I asked for some blog ideas yesterday on Twitter, and actually two different sources suggested writing about what makes a good agent/author match, and likewise a good editor/author match. This is akin to people asking me what are the things you should look for in an agent. 

The annoying answer is: whatever works for you.

I've been giving a talk at a few SCBWI conferences about the dating analogy to finding an agent. How querying is like making sure you're dressed properly for your date, and to spellcheck your letter the way you make sure you don't have spinach in your teeth. And then how basic courtesy plays into the courtship.

There are tons of corollaries to a romantic relationship with the author/agent relationship. Except for the business angle. So the question is really, how do you like to work? What qualities do you need in a partner to make that work? 

I can only tell you what works for me. Here's my list:

• Sanity: I screen for crazy. If this needs an explanation, I can't help you. 
• Vision: Are we like-minded in taste? Next steps in your career? Do I love your ideas? Do you love my editorial reactions to your ideas? I hope so.
• Capacity to handle criticism and revision: Publishing is not an activity to be done in isolation. While you write alone, you don't publish alone. Our job is to tell you if something is wrong. Also, editors need things to be more perfect before they can buy it. That's where I come in. If you don't want to be revised, then we can't work together.
• Sense of humor: I have a dark sense of humor. My clients know this. If they aren't somewhat along those lines, we're not going to get along.
• Professionalism: I don't have time to polish you. This is different from having few publishing credentials. I love debut authors. Most of my clients are debut. But I like people who have professional lives, know how to conduct themselves, and can handle the business end of things. And doing something with your days that is different than writing makes you a well-rounded person, which only makes your writing better.
• Communication: Style is key here. I talk to my clients often and lengthily. But I need people to know when there's too much as well. I want people who are comfortable with me, but respectful. 
• Work ethic: This is not a job to be taken lightly. I need to know you can put your butt in the chair and produce high quality work. Generally without complaint wherever possible. Deadlines will have to be met, and laziness just will not do when I have to explain to an editor why you're late on a revision.

Your laundry list might be different. But these are my criteria, because when I sell a book to an editor, I want to be able to reassure that editor that my client is a pleasure to work with. That editor/author relationship is going to look a lot like the one I have with my client, though with slightly less regular communication, and I get to intervene for you if weird things happen. 

I have to know that the person I am signing up to advocate for on every level is worth that time, and that it will be a mutually beneficial relationship.

Did I miss anything?