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the pitch fall 2013
The Newsletter for the Association of Authors' Representatives
Contents
1. Letter From The President
3. From Bikes To Books To
Blockbusters
5. A “Small Claims” Proposal For
Copyright Infringement Claims
5. Committee Report: Contracts
6. Mark Your Calendars
7. The Buyers
10. On Adaptations
11. New Members
12. In Memoriam: Carl Brandt
13. Committee Report: Digital
Rights
14. Behind The Scenes At
Dealmakers
15. Committee Report: Website
16. Up And Coming Editors
19. Prof ile Of A Small Press: City
Lights
20. Committee Report: Royalties
21. Big Moves
21. Alert
23. Committee Report:
International
24. Publicity Contact Sheet 2013
29. Board Of Directors
Letter from the
President: The "New
Normal"
•
D
ear AAR Members and Friends,
All of us of a certain age have
been looking backwards wistfully
towards a calmer, earlier time, when
an agent’s biggest fears might have
included:
• Will I be able to manage a raise
for the fourth mystery novel in my
lovely client’s unsuccessful series?
• How far can I push the publisher
to improve the paperback split?
• How can we prevent our novels
from being snuck into big film
studios, ruining our chances for
legitimate submissions to handpicked producers who might have
the clout to buy these properties?
• Can I manage to get uptown to the
King Cole Bar for lunch and back
in time for my 2:15 PM meeting?
Then there was a time when our worries
sounded like this:
• There are fewer and fewer UK
deals; foreign business is much
slower; and while my author is busy
personally casting the movie, the
film agents hardly want to take up
the properties because “nothing is
selling.”
• My client is wondering why his
book is available as an “e-book” and
on sale the same day as the hard
copy publication date.... What is
this, some kind of sub-rights deal
that we forgot to explain to him?
•
How can the $9.99 e-book be fair
when we are trying to sell the new
hardcover for $22.95? What on earth is an “e-book”
anyway?! How do we figure out
what is a fair e-book royalty? Well,
maybe we don't have to worry too
much, because people like paper,
and the only people who read
electronically are probably those
oddball nerds who are glued to
their computers and stay up all
night Googling various things and
reading stuff on the Internet.
How do I explain to my author
that the publishing landscape
is becoming more corporate,
and that there are no longer 35
major houses to which we can send
his manuscript?
And now, long-time agents are feeling
the pinch of the “new normal:”
• A four-million dollar author is
down to a $1.7 million advance,
and pouts; the author who gets
only rejections for a year and then
receives a $7,500 deal from a
modest-sized respected press also
pouts and claims this does not
show that the publisher is really
“committed” – does the publisher
even like the book, with such a
low offer?! (And while I may be
toasting his success in this same
deal, the author is consulting
all of his writer friends who
commiserate and confirm the
author’s dismay.) • An editor admits that he did
not even read the whole partial
manuscript from a respected
author with whom he had
worked for years at a previous
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the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 1
•
•
•
•
job, because he fears this kind of
novel is not quite what the current
house really wants to be buying,
and these days he hardly brings
any fiction to the bosses because
fiction now is so hard.
Agents’ days are full of so many
more time-consuming tasks
and details – new contract terms,
an overload of rejections, anxious
calls from anxious authors – that
there’s no way on earth we will find
the time to go through our decades
of backlist to see what can be set
up as an e-book, and with which
e-book company.
How can I tell a beloved author,
who has become a personal friend,
the nasty news that the new novel
(which we have labored on together
for years) is just not appealing to
anyone, that no one wants to buy it,
and that he may have to put it aside
for now and totally reinvent himself
with some fresh new idea, emphasis
on fresh?
I have a deal and the author needs
to get paid now, but the publisher
has totally revamped its boilerplate
and even after four to five weeks
working on the document, there
are numerous sticking points I can’t
resolve. Big corporate agencies are
refusing to sign contracts with this
house – and announcing they may
not do business with this house
until it is resolved – but how can I
(and my client), with so much less
clout, afford to hold out?
At the very end of negotiating
a contract for a nonfiction book
that is due in two and a half years,
I realize there is no guarantee
of hardcover publication and
the editor has been unsure if
they would do a hardcover or a
paperback. My client wants a
guarantee so I push, but I realize
ultimately that the contracts
people won’t guarantee any paper
edition – the format must be up
to the publisher’s discretion, as
the contract has always said, and
who knows what the publishing
marketplace will be like when the
book is finally delivered, etc. So
now I have to tell my client, alas,
sorry, this is the best we can do:
publication within 18 months
in a format the publisher deems
appropriate.
I am hearing from my peers –
agents for decades and often the heads
of independent agencies – that just
when they were hoping to delegate a
tad more, and take it a little easy, they
are busier than they have ever been in
their lives.
Reading piles are so high that
you fantasize calling in sick – but it
would take three weeks of sick leave
to accomplish all this reading! Some
of these manuscripts recommended by
editors or top writers may actually be
good! But even if they were all Pulitzer
Prize quality, you cannot take them all
on. And of course they will not all be
so worthy, but each writer needs to feel
your special love, best demonstrated by
a deep and quick response, and, they
figure, how much time, really, does it
take to read a 240-page manuscript?
(Why on earth would it take more than
two or three weeks?!)
You prepare to go on vacation,
finally, and figure this is the time to
read that award-winning biography
you’ve had your eyes on, or that novel
everyone was talking about, or the latest
Booker Prize winner. You have loaded
your iPad so you don’t have to carry a
juicy stack of “real” books. Then, an hour
before you clock out, there is an intense
call from a big client, or someone calls
in a favor, or your colleague begs you to
do a quick read of something that came
into the office ... and you reload the
iPad and find yourself buried in work
yet again, airplane to hotel … hotel
back to airplane.
