Welcome to Not So Secret Agent

Unveil the Secrets of Cookbook Publishing with Sally Ekus, Your Not So Secret Agent!

Welcome to the Not So Secret Agent newsletter. I am so glad you are here.

For the past 15 years I have had the great honor of working as a literary agent representing cookbook authors. Though the truth is that I have been immersed in the business of cookbooks since I was born.

The Ekus Group was originally called Lisa Ekus Public Relations and was founded by my mom, Lisa Ekus, in 1982.

We have always had an (almost) exclusive culinary focus: I grew up collating press kits and stuffing envelopes with media mail review copies. My home videos consist of my sister and I sitting on the media training table in our studio kitchen pretending to host cooking shows. Once, at the age of 7, I even answered our landline only to pass the call to my mom by screaming into the other room, “Mom, GMA is on the phone!”

Me age 7

I remember “the good ‘ol days of publishing” because I lived them.

Today, I bring historical knowledge to modern publishing.

I am a literary agent that was trained by a publicist. I tap into a deep legacy of expertise. Networking and connecting people is in my blood. This is what I do every day as an agent. I connect authors with publishers. I connect ideas with authors. And I love to share my lived experiences and insights in hopes of elevating others who are trying to break “in” or stay “in.”

Me and Frankie Gaw, author of First Generation

Agents are one of the many gatekeepers in the publishing process.

#NotSoSecretAgent is a hashtag I have been using on IG for many years now, so I figured it was time to make it official. I am starting this newsletter to continue to offer transparency about my day to day. If you know me or have heard any interview I have ever done, you know that I get super jazzed about discussing what I do. I love my work deeply. I adore my clients. (If you’re a client who’s reading this, you rock! Any who aren’t are hopefully offline working on a deadline!)

There are a lot of technical resources on how to LEARN how to DO publishing. What’s missing is the art. The art is in the conversations I have every day with my authors and colleagues and in the consults I offer.

Publishing is both an art and a science. Shout out to Meathead, who talks a lot about the science and art of BBQ, which inspired me to see my own industry this way.

Not So Secret Agent is a newsletter with specific examples and insights into how cookbooks get published. With my help, you can learn the science, read examples of the art, and then decide what is the right path for YOU in this process.

Thanks for being here. This is going to be fun*.

Your Not So Secret Agent,

~Sally~

*special shout out to Beth Le Manach who planted the final seed that grew into me hitting publish!

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Success in the cookbook industry starts with doing your research.  

Here are my Not So Secret Agent go-to resources to subscribe to, devour, and bookmark:

·       The Ekus Group Proposal Guidelines A guide for writing a cookbook proposal to pitch agents.

·       Join the How to Be a Cookbook Author Facebook Group A community forum where I post publishing news and resources, and the community can get real time insights from one another on all things cookbooks. I try not to overly weigh in as an agent in that group, so this Not So Secret newsletter is where the behind the scenes of my day to day as an agent will happen. It will be subjective.

·       Everything Cookbooks podcast: devour this. Hosted by 4 cookbook authors, this podcast is the one I recommend the most because each episode is dedicated to a specific aspect of cookbook publishing. Plus, you get the perspective of 4 published authors rather than one and all their guests! Full disclosure, I was a guest.

·       Publishers Marketplace This is where you can search for book deals, agents, and editors. You can get a one-day subscription when you’re ready to do this research. More on this resource to come in this newsletter.

·       Operation Find an Agent by Kristin Donnelly Kristin (one of the Everything Cookbooks Podcast hosts) gives you an insider look at the publishing world and learn how (and when!) to approach an agent to maximize your success. Plus you get a full list of all of us cookbook agents. ***tip*** It isn’t just about finding AN agent, it is about finding the RIGHT agent for you. This list will help expedite your research.

Newsletters you absolutely must subscribe to if you are not already:

·       Stained Page News Cookbook news, insights, analysis, ephemera by Paula Forbes.

·       Dianne Jacob’s Substack Known for curated links about food writing trends and best practices from around the web.

·       Publishing Confidential Written by Kathleen Schmidt, a seasoned publishing veteran, this newsletter analyzes the publishing industry at large with an emphasis on marketing and publicity insight. 

·       Jane Friedman reports on the book publishing industry and helps authors understand the business.

If you have read this far, thanks for being a super fan. This is my very first newsletter so you can be sure I am keep tabs on who reads this, comments, re-stacks, and shares this. At the moment, I am not putting a pace on this because I’ve got deals to make, clients to care for, and mom life to focus on.

The best way to support this Not So Secret Agent is to share on social and throughout Substack.

Thank you!

~Not So Secret Agent Sally~

IG: @SallyEkus