I had this experience ten years ago. After a decade of writing middle grade and young teen I lost my editor and felt decidedly sidelined by my publisher. I wallowed for a bit before deciding to take my agent’s advice and write non-fiction. This led to writing picture books too. I always talk about being a “shapeshifter” if you want to survive in this industry. You make this point so well, Phoebe, and you have excellent ideas for how this can be achieved.
Is it possible to get in on IP work without an agent? My agent and I parted ways a few months ago, but I'm very interested in this type of work. I have ongoing deals with both my fiction and nonfiction publishers, so I don't necessarily need to go out and find an agent right now, but I am very interested in IP work and am not sure how else to get into it.
Yes absolutely it is, I have worked with authors for IP who don’t have agents. Sometimes commissioning editors put call outs on social media, so worth looking there, and if you have deals in place already it might be worth telling those existing publishers that you’re up for IP and to pass your name on to their acquiring colleagues in this space. Good luck!
This is extremely useful, Phoebe. Thanks for sharing! As a querying author, I see a lot of information about the publication process when it goes wrong, and it’s good to know what an author can do in a world that seems so unpredictable once the book is out in the real world!
Another question I'd love you to address some time: at what point is it a good idea for an author to share what details of the book they're working on? For example, I'm still editing my novel, but I'm fearful of sharing online the title or the plot in case someone pinches the idea! Maybe that's paranoid, but I do think the plot and title are good ideas! I would love to hear your thoughts on that, as someone who's seen both sides of the publishing process!
Hi Katie, I think you can share with your agent in advance and get their take on it? But no need to actually share the idea until you know it is going to be published, i.e. once it has sold to a new publisher? I don't think people set out to steal ideas, but people sometimes have the same idea, and if you'd put yours out there and someone else then did it you'd feel worried... Once a deal is in place you can definitely shout about it to readers, but I don't think there is a need to share it in advance of that, apart from to people you really trust privately? That is what I'm doing with my current book 6 idea!
Once again, a really helpful post. I love how you find realistic ways of approaching the problems in the publishing arena, ways which are based on hope and potential as well as realism. I'm in a liminal space and it's been extremely challenging, but the reminders of what I CAN do, and to keep the faith - and to reflect on what success means for me - are uplifting. Thank you.
You’re a real discovery for me and I wish I’d read your advice and brilliant insider knowledge twenty years ago instead of learning the hard way.
I’ve been writing for a very long time, first novel picked from the slush pile and published and first of about forty romances for dear Alan Boone. At the same time I was writing fringe theatre (first love but not much bread and butter there). Now, after a disastrous 12-book series of medieval crime featuring a feisty nun sleuth (think brother Cadfael) I’m stuck. Here’s the sob story:
My dear agent died as the first book was going through with John Murray, disastrous cover, fell into hands of fraudulent agent, death of champion supporters along the way, death of supportive editor at St Martins Press, more bad covers, no promo or marketing support from a library hback publisher (I didn’t know we had to do it ourselves) and now my question if you’ve read this far:
Is it worth trying to find a reliable agent for a republish of the series? A change of name, covers, whatever’s necessary. Would anyone be likely to take it on or am I wishing for the moon?
I trust your answer on this if you will have time to consider it. My gratitude will be unbounded. I can feel the tears welling already. I’m really stuck and have no idea what to do next: give up, get on with a contemporary stand-alone on spec, go and grow potatoes, run amok?
With your impressive clarity are you able to suggest a feasible course of action? Please!
Hello, thank you for reading and am so sorry you have had a rubbish time! Sending you good wishes. I hope things improve from now on. In my honest opinion, getting an agent for an existing series if it hasn't done well is going to be hard. You would be better off writing something new, and finding a new agent for that project. If that takes off, you never know, you may be able to revisit the backlist, but my advice is to move forward positively and write something else that you love. I'm not sure who the current series is with (John Murray in the UK and St Martin's in the US?) but you could ask your contacts there what promotional plans they have and whether they can help you to boost them, but in reality I think moving to something new will be a better route forward. You can go out to new agents with a new book idea, and then when you meet them you can talk through the backlist more. Sometimes you can get your rights back and self-publish, but I'd hold off on that for a while until you have your teeth into something else, and have started querying new agents with a new idea that you feel excited about. Does that help a bit? I am sure you can write something brilliant and new, and no harm in growing potatoes on the side :) Phoebe x
So good to have a list like this of suggestions. I'm going to mark it for potential future use. Meanwhile I see I need to decide what success looks like to me. Thank you, Phoebe!
Honest and helpful. Thank you
Thanks for reading!
Brilliant Phoebe! Love how you're lifting the curtain on all this
Thank you for reading x
I had this experience ten years ago. After a decade of writing middle grade and young teen I lost my editor and felt decidedly sidelined by my publisher. I wallowed for a bit before deciding to take my agent’s advice and write non-fiction. This led to writing picture books too. I always talk about being a “shapeshifter” if you want to survive in this industry. You make this point so well, Phoebe, and you have excellent ideas for how this can be achieved.