In cases where you are slow to read,
or where you try hard but have not yet
found a publisher, the author may send
cookies, or brownies, but then calls a
week later to sweetly discuss the “next
step.” Or to ask where that money
from China is already, which they
thought they would use to pay their
taxes, which are due in 30 days. And
somewhere in the middle of all this,
your mother calls to ask if you would
do an informational interview with her
next-door neighbor’s granddaughter
– it won’t take very much time; or to
say that her tennis partner’s nephew
who never managed to hold a real job
has written a novel, and your mother
volunteered that you would be willing
to take a look at it. “I know you are
busy, but just take an hour or two
for this, honey; do it for me, I would
really appreciate it.” (By the way, does anyone out there
still have a personal life?!)
This, I fear, is the new normal for
some of us. I have spoken to brilliant,
dedicated agents who sound ready to
throw in the towel. I have heard from
famous agents whose work has been
their whole life for 30, 40 years, who
just cannot keep up with the new
technologies and contract terms. I hear
from independent agents with excellent,
curated lists who realize that the
investment and selectivity that defined
their work over the past many years will
not indeed yield strong enough backlist
revenue, and that the idea of retirement
is really an elusive dream.
How times have changed! I think
younger agents manage to maintain
a brighter perspective, as they don’t
have the benefit of knowing a time
when things were so different; the
next generation is also much more
computer-literate and they have much
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to contribute to the old guard and to
our clients on matters of digitization,
social media, and spreading the word
in a new way to a new generation of
readers.
I wish I had the answers. I still
want to believe those things we
all believed when we first entered this
business:
• A really good manuscript will find
a home and will reach its audience. • An excellent work ethic – doing all
that you do most intensely – will
be most likely to yield gratifying
results.
• “Let's wait for some really strong
reviews, and then we can talk about
doing an ad!”
• “That's what royalties are for!”
• Editors really are always starved for
new voices, new talents, and fresh
ideas.
the pitch fall 2013
From Bikes To Books
To Blockbusters
By Matt McGowan
Sean Daily and Jody Hotchkiss from Hotchkiss
and Associates
I
n this issue, The Pitch inaugurates a new
series looking at book-to-film agents. From
I do believe the readers are out
independents around the country to the big
there, and will always be out there. I am
Hollywood agencies, we’ll be getting a wide
also willing to believe that publishing is
cyclical and that there will be an upswing. perspective on this important and evershifting part of the business.
But I also believe that publishing as we
We begin with Jody Hotchkiss, one of
have known it for 35 years is bracing
a handful of book-to-film agents operating
for big changes and that we are in the
middle of a tsunami. I can only hope that in New York City, far from Hollywood but
right in the heart of the book business where
as content providers, we as agents will
he works closely with literary agents.
manage to hang in and keep our footing
until we get to the next new normal. I am Below he gives The Pitch a behind-thescenes look at the career-defining moments
willing to trust that the reading public
that led to the creation of his boutique firm,
will continually be eager to discover –
and to buy – fresh new material, whether Hotchkiss and Associates, while giving us
an idea of how he likes to work with agents,
the next projects by their old favorites
the evolving market for film and TV, and
or works by outstanding new voices,
the freedom and advantages that being an
and whether they read it on paper, by
independent entity provides:
electronic device, or via whatever may be
After graduating from college with
invented in the future. And I also believe
– call me the eternal optimist – that I will a degree in art history, I was naively
make it back uptown for my critical 2:45 determined to find a job in art book
PM meeting after lunch with Penguin all publishing. So, I took the Radcliffe
Publishing Course in Cambridge,
the way down on Hudson Street. Massachusetts (now renamed the
– Gail Hochman
Columbia Publishing Course in New
President, AAR
York City), where I was told on the first
day, “After you take this course, you’ll
have a harder time finding an apartment
in New York City than finding a job.”
And they were right. Within one month
I found a job at Clarkson Potter before
Martha Stewart’s books single-handedly
turned it into a lifestyle publisher.
I found publishing hardcover,
duotone books of, for example, Louise
Nevelson’s work to be slow for a kid
just out of college. So, I left and became
a bike messenger while waiting for
a three-year hitch with the Peace Corps
building schools (one school in my
case) in West Africa. On my return
to New York, I was looking for
anything related to film or television
that might pay better than publishing
and found a job writing coverage for
MGM, and then rose – very slowly –
through the ranks to VP of East Coast
production, desperately looking for books
and plays to turn into movies.
Next came Sterling Lord, who
asked, “Do you want to try selling books
for film and TV, instead of buying
them at MGM?” So, I happily became
an agent at Sterling Lord Literistic for
ten years until 9/11 when our next-door
neighbor in Connecticut died with 657
other Cantor Fitzgerald employees. He
left a widow and two children under
nine years old. We had two children
under nine years old, and my wife and I
decided to rethink our lives. She left
The Wall Street Journal to become a high
school math teacher. I started Hotchkiss
and Associates in Noho on January 2nd,
2002, back when you could find a copy
shop, a locksmith, and a shoe repair in the
neighborhood.
My associate Sean Daily graduated
from the University of Chicago with a
degree in Cinema and Media Studies
in 2002. He worked in the film festival
world and also in film production, but
after a few too many 6 PM to 9 AM days
on set, he was glad to come back to New
York City. He looked for a position in film
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the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 3
or publishing, unaware that there was a
job that could perfectly bridge both of
his passions. In 2004, he had the choice
of a salaried position writing summary
copy for the backs of DVDs, or an
internship at Hotchkiss and Associates.
He chose wisely.
