together and he sent a contract for me to read and sign. It’s amazing how that piece of paper felt like standing in front of a church vowing “to have and to hold…” You’ve shared about proper etiquette and being professional but I’m curious as to how weighted the decision seems from the agent’s perspective. For a new author, choosing an agent appears oh-my-goodness-what-should-I-do daunting (as your other readers suggest in their posts).

E Anderson Consulting, Yorkshire, are a leading UK based company that specialises in Bid Writing for some of the major organisations in the world.

This is great advice. I actually didn’t follow it when you offered me representation. I had my book out with two other agents who were interested, but once I talked to you, I felt like we “clicked” so I wrote an email to the other agents and told them thank you, but I had already found representation. Why give them a chance if you’re not going to take them up on their offer should they offer?

Writing stops being a hobby, regardless of our motivation, and becomes a business venture when we mail or email our first query letter. Anything after that point should be treated as business with proper respect and etiquette. Period. This refers to all parties involved, agents and writers. Only through mutual respect and courtesy we can build honest and real working relationships with each other as business partners and clients.

Unpublished writers of today are the new authors of tomorrow that will flood the book market with their stories, one way or another.

Hi Rachelle, This is a fabulous post that is really helpful to authors seeking representation. I have a question about agenting that I was hoping you could answer. A friend of mine has an agent interested in her first novel, but the agent has not made an offer of representation. Instead she has asked my friend to hire a book editor (done), beef up her blog and platform (done), and finally get blurbs from famous authors (on an unpublished manuscript, but this is done now too). Today the agent said she has interest from two big name editors and will hopefully hear back by the end of the week. This seems really unsual to me, but I don’t want to squash my friend’s dream. Don’t most agents offer representation BEFORE going to publishing houses? My friend is too intimidated by the agent to ask these questions. I’ve been following you for a while, and you offer such fabulous advice to authors, so I thought maybe you could comment on whether this is some kind of new norm in the agent world. To top it off, the agent asked my friend to keep track of the names of editors she’s submitting. Maybe I’m missing something here, but isn’t that the agent’s job?

Interesting comments about courtesy to agents especially on the heels of the “No response Blog” and all of it’s controversy.

I am a writer currently looking for representation and I,of course,want to be courteous to anyone who would take a second to look over my query. I am also a person who is putting my heart and soul out there with that query and would appreciate a little courtesy also.

Should I appreciate the fact that, the few seconds it would take to send a’no thank you’ to someone else, might mean you could spend more time on me. That is exactly who I try not to be.

I was raised to believe there is no excuse for bad behavior. I try not to exhibit any.I pray none is inflicted on me.

Wow, great notes here, Rachelle. When in doubt, treat others with respect – is a great rule for life in general 🙂

I suppose dancing up and down in front of a possible agent wouldn’t be the best thing to do either. I guess I’ll have to take Kathryn’s hint on that and wait until I’m in a somewhat private place to openly celebrate, especially with the discoordinated way I dance 🙂

I would be polite, professional and request a reasonable amount of time to discuss my options with both my husband (sounding board) and the agents involved. Then I would hang up, scream and quite possibly, faint.

What a great, positive position to be in, first of all! So true that in any business or personal interaction in life, it’s always best to proceed respectfully and honestly. Golden rule always applies. 🙂

Rachelle, good topic. I appreciate how kind and helpful you were with advice to this author. That sort of moment is fraught with so much confusion.

Professional etiquette rules always apply. The important thing, as a writer or author, is to be professional.

I like your thought: “In any situation in which you’re not sure of protocol, be polite, treat people with respect, and avoid making enemies.”

Sia McKye’s Thoughts…OVER COFFEE

I received the call and got in on a small agency. I thought it was the bomb, but even after doing searches and talking to other clients in the agency small things began leaking out. Agent holding a completed manuscript for months after telling the client it had been sent, gossip about clients to clients, no record keeping. Thank heavens for RWA booklet on how to divorce. Again you are so right about minding manners. Sometimes,even with all the right steps it goes wrong. Great article. Thank you for posting so we can see what a real agent does.

Equity. Honesty. Courtesy…..and smart business. Great advice! Thanks!

I think she was a little too concerned with the other agent’s feelings. Who cares? They don’t care. If their slush piles are anything like they describe, how would they ever remember you? If you came to me Rachelle and said you wanted to represent me, I’d say YES. After being treated harshly by snarky agents who don’t even bother to tell you one way or another, if someone like you with your honorable integrity was interested in my novel there would be no hesitation what so ever.

Well put, Joan. I wholeheartedly agree. Unfortunately, I don’t think Rachelle represents the genre I am writing, but I am confident I will find an agent just as great as Rachelle. 😉 <3

What is an appropriate amount of time to ask an agent to wait before I accept an offer of representation? I’m assuming when I get that call I will at least have queries (if not partials and fulls) with other agents whom I would I like to contact and let know.

I want to be fair to the agent offering representation, who I presume would be chomping at the bit to get working on prepping the ms for submission. But I also want to be fair to those other busy agents who might want to read my ms.

Thanks for taking our questions, Rachelle!

I didn’t have that particularly wonderful kind of problem — that said, you were always my number one agent choice, so I consider it nothing short of a miracle that it happened!

As for the call, I was a complete rambling wreck. I had to quickly put my kids in front of a Scooby Doo movie and threaten them not to interrupte me unless there was blood (great quantities) involved. I forgot to grab your list of questions to ask an agent when I sequestered myself in the basement, and I was sweating even though it was February! I do remember laughing a lot during our conversation, though, and it felt so natural to talk to you — you put me right at ease, and I thank you for that!

Wouldn’t that be a wonderful problem to have! 😉 And I know several dear friends who are now your clients, so this kind of post just gets me so excited. 😀

What fabulous advice! I hope to find myself in this situation some day, and when I do I want to be prepared to make it the best moment I can. I have no doubt that I’ll be like Wendy (and others I’m sure) who just lets the excitement bubble over. As it should! Getting published is exciting for everyone involved, right? 🙂 Thank you so much for such fabulous posts!

I’ve always wondered about this, should I be in a place where the choice or conversation would need to happen. This was very helpful.

I think the only question I’d add for you to answer is – is there such a thing as too many questions for a potentail agent? I want to make sure he/she and I will be the perfect match but I don’t want to overload them with questions if it’s inappropriate.

