COFFEE CHAT: How Do You Know?

January’s Coffee Chat revolves around the ever-elusive question: How does an editor or agent spot the author who really has what it takes?

Two industry professionals have participated and agreed to share our conversation with my readers. I’m so pleased and proud to welcome Julie Gwinn, Marketing Manager at B&H Publishing Group, and Barbara Scott, currently an agent at WordServe Literary Group and formerly the senior editor who developed and launched the fiction line for Abingdon Press. So grab a cuppa and listen in!

SANDIE: When I was a publicist in Hollywood, a big part of my job was creating a buzz around my clients so that the viewing public would pay attention and buy into their acting careers. The biggest challenge was gauging the gap between which clients had that something special that would last and which ones might have a momentary appeal. I imagine that’s an ongoing struggle for an editor. How do you define that special something in an author?

JULIE: I think the “it” factor is a unique combination of talent, personality, timing, persona and opportunity.

BARBARA: It’s indefinable. I get a gut feeling when I discover someone who not only has the writing skills, but that “it factor” in their personalities that will make them a success. It’s almost inevitable. Even if a manuscript is rough, my intuition tells me it could be great if the author listens to the advice to dig deeper than they ever have before. They aren’t quitters. They take a challenge and run with it. They work hard at their craft.

SANDIE: That’s a great point. I found that a huge part of the success path of an actor – or a writer, in this case – has to do with that combination of things that begin with talent and roll out into a perfect storm with that passion that manifests behavior like studying the craft, staying tenacious about it and really pursuing opportunities.

JULIE: I’m not sure if it can be created or controlled. I do think that word-of-mouth from publicity, promotion, etc. is the best way to generate a buzz, but ultimately, if the story, song, movie is good, the buzz will continue to build. If not, it fizzles out.

BARBARA: As an editor, I’ve spotted several writers who were either debut authors or authors who were not well known yet, and they went on to great success in sales and received glowing national reviews. As an agent, I’m confident that I’ve signed authors who will break out of the pack.

SANDIE: Julie, beyond the talent, what do you look for in a prospective author?

JULIE: I do look for an author willing to be an active participant in marketing/promotion, and it can range from managing an interactive Web site and tweeting to speaking to groups and building a strong Facebook fan page. Anything they do can help augment what the publisher does and goes a long way toward creating that important word-of-mouth buzz.

SANDIE: I always laugh at the concept of “overnight successes” who have been working so hard behind the scene for years, and then they have this one ideal situation where they just break out – kind of like Julia Roberts with Pretty Woman. She’d been around for a long time, but Garry Marshall put her in the role of a lifetime, and she was a star the day after it premiered.

BARBARA: Right, Sandie. I’m convinced there are no overnight successes. Most have worked at their craft for years, and suddenly they break out. I think media hype and buzz can take a person with talent and boost them over the hump to success. It’s like lighting a match to seasoned woods. It flares up immediately and people finally notice. But if a person or a product doesn’t deliver on the promise of the hype, they’ll be forgotten just as fast as they found fame.

SANDIE: An actor client of mine used to say that you can teach P.R., but you can’t teach talent. You either have it or you don’t. My reply was, “Yes, but if an actor does Hamlet in the forest, will anyone ever know he’s talented? No. But his publicist will tell the world, and they’ll all come to the forest to check him out.”

BARBARA: Authors can be taught to promote their brand and their books, or they can hire a publicist, but they must be willing to understand that marketing is at least a third of their job as an author. Yes, they must spend time writing, but without promotion, people won’t read what they write. Most publishers spend marketing money on winners, not on unknowns unless the book catches the attention of the sales and marketing people.

SANDIE: I want to thank you both so much for joining me here on my blog. I know there are a lot of writers, both aspiring and working, who will gain some insight from hearing what you have to say. I hope you’ll both come back again soon.