Not So Secret Agent is an email newsletter all about the inside scoop on cookbook publishing from senior literary agent, Sally Ekus (that’s me!). Make sure we never miss the chance to connect. Subscribe!
Dear Not So Secret Agent readers,
Happy Giving Tuesday! We made it through the long weekend. If you are navigating grief alongside the holidays, I see you.
Above is a video expressing a few of my appreciations on this global day of giving. Feel free to give this a listen while you go about your day.
Last year as I counted down to my 40th, I asked you all to send me 40 charities to highlight for Giving Tuesday and you delivered! The list was long, and readers from near and far added non-profits close to their hearts. Along with all your wonderful suggestions, my dad quietly snuck the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation.
This year, as my first birthday without my dad landed smack dab on my first Thanksgiving without him, I retreated inward and prepared for various forms of self care/preservation. Snuggling up with my sister, being at the top of the list.
There is so much change in our lives year over year. This newsletter has become a moving time capsule that I get to unpack at my own pace alongside a readership that continually lifts me up.
Thank you.
For those of you who are newer here, WELCOME! I appreciate you dipping into this gratitude post in between the publishing information I share. Here are a few of my most popular posts to make sure you’re up to date:
Below are a few of the links I mention in the video above.
Indie bookstores for your small business holiday book shopping
And without further ado, here is the picture of me feeling allllll my feels at the grand opening of The Maybe Theater. Yes, HVC did name the theater in honor of life’s Maybe Moments which is also the inspo behind my daughter Maybelline’s name.
For those of you hoping to complete your book proposal in 2026:
Win a Free Spot in the Dream to Deal Book Proposal Workshop!
Two of my readers are giving away one free spot in their Dream to Deal Book Proposal Workshop, taught by bestselling food writer Hannah Howard and cookbook collaborator Kelsey Erin Shipman.
This live, 8-week workshop kicks off January 28, 2026, and guides nonfiction writers (memoirists, cookbook authors, prescriptive nonfiction dreamers) through creating a polished, agent-ready proposal. The winner also receives three months of free membership in Write Up, granting access to all workshops, Q&As, expert sessions, and community support.
Enter now before the deadline hits: Dream to Deal Giveaway
More info: hannahhoward.nyc/dream-to-deal
Good luck! Enter to win by January 2, 2026. Drawing is on January 5th at 1pm CT.
Once again, thank you dear readers for being a part of this NSSA readership. It is not lost on me that every year I get to ring in my birthday alongside extra doses of global gratitude and generosity.
~Sally~
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