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7.
AOTW: What was your best day as an agent? Your worst?
Laura Blake Peterson:
Julie Ortolon is a client of mine who I met at a writer's conference in Texas. Julie's
story is remarkable. An elementary school teacher once told Julie's parents that she was
retarded. She suffered accusations of being lazy and of not trying as she struggled to
read and write growing up. It turned out she was severely learning disabled. The degree of
courage and determination is has taken her not only to overcome her dyslexia but become
one the hottest rising stars in women's fiction is a testament to her talent and hard
work. The day I told her we'd found a publisher for her first novel was absolutely one of
the most rewarding because I knew how far she'd come and that I'd been a part of making
her dream come true.
My worst day as an agent was when I learned of the death of my client Pamela Macaluso and
her two young children at the hands of her husband. I knew how important her career was to
her, but I never recognized that her writing and her relationship with me was a lifeline,
her way of escaping what was clearly a tortured relationship. She never let on. I wish I'd
known.
Maria Carvainis:
Thinking in terms of best and worst days is not a modus operandi to which I subscribe.
Some days are more rewarding for a client's interests than others. Yet, I know that any
writer needs her/his agent to remain determined and committed to the talent being
represented. Having been in the business for twenty-four years, I have the benefit of
understanding that a professional career is a matter of successful
accomplishments over the long term. What appears to be a problem on a particular day can
be made into an opportunity the next day.
Lisa Swayne:
My best day was the first time I made a solid six-figure deal. I was 25 years old at
the time and hadn't been agenting very long. One of my clients was writing an article
about the Sudanese slave trade for The New Yorker, and I got a call from his
publisher about securing the book rights. It was quite an adrenalin rush to hold firm on
my price and have the editor say yes without batting an eye. The worst day I've ever had
involved a novelist I represented. His first book, published by a small press in Boston,
received glowing reviews and I was sure, despite his eclectic style, that I would be able
to secure a significant deal for him with a major house. He was a typical starving writer,
waiting tables to support his writing habit, and he put a lot of faith in me to launch his
career as a serious novelist. When I was unable to sell his second novel ---his style was
just too unconventional for a mainstream imprint --- I had to call him and tell him the
bad news.
Stuart Krichevsky:
In 1998 I was auctioning Nat Philbrick’s IN THE HEART OF THE SEA. Nat and I were
making the rounds of publishing houses and were met with incredible enthusiasm. Everyone
loved the proposal, and Philbrick was so impressive in the meetings, leaving every
publisher more excited about the project that they were when we arrived. It was THE hot
story in town that week. I had calls from Entertainment Weekly, Variety, all
the NY papers about a book we hadn’t even sold yet. We were really feeling on top of
the world. The last morning of our four day New York tour, we had a morning meeting at
Simon & Schuster, and walking thru Rockefeller Center I ran into a mob --- thousands
of people just clamoring to see something, I couldn’t tell what. So I asked around,
and burst out laughing when it turned out everyone was there to see LeAnn Rimes. It was
just what we needed. We might have been on top of the hill that week, but what book would
ever sell as many copies as a quintuple platinum album, and what author would ever draw
such a crowd? It was a good laugh at a much-needed moment.
The worst day? I distinctly remember my head hitting the breakfast table when I read that
HarperCollins had paid over a million dollars for a self-published book I’d turned
down --- MUTANT MESSAGE DOWNUNDER. Of course, it hadn’t yet developed the cult
following by the time it came to Harper’s attention, but if it came to me in
manuscript, I’d probably make the same decision again.
Loretta Barrett:
Every day that I sell a book is my best day as an agent. I love it when I close a deal
and find a home for an author and know that they’re going to be published. Every day
I sell a book I’ve made it possible for another author to be published, and it’s
my best day. My worst day is when a book I truly believe in is canceled by the publisher.
This is always an enormous disappointment, and fortunately it has happened very
seldom.
Jane Dystel:
I don’t think I’ve had a "best" day as an agent or a
"worst." What I love about what I do is that there is always something new and
fascinating lurking in every submission and my biggest sale could be any minute now. When
I can’t convince editors that something I deeply believe in is worth publishing, is
when I feel I have a bad day.
Linda Mead:
Any day we make a sale is a good day. Bad days occur sometimes, but why dwell on them?
Actually, bad days just make us work harder.
Amy Berkower:
My best day was when I was told that I had two books on the New York
Times list --- BORN IN SHAME by Nora Roberts and TOGETHER
ALONE by Barbara Delinsky. Sorry, but I've chosen to forget my worst day.
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