A literary agent's honest advice for debut authors ✍️
Today's guest is literary agent Gideon Pine
You can’t (fully) control what happens after you publish your book.
It’s the tough truth every aspiring author needs to be prepared for. Even with glowing reviews, big launch day buzz, and a perfectly curated social media campaign, nothing guarantees your book will break through.
What actually moves the needle is simple: readers telling others they have to read your book.
So work on crafting a book readers can’t resist.
The best thing you can do for your publishing career is write the strongest book possible — and that starts with knowing what’s out there.
Read what’s currently being published in your genre. It’s how you understand the landscape you’re entering, find the white space for your story, and make sure you’re writing a book that readers are actually hungry for.
In today’s interview, agent Gideon Pine discusses the power of word-of-mouth, the issue with “copycat” writing, and the surprising new way readers are consuming fiction.
OUR SPECIAL GUEST TODAY IS…
Gideon Pine
Agent at Inkwell Management
Gideon is currently looking for:
Big Idea nonfiction
Journalist exposé (OpenAI whistleblowers welcome)
Narrative Nonfiction
Health & Wellness / Self-Help
Chef/Influencer-driven Cookbooks
Literary or Upmarket fiction with loud imagination in the quiet moments. Think: a John Irving novel, or for those who do not have the literary tastes of a 70-year-old man, which I admittedly do, a Kaveh Akbar or Miranda July novel.
Always looking for serious crime novels with style (ex. FIVE DECEMBERS, A GIFT BEFORE DYING, THE HEAVENLY TABLE, SHIBUMI) and writers like Ira Levin, Laura Lippman, and Stephen Graham Jones who are masterful acrobats with their prose. Then there are those who embrace the weird and even grotesque - Alvaro Enrigue, Katherine Dunn, Ava Reid, Olga Ravn - who all write with a lot of heart and intention beneath the surreal and terrifying.
A sportswriter for specific project
A psychologist with a significant social media platform for specific project
A literary fiction author with an interest in Japanese culture for specific project
What’s one challenge most debut authors don’t see coming, and how do you help them navigate it?
Most debut authors underestimate how important word of mouth is for their success. The only thing remotely close to having a sure path to success is if a novel becomes a Reese or Jenna pick.
Otherwise, a debut author can have a buzzy debut that gets write-ups in all the right places, only to learn that book reviews are not the needle-movers they used to be. Ultimately, it’s word of mouth that pushes titles like THE IDEA OF YOU and THE CORRESPONDENT to the top of the charts.
The takeaway here should be that there is so, so much that authors can’t control, so the best thing to focus on is trying to write the best book you can and see how the universe responds!
What is one piece of advice you would give to a writer who aspires to be published?
For novelists, read high-quality contemporary fiction (and please don’t tell me everything being published today sucks). If your manuscript is “nothing like anything that’s out there,” then that’s probably not a good thing.
There are always exceptions — Samantha Harvey’s ORBITAL is unique, but her prose is also world-class, which counts for something — but most of the time, the person who says that there are no comps for their book has likely written a book for no one.
Ready for feedback that takes your story to the next level?
“I have greatly benefitted from my collaboration with Alyssa; I would not be where I am today without her! Her developmental ideas and vision for my novel taught me so much and helped to elevate my work in highly effective ways. Her editorial fingerprint is evident in the final result—a novel on bookshelves nationwide.”
—Jill Beissel, author of Glitter and Gold
What’s the most common issue you see in manuscripts that keeps you from saying yes?
Too much copycat and ripped from the headlines fiction. Obvious Colleen Hoover, James Patterson, and Frieda McFadden influence. It’s difficult to replicate their success.
Then there’s the AI thriller. The climate change thriller. The veiled Trump admin thriller. I understand the instinct, but writers need to remember that whatever they are writing won’t be for sale until at least 12-18 months after acquisition.
That’s why I look for fiction that takes me away from the familiar and shows me an entirely different world. The stakes don’t always have to be maximal.
Ian McEwan’s THE INNOCENT is a perfect example of small stakes in what is otherwise heavyweight fiction. Not everything needs to lead to the end of the world; sometimes, it can just lead to the end of a relationship, which could feel like the end of the world if delivered with potency.
Psst: I wrote a book about querying! Check it out ☺️
What trends or shifts in publishing do you think emerging authors should have on their radar?
This is the definition of anecdotal data, but I am noticing a lot of online reviewers (Goodreads, Amazon, etc.) are starting to classify books as either the kind you have to give your full attention or the kind you only have to pay partial attention. I suppose that’s the creeping popularity of audiobooks at work. But it never occurred to me that people would consider not giving a book their full attention.
In a world where there’s 10,000 things competing for your attention at once, friends, family, and books are among those that deserve your undivided attention. What someone can do with this information… I have no idea. But maybe someone reading this will appreciate the message.
How can a writer tell when their manuscript is truly ready to query?
A manuscript is truly ready to query once the author believes it is the best possible manuscript it can be. When they feel they’ve given an agent no reason to say no. Of course, reality might dictate different terms, but the author at least needs to feel that they’ve done their absolute best.
ICYMI…this week on YouTube, I’m revealing the mistake I see in 50% of the novels I edit — and showing you real examples of how to fix it.
“For novelists, read high-quality contemporary fiction (and please don’t tell me everything being published today sucks).”
Except, it does. That’s part of the reason why literacy rates and book sales are on the decline. But since this take is coming from a literary agent who has to promote mediocre books, this is not surprising.
“If your manuscript is “nothing like anything that’s out there,” then that’s probably not a good thing.”
Even if your prose is objectively better than the average contemporary novel today? And didn’t you say you have to stand out to be a successful writer? Doesn’t that mean being “nothing like anything that’s out there”? Do you realise how contradictory your statement is?
I just came across Gideon's profile while searching for authors to query. Wild.