Step Up Your Pen Game - The Literary Lobbyist

Often, I am asked about what I look for in prospective clients. Over the past several years I have tweaked my response as I continue to learn more about content development, platform building, negotiations, and managing author expectations and career moves.

When I first started, I was passionate about wanting to represent celebrities. I just had to have an A-lister memoir on my roster. I learned soon after, that most don’t write their own books. I knew I wanted to work with the talent that enjoys writing and did so frequently. If you love to write and you are truly good at it, you don’t need to have the perfect book idea. As a publishing professional, I can work with you to create a concept that suits your brand.

My first client was an entertainment editor and he penned a music biography, Nicki Minaj: Hip Pop Moments 4 Life. He came to the table with writing chops and an audience. I gave him the book idea based on his most recent interviews that season. Another client is a Washington Post sportswriter who penned an article that became the #2 most shared long-form article of 2013. I approached him with an idea that was an extension of the article he wrote. His debut book, Not a Game: The Incredible Rise and Unthinkable Fall of Allen Iverson named ‘one of the best sportsbooks of 2015’ by Publisher’s Weekly and was shortlisted for a PEN Literary Award. With both of these clients, I was able to sell their debut books in a few months. The secret in my success has now been to find bloggers, journalists or lay persons who own furious pen game.

Clubhouse an Audio-Only Networking Gem for Authors

It’s important to me that I represent someone who is a strong, smart and consistent writer. I look at the blogger who manages to land byline articles with The New Yorker, The Undefeated, Salon, 21 Ninety and XONecole, while dedicating an entry a day to his or her own site; the sports journalist who pens 3-5 articles for their newspaper a week and knows all the players in that space as well as the writer who engages their audience in the way the Beyhive goes hard in the paint for Beyonce.

Prior to her debut release, I had the chance to lunch in Chicago with blogger, activist and digital strategist Luvvie Ajayi, author of the bestselling I’m Judging You: The Do Better Manual which was published in the Fall of 2016 by Henry Holt & Co. Luvvie is an awesome talent and insanely funny. She describes herself as a Wacky Wordsmith. Pop Culture PrimaDonna. Side-Eye Sorceress. Bodacious Blogger. Witch of Wit. She is all of these and more. Her writing becomes the talk of many a lunch, brunch and booze section. She speaks the truth in such an engaging way that I became a fan instantly. Luvvie shared how she got her first book deal. Her agent reached out and said he was a fan of her blog and loved her writing.

This sort of voracious writer will always land on the radar of agents and editors and often will land a book deal if they truly desire. As agents, we are always searching the web looking for fresh talent. If you have a voice, an area of expertise, a strong opinion backed by sharp writing, odds are you are closer than you think to publishing a book. The road to discover is in your writing frequency and audience engagement. That’s how I will find you.