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A Lesson From Beyonce On Rejection
When Beyonce’s latest album — Cowboy Carter — came out, I read a fascinating article suggesting that Beyonce and Jay-Z were trying to get approval from the country music industry. It was an opinion piece, so I have no idea how true that is.
But the premise got me thinking, because I see this please-like-me / please-accept-me vibe among the entrepreneurs and experts that I work with. And that’s true regardless of how accomplished my clients are. I suspect this vibe is caused by the — extremely prevalent — idea that the traditional publishing world is tough, that it’s difficult and rare to get a book deal, and that you’re more likely as an author to get rejected than accepted.
And y’all — I hate to say it but all of that is true.
However, there’s a reason that these things are true, and it’s not to hurt you personally. Instead, the gatekeeping that’s done is to organize the millions of people who want to write a book. There needs to be some kind of system in place to keep all of that organized and allow for curation. When you don’t have that, you lose quality and you lose readers. (Just look at self-publishing for proof.)
So: How do you avoid approaching your book process with a desperate vibe?
Here’s what I have learned from my own experiences, both professional and personal.
Approaching anything — people, projects, the entire industry — with a please-like-me / please-accept-me vibe is a losing game. And it’s not just because the people you’re interacting with will be able to tell. Instead, when we do that we’re hurting and undermining ourselves. We’re looking for external validation which may or may not come. We’re giving away our power, our agency, and our ability to know, deeply, that we are worthy no matter what happens.
So: What do we do instead? And how the heck does this relate to publishing?
First, I’ve found it immensely helpful to practice the idea that what others say and do isn’t about me. Most rejections in publishing aren’t personal even when it feels that way.
Second, do your research. Often I “reject” people who are writing types of books — fiction, children’s, memoir — that I don’t work on. That energy could have been saved with some basic research. Take it from me: Gatekeepers love when you follow their rules. Whether it’s learning what an author platform is or how a literary agent prefers to receive submissions, doing a little bit of homework can yield huge results.
And lastly — believe in yourself and your dreams. I’ve found that when you show up knowing that you belong, that you can take your (great!) ideas elsewhere, that you are there to learn and grow — you’re more likely to get the end result you want. Even if that particular situation is just step #1. Or #3001.
Your Book Proposal Isn’t the Problem.
Every so often, I get an email from an aspiring author like yourself asking for me to review their book proposal. Although I try really, really hard to not make assumptions, usually three things are true about what I’m about to read.
The book proposal isn’t good.
The author hasn’t developed an audience, proven the concept, or explained how they’ll sell the book.
The time and money spent . . . didn’t create the desired outcome.*
All of this is dreadfully unfortunate. Sometimes, it’s the author’s fault.
But most of the time, it’s not.
Whether it’s a lack of knowledge about how book publishing works, hiring the wrong person to help you, or simply not having an audience — most authors don’t write great book proposals.
Part of that is because traditional publishing isn’t your expertise or industry. That’s why you’re here reading this blog post.
But the much bigger culprit is when aspiring authors are led to believe a book proposal is all they need to get a literary agent and secure a deal with a major publisher. Which couldn’t be further from the truth.
As an industry insider, I feel furious when I see proposals that people paid for that are doomed to fail because the author didn’t have an audience in the first place. Something that’s different about the way I work is that I will only work with clients that I know have a shot at a six-figure deal.
And don’t even get me started on the proposals that are poorly written by “book coaches” or where authors attended a workshop by an entrepreneur who learned everything they know about publishing from someone like me.
What you need to know as an aspiring how-to author is that your proposal is the last piece to your publishing puzzle.
Because your proposal is that final piece, you need to put the other pieces in place first.
Like understanding your goals and creating a flexible timeline for things to happen.
Like creating and testing content.
Like proving out your methodology (preferably at scale).
Like growing your audience — and engaging and evolving and continuing to grow.
Like investing in your success with folks who know what the f they are talking about and having a proven rate of helping people like you achieve their dreams.
Because otherwise? You are wasting your time. Now you know.
How to Sell a Lot of Nonfiction How-To Books
Every so often I see moaning and groaning about how publishing works. Most of the time, these complaints come from authors saying that only celebrities get published or that books sell poorly because publishers do nothing to support authors and the books being published.
There’s a kernel of truth here, because both of these things are true. Celebrities do get published, often, because there’s a track record of those books selling lots of copies. And often, books and authors do flounder for a lack of support.
But that’s not always the case.
I don’t work with celebrities, but have helped my clients — entrepreneurs and experts — land dozens of book deals. 100% of the clients that we collaborate with on book proposals land a literary agent and 80% land a book deal. Partly, that’s because I know what literary agents and editors are looking for — and because I am super careful about who I decide to work with. I’m not taking on clients that I know will be rejected for their lack of an audience, for example, or who have an unproven book idea.
