• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer

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

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • FaceBook
  • RSS Feed
  • Get Published
  • Book Proposals
  • Book Business
  • Writing Craft
    • Conferences
    • Copyright
    • Craft
    • Creativity
    • Grammar
  • Fun Fridays
Home » publishing

publishing

A Is for Agent

By Steve Laubeon March 14, 2022
Share27
Tweet
26

If you are a writer, you’ve got it easy. When you say you are a writer, your audience lights up because they know what that means. (Their perception is that you sit around all day thinking profound thoughts. And that you are rich.)

If you are an editor, you’ve got it sort of easy. Your audience knows you work with words and all you do is sit around and read all day. In my editorial days I was often told, “I’d love to have your job.”

But tell someone you are a literary agent and there is a blink and a pause. If they don’t know the publishing industry, they think “insurance agent” or “real estate agent” or “secret agent.” Or if they follow sports or entertainment, they think “sleazy liar who makes deals and talks on the phone all day.” I resent people thinking that I talk on the phone all day. (Hah!)

Even at a writers conference, I always have someone ask, “What is it that you do?”

Dealmaker

An agent works on commission. Fifteen percent of the money earned in a contract they have sold to a publisher on behalf of a writer. We don’t get paid until you get paid. I will be bold and say that any prospective literary agent who asks you for money up front is someone you should stay away from.

This is the category that most people focus on when defining the role of the agent. But it is only one small facet of what we do. It is a myth that we are only dealmakers. It is how we earn our living but only a small part of our work.

Don’t get me wrong. This is a crucial part of what we do. Our contract negotiations are critical to the long-term health of the publishing/author relationship. I regularly teach a course at conferences called “Landmines in Your Book Contract.” Each time I read an “offending” contract clause, taken from actual contracts, there are gasps in the room. There is a good reason to have a professional review any book contract you are ready to sign.

Advice Columnist

I’m not referring to our blog but instead to the conversations (phone, email, face-to-face) we have with our clients. The industry can be confusing when you first begin exploring its nuances. There was a time in your writing life when you didn’t know the answers either. So back then, who did you ask for advice? But what about now after learning the basics? Now the questions are more complex, and the stakes are getting higher.

I can spend hours helping a client review their options. For example, there was a time when a major publisher shut down their entire fiction program; and we had a number of clients affected. Each one needed to have a full understanding of the implications for their situation and what to do next. Or another time a publishing company was sold, and a ton of issues were raised about the future.

We’ve had clients wonder how to best work with their particular editor, someone we’ve known for many years. Everything was smooth sailing because the writer asked the right person for advice.

Career Counselor

We often discuss plans for what should be in an author’s next book proposal. When to complete the proposal itself and what should be included: three books? one book? or a completely different idea because this one won’t work?

There are times where the author is deciding whether or not to try and sell their next idea to a different publisher, not their current one. Not necessarily because of dissatisfaction but because there had been multiple editors ask about their last work and we had been wondering if their enthusiasm would convert to stronger support at a different house.

The question of whether or not to indie publish as a hybrid author is a frequent discussion. Each situation is so unique that cookie-cutter answers are of little help to a particular author.

Idea Machine

I am not saying my ideas are good, only that I can have a lot of them.

Struggling with the title of your book? We could brainstorm a half dozen alternatives at least.

Stuck in your writing? I often have a client call and talk through their book to the place where they are stuck, and we come up with new ideas to break through.

Too many ideas in your head? I ask clients to send a “brain dump” of various storylines or book ideas. I can help decide which ones to shelve and which ones to present to their publisher next time around.

Sometimes just talking it through brings clarity to the author. It might not be my idea that worked;  simply having the conversation stimulated creativity. It is a lot of fun when that happens.

Friend

Let’s be careful with this one. By “friend” I mean someone who is much closer than a business acquaintance but not so close that we look forward to painting each other’s toenails. To use the cliche, I’m not your BFF. But I can certainly be that person in your writing world with whom you can share deeply.

