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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 » Agents

Agents

Who and What I’m Looking for (Bob Hostetler)

By Bob Hostetleron January 25, 2023
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(Updated 1/25/2023)

As the world turns and 2022 gives way to 2023, I have been a literary agent with The Steve Laube Agency for five-and-a-half years. In many ways, 2022 was my most surprising and successful year yet as an agent. My clients made me look good, and my boss so far hasn’t made me look for a new job; so I’ve got those things going for me. With all that in mind, let me offer an updated answer to the frequent question I field from aspiring, developing, accomplished, and skilled writers: “What are you looking for?”

Influence

Aspiring writers often imagine, “Once I have a book published, people will listen to me.” That’s exactly backwards. I’m looking for people who are already having an impact, people whose influence is expanding, people who aren’t waiting to reach people with their message. Like every publisher and editor I know, I’m looking for people who understand today’s publishing realities and have a track record that says they can effectively partner with publishers in getting their message out. They’re writing blog posts and email newsletters that a lot of people read, share, and subscribe to. They’re connecting and engaging with large numbers of people on social media. They’re speaking at events large and small, far and wide. They are not waiting for readers, listeners, and followers to come to them; they are already engaging with people about their genre and topic.

Inspiration

My primary expertise as a writer and speaker has been the Christian market. So, as an agent, I focus my efforts in representing books—both fiction and nonfiction—for the Christian market (though when a proposal has broad appeal for the general market, the resources are available to me to take it there). In particular, I am interested in:

Fiction: women’s contemporary, historical, timeslip, romance, suspense, thriller.

Nonfiction: Christian living, women’s nonfiction, gift books, devotionals, humor, marriage and family, parenting, prayer, spiritual growth, teens/young adult.

As a rule, I will not be looking at:

Fiction: fantasy, science fiction, time travel, horror, middle grade, young adult (YA).

Nonfiction: academic, autobiography/biography, Bible studies, cookbooks, doctrinal issues, memoir, pastoral helps, poetry, sermons, theology.

Investment

I’m not interested in “one-and-done” authors. If you have only one book in you, then I wish you well; but I’m not the right person to help you get it published. I’m looking for writers who have already begun investing in the lifelong task of writing what matters and finding fresh and innovative ways to convey an idea and reach an audience. I’m looking for writers who are teachable, who study their craft, and are willing to accept criticism and correction. I’m looking for writers who love words, phrases, and sentences. I’m looking for writers who are reading widely in their genre (at least), who invite thorough critique, and will never use the awareness and appreciation of their strengths as an excuse not to work on their weaknesses. I’m looking for writers who are attending writers conferences to educate themselves, network with others, and get better and better at proposals and pitches.

Originality

You thought I was going to insert another “I” word here, right? Tough. Because I’m not looking for predictability. I’m not looking for “cute.” I’m also not looking for the next C. S. Lewis, Max Lucado, Priscilla Shirer, or Francine Rivers. They’re all wonderful writers, but I’m looking for ideas and writing so fresh it could never be confused with another writer. I want to see book proposals that surprise and delight me. I want to represent writers who can flat write. Who can transport me. Who make it impossible for me to stop reading. And who will do it again and again.

____________

Please see the Guidelines link above, and follow that information meticulously before submitting a proposal to Bob Hostetler.

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Category: Agency, Agents, Book ProposalsTag: Agency, Agents, Get Published

Three Myths About an Agent’s Acceptance

By Steve Laubeon December 5, 2022
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You’ve worked hard. You wrote a great book. You pitched it just right, and the literary agent has called you saying they want to represent you and your project. Hooray! But there are some misunderstandings or myths about what happens next. 1. Your Book Will Soon Be Published Just because an agent has said yes doesn’t guarantee success. Nor does it speed up the inexorable process. Remember that …

Read moreThree Myths About an Agent’s Acceptance
Category: Agents, Book Business, Career, Communication, Get Published, Writing CraftTag: Agents, Get Published

The Myth of the Unearned Advance

By Steve Laubeon September 12, 2022
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[I wrote much of this article back in 2011. Upon review, I stand by the analysis. I’ve left the past comments to accentuate the discussion.] ______________ A common myth permeating the industry is that a book is not profitable if the author’s advance does not earn out. I would like to attempt to dispel this myth. First, let’s define the term “advance.” When a book contract is created between …

Read moreThe Myth of the Unearned Advance
Category: Book Business, Career, Money, Writing CraftTag: Agents, Book Business, Contracts, Get Published, Money, Traditional Publishing

Are You High Maintenance?