Similarly, the books my teams and I work on also defy common statistics for book sales. The most recent data I can find comes from Kristin McLean, an analyst at NPD Bookscan (which tracks book sales nationwide). She estimated that 51.4% of new books sold less than 1,000 copies. In contrast, the four books my team and I took from idea to published in 2023 have sold over 160,000 copies total.
Lesson being: You need to consider the source when you are trying to learn about publishing. As an insider, I can acknowledge that the moans and groans are partially true — particularly for fiction (which is not what my team and I work on). But I also want to acknowledge that there’s an equally true reality where traditional publishers help experts and entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams. That’s the reality where my team and I dwell.
Our authors are successful — partly because of themselves.
Their proven concepts, their engaged audiences, their ability to market and sell that’s been honed over time is what sells each copy. What my team and I bring is the publishing know-how that transforms their ideas into a book that is an Editor’s Pick on Amazon, that receives dozens of 5-star reviews, that makes our authors’ dreams come true and maybe — just maybe! — that hits a bestseller list.
So — when you hear that publishing is dying, that there’s no point in chasing your dream of becoming a traditionally published author, that you have to be an influencer to get a book deal, or some other bullshit just know: The stats don’t have to be you.
Instead, you can do three things right now to help yourself sell a ton of books when it's your time. Namely —
Prove your concept. Share what you know, receive feedback, iterate, get results.
Grow your audience.
Learn how to market and sell what only you know.
Because that is the key to your success — as an author and otherwise.
Why Good Ideas (Often) Get Stolen . . . . Or At Least Copied
What I’m about to say might cause anxiety.
It’s normal to have your work stolen — or at least, copied. Often heavily.
A few weeks ago, Marian T. sent me a question that I receive a lot from entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses, audiences, and reach.
How do I market my solutions while maintaining privacy?
My first answer is . . . privacy for who?
Many authors think that somehow, their ideas will be more protected in a book than online.
But that’s not how intellectual property works.
While a book does carry a copyright — typically in the author’s name — limiting how that material can be used, ideas are not copyright-able.
Meaning that ideas can be stolen and copied.
And solutions come from ideas so . . . you’ll see that the only way to keep your solutions and ideas private is to never share them at all.
But that’s not what authors do, is it?
The whole point of being a writer and a creator and an entrepreneur is to share.
Not to mention that talking about your ideas is part of the journey to be successful — as an author, yes, but also as a leader in your niche or industry.
To me, sharing what you know has absolutely zero downside. For authors like yourself, sharing what you know and what you want to write a book about someday is crucial because it helps you build an audience and test your ideas.
And even if your ideas DO get stolen or copied, it’s not the end of the world.
Recently, it was brought to my attention that two of my former clients were each offering retreats on how to get a book published.
When I took a look at the websites for these retreats, the copy was remarkably similar to mine.
Like, show it to a stranger and have their mouth drop open — similar.
But as someone who knows her way around intellectual property law, I also knew that these clients hadn’t done anything illegal enough* to justify legal action.
Uncool? Sure.
But worth my time and energy? No.
After a few deep breaths, I was able to see the truth which was:
If someone steals your idea — or even copies it — that idea has to be good.
Maybe even great.
So: Share your ideas. Not just in your book, but every-friggin-where.
*What these clients did WAS illegal. But I saw no reason to waste time and energy on legal action that would likely create more bills than wins. Which may have been their gamble, too — that the chance of repercussions were slim.
The 3 Parts of a Successful Nonfiction Author
For the past two years, I’ve been in therapy. And because my therapist knows that I’m a book person, sometimes she’ll give me books to read as homework between sessions.
One of those books — that I absolutely LOVED — was No Bad Parts by Richard Schwartz.
Schwartz is the creator of Internal Family Systems — the idea that our personalities and inner selves are made of individual parts. And like any other family, these parts interact. Sometimes in beneficial ways, and sometimes in destructive ways.
The goal in IFS is to recognize, get to know, and understand our parts.
By doing so, we get to know ourselves better — and gradually call our true selves forward.
Though Schwartz’s work is about healing trauma, I think it can also be useful when thinking about a big, long-term goal like writing and traditionally publishing a book.
What I’ve seen is that my most successful clients have three “parts” in common:
Feeling pulled to act by a mission that impacts others.
Wanting and valuing a dream outcome for yourself that benefits others.
Loving the work involved in your mission and dream, which allows you to experience joy and fulfillment along the way.