As a boutique agency coagenting authors and journalists
for film and television, Sean and I
need to be eclectic in our taste to
work with the always-changing
interests of Hollywood. We look
for strong stories and especially strong
characters in narrative nonfiction, genre
and literary fiction, and horror/sci-fi/
fantasy, as well as books for younger
readers, from YA to picture books. Some of the authors we coagent include Khaled Hosseini,
Debbie Macomber, Joe Hill, James
Lee Burke, L. J. Smith, and the
estate of Frank Herbert. Some other
authors whose books are currently being
adapted include Gilbert King, winner
of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for “Devil
in the Grove;” Matthew Mather, the
author of “CyberStorm;” Christopher
Healy, the author of “The Hero’s Guide
to Saving Your Kingdom;” Jason Mott,
author of “The Returned,” which will air
as the TV series Resurrection on ABC in
the spring of 2014; Dr. Eben Alexander,
the author of “Proof of Heaven;” Diana
B. Henriques, the author of “The Wizard
of Lies” about Bernie Madoff; Jeff
Greenfield, the author of “If Kennedy
Lived;” Chris Gall, the author of
“Dinotrux;” Jane O’Connor, the author
of the “Fancy Nancy” books; and Alan
Snow, the author of “Here Be Monsters!”
which will be the animated feature
film The Boxtrolls, to be released in the
summer of 2014.
As for the way we work, we hear
from agents with whom we have worked
before, and we’re always happy to hear
from other agents looking to start a new
relationship. We like to keep an open-
door policy; we’ve recently sold books
for film/TV with a new online publisher
and with a sports agency.
We usually like to start working
with a book the moment that the
outline or manuscript sells to a publisher.
We co-represent individual books for
agents (rather than a book agent’s list
or agency) because we only want to
represent a book when we think that
we can help a production to move
forward. The early involvement gives us
time to think about the range of film/
TV possibilities and the best time to
submit, which has changed drastically
over the past 15 years. In the 90s, studios
thought that almost any new “hot” book
project was a ticket to a successful movie.
In that golden age I remember many,
many outlines and partial manuscripts
sold outright for between $500,000
and $1,000,000 within days of the
publishing submission. Few books were
ever considered for television, which was
thought to be inferior to feature film in
every way. Hollywood has changed for
many reasons. Few of the fast, noisy
book-to-movie sales ever became
films. At the same time, studios
were making fewer, safer (translation:
big franchise) movies; and, like
publishers, they were becoming more
corporate and bottom-line driven. At the
same time, Hollywood became much
more sophisticated about publishing;
they suddenly knew the difference
between the various imprints, and
became much more discriminating.
We used to say that Hollywood
needed only two reasons to buy a
book: it had a pretty good idea and
it was a “book.” Now we say that
Hollywood usually needs several reasons
to buy a book, which often include a
newsworthy publishing sale, great
reviews, and best-seller status. More
recently, there has sometimes been a
“wait and see” trend in which
Hollywood will option books prepublication with the hope that the book
breaks out. We have seen early options
on books help raise the pre-publication
profile of a book in-house with the US
publisher and increase foreign publishing
rights sales at the same time. But prepublication sales to film/TV are still
more rare than they were in the past.
So, how do we approach film and
television submissions with books
today? One way is to consider television
as aggressively as feature film. The
biggest growth in traditional media in
the last 15 years has been in TV. By
television, we mean the format, which
includes TV movies, mini-series, limited
series, and open-ended series whether
they are for the networks (ABC,
NBC, CBS, FOX); the premium and
basic cable companies (for example,
HBO, Showtime, USA, TNT,
Lifetime, AMC, Starz, Hallmark
Channel, The History Channel); or the
new, non-traditional buyers such as
Netflix and Amazon. In addition, we often look for
value-added elements – producers,
directors, screenwriters, actors – with
whom the buyers want to work. We
make those approaches through personal
relationships, and, unique to a boutique
film/TV literary agency, we can go as
easily to WME clients as to CAA,
ICM, UTA, Paradigm, Gersh, APA, and
others.
The day we started Hotchkiss and
Associates, I hung a framed front page
from The New York Times with the
banner headline “Titanic Sinks!” I told
the office that there were sure to be some
bad days ahead, but nothing, I promised,
would be as bad as being on the Titanic.
And I’ve kept my promise – I think.
Let me leave you with one last
thought. The secret to a successful
agency? Easy. Pizza Fridays.
page 5
A “Small Claims”
Proposal For
Copyright
Infringement Claims
By Ken Norwick/AAR
General Counsel
C
opyright is, of course, the legal
protection that ostensibly enables all
authors (and other creators) to control the
use of their work and to prevent others
from making unauthorized use of it. But,
as virtually all creators come to learn, it
is not always so easy to stop – and seek
compensation for – many infringements,
even if you can identify the infringer. A
major reason for this is that the infringement
may be relatively “small” in nature – and
potential recovery – and therefore may
not be cost-effective to pursue, given the
cost, complexity, and other burdens of an
infringement lawsuit in federal court, which
is currently the only way a copyright owner
can seek redress for an infringement.
But there is now at least a glimmer
of a (limited) solution to this problem.
Specifically, the United States Copyright
Office – the government agency responsible
for administering our copyright system – has
recently sent a formal request to Congress
that it enact a new streamlined mechanism
for the resolution of “small” claims of
copyright infringement. Excerpts from
the pitch fall 2013
the Copyright Office’s report to Congress
are copied below, with the caveat that the
proposed mechanism may not soon, if ever,
become a reality.
