Literary Manager and author of Publish Your Nonfiction Book , Sharlene Martin has kept her finger on the pulse of what is hot and what is not in book publishing. In fact, she recently signed presidential gatecrasher Michaela Salahi. In our interview with Ms. Martin, she explains why writers need to wear multiple hats, why she says publishers are now casting for authors and why her company is looking for graphic novels.
What’s your official title and why are you the best agent in the universe?
I am a Literary Manager for Martin Literary Management LLC, my company I started in 2003. I don’t know that I’m the “best” in the universe, but I can say I’m the hardest working. TENACIOUS is my middle name and I’m like a pit bull with a bone in my mouth that won’t stop until I can effect a sale for a client whose work I represent and believe in.
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’m impacted just like all other agents and authors are. Authors need, more than ever, to make sure their work is better than good – it’s got to be great and relevant to what people are buying in these difficult economic times. Authors need to resign themselves that more burden is falling on their shoulders so they need to wear multiple hats – writer, promoter, social networker, speaker, anything and everything to get noticed in this very crowded marketplace.
What do you think about all these technological changes happening? How have they changed the marketplace?
I’m really torn by how this will affect the physical book in years to come. Anything that gets people reading is a good thing – but I don’t feel that the royalty structures to authors for virtually no reproduction costs for ebooks has been fairly worked out yet. Especially given that the ebooks are less than half the sales price of the physical books …
What’s hot now, what are editors looking for? And what type of manuscripts and proposals are you currently looking for that never seem to get?
What’s hot are ALWAYS celebrity authored books – which I’d love to do more of. They don’t require an author starting from square one in building a platform. In fact, I think publishers are “casting for authors” much like Hollywood casts movies. We’ve just added a new agent (Bree@martinliterarymanagement.com ) who will handle Children’s Books and Graphic Novels exclusively – so we’re excited about adding those genres to the agency.
What’s the best way for writers to approach you? And what’s one of your pet peeves when writers query you?
Go to my website, www.MartinLiteraryManagement.com and follow my Submission Page directions. My biggest pet peeve is when writers cc: 100 other agents and address the letter To Whom It May Concern. Instant delete. Literary SPAM. Also, when writers call me to pitch on the phone – a big no-no. My standard response is “I’m so sorry. I can’t tell much about your writing from the sound of your voice.”
And finally, what is something about you that very few people know? That I have a huge respect for writers who do it like they mean it. I just had my first book published, Publish Your Nonfiction Book: Strategies for Learning the Industry, Selling Your Book and Building A Successful Career (Writer’s Digest Books) and the experience of writing a book was overwhelming. I really do admire authors. It’s not just a job to me.
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