Right, Not Rushed

The #1 way to pitch an agent

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

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Dear Not So Secret Agent readers,

I hate to disappoint but this is not a gift list, end-of-year roundup, or 2025 goal-setting newsletter. If you really want to know what I recommend this holiday season, here goes:

Deep breaths, fresh air, a slightly uncomfortably long hug with your favorite person or furry friend, and a tall glass of whatever floats your boat, all while wearing comfy pants of course.

But as I gear up for the end of the year, I do want to take a minute to reflect back on this post I wrote titled What No One Tells you about Summers in Publishing. In it, I answer a common question:

-- When is the best time to pitch your project?

The short version of my answer is that there is no perfect time to pitch an agent or have that agent go out on submission for your project.

I sign new clients and sell book proposals year-round.

That said, over the past few weeks, I have been pitched more than a handful of half-baked ideas from writers who are not my clients. They seem to be attempting to check off some sort of self-imposed end-of-2024 to-do list.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

***Not So Secret Agent Side Note: Half-baked ideas from my own clients are welcome! I love helping brainstorm. We often share a google doc or running email or text thread with ideas for their next book.

Now listen, I pride myself on being a very accessible agent—even to those I do not represent. Heck, that’s the basis of this entire newsletter. You know where to find me and have access to me in the comments or by replying to my Not So Secret Agent newsletter in your inbox. I welcome your questions, curiosities, and even unpolished proposals. If I want to work with you, we will find the right idea!

However, don’t forget that one of my core values/tenets/philosophies is to always strive to get things right, not rushed.

This applies to everything, and particularly to the querying process. Did you know that less than 3% of fully baked and formal queries actually land a literary agent?

Shooting from the hip is not the way to make that magic happen.

I must underscore that I actually read and review all your emails and submissions. So if you email me Hey, I think I finally landed on the idea I want to write about, I am going to perk up! I am going to spend time reading it and then thoughtfully replying with feedback. If, after we exchange a few emails, you mention that you weren’t that excited by the idea in the first place, well that is confusing!

But it got me thinking. And before I weigh in with my reflections, I must give a shout out to the people who inspired this post. I promise that I am not as frustrated as I might sound.

***Not So Secret Agent Side Note: And to the one person who thinks this post is entirely inspired by you, I promise, this happened quite a few times which tells me there is something important to dig into here. And share!

I am grateful for this opportunity to bring this discussion to you, my readers.

Let me help you discover a more effective/productive way to communicate new ideas to the people who can help you turn them into a reality.

Here is where it gets sticky though. If I (or other agents in my position) start to get that same type of email from the same person over and over, that’s a different story…

If I haven’t totally scared you off from pitching me a less-than-complete idea (I hope I haven’t!), I want to offer four pieces of advice for what to do before you soft pitch me or any literary agent.

1. Do your research. Look at the comps of the topic you are pitching. Every single idea that was pitched to me in the past few weeks has already been done. That’s not to say that every new proposal must be a completely novel idea, but you should have a sense of what already exists and at least mention that in your outreach. Doing so gives credibility to your expertise on that topic.

2. Ask yourself if you truly like the idea. Do this over and over again! Should you get a positive response, can you see yourself spending all your free time and resources on putting a full proposal together? Proposals are a TON OF WORK.

3. Sleep on it.

4. Always remember: Right, not rushed!

Kudos to the writers who have no clue where to turn first and happen to have a direct line to a cookbook agent and fire off a “Hey, what do you think about this idea?!” email. Mad props.

***Not So Secret Agent Side Note: If you want to go by the book, here are our agency’s submission guidelines. Please note that I will never reject an idea or client if the proposal is not perfect. No proposal has ever been pitched to me, signed, and then gone out the door the next day. If I am interested in working with you, I know we will get the idea and proposal where it needs to be. (Sometimes we’ll bring in a writer, but that’s a post for another time!)

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If signing with an agent was on your 2024 goals list and you’re trying to make that happen by throwing messy ideas at a wall (aka my or another agent’s inbox), I recommend that instead you relax, set a new deadline for 2025, and enjoy the holiday season.

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All that said, I thought I was done signing people this year. But I surprised myself and just offered representation to two new clients, one food and one non-culinary!

I was in contact with the culinary client this past spring (we met IRL at a conference and she followed up from there) and we had the right momentum of communication and concept ideation, along with national recognition of their work. Thus, I know their book’s time is coming and I want to help shape and guide this exciting project!

You may be surprised to hear I dabble in other non-fiction genres, but my new non-food client is someone a current culinary client tagged me on IG to check out. They have a very large platform and wonderful public message. I have the best gut feeling about this person, and I am thrilled to help teach them about how publishing works while we settle into the proposal process!

For more background on how new clients come my way, you can read all about it here.

The precious time between the holidays and the new year is one of the only periods in publishing where the whole industry seems to quiet a bit. My inbox is not slammed and clients are mostly in chill mode.

I truly appreciate having this time to recharge.

In that spirit, I won’t be reviewing new proposals until January 13^th. So take a deep breath, step outside, grab that hug, pour that drink, and for the love of all things good—go put on those comfy pants!

Happy holidays!

~Sally~

p.s. The end of the year undoubtedly does bring up feelings of reflection and I got to thinking how this NSSA newsletter launched a mere nine months ago. I am truly astounded by the connections forged already. Thank you for your readership, subscription support, and feedback. I adore spending time with you in this corner of the internet.

Thank you for being here and being exactly who you are.

Here are a few of the things readers are saying.

"I know Sally and highly recommend her for her thoughtful and insightful approach with aspiring cookbook authors. What she shares in her Substack is essential for anyone wanting to publish a cookbook, or anyone who already has and is moving onto another book."--

Flavor of Italy

"So excited to read your newsletter Sally! xo" -- Frances Baca

"Sally has been a great resource to me as an aspiring agent, and I am thrilled to support her work and keep learning from her!"--

Allison East

"Sally is a seeming rarity in the food publishing world: transparent and honest about how the industry works. (Disclaimer: She is my agent. "--

Martin Sorge

"I’m so happy to join your newsletter! You’re a dynamo! Having you as my agent is truly a blessing. If anyone knows this business inside and out, it’s you! I look forward to learning more and more from your expertise with each newsletter! Xoxo "-- Sandra Gutierrez

"It has value. After too many years in this biz, when I find someone who can add to my education, I value them. "--

Tina Radcliffe

"When someone in the industry has secrets to share, I lean in closer!"--LexiWW

Here’s a sneak peek at just a few of the things coming in 2025 for subscribers:

• What’s the deal with Amazon reviews?

• Expert interview with a cookbook editor

• Proposals & Design

• NSSA insider workshops

• NSSA networking (virtual and IRL!)