Sara Birmingham joined Ecco in 2018 after stints at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Oxford University Press. She primarily acquires literary fiction, especially debut, as well as memoir, narrative nonfiction, and essays with a contemporary focus. Is it important for an agent to have preexisting contacts or relationships with editors before submitting a manuscript, especially when it comes to debut fiction? When writers are considering agents for representation, to what extent is this track record of previous sales with particular editors or publishers important, and what does this mean when considering new agents or agent assistants building their own lists? […]