With some clients, it is talking through a spiritual crisis. For others, a relationship breakdown. It can be the need to have someone know their health problem, one they don’t want publicly known. And even writers who are buried by self-doubt need to have someone they trust who can encourage them in the right way.

Some of these relationships do grow into wonderful, lifetime friendships. But make sure you keep your boundaries well set and your expectations reasonable.

10 Commandments for Working with Your Agent

If you haven’t read this list of ten commandments, please do so. (Just click the link above.) It is a fun way to look at the topic. It is one of our top ten most-read blogs ever.

Your Turn

Does this article create new questions for you? If so, ask them in the comments below. I might be able to answer them today or use them as fodder for new posts by one of us at the agency in the future.

(A version of this post was previously published in May 2013.)

Leave a Comment
Category: Agents, Book Business, Book Business, Career, Creativity, E-Books, Legal Issues, Publishing A-Z, Writing CraftTag: Agent, Book Business, publishing

Should I Blog My Book?

By Bob Hostetleron February 28, 2018
Share42
Tweet
34

Everyone has heard of bloggers who made it big with a book deal, right? Why shouldn’t the next one be you? I can think of a few reasons. A blog is not a book I know, it seems obvious (but I miss the Obvious Station often enough that I try to at least check there before boarding the Train of Thought). To choose just one example of the difference: blog posts are written for online reading, and tend …

Read moreShould I Blog My Book?
Category: Book Proposals, Career, Get Published, The Writing LifeTag: Blog, blog posts, Get Published, publishing

Publishing is a Global Business

By Steve Laubeon September 11, 2017
Share23
Tweet
16

Recently a list of the world’s largest publishers was posted by “Publisher’s Weekly.” It reminded me again of how large the publishing business really is and how easy it is to forget that fact. Below is the top ten listed along with their sales revenue. Rank 2017 Publishing Group or Division Parent Company Parent Country 2016 Revenue (in $M) 1 Pearson Pearson PLC UK $5,617 2 RELX …

Read morePublishing is a Global Business
Category: Book BusinessTag: Book Business, publishing, World

I Love Change, Especially For Someone Else

By Dan Balowon July 18, 2017
Share26
Tweet
20

Several decades ago, the British magazine, The Linguist printed a graphic with the phrase, “The strongest drive is not to Love or Hate; it is one person’s need to change another’s copy.” In the cartoon, the word “change” was crossed out and replaced first by amend, then by revise, alter, rewrite, chop to pieces, then back to “change.” I am not sure whether the cartoon necessarily struck a …

Read moreI Love Change, Especially For Someone Else
Category: Book Business, Career, Communication, Editing, The Publishing Life, The Writing LifeTag: Creativity, Editing, publishing

Ask Me Anything

By Steve Laubeon July 17, 2017
Share17
Tweet
96

With Summer in full mid-form and some planning the rest of their year’s writing efforts, I thought it might be a good chance for you to post below any question you might have about the publishing business. Editing? Proposals? Why so many rejections? How does it all work? Will Amazon doom us all? Are bookstores dying? etc. I only ask that you keep within the topic of writing and publishing. I …

Read moreAsk Me Anything
Category: Agents, The Publishing LifeTag: publishing, questions, Writing Craft

Houston, We Have a Problem

By Steve Laubeon April 11, 2016
Share23
Tweet
18

Today marks the 46th anniversary of the launch of the infamous Apollo 13 mission to the moon. Two days after the launch an oxygen tank exploded jeopardizing the lives of the astronauts and scrapping the mission. Their ingenious solutions and subsequent safe return on April 17 were later portrayed in the award winning 1995 film “Apollo 13.” I couldn’t help but think that the event is an apt analogy …

Read moreHouston, We Have a Problem
Category: Book Business, Marketing, The Publishing LifeTag: Problems, publishing, The Publishing Life

Is Book Publishing Fair?

