Literary agent and book development consultant Claire Gerus doesn’t just go through the motions with her clients. She says she strives to have an honest interaction with each author. This means staying as involved in the process as the writer is. At the beginning of a client relationship, Gerus makes sure the author is using the best approach for his or her book material. How will the book meet the needs of its readers? If Gerus thinks the book needs to take a new direction, she will suggest a plan of action, using her more than twenty years of editing experience. For Gerus, it's important that an agent and author have a collaborative relationship.