Agent Interview: Heather Jackson

Writing that transports.

Linda Loewenthal
Wendy Sherman
Lynn Johnston

How can anyone choose? I love the works of Jane Austen and Zora Neale Hurston, Lawrence Block and Walter Mosley. Dickens, Dostoevsky. On the contemporary side, my authors! And that’s just fiction. With nonfiction my tastes are more current and very varied, short works of smart inspiration or those that make known to us some hidden world; or anything deeply reported and gorgeously written. I am always happy to be taken someplace unexpected by a wonderful crafted hand.

I can’t speak to how other agents work, nor feel comfortable doing so. There are many wonderful agents out there, all trying to do their part to bring great authors out to the wider world. What I can say is that I care deeply and passionately about the work that I do and I am committed to being the best advocate and business partner for my authors and their books that I can be. My years as an editor inform how I approach the work, certainly, but that passion and commitment leads all.

Please follow the agency guidelines. Don’t tell me what I’m interested in. Write a strong, tight, thoughtful, and compelling query letter. (And then read it a dozen times to make sure it’s as good as it can be… and ensure there are no typos.)

One that shows the author is as careful with how they write about their work, as they are with the book itself. One that is marketplace informed, but not market-centric. One that is engaging and clear. One that makes it clear why the work is special. And one that is it's one best advertisement for the work; that could easily turn into catalog or cover copy as it is so 'spot on' about pulling the reader in to the text.

This is a hard question to answer. Reading is such a subjective activity. Always. What is one person's favorite read is not another's. And the marketplace is it's own beast. Damned good writing is sometimes just not enough to break through, especially if there is no clear path to a large potential readership. Yet when submitting to an agent, making sure that the book you are sending is the absolute best you can make it on your own, that's key. Again, being marketplace aware is important; that doesn't mean to try to write to the market (that frequently doesn't work), it does mean having a clear idea of who your end reader is and where your book would be shelved. An early draft is likely not going to catch or capture someone. Showing that you are taking the craft seriously is important, as quality does shine through while sloppier writing or thinking can't be hidden. If you are writing to a genre, ensuring you are following the 'rules' of said genre when it comes to length and tone can be important. Write, revise, share; lather, rinse and repeat.

They send in unsolicited materials rather than queries. They waste space repeating back to me something from my website rather than sharing what's special about their work. You have such a brief window of attention with a query, make every word count.

A good paragraph about their writing or other credentials and background is usually enough. Certainly, in a number of genres publishers are looking for highly platformed people, so substantive social media or other promotional vehicles the potential author drives should be shared; especially in practical nonfiction categories.

That varies so widely. So much depends on the quality of the writing, the characters and how emotionally resonant they are, and of course the pacing and the story. If the writing isn’t strong, though, it can be a few paragraphs or pages.

I’m sure that’s fairly standard. You send an agency agreement for review and signature, and then, depending on the work that still needs to be done, you work with the author to make it the best it can be. Once ready, you start crafting a submission list of editors and publishers to send to, and if you have interested parties you move to a sale or auction and negotiate the strongest contract and advance you can for that author. That’s the short version. Because the work of a successful publication is just getting started after those items are done.

It often is a smorgasbord of Zoom meetings, email, calls, reading, events and stress. On some of those plates, there are super tasty treats and on others burnt toast. But all joking aside, it is one of the best jobs in the world to have when you can successfully bring someone‘s needed words and ideas and creativity to the publishing world and then out to readers.