A Day in the Life of Literary Agent Natasha Kern

  

First, I want to wish all of Seekerville a HAPPY BIRTHDAY.  What an awesome blog and group this is and what a change in those seven years in both the industry and the growing success for each of the writers. J  

I said I would write this blog to celebrate your birthday quite a while ago, months ago.  I did ask that my blog come at the end of October because I know what an intense month that always is for me:  ACFW is closely followed by the Frankfurt Bookfair (meaning sales packets to all foreign agents) combined with the need to get all fall submissions out in time for editors to read and respond by Thanksgiving.  Plus stacks of fall royalties arrive in early October.  Plus, plans for Christmas releases and promotions for our e-pubbed books.   Gulp!  And meanwhile, all the other agency work continues with offers, contracts and even more, unexpected problems of all kinds. 

So it wasn’t a surprise to hear from Ruthy and Mary that my blog was due now which, of course, I had not even thought about let alone written.  I started to explain to Ruthy what I was doing that might prevent me from being able to write the blog and that my #1 priority had to be my clients.  I wrote an off-the-top of my head list quickly because it was what was on my most urgent "TO-DO" list for that very day (not long-term projects or secondary TO-DOs like revamp the website or send group emails to clients about what is happening in the industry and market, particularly with Amazon Unlimited, which I try to do regularly).   I dashed this off and sent it to Ruthy and she said:  DO THIS!  

I think a lot of writers are really vague on what exactly agents do every day and why they seem to be so busy.  I said, “It isn’t on the theme of sevens”.   She said, “We don’t care so much about that as we do about your insider perspective.”   So you can blame Ruthy if you wanted something else!  Here it is—the day in my life which was last Wednesday.  Of course, some of these things like negotiations flow over several days or even weeks while a few are taken care of immediately.  One thing you can discern is that my workday is highly interrupt-driven because I really don’t know what will happen next whether a book will hit bestseller list (and film folks start calling) or submissions are rejected or an auction is suddenly brewing.  There really is no routine day and, of course, I love that! J