Side note: I love your last little bit. I bet whomever it is your talking about wants to give you a big hug. I’m looking for an agent that always has my best interest at heart and was just as elated when I said yes to the offer 🙂

I hope someday to find myself in that position. When I do, I will remember your wise words. Hopefully it will be very soon! LOL

Congratulations to you both on your *fantastic* decisions. 🙂

Great post.

The email…I generally freaked out (in a good way), responding with an overwhelming yes. I had no doubt. And I’d been extremely selective, querying very few agents. After I read the email I remember phoning loved ones and something vague about corralling my children inside because they were screaming their mom got an agent and the wee one was in the buff. 😀 The call to follow…pure craziness. Without power after a hurricane. Two cell phones with few bars. Had my notes outside because that was the only place either phone would work at all. But as had been the case in the past, I loved connecting with my new agent. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again…you rock! ~ Wendy

Oh my goodness! This sounds just like our house…but without the the agent calling. Good to see that there are mom’s of wonderful rowdy little ones that get some writing done too. I have 3 boys ages 3,5, and 7 and they are great. May God bless you today and may some of those blessing not involve a household pet and peanutbutter.

I’m ready to have that kind of decision to make! Thanks for the advice on what to do when the situation occurs (positive thinking)!!!

When I received an offer of rep, I notified the other agents who had, not only my MS, but my query as well. I’d read that most agents would prefer this. This resulted in an influx of requests for fulls, and ultimately 3 more offers of rep. To make things easier (on me, I guess), I gave everyone a deadline. I said, “I would appreciate your response by this date.” That way, if they didn’t respond, I would know it was a pass.

I did have one agent email after the date specified and asked if I’d made a decision yet, as she’d been on vacation (I had). But usually, giving a date will simplify things. Try to be courteous and do give enough time for agents to make an informed decision about your work, though.

Happy Monday!

I wanted to add one thing. I almost found out the hard way that when you email agents to tell them you have an offer you should email their direct email and not their query email. I sent my update about having an offer on the table to the same email as the query and the agent I ended up with didn’t see it until hours before I said i was going to make my decision. She said it would have been appropriate to send it to her direct email, and advisable because she might be weeks behind in ready her query email address.

But did these agents even give you their private e-mail? I mean if we don’t know how to contact them, are we obliged to do it anyway?

What you advise makes perfect sense, Rachelle.

But I have another question (a bit off subject). What do you do when you don’t hear back and assume that it’s that it’s a pass?

Is it time to politely thank the person for considering it? Or just let it go?

When you made the call to me, I did have my stuff out to one other agent, who I greatly admire and respect. However, the more I thought about it, the more I knew that I wanted YOU as my agent, even if this other agent offered me representation.

I remember my husband asking: If this other agent offered to rep you, what would you do?

And without even blinking, I said: Accept Rachelle’s offer.

So instead of asking this other agent if she’d like to look at my stuff b/c I had an offer, I sent her an email thanking her for taking my stuff, but I received an offer from an agent I met and clicked with and am going to accept this offer. She replied back with a very gracious (and funny!) email congratulating me and telling me I won’t regret it – “Rachelle is great.” 🙂

>err on the side of the most respectful thing to do.

>be polite, treat people with respect, and avoid making enemies.

Great advice for pretty much every situation.

….still waiting….lol

Rachelle, what a timely post. I can’t thank you enough for this sage advice. I’m taking this to heart as I continue this journey as a Christian Author and Speaker. WOW. Sometimes it all gets so overwhelming. It is good to have someone come aside and offer guidance. Blessings.

I would not have felt comfortable about querying lots of different agents at once. I carefully chose the one who seemed most appropriate by looking at client lists, and sent my query just to her.

Nice post! I’m sending this to writer Habib R. Sulemani who wrote a novel, The Terrorland, tracing the roots of global terrorism in the backdrop of the terror attack on the United States. Unfortunately, the manuscript was stolen before publication by the secret agencies—which declared it against the “national interest” of Pakistan… thus the writer become a victim of the ‘typical’ wrath of the almighty military establishment. They are trying to stop its publication in the country. The writer after three attacks on his life is living in solitary confinement for over 17 months.

Actually I do have a related question, and it might have an obvious answer, but I wanted to make sure:

When one agent requested a partial from me, she also asked that I notify her if another agent requests a partial. I sent off the partial, and at the time I didn’t have anyone else interested in my work. But if someone were to request, would I have to notify the first agent of the name of the second agent, or the literary agency? What’s the etiquette there?

Same goes for offers of rep, I suppose. If someone were to offer a writer representation, should that writer let the other agents who have material from him/her who precisely the agent in question is?

I’m sorry if this is a silly question; my gut tells me the writer should always keep it anonymous, but I truly don’t know the answer to this question.

Thanks in advance! 🙂

Rachelle, are offers for representation “gentleman’s agreements” (pardon the antiquated term) or do they result in actual signed contracts with clearly defined language and terms? I imagine it would be difficult to rescind a thank you notice your manuscript is no longer available to others, and I’m predisposed to want something of this magnitude in writing before relying on it. Is that unrealistic with regards to agent representation?

Man, talk about a dream come true! Ahhh, if only… *big sigh*

When I sent out my ms (that I ended up deciding was not “finished and polished) more than a year ago, I heard back from less than half of them so this may not be right or proper, but if so many do not respond to me, the writer, why should I give the agent a 2nd chance? I mean this IS a question, but I guess it is a rhetorical one. As they say “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” I think I would want to go with the agent who read my ms WITHOUT my having to say “Hey, someone else wants me. Do you still want a chance.” Am I so totally unethical?

I, too, sent out my ms before it was really ready to agents who requested it. It is ready now. And now I have new opportunities.

The 4 agents who read the less-than-fully-polished version were polite in that they all responded, even though it was a rejection. I only hope the few who have my super-polished version act in kind.

I really hope I wind up in a position to use this advice some day..! As it stands, my novel isn’t quite dolled up to the point where I’m ready to send it out. Soon!

I do have a question in a similar vein, though. It might sound silly, so I apologize in advance.

I am currently seeking representation for a picture book (as an author, not an author/illustrator). I know the demand for picture book texts is not high at the moment, so I’m not expecting much of a response.