By Dan Balowon March 29, 2016
Share29
Tweet
14

Anyone who has been around young children has heard their cry of protest, “That’s not fair,” when some sort of consequence is meted out for misbehavior. In reality, what is being objected to is fairness, as consequences were spelled out ahead of time and known to all. Parent: “One more word about this and you will go to bed without dinner.” Child: “Word.” Parent: “OK, to your room you go…no …

Read moreIs Book Publishing Fair?
Category: Book Business, Career, Contracts, Get Published, Marketing, The Publishing LifeTag: publishing, The Publishing Life

Publishing Acronyms

By Steve Laubeon February 22, 2016
Share
Tweet
12

After being in an industry for a while there is a natural tendency to speak in code. Acronyms flow freely and can be a foreign language to those new to the conversation. Below is an attempt to spell out some of the more common acronyms in the publishing industry and some specific to the Christian publishing industry. They are grouped by topic in a rudimentary way but in no particular order. If …

Read morePublishing Acronyms
Category: Book Business, Book Business, Communication, Contracts, The Publishing LifeTag: Acronyms, publishing

The Great Slot Mystery

By Dan Balowon May 26, 2015
Share
Tweet
22

Every traditional publishing company has a personality or focus that defines them and their product. Usually that personality or focus is determined by past success. They also know how many books they can effectively publish during a year. Combining focus and capacity, you have the beginnings of a publishing strategy. No publisher (or for that matter any company) will succeed for long unless they …

Read moreThe Great Slot Mystery
Category: Book Business, The Publishing LifeTag: Categories, publishing, The Publishing Life

Time Travel?

By Dan Balowon April 28, 2015
Share78
Tweet21
25

Most people find it astounding how long it takes for things to happen in traditional publishing. Even after spending months or even years writing, an author waits for weeks or months to hear from an agent, who if they agree to work together, wait weeks and months for publishers to make a decision and then finally a book is scheduled to be published a year or more in the future.  Sometimes two …

Read moreTime Travel?
Category: Book Proposals, Career, Get Published, The Publishing LifeTag: publishing, The Publishing Life, Time
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to page 4
  • Next

Sidebar

Get Blog Updates

Enter your email address to get new blog updates delivered via email. You can unsubscribe at any time.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Grow as a Writer


Find Out More →

Popular Posts

Top Posts on Book Proposals
  • Hints for a Great Cover Letter
  • The Keys to a Great Book Proposal
  • What Steve Laube is Looking For
  • Book Proposals I’d Love to See – Tamela Hancock Murray
  • What I’m Looking for – Bob Hostetler
  • What I’m Looking for – Dan Balow
  • What I’m Looking for – Megan Brown
  • What I’m Looking for – Lynette Eason
  • What’s the Best Way to Submit My Self-Published Book?
  • What Is the Agent Doing While I Wait?
  • God Gave Me This Blog Post
Top Posts on The Business Side
  • When Your Book Becomes Personal
  • The Myth of the Unearned Advance
  • How Long Does it Take to Get Published?
  • What Are Average Book Sales?
  • Can You Plagiarize Yourself?
  • Never Burn a Bridge
  • Who Decides to Publish Your Book?
  • That Conference Appointment
  • Goodbye to Traditional Publishing?
  • Who Owns Whom in Publishing?
  • Ten Commandments for Working with Your Agent
  • Writers Beware! Protect Yourself
Top Series
  • Book Proposal Basics
  • Publishing A-Z
  • A Defense of Traditional Publishing
Top Posts on Rejection
  • The Slush Pile: Enter at Your Own Risk
  • Even the Best Get Rejected
  • Five Reasons Why You May Never Get Published
  • The Unhelpful Rejection Letter
  • Writers Learn to Wait

Blog Post Archives by Month

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Interview with Steve Laube
    • Statement of Faith
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Guidelines
  • Authors
    • Who We Represent
    • Awards and Recognition
  • Resources
    • Recommended Reading
    • Christian Writers Market Guide Online
    • Christian Writers Institute
    • Writers Conferences
    • Freelance Editorial Services
    • Copyright Resources
    • Research Tools
    • Selling What You Write
  • Blog
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 · The Steve Laube Agency · All Rights Reserved · Website by Stormhill Media