1.        I developed an offer from an editor/publisher for a client who had previously been dropped by the house because her sales were not strong enough. She IS a good writer so I talked with her editor about her writing in a different genre under a pseudonym so her numbers would not follow her to a new contract.   Today, we worked out how that would happen in a three book deal (at same advance as before
2. An author is being dropped by an ABA publisher precisely for lack of enough sales.  Her books were published in hardcover and sold more to libraries than through bookstores so they didn’t want to publish a TP edition for her second book or acquire the third.  I worked out a delay in making this decision until mid-January because there are a lot of promotions and efforts on the part of the writer that have not yet borne fruit and could pull her numbers way up. AND she has developed a new proposal in a different genre I am sending out immediately before other publishers know where she stands with her mystery series.
3. A client had very serious problems with an outside editor who over-edited and even rewrote sentences and paragraphs in her book with disastrous results. I read several chapters of the edits and was appalled.  After discussing this with her in-house editor and the publisher it was resolved a) the publisher will never use this outside editor again  b) the in-house editor will re-edit this book from scratch and c) I am reading the revised manuscript myself to ensure that we are all on the same page and it can go to copyediting.  It turned out that further substantive edits were needed first and happily we all agreed on what they were.
4.  A client is late on turning in a book.  I read the manuscript and sent my notes to the outside editor so we could discuss how best to approach some major revisions and make a firm deadline. I needed to understand the scope of the work before I could assure the in-house editor that the schedule could be met.  After an in-depth conversation, our combined notes were sent to the author in a lengthy revision letter, she was given an additional two weeks to execute them and we talked through some approaches.   This is MUCH better than postponing the book to a new fiscal year and harming her chances at getting a new contract in a few months and possibly losing some terrific advance orders.  This is not uncommon and, in fact, other clients were in the same situation for various reasons with hard deadlines and needed revisions.
5.       Three clients have books out with subagents worldwide for foreign rights.  They each had reviews, endorsements and updates on PR that needed to be sent to all of my subagents that have expressed interest after these books were presented at Frankfurt recently based on pitches/proposals that I wrote. Two of these authors have had six figure incomes from foreign sales in the past and the third has sold in four languages.
6.      I help clients to get their backlist books published and two books needed covers this week and two were published in the past week.  One has already sold over 1,500 copies—our Amazon person was Wowed!  The other has gone into KDP Unlimited to help promote and sell the author’s entire list.  I provided information including charts and graphs of information on what is happening with Unlimited because we first put books into the program in August and Amazon has a 60 day delay period so our first results in sales figures and KOLL borrows came in yesterday.
7. A deal I have been working on with Amazon’s new Waterfall list for about six months finally came through this week.  So now the writer has to decide whether she really wants to write in three genres and for two publishers.  Is getting a series of her heart published as part of a launch list worth it – or will her sanity be at risk?  A second offer yesterday from a small publisher that is launching the first EVER Catholic fiction list.  This is an offer on the table for a client who would love to do this.  Can we come to terms?  This outcome is still unknown as I write this but it is clear some major concessions are going to be made.
8.    Editors requested a proposal from a client at ACFW.  She went on a two week trip outside the country and then had to meet a deadline.  So her new proposal arrived yesterday.  I read it.  It had problems.  I told her what to do about revisions and she sent it back today—and it will go out tonight or early tomorrow because there are only 4-5 more weeks to generate offers in the fall sales season since acquisitions shut down after Thanksgiving.  Further, she had received a revision letter from an editor and had only two weeks before her due date.  I called the editor immediately to get a reasonable time period for her to write this novel.
9.  Talked today with an editor of a client about her IDEAS for a new book/new contract.  I wanted to be sure that the editor liked the locale, the hooks, the story underpinnings before my client wrote a proposal to submit.  Happily a green light on this project.   A second concept presented to an editor received a red light.  I told my client and talked through how she could keep her general idea, the period and locale but work with the board’s objections.
10. A client was late turning in a book to her publisher because of personal problems.  Her book is being dropped and the contract cancelled.  How can I help her get back on track?  First, a contract with a different publisher.  Should I repay my portion of the advance when I did do all the work on this contract.  Client said no.  But we will do that.
11. Client needs to know urgently whether the promo, a free promo of one of her books is a good idea.  Should she agree?  My answer: No.  first, the previous book that was promoted needed to be pushed more.  Second, their suggesting was a book mid-series that won’t help that series.  Three, I am running a promotion for an indie novel connected to her series and we want to see how that will work plus Unlimited before giving away more books.  Some to and from with the marketing manager at the publisher to resolve how this will be handled.
12.  A client wants to sell a book to ABA—thinks her new books are more suited to a broader readership and I think she is right.  What do we do about her option with her current publisher?  If we fulfill it, will they make an offer?  If they do make an offer will the non-compete be extended so she cannot write for another publisher?  Can she handle two publishers and the due dates?  These issues were resolved, her proposal is out and I think there could well be an auction developing from the reactions of the ABA editors
13. Two clients want to terminate their contracts to go indie.  Is this a good idea for them or not?  For one it is a good idea, but not for the other. They need to understand why.  For the first writer, I’ll be letting her editor know we are terminating and she will repay the advance.  For the second, I am renegotiating the contract with different due dates and even a different genre so it will work well with her indie books and produce more income.
14. An editor tells me a proposal is going to their board next week.  I had to contact all of the other editors who have this proposal and let them know that I have an offer pending so they will read it asap. Several requests arrived for more info about the author’s sales, her current obligations, her future plans.  Needed to send all of that out immediately so everyone has a level playing field.
15.  An author emailed me that she has interest from Russia in one of her indie published books.  Is it legit?  What should she do about it?  I know this publisher and have sold to them before and I’ll involve my subagent who can then also contact publishers in all Eastern European countries to generate offers.
16.  Meanwhile a publisher is making an offer for 3 books and a strong advance for completely unknown books, deciding the proposed books are not what they want to do next but they LOVE this author.  YAY!
17. Meanwhile I’m sending out emails to all the editors who have submissions to check and make sure they are being read.  I discover one editor is expecting and will be on maternity leave soon—should a different editor be reading this submission?  She says no, she loves the concept.  I’m letting clients know about rejections the same day they come in to keep them up to date and also make sure they have a list of all the submissions that are currently out for their books and what is happening.
18.  All of the above were things I needed to do on the same day—but it wasn’t everything.  I also got to check in with Sue who was at the Surrey Writer’s conference about some great opportunities that came up suddenly for her clients, read more proposals and reviewed manuscripts, wrote up Deal Memos for the offers, checked with accounting on all the payments that had arrived to make sure they were correct, reviewed two marketing plans for client’s books, updated spreadsheets with due date changes and submissions.  And twice in the past week I got to eat a combined breakfast and lunch before 2:30PM.
19.   So when I was reminded I needed to also write a blog for Seekerville, I was not wild about it. Considering the events of my week, I thought of writing one titled Seven Ways to Leave Your Publisher ;-)  I’ll save that for next time.

