Talk to my Agent

            The publishing world has always been a mystery to me.  In the old days, people that knew a subject very well would be commissioned by the upper class to share their knowledge (and praise their wealthy beneficiaries).  When I was little, I always imagined that people that were working for the publishing companies would come up with new books when requested.  As I got more involved with writing, I found out that it was a different beast altogether. 

            This strange beast showed itself to me partially when I interned for a literary agent.  Like every other agent out there, my boss had her eyes on the “slush pile” she received daily, looking out for the next JK Rowling.  In this “slush pile” were the hopes and dreams of authors.  Sure, they weren’t published, but they had merits and recommendations from friends and sometimes even an editor. 

            The “slush pile” was composed of snippets of a book (usually the first three chapters or the first fifty pages of a book) that the author hoped would catch the interest of the agent.  At least enough interest for the agent to request a complete manuscript.  My job at the literary agency was to read through the “slush pile” in an attempt to find the next Harry Potter.  Needless to say I did quite a bit of reading during my internship. 

            Come to find out, the agent I was working for hadn’t signed a new author in over eighteen months when I first arrived.  She had promising and prolific authors signed with her, but nothing new and fresh.  Her standards to sign an author were high and she would accept nothing but the best to associate herself with. 

            After countless manuscripts and submissions, I would occasionally find “the one” I thought would break the drought.  When she would move on and declare the book not up to her standards, I would push even harder. 

            Finally after reading for two and a half months, I found something I knew she couldn’t ignore.  It was a very stylized text that incorporated the readers’ interests in its strange world.  It was definitely something I had never seen. 

            This book was the first time I truly saw the beast that is the publication world in flesh. 

            The agent took a great liking to the book.  So much so that she signed the author right away, ending her drought.  From there, she contacted another link in the chain regarding a book cover.  Within a week multiple covers were presented for her approval. 

            It was so weird to see a book come to life right in front of me.  As I left my internship, the author of the book was adding some final touches at my suggestion and agreement of the agent.  The next stage, I was told, was the publishing houses where the agent would hopefully receive generous offers and a swift delivery.