Literary Agent Interview~ Janet Benrey

{Tomorrow Part II: Author Interview with Janet's husband and writing partner, Ron Benrey}

Janet Benrey brings a diverse business background—including experience as editorial director of a small press, a professional photographer, an executive recruiter, and a novelist—to book development and literary representation. Janet is an agent at the Hartline Literary Agency; her clients include well-known writers of general and genre fiction and non-fiction books. With her husband, Ron, she has written seven Christian romantic suspense novels for Broadman & Holman, Barbour Publishing, and Harlequin Steeple Hill. Over the years, Janet has also been a writing coach and a marketing communications writer. She earned her degree in Communication (Magna cum Laude) from the University of Pittsburgh. She is also a graduate of York House College in Kent, England, where she studied commerce and languages.

Plug time: Is there a project you would like to tell us about?

I’ll let Ron talk about our fiction projects. On the agenting side, it’s impossible to pick one project over another, as all of my projects excite me in some way or I wouldn’t have taken them on. Actually, rather than plug a particular project, I’d rather plug my agency and point out that Hartline Literary will still consider representing unpublished authors. Our website –

www.hartlineliterary.com – explains how to send us a book proposal.

You’re also an author, do you feel these two hats you wear get in the way of each other?

I find my role as an author to be very challenging, but it’s not in conflict with my job as an agent. Agents, like authors, love to read, and this is a job that requires a lot of both. I do feel that because I’m an author that I understand writers, who really do put themselves out there for their craft. I know what it takes to begin a project and to finish a project. I have tremendous respect for people who are able to finish what they’ve started. So when a new author finds a home for her work, I’m almost as excited as he/she is because I know how hard it is to get published these days.

Can you tell us about your writing?

It’s hard for me to talk about writing without first talking about reading. I have always loved the mystery genre, and over the years I’ve read a lot of mysteries. My decision to write a mystery with Ron was made almost out of the blue. Then we set about the challenge of learning to write one. It took years for us to get it right, now it’s second nature. What it has come down to now is creating the fictional dream for the reader to fall into and holding him/her there until the last page.

What made you decide to become an agent?

Joyce Hart, our agent, asked me and I said yes. It was as simple as that. Of course, Ron insists that he gave Joyce the idea in the first place. I’ll admit that he did think I’d be a good agent.

What makes for a good agent?

Perseverance and patience, two virtues that also serve a writer well. And a love of the printed word. Oh ... and a tough skin. I’ll sometimes get three or four rejections in a single day.

What's your favorite part about being an agent?

Finding a good writer. It’s great fun to sit down, read a proposal, then discover you have a really good story in your hands.

Your least?

Chasing after royalty payments. Some publishers have problems with their accounting systems.

How many agents do you recommend an author query at a time?

I don’t make that recommendation. I’ve know authors who’ve queried everyone, but that strikes me as a waste of time and energy. An author needs to find an agent who handles the kind of material he or she is writing. That’s why the best way to meet the perfect agent is to attend writers’ conferences.

Once an agent requests the full manuscript, is it assumed by the agent that they are the only agent reviewing the work unless the author states otherwise?

I always assume that authors send out multiple queries to agencies. But once I begin to review a manuscript I want to know if anyone else is looking at it, too. I make a tremendous investment in time when I read a manuscript. That time is wasted if another agent is close to representing the author.

What if an author receives an offer for representation by an agent but another agent, who is their first choice, is still reviewing the work and hasn’t made a decision? What is the etiquette here?

It’s more a question of “a bird in the hand” than etiquette. The author who delays runs the risk that the less-preferred agent will withdraw the offer because he/she has accepted other clients. An author who finds herself in that happy situation should tell the preferred agent what’s going on – and encourage him/her to make a fast decision. I’ve been on both sides of the situation.

Do you work with a signed contract or a handshake?

Hartline has a straightforward agency contract that spells out the agreement between author and agent.

What’s something you wish more authors knew?

I’ll give you two things.

First, too many authors don’t understand the “qualities” that are essential for a manuscript to be publishable.

Second, those that produce publishable work must recognize that their writing is competing with many other good manuscripts. Receiving an offer to publish can depend on finding the right editor at the right time. Success in this business is often a matter of good timing, as unfair as that may sound.

So, how impatient are we authors?

This is a slow-moving business and it’s easy for an author to forget about the tens of thousands of other manuscripts going through the review process. I find that authors have sudden bursts of impatience – that’s when I get calls at odd hours.

Describe your dream author.

That’s easy. It’s the author who writes a best-seller. Or if not that, who has many projects to offer for sale and is agreeable to making changes when necessary.

What's the average amount a new author can expect to get for an advance on a novel?

The amount received would depend on the genre, but for a first time author writing romantic fiction, a $5,000.00 advance would be acceptable. Sometimes first-time authors worry too much about the advance. An advance is payment against royalties. You won’t earn a penny more if the book doesn’t sell.

What's the average number of books printed in the first printing for a first time author?

This again depends on the genre. And remember it’s always easy to go back and reprint the book. It’s not so much how many books are in the first print run that counts, it’s how many copies can you actually sell over time, that’s important. If an author does receive a high advance, then the print run will also be higher as the expectation of sales is higher.

What is the process an agent goes through when deciding whether or not to represent an author?

That’s an intriguing question, because the day-to-day work of most agents is to represent manuscripts written by authors. I suspect that most agents make the decision after reviewing the authors work. I begin every review by asking myself a simple question: If I like this manuscript, will I be able to sell it? That’s the first thing that pops into my head. My next question: Is it well-written? And my third: Is this a story that’s unique enough to grab an editor’s attention? There are “well-written” books that will never sell because the author invented a new genre, or wrote too long, or two short, or to the wrong audience. A dynamite story that’s well executed and aimed at a well-defined market will almost always find a home.

What catches your eye in a query or proposal? What makes you cringe?

Catch: enthusiasm, simplicity.

Cringe: bad grammar and spelling mistakes.

Actually, I think too many writers – and writing gurus – overstate the importance of a query. The first paragraph of a manuscript tells me more than any query letter possibly could.

What can an author do to make their agent's job easier?

I hate it when an author decides to make substantive changes to the book I’ve just read and have agreed to represent. Send an agent the best book you’ve written, not a draft of the best book you intend to write.

What are some new trends you're noticing in CBA fiction?

Chick lit and mom lit. Fantasy.

Is there a type of novel you are particularly interested in representing?

Suspense.

Once you sign an author on to represent them, what happens next? Please walk us through the agent’s submission process.

It’s not a complex process. Once our agency agreement is in place, I begin the process of identifying suitable homes for the manuscript. I typically call editors directly, but I sometimes visit them or meet with them at industry conferences. I will keep submitting until the manuscript is purchased or it seems clear that it will not find a home in its present form.

Parting words?

Consider your relationship with your agent a partnership. You are both aiming for the same gold ring – publication. Anything you can do to help reach the goal is appreciated – and that means attending conferences and meeting with editors and letting them know you exist and are serious about your writing.
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