Meet Sara Megibow - Literary Agent for KT Literary
SARA MEGIBOW is a literary agent for KT Literary. She’s all about profitable careers for her authors and helps craft a balance in the artistic and commercial success it takes to stay in this industry long-term. Motto? Focus on the Art, Be Patient, and Strategize.
I “met” Sara when I started my query-quest for my last WIP. I’ll save the suspense - I didn’t get a call-back (aka she didn’t request my complete manuscript). However, I didn’t take it personally. What I loved about Sara was her honest feedback, sense of humor, and general approach-ability. When I reached out nearly a year post-query to ask if I could pick her brain and interview her for my blog, I was honored she was willing to throw me a bone or two or four. Agents are busy people and don’t have much time to chat, so pay close attention. Sara’s dropped some knowledge all of us could use to make or break our next submission…
Your passion is to strategize a profitable long-term career for authors through Art, Patience, and Strategy. This is a common thread between writers and agents - we all want to be in this biz for the long haul and make a living while we’re at it. How would you formulate an action plan for a debuting author? What would you expect or ask of them and vice versa?
Great question, thanks Tera!
I worked at GE for almost a decade after college – in the marketing department of the tech hardware branch of the company. We worked on process efficiency and data analysis with an eye toward profit. That’s where I got my motto of “Art. Patience. Strategy.”
How does profit strategy for authors work? Well, each author has a unique path, but we start with four basic questions:
In what genre is this author writing?
Where is this author in their career (debut? midlist? NYTimes bestseller?)
How quickly does the author write?
What is this author’s personality (do they crave control? Are they comfortable with a team of people working on their property?)
It’s easy to find information online about “what you should do to make money in publishing.” But all authors should vet that kind of information for their own, specific, situation. For example, a debut author who has written a standalone epic fantasy for adults will have a vastly different profit strategy from an author who is writing their 15th romance novel.
Queries are often the big-bad-wolf for writers. Writing, revising, shredding, then rewriting seems to be the hardest part in the entry-process. Often writer's feel insecure or unable to convey their storyline in just a few paragraphs - most don't come from a marketing background. As an agent, do you scan the query first then read a few lines of the submitted chapter or base your decision on reading the chapter on the quality of the query itself?
Personally? I base my decision entirely on the quality of the query letter itself. Every agent does this differently, though, so take my answer with a grain of salt.
I want to read a query letter that succinctly describes a story while simultaneously demonstrating superior craft. Yes, it sounds daunting, but I signed almost all my clients from query letters so I know they work.
Here are some great query letter-writing resources:
Conventions and workshops seem to be a big part of networking in the literary industry. From an unsigned/unpublished writer's pocketbook, this can be daunting (and deflating - we wanna sit at the cool table too!). If you had to pick 3 conventions or workshops you'd recommend for a struggling writer to attend, what would they be and why?
Conventions and workshops are wonderful! But they are not required in order to find a literary agent or to get a book deal. A person’s budget and schedule should always come first. If someone doesn’t have the money to attend an event (or if someone doesn’t want to or can’t come to an event), that’s ok! Conferences and workshops are not required!
Here are three conferences that I recommend:
The National RWA (Romance Writers of America) conference every July
The midwinter SCBWI conference (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) – in NYC usually in February
There are often some misconceptions about agents - the movie Swimming With Sharks comes to mind even though it's a slightly different entertainment agency market. What are some myths you've had to squash or learn yourself in the literary world?
Hmmmm…that’s a great question!
I think the #1 misconception about the job of literary agents is that people assume we sit around and read all day. That couldn’t be further from the truth. 95% of my job is spent supporting my current clients which means answering emails, auditing contracts, tracking payments, processing royalties, strategizing the Next Book, organizing sales & marketing info, connecting with publicity teams, etc.
Only 5% of my work week is spent reading queries, sample pages or full manuscript submissions.
Some other interesting publishing myths I’ve encountered?
“Ebooks have taken over print books.” NOT true at all! Print books are selling well, bookstores and libraries are healthy and the ebook market (by dollar) has continued to shrink in the past years.
“Self-publishing is the best way to make money on the internet.” Again = NOT true. There are lots and lots and lots of great reasons to self publish, but “get rich quick” isn’t one of them.
“A writer should put their novel up on Wattpad first, get lots of readers and then look for an agent and a book deal.” This one can work! But for me, personally, I’d rather see a query letter for a brand new book that’s never, ever been posted anywhere.
Ms. Megibow doesn’t pull any punches or lead aspiring writers down a path of smoke and mirrors. She provides an open line of communication and establishes healthy boundaries of expectations with her clients. While my current WIP isn’t in her wheelhouse to submit or query, I can’t stress enough how nice it is to know another face/name in an industry so vast and overwhelming at times. Check out her submission guidelines, manuscript wishlist, pinterest board of her middle grade/YA authors and books, pinterest board of her sci-fi/fantasy authors and books, and pinterest board of her romance authors and books. You can thank me later…
Until next time…
—
Simply Sally
“ I’m a huge reader! I suppose that isn’t quite “interesting” enough (or much of a surprise), but if I’m not working it’s easy to find me browsing the local indie bookstore or curled up on the couch with my cat and a good book.
I also love to play board games (Scythe is a current favorite), drink wine, take hikes in the mountains, hang out with friends and spend time with family. ”