Ruthy here!!!  Natasha, thank you for that overview of "A Day in the Life"! It always amazes me what you're able to pack into twenty-four hours. And Seven Ways to Leave Your Publisher... Oy vey, I can't wait to see those, LOL! I'm going to guess that there are some very big "DON'TS" on that list! 

Hey, we've got punch and coffee, I've set out fruit trays and veggie trays and a dessert table laden with fresh pastries! Try those meringues, oh my stars, they're amazing!

AND HAVE WE GOT PRIZES FOR YOU!!!! We opened the Natasha client prize vault and today we are giving away these lovely gifts:

$20 Amazon Gift Card!

2 e-copies of "Hope for the Holidays" Historical Collection!!

2 e-copies of "Hope for the Holidays" Contemporary Collection!!

2 copies of Missy Tippens' "The Guy Next Door"!!

This amazing box of chocolates!!!! 

2 copies of Julie Lessman's "Surprised by Love"!!

From Glynna Kaye:  "A Canyon Springs Courtship",  "Pine Country Cowboy" and "High Country Holiday"!!

And one copy each of Myra Johnson's: "When Clouds Roll By", "Whisper Goodbye" and

"Every Tear a Memory"!!

Stop by, ask questions, leave a comment and we'll throw your name in the meticulously clean cat dish in honor of our wonderful guest!!!

(I really scrubbed it good this time!)  :)

WELCOME GUEST BLOGGER AND AGENT EXTRAORDINAIRE, NATASHA KERN!

Julie here, and I am absolutely THRILLED to introduce my agent and dear friend, Natasha Kern. Ranked 11th in the list of top 25 literary agencies for new writers by Writer’s Digest, Natasha has over 24 years of experience in the publishing industry as an editor and publicist for New York publishers (Simon & Schuster, Bantam and Ballantine) before founding her own agency in 1986. She has personally sold more than 900 books and represents several NY Times and USA Today best-selling authors, as well as winners of the Edgar Award, the RITA award, the Silver Dagger Award, the Christy Award, the Hurston/Wright Award, and a Pulitzer Prize finalist. She has taught workshops and been a speaker at dozens of writers conferences including Romance Writers of America National Conference, The Pacific Northwest Writers Conference, Association of Christian Fiction Writers, as well as regularly attending Book Expo and ICRS and many others.

Without further ado, I give you one of the best agents in the business, Natasha Kern.

Dear Seekers,

I have received submissions from several of you and, of course, some of you are already clients of the Natasha Kern Agency. In considering what you might be most interested to have me discuss, I decided to focus on why some writers have been accepted as clients and others have not. Feel free to ask questions on any aspect of working with an agent or publishing in general.

One of the things that I have talked to several of you about is the issue of having a premise. One of the blessings of writing for the Christian market is that many writers realize that their novels must be “about” something. This is much harder for writers in the general market to grasp. However, even with CBA novels, writers often select a verse from the Bible and may even intend to write a book with that verse at the heart of it, but I commonly see submissions in which the story has nothing at all to do with that verse as a premise. A premise is the “aha” the reader gets from reading the book--what used to be called The Moral of the Story-- and it informs virtually ever aspect of a novel, every scene, every plot element, every character. Like pieces of music, dance performances, paintings or poetry, a novel is a work of art that is about ONE primary thing. It is a parable that illustrates that insight and the way it is presented and the kind of “aha” we receive depends on the viewpoint of the author. Think of books like Pilgrim’s Progress which has a classic structure, the works of Shakespeare, or novels by George Eliot and Jane Austin to see how they are informed by both premise and structure. Your life experiences, your understanding of faith and how God works through you, your background and family history and so many other things contribute to a unique worldview and therefore a unique voice, style and story which cannot be duplicated by someone else. Be true to that.