But also —
A part that feels unsure and insecure about whether you’ll be accepted.
A part that really wants to make the “right” choice.
A part that’s afraid to grow (enter your reasons here).
What’s awesome about these lists is that there are no bad parts. You — as the aspiring author self, as the published author self — are always you.
The work is to understand these parts, and all the others that influence your book journey, so that your truest self can step forward.
3 Ways to Understand Publishing Better
This is going to be short and sweet — sharing three resources you can use right now to understand publishing better.
Agents and Books by Kate McKean
A fabulous Substack by a literary agent and author who knows what she’s talking about. Perfect for you creative types. ✏️
How to Glow In the Dark by Anna Sproul-Latimer
Another great Substack that digs into the psychology of becoming an author. I read Anna’s newsletter every week and find myself nodding my head (a great sign). 🧠
Julia (on Max)
This show — about culinary whiz and bestselling author Julia Child — might seem an odd recommendation for would-be authors. But a subplot between legendary editor Judith Jones and female founder Blanche Knopf is epic, and shares a lot about what working in publishing is really like, even today. While the history is not perfect, I do think the show gives a pretty accurate look inside an opaque AF industry. 👏
What To Do When Someone (Inevitably) Wants to Change Your Nonfiction Book
When I send out finished book proposals to literary agents, my clients and I receive at least one message that says
I love this but . . .
Followed by suggestions to —
Change the audience (from individuals to couples!)
Switch up the positioning (less business, more big idea!)
Make the title or subtitle worse (“it’s too bold”*)
. . . And my authors email me almost instantly.
What do you think?
Is my idea TERRIBLE?
Are they right?
Is EVERYBODY going to think this?
Meanwhile, I'm at my desk completely unsurprised because this is a normal day in publishing. Every single one of my clients has received an email like this . . . and usually not from the literary agent or editor they end up with.
Something you need to know is that one of the more aggravating and confusing aspects of publishing — both for authors and pros like myself — is that a lot of the decisions made are subjective.
In other words, these are opinions. And remember what Salt-N-Pepa had to say about those?
Sometimes, the points made are completely valid.
Sometimes, they’re so wrong I have to resist laughing out loud.
Like anyone anywhere in any situation, the literary agent offering suggestions is just one person bringing their own experience and perspective to the proposal.
So while my clients and I could take the note and revise the proposal accordingly, we certainly don’t have to.
Especially because we usually have a literary agent interested in the proposal just as it is.
*In my opinion, there is no such thing.
How Bestsellers Are Like the Boston Marathon
Today is the Boston Marathon, and I’m going to feel a little salty — like I am every year. And it’s not just because the commentators on NBC always say dumb things.
Instead, I’m salty because running that race has been a goal of mine for a while.
Probably a decade. Definitely since I got hooked running the New York City Marathon in 2013.
But the Boston Marathon has always felt out of reach. Or at least, qualifying for it has.
As a solid middle-of-the-pack runner, my absolute best marathon performance was a 4:45:05.
To qualify for Boston, I’d need to be an hour faster than that.
While that’s not impossible, I recognize that I’m OK running the Boston marathon as a fund-racer (someone who gets in through raising money for charity) or maybe even not doing it at all. Partly because my dreams have changed, and partly because I decided that I didn’t need an external signifier — like the bright yellow and blue Boston Marathon logo — to feel worthy.
I’m telling you this because in a lot of ways, qualifying for Boston is similar to landing a bestseller. In both instances, whether you accomplish your goal or not has very little to do with you. I could be the most strategic and dedicated runner and still not qualify.
You could have the best book idea that absolutely changes people’s lives — and still not make the bestseller list. That’s why I like to refocus my clients’ energy on their goals.
Why do YOU want to write this book?
How does landing a traditional book deal align with your goals, ambitions, plans, dreams?
What will your book do for yourself, your business, and your life more broadly?
How We Can Help You with Your Nonfiction Book
Awhile back, Kathy G. asked a common question:
How do you charge for your services?
The answer is really simple.
Flat fees.
When my team and I work with clients at any stage — whether that’s a:
1-on-1 consultation
Book Deal Bootcamp
A completed book proposal
A full manuscript for a major publisher
I charge a flat fee with a specific deliverable and time period. The price for every service I offer is based on how much my team and I dedicate to giving you the result you want — and the return on investment that you can expect to get.
A consultation call with me is a great example. Thanks to an awesome new service called Intro (sort of like Cameo for CEOs), you can book anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour based on how detailed your question is. I offer consultation calls because often, your unique situation doesn’t magically fit one of the three services my team and I offer.
Recently, an author contacted me with specific questions about the book she had coming out. She didn’t fit into the answers on the quiz, but I could still help her.
