You've Got Mail: A Look Inside My Literary Agent Inbox

and a confession about how terrible I am at taking time off

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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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First of all, I want to acknowledge the devastation happening in California. To my clients, colleagues, and friends reading this that I haven’t been able to connect with yet, I hope you are safe. I know you are not “okay.” None of this is okay.

There are so many incredible organizations and fundraisers already happening, thank goodness. Many have rallied behind World Central Kitchen. Also, check out Ariel Kanter’s epic raffle of items here. With Zoom classes, newsletter subscriptions, signed cookbooks by Hetty McKinnon, Hannah Selinger, Alex Guarnaschelli, and more, the total lot is valued at $900+. I donated a one-hour consult in the hopes of helping to raise more than I am able to personally donate (though that is happening too!). The raffle is open until tomorrow, January 15^th at 8pm Central.

Here is a massive list from the Mutual Aid LA Network of ways to help that is continuously being updated.

Here is a list of Go Fund Me pages supporting the displaced Black community of Altadena, CA.

Here is a link to the Inclusive Action for the City, a non-profit serving Los Angeles County and beyond, with a specific focus on serving underinvested communities.

I also still have the community of Ashville, NC in my heart. Updates on ways to support Hurricane Helene relief and recovery efforts are being updated daily here.

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Queue incredibly awkward transition from the world being on fire and underwater to the corner of the internet where we get to talk about cookbook publishing.

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Welcome to the dozens of new readers who have joined the Not So Secret Agent readership in the past few weeks. This entire newsletter is less than a year young, so I highly encourage you to read previous posts like the Comprehensive Book Proposal Guidelines, Where to Begin in Publishing, and When the Best Time Is to Pitch Your Project.

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Photo by Ray Shrewsberry on Unsplash

I took extended time away from my desk and was officially OOO until yesterday, Monday the 13^th. I am terrible at taking time off as evidenced by the texts, calls, emails, and even the proposal I sent out on submission while I was “away from my desk.”

Jeez, I love what I do. Lay off me!

My time off also meant I could finally catch up on all my open browser windows (multi-tab peeps where you at?!). I got to do a deep dive into this epic food and hospitality trend report.

And I re-read fellow literary agent, Kate McKean’s Agents + Books newsletter. She just recapped all her insights on How to get an Agent and How to Write a Query Letter, which I love perusing because she gives specific advice and is no bullsh*t.

Being away from the day to day of my inbox meant I could also host my first ever NSSA reader chat and answer your questions with a high level of specificity. We had over 250 comments from voices that span the globe. Literally. New Zealand, Australia, Italy, and every corner of the US you can think of. How cool!

If you have the patience to read through each comment (and I encourage you to do so!) you will basically get a free consultation about cookbook publishing (with some Substack tips sprinkled in).

Speaking of being away from my desk, as I scrolled the inbox awaiting my return, I realized that it is a digital snapshot of what I do as a cookbook agent.

I had 26 emails in my inbox when I started my time OOO on December 25^th. For me, that is completely unheard of – basically my equivalent of inbox zero. When I came back to my desk, I had 72, which to me still feels manageable. To achieve this number, I was reading, deleting, flagging, “cleaning up conversations”, and even replying to select conversations to keep them moving forward. There are often time-sensitive questions and/or author crises that warrant my communication.

Did I mention I love what I do? Seriously though, I am the type of person who would rather come back to an organized inbox than spend the first few hours of my first day back sorting.

I am a let’s get right to this kind of gal. Who can relate?

There are a few very important things to keep in mind before we dive in:

First, I specialize in one very specific genre – I have tasks pertaining to the production of full color books, such as interfacing with design teams and coordinating with my clients’ managers.

Full color cookbooks = expensive to make = author needs a big platform to help sell their book to their built-in audience = literary agent helps liaise between everyone on the author’s team.

