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Agent Interview: Rachel Kent

Describe what you're looking for in 25 characters or less.

Great ideas for all ages.

What other agents do you admire most?

Janet Kobobel Grant
Wendy Lawton
Debbie Alsdorf
Barb Roose
Cynthia Ruchti
Jen Babakhan

Who are your favorite authors?

Too many to name and I don't want to name any in fear of missing someone.

What sets you apart from other agents who look at the same type of material?

Working for Books & Such is a huge blessing and is a wonderful community for authors and agents. I also have a great relationship with editors at Christian publishing houses especially. I am excited to work for my clients and believe in them and their projects!

What is the best advice you can give someone who is considering submitting work to you?

Make sure I'm not the first person to see your idea. Get feedback from others who are qualified to give you good feedback.

Describe the ideal query letter.

A query should have a wonderful hook, a great summary, and an author bio. A perfect query will pique my interest within a single page.

Describe the ideal manuscript.

The ideal manuscript is well-written and unique. It would be a story that shows off the author's unique voice and keeps the reader reading from page one until the end.

What do submitters most often get wrong about your submissions process?

We do not accept attachments to emails. We get a lot of email attachments. The query MUST be in the body of the email.

How much do you want to know about the person submitting to you?

I need to see an author bio in the query letter. If I want to see a proposal or manuscript, I will need to see marketing ideas, etc. If I am interested in representing an author, I'll have a get-to-know-you call before offering representation. It's good for us to get to know each other!

How much of a manuscript do you read before making the decision to reject it?

This depends on the manuscript. If it's holding my interest I will keep reading. If it isn't holding my attention, I will quit. If I can tell it's ALMOST ready, I will usually finish and send feedback for the author to make changes and resubmit.

Once you decide to represent someone's work, what is the process?

I arrange a get-to-know-you call and once we both agree to moving forward, I will send forms that need to be filled out for our contract to be sent over. We then send a contract for Books & Such representation and start to integrate the author into our community and my client list. I then work with my client to get the proposal/manuscript into shape before setting up a submission plan with my client. And then we're on a roll! :D

What is a day in the life of an agent like for you?

BUSY!
Emails
Phone calls
Sending projects
Looking at contracts
Meetings with publishing house marketing departments.
And reviewing queries and other submissions when I have time.

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