Here’s what that author — Ann Swanson — had to say about our call:
“In just a 45-minute consult, Meghan gave me critical insights into the publishing industry that I have been missing for years! She is clear, to the point, and realistic. Meghan empowered me with actionable steps to move forward. From her decades of experience with top publishers, she has insider insights you can’t find elsewhere. If you are considering working with Meghan, get the consult call! It alone is well worth the value.
— Ann Swanson, M.S.
Author of Science of Yoga and Meditation for the Real World
Consultations are always available, but the easiest (and free) way to see where you’re at on your individual book journey and whether I’m the best fit to help you is by answering a few questions on the quiz.
My Take on Publishing In 2024
So far in 2024, I’ve been able to celebrate two book deals with clients.
This is great news — BUT — for both books the advance was less than $100,000.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I’m focused on helping entrepreneurs and experts get paid for their expertise. My typical goal is to help every client we work with on their book proposal to receive a six-figure book deal.
Since 2020, that’s happened 70% of the time.
But so far in 2024 . . . things have changed.
The good news.
Publishers are still making deals.
While less money seems to be floating around, a lower advance can benefit authors that want to write multiple books. Explaining why is too technical for an email, but essentially: It makes the numbers look better, which helps increase the chance that you’ll get royalty checks in the mail someday.
The bad news.
Publishers are being pickier.
Books and authors that would have gotten deals in boomier, more spendy times (like 2021) are being rejected now. This means that authors on the edge — could get a deal, could not — are likely better off waiting until the money comes back around again.
My hot take.
This current downturn in advances is the result of rising inflation last year.
In other words: When publishing executives saw the increasing cost to make books along with a slight decline in the number of books sold on their P&Ls, they freaked out a little bit.
As a result, they decided to reduce the amount of money being spent on advances for new books. And unfortunately, lay off some editors. This has been happening for a couple of years, but it’s only trickled down to my authors and clients recently.
However — if what happened in the past is any indicator of the future (and ahem, it usually is — history tends to echo and repeat itself) this reduction in deals will result in a lack of books eventually. And that’s when the publishers’ budgets will open up again.
What this means for you.
Don’t stop what you’re doing, or try to predict which way the market is going.
Instead — work on your messaging, prove your concept, build your audience.
Those daily actions, while not at all flashy, are what ends up making a book proposal — and eventually a book — sell every day, in any market.
Just ask my authors who both got a book deal this year.
What To Do When a Publisher or Literary Agent Approaches YOU
Every so often, I receive a message like:
An editor at PUBLISHER reached out to me. What should I do?
Or —
A literary agent sent me a DM on Instagram. How do I know if they are legit?
These are both awesome questions.
Frankly I’m always happy to see them because it means that you’re doing something to stand out — and the publishing world has noticed what you’re up to.
Yay you!
So: after you stop freaking out, hyperventilating, or refreshing your app to make sure the message is real — here are five things to do.
Celebrate! A publishing insider reaching out is a great sign that you’re on the way to a book deal. And that’s true whether the person who reached out to you ends up as part of your team or not. Feel the excitement and let that goodness in.
Do your research. Google is your best friend for publishers, editors, and literary agents. You can also use specific tools like Publishers Marketplace (well worth the $25 monthly fee) to check out the past success of a literary agent or editor. And always check Writer Beware to ensure you’re not talking to someone sketchy or could be the target of a scam.
If the person who reached out is reputable, ask yourself: is this the type of publisher or literary agent I envisioned? When the answer is yes, schedule a meeting.
Like any other professional, a meeting with a literary agent or an editor at a publishing house is preliminary. It’s just a meeting and you are under no obligation to say yes to what they’re offering or work with them right now or in the future. And it can often be helpful — and thrilling! — to hear them out.Get help. You know an impartial publishing professional who is always on your side … Me! And whether you are a good fit to work with me or not, I offer paid consultations for situations like this where my primary goal is to give you good advice.
Know you have leverage. In publishing, there’s not usually one “big break” where somebody important calls and if you say no, you’ll never ever get that chance again. So, when a literary agent or editor reaches out, remember that you can afford to be both patient and choosy. In general, when someone reaches out there will be more people reaching out soon. So you can and should wait for when you’re ready and the deal of your dreams.
And — cheers to YOUR success!
Your Book Should Be More Than a Business Card.
I need a book to offer prospective clients.
My book can be like a business card.
I need a book so that I can get more speaking engagements.
Let me be clear: These statements aren’t incorrect or even invalid. There’s no singular right way to publish a book.
Having a book can help you get more clients, act like a business card, allow you to book more speaking, and often enables you to easily raise your prices.