Introducing its Report, the Copyright
Office stated: “It appears beyond dispute
that under the current federal system
small copyright claimants face formidable
challenges in seeking to enforce the exclusive
rights to which they are entitled. The
Copyright Office therefore recommends
that Congress consider the creation of an
alternative forum that will enable copyright
owners to pursue small infringement
matters and related claims arising under the
Copyright Act.
“In light of the state court tradition of
referring to claims of modest economic value
as ‘small claims,’ many have adopted that
term to reference the nature of the claims
that are the focus of this Report, as does
the Report itself. Such claims, however, are
not small to the individual creators who are
deprived of income or opportunity due to
the misuse of their works, and the problem
of addressing lower-value infringements is
not a small one for our copyright system.
“But how would we structure an
alternative process? Concerns of pragmatism
and efficiency are core considerations, but
they are not the only ones, and they must
be viewed in the larger context of federal
powers. Our Constitution protects both the
role of the federal judiciary and the rights
of those who participate in adjudicatory
proceedings. These principles are enshrined
in Article III and the Fifth and Seventh
Amendments, and in judicial interpretations
of these and other constitutional provisions.
Any alternative process must fit comfortably
within the constitutional parameters.
“In light of the existing constitutional
landscape, the challenges of the current
system, and the views and insights of those
who participated in this study, it appears that
the most promising option to address small
copyright claims would be a streamlined
adjudication process in which parties
would participate by consent. Perhaps not
COMMITTEE
REPORT:
CONTRACTS
The Contracts Committee issued
a Magazine Contracts Checklist
for use by the membership. The
Committee continues to discuss
the Amazon Boilerplate with
Amazon, and has just sent its
findings to the AAR membership.
surprisingly, a number of the commenting
parties viewed the Copyright Office as the
logical and appropriate home for such a
small claims system.
“In recent years, many have emphasized
the potential of voluntary solutions to certain
problems of copyright enforcement. In this
case, a voluntary approach necessarily will
fall short of a full-fledged judicial process,
offering the complete panoply of copyright
remedies, to which
small-copyright claimants could turn reliably
and affordably to pursue infringers. Such
a process is what our legal system would
provide in an ideal world. But in the real
world of constitutional and institutional
limitations, a voluntary system with strong
incentives for participation on both sides
seems more attainable, at least in the near
term. Importantly, such a voluntary approach
would retain a mandatory backstop; parties
who declined to consent to the alternative
small-claims proceeding could still be
summoned to federal district court by a
claimant who was able to take that path.
“In brief summary, the Report makes
the following recommendations:
“– Congress should create a centralized
tribunal within the Copyright Office, which
would administer proceedings through
online and teleconferencing facilities without
the requirement of personal appearances.
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the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 5
The tribunal would be staffed by three
adjudicators, two of whom would have
significant experience in copyright law –
together having represented or presided over
the interests of both owners and users of
copyrighted works – with the third to have a
background in alternative dispute resolution.
“– The tribunal would be a voluntary
alternative to federal court. Its focus would
be on small-infringement cases valued at no
more than $30,000 in damages. Copyright
owners would be required to have registered
their works or filed an application before
bringing an action. They would be eligible to
recover either actual or statutory damages up
to the $30,000 cap, but statutory damages
would be limited to $15,000 per work (or
$7,500 for a work not registered by the
normally applicable deadline for statutory
damages).
“– Claimants who initiated a proceeding
would provide notice of the claim to
responding parties, who would need to agree
to the process, either through an opt-out
mechanism or by affirmative written consent.
Respondents would be permitted to assert all
relevant defenses, including fair use, as well
as limited counterclaims arising from the
infringing conduct at issue. Certain DMCArelated matters relating to takedown notices
[to user-generated websites], including
claims of misrepresentation, could also be
considered, and parties threatened with an
infringement action could seek a declaration
of non-infringement.
“– Parties would provide written
submissions and hearings would be
conducted through telecommunications
facilities. Proceedings would be streamlined,
with limited discovery and no formal
motion practice. A responding party’s
agreement to cease infringing activity could
be considered by the tribunal and reflected in
its determination. The tribunal would retain
the discretion to dismiss without prejudice
any claim that it did not believe could fairly
be adjudicated through the small-claims
process.
“– Determinations of the small-claims
tribunal would be binding only with respect
to the parties and claims at issue and would
have no precedential effect. They would be
subject to limited administrative review for
error and could be challenged in federal
district court for fraud, misconduct, or other
improprieties. Final determinations could be
filed in federal court, if necessary, to ensure
their enforceability.”
•••••
Although a promising first step, it must
be remembered that to become a reality this
proposal – which could well be amended,
perhaps dramatically – must be passed by
both houses of Congress and signed into law
by the President. And, of course, it remains
to be seen whether many defendants –
including those with the resources to deflect
and defend infringement claims in court
– will agree to participate in this voluntary,
streamlined, out-of-court adjudication
procedure. It will be interesting to see how
this proposal is greeted by the copyright
community and by Congress. MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR UPCOMING AAR PROGRAMS!
Wednesday, January 29th Lunchtime Toolbox, Website Tutorial—learn how to use and utilize the brand new AAR
website, set to launch this January. At the Dramatists’ Guild, 1501 Broadway, 7th floor, from 12:30 – 2:00.
January/February Evening Program, Date TBA, Agent Safety—advice for agents on electronic, business, and personal
safety. At the Society of Illustrators, 128 East 63rd Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues), from 5:45 – 7:00.
Wednesday, February 19th Lunchtime Toolbox, Small Business Accounting—Everything you need to know about small
business accounting, but were too scared to ask, with Robert Pesce of Marcum LLP. At the Dramatists’ Guild, 1501
Broadway, 7th floor, from 12:30 – 2:00.
