OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
Last week I signed with literary agent Rachel Ekstrom from the Irene Goodman Literary Agency in New York. Thank you for all the congratulations I have received!
Many of you have been incredibly supportive of my independent publishing career so far and I know you will have some questions. Since I have always been transparent with my journey, I'm happy to share what I can.
I am a fan of publishing in all its myriad guises, and none of us know where the industry is going. It's also quite ironic that I feel like I have to defend my decision, since in the past, self-publishing has needed the defense more!
Why do I even want an agent?
I am an author and an entrepreneur, so my goals center around:
- Creating great books and quality products that will delight, entertain, educate and inspire my readers
- Building a long term career as an author and widening my reader base
- Growing a sustainable income that enables me to travel and spend my time on (1) above!
In working towards these goals as an independent author over the last 3.5 years, I have used business partnerships with professional editors, book cover designers and formatters. I also depend on distributors like Amazon, Kobo and BookBaby to get my books into the hands of readers. I use tools like blogging and social networking to market and I pay for internet hosting to enable this. I sell from my site so I use Paypal as a merchant service.
I could not run my business without these business partners.
I look at signing with an agent, and possibly a traditional publisher, in the same way. They are business partners who I will work with to achieve a mutually beneficial goal. I am not a newbie in this business anymore. I have been learning about publishing for nearly four years, so this is certainly done with forethought. I have also done a lot of research on contracts and legalities, attending the Rights workshop at the London Book Fair as well as poring over books on contract clauses. I'm not going to sign anything that doesn't fit with my goals.
Being an indie author is not only about self-publishing anymore. It's more about taking control of your career as an author and becoming a creative director for each book. The Alliance of Independent Authors has a fantastic definition here if you want to read more.
So signing with an agent and pursuing traditional publishing reflects on my overall goals above as follows:
(1) Traditional publishing is excellent at creating quality products.
I'm an ebook only author right now and although I have dabbled in print, I don't enjoy the process. I know a lot of indies do it successfully but I am a huge fan of doing things I enjoy 🙂
I currently employ several different editors during my writing process, and I absolutely believe this is critical for any author to invest in. Traditional publishing will hopefully take me to a new level with my writing and push me further. I will certainly be looking for a great editorial team as part of any deal.
(2) Traditional publishing will enable me to build a wider audience.
There are still many readers who will only buy print books in bookstores, or who hear about books through more traditional venues e.g. book clubs. I can reach an online audience myself but there are possibilities with traditional publishing that I also want to pursue.
(3) On the income question.
I am the kind of indie who wants a hybrid approach combining traditional publishing with self-publishing. After all, traditional and independent publishing are not mutually exclusive.
This approach can bring in spikes with advances, and then a monthly rolling income with self-publishing. I specifically went with the Irene Goodman Agency because they understand self-publishing can be an option for some of their authors at certain times, depending on the specifics of the author's career and goals. I know some of their authors who are already following this hybrid approach successfully.
Nothing changes right now in terms of my books being available for sale.
Here are some of the other reasons for pursuing this opportunity.
Authority, experience, social proof and let's face it, ego.
You guys know I am proud of self-publishing and absolutely intend to continue doing it in some form. Indeed, I recently re-released my first book on career change. But originally, this blog was sub-titled ‘Adventures in Publishing' and it was always my goal to have a traditional book deal one day.
In the UK, there are still bookstores on the high street and my parents read books in print that they buy from Waterstones. I do want to be on those shelves among the bestsellers. There is definitely still some authority and social proof with traditional publishing that I want to benefit from, so long as I can integrate it with my self-publishing goals.
I would also like to say I have ‘done it' so I can justifiably join in the discussions on traditional publishing that I can only report on second-hand at the moment.
Film rights and other subsidiary rights.
As well as my lovely agent, Rachel Ekstrom, the Irene Goodman agency has a couple of great rights agents who focus on specific areas of subsidiary rights. I am interested to see what they can do with my books.
Lee Child talked at Thrillerfest about the upcoming movie Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise. Very exciting. I want Morgan Sierra to be the next Lara Croft, so I need people with the right contacts to make that happen. I know the film deal is a lightning strike type of luck, but some authors make it, and I have always had stretch goals and dreams!
Peer respect, blurbs and networking.
At Thrillerfest, I was excited to meet some of the big name authors who I call my writing heroes. Much as I love self-publishing, even in the current market, I think I am more likely to be able to get blurbs from big name authors if I get a traditional book deal. I have to build my author brand over time and peer networking is critical for this.
Entry into prizes.
This is an arena that is slowly opening up to indies, but most prizes are still currently based on traditional publishing. I think nominations and awards can help marketing and enable the expansion of readership.
