Agent Interview ~ Natasha Kern

Today’s guest is Natasha Kern of the Natasha Kern Literary Agency. Before founding her own agency in 1986, she worked as an editor and publicist for New York publishers (Simon & Schuster, Bantam and Ballantine). Natasha has personally sold more than 800 books and says she has a strong commitment to discover and develop new talent in inspirational fiction as well as other genres and helping writers develop their careers. Her client list includes several New York Times best-selling authors, USA Today Best Sellers; and RITA winners. She represents Christy winners Robin Lee Hatcher and Michael Joens as well as Christy finalists Angela Benson, Harry Kraus, and other popular CBA authors.

She has taught numerous workshops and been a speaker at writers’ conferences across the country. She is a member of several writing organizations including Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and The Authors Guild, just to name a few. For two years, Natasha agreed to serve as an industry advisor for The Industry Advisory Committee of Faith, Hope, Love. Her agency represents books that provide entertainment, inspiration and information. Natasha regards herself as a steward of ideas and stories that inspire hope, faith, insight and action.

Natasha, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed today.

How long have you been an agent? 21 years

Was there ever a time in your career you thought of quitting?

Absolutely not! Agenting is a calling for me and there is nothing that better suits my temperament and talents. This isn’t a matter of preference or personal taste alone, but of knowing what is right for me and where I should invest my life energy—of the gifts I have been given that I want to give back as part of living a dedicated life.

What mistakes did you make while starting your own agency?

This is a really odd question. In looking back I can say I did a lot of things that were great like being mentored by more experienced agents and hiring excellent assistants or working with clients I respect and whose work I like. I sold 25 books my first year so I can’t have been making many mistakes!

Do you have a pet peeve having to do with this biz?

Inscrutable royalty statements.

What do you wish you’d known early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration?

Since the readers of this blog are presumably not people hoping to become agents but those hoping to become published writers I’m going to change this question as I don’t see how trying to come up with something for this will be helpful. It would have been nice to have had a crystal ball and envisioned email or blogging and so forth existing in the future.

What categories of fiction do you look for and what do you look for in a project you will choose to represent?

I do not look for categories but for writers. I look for talent (life is not a level playing field unfortunately) and training, an outstanding concept and a novel that is well written, touches our hearts, makes us think, captivates the reader and is inspiring. OK, this isn’t really how it works. Of course I want wonderful writing and storytelling. But what really happens is the author knows that I am the right agent for her and I know that her work is right for me--often before we even meet or when I have read a few pages of the submission. Then when I stay up all night reading it and can’t put it down and it really makes me laugh, cry, turn the pages and feel inspired I absolutely know it is right for me—sometimes because I know what is needed to take it to the next level to launch her career.

What are a few of your favorite books?

Middlemarch, George Eliot; War and Peace; The Last Temptation of Christ by Kazantzakis; The Brother’s Karamazoz, Dostoevsky; The Secret Life of Bees.

What work have you done that you’re especially proud of and why?

Robin Lee Hatcher’s The Forgiving Hour and Beyond the Shadows because they are life transforming; Nikki Arana’s Winds of Sonoma and As I have Loved You because they are books with a ministry that are powerful and heartfelt; Julie Lessman’s A Passion Most Pure because it breaks new ground in Christian fiction; Eliot Pattison’s Tibetan series beginning with The Skull Mantra because he raises awareness of what happened in Tibet far beyond any work of nonfiction; Hope Is the Thing With Feathers because it is a beautiful book that really is hopeful; Kathleen Morgan’s Scottish books because they combine historical authenticity with great romance and her Woman of Joy because it meant so much to both of us. The Jewel of Medina by Sherry Jones because of the insights about the lives of the wives of Muhammad and the founding of Islam; Elvis Takes a Back Seat by Leanna Ellis because it ROCKS! The Curse of Blessings, by Mitchell Chefitz because it is an outstanding example of the art of storytelling, profound and wise. Breathing Grace by Harry Kraus because it personally inspires me. Girlwood by Claire Dean because it introduces a generation of young women to beautiful lyrical writing and opens a path to a new world view. I’m trying to think if I could add dozens more here. Hard to be limited. I have cared deeply about so many books that I have worked on.