Wednesday, March 12th and Wednesday March, 26th Lunchtime Toolboxes, Meet the Young Editors Toolbox Series—a
two-part program introducing an array of young editors from various houses, and the kinds of books they are hoping to
acquire. At the Dramatists’ Guild, 1501 Broadway, 7th floor, from 12:30 – 2:00.
Wednesday, April 30th Lunchtime Toolbox, Inside the Copyright Clearance Center—including new rights opportunities
with Common Core. At the Dramatists’ Guild, 1501 Broadway, 7th floor, from 12:30 – 2:00.
Monday, May 5th Evening Program, Meet the Producer—At the Society of Illustrators, 128 East 63rd Street (between
Park and Lexington Avenues), from 5:45 – 7:00.
page 7
The Buyers
By Helen Breitwieser
W
ith the closing of Borders
in 2011, and as calendars and games
claim ever more valuable shelf space
at Barnes & Noble, publishers and
authors are keen to have their print
titles on display at the big-box retailers,
where high foot-traffic can lead to
discoverability and a high velocity
of sales. Several publishers and sales
directors spoke to The Pitch about how
three of the largest big-box retailers –
Walmart, Costco and Target – differ,
and how selling into them is unlike
selling into B&N or an independent
bookseller.
Evan Schnittman, EVP and chief
marketing and sales officer at the
Hachette Book Group, noted, “We
are very detailed in our presentations
to B&N, and to the independents. In
those conversations, there’s more of a
focus on which authors are touring, and
where. The independent booksellers
may be buying four to five copies of a
book. At B&N, it can range from ten
copies of a manga book for certain
stores to over 250,000 copies of a
James Patterson laydown. You’ll cover
big promotion stuff all the way down
to the deep backlist. It’s a varied and
wide-ranging conversation with many
buyers about balancing your frontlist,
your backlist, and their placement in
various sections of the bookstore.
“At Target, all the books are plano-grammed, facing out, so it’s more of
a conversation about how things work
together in terms of color, shape, and
what designs will catch the reader’s eye.
How do all the books work together to
create a look? So we are very focused
on the visuals in our presentation to
Target, where a buy could be anywhere
the pitch fall 2013
from 5,000 copies to
150,000.”
Agents are familiar
with ISBNs, but at the
nation’s biggest stores,
inventory is tracked using
a different identification
code – SKUs, or “stock
keeping units.” A retailer
assigns an SKU to the
book for the purpose
of tracking it within
the store’s inventory
among thousands of
various products. As a
discretionary buy among
necessary household
items like paper towels
and diapers, a title has to
grab a shopper’s attention
and seem just as essential
as the items on her
shopping list. As Ivan
Held, president of G. P.
Putnam's Sons, observed,
“At Costco we always hear
about making SKU, which
Ursula Vernon is the author of the best-selling children’s
essentially means that the
book series “Dragonbreath” and “Nurk: The Strange,
Surprising Adventures of a (Somewhat) Brave Shrew.”
piece of real estate that
She is also the writer and illustrator of the Hugothe book sits on has to
Award winning web-comic Digger.
generate a certain amount
of dollars per week or
you’re out! Costco has the giant tables
becomes a key factor in determining
(which by the end of a busy Saturday
placement. Too small a format and
a book can easily be lost in the book
can look a little wild). I once took my
art department on a tour down Route
display; if too big, it may take up the
space of two titles while not being able
3 in New Jersey so they'd actually see
to deliver the revenue of the extra book
how the books look at each of these
displaced. At Sourcebooks, we once rekinds of big-box stores. A jacket really
sized a series of books by just a quarter
has to shine on those Costco tables –
of an inch so we could deliver one
we need to be on our game in that sea
additional title into the same run space
of books!”
Chris Bauerle, director of sales and – and thus deliver both more sales for
our author and more dollars per inch
marketing at Sourcebooks, explained
for our retailer. Price is also critical as
just how important the size and price
the retailers and the distributors have
of a title is when a store’s book display
ample data analysis to know when price
area may be just one of 150 sections
resistance and revenue expectations are
within that store: “Because space is
out of balance. The key here is value
limited in the mass merchants, size
continued on page 8
page 8
the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 7
proposition and revenue per linear
foot. Both the format and price should
maximize sales.” As with any retailer,
square footage is used to calculate sales
per square foot, a primary measurement
of the success of the selling space. But
in the hyper-competitive world of
the big-box stores, quarterly earnings
reports to shareholders detail even the
most incremental growth or decline in
sales in every product area.
In 1962, Sam Walton opened the
first Walmart in Rogers, Arkansas. In
1990, the store achieved the status of
largest retailer in the US. It remains
so, with 4,135 stores and net sales of
over $264 billion in 2012. It carries
an average 140,000 active SKUs per
warehouse, with some locations as large
as 260,000 square feet.
Costco originated in 1976 in a
converted airplane hangar in San
Diego, under the name Price Club,
serving only small businesses and
charging a fee for membership.
The owners quickly realized that by
accepting non-business members, the
company’s revenue would increase
along with its buying power and, thus,
its ability to offer a vast number of
products at competitive prices. The
first Costco warehouse was opened
in 1983 in Seattle, with Price Club
and Costco merging in 1993. Today,
Costco operates 457 warehouses in
the US with plans to open 18 more
stores domestically in 2014. Its net
sales numbered a little over $97 billion
in 2012, and its warehouses average
143,000 square feet. The company
carries an average of approximately
4,000 SKUs per warehouse.
Target, the nation’s third-largest
retailer, opened its first store in
Roseville, Minnesota, in 1962. Today
it operates 1,790 stores in the US, and
had net sales of $72 billion in 2012.
