Literary Agent, Andrea Hurst’s clients include those who have appeared on Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres Show, Good Morning America, National Geographic network and in the New York Times. As a publishing veteran of over 25 years, she knows exactly what she’s looking for in terms of representation and in our interview with her she discusses exactly that.
Andrea, there are so many agents in the industry today, why should authors choose you in particular.
I am the president of Andrea Hurst & Associates which includes Andrea Hurst Literary Agent.
There are many wonderful agents in this universe, and I would include myself for these reasons:
*Available and supportive for my clients
*Strong professional contacts and work ethic
*Over 20 years experience in the publishing industry
*A deep understanding of plot and story
*A keen eye for commercial appeal in the nonfiction market
*Personal, friendly, honest representation
*Marketing and branding experience to assist my authors
What do you think about everything that’s happening in industry nowadays? What have you done to prepare your clients for it?
I think cutting back, getting closer to nature, and facing world changes head on can be a real growth experience. I have moved to a beautiful island in the Pacific NW, love shopping at farmer’s markets, and have found a slower pace that is more people oriented but still a great place to run my business. As far as the industry changes, we have expanded our services to be available to help writers in all they myriad of ways they will now be challenged to face, through our classes and consulting/packaging areas on our website www.andreahurst.com
Do you see any trends now that editors seem to be looking for?
Editors, now more than ever, want the “sure thing.” That is for a nonfiction author they have an impressive platform and high visibility internet visibility and presence. For fiction, craft is still exceedingly important, but so is marketability. This is no time to send out a manuscript or proposal that is not top of the line and thoroughly edited. We are looking for what we think we can sell based on what the publishers are looking for.
And what about you? What are you looking for?
Please, look at our website FIRST. See which agents are right for your book and email them a query. Personally, I am only looking for referred authors or those with publishing credits and a large platform. Pet Peeve – poorly written queries with no research behind them where they fit in the market or for our agency.
Enough business, Andrea. What’s something about you that few people know?
Most people know I love dogs, few people know my guilty pleasure is American Idol.