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BOOK BIZ RADIO
 

AUGUST 23- The Literary Agent. Just another gatekeeper to the decision makers or indispensable advocate for pre-published writers?

 

 

 

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SARAH DICKMAN - Now's your chance to ask a vaunted (but very nice) literary agent what it takes to break into publishing! Email questions to show@bookbizradio.com

 

As Director of Foreign Rights at The Nicholas Ellison Agency, Sarah successfully places non-fiction, bestselling authors, and first-time novelists with international publishers who are committed to promoting the longevity of an author's career and to developing audiences abroad.  Sarah is dedicated to the long-term success of the agency's authors and meets regularly with foreign publishers in New York and at the international book fairs (the Frankfurt Book Fair, the London Book Fair, and Book Expo America).  Sarah has had the pleasure of selling foreign rights in over thirty countries for Alan Weisman's international bestseller The World Without Us, as well as helping to make Jeff Lindsay's Dexter series a worldwide phenomenon. Sarah also works with Nelson DeMille and Christopher Moore week to week in many capacities editorially and in the disposition of all rights.

In addition, Sarah represents authors domestically in the U.S. and works with both experienced and first-time authors.  She is drawn to a variety of literary and popular fiction as well as non-fiction projects including business, politics, health, music, memoir, science, and culture.  Sarah graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in English Literature and is fluent in Spanish.


LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE

 

 

Post-show note:

Our conversation with Sarah included a discussion of pre-published writers needing a media platform to get an agent because that's what publishers want, and publishers want a media platform (or publishing pedigree) because that’s what offsets some of the risk publishers are taking when they’re looking to invest in a writer. Naturally that generated some email complaining that the publishing business has “degenerated” from an industry that provides quality product, to a “publicity hungry machine that values celebrity” over writing talent.

It might be easier to understand the situation this way: When you send your writing to a publisher or even agent, you’re asking them to invest in you. You’re asking them to invest $100,000 plus printing, marketing and an advance, including their reputation and the reputation of their company, not in your writing, but in you personally. The acquiring editor and the editing editor, and the sales person and the marketing person and the publisher are going to be associated with you and your book for the rest of their careers. That’s nothing to be entered into lightly, and just like every other business, all of those parties want to do business and be associated with someone who has a good chance of success. There's no such thing anymore, as we learned in our interview with Ann Patty, as publisher's taking a flyer on a project. That's too much of a financial gamble, and in an industry where publishers are looking to trim staff at every opportunity, a career gamble as well. So the next time you pitch an agent or publisher, ask yourself this: would you be willing to invest $100,000 of your own money in you?

 

 

 

 

 


If you're interested in appearing on The Book Biz radio show,
please send an email to producer [at] bookbizradio.com

If you have a book proposal feel free to submit through the submissions page at S&R

If you have general questions about the book business, feel free
to email the show and we'll try to respond in a timely manner, volume permitting

 

 

 

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BOOK BIZ RADIO

WGCH

Welcome.

Everything you wanted to know about the business of books, agents, agencies, publishers, editors, bookstores, self-publishing, e-books, and more. An educational show aimed at pre-published writers and those who love them.

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Remember:

Harper, Random and the other conglomerates publish tens of thousands of books a year, with a few hundred bestsellers being the result. If they knew beforehand where those bestsellers would come from, they would publish only those few hundred books a year. No one knows what will sell at retail, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Most people, at one time or another, have thought about writing a book. Most of those have thought about getting it published. Very few of those know how to go about it and even fewer are actually successful in being published. Unfortunately, the business of publishing has erected such barriers to entry that the ability to get published seems like an impossibility to most. The vast majority of the population is either confused or clueless about what to do after they’ve got their book idea. THE BOOK BIZ shines a light on what pre-published writers (and even published authors) need to know about the book industry, including writing that perfect book proposal, landing a publishing contract or literary agent, how to build your media platform, what to do when you've got books in the marketplace, and much more.

Some of the subjects we'll be covering on the show (scroll over to enlarge):

What does a literary agent do? What doesn’t a literary agent do? Do I need a literary agent? What does a literary attorney do? What’s the difference between a literary agent and a literary attorney? What does a ‘manager’ do?  Is it possible to get published without an agent? What does an editor at a publishing house do? What does a publisher at a publishing house do? Is it possible to quit my job and become a full-time writer? How does the book business work? Can I still get a book deal if ‘everyone’ has rejected my work? What are the advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing? Who is more important, the agent or the editor? What happens inside a publishing company to determine who gets a book deal and who doesn’t? Why does it take so long for a book to be published? What are the benefits of the new e-book technology to first-time writers? Specifically what can I do to get an agent? Specifically what can I do to get a publisher? Specifically what can I do to get my book into the marketplace? Should I ever negotiate my own publishing contract? What’s involved in negotiating one’s own contract? What are the pitfalls to negotiating my own publishing contract? How does self-publishing work, and is it worth the expense? What are the three ‘musts’ of pitching agents? What are the three ‘must nots’ of pitching agents? What’s the hierarchy inside a traditional publishing house? What is the role of the sales department at a publishing company? What is the role of the editorial department at a publishing company? What is an Editorial Board? What are foreign rights? What are subsidiary rights? What are an author’s responsibilities in the book contract? What are the pitfalls to negotiating my own contract? How can I get out of a book contract? How can I get my publishing rights back after I’ve signed a contract? What is my publisher (traditional or self) legally required to provide me? What can I expect after I’ve signed my contract? Who do I work with after I sign my contract? What are the publicity strategies for promoting my book? How do book stores operate? What’s the hierarchy in a bookstore? How do bookstores get their books? Who decides how many of my books the bookstore gets? How can I get on the table at my local bookstore? How do I organize signings and talks at my local bookstore? Why won’t the bookstore call me back? Can I set up a website to sell my own books? Do the bookstores mind if I compete with them in selling my books? Why aren’t my books sold in bookstores? What are the alternatives to selling my books in stores? What format is best for my book? Who decides on the type of paper, cover and binding my book will have? What are the paper, printing and binding options available to authors who want to publish on their own? Is it possible to start my own publishing company to publish my books and others? What are the benefits and drawbacks of starting my own publishing operation? How does Amazon operate? How does Amazon decide which books they will sell? Why does Amazon reduce their retail price so significantly? Who pays for the reduced margins at Amazon? How much does it cost to print a book? Should i just pack it in?