Second, I have been agenting for almost 16 years. I have legacy clients that pop up unexpectedly, and I am still responsible for representing them the moment they surface. Think royalty statement questions, chasing new mailing addresses, and new book ideas. This keeps it fun!

The third important distinction is that I have a separate email account for the queries I get. Thus, everything you are about to read has nothing to do with people seeking new representation. For info on how to pitch me see here.

***Not So Secret Agent Side Note: Guess who reads every single one of those submissions and has two thumbs, four cast irons, and a deep love for Mama Teav’s hot garlic. This gal!***

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Here is a snapshot of what was waiting for me in my inbox on Monday:

1. Many emails from my authors. Here’s a sampling:

• An active client requesting my help with securing blurbs. Actually, there were three of these.

• Roundups of links to upcoming author events. Seeing as cookbook authors are required to have big platforms in order to get published, they are BUSY out in the world doing all the incredible things they said they would do back in the marketing section of their book proposal. I try to keep track of it all by adding these events to my calendar but tbh, it’s a lot. On my best days I text my author wishing them good luck (if I can’t be there in person). On my non-best days, I read the recap they sent to their M&P person and live vicariously through their IG stories.

• Right now, there’s also an email from an active client asking to set up an initial chat about marketing and publicity plans for their upcoming debut cookbook! This is for a book publishing in June, so six months out from pub.

• The email I was copied on when my author sent her manuscript to their publisher is vital. I keep tabs on when it was sent in and when to chase their editor for the editing schedule and formal acceptance payment. On average I would say from the time an author hits “send” to the time their D&A payment lands, it is about 4-8 weeks. That is if the book is on schedule and everyone does what they say they will.

***Not So Secret Agent Side Note: Most contracts have a “D&A” payment, which means “delivery and acceptance” so no, payment is not sent out when the author delivers their manuscript. Rather it’s when the editing (often including copyediting) is done and the manuscript if formally accepted. “Acceptance” isn’t a subjective thing, it is a formal status of a manuscript.***

2. Two draft contracts for deals I closed in 2024. Full disclosure, these are emails I replied to while I was offline to keep them moving forward. Included in each thread is my deal memo and the many rounds of negotiations on various deal points with the acquiring editor (the editor who bought the book).

3. An editor email from a publisher who saw an upcoming agency release that deviates from my cookbook-focused genre (see here – it’s a stunning book all about growing Sweet Peas! Not the food, but the deeply whimsical and nostalgic flower!). The editor wants to make sure I keep them in mind for other projects I sign in the gardening and floral space.

***Not So Secret Agent Side Note: Whenever I get an email like this, and it happens often the more established you are as an agent, I not only reply but also ask to set up a meeting. I LOVE expanding my network of editors to pitch and I LOVE keeping in mind wish lists for genres I don’t often rep in. That way, when I do scout or sign outside culinary, I have a hot leads list ready to go!***

4. An email from a debut author with whom I consulted way back when they were discovering which types of publishing resources are available to cookbook authors. For those not seeking representation, I do personalized 1-1 consulting on a variety of topics across the publishing industry.

5. An email from someone I rejected at the end of the year. They are asking for an intro to one of the people I suggested they contact. Whenever I pass on the opportunity to represent someone, if possible, I try to give resources for where to turn next. In this particular case, there is a publisher that accepts unsolicited manuscripts (i.e. projects that are without agent representation) that I think would be a perfect fit.

6. I also got another email from someone had I rejected that basically wrote to tell me I had been right to pass. The person who pitched me was the collaborator (who is wildly talented!) but unfortunately they had hitched a ride to a project that IMO didn’t have legs. Now they are trying to extract the rest of their proposal payment before the whole project is scrapped. I hate being right about this one because the writer is stuck in a tough spot. I sent off some advice on how to get paid in full, perhaps over time.

7. An email from a colleague who is doing their annual review of the discounts I offer for my How to Write a Cookbook Course. Yes, I developed a self-paced class a few years ago that dives deep into how cookbook publishing works. There are certain member organizations that get discounts on this class.

