Season 4, episode 16 is here!
Louise Buckley Literary Agent has worked just about every side of books, from the shop floor at Waterstones to commercial fiction editor at Macmillan to literary agent. She’s on a mission to demystify an industry that can feel like a locked room, and she was refreshingly honest about how the whole thing actually works. If you’re interested in pursuing the traditional publishing route, this one’s for you.
What we covered:
- Why Louise says being an author is harder than being an agent, and the reason your manuscript sits at the very bottom of her pile for reasons that have nothing to do with quality.
- The first question she asks about every single submission, and why a book that’s merely good is no longer good enough to make it through.
- What she really thinks when authors haven’t heard back in three months, and the story everyone tells online that quietly warps your expectations.
- The query letter red flags that get an immediate no, including one well-meaning move authors make to stand out that backfires completely.
- Whether you actually need a social media following to get a fiction deal, and how the answer changes the moment you cross into nonfiction.
- The uncomfortable shift happening inside publishers right now that means editors can love your book and still not be able to buy it.
- Her single golden nugget of advice for anyone hoping to land an agent, which comes down to one thing you should be able to do before you send a word.
You can find Louise’s publication here.
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