But if I DO land a representation deal, will I be expected to stick with that agent when my YA novel is ready? Is it considered uncouth to query other people with a different style of project when someone else has helped you into the publishing world?

Again, sorry if this sounds silly–I know I’m not supposed to count my chickens before they hatch, but I would like to have a properly sized coop ready all the same. I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes because I’m going in blind.

Thank you in advance!

I am in a similar situation in that I write for different genres. I have two self-published children’s picture books and am currently seeking representation for a few others through traditional means of publication.

I also write Women’s Christian Non-fiction and recently obtained representation for my WIP (woot-woot!). Even though I have representation, my agent does not represent picture books and so I am still seeking an agent for those. It just depends what your soon-to-be-agent chooses to represent and what he/she does not. Make sense?

Just thought I would throw in my .02 cents.

Blessings, Jenny

I would say stick to Rachelle’s premis and do the most decent thing. From conversations I have had (sadly not first hand experience) what you are asking will depend on a number of things, not least of which what arrangement you first agree to with your agent. Common sense says that you offer anything to your own agent first. It will be up to him or her to say if they want to represent you in respect to it. The tricky bit will come if there is any clause in your agreement that says your agreement with your agent is exclusive – but I would not expect any agent who did not wish to represent you on a project elsewhere blocking you from offering it to another agent or publisher – or for staying your agent very long if they did 🙂

I think for me I would have a hard time remembering your wise words on what questions I should ask the agent. I have been searching agents since I started twitter and I have no idea how I would choose one over another aside from genera. I used a self publisher for my first book which just came out. I have started my second book in the series which is SiFi Fantasy and I would like to find an agent for that book. How do you choose?

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Last updated on Feb 10, 2023

What is a Literary Agent, and How Can They Help You Publish?

A literary agent is someone who works on behalf of and with an author to help them sell their book to a traditional publishing house . They negotiate the best possible terms for their authors' book deals and support them throughout the publishing process and with any future manuscripts. 

The vast majority of large publishers don’t accept direct submissions from unagented authors, meaning that agents effectively act as the gateway to traditional publication — so let’s examine what that looks like in practice and what agents do in broader terms.  

Literary agents are your entry to traditional publishing

Fast forward a couple hundred years: many more writers now want book deals than publishers can take on. To handle this influx of new books and authors, presses have come to rely on literary agents as a quality control measure, saving editors from looking through thousands of manuscripts at a time. 

With very few established publishers open to “unagented submissions,” securing representation is an almost essential step for any fiction author who want to land a book deal.

They are often your first editor

“I love you, you’re perfect, now change.” Some authors think this when agents give them notes on a manuscript that has just won them representation. It’s worth remembering that agents often take on authors not because their manuscript is flawless and a guaranteed bestseller but because they see the potential — in the concept, story, or writing style.

Many agents come from an editorial background (just as many book editors have previously worked as literary agents). With their understanding of what makes a book work — and what makes it sellable — agents will work with their authors to whip their manuscripts into shape , ready to pitch to publishers.

💡Curious about sellability? Have a look at our checklist for authors researching their book’s market potential . 

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Agents know how to sell your book

As your chaperone into the world of traditional publishing, your agent isn’t just someone who can walk you through the front door. They also know which doors to approach.

Because they know the industry inside out, agents can carefully pick the editors they know will be most excited to see your manuscript and whose tastes align the most with your project’s aims, effectively increasing your chances of getting a deal. If you’ve written a military thriller, they’ll know which presses are looking for titles to sit alongside Tom Clancy in their backlist. They’ll also know which companies are looking to diversify their list — and whether they can promote your book properly.

A good agent will have a solid professional network and personally know editors at publishers large and small — they’re in a position where they can call an editor and say they have an exciting new manuscript to share and have the editor listen actively and attentively.

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Having helped you find the right home for your book, let’s see what they can do once you get to the paperwork.

They negotiate the best deal on your behalf

Once your manuscript is in great shape, an agent will pitch your book to a hand-picked selection of editors and publishers. So what next?

If more than one editor is interested, they’ll arrange an auction — a series of phone calls where the agent relays any offers back and forth until every publisher makes their best offer. All you have to do as the author is think about which editor’s offer appeals to you the most — each will submit an edit letter laying out their vision for how you can work together , as well as a plan for how their company can market your book .

It’s their job to sweat the small stuff

In these discussions with your publisher, your agent will help you make decisions about translation rights, as well as try and help you retain the rights to film and TV adaptations (as you’ll make more money if you don’t have to split any film/TV earnings with your publisher). For Caroline Leavitt , editor and author of the NYT bestseller With or Without You , an agent’s input is invaluable. “If you've ever seen a book contract, they're impossible to understand. I've published 12 books. I still do not understand my contract, but I trust my agent to understand.”

In Caroline’s experience , many of these issues can be complex and technical, so your agent’s job as the mediator is to get you the best possible deal for you while ensuring there is no friction between you and your publisher.

If any friction  does  arise, your agent will help you manage it without damaging your relationship with the publisher.

Agents will talk to your publisher on your behalf

Award-winning author Eve Porinchak (also a former agent) points out that a literary agent’s job doesn’t end once you have an offer on your book from an acquiring editor at a publishing house. “Your literary agent serves many different roles — coach, cheerleader, business manager, advocate, and negotiator for terms of the contract (including advance money, special clauses, subsidiary rights), and conflicts with the publishing house.”

Even with a deal in the bag and the best possible relationship between the author and publisher, Eve knows it’s not always plain sailing. “Problems can include: not getting paid on time, lack of communication, missed deadlines on editorial feedback, title , and cover issues, and contract breaches, among other things. It's an agent's job to chase down advance and royalty money and serve as liaison to the acquiring editor in mitigating business conflicts.”

As Eve explains, having an agent as an intermediary allows the author to concentrate on their job as a creative, keeping harmony in the author-editor relationship so that those two individuals can focus on the art of storytelling.

You can trust your agent to defend you as fiercely as you would defend yourself because your interests are aligned: they care for you as their partner and depend on your success to get paid.

Literary agencies work solely on commission

Let’s talk about how agents get paid. An agent’s earnings are made up of commission on author earnings. This includes a percentage of the author’s royalties and advance — and, often, a cut of any adaptation deals. If a book isn't sold, agents simply don’t get paid.

💡If you aren’t too clear about how advances and royalties work, check out our post on author earnings .