Do you have a scripture or quote that has spoken to you lately?

I like reading Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest because it always seems like he has somehow managed to work through the night to sneak the daily scripture in that exactly applies to me for that day.

Can you give us a look into a typical day for you?

There is no typical. Obviously, negotiating contracts, calling editors, reviewing or writing jacket copy, looking at new covers and responding with requested changes, making sure clients are getting paid, discussing marketing plans with clients or publicists, reading and responding editorially to mss, supervising office staff, working on film deals with co-agents in Hollywood; working with foreign agents on concerns of theirs or new books for their lists; working with in house staff on options for selling rights; career management and building; future plans for clients near term and long term; analyzing royalties; tracking book sales and best seller listings; keeping up with industry news and changes; answering about 100 emails each day; consulting on publicity plans with publishers and clients; working with private editors; ensuring that schedules are on track; getting rights reverted; and the office and business side of agenting; reviewing catalog copy; obtaining jacket blurbs; developing proposals or helping authors understand how to write them; developing workshops or setting up meetings for when I am in New York or at conferences; writing pitch letters for submissions; developing sales plans for properties I represent; conducting auctions; analyzing numerous spreadsheets; tracking contractual matters like due dates, payments, pub dates, rights allocation; reading queries; and a lot of other things.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being an agent?

Favorite thing discovering new talent; least favorite thing having to get involved in lawsuits against publishers.

Do you help your clients market their books? What's your favorite part of marketing?

Yes, of course. I worked in publicity and like doing it although I don’t have much time for it on individual books. I like working with in-house publicists and marketing people to use them most effectively for positioning each client and book. I am extremely good at this. Everyone pretty much knows this so I am almost always included in developing marketing and publicity plans for authors so a there is a sold team effort.

As an agent, what's that special something you look for in a book?

That is it exactly—that undefineable special something that is like falling in love, that makes it impossible to put a book down.

We all hear how subjective this business is. Can you elaborate on that?

Of course, it is subjective. This is an art not a science and anyway science is also often subjective.

What's the best piece of advice you can give our readers about getting published?

The best thing is to write the story God has given you, the story in your heart and He will create the opportunities and prosper what you give back to Him from the gifts He has given you (this is intended to be gender neutral). If a writer looks at the market and consider writing spiritual works to fit into a niche, this would be someone I would not choose to work with.

Let's say I have an intriguing query, a well developed synopsis and my three sample chapters are strong. Why might I still get a rejection?

It depends on what you mean by strong. Most rejections are because the writing just isn’t at publishable quality and the writer lacks a clear voice, there is no dramatic tension, weak character development and a lack of mastery of the craft. There are also rejections because the author simply doesn’t understand what a novel is and the structural requirements of this art form. Beyond that, I might just not like it or feel it is a match. So it is partly talent, something that REALLY makes me laugh, cry, turn the pages, feel inspired, and a matter of personal taste.

What are the biggest mistakes writers make when pitching their work?

The problem isn’t pitching their work but whether they are at a stage of mastery of the art of writing to be ready to sell. I don’t think agents expect writers to master ‘pitching’—that is our job. Has the writer really spent the kind of time required to become a professional that say a doctor or lawyer might invest in developing a career? Writers worry too much about pitch sessions and not enough about how long it takes to master any profession.

If a writer is rejected and reworks the manuscript, can he/she resubmit it?

If I have agreed to that. If I am interested in a writer or her work, yes. It can take some time to get things right.

Would you recognize a resubmission? If you did, would you be able to see it with fresh eyes?

Yes. Always. I would only look at one if I had previously agreed to do so. I have worked for months or years with authors who had talent and still had to master the craft before making a sale.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

In nonfiction, writers need to have something of unique value to write about and the skills to express it as well as a defined readership. In fiction, study the craft, join writing organizations and attend conferences. Make sure you know the indwelling spirit of your work. Develop your writing toolbox and then allow the story to be told that has been given to you. Trust that inner voice.