Merry Christmas!
We will be taking a Christmas break for the next two weeks. Back with our regular posts on January 9. May you and yours have a blessed and merry Christmas.
Agency
A Is for Advance
by Steve Laube
Whenever I lecture about money the room becomes unusually quiet. Instead of a common restlessness from listeners there is a thrumming impatience to reveal the punch line. The punch line that declares every writer will be rich.
Now that I have our attention let’s turn to the topic of the day. The Advance. This is defined as the money a publisher pays to the author in …
We Have It All!
Recently I received several boxes of books from Steve Laube. Inside were dozens of sample books published by our agency clients. Since he is cheap, frugal, thrifty, fantastic for being concerned about the environment, he sent my books in repurposed containers. One was labeled “Reformed Systematic Theology,” scratched through with a black Sharpie pen. Another bore the Harlequin logo familiar to …
A Peek at an Agent’s Emails
As a literary agent, I send and receive a lot of emails. A lot. And that’s not even counting the emails offering my helpful diet tips and donut recipes. My emails aren’t always so practical, but it recently occurred to me that some weary or woeful writers might be helped by a peek at some of the wise and witty responses I’ve sent to clients and nonclients (because I’m just that kind of guy). Here …
A Literary Agent Guarantees Your Publishing Success (Or Not?)
You finally landed your “dream” agent. You did the hard work and crafted your manuscript. Created a stellar proposal. Comported yourself with excellence during the phone/Zoom calls. Congratulations. Now you can sit back and let the agent do their magic. All you have to do is start planning for your retirement with all the dough that is going to flow in your direction. Right? Sorry. Connecting with …
When Your Proposal Doesn’t Sell
by Steve Laube
It happens. Despite all efforts and good intentions not every proposal we shop will end up being contracted by a major publisher. Of course our agency tries our best to keep that from happening. We carefully choose which projects and authors we represent. And our success rate is extremely high.
But that success rate is not 100%.
Here are a few examples of projects that …
Ten Years!
Ten years ago this week Tamela Hancock Murray signed an agreement to become a part of our agency. Ten years! I was honored then and remain honored that she is part of our team. From managing dozens of fabulous authors to successfully landing hundreds of new book deals, she works tirelessly for her clients. She has written nearly 500 blog posts, trying to help each of you grow as a writer. In …
Welcome Back, Dan Balow!
by Steve Laube
I am very excited to announce that Dan Balow has joined our agency as the Director of Publishing Development and Literary Agent. This gives us four members of our team, me, Tamela Hancock Murray, Karen Ball, and Dan.
I’ve been looking for ways to increase the services our agency provides to current and potential clients. I have known Dan for 15 years and by adding him to our …
How to Say Goodbye to 2020
Among the many moving moments in the Hamilton musical is the song “One Last Time,” in which George Washington informs Alexander Hamilton that rather than seeking a third presidential term, he plans to teach the American people (and future presidents) “how to say goodbye.” Wow. What a moment. These days are a moment too. An opportunity to say goodbye to an, eh, well, um, memorable year, one that …
A Year in Review: A Look at 2020
It has been said that one should not look back because it is not the direction you are going. That may be true in one sense, but reflecting on the past can help guide us in the future. Therefore, here are some thoughts on the last twelve months. The IndustryWhen the national pandemic shutdown occurred in March, the industry was surprised by Amazon.com declaring books as nonessential! For an entire …