Approached by agent

[AELLIS]

I had an excerpt from my novel published online a couple of years ago and last week an agent from Harvey Klinger reached out to see if I had representation and if she could read further. This is all brand new to me--I hadn't even begun to consider querying yet and certainly haven't researched anything, don't know the lingo, expectations, "rules"--everything! That's why I came here :-)

I guess I'm wondering what to expect next. Does this happen much? Should I be very hopeful? I sent 20,000 words a few days ago but haven't heard back. Of course, now I'm wondering if I should have done that at all, or rather waited until I was finished/ polished the entire novel. Anyway, I'd love to hear thoughts!

[Patrick]

It's very unusual for agents to seek out authors in this way. But not completely unheard of. Just make sure she really is who she says she is. There have been fraudsters out there using the names of established agents. If she only wants to speak by phone instead of email, that's a red flag. Also, is her email address @harveyklinger.com or gmail? Some agents use gmail (or other public mail servers) so that's not a sure sign of a fraudster, but you should be more careful.

And the most important sign of fraud, if she asks you for money. Never pay an "agent" anything. They only make money when you make money.

[AELLIS]

Thank you for replying--all good points! Her email is @harveyklinger and she was very professional and kind, quoting lines from my story and speaking in detail about how it made her feel. We emailed back and forth a few times and she definitely didn't ask for money :-)