January 2012 Archives

Last year, the lovely and generous Anita Mumm of the Nelson Literary Agency in Denver answered questions from the graduate students in my memoir writing workshop. 

This year, she was kind enough to do it again.  (Different students, different questions--different moment in publishing.)

I particularly like the Nelson Literary Agency because they offer an alternative to the notion that everything related to publishing happens in New York.  In fact, plenty of strong presses, agencies, and publicity firms work in the West, Midwest, and other regions.  (Though I have a New York agent, my terrific publicist works out of Arizona.) 

I particularly like Anita Mumm (photo by Daniel Hirsh) because she's thoughtful, knowledgeable, smart, and honest.  Here are her thoughts.

Caitie Liebman:  What is the most common piece of advice, guidance, or command you give your clients?

One of the most common pieces of advice our agents give to clients is to keep writing. Even after you've succeeded in getting an agent and published one or more successful books, there is no guarantee about the success of future ones. The market is fickle, trends come and go, and dozens of factors determine the success or failure of a given title. So if your goal is to make a living as a writer,  treat it like a job, not a hobby. Finish your book, celebrate, and start on the next one. Incidentally, that's the same advice we give to writers who are having no luck finding an agent. Maybe you're just not pitching the right book.

Another piece of advice: build your brand. In other words, get your name out as a writer on your website, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Self-marketing is a skill that is becoming increasingly vital for writers, whether they are self-pubbing or working with a major publishing house.

Nicole Greene: What (if there is one) is the typical training/experience of a literary agent?  What is your own educational background or training, and how did that lead you to work with a literary agency?

Agents come from a variety of backgrounds, but some things they often have in common are an English or Literature degree, a publishing course (e.g. a Master's program or other intensive course), and experience at a publishing house or other business linked to the publishing industry. I should also note that many agents are also writers; these interests go hand in hand.

In our case, Kristin Nelson attended the University of Denver Publishing Institute and worked for another agent before starting Nelson Literary Agency. Sara Megibow (associate agent at NLA) focused on Women's Studies at Northwestern University before becoming a literary assistant and then an agent. My background is in linguistics, French, and teaching ESL. Plus a lifetime of hard-core reading experience and passion for language. . .
I'm pretty sure that was what got me the job. :)

Kathy Samuelson: How long does it usually take for an agent to accept a client--assuming that the agent likes a writer's work?

In general, if an agent is immediately taken with a writer's work and feels there will be competition for it, she will request samples or a full manuscript almost immediately. So, the period between submission of a query and signing by an agent can be as short as a couple of weeks to a month. However, if an agent is on the fence (because she loves a project but questions its commercial viability, for example), she may continue to think about it for a few months. Most projects fall somewhere in between.

Laurie Weber: Do you ever take on clients based on a partially written work (memoir or novel), or would you always recommend that an unpublished writer complete his/her project before soliciting an agent?

Unpublished writers should definitely complete their project before submitting. It is extremely rare for an agent to offer rep based on an unfinished novel/memoir unless the author has strong publishing experience or is famous.

Vanessa Languis: If the author writes in different genres, does the agent represent all of his/her work, or are there agents that only deal with one specific genre?

Agents can't represent every genre (they would spread themselves too thin), so they choose several to specialize in. Most authors prefer to work with one agent, so I strongly advise you to do your research when deciding which agents to approach with your project. If you write in multiple genres, target agents who handle all of them.

It sometimes happens, though, that authors decide to write in a new genre later in their career. If it's a genre the current agent doesn't handle, an author may need to look for a second agent, but it is important to be honest and up front with both agents during this process.

Gabriel Houck: Are you aware of non-contract agreements between agents and writers,  and is this a prevalent practice in the industry?  Also, is there a market for agents to represent writers whose work is primarily short and not book-length?

No, I'm not aware of any non-contract agreements, and in general, I would not advise writers (or agents) to undertake one.

Yes, there are agents who represent novellas and short stories (especially collections). Nelson Literary Agency is not one of them, but you can search www.agentquery.com for a list of agents who handle these forms.

Wendy Oleson: What are the advantages to being outside NYC?  How did you make (and how do you maintain) your connections with NYC editors/houses?

No subway trains to miss! :)

While all of us here at the agency love New York, we prefer the more laid-back atmosphere of the West (and our weekends in the Rockies!). Email and other technology allow an increasing number of non-NY agents to communicate quickly and effectively from afar with editors and clients all over the world (we can even Skype if we want the "face to face" experience). In addition to this, Kristin usually spends at least a month in New York every summer, meeting with publishers and editors and other industry professionals, and our staff frequently travels around the country and abroad to meet colleagues and writers at conferences.

~

Anita signed off with these final comments:

"These were great questions, and I was delighted to answer them based on my experience at a literary agency.  For more information on agents and publishing, a couple of good resources are www.agentquery.com, www.publishersmarketplace.com, and www.pred-ed.com.  Happy writing!"