It seems so bizarre to me that you write a novel, spend loads of time pouring everything you know about anything into it and then after making the agent rounds and doing the research on who is a hack and who isn't, crafting the best damn query letter ever, blah blah blah you finally get someone from a reputable agency who says they like your book, they want to represent you, life is grand and then...

then they send you a contract.

And what the hell does anyone who isn't an agent know about author contracts?

So I've read the thing and it doesn't say anything objectionable although I do have a few questions and concerns (I'm not sure if these questions are insane or not) but of course I don't want to bother the prospective agent with annoying questions because what if she decides I'm too much trouble and thus drops me in a second (I haven't signed anything remember) and then I'm back at the beginning - looking for someone to love my book.

Crap.

The agent in question is supposed to contact me this week. It has been a couple of months since I spoke to her and she sent me the contract and said she wanted to represent me. In that time I had to send the manuscript again (I had changed it since she read it) along with other info about me that correlated to how I read the book. (We have exchanged several emails in this period as well.) And she was at a conference and doing other stuff and I get that I'm an unsigned writer who has one book done and who knows how it will do but still.....

one does wonder if this relationship is off ot the most auspicious of starts.

I am being foolish I'm sure but there are so many people who have been burned by agents, who didn't "gel" with their agents, who didn't agree with decisions made in their name. It's the oddest thing - the only reason you are even talking to each other is because of one book, that is all you have in common. So how do you know that you should make it all legal and contractually binding.

How do you know this agent is the one?

Again - maybe I've been watching too much Sex and the City and thus I'm overthinking every relationship in my life right now. But this is such a big deal for me, I wish I didn't feel like I knew nothing about it.