By Steve Laubeon November 16, 2020
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by Steve Laube

Last week I was asked to define what is meant when an author is deemed "high maintenance" by an agent or a publisher. The more I thought about this the more I realized how difficult it is to quantify. Any attempt to do so is fraught with potential misunderstanding because most people are looking for specific rules to follow.

Normally "high maintenance" is a description of …

Read moreAre You High Maintenance?
Category: Agents, Book Business, Get Published, The Writing LifeTag: Agents, Editors, high maintenance, publishers

Three Questions About Agents

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon May 7, 2020
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In meeting with writers on the cusp of their careers or flush with new success, we find that three big questions come to the forefront. Today, Tamela shares her answers:

How do I find a literary agent?
1)      First and foremost, visit the Agency web sites to see which ones are actively seeking the type of work you write.
2)      Talk to your agented friends to learn about their agents. …

Read moreThree Questions About Agents
Category: Agency, Agents, Book Business, Get PublishedTag: Agents, Book Business, Pitching, Proposals, Tamela

Where Is My Money?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon February 10, 2020
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Before I became a literary agent I had no idea how much energy this profession spent being a “collections agent.” Recently someone asked us the following questions (use the green button to the right to ask your question!):
What do you do, as an agent, when a publisher does not pay advances on royalties on time as per their legal contract?
What if a publisher is consistently late (months) saying …

Read moreWhere Is My Money?
Category: Agency, Book Business, Contracts, MoneyTag: Agents, Money, Returns

The Editorial Process

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon January 27, 2020
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It is important to understand the process through which a book takes under the umbrella called “The Edit.” I meet many first timers who think it is just a one-time pass over their words and that is all that will ever happen. And many who self-publish think that hiring a high school English teacher to check for grammar is enough of an edit.

There are four major stages to the Editorial Process. …

Read moreThe Editorial Process
Category: Editing, Get Published, Publishing A-Z, Self-Publishing, The Writing Life, Writing CraftTag: Agents, Editors, Grammar, Proposals, Writing Craft

The Stages of Editorial Grief

By Steve Laubeon January 20, 2020
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Nearly every writer will tell you they have experienced the proverbial “red pen” treatment from their editor. The reactions to this experience can follow the well-known stages of grief popularized by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross.

Skip Denial, I’m Angry!

There is no denying that the edits have arrived. And for the author who was not expecting a hard-nosed edit, they can transition from …

Read moreThe Stages of Editorial Grief
Category: Editing, Writing CraftTag: Agents, Editors, Grief, Writing Craft

Never Burn a Bridge!

By Steve Laubeon December 2, 2019
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The sale of Thomas Nelson to HarperCollins and last week's sale of Heartsong to Harlequin brought to mind a critical piece of advice:

Never Burn a Bridge!

Ours is a small industry and both editors and authors move around with regularity. If you are in a business relationship and let your frustration boil into anger and ignite into rage...and let that go at someone in the publishing company, …

Read moreNever Burn a Bridge!
Category: Agency, Book Business, Book Business, Career, Communication, Rejection, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life, TheologyTag: Agents, Editors, Get Published, Rejection, Trends, Writing Craft

How Long Does It Take to Get Published?

By Steve Laubeon June 3, 2019
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How much time does it take to get published?

I came to the publishing business from the retail side of the equation. The biggest adjustment was understanding how long the process takes. In retail there is instantaneous gratification. But book publishing is a process business.

There is no question the timeline varies from person to person and project to project. In the world of major …

Read moreHow Long Does It Take to Get Published?
Category: Book Business, Book Business, Book Proposals, Contracts, Get Published, Marketing, Publishing A-Z, Self-Publishing, The Publishing Life, The Writing LifeTag: Agents, Book Business, Contracts, Editors, Proposals, waiting
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