What no one tells you about summers in publishing

A calendar of the berry best time to pitch projects

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Summer is in full swing over here. Two weekends ago, I went with Maybelline (my almost-5-year-old) to an epic strawberry patch. It was an overcast day and the newly opened rows of plump berries were so clean as they glistened from the early morning rain. It was silly how beautiful they were. All we had to do was squat down and lift up the scratchy leaves to find dozens of perfect strawberries. After a few taste tests, Maybs quickly lost interest and ran through the rows snapping pictures on her kiddo camera. I filled a whole wax-lined flat – 10 pounds of fresh summer!

Now she is at camp and coming home with friendship bracelets, endless artwork, and empty pool-soaked lunchboxes. I love watching her step into summer with full force.

Seasonal transitions often put me in a state of reflection. Lately I’ve been thinking about the two most common questions I get from potential new clients:

1.      What can I expect for a book advance?

2.      When is the best time to pitch this project? Or, how soon can we go out on submission?

It makes sense for authors to want to know HOW MUCH they might make and WHEN they might earn some of that money before they dive into the long and hard work of finishing a book proposal (or starting!).

Spoiler alert: IT DEPENDS!

The variables of money + timing are some of the most nuanced elements of what your agent does on your behalf.

There is no “average” book advance. I have sold books to University Presses for less than 5k and I have held book auctions with 7 bidders (like the one I just closed!). Everyone wants to hear that I envision a six-figure book deal for them. The reality is I used to never share financial expectations in scouting calls.

***Not So Secret Side Note: scouting calls are either when I am scouting an author or when an author is interviewing me along with other agents***

Did I miss out on landing Author X because I didn’t tell them with 100% certainty that I would auction their book off for multiple six figure advances? Maybe. I used to think that authors wouldn’t be able to unhear an advance range or number. And that is still probably true. I also don’t like to make promises I can’t keep.

The younger me was scared of even suggesting an advance range for fear of not hitting it. Anyone else like to be awarded the “under promise, over deliver” badge?! No? just me. Cool, cool, cool.

The current me looks back on each deal I have closed and realizes that my gut knows almost exactly what a book will sell for.

***Not So Secret Side Note: market analysis + experience = gut***

Now I talk with authors about what kind of deals we can expect, but I still give a wide range. There are certain variables first-timer authors just don’t know in those early conversations. Things like recipe count, topic, comps, and the timing of the pitch.

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That said, I know when I am talking to six figure potential.

Often but not always, six-figure book deal authors have some general, recurring characteristics. These are (keep in mind this is for non-fiction specifically):

• They run six-figure businesses already, either online or through other forms of revenue in their diversified professional portfolio/skillset. This means they can be judicial about who their publishing partner is and hold out for the right one.

• They have done some research about publishing. This might look like talking to a friend who wrote a book that was met with “success” (sales + market recognition). Or they have looked into what an agent does or have taken a proposal writing class so as to familiarize themselves with the non-fiction publishing process.

• They are willing to work hard on a book proposal done “right, not rushed”. Though I will say there are plenty of six-figure deals that are signed without comprehensive proposals. This topic is another post entirely.

• They have a distinct POD (point of differentiation) + strong writing voice/talent + huge platform.

Now I am sure my non-six-figure clients are sighing some deep breaths of serious frustration. They are looking through the list above and saying, “I check most of those boxes!” To this I say, “I know. I know. I want you to land a six-figure deal too.”

 {Insert perfect resource link here that shows all clients and aspiring authors reading this newsletter the path to a huge deal. Oh wait, there isn’t one.}

Unfortunately, there isn’t a scientific formula to determine what a book will sell for.

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So if I am not going to tell you exactly what you can expect for your book advance, surely I will tell you when the best time to pitch your proposal is, right?!   

Spoiler alert: IT ALSO DEPENDS!

Let’s talk about summer, which is a tricky time in the publishing world. I have heard from a lot of agents that they do not even pitch projects over the summer.

I sell books year-round.

That said, I do get extra strategic with my submission timing leading into the summer.

Heading into this May, with the season of “out of office” messages upon us, I had three proposals ready to go out on submission. I typically try to stagger various degrees of readiness, but just as one longtime author was gearing up to put their finishing touches on their proposal, a proposal that had been in the works for over a year from a first-time author was finalized. Of course this happened right as another, unexpected, almost-complete proposal was pitched to me for representation. I jumped at the chance to represent it. Since all three projects were vastly different, I threw caution to the wind and pitched them simultaneously!

With the sun shining, highs in the upper 90s, and schools letting out, I was as organized as possible. I asked editors if they were going to be in the office and which key decision makers would be out on vacation. And it paid off! With careful coordination, a little bit of patience (okay, a lot), and a few after-hours phone calls, I closed all three deals in a matter of weeks.

***Not So Secret Side Note: IT WAS FUN!!!!***

Timing the submission and enthusiasm for your proposal is crucial.

But the art of submission is in making the available timing work in your favor.

Here’s an annotated and completely subjective “proposal timing” calendar to reference as a cheat sheet:

January

The year has just begun and so has the flurry of “new year, new you” projects pitched around this time. Everyone is coming back from the holidays, which means we are either inundated or actually feeling caught up… which will last for all of 2 days.

February

An actual month where proposals may go out on submission as everyone braces for the two seemingly “new” and “hottest” spring publishing months. Aka, getting ready for March and April.

Oh yea, and February is a short month. Plus, anyone with kids is also navigating a school vacation week so there are likely to be a string of out of offices.

March & April

Somehow these early spring months for publishing have become the most inundated, with new releases flooding the market. Spring is the new fall. And agents and editors are slammed. Isn’t there an April school vacation too?

Queue another out of office.

May

Get out the grills, the sun is shining again. Memorial Day weekend has everyone bracing for the season of “out of offices” aka summer.

June

Welcome to summer! We might get proposals out in late May (before Memorial Day weekend) for a close in June. Or a quick June submission to close before the peak summer really sets in. Hopefully everyone doesn’t have the same idea.

Start drafting out of office.

July & August

Peace out. Vacations, no school, camps, you name it, these two months are some of the trickiest of times to pin down editors and decision makers. A proposal that goes out on submission in early summer could get drawn out for months as various people who need to read and meet to approve offers aren’t ever in the office at the same time.

***Not So Secret Side Note: On the flip side, planned strategically, you can get a fast and effective sale done by coordinating with editors and leveraging schedules. See above.***

September

After Labor Day weekend it is GO TIME. This means everyone is slammed again getting submissions out and also adjusting back to a new school year. Fun, fun.

October

Get your gavels ready because this is a great month to go out with a project or two to auction. Wait, everyone knows fall is slammed with big flashy books and celebrity tours. Small fish in big pond anyone?!

November & December

Holiday central. Everyone is either getting ready for a holiday or coming back from one. Queue holiday party overload, introvert self-care, and Q4 logistics.

Please note, the calendar above doesn’t take into account foreign or domestic publishing conferences, culinary specific conferences and events, award submission seasons or announcements, etc. It also doesn’t account for a lot of actual federal holidays. Oh, and the election…

***Not So Secret Side Note: If it isn’t abundantly clear, an agent’s job isn’t to find the right timing, it is to make the current timing right. ***

Drop me a comment below with your favorite month and the weirdest reason why. And if you would like access to the first Not So Secret Agent AMA this Thursday, July 11th, I hope you will consider becoming a paid subscriber (equity spots available).

~ Not So Secret Agent~

Sally