FAQs
ABOUT THIS SUBSTACK:
Q: But why are you doing this?
A: I am increasingly losing hope in social media as a meaningful tool to connect and build community while watching fantastic things happen on this platform. From the public, I’m repeatedly asked the same questions about the publishing industry, and wanted to provide a homebase for those answers. For my clients, I wanted to establish a library of resources for them to find when they need that extra reminder that they are doing amazing things. I see books as the most important tool in leading and pushing discussion in society at large, and as a participant in the industry, find my responsibility is to create as many positive ripples in the world with the opportunities presented.
ABOUT PUBLISHING IN GENERAL:
Q: What makes a good query?
A: I’ll likely have a longer post on this to come that I’ll link here, but quickly, does it tell me (1) what your book is, (2) why it is needed now, and (3) why you are the best person to tell that story. Convince me with those three things and I’ll keep reading.
Q: “Do I need a platform for my book to sell?”
A: This really depends on your genre. For advice/science/reporting, I know I can help clients position themselves to find a good publishing partner even as they are the early stages of their platform building. For food, design, and other more-expensive-to-produce books, you will need a platform that can show a community already bought in to your brand. No matter your topic, you need to be out there regularly talking about it in the press, on social, and at events.
Q: “How long will it take for my book to sell and come out?”
A: Publishing is slow and nuanced and never going to work on anyone’s timetable. As I’ll share in upcoming posts, every book’s journey is different but everything happens on its own time when it is suppose to happen. If you need something out by a certain deadline, make that clear to the agent you are querying and discuss those expectations up front to make sure everyone is comfortable.
Q: “A publisher reached out to me to do a book with them, what do I do next?”
A: Find an agent. I was an unagented author before I was an agent. You don’t know what you don’t know and you should not sign anything without a professional reading over it. And not your friend or cousin who is a lawyer of some kind, a professional who knows the standard rights, monies, and protections that authors deserve. If you do the work to find the right agent for you, their commission will never be missed.
Q: “Why do I need an agent?”
A: You are an expert at what you do, part of being an expert is knowing what you cannot do and finding someone you trust to handle that for you. Like an accountant, lawyer, photographer, they have perfected their craft and will help you shine through their work. Your book should be no different.
ABOUT WORKING WITH ME:
Q: How can I submit my work to you?
A: I am open to submissions by Query Manager (linked here through my agency) or by referral from someone I already work with. I am always open to submissions and happy to share with my colleagues if in conflict with one of my other titles or not my specific area of expertise.
Q: Do you rep non-US based authors?
A. Yes, though I only sell English language books. As an agency, we pair with a team that specializes in translating English language works, a benefit for our authors guaranteed as a client.
Q: Will you take a look at my work?
A: I am always open for submissions and can only guarantee a review of the work if sent through those channels listed above. This is likely the case with all agents, so check their websites for submission guidelines before DMing them.
Q: What are you looking for right now?
A: This is a moving target but I do update my MSWL quarterly with more general ideas of topics I’m looking for, share ideas on my instagram stories, and will list ideas in every monthly newsletter from here.
Q: Where do most of your clients come from?
A: 1/3 from queries, 1/3 from referrals from clients/editors/agents, and 1/3 from my own scouting.
Q: Why don’t you represent fiction?
A: I exclusively rep nonfiction because I am an avid reader of literary fiction. As a mom to three young children, I cannot escape too often from my home to recharge or find some peace. Reading is my one activity I can do at anytime to come back to myself. If I worked on fiction, my leisure reading would feel like work and I’d read as an agent and not as a normal human reader. I cannot sacrifice that time. Plus, because fiction manuscripts are completed before they are sold so the agent acts as an editor and really leans in to shaping that work with their clients. I am humble enough to know that, that is not one of my skills. While I’d like to get better, there are other agents that are far better suited for representing fiction than me. In fact may of these fantastic fiction agents work at the agency, I’m grateful to call them my colleagues. If I have a client that wants to also write fiction, we will work with a second agent at my agency to represent that work.
Q: Do I need a completed manuscript to query you?
A: For nonfiction, you never need a completed manuscript to sell your book. You can have one, but know that we will sell it based on a proposal. I go into depth about proposals here for you to learn more about that process. If you have a large platform and feel that a book is a good next step in growing your brand and community, we can chat about what that book might look like and if I’m the right person to help you with that.