Hannah Andrade has been with Bradford Literary Agency since 2017 and has worked with a number of bestselling authors across a variety of genres. She likes to think of herself as an editorial-focused agent and is particularly eager to acquire BIPOC/underrepresented voices.
Jillian: How do you know when a creative collaboration is going to work?
You never know for certain, which is what makes this industry a game of risk vs. reward. Unfortunately, no one’s figured out a foolproof formula to churn out NYT bestsellers (or if they have, they haven’t told me!). One of the things that helps me know that I’m going in the right direction is when I’ve had a great call with a prospective client. The length of time we spend talking doesn’t matter, but when I share the editorial thoughts with them and they get excited for where I see the book going, and I see that they’re excited to implement some of my ideas (or they push back on why a certain idea isn’t where they want to take the book) I know that we’re getting two creative people together who have a clear vision for the project. That’s always exciting!
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Jillian: Is there anything about your work as a literary agent that might surprise authors or editors? And that has surprised you?
Thanks to social media, there’s a lot of transparency about our work and a lot of engagement with authors/editors. Nothing’s really a secret anymore. You go on to book Twitter at any given time and you’ll find a bunch of agents talking about burnout and work fatigue but then you’ll find an equal number gushing over a really exciting project that they just signed. I guess I’m surprised by how much harder it is to make a living in this industry now than it was ten years ago. It’s totally accepted that new agents work multiple side jobs for years just to get by. While I understand that “need to grind” and the pressure to always have something in the pipeline, it can perpetuate an unhealthy work mentality. You don’t have built in vacations or weekends the way other jobs do. If you want to take a break, you intentionally need to schedule that for yourself because no one else is going to encourage you to do that.
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Jillian: What role does creativity play in your work? Does this look or feel different depending on if it’s a children’s or adult manuscript, nonfiction or fiction?
I think having a creative mind is really important for everyone in this industry to have. On some level, we need that creativity regardless of what kind of manuscript we’re working on. We need to be able to take a rough version of the story and pull together our craft skills, industry knowledge, and taste for good books and apply it to a blueprint of a manuscript to see if we think it has what it takes to make it. We need to understand plot nuances and character development to understand what the author is trying to accomplish and help them achieve that effect.
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Jillian: Rejection can be challenging for authors, and I imagine that agents also face disappointments. How do you keep going when the no’s keep coming, especially when you are particularly passionate about a manuscript or an author?
Rejection is a beast that everyone in this industry has to grapple with. I definitely thought I was prepared for the amount of rejection I’d receive (from both prospective clients and from editors about a project) but boy, was I wrong! It’s really tempting to be blasé about everything and keep potential projects and clients at arm’s length in anticipation of disappointment, but then you close the door to truly falling head-over-heels for a project. It definitely is challenging to feel like you’re slogging uphill through a bunch of nos, but my goal is for each potential client to find the best agent for them. I need to constantly remember why I got into this job in the first place: not because I love money (no one would be in this industry if that was the case!) but because I believe that everyone should recognize themselves in a story and there are creators out there who are sitting on those stories! I just need to find them.
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Jillian: When reading queries from potential clients, what stands out to you? Are you usually drawn to the subject, the author’s voice, or something that completely catches you off guard?
In my query submission form, I have the option for writers to include an elevator pitch of their book and I’ve been surprised at how often my eye goes there first. Being able to encapsulate your story and the stakes in a few lines is really important and, if it’s compelling, definitely makes me want to request more to see the story play out. Even if the writing isn’t as strong but the pitch was great, I’m more inclined to ask to see more of it. Aside from that, the voice of the story is ultimately what decides me. You can have a great premise and a good idea, but if the execution and tone of the story are wrong, it falls flat. Writers can learn how to develop their craft, but it’s much more difficult for them to learn how to develop their voice. A memorable voice is one of the main things I look for as I know that that’s something future readers can connect to.
Thank you, Hannah!
Photo by Elisa Calvet B. on Unsplash