Lynn Jones Johnston
Literary Agent
Lynn Johnston Literary
#LiteraryAgent repping journalists, teachers, healers, thought leaders, fire breathers & all-around good people. Board @aalitagents. She/Her
Literary Agent
Joel Brigham @joelbrigham
In the end, that's what gets an agent interested. They want a book they can sell, and I don't think personalizing a query really gives them that in 95% of cases. Mostly, it's a waste of time for the person querying.9/?
Agree with this. Personalizing a query prob won’t help much. It’s going to come down the concept, writing, platform.
(But make sure the agent reps your category.) #amquerying #pubtip
Literary Agent
-Have proposal/ms ready to go before querying agents so you can send requested materials right away.
-Your 1st ms might not be your 1st published book.
-Don't be afraid to follow-up (gently) if you don't hear from an agent. #pubtip #amquerying
Literary Agent
Eric Smith @ericsmithrocks
Writing non-fiction? I'm back with some more free resources.FIGHT MAGIC ITEMS by @adribbleofink publishes next week, and we've got a breakdown of the actual proposal that sold the book.
We dig into explaining platform, the market, all that good stuff. ericsmithrocks.com/blog/2022/9/27… pic.twitter.com/s23D7TzjxA
Check out @ericsmithrocks’s breakdown of a winning book proposal and master class for aspiring NF authors.
(Also tickled to see Jeff Ryan’s Super Mario listed as a comp book in the proposal.) #amquerying #amwriting #pubtip
Literary Agent
Lynn Johnston @lynnjohnstonlit
#Authors, payout is WHEN you get advance $. Don't overlook this deal point.Half was norm 20 yrs ago b4 it went to thirds. Then quarters w/ large advances but now norm for most advances. Recently, fifths(!) entered the pic. You see where this is going. twitter.com/JohnHMaher/sta…
For authors who live off their advance, this is a real problem since your first payment has to support you while finishing your ms. Front load if possible, e.g. 50% on-signing, 25% acceptance, 25% pub. #pubtip
Literary Agent
Met today with one of my fav ghostwriters. #Writers, there should be no shame in outside help to make your writing the best it can be. Knowing the range of services will help you match what you need. #pubtip #anwriting 🧵
Literary Agent
Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura @Rrrrnessa
There's studies that show like 70% of men don't read very often or almost ever and at least 30-40% haven't read a book since high school and it's just something I've always found fascinating particularly how often they seem to have opinions on all the books they don't read.The majority of book buyers are women across the board and esp in Advice/Self Help. If you have a book that will help men be better, it's got to appeal to the women in their lives to buy it for them. #pubtip
Literary Agent
Lynn Jones Johnston @lynnjohnstonlit
...take on a project that doesn't check all 3 boxes. Most agents are specialists even if it's not obvious. That's why querying authors should pay close attn to submission guidelines. Does the agent rep adult or children/YA? Mostly fiction or NF?2/3
What specific genres in fiction or NF do they gravitate towards? There are lots of shades here. Look at past books and profile of their authors as guides. Get good at reading nuance to find the right match. #pubtip
3/3
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Lynn Jones Johnston @lynnjohnstonlit
If you're working on a NF book proposal, you're prob focused on editorial. Fair enough, but don't skimp on the publishing side. 3 Qs to answer:Who's going to buy your book
Will they buy a book on the topic
How will they know about your book
These questions translate into the following sections
Readership
Comp Books
Platform/Marketing
Create separate sections, combine them, or integrate them into your overview. It's up to you as long as you address the Qs somewhere. #amwriting #pubtip
Literary Agent
Lynn Jones Johnston @lynnjohnstonlit
A project I placed last year with a mid-6-figure advance at 5-bidder auction got 11 passes. Another project with a healthy 6-figure advance in a 4-bidder auction had 13 passes. Some projects get 1-2 bidders. No project pleases everyone.Many factors contribute: They like it but don't love it. It's too similar to something else they publish. Someone on the team isn't into it. My point is, you're going to get rejections. Lots of them. Prepare yourself. Ultimately you only need ONE. #pubtip
Literary Agent
Lynn Jones Johnston @lynnjohnstonlit
As a marketing document, the overview not only must reflect your craft and content but also sell it/you. This is why you need to break the 4th wall and speak directly to publishers in the overview in the way you wouldn't in an intro.What gets confusing is sometimes book proposals will have an overview and then include the intro as a sample chapter. This is fine if the content is expressed different enough but if it's close, then I'd choose another sample. #Pubtip
Literary Agent
#Pubtip I just read the introduction to a forthcoming book & recognized a lot of the material from the overview of the original book proposal. If you get tripped up over the diff btwn a book intro & overview, you're not alone.
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Laura Portwood-Stacer (she/her) @lportwoodstacer
Need to summarize your book chapters for a book proposal or for that little outline of chapters at the end of yr bk’s intro?It can feel like a tedious task but it’s helpful for getting clarity on how your book is built & how the reader will experience it.
Here’s how to do it:
Chapter summaries are the necessary evil of book proposals. They can’t seal the deal alone but done right, show you have enough depth for a whole book. #pubtip
Literary Agent
Margaret McDeadlines Owen @what_eats_owls
Since I see more authors moving into merchandising (which is imho cool!!) a quick reminder that, unless you have a separate written agreement with the people who did your cover/title design, using either of those for commercial purposes puts you in dicy territory!Also, make sure your publishing agreement excludes merchandising and paper product rights. It’s also a good idea to state the author reserves all rights not otherwise specified. #pubtip
Literary Agent
I'm closed to submissions until early Jan as are many other agents. #Pubtip it's a good habit to check agency websites/SM before querying but esp over the holidays. In the meantime, here's what you can do while waiting:
Literary Agent
Lynn Jones Johnston @lynnjohnstonlit
I passed on a well-written proposal with a promising premise. The issue has to do with familiarity editors feel when considering projects. On many topics, the editor has probably seen some version in dozens of proposals & even books she's edited.The challenge is to stand out. You don't have to present totally new ground BUT you do have to present a fresh take. Do you have a new way to tell the story? Is your conclusion counterintuitive? Highlight the freshest, most unexpected aspects. #pubtip
Literary Agent
Lynn Jones Johnston @lynnjohnstonlit
Authors, if you see a rival book being published, hope with all your heart for its success. I recently submitted a project to an editor whom I thought would love it. She did. But her group published last year a book with overlapping themes that didn’t sell…Meaning my submission was a non starter there. The lesson is a good seller hurts no one & as a comp, paves the way for similar books, whereas a poor seller can wreck the category for everyone. TLDR: Wish other authors well. #pubtip
Literary Agent
Literary Agent
Laura Portwood-Stacer, Jeopardy Champ (she/her) @lportwoodstacer
A lot of ppl will *only* read the introduction in an academic book. If you want them to cite your contributions and/or tell other ppl abt them, you’ve got to clearly state the takeaway(s) right there in the intro#Pubtip: Write your book intro last or plan to rewrite after you're done with the ms. The intro has to do A LOT: set up the argument, tease & intrigue, establish you as a credible messenger.