Interview with literary agent David Fugate

[Brian G Turner]

Who, if you didn't know, got Andy Weir the book deal for The Martian.

And he's a fan of self-publishing, who runs some interesting numbers in this piece:

“I'm a huge fan of self-publishing” — Interviewing Andy Weir's Agent

A quick check of Publishers Marketplace shows more than 400 deals in their database for books that were initially self-published, and that trend will only get stronger. And of course, some truly major books – The Martian, included! – started out life as self-published books.

When a self-published book does well, it can not only help your chances of getting the book picked up by a major publisher — if that’s what you want — it can also put you in line to receive a much bigger deal than you would have otherwise.

Where it can be problematic is if you self-publish a book and it doesn’t sell well. At that point there’s really not much you can do because publishers’ responses will essentially be “The market has spoken.” When it comes to self-published books, publishers only bet on success, which makes sense when you think about it.

Personal note: although agents have become the de facto gatekeepers to publishing, the US agents I've researched tend to only look for books that align with their personal tastes.

Which results in the bizarre situation of traditional publishers wanting the next Game of Thrones, but those same agents who claim to represent SFF refuse to give them that because they generally don't seem to read epic fantasy.

We've also seen how traditional publishers have missed the boat on space opera, which has worked in the favour of a number of self-published authors.

And, in general, it really would make more sense if publishers were to increasingly turn to the self-publishing success lists - rather than be solely reliant on agents - because those SP books with a proven market base should be easier to sell into book stores.

The problem for publishers, of course, is the next to be more flexible - and competitive - with contractual terms. I've seen some really awful ones come up, such as holding the rights for the author's lifetime + 70 years; demanding film rights; plus those pitiful royalty rates, especially on ebooks.

Interesting times.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

We've also seen how traditional publishers have missed the boat on space opera,

Which is odd. It's always been popular since E E 'Doc' Smith in 1928 and Flash Gordon in Cinema in 1930s. It's been one of the top selling SF in TV & Cinema for last 60 years, along with with horror themed SF&F (Quatarmass Experiment to Alien).

Publishers should get rights for only 5 years unless they are doing long tail POD (in paper print for ever at regular price) and DRM free eBooks on all platforms. (Apple, mobi, ebpub etc)

Traditional Publishers are like Record Labels. They only recognise the "Next Big Thing" after one of them does it by accident. They are very conservative and adverse to risk taking.

the US agents I've researched tend to only look for books that align with their personal tastes.

A problem with reviewers, beta readers, trad publishers too. We find it hard to see the sales value or quality in ANY media or even physical product not to our own taste.

 

[E.Maree]

Ooooh, this agents tastes and his agency seem to align quite neatly with my currently querying manuscript. Definitely going to add it to the list.
Thanks for this interview Brian, I found it really interesting! I definitely prefer agents who accept and understand that self-pubbing is here to stay.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Also interesting to note that David Fugate represents Nick Webb, whose first self-published book made the USA best seller lists - but doesn't appear to yet have a print deal. Didn't I say something about publishers missing out on space operas? Maybe 'holding out against' may have been a better turn of phrase...

 

[ratsy]

Nick is doing very well for himself right now as an Indie. He also have some really cool stuff in the pipeline that will keep making him more money, so I suspect he is wary to lose his control over release times, and prices. As soon as he signs with a big guy, his releases get pushed back and will be every 1-2 years where he already did 3 in less than a year and has sold A LOT of copies.

 

[Vaz]

Yeah, nice article Brian. Thanks for posting

 

[Brian G Turner]

Some literary agents are apparently chasing up some of the self-publishing best sellers:
Got contacted by Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media in NYC...

But are only looking for the absolute cream in terms of sales:
Got contacted by Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media in NYC...

So, it seems to be that it's a catch-22; representation is only offered at the point where one does not really need representation anymore (except for a few things like TV and film rights, I suppose). Or at least only when one is seen as a cash cow to be skimmed.

Though some SP writers who want a print deal are pitching to agents:
Got contacted by Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media in NYC...

Doesn't surprise me. He has pretty much form letter spammed every bestselling indie author I know (and every author who hits a list or is nominated for a major award).

If you want an agent, the way I found worked best was to ask around, look at people who have done deals like what you want, and just email the agents you like with a straight forward pitch that lays out your sales to date, what you want out of the relationship, etc.