Writers Chat, hosted by Johnnie Alexander, Brandy Brow, and Melissa Stroh, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!
“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”
How to be a Writer Editors, Agents, and Publishers Love with Literary Agent Chip McGregor
We want editors, agents, and publishers to love our writing. So we submit our “book from God” to everyone. We polish our manuscripts and practice our pitch for that important face-to-face meeting. Some of us have navigated the submission maze and found our publishing home. Yay! What could go wrong? Plenty if you forget to consider your conduct. Literary agent Chip MacGregor draws on his decades of experience in the publishing industry to share his insights on how to be (and not be) the kind of writer editors, agents, and publishers love.
Watch the July 16th replay
Chip MacGregor is the president of MacGregor and Luedeke (LEE-duh-key) and former publisher with the Time-Warner Book Group and Hachette. He’s handled more than a thousand book contracts and represented titles on nearly every bestseller list, hitting #1 with the New York Times and USA Today. When he was in first grade, he hurried home one day and told his Scottish immigrant mother, “When I grow up, I’m going to be a book guy!” After four decades in the business, he has managed to do exactly that
MidYear Look-Back: A Roundtable Discussion with Writers Chat Community
In this open mic episode, the Writers Chat community engages in a round table discussion reviewing episodes from the first half of 2024. This discussion included some fan favorites via categories like fiction, nonfiction, and marketing, just to name a few. We hope you enjoy and are encouraged by the episodes that encouraged us.
Watch the July 23rd replay
Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. The permanent Zoom room link is: http://zoom.us/j/4074198133
Interpersonal relationships are at the heart of how authors work with book editors and literary agents. Every communication builds a relationship. Almost immediately I can sense when an author feels entitled or is pushy. Inside I’m asking if this attitude will transfer to my publishing colleagues.
As an acquisitions editor, I am often the first connection between an author and our publishing house. Every day I’m actively looking for great books (and authors) to publish. While the negative interaction will be lasting, you can also make a positive impact on this publishing professional with your submission.
Here’s five traits to standout and meet the needs:
First, deliver an appropriate proposal with solid writing and great storytelling. Not every pitch is right for every editor or agent. Before you hit send, make sure your work is in the best possible shape for submission. As an editor, I have a number of behind-the-scenes actions I do with each submission to get them into our internal system. I’ve had a number of authors who submit, then including some excuse will send a revised submission (which makes a negative first impression and increased work for me). Don’t submit to the same editor or agent multiple times. Once should do it.
Second, understand and know how to reach your target reader. However you publish, you will need to handle the bulk of the marketing. Every writer can learn this skill but it will take focused effort. The more connections you have when you approach an editor, the better. Every book has a specific target audience and is not for “everyone.” Narrow your market so you are gearing for a specific age or type of reader, then send your submission to editors who publish other books for this audience.
Third, meet your deadlines with your manuscript—even if self-imposed. Authors are notoriously late and being late throws off many things inside the publishing house. If you meet or exceed your deadline, you will stand out. Throughout my many years as an editor, I have heard every excuse about why the author needs an extension. As an author, I have stayed up all night and written to meet a deadline and then that morning I went to a full-time job outside my home. Part of being a professional is to meet the deadline.
Fourth, craft a complete and engaging book proposal (pitch). Use my free checklist to make sure you cover every part: http//terrylinks.com/bookcheck. If your submission is missing elements, it will add to the editor’s work and correspondence plus delay getting your submission to move forward internally toward a decision and possible contract. Editors and agents are looking for quality and complete submissions.
Fifth and finally, always be growing and trying new efforts to reach new readers and sell more books. Some of your efforts will fail but you will learn from the journey (as all of us do). Here’s a free resource for you to learn and grow. Formerly on Dragon’s Den (the Canadian forerunner of Shark Tank), Dave Chilton is the creator of a nonfiction book marketing course and has sold millions of books. Watch some of his videos for free at: http://bit.ly/chiltonmethod Chilton attributes part of his success to continued experimentation.
As a writer, you can follow a similar path and following these insights will turn you into a desirable or dream author.