I’m sorry you had a bad experience but fantastic and inspiring to hear that you turned it around. Glad this piece resonated and thank you for reading!
Is it possible to get in on IP work without an agent? My agent and I parted ways a few months ago, but I'm very interested in this type of work. I have ongoing deals with both my fiction and nonfiction publishers, so I don't necessarily need to go out and find an agent right now, but I am very interested in IP work and am not sure how else to get into it.
Yes absolutely it is, I have worked with authors for IP who don’t have agents. Sometimes commissioning editors put call outs on social media, so worth looking there, and if you have deals in place already it might be worth telling those existing publishers that you’re up for IP and to pass your name on to their acquiring colleagues in this space. Good luck!
Brilliant, as ever, thank you!
Thankyou!
This is extremely useful, Phoebe. Thanks for sharing! As a querying author, I see a lot of information about the publication process when it goes wrong, and it’s good to know what an author can do in a world that seems so unpredictable once the book is out in the real world!
So glad it is helpful!
Hi again Phoebe!
Another question I'd love you to address some time: at what point is it a good idea for an author to share what details of the book they're working on? For example, I'm still editing my novel, but I'm fearful of sharing online the title or the plot in case someone pinches the idea! Maybe that's paranoid, but I do think the plot and title are good ideas! I would love to hear your thoughts on that, as someone who's seen both sides of the publishing process!
Hi Katie, I think you can share with your agent in advance and get their take on it? But no need to actually share the idea until you know it is going to be published, i.e. once it has sold to a new publisher? I don't think people set out to steal ideas, but people sometimes have the same idea, and if you'd put yours out there and someone else then did it you'd feel worried... Once a deal is in place you can definitely shout about it to readers, but I don't think there is a need to share it in advance of that, apart from to people you really trust privately? That is what I'm doing with my current book 6 idea!
Thanks! Yes that was my inclination I think. Thanks so much for responding!
Once again, a really helpful post. I love how you find realistic ways of approaching the problems in the publishing arena, ways which are based on hope and potential as well as realism. I'm in a liminal space and it's been extremely challenging, but the reminders of what I CAN do, and to keep the faith - and to reflect on what success means for me - are uplifting. Thank you.
So glad it was uplifting for you Susie x
Hello Phoebe,
You’re a real discovery for me and I wish I’d read your advice and brilliant insider knowledge twenty years ago instead of learning the hard way.
I’ve been writing for a very long time, first novel picked from the slush pile and published and first of about forty romances for dear Alan Boone. At the same time I was writing fringe theatre (first love but not much bread and butter there). Now, after a disastrous 12-book series of medieval crime featuring a feisty nun sleuth (think brother Cadfael) I’m stuck. Here’s the sob story:
My dear agent died as the first book was going through with John Murray, disastrous cover, fell into hands of fraudulent agent, death of champion supporters along the way, death of supportive editor at St Martins Press, more bad covers, no promo or marketing support from a library hback publisher (I didn’t know we had to do it ourselves) and now my question if you’ve read this far:
Is it worth trying to find a reliable agent for a republish of the series? A change of name, covers, whatever’s necessary. Would anyone be likely to take it on or am I wishing for the moon?
I trust your answer on this if you will have time to consider it. My gratitude will be unbounded. I can feel the tears welling already. I’m really stuck and have no idea what to do next: give up, get on with a contemporary stand-alone on spec, go and grow potatoes, run amok?
With your impressive clarity are you able to suggest a feasible course of action? Please!
Cassandra
Hello, thank you for reading and am so sorry you have had a rubbish time! Sending you good wishes. I hope things improve from now on. In my honest opinion, getting an agent for an existing series if it hasn't done well is going to be hard. You would be better off writing something new, and finding a new agent for that project. If that takes off, you never know, you may be able to revisit the backlist, but my advice is to move forward positively and write something else that you love. I'm not sure who the current series is with (John Murray in the UK and St Martin's in the US?) but you could ask your contacts there what promotional plans they have and whether they can help you to boost them, but in reality I think moving to something new will be a better route forward. You can go out to new agents with a new book idea, and then when you meet them you can talk through the backlist more. Sometimes you can get your rights back and self-publish, but I'd hold off on that for a while until you have your teeth into something else, and have started querying new agents with a new idea that you feel excited about. Does that help a bit? I am sure you can write something brilliant and new, and no harm in growing potatoes on the side :) Phoebe x
I’m rather lost on this sub stack site. Can’t tell where messages go/send. Aaaargh!
Don't worry, I got this! It's a comment on the post, so everyone can see it, but that's fine - think people will find it helpful.
I love the idea of thinking about what I would consider 'success'. Food for thought, there! Thank you!
You are welcome!
So good to have a list like this of suggestions. I'm going to mark it for potential future use. Meanwhile I see I need to decide what success looks like to me. Thank you, Phoebe!
Thank you for reading!
Really useful,thank you 😊
Thank you!
This is a fab and really helpful post, Phoebe. Thank you.
Thank you for reading 💖💖 hope you are well xx