This is one reason why giving back the gifts God has given to us is so important. As Robin Lee Hatcher says, “God never wastes a hurt.” And, indeed, even our traumatic experiences provide material for artistic expression. Authorial authenticity is a crucial ingredient that brings a story to life, so it is not just another historical romance, another contemporary book about family problems, or another redemption story. This is unmistakable to agents and editors and results in a sense of uniqueness, an engaging quality, a voice that is not a derivative of another writer. When we see it, we sit up and take notice. It could be a light, comic touch like Mary Connealy’s. Or it could be a special insight about family life and how we share our values and also our troubles that Julie Lessman imparts. Or it could be the hard lessons of characters in a historical setting like Tamera Alexander writes. In her most recent novel The Inheritance, the hero prays, “break me until I am wholly thine.” Which of us does not admire that and which of us has the courage to pray for that? The impact is powerful and informs the entire novel as premise, voice, and authentic authorial expression.

Because this commitment to write what has been laid on your heart is so all important, it is one of the most important things I am looking for when reading a submission. I do not really have a list of types of books I am currently seeking. I was asked by ACFW to send such a list for their website preparatory for the upcoming conference in September. I wrote to them and said, “I am taking on new clients who are part of God’s plan for my life rather than my plan so I am open to submissions that are authentically from the heart and soul of the author. I haven’t received a prescribed list, so I can’t give one out. Recent new clients run the gamut from historical comedy and Biblical historical novel to gritty contemporary suspense, a mystery series set in the 1920s, an African-American inspirational novel and a nonfiction book about evolution. Did I know before I read their work that I would be working with new writers in these categories? Not!

Perhaps it would be easier to look for writers who fulfill prescribed niches, but I am unable to do that. Biblical fiction is certainly not a popular genre today—and yet, the novel I recently read as a submission about the life of Mary Magdalene swept me away and made me see her life differently. I called to sign that author immediately. Multicultural novels or those featuring Muslim characters can be problematic to place. But if I love a book so much I feel others will want to read it too and share it with everyone they know, I have a strong sense of championship for working with the author and helping her to build a career.

Another problem that I frequently see in submissions and leads me to decline to represent them is that the writer has not yet learned what a novel is. This seems surprising since most writers have read many novels before they decide to write one. Unfortunately, attending concerts does not guarantee one can compose a symphony and living in a house does not make one an architect. This particular art form of the novel is often misperceived by those who are first starting to write one. Sometimes a writer’s gifts are so wonderful, that she can achieve publication without actually understanding what a premise is or even the elements of a novel. One of my clients published several novels with a major NY house before she figured this out. Her novels did not sell very well. She was asked to change her name to stay in print. Her career was going nowhere. But her writing was so beautiful, her insights so deep and interesting that her editor stuck with her as she learned the craft of writing a novel. And, then, she took off. That doesn’t happen very often!

A novel is a specific creation with very specific requirements. If the most basic requirements are not met, the writing is not a novel. No matter how fine the prose or powerful the themes or provoking the underlying truth, a work of writing must have a certain structure in the same way that a sonnet has a structure or a sonata does. There are other aspects of craft including prose style, voice, tone, point of view, brevity, flashbacks and reverie, artful beading in of backstory, dramatic tension, setting and all ways that protect what John Gardner calls “the fictive dream.” Without a foundation, walls and roof there is no house regardless of the kind of bathroom fixtures, the arrangement of rooms, the storage spaces and hallways, the artful decor and color palette. Structure and premise are that foundation upon which a novel can be built. It is not a formula, but a description of how a novel is put together.

A novel has overall structure/plot with a beginning, a middle, and an end: The beginning sets up the primary conflict of the novel, introduces the characters (including setting) and sets the plot in motion; it establishes the story situation and the protagonist's compelling motivation to save the planet, win the prize, (the protagonist has a problem that s/he cannot walk away from, that s/he cares deeply about, and about which s/he has to put himself or herself at risk).

