After pouring through websites, books, and
lecture transcripts I noticed an interesting fact about the interworking’s of
the publishing world. Everyone must be a
spy and the spying comes full circle.
Before you jump into the semantics about using the world spying I will
mention that “research” could be used in its place, if you wish to be that
polite and boring. No matter which term
you prefer there is no getting around the action. When it comes to success in this field spying
is the golden key to most doors, here’s how:
Writers:
1. Spy on Other Writers
It started at an earlier
age when Pokey Puppy stole their
heart and Black Beauty broke it,
writers are readers. They didn’t know it
then but as the peanut butter coated fingers turned pages and the wide eyes ran
over the text their minds were eavesdropping and cataloging everything about
the book. Writers are expected to read
as many books in their genera as possible and this is what their spying on:
-
Story
Development
-
Point
of view
-
Reading
level
-
Sentence
structure
-
Voice
The next step is to spy on other writer’s career paths and
seek the answers to these questions.
-
How
did they find inspiration?
-
Who
helped them in their writing journey?
-
Who
was their agent?
-
Who
was their editor?
-
Who
was their publisher?
-
How
long did they struggle before getting that “Yes”?
-
What
are they working on now?
2. Spy on Agents
Agents are vital to success.
Yes, there are stories of the odd man out who represented themselves and
made it big, but there is a reason we all know the same stories, they are few
and far between. A good agent offers a
leg up that is well worth the small %15 percent they take. (ok that rant is
over) Regardless the educated writer understands that the best book deals
typically go to writers who have the best agents…….. and how are these agents
acquired (besides writing a killer book and query of course)? SPYING.
To get a yes from an agent you have to understand them. This knowledge helps build the perfect query
and ensure time isn’t wasted barking up the wrong tree. Here’s a short list of the things the
“industry” suggests to spy on when it come to the Agent:
-
What
they represent
-
Who
they represent
-
What
they crave in a next project
-
Are
they good at what they do
-
Do
they treat their clients well
-
What
are their submission guidelines
-
How
they rank among their peers
-
What
are their tastes
-
What
have they said in interviews
-
What
have they said in seminars
-
What
have they said on Twitter, on Facebook
*This is the short list, but you get the idea.
Who Agents
Spy On:
In my humble opinion, which is very
humble based on the fact that I am a writer not an agent, the success of an
agent is made in four parts. Relationships,
sell, spy, and apply the knowledge gained by spying to sell. Here’s a short list on who they keep tabs on:
-
Editors
(collect information on both their private and professional lives)
-
Publishers
-
Other
Agents
-
Readers
-
Writers
-
Social
trends / media
Who Editor’s
Spy On:
-
Other
Editors
-
Their
Publishers
-
Other
Publishers
-
Trends
in the Markets
-
Readers
Who the
Publishers Spy On:
-
Readers
-
Other
publishers
-
Self-publishing
establishments
-
The
e-book trade
-
Trends
and media
The circle
of Spying is then completed with the individuals that all this work geared
towards. The final piece is the Readers,
who undeniably spy on the writers.
Readers à Writers à Agents à Editors à Publishers à Readers
In short, if
you’re preparing to enter this crazy world better get ready to put your search
engines to the test…. Thank goodness for the internet!
