I have a lit. manager!

I called a manager at a firm with excellent clients to tell him I was moving to Rome. He asked what I was going to do there. I said "keeping writing".

Manager - "Can I read your book?"

Me - "Why?" (what the hell was wrong with me?). I sent it off not giving it a second thought. After all, a male agent earlier in the week passed. That rep said he liked my writing but didn't respond strongly enough to the material. I get it. I pass on material all the time for my job but it's still hard not to take these thing personally. I have been so focused on querying book agents I didn't think to look at managers.

He read it over the holiday, loved it (I said "really?" again I ask, what the hell is wrong with me?) said he would call me on Tuesday. Tuesday morning he calls, schedules conference call for that afternoon. Super intense conversation lasts an hour. He asks questions they ask all prospective clients. I thought the questions were excellent and thought provoking. Some of the questions were about writing and the writing process, others were about life goals. He says he will talk to the other partners and call me in a few days.

Calls me today. They want to sign me. Already he has put a list together of book agents he wants to go out to.

I do realize that getting representation doesn't mean all of a sudden I will be a working writer. However, for someone like me who is making a big transition from film exec to writer, having someone go out on a limb like this is amazing. Their client list is small. This is good, they work closely with their clients. I don't get the point of having a manager who has a million clients and an agent with a million clients. The whole point of having a manager is they are suppose to help guide your career, thinking about the big picture and work along with the agent. Of course some people hate having both and resent it. It could because 20% of your income is out the window (10% percent for the agent and 10% for the manager. Along with 5% for your attorney and if you have a business manager 5% percent for them as well. Add taxes and there isn't much left).

I told my co-workers and they were excited.

Another exciting thing that happened today was, I put a deposit down for my move. The estimate did not drop by that much because the consolidator had a minimum size requirement. I did save some money on the packing/local end.

I was going to stop by the store to get some wine or cake to celebrate (as one of my good friends suggested. She also told me to stop questioning why my new manager likes my book, just go with it) but then I remembered I ate a bag of chips and had a Coke earlier today. I cannot stop eating this week. I do not like PMS. It's a pain.