Target’s stores take one of two formats:
General Merchandise stores, which are
approximately 126,000 square feet on
average and SuperTarget stores, which
average 174,000 square feet. According
to their website, their typical shopper is
40, the youngest among major retailers;
college-educated, and has an annual
income of $64,000.
The goal of big-box retailers
is to sell high volumes, with rapid
inventory turnover. They seek to
entice the consumer with the widest
variety of goods, lowest prices, and
best experience. This, Held explained,
creates more pressure for the
publisher. “The timeline for getting
some sales traction is much shorter,
i.e., PR or socials really have to work
– and work quickly because they won’t
keep the books for as long as B&N
or the indies…. Costco took a risk
on ‘The Help’ at the very beginning
and placed a nice order early. But
sales the first three weeks there were
not over the top. Most people might
not remember that the book didn’t hit
the bestseller list ‘til around week 5 and
they'd already sent the unsold copies
back! Happily, our rep convinced them
that the book was a runner and they
should re-order, but that SKU system
can be unforgiving.... Luckily, they have
excellent buyers who pushed the button
for a quick rebound.”
Page Edmunds, associate publisher
at Workman Publishing, noted that
some of their greatest successes have
resulted from “impulse buys” rather
than “destination titles.” A big, eyecatching package for an exercise book
with the added value of equipment
included proved irresistible to Costco
shoppers, whereas a book targeted to a
specific reader like “What To Expect
When You’re Expecting” would sell
better in its designated section at a
traditional bookstore.
Target focuses on women
readers and carries more titles than
its competitors. Although there’s no
“spining,” and the books are all faceout, their section looks most like a
bookstore and they will keep books
longer than the other big boxes. There
are various display schemes that can
be paid for, but the most popular with
publishers seems to be Target’s weekly
sales-based “New Release” placement.
A book can start in the “back bay” of
the section and move up (or down)
each week based on sales. “Emerging
Authors,” another paid-placement
program, are displayed on endcaps;
publishers pitch those titles, always
trade paperbacks, to Target’s buyers,
who ultimately decide which books
they’ll carry. Every major publisher is
allocated a certain number of slots each
month to fill – there’s a total of 24 –
and titles get switched out every six to
eight weeks.
If a particular title sells really
well, its author gets moved into the
“Recommended Reading” section.
A book can sell for years at Target.
For example, Paulo Coelho’s “The
Alchemist” has been selling in
the store for three to four years. A
“Recommended Reading” title that
sells well will get moved into the
bestseller endcap. Target also has a new
paid-display program for bestsellers, the
“Feature Book Platform;” the featured
book gets a shelf talker – a sign or card
attached to a shelf that calls shoppers’
attention to the book – underneath it.
A book chosen for the Target
Book Club will sell about 50‐60,000
copies. Target chooses the title and the
publisher creates an edition exclusive
to Target, usually with a letter from the
author inside. Sometimes the author
signs some of the books. Target devotes
extra space on their website to the
book club pick and features it in the
circular, and a sticker is placed on the
book’s cover. Ten books are chosen each
year by a four-person committee, and
publishers are not allowed to pitch to
continued on page 9
page 9
the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 8
members of the committee.
Walmart has the biggest brands
of the big boxes, yet less space devoted
to books than at Costco or Target.
Their customer is looking for “value” or
price. While they do sell hardcovers,
their real strength is at the paperback
price point. According to Brian Grogan, SVP
of sales at HarperCollins, the types
of books that work well at big-box
stores vary widely from the successes
at an independent retailer. “Certain
new releases in hardcover will sell well
at Walmart – such as true crime or
‘Duck Dynasty.’ Walmart has been a
major player with mass-market titles,
but across the board mass market is
struggling because of the increase in
digital sales. Children’s classics have
always sold well at Walmart, and
now teen titles are big. Whether in
hardcover or mass market, the titles
have to be bestsellers or recognizable
names because Walmart switches them
out every month.” Sourcebooks’ Bauerle
observed that religious titles are also
strong sellers at Walmart stores.
Hardcovers are the strongest
category of book sales at Costco,
especially thrillers, due to the large
number of male customers who shop
there on the weekends. Costco doesn’t
like “small rings” at the cash register.
That’s why the price of so-called “boy
books” went up to $9.99. Penguin
was the first publisher to do it and
the others followed suit, because
Costco wanted a larger ring. Digital
publishing is eroding their sales, but
according to Grogan, Costco still has “a
monster market share.” He explained,
“their sales can account for 20–30%
of a bestseller’s sales.” He noted that
Costco is selling more trade paperbacks
now that they’ve created a strategy to
improve the SKU count for paperback
sales. They’ll take several similar items
– for example, four beach reads by four
different authors – and combine them
under the same SKU at the register. So
while each book’s sale still gets recorded
according to its ISBN number, the
books combine as a unit to improve
the store’s metrics. This has allowed the
Costco buyers to take some chances on
lesser-known authors.
Each publisher and sales director
that we spoke to mentioned Pennie
Clark Ianniciello, Costco’s book buyer,
and her uncanny knack for choosing
titles that resonate with Costco’s
customers. Her “Pennie’s Pick” list in
The Costco Connection, a magazine that
is mailed to its 39 million members,
can create instant bestsellers. She
spotlights one title each month, as well
as titles chosen by her three assistant
buyers. Ianniciello credits her “great
mentor,” Michael Brasky, for helping
her develop a sensibility to recognize
titles with broad appeal. Brasky was
the head buyer for J.K. Gill’s, a book
and office supply store that began in
Oregon, and he and Ianniciello worked
at a local book distributor called Pacific
Pipeline for many years together.