Penguin Random House editor and former literary agent Matt Belford explains that, while there is no standard legal obligation for agents to only take a certain percentage of their authors’ earnings, there is something of an unspoken rule. “Generally speaking, literary agencies abiding by the canon of ethics from the Association of American Literary Agents take 15% of what they negotiate in terms of advances and royalties domestically, and that can go up to 20% for foreign deals.” 

Legitimate agents never ask for upfront payments 

Matt emphasizes that with most agencies (which abide by the rule above and the AALA’s ethics code), agents do not get paid until their authors get paid, as they take their commission at the point when author payments come in from publishers, not before. 

“This means there shouldn't ever be a reason for an author to pay an agent directly out of their pocket. Agents are fiduciaries, and most often, publishers pay literary agencies directly into a non-interest-bearing account. The agency takes 15% and then passes the money along to the client.” 

In Matt’s experience, many publishers are increasingly willing to split the payments on their end and send the commission to the agency and the rest of the payment to the author. Before signing a deal, you should clarify how payments will work, so you aren’t left wondering.  

Exercise caution if an agent you’re in talks with asks you for an upfront payment. Your writing career and savings are at stake, so ensure you’re dealing with an honest professional. Research their background and agency, look for evidence that they are legitimate (like successful clients or positive testimonials on social media), and consult a literary lawyer if you’ve got a contract they can scrutinize.

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The same applies to agents who contact you out of the blue, saying they’d like to represent you — do your research. If you can’t find out much about them, you could directly ask this agent for information on their background. Or, as Justin Brouckaert of Aevitas Creative Management suggests, ask that they put you in touch with a client who can serve as a reference, something he’s always happy to do for prospective clients.

“While I know that the clients I put forward as references will have good things to say about working with me, those conversations still offer writers the opportunity to ask pointed, granular questions and to sniff out any potential red flags.”

Ultimately, if you aren’t convinced that an agent is legitimate, it is always best to be safe rather than sorry.

Finally, let’s look at whether you’ll need literary representation, as your publishing plans may mean you don’t strictly need one.

Some authors don’t need agents

From a financial viewpoint, going without an agent does mean you get to keep a larger share of the pie, so if that’s your top priority, perhaps you should consider self-publishing , which can be more lucrative. Generally speaking, though, most traditionally published authors find that the industry knowledge their agents contribute is more than worth their fees. After all, there’s a reason the system is set up the way it is.

If you aren’t sure which publishing path is right for you, worry not. We’ve got a super quick quiz you can take below:

Is self-publishing or traditional publishing right for you?

Takes one minute!

To begin your search for literary representation, check out our post on finding a literary agent , and these related resources:

• Our directory of literary agents — you can filter this by genre and location to find suitable candidates.
• Our guide to query letters , including tips on writing one, examples of query letters that work, and advice on choosing ‘ comp titles ’ wisely.
• Our self-editing tips , to help your manuscript sample move past the slush pile.

We’ve also put together a checklist of everything your query letter should include, which you can grab for free below.

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Query Letter Template

Learn how to grab a literary agent’s attention with our free template + checklist.

To a stressed writer hoping to get published , it might feel like agents are the literary police, but let’s be clear: agents are just zealous readers who are passionate about bringing great writing to the reading public and are often overworked, having to do much of their manuscript reading on nights and weekends. They aren’t cultural elites who relish sending rejection letters: they want authors to succeed more than anyone.

For agents like WordLink’s Zeynep Sen (also an editor on Reedsy), helping debut authors realize their dream is a big part of their motivation. “Holding a new manuscript in your hands, knowing it’s something special and that you can help deliver it to readers who’ll love and be impacted by it… There’s nothing quite like it.” Look for an agent who feels like that about your work, and you'll be part of a great and rewarding partnership.

In the next part of this guide, learn how you can track down and contact a literary agent who's perfect to represent your book.

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What is a Literary Agent?

by Holly Riddle

If you have your sights set on a career in traditional publishing, then chances are, you’re going to need a literary agent.

Here’s everything you need to know about what a literary agent is, what makes a good agent, why you might or might not want one, and how you can start the process of finding the best literary agents for your career goals as a writer.

What is a literary agent?

A literary agent is someone who represents your book or books to traditional publishers, including all major publishing houses. A literary agent also helps you improve your work and opens doors to new publishing opportunities. Most publishers will not consider your work for publication without a trusted agent acting as the intermediary, which means an agent is necessary for many authors.

A literary agent will usually have a background in business, traditional publishing, or law, as a good portion of their job revolves around ensuring that you receive a fair contract from the publisher when selling your work. Regardless of their background, though, they have a passion for literature, bringing books to the market that they love, and helping authors grow their careers.

Many literary agents start out in assistant roles at an established literary agency (or at multiple literary agencies), where they can learn from senior literary agents who’ve been in the business for years, if not decades.

From there, legitimate agents will work their way up throughout the business and publishing world, at which point they might land a senior role at an established agency or branch off to create a new agency of their own.

What does a literary agent do?

A literary agent’s job is extremely varied. They perform many roles during every step of the traditional publishing process. An agent’s typical responsibilities include guiding the author through their publishing journey and ensuring they secure the best deal possible.

Before an offer of representation

When reputable agents are open to submissions, they’ll receive hundreds, even thousands, of book pitches (called query letters ), from writers all hoping to be represented.

The agent will sift through these query letters as they’re able (sometimes this can take months, though, just due to the sheer volume of queries received) and then, if a query letter intrigues them, they’ll request either sample chapters or all of the completed manuscript for further reading.

Note that most agencies won’t accept unsolicited manuscripts right away—they’ll let you know if they’re interested in seeing more once they review your query letter.

After reading the entire book, the agent will then let the author know if they’d be interested in representing them. Once an author accepts an agent’s offer of representation, that’s where the real work begins.

After an offer of representation

Once the agent ushers you into the business side of publishing, there are a few steps you’ll go through before getting that book deal.

The editorial stage

After the offer, most agents will work closely with the writer to fine-tune their manuscript for submission for publication. This will look different for every author and every agent.

Good literary agents are very editorial, helping writers make a book absolutely perfect. They might ask the writer to rewrite certain parts of the book or to make other edits.

Other agents, however, are a little more hands-off and might allow writers to drive the editorial direction of their work, relying on them to get most of the edits and proofreading finished on their own.

