Dandelion Break An interesting view of agent role from J Geller, Curtis Brown

[E G Logan]

Secret agents

Literary agents are central to authors' success - so why are we still considered a fringe benefit?

www.thebookseller.com

I hope this is accessible. If not, let me know and I'll do edited highlights.

 

[Hannah F]

Secret agents

Literary agents are central to authors' success - so why are we still considered a fringe benefit?

www.thebookseller.com

I hope this is accessible. If not, let me know and I'll do edited highlights.

I've used up my one-a-month free access by reading the article on teens becoming uncomfortable with the amount of romantasy sex-spice they are finding in the latest trending YA novels (which should really be New Adult or emerging adult, imo. Like Fourth Wing or Court of Thorns and Roses).

 

[E G Logan]

OK, here we go.

Curtis Brown's Jonny Geller, doyen of London literary agents, resents that today agents are 'considered so outside the system'. (The Bookseller, today)

In a Comment article, he stresses that the idea of an agent as 'a middle person, a broker, a networker' is no longer accurate. Good literary agents, he says, 'discover the authors, nurture them, prepare their work through intensive editing and platform building and managing their expectations when they go to market.'

He defines what measures a good agent. 'How they work with the publisher to get the best results for their author. How can we push our author up the priority list of a busy publishing list? How can we remind the publisher about the investment they made after the auction; how can we help keep the ship together after a storm?'

He goes on: ' I see publishing a new book as a meteor hurtling to earth. When pieces start flying off as we get closer to publication (the bookseller didn’t like the cover, there aren’t enough quotes on the back, the marketing spend is now purely digital etc), we have to keep it together and keep the faith among a large team.'

The job of an agent is '... to be the author in the room when they are not in the room. Our job is to make sure the books we believed in, edited, prepared and invested in (our time is our investment) is repaid by a diligent publisher, an ambitious marketing spend, a cover that is not like everything else, a publicity campaign that feels fresh and sales in the bookshops that match and exceed expectations.'

And he concludes: 'Publishing is a creative and commercial community but to ignore the role of the literary agent or treat it as a necessary evil is a disservice to the most important person in the chain – the author.'

 

[James Charles]

OK, here we go.

Curtis Brown's Jonny Geller, doyen of London literary agents, resents that today agents are 'considered so outside the system'. (The Bookseller, today)

In a Comment article, he stresses that the idea of an agent as 'a middle person, a broker, a networker' is no longer accurate. Good literary agents, he says, 'discover the authors, nurture them, prepare their work through intensive editing and platform building and managing their expectations when they go to market.'

He defines what measures a good agent. 'How they work with the publisher to get the best results for their author. How can we push our author up the priority list of a busy publishing list? How can we remind the publisher about the investment they made after the auction; how can we help keep the ship together after a storm?'

He goes on: ' I see publishing a new book as a meteor hurtling to earth. When pieces start flying off as we get closer to publication (the bookseller didn’t like the cover, there aren’t enough quotes on the back, the marketing spend is now purely digital etc), we have to keep it together and keep the faith among a large team.'

The job of an agent is '... to be the author in the room when they are not in the room. Our job is to make sure the books we believed in, edited, prepared and invested in (our time is our investment) is repaid by a diligent publisher, an ambitious marketing spend, a cover that is not like everything else, a publicity campaign that feels fresh and sales in the bookshops that match and exceed expectations.'

And he concludes: 'Publishing is a creative and commercial community but to ignore the role of the literary agent or treat it as a necessary evil is a disservice to the most important person in the chain – the author.'

Yeah. I queried him a year ago. No response. Per Pete's seminar, I'll re-query.

 

[Hannah F]

Yeah. I queried him a year ago. No response. Per Pete's seminar, I'll re-query.

He's got a massive list. Some very big names. He'll be a difficult catch.

 

[Pamela Jo]

OK, here we go.

Curtis Brown's Jonny Geller, doyen of London literary agents, resents that today agents are 'considered so outside the system'. (The Bookseller, today)

In a Comment article, he stresses that the idea of an agent as 'a middle person, a broker, a networker' is no longer accurate. Good literary agents, he says, 'discover the authors, nurture them, prepare their work through intensive editing and platform building and managing their expectations when they go to market.'

He defines what measures a good agent. 'How they work with the publisher to get the best results for their author. How can we push our author up the priority list of a busy publishing list? How can we remind the publisher about the investment they made after the auction; how can we help keep the ship together after a storm?'

He goes on: ' I see publishing a new book as a meteor hurtling to earth. When pieces start flying off as we get closer to publication (the bookseller didn’t like the cover, there aren’t enough quotes on the back, the marketing spend is now purely digital etc), we have to keep it together and keep the faith among a large team.'

The job of an agent is '... to be the author in the room when they are not in the room. Our job is to make sure the books we believed in, edited, prepared and invested in (our time is our investment) is repaid by a diligent publisher, an ambitious marketing spend, a cover that is not like everything else, a publicity campaign that feels fresh and sales in the bookshops that match and exceed expectations.'

And he concludes: 'Publishing is a creative and commercial community but to ignore the role of the literary agent or treat it as a necessary evil is a disservice to the most important person in the chain – the author.'

Fair enough, but it boils down to... "An agents job is to see the book makes money." That certainly is important to author and agent. The odd thing is it's often not THAT important to publishers which is what he is saying. It's almost like trade publishing was inefficient at it's ONE job.

 

[Hannah F]

Fair enough, but it boils down to... "An agents job is to see the book makes money." That certainly is important to author and agent. The odd thing is it's often not THAT important to publishers which is what he is saying. It's almost like trade publishing was inefficient at it's ONE job.

Oh, publishers certainly do want to make money, but if they have another book they deem a better gamble than yours, they will put all the effort Geller is talking about into that book and not yours. The midlist vs the super-lead author.