My services help aspiring authors to address the inherent commercial risks in your book project—before you submit it to literary agents or book publishers directly.
Representing and publishing your work is a financial risk for agents and publishers!
Despite the understandable impatience of almost every client I have ever worked with, the publishing industry moves at a glacial pace. Publishing is a commercial business, which means that each decision to acquire a book carries financial risk.
Book publishing is also a food chain: literary agents take a financial risk when taking on a client because they cannot guarantee they’ll be able to sell the book proposal to an editor at a publishing house. Therefore agents also take time to consider proposals and manuscripts, reviewing them against commercial criteria as well as against their personal taste.
It’s all very frustrating to prospective authors, but completely reasonable from the decision-makers’ perspective. And it’s the reason why I decided to focus on helping authors improve their appeal to agents and publishers before they submit their book proposal and agent query letter.
Who are my services for?
- Some of my clients are academics looking to take their message to a broader audience beyond peer-reviewed journals and the university presses.
- Others are professionals with multiple qualifications and a thriving private practice, who are understandably frustrated by how little they understand about the publishing industry.
- And sometimes they are authors who have already published a book outside the USA, but who need practical information and constructive advice about getting published in the USA.
How do my services reduce the risks that agents and publishers see in your book proposal?
The type of people who talk to me about working together tend to recognise the value of the following activities:
- refining your key message/ idea for the general audience (as distinct from your academic or professional peer group)
- conducting a platform audit of your existing audience/readership
- planning and executing the development of your ideal audience/readership
- researching a shortlist of target publications, websites, podcasts, and social channels that your ideal reader uses and engages with regularly
- making sure your book’s outline properly reflects your key message and tells a compelling story
- researching competitor / complementary titles in order to help define the ground of your work and distinguish the territory of your expertise
- identifying story ideas and collaborating editorially on shorter pieces for publication, whether it’s opinion pieces for newspapers, features for magazines/websites, or posts for LinkedIn
- editing to remove the ‘scaffolding’ of academic discourse and encouraging your natural storytelling voice to emerge
- agent/publishing strategy
- agent research.
A range of services to suit the different stages of your project
As you will see from the descriptions below, my services range from a one-off deep-dive consult (Author Strategy Session) and a detailed Book proposal edit (for those who have already drafted one), to a four-step submissions process for those ready to query literary agents and book publishers, and ongoing coaching for those who need more time or guidance to develop their ideas, proposal, platform, or confidence ahead of the submissions process.
I have a long history as a book editor, literary agent, social justice advocate, and as the author of two traditionally published works of nonfiction. I am passionate about helping useful ideas and driven experts get their message to a broader audience. I can help you too.
I’d love to learn more about your project. If you’re not sure about how I might help you achieve your goal of publication, let’s have a no-obligation chat.
Author strategy session
Submitting your query to literary agents and book publishers can be a lonely, time-consuming and frustrating process. My Author Strategy Session is designed for writers who want constructive feedback and personalized suggestions from a publishing professional before or during their agent search.
A four-step program of editorial support and agent research for writers seeking to query literary agents. Maximize your chance of success by ensuring your query materials are of industry standard and will be going to the most relevant agents for your project.
Literary agent submissions package
Book proposal edit
You’ve worked hard putting together a book proposal, and you’re keen to send it out to literary agents and book publishers. Wouldn’t it be great to have an industry professional cast an experienced but constructive eye over your draft before you send it out, so you can feel confident that your book proposal is in the best possible shape? That’s what I offer in my Book Proposal Edit, designed for nonfiction subject experts.
You’ve been trying to write your book for a long time. You have an idea, a message, and an audience who needs to hear it. Unfortunately, life has a habit of getting in the way. Between building your professional life, maintaining your relationships, being a carer—your dream of publishing a book still feels too far away. But you also know the credibility and authority that a book will bring you. How will you get it done?
It’s time to consider working with a mentor to finish your book proposal, so you can make progress towards your goal of being a traditionally published author. You need someone with publishing expertise, someone who’s actually written a book and understands the industry, to guide you from a hot mess of notes to a clear concept and solid chapter outline, so that you can complete your book proposal with confidence.