But you can also have — and achieve — much bigger goals than putting a book out as a freebie.
Something I want you to know is that book deals are an option for entrepreneurs and experts who want to dream bigger.
The clients I work with want to help thousands of people with their words. And they want to get paid — well! — for their ideas. That’s one reason why they want a traditional book deal.
Not every book has to be a bestseller to be successful. But my clients want a bestselling book because that dovetails perfectly with their goal to be a thought leader in their niche.
I encourage you to dream bigger for yourself . . . because in 2024, how many of us are using business cards?
Don’t Let Your Mind Get in the Way of Your Nonfiction Book Deal
I am the daughter of two entrepreneurs.
My mom and dad ran a small, independent insurance agency in North Central Wisconsin for nearly 40 years. I grew up answering the phone like a 8-year-old secretary, learning how to smile politely while my dad sold policies to farmers, and watching my mom ask for receipts on anything and everything that could be considered a business expense.
Growing up, my mom and dad always seemed like confident entrepreneurs building the life they wanted. So it surprised me a couple of years ago when my mom told me that she and my dad had an opportunity to expand their business in the mid-1980s.
They could have grown the business, she said, but were scared about what it would mean to hire employees. She worried about having to move locations and not being able to work from home anymore. At the time, she had a super-flexible schedule that allowed her to take care of me and my brother when we were sick or had days off school.
My mom and dad liked their life as it was . . . so they chose not to expand the business.
When I heard this story, I was reminded of The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. (If you haven’t read it, you really should. It’s one of my favorites. And a backlist bestseller.)
In that book, Hendricks describes a phenomenon he calls an upper limit problem. Essentially, we all have a limit to the amount of joy, abundance, and success we feel comfortable with. In the case of my parents, their upper limit problem was having employees. Because they felt afraid of changing the status quo — and everything that came with it, good and bad — they consciously chose to put an arbitrary limit on what they could do.
But here’s the thing.
As Hendricks explains — and if you haven’t read this book yet, you really should, it’s fantastic — our limits only really exist in our minds. They are not real. My parents could have chosen differently. It’s likely that they could have kept the exact same lifestyle — or gained even more freedom for themselves — by allowing their business to grow.
After I became aware of upper limit problems, I see them constantly.
Not just in my parents’ lives, but my own. And in the lives and words of my husband, fellow entrepreneurs, friends, colleagues, even the barista down the street. The experience of noticing upper limits can be fascinating, sad, and revelatory — sometimes all at the same time.
But here’s what I want you to know about upper limit problems.
Something I’ve noticed in my most successful clients — the ones who hit the bestseller list, who sell thousands of copies, who grow empires and are highly influential in their niches — is that they know that their mind is full of bullshit.
These clients ask me constantly — in all different ways — do you really think I can get a book deal? And when I answer yes, they listen. That same question might have to be asked and answered a lot. But over time, I see the upper limit problem in my client’s mind transform. From a figurative concrete wall that will never change, to a clear glass ceiling where it’s possible to see the dream outcome, and then to the spiritual equivalent of Saran Wrap where one day my client stops asking the question because they know — like they know — a book deal is possible for them.
And that the literary agent and the publisher and the bestseller are all on their way.
Because for my clients and for you — the upper limit doesn’t exist. It never really did.
3 Lessons for Aspiring Nonfiction Authors
Twenty years ago, I convinced my cousin Josh to help me move to New York City.
Arriving Labor Day weekend with only four suitcases and $750 cash, I had a dorm room in Brooklyn Heights and an interview at Simon & Schuster.
Spoiler alert: I got an internship which turned into a job as an editorial assistant, which led to a job as associate editor at Penguin.
Twelve years ago, I started my own business helping authors.
And nearly five years ago, I started to share what I knew with folks like you.
2024 is the anniversary of three major steps in my professional and personal love of books. In honor of that, I want to share three lessons I’ve learned from each to help you with your dream of becoming a traditionally published author.
1. Be You.
My first-ever bestseller, The Bro Code, didn’t happen because a literary agent sent me the project. Instead, that book happened for two reasons.
First, because I was watching a show I loved (How I Met Your Mother).
And second — when I saw Neil Patrick Harris’s character, Barney Stinson, mention the bro code, I knew that this was a thing beyond the show because my college ex-boyfriend referenced “the code” constantly. He was a bro, albeit a nerdy one.
My personal history contributed to that book, which sold 450,000+ copies.
And it’s not the only time being myself mattered (See below!)
