SHALLA CHATS with Literary Agent Caren Johnson

“An Insider’s View on Agenting and Publishing”

by Shalla DeGuzman

 

First off, who’s Caren?

Caren Johnson recently began her own literary agency, Caren Johnson Literary Agency. She began her agenting career four and a half years ago when she started an internship at Peter Rubie Literary Agency. She stayed at the agency for three years, the first year as an intern and two years as an agent. She then left to join Nadia Cornier at Firebrand Literary where she stayed for a year.

Recently, she made the switch to agenting on her own so she could work more closely with her authors in building their careers. She would like well organized, well crafted stories in the areas of romance (particularly romantic comedy in the vein of Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jenny Cruisie and Kelley St. John; and historical in the vein of Susan Carroll, Diana Gabaldon, and Lauren Willig—high concept only please!), Teen fiction (in the vein of Caridad Ferrer/ Adios to My Old Life, Scott Westerfeld/ Uglies Trilogy) and commercial fiction (in the vein of Christopher Moore/A Dirty Job, Carl Hiaassen/ Nature Girl). For the moment she’s full up with wonderful paranormal romance (Caridad Pineiro, Lee Roland) and romantic suspense (Caridad Pineiro, Dianna Love Snell) authors so if an author submits in this genre, she will be more critical than she normally is.

Shalla: Hi Caren, congratulations on starting your own agency, that must be exciting.

Caren: Thanks for the congrats. They’re certainly appreciated. It’s exciting, nerve wracking, fun, exhausting and a great excuse to buy books (in the name of research, of course!).

Shalla: We’re glad you can join us because we’d like to ask you about literary agents and how they fit in the business of publishing a book. For those writers who are new to this, how would you describe the job of a literary agent to be?

Caren: A literary agent is a salesperson, securing deals for a writer’s literary works. They are a manager (making sure the publishing houses doesn’t ignore the author and adheres to the contract signed, offering career guidance and planning, in some cases offering assistance with publicity and promotion, and acting as an editor for new material). I’m also friends with many of my clients since I work so closely with them and see them often at conferences and signings. Working side by side creates a camaraderie that I cultivate though I make sure it never overshadows our business relationship.

Shalla: When do writers need a literary agent? Are literary agents always crucial to signing with a large publishing house?

Caren: A writer needs a literary agent needs an agent as soon as they make the decision that they plan on becoming full time writers. If there goal is to support themselves by their writing, then they’re going to need an agent who can give them a plan on how to do so. A writer does not need an agent to sign a contract with a large publishing house, but it is always encouraged for a few reasons.

Can a writer comfortably negotiate their contract? Do they know what to ask for? Do they know what compromises to make with the current contract with an eye towards improving on them for future contracts? Can an author comfortably ask their editor for more money, more rights or more royalties without causing ill will? These are important points to keep in mind before signing a contract and a writer may just be so grateful that someone offered to publish their work that they may sign whatever is put in front of them.

Shalla: Would you say, it is always better to sign with a large publishing house or not?

Caren: It depends on what the author is expecting from their publisher. If they don’t mind doing a lot of their own publicity/promotion, can take the lead in a publicity campaign for their book, then signing a contract with a large house is worth it. If they don’t have a proven track record, then they’re a small fish in a big pond and may not get as much attention as they’d like. If they want/need nurturing, they may want to go with a smaller house where they can be a small fish in a small pond. If they are a proven entity, they may still elect to go with a smaller house and be a big fish in a small pond. This will mean more support, more feedback and more perks.

Shalla: How would you define a small publishing house? (under a dozen authors?) And how would you define a large publishing house? And are they really impersonal?

Caren: I define small house on amount they can offer as an advance, what their distribution is like, how long they’ve been around, etc. There are about six large publishers and they can be very impersonal. However, an author and agent can make sure that the editor (and by extension the publishing company) pays attention to them by being professional (make your deadlines!), by taking the lead on publicity and marketing (attending conferences, networking with other authors who write in the same genre, establishing a web presence, finding innovative ways to cultivate readers, etc.) and by thanking the people who helped get their book in print (yes, it’s their job, but it always cultivates good will when you send a nice card or small gift to say thanks).

Shalla: As the agent, do you negotiate with the house about who will design the book cover? How it will be marketed? How much money goes into its publicity and marketing?

Caren: The less established the author, the less say they’ll get about cover/design. However, a publishing house will usually compromise if the author hates the cover they get. I will always step in on the author’s behalf if the author is unhappy. I try to manage their expectations as much as possible, but since it is ultimately the author’s name going on the book, it should be something they can wholeheartedly embrace. I will step in on an author’s behalf if it looks like the cover doesn’t fit the book. For example, I had a women’s fic whose original cover had four young women lying down in the grass laughing. It was a nice cover, but didn’t fit the book at all. The women were hardworking professionals who meet for mojitos once a week to dish and discuss their problems. I went back to the editor and expressed the author and my concern and the cover was changed (and it looks awesome).

As far as publicity/promotion, the less established the author, the less the publishing company is going to offer. That doesn’t mean that the author can’t get some great publicity/promotion from their publisher. They have to know what to ask for. A publisher isn’t going to send them on a ten city tour with their book, but they will mail out review copies to the author’s local newspaper, magazines and other media outlets at the author’s request. They will usually link the author’s website to the publisher’s site. I have asked on the author’s behalf if the publishing company will design an image incorporating the cover for bookmarks/promo items, and design web banner ads to use on the author’s website (which the pub company will do). I’ve had authors ask their assigned publicist for help crafting press releases and suggestions for markets to send them to, as well as places that the author plans to send them to.

 

The trick is not to ask the publisher/publicist what can they do for the book.

 

Instead, take the lead and have a plan for what exposure/press you’d like to cultivate for the book and show them what you intend to do. Your enthusiasm will usually be met with enthusiasm.

Shalla: Are literary agent commissions usually around 10-20%?

Caren: The standard is 15% commission on contracts signed with publishing companies domestically, 20% on subrights (film, foreign, etc.). This is what I charge.

Shalla: Any tips on why or why not to sign with a literary agent?

Caren: Don’t sign with someone because they rep your favorite author or because their agency is large and therefore must be better. Sign with an agent because you like the plan they’ve proposed for your career and for your writing. Of course ask your friends for recommendations, but make sure you sign with an agent because they get your writing and are enthusiastic about it.

Shalla: Thanks so much, Caren! Very insightful answers.

For more on Caren Johnson and the Caren Johnson Literary Agency, please visit her blog at http://www.cjla.squarespace.com and her website at http://www.carenjohnson.com.

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Shalla DeGuzman's short stories have appeared in Poetic Diversity, the Mad Hatters Review, etc.; her articles in The Scriptorium and L.A. Freepress; her skits at the Stella Adler Theatre. Shalla, a former writer and producer of a health and fitness cable show, is currently writing a novel. She is President of The ShallaDeGuzman Writers Group where she interviews literary agents, publishers, editors, etc. News! Shalla DeGuzman gets nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Prize! Plus! SHALLA Magazine, which features short stories, poetry and more, is here! For more on Shalla: www.shalladeguzman.com

 

 

 

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