Harvard graduate, Celeste Fine is Folio Literary Management‘s Foreign Rights Director but she is also actively seeking and maintaining clients with strong platforms. What does that mean exactly and what does she say editors can’t get enough of? We had the opportunity to ask her this and more and here is what she had to say:
What’s your official title and why are you the best agent in the universe?
Literary Agent and Foreign Rights Director. I thoughtfully manage my clients’ careers and truly partner with them to support their longterm professional and personal goals, which includes brainstorming and crafting the most marketable book concepts; editing (sometimes writing) and designing the most successful book proposals and manuscripts; pitching top editors in each category; negotiating the best deals with the best publishers; building effective publishing teams, which can include collaborators, outside publicists, web designers, videographers, etc.; pursuing and leveraging additional publicity, marketing, and revenue opportunities; and coordinating the publishing process and publishing team. I have high expectations of my clients and myself, and as a result, I have sold every project I have submitted to publishers over the last two years.
What have you done to brace yourself for the economic changes to the industry? What can authors do to avoid eating Ramen noodles and counting pennies?
I have had to become more selective of the clients I take on. It used to be that if I thought a book could sell 25K copies, I would sign them up. Now it has to be closer to 50K copies, which means generally I sign clients with at least the beginning of a national platform or a handful of national media hits or relationships already under their belt. The author and the publisher can do everything right (great book, solid online presence, morning show booking, great coop space), and it still doesn’t mean the stores are going to order the book or the author is going to earn out their advance and be able to support themselves off of what they make on the book. All an author can do is write their best book, leverage their team, create the most opportunities, and then, fingers crossed, the stars align and the book pops.
What do you think about all these technological changes happening? How have they changed the marketplace?
I love that technology and internet companies will have a hand in shaping the future of books. They have more capital and better profit margins to be innovative in ways that publishing houses and traditional retailers have not been able to be. To me, a book is a book whether it is in a print format or an electronic format. Electronic books and multimedia books reach a significant audience of readers who want immediate and portable access to content. It also allows us to make content more three-dimensional, with links and videos that can expand the reader’s experience. These ebooks and devices will also allow authors to more directly connect to their readers. For instance, an author, one day, will be able to send updates to all of the people who bought their book about a new study, an author event, or their next book. There will be people who want print books, and there will be books that are particularly successful in print. Electronic books simply create more opportunities for authors, publishers, and readers.
What’s hot now, what are editors looking for? And what type of manuscripts and proposals are you currently looking for that you never seem to get?
In nonfiction, the trend seems to still be books by big celebrities and tv personalities. I am hungry for a great book on pain and a celebrity bipolar memoir.
What’s the best way for writers to approach you? And what’s one of your pet peeves when writers query you?
The best way for a writer to get my attention is to be the best at what they do and to have something significant and new to say on an important subject. Impressive endorsements and relationships go a long way. National media is a top priority now. And a solid online presence is an advantage. When I speak with an author, I look for clients who are smart and who understand that they need to work the hardest to make their book a success.
And finally, what is something about you that very few people know?
I am in a pool league.