The submission strategy

Once the agent and the author agree that the manuscript is in its best shape possible, the agent will begin putting together a submission strategy. This means looking at all of the publishing house options that are available to the author and working alongside them to decide which publishing opportunities would best align with their career goals.

From there, they’ll compile a list of book publishers (and, more specifically, editors that work for those publishers) that they plan on submitting the book to.

Submitting to a publishing house is similar to the querying process. However, while the author submits a cover letter to agents in pursuit of representation, the agent will be responsible for submitting your book pitch to publishers on your behalf, hoping for a sale and to get the book published.

During the submission process, again, each agent’s and author’s process will differ. Some agents will let their clients know every time they send a submission to a new publisher. Some agents will share rejection letters and feedback from publishers. Some agents won’t give the author any updates at all, unless there is a sale.

The R&R, or “Revise and Resubmit”

Sometimes, a publisher will ask for what’s known as an “R&R” or a “revise and resubmit.” This means that the publisher likes the book enough to consider it a second time, but they’d like some changes to the book first.

The publisher will pass along feedback and what they’d like to see changed (either via email or a phone or online meeting). If the author is interested in making those changes, they’ll work with the agent to ensure the changes are made according to the publisher’s requests, then resubmit the book to that publisher for a second consideration.

The submission process last until a sale is made, or until the agent has exhausted all potential publishers that they could possibly pitch your work to (and this can take over a year, in some cases, depending on how many publishers your agent feels are viable options).

Getting an offer from an editor

If a publisher and their editor offers to buy your book, the agent now has to let all of the other considering publishers and editors know. When one publisher is interested in a work, it usually signals to other publishing houses that a book is worth a closer look—so, if you get one offer on a book, it’s not out of the question to receive even more offers. (Everyone wants what’s in demand, after all).

From there, you and your agent will negotiate contracts and consider which book deal will be best for you, in terms of your career goals.

Maybe your primary concern is money, so you want to go with the book contracts that will give you the highest advances. Maybe you’d prefer to go with a publisher with impressive distribution resources (because who wouldn’t want to walk in to any Target and see their book on the shelf?). Maybe you want to go with a publishing house that’s offering you a deal for not just the one book, but for several books that you haven’t even written yet!

Whatever the case may be, the agent’s job is to negotiate publishing contracts to get you the best book deals possible, helping you make the best decision for your written works and needs.

After the book sells

Once you accept a publisher’s offer, your agent’s work is still not done. They’ll act as an intermediary between you and the publisher, making sure your contract is upheld, ensuring the publisher pays you in a timely manner, reviewing royalty statements, etc.

This is also the only time that your agent gets paid in the entire process. All of the work up until this point has been done completely for free, with the expectation that your work will sell in the future (which is why agents can be so picky about the clients that they take on; they want to know that you’ll make them money eventually).

Your agent will take a small percentage of whatever the publisher pays you. This commission generally ranges from 15% to 20%.

But this isn’t the end!

Once your book sells, you’ll likely want to start on another (and, in fact, many writers start on a new manuscript as soon as their agent begins submitting their previous book to publishers). For new works, you and your agent will work together to determine what concepts might be best for the marketplace, based on prior sales and successes, or lack thereof.

Having an agent: Pros and cons

The topic of literary agents can be a divisive one within the writing community.

Some say that agents aren’t worth their fees and that they’re just glorified middlemen.

Others say they could never navigate the complicated, it’s-all-about-who-you-know world of publishing without them. They appreciate that they can simply write the book and let their agent take care of everything else.

However, regardless of your feelings on literary agents, it’s just the truth that major publishers will not consider your book for publication without one—and that’s not likely to change any time soon.

That said, there are a lot of writers who don’t care whether or not they’re published by a major, “Big 5” publisher (the Big 5 in publishing are Penguin/Random House, Hachette, Harper Collins, Simon and Schuster, and Macmillan—including all of their dozens of imprints).

If you want to go the self-publishing route, or would like to publish through an indie or small press, you don’t need an agent. In fact, you may find that, if you want to go with an indie or small press, not having an agent may work in your favor since they won’t take a cut of your earnings.

Another unfortunate fact about most literary agents is that they often have a certain type of book, and certain genres, they like to represent.

Maybe they represent both adult and YA, but not children’s books, or they represent fantasy and sci-fi, but not mysteries. Even fewer represent short stories, essay collections, and/or poetry.

So, if you’re a writer that likes to jump genres a lot, you may struggle finding an agent who will represent, and sell, everything that you like to write or want to write one day. (Luckily, some literary agents work under the assumption that they’ll like anything in your writing style, but many agents do have their definite not-interested genres.)

A word on bad literary agents

Yes, there are, in fact, bad literary agents out there. Not all agents truly have your best interests at heart.

Some could say this is because the publishing industry is a cut-throat business and everyone has to look out for their own interests. But when you’re going into partnership with someone—and both your livelihoods depend on the other person—you likely want to know that they have your back.

Bad literary agents include those that stall your writing career by taking forever to get back to you on projects, or who take multiple months to help you prepare your manuscript for submission; those that are unwilling to talk to you about their submission strategy and whether or not it aligns with your career goals; and those that do not care about negotiating contracts for your best interests (instead, they’re just trying to make a quick buck).

Unfortunately, bad literary agents aren’t always easy to spot. Most authors are forced to rely on heresy from other writers to learn about who they should or shouldn’t query. A good place to double check reputable literary agents is Writer Beware , which highlights noted scams and disreputable agencies and publishers swanning around the industry.

If you’re planning to query agents soon, you may want to make an effort to network with other querying or recently agented writers, to see what information and advice they can provide.

Finding the best agent for your needs

If you’ve decided that you want to work with a literary agent, in order to avoid bad agents or just agents that aren’t right for your needs, sit down and think about your career goals as an author.

Do you dream of a big contract for multiple books, distributed worldwide, and a big advance check? Do you want to sell the foreign rights or film rights for even more money?

Then you’ll want to do some research to find literary agents that have a track record of snagging those types of deals for their clients. (A handy place to find this information is on Publisher’s Marketplace.)

Do you want a heavily editorial agent with lots of industry knowledge who will help you polish up your book to gleaming perfection?

