Dear Barbara,
omeone in my writing group has received an offer from an agent for a book she’s been working on for years. After we celebrated her success, I asked her what she was planning to ask the agent before she signs. She—and the others in my group—thought it was odd I’d asked that; they made it seem like that would be a total turn-off for the agent. But knowing how hard she’s worked, it’s silly to me that she wouldn’t at least try and get to know this person a little more before putting her full