11 Things I’ve learned about being an agent in 2014

So, I was looking through my old blog posts for ideas to repurpose or update on my blog for this month and found my 10 Things I’ve learned about being the ePub Agent in 2012. It’s interesting but those 10 things are still important now and I will likely include them when I train our junior staff but I’m learning new things every year and I fall in love with my profession more with each new tidbit I learn.

If I were to write a letter to my 2014 ePub Agent self here’s what I would add (with gifs of course because it's 2014 and gifs just make everything better):

  1. Your instincts are sharper with time and experience. You trust your gut now more than you did in 2012 especially when it comes to market trends and the commerciality of projects.
  2. Authors will continue to need support and uplifting pep talks but understand that insecurities may paralyze some of them. It’s more important to help them out of that fear than it is to get another book from them. The book will eventually come about but not without the author feeling safe in their creative space.
  3. The author’s SOs will thank you for mastering #2.
  4. Contract negotiations continue to be your favorite thing to do because it’s protecting your author’s livelihood as well as your own.
  5. Respect the business but remember that it IS a business and if you’re not working it, you’re not earning money.
  6. Marketing will consume much of your time regardless of author’s platform or distribution because your first marketing step is the pitch and it can’t be weak!
  7. You don’t have time to do everything and it’s ok to delegate work to underlings who you train to one day be as good or better than you. They are your legacy after all.
  8. Don’t walk into a room with a bat unless you’re prepared to deal with the swing. Don’t let your authors walk into a room with a bat either. There’s no bashing in publishing.
  9. Cry in private and smile in public. No one likes a whiner.
  10. Digital unit sales are important but a mass market print run should be the goal for all of your clients so keep track of those units sold and don’t just take the author’s word for it. Read the royalty statements and ask for those units to be included or ask the publisher to provide those.
  11. It’s not an “us vs them” mentality around here. You’re the advocate for the author but you’re not against publishers (small, indie, traditional, digital or otherwise).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fun Facts About Me

Image
I believe that one can never have too many writing utensils. I have dozens of pens, markers, and highlighters and am always buying more. I'm currently addicted to the Preppy Fountain Pens . I’ve used a Passion Planner for my daily bullet journal and scheduling for the past four years. I would create my own bullet journals before that. I have four kids, 2 boys, 2 girls, and my eldest son was my early birthday present when he was born. I love coffee and have finally started drinking at least one cup “puya” (no sugar, no creamer). I love Star Trek AND Star Wars, there’s never an OR to them. My dog has been with us for 20 years, he has been a part of my kids’ lives for MOST of their lives. Fall and Winter are my favorite seasons. I come ALIVE in the Fall! My great-aunt pretended to be her brother to enlist during WWII and every day I think of ways to honor her boldness. I am not athletic (nor do I want to be) so if you see me running, you better run too. Something or someone is chasin...
Read more

My Favorite Reads of 2021

Image
It's likely that 2021 was a better year for your TBR pile than 2020 and if like me, you started reading more via audiobook, it's likely that you met and/or exceeded your reading goal. While I set a pretty high goal this year (136 books), 100 of them were picture books which really helped me to understand the category better though I'm still not as well-versed as I'd like to be. But that's a post for another time. Of the 36 novel-length  books I read this year , a few were major standouts! Alyssa Cole's How To Catch a Queen   was actually a great way to start the year. Alyssa Cole is an auto-buy for me so I knew I was going to like the book but I went into it with a bit of trepidation since I didn't like Sanyu in previous books. I knew there was more to him and Shanti than met the eye but I also liked that this book is about how an arranged marriage doesn't have to be a loveless one. How two people can grow to love one another and learn what love can mean...
Read more

Autism and Loneliness

Image
While there are dozens of articles on how to help socialize your child with autism, there are only a handful speaking to parents looking to help socialize their autistic adults the same way. As a parent of an adult with autism, I grapple daily with letting go, letting him function without me, and as my husband says, “cut the umbilical” little by little. But while my son is able to coordinate his own transportation to and from work every day, do his own laundry and even check his bank account as he learns to manage his money, he’s not able to retain and maintain friendships that can blossom into love relationships. It’s not for lack of trying. My son is that friend that texts you out of nowhere to “check in.” He’s the friend that knows your interests so well, he’s got them memorized and will show up with the perfect birthday present when he’s invited. There’s the crux of the problem. He’s not always invited. Some of his friends’ parents are as involved in their kids’ lives as we are ...
Read more