Then look for agents that follow that process. Ask agented writers about their agents’ processes and, if you get the chance to talk with an agent, don’t be afraid to ask about the same.

Do you want to jump genres and hop between age groups?

Find an agent who represents everything you could ever want to write.

Then, when you find agents that tick all the right boxes and you do receive an offer, heavily vet the offering agent—via referrals, networks, etc.—just to be sure you’re making the best choice for your needs and picking the right agent for your career.

Should I work with a literary agent?

You should work with a literary agent if you want to be traditionally published by one of the Big 5, you want that extra editorial touch before presenting your work to publishers, and/or you want a career partner that will help you reach your goals (albeit for a cut of your income).

You maybe might consider not bothering with a literary agent, though, if you would prefer self publishing or to publish with a small or independent press. Likewise, if you work in more experimental genres or formats, you may struggle with finding an agent, as well as a traditional publisher.

It all depends on your goals as a writer. Whatever you decide, there are myriad paths to publication. Getting an agent is just a step along one of those paths.

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Getting Offers from Multiple Literary Agents

Every writer dreams of getting offers from multiple literary agents, right? Maybe. A reader asked about what a writer should do if they happen to get offers of representation from multiple agents. First of all, congratulations are in order. An offer of representation is professional validation to a writer who has, most likely, not really gotten such praise and confidence from an expert source.

A lot of writers, though, think this is an embarrassment of riches and a great problem to have. It’s not. It’s a really stressful situation where you have to make a major business decision under time pressure, all while being wooed by really nice, really encouraging, really savvy people.

What to Do When You Get an Offer of Representation

When you first get an offer of representation , send an email to all the other agents who have your partial or full. More often than not, in today’s really busy climate, you’ll probably get another offer by doing this.

Agents want the hot commodity and will likely chase a writer they know already has an offer — that means someone else thinks they’re good, too! (Occasional truth: some busy agents screen their slush pile by focusing on the writers who email to say they’ve gotten multiple offers from literary agents…that way the agent knows which projects are worth reading.)

Getting Offers From Multiple Literary Agents

So now you, the writer, have offers from multiple literary agents. The first one feels great. The second one starts to feel confusing. By the third, you’re queasy. Who to choose? They all love your book, or should. If you get a lukewarm offer, that person is just playing the game, most likely, and can be cut from consideration. They all have editorial advice. They all have enthusiasm for you and your career. Well, what now?

Talk to each of the agents. Get a feel for their passion level and for their ideas for the manuscript. Try not to let the gushing or hype or big promises go to your head, even though it’s hard. What do you want as a writer? An agent for the long-term or for just this project? Or an agent who gives editorial notes or one who is more hands off? An agent who communicates openly or who just gives you the verdict after the submission round is over? An agent who communicates by phone or by email? Or an agent who does small, careful submission rounds and waits to hear editor feedback or an agent who submits you all over town in a huge, splashy round?

Questions to Ask a Literary Agent

Whether you get multiple offers from literary agents or a single offer, remember: you are hiring this person. Let your needs and your feelings and your understanding of what’s right for you guide your questions. Good questions to ask:

• How many clients do you have? (You may have trouble getting a straight answer here.)
• How big do you want to grow your list?
• What houses do you work with? (It’s the agent’s job to make connections, so if they only know or sell into a few houses, that might be too narrow.)
• What is your submission style?
• How often do you follow up once on submission?
• Do you do editorial work? A little or a lot?
• How do you see us growing my career together?
• How often do you communicate? How do you best communicate?
• Are you receptive to questions from me? How quickly do you respond? (Some agents are more standoffish, others do a large amount of “hand-holding” and support for their clients.)
• Do you share submission lists and rejections as they happen? (Figure out if you want to know this…some authors love transparency, others like not hearing bad news.)

As about your agent’s path to becoming an agent, where they see themselves going, what their hopes are for your project. Ask them for client references if you think talking to one of their existing clients will help you. This definitely helped me eliminate a few agents when I was in these shoes.

What a Literary Agent Wants to Know About You

From an agent’s perspective, this is our time to feel you out, too. How open are you to our editorial ideas? (I will often give three big ideas but save most of my editorial notes for later. I don’t want to overwhelm the writer but I also don’t want to give them some of my best ideas in case they go elsewhere with their project but still use my notes.) How savvy are you (in terms of being part of the publishing scene, having an online presence, knowing how the business works)? Do you have stars in your eyes or are you realistic about the marketplace and about how much work it is to be a published author? What are your career goals? How high-maintenance or easygoing are you and how easily would we work together?

The question you’re seeking to answer, as a writer, and the question I’m seeking to answer, as an agent, is this: Would we have a long-term, profitable, communicative, respectful, productive business partnership?

Choosing the Right Literary Agent for You and Your Work

Now, this is a difficult question to answer. It comes down to a combination of gut feeling and your impressions of an agent and their prestige and record. You can check an agent’s sales in Publishers Marketplace . For $25 a month, month-to-month, you have access to a deals database that is pretty comprehensive (some deals aren’t posted there for various reasons, but you do get a pretty good picture) for each agent and agency.

Agency reputation is really important. Has the agent’s agency been around for long? Have they brought many books to market? Are they known for the genre or age range for which you want to write? Publishing is a business of relationships and reputation.

You also need to take the agent’s rank into consideration — are they a newer agent with the agency or pretty senior in the organization? How long have they been agenting? There are pros and cons for a younger agent vs. an established agent, which I address in this post about how to select a literary agent .

This is a big decision. And getting offers from multiple literary agents is becoming more and more common, from what I’m noticing (a post on this later, as well). For every writer who has received multiple offers from literary agents, I just want to say: this is your decision. Take your time and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Agents are intimidating to a lot of writers but, at this level, you really are in control. Use it.

Are you ready to submit your work to agents? Hire me as your  query letter editor  and I’ll help you develop a strong pitch.

35 Replies to “Getting Offers from Multiple Literary Agents”

“Of course, if you ever have multiple offers from agents and I am one of them, you go with me, obviously.”

Um, obviously. YES.

Mary’s right about the queasy feeling, too. When all the agents are nice AND fab, it’s tough.

But…sometimes you just know, right from the get go, that an agent is the one for you.

