How agents prep for an offer of representation (This week in books)

This week! Books! Writing! MAGIC.

…

Okay not magic.

You have probably spent a lot of time imagining what it’s like receiving an offer of representation from a literary agent. But what’s happening on the agent’s end? Literary agent Jessica Faust shows what’s going on behind the scenes as an agent prepares to offer.

Publishers Marketplace has a rights board that’s kind of a clearinghouse for unattached projects. Here are literary agent Janet Reid’s thoughts on it.

Abridged audiobooks used to be a big deal in the days when people carried around tapes and CDs, but do they still have a place in the digital download era? Book Riot takes a look at the past and future of abridged audiobooks.

Ever wondered how and when traditionally published authors receive copies of their books? Author Justina Ireland has a helpful Twitter thread on everything you need to know about ARCs:

So, authors get several sets of books:

ARCs: usually just a handful
On publication (for hardcover): 20-30 copies depending on contract
Paperback printing: 20-30 copies

If you only have a paperback printing you just get those and then some people get copies for reprints. https://t.co/aZ63QX7TiM

— Justina *Preorder Deathless Divide* Ireland (@justinaireland) November 14, 2019

And speaking of great tweets:

To my writer friends. Just keep going. I was rejected over 48 times before I got my 49th rejection.

— Nathalie Antonia! (@natsantonia) November 11, 2019

This week in bestsellers

Here are the top five NY Times bestsellers in a few key categories. (All links are affiliate links):

Adult print and e-book fiction:

1. Blue Moon by Lee Child
2. The Guardians by John Grisham
3. Final Option by Clive Cussler and Boyd Morrison
4. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
5. The Night Fire by Michael Connelly

Adult print and e-book nonfiction:

1. Triggered by Donald Trump Jr.
2. Finding Chika by Mitch Albom
3. Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers by Brian Kilmeade
4. Me by Elton John
5. Acid for the Children by Flea

Young adult hardcover:

1. Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Steifvater
2. The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman
3. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
4. Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis
5. The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Middle grade hardcover:

1. Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid by Jeff Kinney
2. A Tale of Magic… by Chris Colfer
3. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
4. The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs by America’s Test Kitchen Kids
5. Refugee by Alan Gratz

This week on the blog

Don’t forget that you can nominate your first page and query for a free critique on the blog:

• Nominate Your First Page for a Critique on the Blog
• Nominate Your Query for a Critique on the Blog

In case you missed them, here are this week’s posts:

• Will you ever buy mostly e-books? (13th annual poll)
• Preorder now: My guide to publishing a book!
• The best strategy for sending query letters
• Will you ever buy mostly e-books? 2019 results!

Comment! of! the! week! goes to Nancy S. Thompson who has a few more reminders on sending out query letters:

If you’re getting requests then your query is good, but if you’re not getting any offers, perhaps your manuscript needs work. While you’re out on sub, start writing your next book! It helps pass the time.

And finally, I really enjoyed The Mandalorian, including Werner Herzog’s role, though I half-suspect Jon Favreau cast him just because he knew there would be a classically bananas Herzon interview like this one where he talks about how he’d never seen Star Wars because he was too busy watching WrestleMania.

Have a great weekend!

Need help with your book? I’m available for manuscript edits, query critiques, and coaching!

For my best advice, check out my guide to writing a novel and my guide to publishing a book.

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