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Today I’m introducing a new department on The Writer’s [Inner] Journey: Agent and Editor Interviews. I developed these interviews to get a frank, honest and transparent look into the creative process from the other side of the desk. Here, literary agents and editors of books, magazines and newspapers share frank discussion about decision making, gut instincts and creative partnerships. Oh, and what they’re looking for.
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JENNIFER LAWLER is a literary agent with The Salkind Agency. She is also a martial artist, former English professor and author or co-author of 25 books, including the Dojo Wisdom series (Penguin Compass). Here she talks about feeling lucky, transparency and agent-writer relationships.
Meredith: Translate your gut feeling about a “perfect” client into simple, ordinary language. How do you know when a creative partnership is going to fly?
JENNIFER: So far I’ve been lucky to be approached by people who, by and large, are smart, professional writers, any one of whom I could probably work with just fine. In general, for us to have a long-term client-agent relationship that works well, we both have to think we got lucky. For me, the “perfect” client starts with my feeling like the writer has a project I can do something with. As much as I may like a person, if I don’t feel strongly that I can sell their book, to go in with the attitude, “Well, I like this person, I guess I can pitch a few editors and see what happens” is bound to create problems down the road. So I feel like I have an obligation to be transparent and fair up front. I want the writer to do the same thing with me: if someone isn’t sure that I can help them, and needs a lot of persuasion, that’s not a good sign. That doesn’t mean you don’t do your research about me or ask a lot of questions, but by the time I say, “I’d like to offer you representation,” if you still need convincing that I’m the right agent for you, then you need to find someone else.
Beyond that, I want smart, professional writers who have a sense of humor about this business – you have to be able to roll with the punches. If you’re going to get bent out of shape over an editor changing your book’s title, then maybe self-publishing is in your future.
By the way, when I say “professional” I don’t mean you have to be previously published in books. I just mean you need to respond to emails and phone calls in a timely fashion, be polite in your dealings with me until you know me well enough to mock me, do what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it. If you pitch me and I say I’d be happy to look at your proposal, and it doesn’t come in for three mo
nths, I’m going to wonder what other deadlines you’ll miss if I take you on. I’m not keeping a stopwatch, and I understand you want to give your work one last read-through before sending it along, but if you’re pitching me before you’re ready or you’re so scattered you can’t remember what you promised to deliver, then that’s not a good place for us to start a relationship.
Relationships tend to continue as they started, so if we don’t hit it off well and have lots of misunderstandings at the beginning, I take those as big red flags that we’re probably not going to work well together.
Meredith: Platform used to really confuse (and intimidate) me. I’ve begun to view platform as a series of interconnected relationships that mutually serve the parties involved—so as a writer (me) it’s about building relationships I care about. Tell us about an agent’s view of platform—more specifically, your view.
JENNIFER: Platform-building has to do with making relationships, but those relationships aren’t necessarily one-on-one relationships. When we talk about an author’s platform, we’re usually talking about two things: that person’s credentials – why they’re the right person to write the book – and that person’s ability to reach out to readers and to get them to buy the book. That’s why publishers want authors to be involved in social media. If you have a blog, you can connect with an audience who may (hopefully will) buy your book. But not everyone who reads your blog is going to interact with you or even leave a comment. So some of it is one-sided, and that’s okay. You can’t hand-sell twenty thousand books to readers (though Zeus knows I’ve tried).
Platform is why it’s easier for celebrities to get book deals than for regular folks. They have a way to reach an audience already in place. If Oprah is going to write a book about living your best life, then you can bet she’ll get a sweet deal from a top publishing company. It’s a little harder for the rest of us.
Meredith: It seems appropriate to ask: Is there such a thing as an agent platform?
JENNIFER: There is in the sense of agents needing to establish their credentials and ability to reach an audience, which consists of writers (potential clients) and editors (potential buyers). So we have to work to get our names out there, and you’ll see a lot of agents, including me, with blogs about the publishing business. We also do interview and write articles, etc., to raise our profiles – exactly the kinds of things authors do.
Meredith: You were a writer before you became an agent. What didn’t you know as a writer that you’ve learned in your new role – something that might have helped ease the process for you?
JENNIFER: One thing that immediately struck me is how, as an agent, I’m focused on THI
S project. I don’t care about your credentials, your platform, your track record at the beginning: I just want to know about your book. All the rest can be figured out: we can add a co-author, we can give you a pen name, we can build your platform before we pitch. But if you don’t have a great book/book idea, there’s not a lot I can do. As a writer, I have a tendency to focus on the opposite: trying to show I’m an accomplished book author to convince people to take a risk on me. But the book is the thing that matters. Unless you’re Stephen King, then, well, you’re Stephen King.