Mary IS the one.

this sounds like a dream situation for any aspiring writer. If this ever did happen, at least I’d have a place to come when my nerves are screaming JUST SAY YES and Mary’s words of wisdom will keep me from making the wrong choice out of excitement. Thanks:)

Great post, Mary! Your comments made me think about a number of questions. Here come the falling rocks! :^)

How many is too many clients for an agent to have? When is an agent spread too thin and when are they lacking in experience or connections?

I’m guessing agents take on more clients than they can actually place. So what’s a good ratio in terms of authors represented to books sold? Is it 50%? 75% Lower?

How many books sold in a year is considered decent? 6? 12? More?

And, finally, based on your comment — An agent who does small, careful submission rounds and waits to hear editor feedback or an agent who submits you all over town in a huge, splashy round? — what is the smarter path for an agent to take? And how and why are some books auctioned?

Yes, I’m like a kindergarten kid asking a parent questions about astronomy. How many planets are there now anyway? I’ve heard rumors about Pluto.

Jenny — Hush your mouth, you flatterer! 🙂

JR — Your questions are impossible to answer conclusively. Some agents have other agency duties, like foreign rights sales, so for them a smaller client list will keep them plenty busy. Other agents only handle their own clients and don’t do any administrative/subrights duties at the office, so a larger list will be just right.

There’s no way for you to find out an agent’s sold/unsold client ratio unless they post all of their clients online or volunteer that information. That kind of thing is really not publicly available in most cases.

Books sold per year is also subjective. How senior is the agent within their agency? How big their client list? Are they selling multiple books for few clients or one book for many clients? Note that not all deals are reported on Publisher’s Marketplace, etc.

As you can probably tell, I do smaller submissions, unless I know, from my perspective on the market and from reactions I get to my pitch, that a book is going to be big. An auction happens when multiple houses come in with offers, but not all such scenarios end in an auction. It’s really complicated and not something to address in comments. It’s also rare, and that’s why I don’t really spend a lot of time talking about huge deals and auction situations — it’s really easy to get stars in your eyes but I wouldn’t worry about selling your book at auction…I’d worry about selling your book.

No stars in my eyes, only spurs in my feet! Many thanks, again.

Great post, Mary! One follow-up question, if you have a moment: If you do contact the agents’ clients, what sorts of questions should you ask THEM? LIke, is it kosher to ask about the specifics of the deals their agents negotiated?

Fantastic bits of information in this post, Mary. I almost wish I could know some of these things before querying an agent.

I don’t want multiple offers. I JUST WANT ONE! Sob.

Great post, Mary. Somehow doubting it’ll ever apply to me. Another sob.

This blog is so awesome. Thank you for posting things that writers might be curious about! Especially potentially awkward things! It really helps. I know that it would be a “great” problem to have, but I can imagine how dreadfully stressful it would be too. You’re suddenly wondering if you’re going to hurt somebody’s feelings, or make a wrong move. Thanks so much for sharing your perspective.

Wow. What a timely post. Over the past week, I’ve had a couple of agents ask to see my pages and I really felt a resonance with both of them. I’m nowhere near being in a position of choosing between multiple offers, but it did make me think about it. Your post helps. It isn’t something I’d look forward to deciding. Almost makes you wish you could work with more than one person, especially when you feel that certain connection and they seem to really “get” your book.

Great post. I hope it applies to me one day. I’m going to save your questions. They are really good ones to ask. I’d be too nervous to remember them all. I’m looking forward to your next post on this.

Thanks for the great post. Don’t you ever take a day off? Hope you had a great holiday.

I’m so glad you posted this. I actually had a question about the pros and cons for a younger agent vs. an established agent. I cannot wait for this post!!

Thanks again,

Thoughtful post, Mary, with valuable advice and insight. Great questions, too. Here’s a question: what if you had two different manuscripts (fulls) out to several agents and get offered representation by one agent (who read ms X) and another agent (who read ms Y). Both want to represent you and the book they read. So now you have two agents who want to rep you but for two different books. And I will add that the books are very different. Lets say that one is a humorous MG and the other a YA. What would you advise in this situation?

Buffy — Wow. That’s a whopper. But it happens. At this point in the game, I’d be honest. You are one writer and you want an agent who loves all your work. Pull back and tell both agents the situation. They might be a bit annoyed. Share the other manuscripts with both and then ask to resume the representation conversation.

Thanks Mary. Here’s another question. I know, full of them today. What if you have a new manuscript that you are going to query. Do you query those agents who currently have your fulls of another ms (this goes against querying an agent with more than one project at a time) or do you query other agents with the new manuscript, in which case you could end up in the above situation. What should one do? Give those agents who are currently reading fulls of other work the first opportunity? I mean, you’re right. The bottom line is that I want an agent who love all of my work. That’s the goal, anyway. I could sure use some guidance here. Thanks for your help.

Buffy — I would hold off until you hear back from the agents who have fulls. If they reject but want to see more work, offer your new project. Really do be patient with this, you do want to see feedback before blasting something else out there.

No stars in my eyes, but I admit this is the kind of daydream scenario that gets my heart aflutter. lol.

I would be really afraid that I was annoying the agent with my questions and coming off as a pain. I guess if an agent made me feel that way, I wouldn’t want to work with them anyways, but the whole industry can kind of make beginners feel that way unintentionally.

How do you recommend phrasing such an email to the other agents you’ve sent fulls to? Just a short and sweet, “So and so has offered me representation. Any other takers?”

I would feel so awkward writing that!!!

I recently had this experience, and Mary is so right. It seems like it would be awesome, but it’s very, very stressful. The worst part is that when it’s all done, you’ll have to send the rejection letters.

Should you be in this position- absolutely talk to the agents, but DEFINITELY ask if you may talk to some of their clients. I learned MUCH more about the agents’ business styles talking to their clients than I did talking to the agents themselves. Those conversations were the ones that ultimately helped me make my decision.

Even when the clients are in love with their agent, you can find out if the agent’s style would be a good fit for you. I talked to three clients per agent, and felt really confident about the decision I made.

The rejections still totally sucked, though.

Thanks Mary for your advice. Have a super day!

Krista — Ask about working style, how they’ve handled submissions, communication, etc. What that client has liked most…least, etc. I would not ask about money specifics, as every book and every deal is different.

Olleymae — For a verbatim copy of an email you can send, click on the link referenced in this post.

Hope — Thanks for sharing your experience!