Speaking opportunities at festivals.
I already have a professional speaking career but it doesn't currently include talking specifically about my fiction 🙂 The festivals in the UK especially are only about traditionally published authors, and this is an area I want to break into. (btw, I'm speaking at Zurich WriteCon in October if anyone fancies some Swiss chocolate with their scribbling!)
Why a New York agent when I live in London?
I am British but I moved back to London last year after 11 years in Australia and New Zealand. In the last four years, I have learned about online marketing from mainly US blogs so I am enmeshed in their business models. My Mum also lived in the US for many years so I have visited a lot. I love my homeland but in terms of publishing, I believe the Americans are still ahead of us in terms of the new paradigms in publishing. I wanted a forward-thinking agent at an innovative agency.
It's also a bigger book market in the US and my current sales are about 4:1 US: UK split. I wrote for the US market and even use an American spell-check. My traffic for this site and my podcast is over 50% US so most of my existing audience is there. In publishing terms, books that make it big in the US are more likely to be picked up in the UK and in other countries. So it is a business move that hopefully will put me in a better position for achieving my goals.
I have years of writing ahead of me.
The books I have out right now are not the end of what I can create. They are not precious snowflakes (much as I love them!). I have stacks of ideas and I am writing more books. At the moment, I am mostly in the library working on edits for Exodus, ARKANE book #3 and researching my next book, Hunterian, which is possibly a stand-alone or the beginning of a new series.
This is a serious career for me. I want to sell some books to the right trade publisher and self-publish others.
I am 37 with (hopefully) 50+ years of writing ahead. The decision to sign with an agent and pursue traditional publishing for some of those books opens possibilities but it certainly doesn't stop me from doing all kinds of exciting things in the future.
This is just the beginning. I hope you will join me for the ride!
So freakin awesome.
This must be so exciting for you, Joanna congrats. I agree, getting a book deal and seeing your book on a self is a real ego buster. It’s great that you’re going to expeince it all and tell us what to do and what not to do when signing with a publisher with first hand knowledge .
I think I’m going to keep focusing on self publishing for right now though. I want to see what I can accomplish on my own like you did. You’re a big inspiration and congrats again. Have fun 🙂
Thanks Shaquanda, and of course, we all have to make choices – and I will continue to do so 🙂
Congratulations Joanna, you are living proof that ‘indie author’ doesn’t just mean ‘self-publisher’. I’m quite sure that a trade publishing deal for some of your books will be a good move for you at this time. Thanks for mentioning the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) and our definition of an indie. Your readers might be interested in our most recent post at ALLi’s self-publishing advice blog, which focusses on how indies can get the best deal when negotiating with trade publishing: http://selfpublishingadvice.org/blog/how-indie-authors-can-work-with-trade-publishers/. It’s really important for indies now to to capitalise on their hard work and become a positive force for change in the industry. No doubt you will once again blaze the trail for many. Good luck with your agent finding the right publisher for you.
Thanks Orna, and I love the inclusive aspect of your definition of indie. I expect the industry to keep changing every week so we have to ride the wave as we can 🙂
Thanks for the candid response, Joanna. It’s much appreciated with the real advice you give, and please do not feel like you need to defend yourself for the decisions that you and only you are responsible to make. If people don’t understand that, well, that’s a shame indeed. I think you have made the right decision with your blended approach to publishing – both through traditional publishers, but keeping the self-pub element alive and well. Never hurts to ensure that you don’t keep all your eggs in one basket, now does it 🙂
Good luck with your decision, and crossing fingers that Morgan becomes the new Tomb Raider. You know you will have made it when they make your books into a computer game 🙂 Did you get some of your inspiration from the TR series?
Thanks Ken. I appreciate your support and it is strange that I feel I have to defend my decision. I think because I started this journey online and I want to share the steps along the way. I have been quite conflicted within myself – with some sleepless nights – and so it feels right to show some conflict here. I like the word ‘blended’, perhaps that is better than hybrid which suggests some kind of genetic engineering 🙂
On Morgan and Tomb Raider, I’m not a gamer but I loved the movies with Angelina as Lara Croft. She is absolutely my model for Morgan – it just depends whether we can get the movie out while she’s still playing action roles, right!
You know I have the trademark on ‘blended’ right?
Congratulations Joanna, and I love how you take us through the thought process, and how this decision relates to your past, present and future. Hopefully, it will show others the complexity of such a decision, that this is not just an “us vs them” type of decision that many make it out to me.
Thanks for the thoughtful look into this difficult decision!
