Have you ever met your agent...?

[Barbarique]

*

[johnzakour]

I'm represented by Joshua Bilmes, I meet with him whenever we can at World Cons and such. (He also threatens to come visit me upstate someday. Maybe when I do a signing... Also if I am in NYC I try to swing by.)

It's nice to know the person you're giving 15% of your income to.

We had talked on the phone so much that by the time I actually met him he was pretty much what I expected.

[swvaughn]

I'm with Cameron McClure at the Donald Maass Agency, and I have met her. I happened to be in New York (working at a publicity summit) when she offered representation. So we had breakfast, and she gave me a tour of the agency, and I also got to chat with Don Maass (I'd taken one of his seminars, many years ago).

It was freakin' awesome. But also unusual -- I know a lot of writers don't get the opportunity to meet their agents in person, but everything still works out okay. :D

[Tracy]

My agent is in London, even though I'm in Ireland, so I've only met her once. But on that occasion she brought me for afternoon tea in the Dorchester. Far from afternoon tea in the Dorchester I was raised, I can tell you. It was such fun, way above my normal level of poshness. I even saw two major British TV stars, but I was too cool to run up and talk to them, of course.

The sandwiches and cakes were a fixed menu, but there was a menu for your pot of tea! The tea menu read like a wine menu. Words like 'bouquet' and 'aroma' and 'lime' abounded. I chose the most normal-sounding one.

The sandwiches were the most beautifully presented food I've ever seen. One round was cut in perfect circles, another in perfect squares, and another in perfect triangles. The little cakes were too pretty to eat. Well, almost too pretty to eat. I had to eat some for politeness sake.

You didn't pour yourself any more tea - you waited until the waiters came around and did that for you.

When I've sold a million copies, and can afford it, I shall dine there all the time.

[Irysangel]

I had dinner with mine when she was in town for a conference. She was really sweet and I feel that it's helped our relationship improve now that we both have a face to put to the voice on the phone. :)

[endless rewrite]

You know the Dorchester has just stormed ahead of The Ritz for best afternoon tea so it must be fantastic. I paid for my parents to go to the Ritz for tea and it was expensive and worth every penny, they loved it. I thought my dad was going to pass out in a sugar coma he was so determined to get his money's worth.

My agent hosts a party/get together for her clients every couple of months in a nice wine bar so the writers can get to know each other as well. She took me for lunch at a lovely restaurant when she offered to represent me, when she ordered a good bottle of wine and insisted we had huge puddings too, I knew I was going to sign.

[dub]

Have been in meetings and negociations with my agent - a couple of times. At least, I keep telling her she's my agent. She tells me, "let's do lunch."

[Toothpaste]

When I was living in London, after the initial meeting, I saw my agent a lot because she worked in the same neighbourhood I lived in! She even came to my going a away party.

I miss her.

[Novelhistorian]

I never met my (ex-) agent. We live on different coasts. But I don't think we'd have gotten along had we met. At first, our phone conversations were pleasant enough, but a few of them became strained. Not a happy experience, and I hope my next agent is capable of a few words of encouragement now and then. I don't need to have lunch with him or her, though I have a recurring fantasy in which we discuss my next WIP.

[RLB]

In this e-mail age, how many of you writers have actually encountered your agents in person?

I met my agent at a conference a few months ago.

Of course, as I have yet to send him a query, he doesn't know he's going to be my agent...

[ClaudiaGray]

Several times -- but I live in NYC, so it's fairly easy to get together here.

[JoNightshade]

Someday if I have an agent and that agent happens to live in New York, I will use it as an excuse to visit New York. How's that?

[maddythemad]

I met my agent for lunch, and it was really nice. I only live a few hours away from NYC, though, so it wasn't very difficult, and we have a lot of friends there who we can stay with.

[Maprilynne]

Hehe. Here I thought I was normal; I guess not. My agent is Jodi Reamer of Writers House and I've never met her. I've talked to her on the phone a bunch of times but never face-to-face.

[Will Lavender]

I'm represented by Lanie Becker of Folio Literary Management. Never met her -- but that will change in November. My family and I are planning a trip to NYC.

[popmuze]

I've only had my current agent for a few months, but I've already had three face to face meetings. He's a very cool guy and we enjoy hanging out together. I just hope he can sell my books.
I once went up to see my previous agent at his office. He reminded me of the Paul Newman character in The Verdict.
Needless to say, he wasn't my agent much longer, although I did harbor a fantasy that I could represent his comeback.

[davids]

I met my agent at the McClansky Hotel just outside of Aromatic Arkansas-she cost me fifty bucks-it was short and sweet-had to catch a bus

[job]

My agent is Pam Hopkins. Never met her, but she does a super job.