Interview with Literary Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds, LLC

As a literary agent and cofounder of BookEnds, LLC, Jessica Faust prides herself on working closely with her authors to make their goals come to fruition. A veteran of publishing, she began her career in 1994 as an acquisitions editor at Berkley Publishing, Macmillan, and Wiley, where she had the unique opportunity to acquire and edit both fiction and nonfiction. Jessica takes her editing experience to the agency, where she works closely with her authors to create the best possible proposal submissions. A native of Minnesota, Jessica now lives in New Jersey with her family and their very spoiled dog, Sadie.

You can check out her blog at: http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/

Will you give us an idea of how many proposals, verses how many manuscript requests, verses how many authors BookEnds, LLC takes on per year?

Earlier this year BookEnds went “green” changing our submission policy from one that accepted unsolicited proposals to primarily e-queries and solicited hardcopy proposals. This has changed things considerably for the better. I receive roughly 100 equeries each week. As for proposals I average about 25-30 a week and fulls…I would guess about 20-25 a year. Keep in mind these are individual statistics for me only. I would guess Jacky and Kim receive about the same. As for new clients this year, I think I’ve taken on about 4-5.

What's your best advice for a new author getting their work noticed?

Read Jessica's answer in our December newsletter!

(I've always wondered this,) do agents keep a file of those who've queried them, or do they rely on memory when they've been queried twice?

We do have submission logs that we keep that record the status of all submissions (not queries though). The logs go back to the beginning of the agency. I also tend to keep a small file for those authors I rejected, but would like to keep tabs on and those authors that for some reason or another I think would be best to avoid. A lot of names become very familiar over time and more often than not we’ll check with each other when a name seems like one we’ve seen before.

It seems today, that getting a book to publication has less to do with great writing, and more to do with marketing. Do you find this to be true?

I think getting a book to publication means that you have to have both. Marketing and a hook are what first grabs the attention of an editor and an agent, but it’s the writing that eventually sells the book. Readers won’t come to a new author unless the book has something special that will bring them there (usually the hook), and they’ll only stay with an author if the writing keeps them wanting more.

What’s the best money an aspiring author can spend on their road to publication? (conferences, how to books, college courses, online workshops etc)

I think it depends on the writer. Some really need to learn basics about writing—plotting, characterization, etc. In that case writing courses or workshops would probably be the most advantageous. Others have great style, but need help networking and learning about the business. In that case online sources and books are best. I think for everyone though a good critique partner or group and conferences can make all the difference. Conferences give you the opportunity to network with other authors, meet agents and editors and really learn about the craft of writing. However, not being a writer myself, this is from a different perspective. I suspect writers can give you a better answer than I can.

How helpful is an author’s marketing plan when they try to land an agent or publisher? Can you give us any advise on improving ours?

If you’re writing fiction I think it’s terrific to include anything that gives you an edge over other writers. For example, I have an author who is also a glass bead maker. She is writing a mystery with a protagonist who is a glass bead maker. I included that information as well as the author’s Web site in the proposal. Beyond that though I think a marketing plan isn’t necessary.

For nonfiction though it’s critical. If you give workshops, lectures, write a column, etc. Anything that shows your platform and can actually sell hundreds, hopefully thousands, of copies of your book gives you an edge.

My big advice for a marketing plan is only put one together if you have proven that you can do those things. Telling a publisher you plan to pitch Oprah isn’t going to get you anywhere. Everyone hopes to pitch Oprah. If however you’ve been on Oprah and she already expressed interest in seeing your next thing then go for it. That’s a marketing plan.

Does it ever affect your confidence in the manuscript after a string of rejections from editors?

Sure. In the same way an author starts to doubt herself after a long string of rejections an agent can too. There are times when I will reread part of the manuscript to remind myself why I came to this terrific work in the first place. And like everyone else I think it’s important to grasp on to the good things. If an editor gives amazing feedback, but was overruled by her editorial board then I am reminded of what a numbers game this can really be. Persistence is one very important key to success. I have sold books that sat on editor’s desks for two years and I have books sitting on shelves that haven’t sold after two years…yet. Sometimes I just need to be patient.

If you've worked with an author but were unable to place their manuscript, do you consider that business relationship dead, or do you continue to work with them? Why or why not?

I take on authors for a career not a book. The only instances where I might deem a business relationship dead or at an end is in the world of nonfiction. I take on nonfiction authors as much for their platforms and expertise as I do the book. Therefore many only have one book in them. If that doesn’t sell it’s often hard to find something else we could do together. In fiction though I’m in it for the long haul. I take on a client because I love her writing and her voice and the book I offered on is that culmination of those two things, and hopefully the beginning of a long career together. If we don’t sell that one, we’re always planning for the next.

What unrealistic expectations from authors do you often encounter?

Money. Money is one of the most taboo subjects in our culture and publishing is no different. So many authors might know that the advances are low, but expect to be able to get rich, or even live off, those first royalty statements. Money in publishing is usually slow to come. Unfortunately what we most frequently read about in publishing news are the deals that are truly few and far between. Those that allow a writer to quit her day job by book number two and never look back. I hope that someday very soon all of my clients can live comfortably on their earnings, but that takes time. You need to build an audience, a backlist and a name for yourself first.

How can we authors make our agent's job easier? What should we come to the table with?

In a client/agent relationship, one where you area already signed (or signing with) and working with an agent it’s communication. Communication is the key to all successful relationships and the only way for an agent to be able to do the best for her client is to know what that client is thinking or desiring. I can’t help an author grow a romantic suspense career if she’s never told me she really wants to be writing romantic suspense. I also can’t help correct things about our relationship a client might be dissatisfied with if I don’t know she’s dissatisfied. I try to be as honest and forthcoming as I can with my clients and I hope they feel comfortable doing the same.

For those seeking an agent I think its business savvy. I don’t expect authors to ever know the intricacies of this business. That’s what you have an agent for, but I do expect all authors to do the research necessary to understand that this is a business. You may have written the most amazing book in the world, but for an agent or publisher (or reader for that matter) to take an interest it has to be something that can make money. There’s no point in putting money behind a book that doesn’t sell. Publishers and agents are businesses and an author making the move from writing a book to seeking publication is entering a business world. Anytime you enter a new business it’s important to learn about that business to the best of your abilities.

If you were pitching a novel and looking for an agent, what some agent qualities that would be absolute "musts" for you?

Interesting question. I’ve never been asked to look at this from the other side.

If I were an author…

I would look for an agent who was honest, brutally honest. I do not want a “yes” woman. I think my fear as an author would be signing with an agent who simply sent out my work without first evaluating it and letting me know what she thought may make it difficult to sell. I also want her to tell me if my next idea sounds like a flop. As an author I’m in this business to build a career and I don’t need to waste time on ideas or projects that an agent, someone I hired for her expertise, doesn’t think it will work. Obviously I would also want someone with experience. Someone who has contacts, relationships with editors, knowledge of the industry and can negotiate a kick-butt contract. I’d also want someone I like. We don’t need to be best friends, but I need to trust her in all business matters (from money to being my voice when I’m not there to talk) and I need to be able to share my angst in lengthy phone calls if necessary.

What's the best advice you can offer someone interested in becoming literary agent?

Read, learn negotiation skills and get a job either with a publisher or an established agency first. You can’t learn contract negotiation from a book and you can’t learn how to really know what happens inside a publisher’s editorial meeting unless you’ve been there. Having sat through hundreds of editorial meetings and negotiated hundreds of contracts from both sides I’ve learned a great deal about what makes a successful book and what makes a successful career.