Meredith: How do you view rejection from publishers? What greater purpose does it serve in the creative process?
JENNIFER: I don’t know that rejection serves any other purpose than to tell you “not this editor with this project at this time.” Helpful feedback can give you a sense of how your book can be strengthened, but I’m always wary of jumping to “fix” something just because a project has been rejected, even if the editor says something like “I just don’t see an audience for this book.” My Dojo Wisdom series was rejected by one editor who said the idea was too niche and narrow; another editor rejected it for being too broad. Who was right? Penguin Compass, the publishing imprint that bought the series.
A huge portion of the time the rejection has absolutely nothing to do with your book, your idea, your skill as a writer, the execution of the idea – it’s simply logistics: the editor already bought this year’s quota of how-to books, the editor just acquired a book too much like yours, the last time the publisher put out a book by an author whose name starts with a “W” it did poorly, the publisher is suspending x kind of titles until the market picks up . . . .to infinity.
It does test your perseverance, though. You need plenty of that to survive this business.
Visit The Salkind Agency and click through to learn more about Jennifer. For more Jennifer info, check out her website and Finding Your Voice blog.
Update [May 2010]: Truly a writer at heart, Jennifer is no longer with the Salkind Agency as an agent. She has returned to freelancing full-time, but encourages writers to connect with other agents there, several of whom are actively seeking new clients. See agency links above.
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Lovely, both of you.
As usual, brilliance from both of you. Jennifer’s explanation of a book platform feels like light bulb (compact flourescent, of course) switching on in my brain!
Very helpful post! Jennifer, I particularly liked the way you spelled out, “professional.”
Great to hear it from the other side. Perseveracne and a thick skin…that’s what we need, no matter which side we’re on! Thanks for another enlightening interview.
The think the advice about how the agent-writer fit has to be a good one on both sides is invaluable. I’ve worked with agents that were never a good match and it never went well. Once I found one I had a good relationship with, things took off for me.
This was really informative! I always like hearing the agent’s perspective. Writing is a business, which is something I’ve had to wrap my head around since I’m not that “business-oriented.” Also, it helps to hear her say not to take things too personally. Sometimes, like she says, it’s a matter of logistics in the industry.
Thanks for this!
As Sheryl says, it’s interesting to hear about the writer-agent relationship from the agent point of view. Good to know that rejection is a normal part of the game–not a deterrent.
They don’t teach you where to find perseverance in school, necessarily, but I bet you learned a lot of your own on the mat. Is that right, Jennifer? I’ll check out your blog. The title suggests you have something interesting to share with your readers, and I want to know more.
That was a great to read! Thanks for sharing.
I’ll check out your blog, too. I recently heard an acquisitions editor speak at a writer’s group and it is very interesting to get perspectives on aspects of the writing “business.” The speaker has a blog that I check regularly and find it helpful and I look forward to reading Jennifer’s. Thanks Meredith.
Excellent interview, Meredith…your questions, and Jennifer’s responses, loaded this concise interview with fabulous practical and [inner] information!
Thank you, Meredith, for the new Agent and Editor Interviews section. Jennifer Lawler’s interview was a brilliant kickoff!
Great advice. Gives an insecure writer more confidence that it’s still possible out there.
Although, I’m a little miffed about the “cat person” comment on Jennifer’s blog, I’ll try not to hold that against her. But, my cats will.
What a helpful interview Meredith. I love your new blog and I wanted to ask a question? Although I understand the author’s platform, I’d love to hear an agent/publisher differentiate between a platform and a “target audience.” I’ve heard publishers say that if a teacher writes a book, then her platform is the school, the teachers’ association, the school district, the national teachers convention, etc. But how can they be her target audience if her book is say a SCI-FI book, or say a scuba-diving book?
Great idea, to get an agent’s point of view. And I love that you started with a writer-turned-agent, who can give perspective from both sides. Well done!
Excellent interview, thanks to both of you!
Excellent! Love you both and this is really well-done.
This is all helpful and good to know.
What a great interview! Thanks for this.
I love this addition to The Writer’s Inner Journey. And Jennifer’s insights are so down-to-earth. Bottom line, it’s all about building a good relationship and writing a good book.
Great interview, ladies!
Great interview, very helpful. Thanka for doing this!