She also has a social work degree, so,
who knows, perhaps that training
contributes to her instincts, too.
Barnes & Noble and the
independent bookstores consistently
stock an author’s backlist, but the
big boxes, limited by time and space,
tend to focus on current bestsellers.
However, Jennifer Enderlin, SVP and
publisher of St. Martin’s Press Griffin
and St. Martin’s Press Paperbacks,
shared an inspiring story about a
backlist title given a second life by
Target. “Target told St. Martin’s
sales team that they were looking for
historical novels, and would consider
backlist titles as well as frontlist. The
sales reps pitched them ‘One Thousand
White Women’ by Jim Fergus, which
St. Martin’s Press originally published
in March 1998. They chose it for their
book club, on the condition that St.
Martin’s change the packaging. Rather
than an Indian necklace on the cover, they
asked for a person. We gave them a new
cover, and a letter from the author – their
own special edition. It went on to sell
160,000 copies at Target alone.”
All of the publishers and sales
directors emphasized that the
big-box retailers are constantly
changing methods of selling to
remain agile in an ever-changing
marketplace. As Schnittman
observed, even though B&N and
the independents have traditionally
been more focused on where and
when authors are touring, Target
recently hosted a book launch for
Nicholas Sparks at a store near
his home in New Bern, North
Carolina. The turnout? 5,000
people.
Contributors
The Newsletter for the Association of Authors' Representatives
The Pitch was put together by
Sarah Lazin and Manuela Jessel
of Sarah Lazin Books, Jody Klein
of Brandt & Hochman, Meredith
Kaffel and Adam Schear of DeFiore
and Company, Carrie Howland of
Donadio & Olson, Ellen Geiger
and Matt McGowan of Frances
Goldin Literary Agency, and Kate
McKean of Howard Morhaim
Literary Agency. We are pleased
to work with editor Rayhané
Sanders of WSK Management,
and designer Allison Zmishlany.
We once again thank our friends
at Publishing Trends for providing
their Publicity Contact Sheet.
page 10
On Adaptations:
A Talk With Isaac
Robert Hurwitz
By Beth Blickers and Barbara Hogenson,
Dramatic Branch
W
hile it’s common to bemoan
the lack of original stories making
their way to the Broadway stage,
we thought it would be interesting
to shine a positive light on the
world of adaptations. We sat down
with Isaac Robert Hurwitz, who
co-founded the New York Musical
Theatre Festival, and recently left
as head of that organization to
take on a new role as theatrical
consultant to 20th Century Fox,
where he oversees the development
of live stage projects based on the
studio’s films and helps guide Fox’s
own stage production endeavors.
What is one of your favorite
adaptations? West Side Story is my all-time
favorite musical adaptation of
Shakespeare. If we’re just talking
book-to-musical adaptations,
Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon’s
The Secret Garden.
Over time people forget that certain
musicals are adaptations – Chicago,
Hello, Dolly!, Oklahoma! Is it
important to keep the underlying
material in view?
Where the adapted material
is recent, it’s often the underlying
rights holder who is most
concerned with how much the
original material is in view. And
the pitch fall 2013
where the underlying material is
very popular in its own right, it can
be helpful in drawing attention to
the adaptation (though of course,
all of the caveats and challenges
about audience expectations apply).
But ultimately, I think
successful musical adaptations
have to work on their own terms,
which is why it is often easier when
everyone agrees the original work
is flawed; it gives the adaptors the
space needed to create something
that is organic to the time, place,
and medium for which they are
writing – and to their unique
artistic perspectives. Really great adaptations are
transformational experiences
even for people who know the
underlying material, which is
why over time they take on a
life of their own even when the
adaptation keeps the original title.
To use the example of Chicago:
the underlying play by Maurine
Dallas Watkins (which was based
on then-recent real crimes) was
a big enough hit in the 1920s to
inspire two 20th Century Fox
film adaptations long before
Bob Fosse acquired the rights
in 1969. I have no idea how
conscious audiences were about the
underlying material when Fosse,
Kander, and Ebb’s Chicago opened
on Broadway in 1975 – but their
work was so transformational
and so well-executed that, from
today’s perspective, with the
show now being the longestrunning Broadway revival of all
time and having had inspired a
film adaptation of its own, it’s
understandable that audiences don’t
always follow the trail all the way
back to Watkins.
And to some extent, this has always
been the case. Hello Dolly! is based on
a whole series of adaptations, each
with a different name: it’s adapted
from a successful Thornton Wilder
play, The Matchmaker, which was a
revision of The Merchant of Yonkers,
Wilder’s earlier Americanized
adaptation of Austrian playwright
Johann Nestroy’s 1842 Einen
Jux will er sich machen (a fulllength German adaptation of an
even earlier one-act play by John
Oxenford, A Day Well-Spent).
It seems like the regionals has been
awash in Austen adaptations in the
last few years. Why do you think
none of these musicals has come to
New York City?
Sometimes I wonder if we’re
just oversaturated with Austen – in
addition to the standard pageto-stage adaptations, we’ve had
modern-day adaptations on both
stage (I Love You Because, which
ran off-Broadway a few years ago,
was based on Pride and Prejudice)
and on film. But I also think it has
a lot to do with the economics of
Broadway – which just isn’t that
hospitable a place for exceedingly
literate adaptations or anything
that’s too genteel, unless it’s already
been branded as “must-see” in some
way ... and perhaps we just haven’t
had that version that will give these
adaptations a sense of commercial
urgency.
What do you think is the biggest
challenge in adapting source
material?
