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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Common Questoins

Common Questoins

4 Ways to Lose Me Quickly

By Bob Hostetleron June 22, 2022
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As a literary agent, I review a lot of book pitches. A lot. And, not to belabor the point, but a lot.

Despite the overwhelming volume of submissions demanding my attention, I try to give each one a fair shake. Sure, if the recipient field of your email has a hundred email addresses in it, it makes it easier for me to say, “No thanks.” But, while that may be the quickest way to disinterest me, it is far from the only way. And I suspect that what is true for me is true also for other agents.

So, how might a pitch for a book project lose me quickly? Here are four (of many) ways: 

  1. Pitch me your fantasy or sci-if novel. How many times do I gotta say I don’t represent those genres? Not because they’re not great; they are. And not because you’re not great; you are. But because, as I try to make clear in the info on this website and in my occasional speaking and teaching engagements, I don’t represent those genres. There are other, far more expert persons like Steve in our agency, who know those genres inside and out.
  2. For your suspense or thriller novel, make your protagonist an FBI agent (or former agent) or CIA operative (or, again, former). Not because such stories aren’t great; they are. (In fact, our agency has clients who are doing this with great success.) And not because you can’t pull it off; maybe you can. But because I’ve seen this sooooo many times. Do something new, as Janet Evanovich did in making Stephanie Plum a bounty hunter. Maybe give me a city sewer worker or home organizer who solves crimes. Okay, maybe not. That would stretch the bounds of credulity unless the victim is found in a sewer or under a pile of Amazon boxes.
  3. In your nonfiction book concept, answer a question with your book that no one is asking. Such as the pitch I received asking, “Can sumo wrestlers play American football?” Or “what non-Christians need to know about Jesus.” Or “what I did on my summer vacation.” Often as writers we feel a need to say something that no one (or nearly no one) feels a need to hear or to know.
  4. In fiction or nonfiction, use profanity. No, seriously. You’d be surprised. Yes, I know there’s a strain of evangelicalism that embraces profanity because it’s authentic, real, and expressive. I don’t care. As an agent, I get to choose what I represent (as consumers get to choose what they buy and read and editors and publishers get to choose what they accept and publish).

Do I sound curmudgeonly? It’s okay to answer yes. I can take it (sniff). Maybe I can turn my little tantrum into something a bit more constructive. Let’s see, let’s see. Try these tips, which are probably for any agent or editor: (1) Don’t pitch what I don’t represent. (2) Do something fresh. (3) Be sure you’re addressing readers’ already-felt needs. And (4) Watch your language. Huh. Maybe I should’ve just said that.

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Category: Book Proposals, Common Questoins, Pitching

A Dozen Things to Do While You Wait

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 2, 2022
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Have you just submitted your New Year’s Resolution manuscript and now you’re waiting for a response? Do you feel adrift? Are you unsure what to do? Then it’s time to launch another ship! Years ago, I recall reading an article (probably in a writers magazine, and I apologize to the author and magazine for being unable to give proper citation now) suggesting that authors think of each project as a …

Read moreA Dozen Things to Do While You Wait
Category: Career, Common Questoins, The Writing Life

One Writer’s Beginnings

By Bob Hostetleron August 11, 2021
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I am asked often, “How’d you get your start as a writer?” The question has many possible answers. I usually say something like, “Well, I was raised as a reader and writer, more or less, in a family of readers and writers.” The first time I saw my name in print was in Highlights magazine when I was seven or eight years old; it wasn’t exactly a byline, but I knew I was a pretty big deal nonetheless. …

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Category: Career, Common Questoins, Personal, The Writing Life

What Goes on the Copyright Page?

By Steve Laubeon August 9, 2021
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I have an odd habit born of being in this industry for four decades. Whenever I pick up a physical book, I look at the front cover, back cover, and then the copyright page. I know, it’s a rather nerdy thing to do; but you would be surprised what information can be found there and what it means. The copyright page is placed after the title page and should always be on the left-hand side …

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Category: Book Business, Common Questoins, Copyright Issues, Indie, Publishing A-Z

Preface, Foreword, Introduction. Oh My!

By Steve Laubeon July 26, 2021
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A reader asked, “What is the difference between a preface, a foreword, and an introduction? And do I need them all?” There so much publishing lingo used every day that we forget there was a time when we didn’t know what the words meant. It’s one reason I have a “Publishing Lingo” section in the back of the annual Christian Writers Market Guide. These three pieces of writing (preface, foreword, and …

Read morePreface, Foreword, Introduction. Oh My!
Category: Book Proposals, Common Questoins, Craft, Publishing A-Z

12 Steps to Publication

By Steve Laubeon August 10, 2020
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It takes 12 strikes to achieve a perfect game in bowling. (See last Friday’s video.) It made me think there are 12 things that need to happen in the publication process. Each must knock down all the pins to achieve publishing success. With that simplistic idea in mind, I came up with the following: Idea – A book has to start somewhere Write chapter – if not the whole book …

Read more12 Steps to Publication
Category: Book Proposals, Common Questoins, Editing, Get Published, Marketing, Pitching, Platform
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