It’s a little surreal. I mentioned my good news about finding an agent last week. Since then, I’ve been introduced to things I figured were coming, like a contract review, and other things I hadn’t really considered, like approving my manuscript to be sent to a foreign rights agent and asking an author for a pre-publication blurb (which, frankly, I’d never heard of before).

Here’s what I can share so far.

The Pre-Publication Blurb. There’s not a lot out there on the web about the pre-publication blurb. Says Salon.com, “The pre-publication blurb isn’t one of the higher forms of literature…” No blurb is, right? But apparently high praise from a published and well-sold author who shares your niche can help your agent sell your story to editors. And while blurbs aren’t high art, if they’re well-delivered, sometimes they come pretty close. That particular Salon article refers to Marisha Pessl’s debut novel, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, and delivers praise for a blurb attached to her work. Here’s the full outtake:

The pre-publication blurb isn’t one of the higher forms of literature, but Jonathan Franzen’s one-sentence endorsement, printed on the back cover of Marisha Pessl’s first novel, “Special Topics in Calamity Physics,” is a masterpiece of sorts. “Beneath the foam of this exuberant debut,” he writes, “is a dark, strong drink.”

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? I’d like to take a sip or two myself.

The Foreign World of Foreign Rights. It doesn’t seem like something you’d have to think about before tweaking your manuscript and getting it ready for your agent to send to editors, but foreign rights are definitely a huge part of publishing. Some publishing houses ask to buy “world rights” when they take on your book, meaning it’s up to them to sell the book in different countries. But if you retain your foreign rights, then your agent will take a more active role in assessing whether or not your book has a place on the foreign market. Some agents may be able to handle foreign sales on their own, but most–I think–put their heads together with other agents who specialize in overseas bookselling. Consulting with these specialty agents ahead of time can help your agent put together a marketing plan and decide which scenario could be more profitable for you both: keep or sign away your foreign rights.

Random thought: If Unbounded is published, and is published overseas, I wonder if Anthea Bell will translate? Because that would be truly cool.

The Language of Contracts. I’ve already described my neurotic lack of planning for good news. So it’s a non-shocker to learn I didn’t have a strong grasp of the contract lingo I’d have to assess–which, by the way, doesn’t resemble the nonfiction contracts I’ve signed. Thankfully Writer Beware can always be counted on to offer smart advice. Check out the bottom of this page for links relating to Author-Agent Agreements. Agent Kristin Nelson at Pub Rants had a helpful series of posts a while back, and thanks to the magic of archives, they’re still around: PART 1; PART 2; PART 3; PART 4; PART 5; PART 6; PART 7; PART 8; PART 9; PART TEN.

Part 11, by the way, involves driving down to the corner store for a bag of lemons to go along with all the g&ts you’ll have to drink to understand all this stuff.

Well, that’s it for now. I have a lemon run to make. Write on, all!

Photo courtesy Flickr’s fabu La_Caitlin