Agent Interview: Cynthia Ruchti

Christian fiction/nonfict

The other agents in Books & Such Literary Management--Janet Grant (president and mentor), Wendy Lawton (my agent), Rachel Kent, Rachelle Gardner, and Barb Roose--are all inspiring and gifted.

As an author and agent, I see everything about this industry from at least two perspectives. I understand what an author is looking for in an agent, and am passionate about author care, and about careful matchmaking between an author and his/her project and the perfect publishing house for that project. With friend connections within the industry, I also work hard to make sure both the publishing house and my authors are served well in negotiations and all aspects of the process. An author's overarching career goals are always on my mind.

The more homework an author does ahead of time before submitting a query or proposal, the better. Take a look at the agency blog to get a feel for agent personalities and areas of expertise. Study the agency website and note our submission guidelines. Make sure the project you're submitting is in line with our agency's goals and the publishers we serve. Know your audience, and know how your book rises above all the others of that genre or on that subject.

The ideal query letter is warm but professional. It gives a verbal snapshot of the project, tells the agent a little bit about the author, reveals how that book (whether fiction or nonfiction) meets readers' perceived needs, and notes the author's past book sales numbers and platform (built-in audience) numbers. The best queries show how this book is a fresh look, a unique approach, a new angle on the topic or story plot.

The ideal manuscript follows guidelines, both industry guidelines as well as agency guidelines. It is clean of fixable typos and omissions and well thought out. It is not another version of other manuscripts already on the market, duplicating what's already been said. It draws the reader, editor, or agent in within the first few words and keeps our attention to the very end.

The guidelines clearly state that we want proposals submitted as Word doc attachments rather than in the body of the email. It's difficult for us to make comments if we don't have a Word document for which we can use Track Changes.

I personally like to know a little about their family, hobbies, interests, education. But I need to know what fits them, equips them, drives them to write this project. I don't need a resume (waiting tables in college only matters at this stage if the novel has a college waitress main character) and honors that don't directly relate to either the topic or credentials for the topic are unnecessary to mention. That other information may help build our relationship if we become agent and client. But in the early stages, I need to know publishing history and writing training and less about degrees or GPA.

I can often tell within the first few paragraphs or pages. But if I see red flags that are easily fixable, I'll keep reading. If the red flags related to a projects potential for interesting a publisher, or a character glitch (cocky, brazen, boastful, unkind), it doesn't take long to know it isn't a good fit.

We get to know each other's work and communication preferences. We work on the proposal together until it sparkles and we've eliminated an editor's reasons to say no. We may spend time building the author's platform or smoothing out author quirks in their writing (comma trouble or overwriting or redundancy) before submitting. I study the best fit for that project, as far as publishing house AND editor. Then I submit and the waiting begins.

No two days are alike. But many of them share common moments. Lots of Zoom calls, as you can imagine, with clients, prospective clients, editors, marketing departments, etc. Phone calls are frequent. Time on email. I'm taking a look at queries and proposals every day but also may work on a debut novelist's manuscript or help coach a nonfiction writer's project to a clearer focus. I weigh in on marketing plans, negotiate fine points of a contract, and follow my clients' social media conversations. On any given day, I might be brainstorming new projects or researching new publishing opportunities, holding a client's virtual hand while she mourns a harsh review or a lost opportunity, feeding my clients information about tech advances or new apps or a workshop that directly applies to their educational need, or sending congratulations to a client whose work was recognized with an industry honor. One thing is true. I'm never bored. Ever.

No two days are alike. But many of them share common moments. Lots of Zoom calls, as you can imagine, with clients, prospective clients, editors, marketing departments, etc. Phone calls are frequent. Time on email. I'm taking a look at queries and proposals every day but also may work on a debut novelist's manuscript or help coach a nonfiction writer's project to a clearer focus. I weigh in on marketing plans and follow my clients' social media conversations. On any given day, I might be brainstorming new projects or researching new publishing opportunities, holding a client's virtual hand while she mourns a harsh review or a lost opportunity, feeding my clients information about tech advances or new apps or a workshop that directly applies to their educational need, or sending congratulations to a client whose work was recognized with an industry honor. One thing is true. I'm never bored. Ever.