2. Respect (and Bring) the Vibes.
Last winter, I went to Colorado to ski with my husband. We stayed in Boulder for a night on our way to the mountains, and I decided to pop into a local bookstore. While perusing the business and money section, I eavesdropped on a conversation about investing.
I offered my thoughts about where to learn about money, and mentioned that I got a lot of my know-how from podcasts and the books I worked on. As it turns out, the person I was talking to was friends (and browsing) with Kyla Scanlon — a content creator and economist.
As it turns out, Kyla was working on a book for Penguin Random House. When I learned she didn’t have a literary agent (and had a short deadline) I offered to help her. At the time, I genuinely wanted to help — I had no expectation that we would work together. I ended up assisting her on editing the book before it went to Penguin Random House.
Her book, In This Economy? — which is all about vibes — comes out in April 2024.
(You should pre-order it because it’s the best explanation of economics I’ve ever read.)
3. Solid Businesses Create Long-Selling Books.
When I was at Penguin, I was assigned to edit a book called How to Retire Overseas. And though I loved the author, I was doubtful that the book would sell. Similar books had sold almost nothing, and there wasn’t a lot of expectation or effort behind the publication itself.
Months after the book was out, I got called into a meeting randomly. The publisher looked straight at me and said, “Why is How to Retire Overseas selling?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’ll ask the author and get back to you.”
The reason How to Retire Overseas sold then — and continues to sell now — is because the author Kathleen Peddicord is the leader in her industry. Her business had an email list before email lists were a thing. She held a conference every year for people who wanted to do exactly what she taught — retire overseas. Kathleen had built an audience for her advice, and those people bought her book.
I’ve learned so much in the last 20 years, and it has been so fun recalling these memories and sharing them with you. Thanks for reading, and I hope this helps.
What I Learned Researching Bestseller Lists . . .
In preparation for Book Deal Bootcamp, my intensive that teaches entrepreneurs and experts how to get traditionally published, I dug into the bestseller lists.
Specifically The New York Times bestseller list, the USA Today bestseller list, and Amazon’s lists of top sellers and most read books.
What I found there surprised me, though in retrospect I shouldn’t have been all that surprised.
The lists of how-to bestsellers? Are currently all white guys, or close to it.
James Clear. Mark Manson. Bessel Van Der Kolk. Peter Attia. Adam Grant.
(Our client Vivian Tu shook the list up a little bit in mid-January with her book, Rich AF.)
The fact that the bestseller lists have been dominated — for YEARS — by white, cis, straight men is a real problem, and not because I’m against white guys succeeding.
(My husband is a white guy. My brother is a white guy. My dad is a white guy. I could go on.)
What this domination signals to me is that women and folx of color aren’t getting the same visibility, initial promotion, sales momentum, and word-of-mouth that these dudes are getting.
And that’s a problem because readers need diverse books.
While most of the research about the benefit of diverse authors has been focused on books for children, it matters for adults, too.
Books written from perspectives outside of our own — and outside the cultural norms of capitalism, structural racism, colonialism, sexism and the broader patriarchy — allow us to broaden our perspective beyond our own experiences.
As scholar and educational expert Rudine Sims Bishop described, books written by diverse authors and from diverse perspectives create windows that allow you to see other people’s worlds that are unlike your own and sliding glass doors allow you to enter worlds that are unfamiliar to you.
Diverse books also lessen the number of mirrors — books that reflect or reinforce our own limited perspectives — that we encounter. Which is crucial if we want any kind of social justice, or even basic fairness and courtesy for ourselves and others.
I’m doing my part by seeking out marginalized voices who have great ideas for books, championing their projects, and getting them six-figure deals.
I encourage you to do your part — by purchasing, reading, or borrowing diverse books from your local library and independent bookstores, by following diverse entrepreneurs and experts on social media, and by supporting their businesses and ideas.
Not to mention pursuing your dream of becoming a published author.
I’m Not a Literary Agent (And Why That’s GREAT for You)
On my website, you’ll see a quote from my client Rae McDaniel that explains exactly what I do.
“She isn’t a literary agent, but will help you write a book proposal and make the introductions that get you an agent and a deal. She took my dream of a book and turned it into a reality.”
You should care about this because you want to become a published author.
Unlike me, reputable literary agents aren't allowed to charge clients directly.
(Most literary agents get paid through commissions on the book deals and the sale of other rights related to a book that they negotiate on behalf of their author-clients.)
Because of that, many simply don’t offer the Average Aspiring Author feedback. That’s why, if you have ever reached out to a literary agent, you likely never hear back.
That’s not because people who work in publishing are evil, and it’s certainly not personal.
Instead, people vastly underestimate how many people want to publish a book. And how often publishing professionals — like myself, and that literary agent you emailed — get asked their opinion.
