All Your Problems Will be Solved by Talking to Your Agent for Five Minutes

Hello friends,

I would say that I talk to the majority of my clients over email. With some, I text. Some I see IRL. Some, it's a combination of everything including DMs. But I have a few clients who call me or ask me to call them and I love it. I am Gen X, so I am not afraid of the phone. And no, most of those who I talk to on the phone aren't Gen X either. Talking on the phone with some one you like is great!

I spoke to one such client yesterday. I love talking to this client. We've worked together a long time and know each other well. We also have the kinda of relationship where I'm pretty sure I know what's she's asking even when she's not asking it outright. We were talking about her question for a bit and then I said, You know, I think you're really asking if <big picture thing was gonna happen>..... and of course I was right. Not in a I told you so way, but in a I know you way.

I don't have this relationship with all my clients (yet) and some clients don't want or need this kind of relationship. But what this conversation told me yesterday was that most of the things I see writers stress about online can be solved with a five minute conversation with their agent. (Sit tight if you don't have an agent yet. I'll get to that.) Your agent wants to talk to you. Your agent wants to help you. If they can't do it that very minute, they'll tell you when they can. They know that when you ask what do you think about this new idea? You might also be saying I'm scared my editor won't buy my option book. When you ask how's XYZ genre doing these days we know you might also be asking should I pivot? You can come right out and ask these actual questions and that's fine, too. But your agent probably also knows when you don't know what question you really need to ask. It takes time to build a relationship like this with your agent, but it's built by asking the questions and talking out the answers. Often there isn't a definite answer to publishing and writing questions. But getting close to the right answer for you is the whole point.

If you don't have an agent, I've provided some pep talks/answers for common questions/issues I see writers worry about often. Feel free to turn to these in your time of need.

How do I know if this book idea is any good?
I think your idea is great. Some people are going to love it and some are going to hate it and that's true for even the most successful books in the world. But moreso, in today's market, I'm sorry to say that good, even great, isn't all we need to stand out. And that sucks! A lot! The good news is there are lots of definitions of good