3.10 a week in the life of a literary agent
This week is the London Book Fair, but I am in NYC, attending several author events!
My recent posts about LBF and rights include an interview with a literary scout:
Anonymous Scout Interview
Within book publishing, the job of the scout can be the hardest to explain. I’ll often speak with people who’ve been working within publishing for a few years who still don’t entirely understand who the scouts work for and what they do.
And an explanation of subsidiary rights:
What Are Your Rights
In honor of the forthcoming book fairs (London Book Fair in March and Bologna Children’s Book Fair end of March through early April), I’m writing an explainer post about rights: foreign rights and subsidiary rights, specifically.
Both for paid subscribers. An annual subscription is only $40 through the weekend.
Here’s my February week for the curious. Let’s go!
Monday
I’m in the office, so day starts with water-cooler chat about our weekends: I saw Paul Mescal in A Streetcar Named Desire1 and the Moby-Dick opera and had lunch with Nicholas Russell, who was in NYC.
I send notes on a contract, have a morning meeting, and then get lunch with my colleague; afternoon is spent prepping a submission and going through my query inbox. I send out this post:
I make shells in vodka sauce & an arugula salad for dinner.
Tuesday
I take my bike out for its inaugural spring spins around Prospect Park. Creaky but lovely.
Happy publication day to Liquid: A Love Story by Mariam Rahmani!
Office again today. After catching up on emails I sit in on a publicity call then have lunch with an editor; in the afternoon I get coffee with Mariam who’s in town for her event. I ordered too much food at lunch accidentally so eat the other half before going to Books Are Magic for Liquid’s launch. She has a standing-room only crowd!
I miss the Tables of Contents event for Olivia’s Mutual Interest but do highly recommend the series if you’ve never been.
Partner and I eat some pomelo and I contemplate buying this Aesop face wash from a comment on Fran Hoepfner’s recent post but refrain.
Wednesday
Wake up, exercise, smoothie. I’m working from home today and miraculously, neither the construction on the street or on the first floor of the building is happening today!
I do some submission planning work and read. In the afternoon I join a zoom about event coordination for a summer book. I think about my recent least popular post. I think about another recent trend and write a note. I do some work for the AALA DEI committee’s summer panels for fellows and interns.
After work I head over to the Center for Fiction. Jinwoo Chong is promoting I Leave It Up to You in conversation with the also-excellent Gina Chung; the actual-famous-person BD Wong read some of the opening chapter! Very cool. Gina called I Leave It Up to You “gay Moonstruck meets Kim’s Convenience” so if that doesn’t convince you to buy a copy I don’t know what will.
Thursday
Wake up & read. I meet with an author to discuss edits then work in the office.
I send out this post:
Working with film agents
Did you watch the Oscar’s recently and wonder how books get adapted and made into movies? There’s a whole industry around this type of adaptation; but the first step starts with a film agent.
I have a Sweetgreen giftcard I use for lunch. A couple things that I’ve been chasing come through today (everybody’s working on the prekend.2) I read through the queries & first pages for a conference I’m doing next weekend; I will have 13 meetings.
I see these pretty snowdrops on my walk home from the subway:
Friday
Exercise, start reading. Construction is happening in surround sound today. I continue the work for the AALA and the conference. More contract work. More chasing. More queries. I set up some meetings & calls for next week.
I make lunch today; fiancé works from home on Fridays.
Look at my stack of pink spring titles!
If you like these and want to support my work, I’m running a spring special (35% off annual subscriptions)
Currently reading: The Shipping News by Annie Proulx.
Author teaches me this term today