4.14 a week in the life of a literary agent
Happy Spring! Went to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden over the weekend for the cherry blossoms but was most dazzled by this camellia around the Flatbush entrance:
On Friday I posted a follow-up to ‘why agents reject requested manuscripts’:
A lot of people are out of office this week with school spring break closures and the two holidays. A good week for editing and reading.
With certain details deleted or obscured to protect my clients’ privacy, here’s a week in my life as a literary agent. Here’s my March week for the curious.
Monday
Exercise, yogurt and granola, at home desk by 9. I answer emails, have a morning zoom, and work on an edit. I get good news! I get bad news: the publishing scammer is impersonating me with a fake gmail account asking for manuscripts. Filippo is back.
Leftovers for lunch. In the afternoon I continue my edits for a smart bookclub book. I walk to dinner with a friend, listening to Sigrid Nunez’s The Friend on the way.
Tuesday
I bike at the gym and then go into the office at 9:15. Emails, chasing, chasing for money. I pick up a signed copy of Audition by Katie Kitamura that I preordered from Yu & Me Books. I eat different leftovers for lunch at my desk while reading. Some of my coworkers take a walk at lunch and tell me they discuss what each of their ‘resting faces’ at the office are; mine was voted as “this better be good or this better be fast.”
After lunch I close a deal that’s been in the works awhile, hooray! I handle some client logistics and go through my query inbox. After work, I join some colleagues at a book event for SLL author Ashlee Piper. Fun convo and the book sounds great. My fiancé’s got dinner on the table when I return.1
Wednesday
Stretch, smoothie. I usually make a berry smoothie but this week I’ve been trying to recreate Taïm’s date-lime-banana smoothie. My memory of this smoothie (which Taïm no longer sells) is always better than what I make.2
I send out this post:
Two authors have turned in partial manuscripts that need feedback. I send out some blurb requests for a great novel publishing next year. On my lunch break I go food shopping. I spend some hours reading client work, and after dinner (I make Thai green curry tofu & broccoli), I read some requested manuscripts.
Thursday
Fiancé’s up early today (work trip out of state) so we have coffee together and then I take a walk around the neighborhood and enjoy the sun! Then into the office —
After our all-staff meeting I clean out my inbox to 23 unread messages (not including queries) and handle some issues.
I meet Nina Michiko Tam for lunch!
I do some organizing for the month ahead and continue reading. A translation offer for a backlist3 title comes in:
I pick up Indian takeout on the way home and watch the first three episodes of The Gilded Age.
Friday
The pool where I swim is closed for cleaning so I bike to a different YMCA and swim there; I get a knafeh and bike back.
I’ve set aside today to start my edit of a literary novel I love. Fridays are easiest for sustained deep-thinking work. I do answer some emails and schedule some calls for next week — but I’m sending this off now so I can edit for a few more hours.
A quiet week; a lot of people in the industry are away. I hope you all have a lovely weekend. I hope to start Audition.
Last WITL with fiancé content.
Is it the ice? We aren’t an ice household.
Not a new release, but still in print.