Talking with Literary Agent Mark Gottlieb – Part 2

On Tuesday, Trident Media Group literary agent Mark Gottlieb discussed what a work day is like for him, a recent project (Tropic of Kansas by Christopher Brown) he’s worked on, and how he became a literary agent. Today, he concludes our interview with a discussion about “platform,” self-publishing and its role in the industry, and the state of the contemporary publishing industry. You can read Part 1 here.

I've heard that some publishers won't even look at an author who has fewer than 10,000 followers on Twitter. Overstated? What are publishers looking for in terms of an author's "platform?"

I’m finding that the importance of platform in author’s career has also made its way into the world of fiction, to an extent. In looking for an ideal fiction client with a platform, I look for authors that have good writing credentials such as experience with writing workshops, conferences, or smaller publications in respected literary magazines. Having awards, bestseller status, a strong online presence, or pre-publication blurbs in-hand for one’s manuscript is also very promising in the eyes of a literary agent.

To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.

Photograph by Ehud Neuhaus via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Talking with Literary Agent Mark Gottlieb – Part 1

Mark Gottlieb is a literary agent with Trident Media Group in New York. We recently had the opportunity to talk with Mark about publishing, literature, poetry, the life of a literary agent, projects he’s work on, and expectations of authors.

Mark Gottlieb

He will tell you that he was born for the publishing industry. Gottlieb attended Emerson College in Boston (at the time, the only college offering an undergraduate program in publishing.) After graduation, he worked for Penguin and then joined Trident Media Group, the No. 1-ranked literary agency by Publishers Marketplace. At Trident, he’s worked in foreign rights acquisition, served as executive assistant to Trident’s chairman, and led the Audio Department. Currently he’s working with his own client list, and has ranked No.1 among Literary Agents on publishersmarketplace.com in Overall Deals and other categories.

In Part 1, Gottlieb discusses what a literary agent’s job is like, how he became involved in publishing, publishers and poetry, and what expectations publishers and agents have of authors. Part 2 will be published Friday.

We have a vision of what a literary agent's job is like, and we know it isn't long lunches in famous restaurants with famous authors. Tell us a little about what a day is like for you.

The interesting thing is that there really is no average day in the life of a literary agent, or at least there shouldn’t be, for when a literary agent’s days begin to stagnate and look the same, then that person’s career is in trouble.

To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.

Photograph by Anastasia Zhenina via Unsplash. Used with permission.