Is cookbook marketing & publicity thriving?

+ a thank you for my first month on Substack

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Not So Secret Agent is an email newsletter all about the inside scoop on cookbook publishing from senior literary agent, Sally Ekus. Make sure you never miss an email. Subscribe!

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Hi Not So Secret Agent readers,

Wow, what a newsletter launch!

I have been rattling the idea of starting a newsletter around in my head (and heart) for many months. Now that this is out in the world, I am equal parts relieved, energized, and nervous.

Relieved that I finally stopped letting “perfection get in the way of good enough” and just hit publish.

Energized that I am tapping into a creative side of myself that I haven’t felt in a long time.

Nervous about finding the sweet spot between what I want to write about and what I think I should write about.

So far, the response has been amazing. And I am flooded with gratitude. Many of you have taken time out of your day to outreach in some way and say how helpful this is already. THANK YOU!

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This week I am off to the U.S. Book Show in NYC. I could namedrop all the CEOs of the major publishers who will be speaking but you can google the agenda and see for yourself. More than anything, I am excited to be in a room of over 500 colleagues, learning, listening, commiserating, and celebrating together.

I will meet with editors and publishers I work with regularly but haven’t seen in years! Plus, I will be surrounded by other literary agents!

I adore talking with other agents. It pushes me toward personal and professional excellence. Simultaneously, it validates so many of my authors’ experiences when I hear that other agents’ clients go through the same stuffffffff.

Like the time I was chatting with another cookbook agent, and we were venting swapping notes about one very large and successful publishing company’s lack of marketing and publicity. We both had titles that were acquired for six figures and due to company changes, nobody was left to manage marketing and publicity for the projects. Of course, if these books didn’t sell well and we followed up with another title, we’d likely be met with a pass. “Sorry, the sales on book one weren’t as we had hoped.”

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***Side note: Sometimes I wonder if other agents scour the publishing jobs listed at the bottom of Publisher’s Marketplace like I do. This tells me which houses are trying to fill essential editorial, PR, and marketing roles, which helps me better understand what is happening in-house beyond what I am already privy to with books currently under contract. It paints a clearer picture of the type of publishing experience my authors may have there. Anyone else? No, just me? Cool, cool, cool.***

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But it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to M&P. Truly! So let me end on a high note. I have to say that with every book our agency came out with this past fall, I was floored by the exceptional marketing and publicity support:

I had numerous authors on good ‘ol fashioned book tours.

I had authors land huge national media hits.

I had books hit best-seller lists and get covered in all major publications (PRINT of all things! Like actual paper magazines and newspapers).

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***Sidenote: I even had a book land in the hands of Amelia Shepherd from Grey’s Anatomy. If you don’t know who this is that’s okay. Shonda, please cancel the show! Let me have my life back!***

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Across titles, publishers, and topics, the marketing and publicity support of many cookbooks books is thriving.

There I said it.

Always? No. Sometimes? Yes.

I know many of you reading this are rolling your eyes because it never feels like enough. Sure, sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes you don’t even have another person on the other end of your agent’s email answering when the kickoff call will happen. Maybe nobody’s updating your group spreadsheet to see who has been pitched.

It is not all roses and rosé. But when it is, it feels great.

For when things aren’t going as you’d hoped, or if you just want to get a jump on planning, here are a few ideas to get you started on M&P. This is not nearly an exhaustive list and it is purely to get your own creative ideas flowing:

·       12 months before your book comes out, re-read the marketing and promotion section of your book proposal, and start a spreadsheet for your own outreach.

·       Create a network map (a constellation of all the people you know across your personal and professional life) to engage in your book’s promotion. Think big about major word-of-mouth people who must have your book in their hands. Also think small so you don’t forget people like your dentist and their local to you mailing list.

·       Review your travel schedule for the past year and make a list of all the people, places, events, and industry events you have attended or spoken at. Use this list as a jumping off point for planning possible tour stops. Re-engage these people and places with updates about your book and ask if they will feature your book in a newsletter to their audience or a social post. Or both!

·       Go through your followers list on social media and note any/all people who should be sent a book or who you might ask for a collab of some kind. Keep the spirit of mutual generosity and support alive by ensuring that you are truly in their network and engaging in meaningful ways with their accounts.

·       Who do you follow, read, admire, honor? Make a wish list of dream contacts that you want to reach.  

·       Think categorically about various types of promotion: events, brands, people, places, conferences, pop-ups, alma maters, institutions, publications, etc.

Thanks for reading and subscribing. Will you help me spread the word and share too? Button below. Thank you!

Not So Secret Agent Shout Out:

Julia Dzafic who launched her debut cookbook, Garden Grown, this past week. I was honored to attend the launch at Terrain in Westport and celebrate this wonderful human! Chef Jes crushed the menu!

If you will be at the AALA Annual Meeting tonight (Tuesday May 21^st!) or the US Book Show on Wednesday May 22^nd, hit me up. I would love to say hi IRL.

Speaking of getting together, paid subscribers get early access to register for Not So Secret Agent events. The first of which will be a virtual summer meet up in July. I hope you will consider upgrading your subscription using the button below. I would love to see you there.

Thank you!

~Sally~