F.A.Q
• What is your agency looking for in book projects you take on?
• I'm speaking with agents at several agencies. What is distinctive about your agency?
• How quickly can I expect to hear from you?
• Can I submit projects to more than one agent within the agency simultaneously?
• What if I have a good idea, and the material to produce a book with wide appeal but need a writer's help?
• Will I be consulted before any decision is made about my book?
• Should I complete my manuscript before I contact you?
• Does your agency accept projects that represent only one political viewpoint?
Questions Frequently Asked By Academics
• Will you help me publish my dissertation?
• If I've previously published only with university presses, will you advise me on the advantages and disadvantages of moving to commercial publishing?
• I've been approached by the sales rep of a textbook publisher to write a textbook. Do I need an agent?
For more about agents or any other aspect of the publishing process, see Thinking Like Your Editor.
What is your agency looking for in book projects you take on?
For serious nonfiction, a new idea backed up by solid research and outstanding author credentials.
For narrative nonfiction or memoir, a good story, good storytelling abilities, and an understanding that successful narratives must do more than dramatically describe an event; they must allow the reader to extract broad meaning from that event. Remember F. Scott Fitzgerald's contemptuous putdown of a fellow author's work: "It is, after all, only personal."
For self-help books, an author recognized as a voice in the field, along with a demonstrated need for a new book on the topic.
For textbooks, an author who currently teaches or has taught the course.
An important asset for all authors is a platform (public appearances, magazine articles, or even personal involvement in an issue of current controversy) that establishes the author's name with the core audience the book will be trying to reach. Back to top
I'm speaking with agents at several agencies. What is distinctive about your agency?
As a group, we have decades of in-house experience, in both scholarly and commercial publishing, and on the marketing as well as on the editorial side. The textbook Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Nonfiction and Get it Published, by Susan Rabiner and Al Fortunato, is a standard in the industry and is regularly recommended by editors to would-be authors (see Harvard University Press's website, among many others).
This agency takes a far more active role than most agencies in helping you focus your project so that it has a potential to attract a solid readership, and then crafting a submission package that will convey this potential to editors looking to publish in your field. If we take you on as an author, we will work with you for as long as it takes to get the submission package right and then remain your partner through every stage of the publishing process, including title, flap copy, jacket design, publicity and promotion. Back to top
How quickly can I expect to hear from you?
You can expect a "no" very quickly, often within a few days. If we are interested, we often respond by email or by phone expressing our interest. We may at that time offer to represent you, or we may request certain additional information about you or your project. In any case, we will let you know where we stand within two to four weeks. Back to top
Can I submit projects to more than one agent within the agency simultaneously?
Here's a better idea: If you are unsure about which one of us might be the very best agent for you, email any one of us, describing the book you propose to write. We'll tell you who within the agency has the best background in your topic area and would be the most receptive to taking on your project. Back to top
What if I have a good idea, and the material to produce a book with wide appeal
but need a writer's help?
Not all authors are comfortable working with writers, but if you do need to be paired up to assure the strongest presentation of your ideas, we know the people to go to. Back to top
Will I be consulted before any decision is made about my book?
Absolutely. Nothing will be submitted to any publisher without your approval. After submission, interested editors often ask to meet the author before they make an offer. We will discuss with you what will likely come up at these meetings, and if you wish come along with you. Once an offer is on the table, we will talk with you about the strengths and weaknesses of the houses that have shown interest. Back to top
Should I complete my manuscript before I contact you?
A firm "no." Editors do not have the time to read entire manuscripts, most of which they will end up passing on. As well, even with projects they take on, editors want a chance to influence an author's thinking about how the final book should be structured. Initially they want to see a proposal, a table of contents, and a writing sample or no more than 25 to 30 pages at most, and we will help you put these materials together. Back to top
Does your agency accept projects that represent only one political viewpoint?
We are receptive to all fully researched and well-reasoned projects that educate the reading public on topics of general interest. The agency is open to ideas originating at all points along the political spectrum. Our agents have their own individual preferences, but no project will ever be accepted or rejected by the agency because of its politics. Back to top
Will you help me publish my dissertation?
We take on very few authors based on their dissertations, but if we believe your dissertation can be revised into a book for the general reader, we will work with you to convert it into a trade book. On more than one occasion, we have obtained six-figure advances for books that started life as dissertation.
We will also represent you with the university presses for publication of your dissertation if we believe that your future books will have broader commercial appeal. If you are an academic on a tenure track, we will discuss with you another consideration: even if commercial houses are interested in your work, you may wish to limit submission of your dissertation to university presses to avoid compromising your professional path. Back to top
If I've previously published only with university presses, will you advise me on the advantages and disadvantages of moving to commercial publishing?
Yes we will. You may, however, be surprised by our advice. There are situations where the top university presses can publish your work better than the trade houses and in those situations we will place you with one of those houses. All the top university presses know us well.
If we feel you are better served by moving to a commercial publishing house, we will explain why and help you make the transition. Back to top
I've been approached by the sales rep of a textbook publisher to write a textbook. Do I need an agent?
A textbook contract can be even more complex to negotiate than a general book contract. A text book author will be entering into a long-term relationship with a publisher, one that involves future revised editions, foreign editions, ancillary materials, permissions, grants, and more. Royalties vary widely in text book publishing, as does the level and payout schedule of the advance. An agent familiar with textbook publishing will invariably get you a stronger contract and a larger advance. Maybe most important, if you find yourself at loggerheads with the publisher at any point in the process an agent will be able to negotiate a better resolution than an author. Back to top
