Thank you for this post! I think my biggest takeaway here is how involved you are all the way through the publishing process. From scouting, to book proposal editing, to contract negotiations, to promotion, to cover photo - it sounds like you are super hands on. THIS is what that 15% is for!!
Honest question: Are all agents like this? Or, is this your workaholicism/lovemyjobism that you've mentioned recently? I guess I mean, can we expect this much presence from start to finish from any reasonably "good" agent? IE, should this be the standard/expectation?
It truly depends on the agent. When speaking with agents it’s important to ask what they commutation style is and how they work with clients. And I will always offer to intro potential new clients to current clients who can speak specifically to my working style. Even though securing an agent is super hard, it still should be a mutual decision. It’s really not about finding any literary agent. It’s about finding the right one.
As a writer who is just starting to familiarize themselves with the current publishing world and all its multifaceted changes that have occurred since my publishing course in grad school over a decade ago, this was so insightful, interesting, and helpful. Plus all your little bits of personality that come through made me feel like I got to know you, as well! Looking forward to diving more into your helpful material and suggestions. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for your feedback and comment! I am glad you are here and love sharing a bit about my work and life. If you are looking for another post on the inner workings of the industry, you may also find this one helpful...https://notsosecretagent.substack.com/p/where-to-begin?r=6lue7
I saw something in a recent Economist I thought would be fun to share with you: the article is "a novel award, judging a book by its title". From the December 14, 2024 magazine. Basically, it's a short article that talks about book titles and their effectiveness in attracting a reader. The one that stuck out in my mind was "the book of marmalade: its antecedents, its history and its role in the world today". it's an engaging title because when you read it, lots of questions pop up. As the Economist says "such as, what can the antecedent of marmalade possibly be? Jam? Oranges? And: how many different roles can marmalade really have? And above all: who on earth is buying this stuff?" At the very least a title or one that makes you ask some questions draws the reader in.
Anyhow, I thought this was a fun thought for the day to share regarding book titles!
That’s so fun! Yes a title should evoke just enough curiosity that it really draws the reader in. Yet it also needs to explain the promise of the book. And ideally solve a problem. Such a tall order for a few words!
This is such a fascinating insight into what goes on in the life of a literary agent's inbox. Thank you for the shoutout. It's an honour to have you kickstart our new Q&A series of other people's bookshelves.
Thank you, Sally! How “big” of a platform do you mean for a full color cookbook? Like cooking show/influencer fame? Or like 10k? I don’t even know what “big” means anymore. LOL.
That’s the million dollar question. It really depends but yes, the higher volume profile the better. Mainly because about 1-3% of an audience will convert to buying someone’s book. So it’s a numbers game. The more followers, the higher that % is in book sales. This is a very basic way of explaining the complexity of author platform today. It’s truly multifaceted when done well.
No matter how long I've been in this crazy business I always learn so much from your newsletters, Sally, because it's so ever-changing. And thank you for your mention of World Central Kitchen — such an amazing organization.
Definitely related to feeling less anxious peeking in and taking care of certain emails while 'away' than I would coming back to it all, and how little time/few emails are actually prospective client related versus what many aspiring authors think!
Thank you for this post! I think my biggest takeaway here is how involved you are all the way through the publishing process. From scouting, to book proposal editing, to contract negotiations, to promotion, to cover photo - it sounds like you are super hands on. THIS is what that 15% is for!!
Honest question: Are all agents like this? Or, is this your workaholicism/lovemyjobism that you've mentioned recently? I guess I mean, can we expect this much presence from start to finish from any reasonably "good" agent? IE, should this be the standard/expectation?
It truly depends on the agent. When speaking with agents it’s important to ask what they commutation style is and how they work with clients. And I will always offer to intro potential new clients to current clients who can speak specifically to my working style. Even though securing an agent is super hard, it still should be a mutual decision. It’s really not about finding any literary agent. It’s about finding the right one.
As a writer who is just starting to familiarize themselves with the current publishing world and all its multifaceted changes that have occurred since my publishing course in grad school over a decade ago, this was so insightful, interesting, and helpful. Plus all your little bits of personality that come through made me feel like I got to know you, as well! Looking forward to diving more into your helpful material and suggestions. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for your feedback and comment! I am glad you are here and love sharing a bit about my work and life. If you are looking for another post on the inner workings of the industry, you may also find this one helpful...https://notsosecretagent.substack.com/p/where-to-begin?r=6lue7
Honored to have played a part in the inbox reveal!
The timing was perfect! Can’t wait to share more about your cookbook!
Thank you for this, Sally!
So fascinating!!! Also, thank you for sharing the raffle and contributing your time! You are the most wonderful!
My pleasure, so are you!
I saw something in a recent Economist I thought would be fun to share with you: the article is "a novel award, judging a book by its title". From the December 14, 2024 magazine. Basically, it's a short article that talks about book titles and their effectiveness in attracting a reader. The one that stuck out in my mind was "the book of marmalade: its antecedents, its history and its role in the world today". it's an engaging title because when you read it, lots of questions pop up. As the Economist says "such as, what can the antecedent of marmalade possibly be? Jam? Oranges? And: how many different roles can marmalade really have? And above all: who on earth is buying this stuff?" At the very least a title or one that makes you ask some questions draws the reader in.
Anyhow, I thought this was a fun thought for the day to share regarding book titles!
That’s so fun! Yes a title should evoke just enough curiosity that it really draws the reader in. Yet it also needs to explain the promise of the book. And ideally solve a problem. Such a tall order for a few words!
This is such a fascinating insight into what goes on in the life of a literary agent's inbox. Thank you for the shoutout. It's an honour to have you kickstart our new Q&A series of other people's bookshelves.
Thank you Lynn!
Thank you, Sally! How “big” of a platform do you mean for a full color cookbook? Like cooking show/influencer fame? Or like 10k? I don’t even know what “big” means anymore. LOL.
That’s the million dollar question. It really depends but yes, the higher volume profile the better. Mainly because about 1-3% of an audience will convert to buying someone’s book. So it’s a numbers game. The more followers, the higher that % is in book sales. This is a very basic way of explaining the complexity of author platform today. It’s truly multifaceted when done well.
No matter how long I've been in this crazy business I always learn so much from your newsletters, Sally, because it's so ever-changing. And thank you for your mention of World Central Kitchen — such an amazing organization.
I really appreciate you saying that Nava. I try to offer insight that will appeal to authors across varying degrees of experience.
This is such a great peak behind the curtain!
Thanks, can you relate at all? Curious how other agent inboxes look.
Definitely related to feeling less anxious peeking in and taking care of certain emails while 'away' than I would coming back to it all, and how little time/few emails are actually prospective client related versus what many aspiring authors think!