-Dan
Thanks Dan – this was indeed a deeply thought out decision, which is crazy really, considering I haven’t even got to the point of signing with a publisher yet 🙂 but it feels like a shift in direction, or perhaps a widening of possibility. But it doesn’t change today – back to writing!
Joanna, great post! And congrats on acquiring a literary agent. Your reasoning is sound—I love how you are taking a business approach to your career. Here’s to fifty more years!
Thanks Steven – I was a business consultant for 13 years, and also ran a number of my own businesses. I definitely have a pragmatic approach to this as a creative but also sustainable life. I’m looking forward to the next step!
Congratulations, JoAnna! Ever since I stumbled upon your blog and listened to many of your interviews, you’ve been a great inspiration to me. I see nothing but advantages for you with getting a literary agent. Maybe I’ll even see some of your work in stores here in the U.S. I’m glad your dream to visit New York came true–maybe it will come true for me. Best wishes and keep writing!
Congrats!! Thank you for sharing your journey and especially this part of it. You have described what I hope for my own journey but wasn’t sure if it was even possible to be a hybrid or “blended” author. I’m finishing my first novel and have been thinking a LOT about my options and it’s nice (and a relief) to hear of others who are publishing both traditional and self (= indie). Thank you! I look forward to hearing more about your journey
Wonderful news! You’re right about the hybrid approach. For those emerging writers fortunate enough to land a publisher, it is no longer an either/or but a both/and approach to getting your novel out there. Only one thing, Joanna: the next Lara Croft? Please! Morgan Sierra is a much more cared-for character than Lara Croft will ever be.
Thanks! I guess I mean Lara Croft in terms of an action adventure movie franchise 🙂
Congrats again Joanna!
Love this quote: “Being an indie author is not only about self-publishing anymore. It’s more about taking control of your career as an author and becoming a creative director for each book.”
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. It’s why I prefer the term indie author to self-published author – being an indie author means you don’t have to “choose sides” and I like that you’re open to all possibilities. There is still room for both traditional AND self-publishing and your article demonstrates that beautifully 🙂
Congrats!
And props for being smart enough to get the best of both worlds. 🙂
Mazel Tov, Joanna! I agree that you need to do whatever is necessary to grow as a writer. The “us versus them” mentality in indie/trad publishing is really silly, IMO. This is a huge, fantastic step for you, and I wish you nothing but the best.
Er . . . one selfish question, though. How will this affect the blog? I assume you will not be posting so much indie info. anymore. 🙁
Hi Ilana, I’m still an indie – absolutely 🙂 I will still have self-published books. I’ll also still be writing and marketing everything – and this site is about all of those things. So it definitely won’t affect the blog – you’ll still get articles, audio and video on writing, publishing and book marketing 🙂
Joanna — congratulations! Any advice about how to take the leap? More precisely, how to inspire an agent to invite you to take the leap?
Hi Deborah – I will be posting an article on this in the next few weeks 🙂 I decided to separate the why from the how!
Hi Joanna,
I’m a huge fan of your blog and your books are on my reading list. I just wanted to express how sincerely happy I am for you and your decision. I can’t wait to see how your journey continues!
Thanks Yesenia – I hope you enjoy the books as well!
Congratulations, Joanna, I’m sure that book contract is not far behind. Although I’m a strong advocate for self-publishing, I’m equally behind the right publishing for each book and author. You have made exactly the right choice and I believe you can be a pioneer as well in blending the two approaches. There are things that a large publisher can do that no self-publisher can, and this is most true for fiction writers. I could’t be happier for you and, as one of your readers, I’m hoping you’ll be able to turn out even more Morgan Sierra thrillers!
Thanks Joel – I absolutely intend to be writing more and publishing in multiple ways. And you continue to be a great inspiration to all of us indies 🙂
Congrats, Joanna.
You and I have completely opposite career paths as authors. I co-authored 2 books that were published by traditional publishers (one large international and one small Canadian publisher.) And I authored one book that was published by a well-respected mid-sized Canadian publisher.
But for my upcoming book, I have chosen to self-publish (publish independently) with a team of talented individuals who believe in my project and want to see me succeed. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out, but I am looking forward to having full creative control over this project. Something I never had with any of my previous titles and something that I believe to be integral to the success of this book.
Fantastic Doreen! But I don’t see myself only publishing traditionally. I already have a non-fiction career change book that I don’t intend to let go of, and more fiction on the way. This is absolutely a hybrid move. All the best with your latest book.
You deserve to be so, so, proud of yourself, Joanna.
Thank you for being such an inspiration!
Garry
Congratulations on this new and exciting part of your personal journey as a writer. I am looking forward to hearing about your new insights in the coming months (and years!).
