What questions should I ask when talking to a literary agent?

[Mimi Simon]

I got a reply from submitting my portfolio to a literary agent today. The agent is interested in my work and wants to talk to me on the phone. I remember Lee saying on 3pp that the the agent works for you and you should be interviewing them, not the other way around. However I have no idea what I should be asking. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much!

[Reb Erlik]

@Mimi-Simon Congrats! That's huge!

Check out Bookends Literary YouTube videos for ideas about what to ask in interview:
https://youtu.be/1aXg-qlCcuI?si=iJoTvBZH7kUawVy9

https://youtu.be/sW7Nher-wJ4?si=tENkTjIVBWY1WJIS

My number one question would be:
Are they are editorial? (ie. Are they hands-on in the editing process or do they leave it to the publishers?)

[Nyrryl Cadiz]

@Mimi-Simon hi! First off, congratulations!

Here’s a few questions to begin with:

• how do they promote their illustrators and how often?
• how much commission do they take?
• Do they have a cool off period if you choose to leave them?

[Mimi Simon]

@Nyrryl-Cadiz Thanks! This is really helpful! However what do you mean by a cool off period?

[Nyrryl Cadiz]

@Mimi-Simon hi! So a cool off period is a period of time after you’ve left an agency where you cannot be represented by another agency. Some agencies have cool off periods that last for a few months like my previous agency while some don’t.

[Mimi Simon]

@Nyrryl-Cadiz Oh interesting, like a non compete clause. Thats definitely something that would be good to know...

[Enni Heikura]

@Mimi-Simon Congratulations! Have you already had the call, and if so, how did it go?

I just got an email from an agent myself (for the first time ever!), and they want to meet over Zoom. I’m a bit nervous since English isn’t my first language, and I’m worried I might mess up. Does anyone have experience with what they might ask? This thread already has some great tips on what to ask them—thank you for those!

[Mimi Simon]

@Enni-Heikura Yes I talked to the agent today. I think it went well though i'm not sure where it's going from here. The agent was really interested in my ability to write and pitch my own projects even though I'd really rather just be an illustrator right now. She asked to see the graphic novel pitch that i made even though I had semi abandoned it and gone back to querying just as an illustrator. So anyway i'll update later on how things go from here.
As for what the agent asked me, she wanted to know why I was interested in publishing and in what capacity. She wanted to know a bit about my process of how I illustrate. She asked what genres and subject matter am i most interested in and what level is my abilities to write and pitch my own original projects.
Hope this helps and good luck on your call!

[Enni Heikura]

@Mimi-Simon Thank you so much for your update! Hopefully, things will progress smoothly toward an agreement, and you'll be able to focus solely on illustration-related work. Of course, it would be much nicer to know by the end of the call whether things are moving forward or not, so there’s no need to dwell on it afterward. Also, thank you for sharing what the agent asked—it’s helpful to prepare for next week and brush up on my English skills as well.