28 February 2018 Ask an Expert Session: Juliet Mushens

Posted on February 20, 2018 in Uncategorized

Most people know how a book gets published:

There’s the fun writing part
There’s the fun editing part (or not much fun, depending on your perspective)
The design part (which always looks fun to my layman eyes, but may not always be to those designers juggling multiple opinions)
There’s the part involving selling them to book stores and distributors (going out to lunchtime meetings always sounded glamorous)
There’s the fun part where you make a marketing plan (that’s largely fun, depending on your budget)
There’s the fun production part (everyone I know working on that part loves it, even if it isn’t always fun when delays are met)
There’s the fun in building a publicity campaign around the release (let your creativity run riot)
There’s the selling of it in book stores (booksellers are a happy and beautiful bunch), and…
Of course, there’s the reading of the final product itself (that’s always fun, even when it isn’t – if you know what I mean by that)

Obviously, there are a few steps missing there but, before I entered the industry, this is all I knew. So when it came time for me to leave teaching and change careers, the other steps involved didn’t cross my mind – this is what I knew, therefore this is what was open to me. After all, all Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds taught me about the industry in The Proposal was there’s a slush pile and gems could be found within it. I didn’t really consider how books even made it onto those slush piles. Was it a literal pile? Did all books that got published go through that process? How do they even get there? In hindsight, I didn’t know much about the industry when I decided it was where I wanted to be. Maybe that’s the case for others, too; if so, that’s a shame and those could be missing out on finding their true calling within the industry.

With that hindsight in mind, some of the aspects of a book’s life cycle I didn’t know about turned out to be the most interesting ones. For instance, before a book even makes it to an actual publisher and goes through the stages outlined above, it has already gone through an extensive and interesting journey – that journey also differs widely for fiction and non-fiction titles, which is something I didn’t know at the time. One of the earliest stages in the publishing process is arguably the most fascinating of all… and also the most important.

What is that stage? It is finding a Literary Agent.

Once an author has an agent, that agent will be involved in each of the steps in the publishing process mentioned above. (And if an author doesn’t have an agent, they may not even be able to begin that process with a ‘traditional’ publisher.)

The writing and editing: before a book goes to the publisher, the agent will already have suggested edits
The design: the agent can act as a go-between for the publisher and the author
The sales of the book: the agent sells the book themselves before a publisher can do so to distributers
Marketing and publicity: the agent will have helped pick the best possible publishing deal for the author, which is in part based on the marketing strategy offered when a book deal is made
The production: again, this would be part of the deal struck – is it hardback, paperback or eBook only?

And I’ve not even covered so many other elements involved in an agent’s role.

One of the best in the literary agent business is Juliet Mushens (@mushenska). Having started her publishing career with HarperCollins in 2008, Juliet entered the agenting game in 2011. Since then, she’s been a Bookseller Rising Star and nominated for the Literary Agent of the Year for four consecutive years. Along with fellow super-agent Robert Caskie, she formed the agency Caskie Mushens at the start of 2017, and the business has gone from strength to strength. This agency is home to bestsellers and critically acclaimed writers such as Jessie Burton, James Oswald, Very British Problems and Ali Land. The BBC adaptation of The Miniaturist that aired over Christmas, or the upcoming Virgin Media and Amazon adaptation of Nick Clark Windo’s The Feed, central to these were Juliet and her company.

If, like me all those years ago, you are entering the industry and never considered the agenting game, or you are in the industry and considering changing career paths and this is one of your options, now is your chance to delve into this world. In fact, even if you aren’t interested in becoming an agent per se, you could still ask a question and find out more about the industry – and maybe even your own role within it – and pick up tips. Through the ‘Ask an Expert’ series, we at the Society of Young Publishers are offering you the platform to interact with industry insiders you may not naturally have the chance to meet and chat to in the normal course of your day. If you are looking to enter the industry, this is the opportunity to find out more about different departments and the movers and shakers in the industry. Maybe, such opportunities will provide you with inspiration and a clearer vision of what you want to achieve in the industry.

Those taking part in this series truly are ‘experts’ in their chosen field – as you can see from Juliet’s credentials. During each session you will be able to ask these experts questions in a pressure-free environment, among others in similar boats to yourself. Find out everything from how they got started on their career journey, to what makes them successful at their particular roles compared to others. It is your chance to grill them and gain advice on how you could possibly follow in their footsteps.

It’s not every day you get the chance to have your questions answered by a giant in the industry, so make the most of the opportunity through these ‘As an Expert’ sessions. Join Juliet and me on 28 February at 6.30pm and you’ll be able to have your questions answered. If you are a member of the Society of Young Publishers already, simply head to The Network and post your questions ready for the chat to begin. If you can’t be online at that time or want to make sure Juliet is able to address your questions early, send in your questions now – there is no need to wait until the time and date the session takes place, and you can get notifications sent to you when your question has been answered. If you’re not a member already but want to take part in this and the series in the future, take a look at what we offer to our members here, or sign up here.

Now is your chance to get your questions answered by a highly respected agent. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of a literary agency or are curious about how talented agents stay ahead of the trends, now you can find out. Got questions about how to make a sales pitch stand out, or what effect self-publishing is having on the agenting game, then ask away.

Now is your chance, so visit The Network if you have questions you’d like answered.

All the best and speak soon,

Carl

Website Officer

Society of Young Publishers