This is a guest post by Andrea Dunlop, author of Losing the Light and a social media consultant for authors. 

Publishing, much like politics, is a team sport. You might be at the top of the ticket, but who you choose as your running mate (your agent) and your eventual cabinet (editor, publisher, publicist, social media manager) will have a huge impact on the long-term success of your career.

A note: If you’re traditionally published, your agent is your right-hand man or woman, they’re hopefully in it with you for the long haul and will be there to advise you on who you choose going forward. If you’re self-publishing, you’re likely making even more choices about your individual team members, but the concepts below remain the same.

Here’s five questions to consider when selecting your dream team.

Do you trust them?

Do you feel like your running mate is always straight with you, or are you constantly afraid they’ll go rogue? Be it agent, editor, publicist—these relationships cannot function once trust breaks down. No one can predict or guarantee a book’s success, but you should always feel like those on your team are treating you with respect and have your best interests at heart. If you’re getting a shady vibe, time to look elsewhere, no matter how sharp their power ties are.

How well do you communicate?

As with any partnership, communication is key. This doesn’t mean that your running mate should be at your beck and call, but they should answer your emails in a timely fashion and tell you what to need to hear, even (especially) when it’s hard news.

What’s their record?

Does this person have folks who can vouch for them, or are you in danger of those leaked audio tapes popping up to sideline the whole campaign? You don’t need to collect dozens of references, but it never hurts to talk to a few other authors who’ve worked with your team members. This will help you suss out any scam artists, and it will also give you a sense of whether that person is a good fit for you in particular. Doing a little digging could help you avoid an October surprise!

How well do they know your constituents?

Every audience is different, how well does your running mate understand yours? If you’re a YA author, you don’t want an agent who only has contacts with non-fiction editors or a publicist who’s only worked on campaigns for fashion labels. Of course, many professionals work cross-genre, but make sure they understand you and the audience you’re trying to reach and have a solid strategy for how to do so.

How good a running mate are you?

Your running mate is likely asking all of the questions above about you as well; publishing folks build their reputations on the authors they choose to work with. The more you polish up your own publishing plan, the more appealing you will be as a potential running mate. Ask not what your publishing team can do for you, but what you can do for your publishing team. Well, actually, ask both! And, most importantly, don’t forget to vote!

Learn more about Andrea’s services here.