I love it when Mary gives great advice like this! I think this post applies to any offer. I would still want to ask the agent questions. Though I only submit if I think the agent might be a good fit, I don’t want to take an offer unless I’m sure we’ll work well together. No matter how much research I do on an agent, there are still things I can’t find out online and will want to know if it comes down to the agent offering representation.

Multiple offers always seemed like a dream, but after reading this post, I realize it could end up being the stuff of nightmares . . . or at least a few sleepless nights and days of stress. 😉

I look forward to reading a post on the pros and cons of an established agent vs. a newer agent. =)

Thanks, Mary!!!

Thanks, Mary. Didn’t seem like a polite thing to ask, but then, I couldn’t think of much else TO ask. This is a much better list:)

One offer will suffice!

I think I would have a nervous breakdown if I had multiple offers. The thought of getting The Call makes my knees weak, so multiple calls would need small amounts of rum. 🙂

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How about comparing each agent’s ideas for your novel? Is it prudent to make such a long-term decision based on short-term ideas? In other words, does the agent’s vision for this specific novel impact whether you should sign with him/her long-term?

Seth — Oh, yeah! Their ideas for your work will show you how they think, how they interpret your vision, and all about their editorial style. Since they’re going to be your first editor for this project and more, you need to mesh on this level. It’s very important. My critique partner was considering going with an agent and liked most of this agent’s ideas for her very literary, very dark manuscript. Then the agent asked, no joke, “Can you make this more like Gossip Girl?” That was going to be a HUGE problem, both short-term AND long-term.

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Form Letters for Authors: Notification of an Offer

• By: Jessica Faust | Date: Apr 26 2017

This is a post I’ve been wanting to write for a while. For some reason, for some authors, notifying agents of an offer (either of a publisher offer or offer of representation) seems to be tricky. There are subtle nuances that go into the way you inform the agent that can make or break their desire to “play” as we say.

Sometimes we’ll get notifications that say, “I want to let you know that I got an offer” …okaaay. Does that mean you accepted and are pulling it from submission? Or are you looking to turn it into multiple offers?

Sometimes we get this: “Another agent offered representation today and I’m really excited, but before signing I wanted to know the status.” So you’re planning on signing anyway? Because no agent wants to read a manuscript with an eye toward representation if you have no intention of considering her offer of representation. Don’t just offer us a chance to “be nice.”

Sometimes this, “I got an offer I really want to accept, but as a courtesy if you’d still like to review the material I’d be happy to let you do so.” Again, in this case simply let me know you’ve accepted another offer. I’d rather not put all my clients and everything else on hold to read something when I’m not even in the running for it.

I’ve always pushed authors to turn an offer around into something bigger. This is your chance to really interview and find the agent who is right for you. That being said, you also need to make sure you’re as honest with yourself and with agents as possible. If the agent who offered is the perfect fit and you strongly feel there’s no one else, then just accept. Sure, we’ll all feel a little hurt, but it’s better than wasting hours reading a book that we never had a shot at anyway.

When notifying agents let’s make this easy:

Dear Agent: I’m [excited, please, thrilled, overwhelmed] to inform you that I’ve just received an offer of [publication, representation] for TITLE OF BOOK. I’ve told the [offering agent, publisher] that I’ll need time to [find an agent, make my decision]. If you are still interested, could you let me know by DATE? Or I’d love to gauge your interest before accepting. Could you let me know by DATE? Thank you so much for your consideration. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

While you should write in a way that best reflects your style, you can see here the tone is encouraging and the details are all in there. This gives everyone a clear idea of what you need and also lets other agents know that you are still very interested in working with them. Because, well, agents can be just as neurotic as authors 😉

Good luck and congratulations if you’re currently using this form.

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20 responses to “Form Letters for Authors: Notification of an Offer”

Since the agent is the only person who understands his/her schedule and workload wouldn’t it make more sense if he/she was the one to respond with a date, and asking the author if he/she can wait that long?

Responding “I would love to let the other agent know by May 15” means that if the agent isn’t available to start reading until May 16, then you may get a rejection even though you were perfectly willing to wait another week or two.

I’ve gotten similar from agents, who were upfront about when they could read, and it’s always been appreciated. Just my two cents.

Emily: The other part of this is that the agent who offers first is waiting for you to make a decision. If you’re really excited about that first agent, you won’t want to keep her (or him) waiting indefinitely on another agent’s deadline. I was surprised how many agents were able to read my manuscript in my week timeframe. I did have one bow out due to time constraints, which of course was understandable, but my timeline was based on my desire to make the decision efficiently and the respect that I had for the initial agent who offered.

It seems pretty simple to me. Agent 1 makes an offer. You go back to Agent 2 and say you have an offer and ask when they would be able to read your book. Agent 3 says “In three weeks.” You go back to Agent 1 and say “My MS is out with another agent and I’d like to give that person a chance to read, can I give you my decision in three weeks?”

I doubt any agent NEEDS to sign you up by a specific date or civilization collapses. It seems like things would run more smoothly if there was more straightforward communication between all parties, and since it is the writer who is constantly being told not to “bug” the busy, busy agents, it seems as if it’s up to the agent to give a time frame.

I was wondering about that as well. I am also uncertain as to how much time we should give an agent to respond after we’ve received an offer of representation from another agent. One week? Two? I thought maybe ten business days would be appropriate since this is a business transaction.

I think any of those are acceptable. I think too long only makes the author more impatient and anxious.

Very helpful blog on a part of the business often overlooked. Hope to see you at Malice. I would love to just say hi as I’ve followed your blog for years and learned so much from you and your team. Much appreciated!

Please do seek me out. I would love to meet you.

Will do. We are attending the funeral of my sweet MIL Friday so won’t be arriving till Saturday morning. Safe travels!

Agreed! Always appreciated.

I like the way you think. I would love for you to become my Literature Agent.

This is brilliant, Jessica. Thank you.

[…] see the manuscript through PBParty and also those who I had queried but never heard back. I used a great template for this letter, which included advice to (politely) give the agent a deadline to […]

Would you also recommend notifying agents when you get requests for full?

I wouldn’t bother.

Thank you for this extremely helpful advice! 🙂

Is it considered a professional courtesy to disclose the name of the original agent who has offered representation? I am little unsure of how to approach this part of the process since it’s my first time being offered representation.

It’s not necessary but you absolutely can, if you want to.

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