How long have you been in business? Greyhaus Literary Agency was established in late September of 2003.
Are you RWA Recognized? Yes.
Are you a member of the Association of Author Representatives? Becoming a member of the AAR is the same as becoming RWA Recognized. There are additional items that need to be met before joining. Not only is there the time factor, but also a larger number of books sold. To add to that, a new agent must be nominated by an existing agent. Although not officially a member, Greyhaus does adhere to AAR's code of ethics.
Why are you so small and so focused? It is our belief that by remaining a small company, we can better assist our writers. We know that writers don’t want to get lost in the shuffle. As far as our focus goes, we feel that we can assist writers by only having to pay attention to the trends in one genre only.
Who do you take as a client? We are extremely selective in terms of who we select. Since establishing Greyhaus, we have had to turn down over 95% of the writers that have submitted something to us. Not that the writing isn't good, but we need to find those writers that can really get their work published! If you have a story that is marketable and well written, then we will consider you.
Which publishers do you work with? Because I focus exclusively on the romance and women's fiction genres, the central taget publishers are RWA Recognized publishers. This means that as a writer, you can be assured that you are working with publishers who also know your industry.
Do you accept Harlequin authors? Yes! I do look at all Harlequin lines. I expect authors though to have a full understanding of the exact category line they write for. Writers need to know not only the word count for the line, but the voice of the line. I also expect writers to be prepared to demonstrate 3-4 additional projects that may be in a Work in Progress stage that also fit that line.
Do you provide a written contract? YES, YES, YES. This is a contract that covers all of your romance and women's fiction writing. By doing this, we can eliminate many questions and hassles in the long run. Our contract is a standard contract offered by the majority of agencies out there. No loop holes, and certainly nothing that takes away from your rights as an author. The contract is one that meets RWA and AAR specifications.
What are your commissions? The agent will receive 15% commission on domestic sales and 20% on foreign sales and offers a written contract. This is effective Nov. 1, 2006.
Do you deal with screenplay and film rights? How about other writing outside of romance? Not necessarily. For those of you who understand the film industry, it is a completely different matter. You just don't submit things the same way. I will say, however, that if a writer at Greyhaus finds themself in a situation that we would be looking at screenplays, I'll get you connected with people that can help. In other words, it is on a case by case basis.
How much contact do you have with your writers? Every time we do something with your manuscript, whether it is sending it out, or receiving comments back from publishers, we will let you know, either by letter, E-Mail or phone. We also maintain a website that will allow you to advertise your contest and award recognition. If you win something, let us know and we will post that information.
Reading and other fees? No. Not at all!
Once you sign a writer, what next? As soon as you have been signed, we will compile a great deal of information on you and your writing history. You will generally send me an electronic copy of your story, a synopsis of your work (maybe several in different lengths), a completed manuscript, the first three and first five chapters, a bio, etc. We will make recommendations based on what you send me and from there we map out a plan of attack! I want to know where you think the manuscript should go and your thoughts as well. From there, I start my end of the work contacting publishers.
What about my next work? Obviously we want to keep you. Of course, if the manuscript you are working on is one that the market would not deal with right now, we will talk about what you should do. You need to know that if you have a great story but the market could care less about it, then there is nothing that I can do.
Can I contact you with ideas and what not? Sure, stay in touch. Remember though, calling me to see if I have heard something will get you nowhere. I promise I will let you know every time we hear something!