The middle is a series of attempts by the protagonist to resolve the primary conflict, leading from one minor conflict and problem to another, the trouble growing greater, the risks expanding to the point it seems the hero cannot possibly succeed.

The end is the resolution of the original conflict and the protagonist's achievement of the brass ring through saving the planet from nuclear disaster, winning the guy of her dream or the case that saves his marriage and profession.

There are excellent models for structure/plot. Find the one that works for you. Keep looking until you have the ah-ha that lets you know the model will serve you in your work. A short list to try first: The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler; A Story is a Promise by Robert Johnson; How to Write a Damned Good Novel by James Frey; and Scene and Structure by Jack Bickham. If none of these work for you, find one that does. A model that works for you will shorten your learning curve. I also strongly recommend The Moral Premise by Stanley Williams to understand the premise that is at the heart of both fiction and film and how to use it successfully. I have taught workshops on this subject for years, so it was with great delight I discovered a writer who had developed the details of this all-important aspect of the novel.

The following is the best short definition of the structure of a commercial novel I have ever found. Consider it until it makes total sense to you. It was written by Dean Koontz.

(1) The author introduces a hero (or heroine) who has just been or is about to be plunged into terrible trouble. (2) The hero attempts to solve his problems, only slips into deeper trouble. (3) As the hero works to climb out of the hole he’s in, complications arise, each more terrible than the one before, until it seems as if his situation could not possibly be blacker or more hopeless than it is—and then one final unthinkable complication makes matters even worse. In most cases, these complications arise from mistakes or misjudgments the hero makes while struggling to solve his problems, mistakes and misjudgments which result from the interaction of faults and virtues that make him a unique character. (4) At last, deeply affected and changed by his awful experiences and by his intolerable circumstances, the hero learns something about himself or about the human condition in general, a Truth of which he was previously ignorant, and having learned this lesson, he understands what he must do to get out of the dangerous situation in which he has wound up. He takes the necessary actions and either succeeds or fails, through he succeeds more often than not, for readers tend to greatly prefer fiction that has an uplifting conclusion.

Notice that the book does not begin with backstory and explanation. It begins where there is conflict, action, tension. Backstory needs to be woven in bit by bit as the story itself progresses. Notice that the solutions to the problems faced by the protagonist(s)—both unsuccessful and successful—derive from the individual character, who s/he is and how s/he is motivated.

The protagonist(s) of a novel must meet certain criteria in whatever conventional or odd ways is true to them. Each must:
be bigger than life in some way, have a special quality
be admirable in some or many ways
be likable and competent
be worthy of the reader's respect and interest
be emotionally engaging for the reader
be committed by necessity and character to achieving a goal
be unable to walk away from conflict, challenges and trials (motivation)
be the initiator of the action of the novel
have fewer allies than enemies; have a rough row to hoe from beginning to end
create change and be changed by the events of the novel in an emotionally charged and logical way through each plot turn and challenge
learn something that will provide an ‘aha’ for the reader

A novel must in every chapter and scene, on each page, engage the reader emotionally and keep the reader engaged, give him a reason to turn each page and reasons to laugh and cry, to fear and root for the protagonist. If the protagonist lacks emotional logic, has nothing to risk or gain, does not care about the issues and actions of the story, there will be no way for the reader to engage. If the plot doesn't have fresh and credible twists and turns that continually challenge the protagonist and surprise the reader and if the character is not at risk in some significant way, there is no tension, suspense or reason to keep turning the pages. Which brings me to another major criteria agents and editors use to determine whether to work with an author. Is this novel REALLY making us laugh, cry, turn the pages, get inspired? What is the "master effect?" When we set the novel aside, will we wipe the tears away, wish it wasn't over, long to read more about these people and wish we knew them or feel inspired? Every novel does not have to be transformational—perhaps it provides a humorous respite from the cares of daily life and an uplifting story.

If you can master these elements of storytelling: Writing authentically (What Hemingway meant when he said you sit at the typewriter and open a vein); producing a novel that has a clear premise (which may not be obvious in the first draft); adhering to the structural requirements of this art form; write about characters we care about; develop a plot in which the problems progressively worsen; and keep the reader emotionally engaged, then agents and editors who read your work will be WOWed and jump to call you to make sure they contact you first before anyone else can.

Natasha