I guess it’s probably the same amount my nurse-friend Allie gets asked by family, friends, and strangers to look at weird rashes. (Spoiler alert: a lot.)
Based on what I have heard from the literary agents I’m friends with and work with on the regular, their inbox tends to be a black hole.
Of current clients’ questions.
Of editors and publishers negotiating deals.
Of bad ideas that will never ever work in a million years.
Of colleagues asking to pick their brain.
And . . of well-intended people like yourself asking the same questions over and over again.
That’s where I come in. It’s my mission to help answer those questions for you, and shed some light on the publishing industry in general.
I may not be a literary agent.
I may not work at a publisher (anymore).
But I can help you understand what it takes to get a book deal.
What My Team and I Can, Will, and Won’t Do for You.
I will educate you on traditional publishing so that you know what game you’re playing. (Or not, because what you do is your responsibility and choice.)
I can help you get a book deal. Over the past three years, 100% of the clients I introduce to literary agents get representation; 80% get a book deal.
I won’t sugarcoat the truth, or sell you on something you don’t need because: karma.
I will tell you that the 20% of our clients who don’t end up with a deal is usually because editors at publishers worry or assume their audience is not big enough. (Note that I say: worry and assume because everything in publishing, as in life, is subjective.)
And:
In publishing and elsewhere, vibes matter. A lot. If you show up as demandy-smurf, entitled, or are generally a jerk, things tend not to work out. That’s true for me, for literary agents, and for lots of other folks you’ll meet on your journey, publishing, entrepreneurial, or otherwise.
My team and I show up everyday because we want to help you — authors — create books that change lives. That’s our goal.
Because I want my clients to succeed I won’t offer to write a proposal for you if you’re not ready or not the right fit. (Which can mean lots of things, but typically comes down to a lack of audience or you not writing the type of book we work on.)
That said, I will do my best to refer you to someone who CAN help you.
Bestsellers Aren’t Always the Best-Selling
Back in my Penguin days, I edited a book called The Dyslexic Advantage.
The authors — Brock and Fernette Eide — are respected experts in neurology and education. When their book originally published as a hardcover in 2011, the Eides had a thriving private practice helping neurodiverse children and families, their blog had a consistent following (because it was 2011!), and they attended several big conferences every year.
While the Eides were certainly reaching a lot of people with their work, they weren’t — and still aren’t — celebrities or influencers. The hardcover edition of their book sold around 20,000 copies — enough to warrant a paperback publication, but not a blockbuster. (At big houses like Penguin, 20,000 copies is generally seen as good — but not great — sales.)
To be clear — The Dyslexic Advantage never hit a bestseller list. But since 2012, the paperback edition has sold over 100,000 copies. Consistently, slowly. And not because the Eides got any more or less famous. Instead, The Dyslexic Advantage became what’s known in traditional publishing as a “backlist bestseller” — because it found an audience and kept selling simply through word-of-mouth.
In other words — it sold because the book is great.
Something that can be helpful to know as an aspiring author is the difference between frontlist and backlist.
Frontlist books are books that have been published within roughly a year. In 2024, The Woman In Me by Britney Spears is a frontlist book. How to Be The Love You Seek by Nicole LaPera is a frontlist book.
Backlist books are books that are older than a year. Nicole LaPera’s previous books — How to Meet Your Self and How to Do The Work — are backlist books. Spare by Prince Harry is technically a backlist book too, since it was first published in January of 2023.
Personally, I want all of my books to be backlist bestsellers.
Partly that’s because I started my career at a division of Simon & Schuster that focused on publishing books that would last — so I’ve been trained to look at books that way.
But mostly it’s because I want my books to truly matter.
I want the books I work on and the authors I work with to last longer than the typical New York Times bestseller that hits the list for a couple weeks and then fades into oblivion.
I want my books — and yours — to be more like The Dyslexic Advantage.
The 3 Most Important Publishing People for Any Nonfiction Book Author
I’ve seen a lot of confusion online about who does what in traditional publishing.
So today I’m going to define the three most important roles that my clients encounter on the path to a book deal.
Please remember that these roles only pertain to folks who are writing nonfiction how-to books, since that’s what I do. (If you’re writing something else like fiction, memoir, or a children’s book — your results and experience WILL vary.)
Person #1 – Independent Editor / Collaborator / Ghostwriter / Publishing Expert
This is me. I am all of these things and do all of these tasks on an average day at work.
Like any unregulated industry, these roles often vary person to person because there’s no universally accepted definition of what these titles mean.
But in general — these folks work for themselves or an independent company — NOT a publisher — and charge you money in exchange for helping with your work.