***Not So Secret Agent Side Note: If you’re reading this and are like Hey I didn’t know Sally offers a course for me to learn all about cookbook publishing!, the most affordable way to gain full access to it is to upgrade your subscription to the Not So Secret Agent newsletter to founding member status. Oh, AND I will also mail you a free cookbook!***

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8. An appearance request for one of the clients I manage beyond just their literary properties. This is in active negotiations.

9. A note from Stefanie Molina, a talented literary agent who also reps cookbooks. Go check her out! She also represents YA, children’s, and other genres for you writers who are multitalented. Stefanie and I met a few years ago when we were matched in the Literary Agents of Change mentorship program. We stayed in touch, and I had reached out before my break to put an emerging food photographer on her radar for a project she recently sold. Also, if you aren’t familiar with the LAOC Equity Directory, a place to research and learn about BIPOC agents, you should totally check it out.

10. An email with new cover options for a book coming out in September! The cover is being finalized now, galleys should be ready in April (six months out), and long lead outreach for media is just starting to happen but will ramp up come early spring.

11. Two speaker contracts for events at which I am speaking in the coming months:

• Women in Publishing Summit Virtual, March 5-8^th, 2025. My workshop, Where to Begin: How to Start a Non-Fiction Book Proposal, is on the 5^th at 1pm ET! Please note that the link I just shared is an affiliate link. This means I earn a small commission for bringing people to the summit – I wouldn’t teach at an event I am not super stoked to promote. Also, I am highly competitive and there is a dashboard where I can view how many people I drive to register, so… (this is why I don’t do affiliate links often. I would drive myself insane tracking data!)

• M.F.K. Fisher Symposium for Women in Food & Storytelling in Nashville, Tennessee, April 4-5, 2025 (registration and scholarship applications open on January 15^th). I am on a panel, hosting a hands-on workshop, and participating in agent speed dating alongside another fabulous cookbook agent you should check out, Lauren Macleod. This weekend is designed to be specific and practical professional development for food writers.

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Okay, truth be told there are still tons of other emails waiting for me, but you get the idea based on the vast array of randomness above.

The whole point of this snapshot is to help expand your understanding of what a literary agent does.

Things to note:

Almost none of these emails have to do with book deals or proposals ready to go out on submission. This reinforces that 90% of what I do is NOT the actual book deal/sale of a client’s proposal to the publisher.

When I am knee deep in client edits on a proposal or out on submission, my inbox looks different (a post for another time).

Tons of the emails that were flying back and forth while was OOO were teams trying to schedule group meetings to discuss publicity and marketing plans. I absolutely hate inefficient reply-alls, so I didn’t want to delay getting these on the books for this week by not answering. This is a me issue. Mad props to those of you with stronger OOO boundaries!

Again, I am a specialist in cookbooks. Can you imagine the inboxes for agents who also rep children’s or YA? I have a hard enough time keeping track of the culinary conferences, awards, and events. Thank goodness I get to stick to one shelf for the most part!

In total, I ended up with 783 emails flying in and out of my inbox from December 25^th until Monday January 13^th. That’s crazy since I consider December 26^th-January 2^nd to be the slower time of the entire year in publishing.

Photo by Wouter De Praetere on Unsplash

Enough about my inbox!

What I find most helpful about the time away from my desk is that I get to experience the benefits of what Maybelline lovingly refers to as “Changing it Up!”, which is any break from routine or the expected. Like when I replaced a rug in our dining room recently and she walked in and said “Why did you change up my house?”

I love the work I do and am deeply grateful that I can also step away for a bit to reset and see what sort of change ups are coming in 2025!

~Sally~

This month I will be donating money from any subscription upgrades to LA relief organizations.

P.S. Did you catch my interview on

Lynn Hill

’s new Food Stack Library series? It is called Other People’s Bookshelves and I am honored that she kicked off the year with yours truly!