Digital strategy, do you have one?

An agent’s job is changing as rapidly as the publishing industry itself. We’re carving out new territory for our authors and ourselves. The support we give our authors is more complex in recent times and if you didn’t think you needed an agent before you certainly need one now to help you with your online presence, digital strategy for ebooks and otherwise, negotiate tumultuous and evolving contracts, and all the traditional publishing problem solving.

With the limitless abilities to upload content and provide your readers with entertainment I caution against thoughtlessly self publishing. Even while you are pursing a traditional publishing deal and think that will be your main market your self published works reflect on your author brand more than you know.

It is all too easy, and unintentional, to confuse readers and the marketplace with a website that is ineffective as a platform, and self published work that doesn’t support your growing brand. Things like consistent visual identifiers between your blog, social media, website and cover images are the easiest way to create a brand. This being colour, logos, cover images, tag lines and more.

Think of your website as a hub for the spokes of your brand.

Agents and authors have more in common than you might think…

I know you writers think that agents have a pretty great gig. And we do! We do it because we love finding emerging writers and developing their career while sharing their work with the world. However, there are parts of our job that not all writers are aware of and I share some here:

• We get rejected too! We manage the careers for multiple clients and if you think getting passes from editors for your book is tough think about us: we love all our clients’ books and get passes for the majority of them until we find a home.
• If you think writing a query letter is difficult, we write pitch letters for all our clients’ projects. We do our research, tailor them to each editor, carefully proofread and re-read to make sure we nailed the hook, and send them out with nerves just like you do as writers.
• Like non fiction writers sending proposals to agents, agents write proposals for our clients to send to editors. Now it varies how much we assist in this process, but often I’ve written 85% of client proposals to get them up to industry standards. If you think all that research is tough, we do the exact same thing: overview, author bio, your market, a marketing plan, comparative titles, and sample material.

Q: If I am published or have been offered a contract for publication do I need an agent now?

Q: If I am published or have been offered a contract for publication is it necessary to find an agent at this stage? Isn’t an agent’s job just to find you a publisher?

A: An agent does so much more than just match writers with publishers. Yes, you should still search for an agent because you want them to negotiate your contract in the works, future contracts, and be your business manager in all aspects of your literary career. An agent knows, from their experience in the industry, when to push for you and your offer and when to accept. So, just because you got your offer it doesn’t mean the work is over. There is so much to be done.

Agents’ specialties include guiding authors to publication, a career’s worth of knowledge in contract negotiation, editorial advice, rights sales, marketing and social media consulting among solving all the other issues that come up in the publication process. An agent is a liaison between you and your publisher so your agent will cross check your royalty statements, consult the designer on your cover, and all the other things that writers often don’t feel comfortable handling.

High Concept: What is it? Do you need it? And how do you know if you have it?

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, a high concept example.

High concept is something I repeated say I, and other people in the industry, am looking for. But what is it?

My succinct definition is highly unique concept with mass-market appeal. This also relates back to my post last week on agents and editors not knowing what they want until they see it. I, as an agent, do not do the creative portion of the job. The high concept book is one that revels in creativity and that ‘specialness’ that will bring the mass-market together in a way that we as readers didn’t know before. I don’t know I want it because you, the writer, haven’t written it yet. [If you have, send it over ; )]

What are the high concept key ingredients? 

• The premise is often bigger than the characters.
• You can easily explain it in an exciting two line pitch.
• The short pitch will raise eyebrows and immediately attract attention.
• High concept isn’t just a ‘big book’, it’s a big book that is based on premise.
• It can be controversial.
• It can have a big twist.
• It is something that seems so obvious and straightforward, but no one has thought of it before.
• High concept is usually commercial-literary, while ‘big books’ are commercial.
• The idea and themes are universal.

The trajectory of a high concept book looks like this: an agent sees it and must have it, knowing it is something special; the agent is easily able to write a great pitch letter to editors based on a short, succinct and very intriguing hook; once the book has an editor the editor is able to garner in-house attention through early excitement; sales staff are then able to impress booksellers with a book that will stand out and sell copies; the book is then stocked with front of store placement; and finally customers do the rest! The marketing and publicity opportunities for high concept are plentiful. And, simple and very intriguing hooks are what attract Hollywood attention.

How the publishing market is bias to author brands: ‘The personal brandification of the publishing business’

On Twitter yesterday Jane Friedman, Writer’s Digest publisher turned media professor, engaged in an interesting dialogue about how the publishing process is becoming bias to author brands (i.e. authors who can market, publicize and promote their own books).

The concept of the author brand has become more important in recent years, and one that is essential for writers entering the book biz to understand. Long gone are the one-size-fits-all marketing plans and grand publicity tours. Now, marketers need to fine-tune their research analytics to find readers that are not only interested in a certain book’s topic and theme, but also optimize online book discovery. (Self-publishing authors must take on this massive role themselves to be successful.) Agents are now using freelance publicists to cross-promote their clients and maximize book coverage. And writers are now expected to help in this entire process. The writer’s job is no longer done when the book is written.

Interpersonal Skills and Writing

Interpersonal skills and writing might seem like an oxymoron, but once the solitude of the writing process is over, the interaction begins. One of the publishing comic websites I frequent, Bitbookish.com, had a post that prompted some thoughts on networking and interpersonal skills in publishing.

How do you feel about interacting in the industry?