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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 » Pitching » Page 2

Pitching

Ways to Delight a Literary Agent

By Steve Laubeon February 13, 2023
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Last week I highlighted some things that tend to annoy a literary agent. Let’s flip that around and reflect on a few things that get our attention.

Another drum roll please:

1. Follow the guidelines on an agency’s website. (Those are there for a reason. It helps sift, at one level, those who are wanting to be professionals and those who aren’t. Note they are “guidelines,” not “rules.” Every agency has them, and they are not always the same.)

2. Respect an agent’s time and the process. (Imagine fifty people lined up outside your door, each week, wanting your opinion on their work. Then, if you can’t get to them, fifty more get in line. After a few weeks, there are hundreds, all clamoring for attention.)

3. Do your best work. (We recognize good writing immediately. We can also see potential if what we have isn’t quite there yet. But slap-dash material is apparent even faster.)

4. Do your best to understand the industry and its nuances. (This can be done by reading various blogs, going to conferences, and broadening your understanding of the industry. Telling us that your book should be published by Zondervan because many titles in your personal library are from Zondervan isn’t a good idea.)

5. Understand what platform is and is not. Show us and a potential publisher that you want others to find and buy your ideas.

6. Remind me if we’ve met. It is always nice to have some connection, even if fleeting. You might be surprised by what we remember, even years later. (Yes, I still remember you, Xochitl, when you sat at the wrong table at the conference.)

7. Keep me reading. I may like the idea, but it is your writing that must keep me reading. It is what keeps an agent looking for the next one.

8. Be prepared with questions if we contact you. We don’t mind if you ask newbie questions. It shows interest, not ignorance.

There could be many more items, but I think you get the gist of the list. (See what I did there?)

 

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Category: Agency, Agents, Book Proposals, Conferences, Pitch, Pitching, Platform, The Writing Life

12 Ways to Annoy a Literary Agent

By Steve Laubeon February 6, 2023
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This article is written in jest, but with decades of truth behind it. No, we agents are not infallible and aren’t always right. We try not to sound arrogant or snooty. We genuinely would like to see you succeed, whether we are your agent or not! Our hope is you learn from what others have done or done incorrectly. Drum roll please: 1. Call a week after sending your proposal to ask what we …

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Category: Agency, Agents, Book Proposals, Conferences, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life

What’s the Deal With One-Sheets?  

By Dan Balowon November 17, 2022
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I believe it is safe to say almost every book is purchased before it is read. Or, at the very least, the decision to read it is made before it is read. Wow, we are mining the depths of Dan’s publishing wisdom today. There’s a reason aspiring and even experienced authors are encouraged to create a one-page pitch sheet for their books. If you can’t explain your work in relatively few words, you need …

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Category: Book Proposals, Pitching

10 Reasons Bob Doesn’t “Close” Submissions

By Bob Hostetleron September 1, 2022
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Some literary agents “close” submissions periodically. That is, they announce that they won’t accept or respond to “over-the-transom” queries or proposals for a set period (usually a month or two, sometimes a quarter). For you young whippersnappers who don’t know what “over-the-transom” (or “whippersnapper”) means, it’s a throwback to the days before air conditioning, when offices were vented and …

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Category: Book Proposals, Pitching, The Publishing Life

7 Tips for Pitching Your Idea

By Steve Laubeon August 29, 2022
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You have a chance to pitch your book idea to an editor or an agent at a conference. I’ve written about this before (see “That Conference Appointment”) but thought it may be helpful to come at the topic from a different direction. The pitch itself. These tips can help whether or not your appointment is virtual or in-person. 1. Relax. Seriously. Relax. This 15-minute appointment won’t make or break …

Read more7 Tips for Pitching Your Idea
Category: Book Proposals, Conferences, Pitching

Make the Right Media Choice

By Dan Balowon July 6, 2022
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The study of communication through various methods fascinates me. Some media share audiences with other media and others have very select audiences. Each person consumes content differently. Those in education know students do not all learn at the same speed using the same tools. Fortunately, good teachers recognize those differences and adjust their methods. In the 1970s and 80s, educator Neil …

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Category: Pitching

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 …

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Category: Book Proposals, Common Questoins, Pitching

Ode to the Hefty Book

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon March 3, 2022
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Readers who love long books might want to check out the classics. I’m catching up on the classics as I write this post, which may take some time. Currently, I’m reading An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser. Unfortunately, I could only get my hands on a mass-market, paperback size, which makes reading a book of that heft less pleasurable than it should be. The audiobook runs 34 hours and 12 …

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Category: Get Published, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life

No Need to Be Insulting

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 23, 2022
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Recently, my husband and I decided to sell his Lincoln sedan. The vehicle had been driven only a few miles and was barely out of warranty. The dealership always sent a valet to drive the 40-mile round trip for scheduled maintenance. Kept in a garage, the car had no ding or scratch; and the interior was spotless. Who wouldn’t want this fantastic car? I called up a local used-car dealership. They …

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Category: Pitching, Rejection

Watch the Jargon

By Dan Balowon February 17, 2022
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In early 2018, a corporate consulting firm, Grant Thornton, did a detailed analysis of Fortune 500 company websites, press releases, and social media. What they found was not surprising, but still proved how the use of business jargon (commonly used phrases) pervades the corporate world. What was the most commonly used phrase by Fortune 500 companies? “Best in class” Rounding out the top ten most …

Read moreWatch the Jargon
Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Branding, Marketing, Pitch, Pitching, The Writing Life
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