I've been getting a raft of query letters lately mentioning ex-agents.
News flash for the re-querying: I tend to wonder what's wrong with you, not the agent. I'm an agent...duh! The only side of difficult client/agent relationships I see is the agent's side. That said, I have several clients who were previously repped and I knew it when they queried me.
They were smart. They said "parted amicably" or "parted on good terms" or at the very least mentioned the agent's name. In other words, they weren't coy about what happened.
It's hard to figure out what to say I'm sure, like introducing your ex-spouse as "father of my kids" makes him sound like a sperm donor rather than your ex but leaving it with "I was previously repped by an agent" is fourth choice on a list of three.
Truthfully it won't make a difference between yes and no if you write so well I'm drooling for pages, but most people aren't in that category. Where it matters is when I'm on the fence, and it's the difference between thinking "well maybe, but this guy sounds like a pita" and "well maybe, and I know Agent Heywood in North Jablowme is a dunderhead, so glad this guy wised up."
4 comments:
So sliding up to an agent at the bar, flashing that killer smile, and cooing "how would you like to become the next ex Mags' agent, baby?" isn't going to cut it?
Damn it. I miss the 80's.
A customer placed a birthday notice using the Heywood line, and our classified sales rep had no clue until everyone started laughing at the notice when it appeared in the newspaper.
and I know Agent Heywood in North Jablowme is a dunderhead
That was South Jablowme, BTW. ;-)
~jerseygirl
If your agent fired you, you're in a similar situation to interviewing for a job after you've been fired.
Perhaps you will reflect and realize you had something to do with it. In this case, the advice is to be straightforward about what happened and what you've learned from it.
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