What they do for you also varies a lot so hiring anyone in this category, including me, is a buyer-beware situation.
Personally, my team and I edit, collaborate on, and ghostwrite book proposals and manuscripts.
I also act as a publishing expert, sharing content (like this) and teaching what I know through paid programs (like Book Deal Bootcamp).
Person #2 – Literary Agent
A literary agent’s job is to represent you as the author — by submitting your proposal to editors at publishing houses, negotiating the terms of your publishing contract (the book “deal”), selling ancillary rights to publish your book in foreign countries or create a Netflix show and lots more.
While there is some standardization among what literary agents do and don’t do — as set by the Association of American Literary Agents — it’s still not a super-regulated industry. So you still need to be careful.
What you need to know is that reputable literary agents do not charge authors for their services directly, but instead take a commission on what you earn as the author. The standard “cut” is 15% of your advance and royalties. Literary agents and agencies vary on their commissions across all the different rights possible for a book, but that’s the basics.
Most authors land a literary agent through querying — sending emails and samples of their book. However, my clients don’t need to do this because I have relationships with 100+ literary agents and send my finished proposals to them directly.
That’s actually a huge difference between me and the average independent editor or collaborator. I’ve been in the traditional publishing industry for nearly 20 years, have tons of contacts, and most importantly — a reputation for excellence that precedes me.
I make life easy for a literary agent, because the toughest part of their job is wading through the thousands of queries they receive — monthly! — and finding an author whose book is likely to sell.
My proposals sell, usually for six-figures, and literary agents know that. Which is why they are quick to answer my emails and texts, allowing the clients who work with me and my team on proposals to skip the querying process altogether. (Huzzah!)
Person #3 – Editor at a Publisher
Major publishers like Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster are divided into imprints, which is a cross between a brand and a department. Imprints that you may have heard of before include Scribner (Simon & Schuster), Crown (Penguin Random House) and St. Martin’s Press (which is at McMillan).
Each imprint has their own team of editors, as well as a publicity and marketing team. The boss and ultimate decider of the imprint is the Publisher, Editorial Director, or Editor-in-Chief (and sometimes all three; in this industry we do what we want.)
In any case, most of the time a literary agent doesn’t submit to the boss — even the best ones. Instead, literary agents develop relationships with individual editors to know each editor’s “taste” — or preferences on what they like to work on and acquire the rights to publish (the “deal” or “offer”). A big reason why I know so many agents is that I used to be an editor.
The editor’s job is complicated. Editors review submissions (for us, book proposals) that literary agents send, go to meetings where everybody at their imprint decides what they want to make an offer on and try to publish, makes those offers to the agents and authors, meets with potential authors, negotiates the contract . . . and that’s just to secure one book deal.
After the book deal is done, the editor does a little bit of everything. They manage the project from start to finish, including working with collaborators like me on the manuscript, explaining the book and author to everyone they work with at the whole publisher, including sales, marketing, and publicity teams, and managing the production process to ensure that authors don’t end up with a fugly cover or a font they hate.
Oh and yes — they edit the book as well. So an editor has a lot going on, and many editors work on a dozen books in a given year. Editors are extremely busy and tend to be grateful for authors who understand and respect that.
A Data-Driven Case for Traditional Publishing. (Book Sales Data Inside!)
It’s pretty well known that not all books become bestsellers.
Statistics show that most books sell less than 300 copies.
Part of that is because of market saturation: There are approximately 3 million books published every year. There’s a lot of books for readers to choose from, and a lot of noise for authors to combat to get those readers to buy their book.
Out of that 3 million, 2 million are self-published. Given that most self-published books sell ~250 copies, it’s clear that the DIY authors are bringing the overall average sales number down.
Contrast that with the 1 million traditionally published books, where the majority — 53% or 530,000 — sell more than 1,000 copies and 6.7% — or 67,000 — sell more than 10,000 copies.
I believe traditionally published books fare better for three key reasons —
Authors have to establish an audience and proof of concept to get past the (often unfairly maligned) gatekeepers like editors, literary agents, and me — both of which are likely to increase sales because the book is needed, wanted, and works
Traditionally published books are professionally produced (so fugly covers and tons of typos are way less likely)
There are more people invested in the success of the book than just the author (including literary agents, collaborators like me, and the hundreds of people at a publishing house)
Not to mention that when you traditionally publish, you have a shot at things that will make your book sales explode — like tv/movie/film/streaming adaptations, national press, and maybe even some celebrity support!
In other words — when you traditionally publish, statistics show that you won’t be average, and neither will your book sales.
Statistics come from NPR, independent publisher Berrett-Koehler, and WordsRated.com.