With one (just one!) trad book under my belt that I am now seeking to repub indie-style, having just got my rights back (it’s along story) I am disappointed when some friends assume an ‘us and them’ point of view when talking with me. Some twitter folk too. As if I’m going over to ‘the other side’, whereas the reality is indie-publishing is an exciting avenue for writers, but it’s not like we’re committed to one road or another. Both roads, and many more! We writers will dance, jump and march down them all.
Absolutely! I am a glass half full person as well – there is so much opportunity and positivity in this new world 🙂
Congratulations Joanna! You have worked hard and long for this and are truly deserving of the success. You have probably been the single most inspiring author I have met (since we attended the 2010 QWC Year of the Novel at the same time). Your words about author platform and twitter certainly got me thinking and you seemed well ahead of your time as far as that class went anyway. It was you who got me to where I am and I am certainly still a newbie in comparison to you!
I wish you a fantastic 50+ years of writing and book selling to come!
Thanks so much Alison – that course seems a long time ago – and that book, Pentecost, is the one that will be queried with publishers. I’m so glad I inspired you about marketing – and that your journey is also progressing too. All the best with your books & love to Oz.
You’re killing me. You really are.
You make an excellent case for why you would want to hook up with a NY publisher, and I agree with your thoughts completely. As long as you can get favorable contract terms.
What baffles me is why in THE HELL you would decide to go with an unregulated, unlicensed person who is not a member of the bar, and agree to pay that person 15% of your income in perpetuity, to do things that you could do yourself just as easily. I mean hell, you’ll still need to hire an attorney to negotiate the contract for you, since the vast majority of agents are neither qualified nor legally allowed to give legal advice, which is what you will need to ensure you’re not getting screwed by hidden gotchas in the contract.
So…given that you could query publishers yourself (many many writers do this and sell books sans agents every year) and, with your awesome books, impressive platform, and record of sales garner their interest (which is why the agent is interested in you too), then hire an attorney for a fraction of the overall cost of an agent…I don’t understand your motivation here.
Seriously, you’ve earned the right to be confident in yourself and in your work. Why pay some hanger-on to essentially do nothing?
*sigh*
Hi Michael,
I think you underestimate me – which is disappointing. As a business woman I am not going to pay a “hanger on” to do nothing. That’s not how I see agents.
I’m not going to write a huge post here defending agents because I don’t think you’ll be convinced but suffice to say that
1) I have done a lot of research around the business of publishing & won’t go into anything I don’t see as fitting my business plan
2) Agents earn their money by getting a much better deal than I could get on my own – I don’t have NYC publishing contacts for a start – I don’t see the agents job is primarily contractual – it’s MY job to look after my own business – it’s their job to maximize the potential revenue stream for us both
3) There is a cancellation clause – so although I have signed this now, this is not some Faustian contract I can’t get out of.
I absolutely believe that having a good agent will benefit my career as an author – but then I’ll be blogging here for a good long time, so you’ll be able to say ” I told you so” if it goes horribly wrong!
Michael, I don’t know your own history or experience in the publishing industry, but judging from the nature of your arguments and the phrases you’ve used, I suspect that you’ve been spending a lot of time listening to advice from the anti-agent side of the blogosphere. Perhaps you do this after you objectively and openly explored all sides of the issue — talked with people who have had both good and bad experiences and come to your own conclusions. In that case, I completely respect your opinions, though I disagree. But if that’s not the case, I urge you to branch out a little and ask some questions. There are many very savvy and intelligent indie authors who have signed with agents, including and not limited to Joanna, Joe Konrath, John Locke, Robin Sullivan, Amanda Hocking, just off the top of my head. Is it possible that all of them, after being business savvy enough to build their self publishing businesses into hugely successful endeavors, suddenly experienced a drop in IQ and threw their money away for no value whatsoever? I suppose anything is possible, but another possibility is that perhaps the anti-agent advocates are not telling the entire picture. Not to say that they don’t raise good points, but there are two sides to every coin, and any wise businessperson should be highly suspicious of anyone who tries to paint an entire profession of people as *either* completely good or completely bad.
Congrats, Joanna, this is great news
The two worlds can live side by side. In fact, I think it’s the ideal situation. Some books need to have that traditional model behind it. To reach the masses it is the only real way. And then, sometimes you will want conrol of a smaller project.
I suppose the big question will be how you find the actual process. How much control can you keep? How will you combine these two worlds? It will be a large learning curve I’m sure.
I look forward to your journey. I’m sure there will be a lot to learn for all of us
Matthew (Turndog Millionaire)
It will definitely be a learning curve and the loss of control is something I definitely see as a potential issue, giving my business head. BUT, I have control over what contract I sign – so we’ll see how it goes 🙂