Here’s a typical story about an author’s meeting in New York with his agent and publisher.
The author was in his 30’s and this was his first book. He was from Oregon and he was thrilled about the meeting, his first experience at this sort of thing. But his agent, an excellent former colleague of mine, was concerned. She told me that he was excited about the meeting–not because he would learn a lot, be in a place to freely talk about his journey as an author, ask questions, and make suggestions. No, he was excited because he had a fantasy version of what an agent does. He was expecting some kind of dramatic showdown, in which his agent would put on her helmet and shield and kick ass.
That’s not how it turned out.
First, the author saw how hard his publisher had worked on his book and how much they believed in him. He also came to realize, based on everything he saw around him, that he was not the only author they had. He and his agent had many questions and ideas, but none were accusations. The author wanted a prominent ad in the New York Times. The publisher explained that these ads are expensive and would eat up too much of the budget. They would get far more bang for their buck if they used the money more strategically. The agent asked about summer reading tables in bookstores. They said that they were unable to get that for the first book, but that book had done well enough that they would consider doing it for the second book. Those things are usually paid for by the publisher and they can’t do it for every single author. There is only so much room. Plus the bookstore has to agree to do it.
The publisher made useful suggestions about the author’s website, which wasn’t as up to date as it should be. They also asked about a pub date that might need to be moved. The author balked at that, and the agent backed him up with firm, logical and articulate arguments. But she didn’t shout or say anything nasty or expect the moon. Instead, they talked it out and reached a reasonable solution.
The author came away with a new understanding. He saw that publishing is a collaborative effort. He got some things he wanted, but not everything.
Of course, it doesn’t always go that way. I had a meeting where the author was so demanding and insulting that they canceled her contract. (I then dropped the author.) She landed back on her feet with a different publisher, but after that she was never heard from again. And there is another story about an agent who was so obnoxious that the publisher told the author they refused to work with that agent any longer. The author stayed with her agent and they went to another publisher, but she and the agent later parted company.
The point is that ideally, everyone is on the same team, with the same goal. And what is that goal? Guess:
A. Make the author happy
B. Keep the author in her place
C. Sell books.
D. Call out the publisher about what they’re doing wrong
I’m not going to tell you the answer. Think about it.
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