I think overall, the biggest
challenge is knowing what it is
you love about the original but
not being prisoner to elements
that may not work in a theatrical
continued on page 11
page 11
the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 10
medium. A novel can be episodic,
stitched together by the strength
of an interesting character or a
writer’s unique voice, but that’s a
lot harder to pull off in the theater.
Choosing which episodes to
let go of and which to keep is only
part of the challenge; the bigger
challenge with an episodic work
is restructuring the piece with a
dramatic arc that is unified enough
and deep enough to provide a
meaningful catharsis.
Films and other visual media
provide other challenges for
adaptations – storytelling that
relies on close-ups, cross-cuts,
and other visual tools isn’t easily
replicable on stage. That’s why,
when someone manages to bridge
the gap between an utterly visual
medium and the musical theater,
like Fun Home, I’m particularly
impressed.
Do the challenges differ depending
upon how well-known the source
material is? Does this play into
why Wicked is still playing but
The Wedding Singer isn’t?
A lot of the time, people think
that well-known works will provide
a built-in audience. I think it’s
more of a double-edged sword
when you’re adapting a wellknown film (especially one which
is focused on a performance that
is iconic). The stage adaptation has
the added challenge of living up to
the beloved and detailed memories
audience members bring with them
into the theater. Those expectations
are difficult to meet but difficult to
dismiss.
The Wedding Singer had the
added challenge of overcoming its
identification with Adam Sandler’s
performance in the film. That’s
not necessarily an insurmountable
challenge, but it’s a hard one to
address head-on. Some of the most
successful adaptations succeed in this
regard because they come at the original
material from a new perspective.
I don’t know Gregory Maguire’s
book “Wicked” well enough to tell
you much about that adaptation,
I’m slightly embarrassed to say.
But most people know the world
of Oz from the books of L. Frank
Baum or the film The Wizard of Oz,
and what’s brilliant about Wicked
as an adaptation is that it subverts
the audience’s expectations of Oz
by turning the traditional villain
into a sympathetic protagonist and
subverting all we know about that
world already so that we engage with
it anew.
So with all of this being said, is there
any space left for original musicals?
There’s no doubt that the
economics and audience profile
of Broadway have made it less
hospitable for unknown artists and
original stories. The commercial
sector is more driven by brand
names than it used to be, and a lot
more of the development of new
musicals overall happens via a series
of regional theater productions than
used to be the case. But I think there
will always be space for original
musicals that speak to contemporary
audiences.
New Members
Kasey Poserina
The Bent Agency
www.thebentagency.com
Kasey Poserina works with
the Bent Agency as well as other
literary agencies and authors as a
publishing consultant specializing in
book publishing agreements. Prior
to working as a contracts consultant,
she worked as a contracts director
at Simon & Schuster where she
handled all aspects of contract
drafting and negotiation for Free
Press, Touchstone, Howard Books,
and the audio division. Before joining
Simon & Schuster, Kasey was the
associate director of business affairs at
Trident Media Group, a large literary
agency in New York City. At Trident,
Kasey worked with over ten literary
agents reviewing and negotiating
book publishing agreements, audio
publishing agreements, publishing
agreements with British and foreignlanguage publishers, first-serial licenses,
film agreements, author-collaboration
agreements, and the like. Kasey worked
at Trident Media Group for almost six
years. Kasey has a BA from Dowling
College and a certificate in Intellectual
Property Law from NYU. She is also
a notary public. Kasey can be reached
at [email protected]
Manuela Jessel
Sarah Lazin Books
www.lazinbooks.com
Manuela Jessel joined Sarah
Lazin Books in August 2010, after
attending the Columbia Publishing
Course. She assists Sarah Lazin and
handles foreign, audio, and first serial
rights for the agency. She received
her BA in religion and French
literature from Swarthmore College.
page 12
In Memoriam:
Carl Brandt
got the partner
he wanted, I got
a fabulous friend
and mentor, and for
thirty years we were
By Gail Hochman
a loyal and cohesive
team. Over time we
expanded the office
so that we now have
four young agents in
addition to our three
other senior agents,
and we are fulfilling
Carl’s dream for the
office – to continue
to represent our
solid, classic backlist
while taking on
Photo of Carl Brandt courtesy of the Brant Family new voices and new
young talents.
Not too long ago, Carl confided
ack in the days of the threeto me that he was undergoing
martini lunch, I met Carl Brandt,
treatment for a pre-cancerous
who was looking to hire an agent.
condition, and his schedule changed
“I want a partner,” he said. “I am
to include various medical regimens,
not looking for an employee.” Sure,
more time with his grandchildren,
I thought, no one talks like this.
Maybe it was the martini talking…. and less time in the office. There were
some stretches of remission. Then
But he did hire me, and I went
in mid-August of this year, I
to work at Brandt & Brandt in
January 1983, making a lateral move received the phone call I had been
dreading: my wonderful friend and
from my previous agency job. A
colleague Carl Brandt had lost his
few years later, I found myself in
battle with cancer. We had so many
the enviable position of handling a
book which sold well to a publisher, tearful phone conversations when
we called to relay this sad news to
went on to become a feature film,
his clients. Word spread quickly
had big paperback sale, and was an
through the publishing universe
international bestseller. I ventured
and we had e-mails and notes from
to ask Carl for a little raise, as we
editors, agents, and writers, all of
did not work on a commission
whom considered themselves Carl’s
basis. Surely the office could now
friends. The message was uniform –
afford to do this! He invited me to
Carl was a true gentleman, a rarity
a drink at the Century Club. A bit
apprehensive, I went…. Remember, in the modern world. He always read
his clients’ work carefully, and offered
I didn’t want a drink, I wanted a
raise! But while we were sipping our astute suggestions both on the text
and on the writer’s professional
Century Specials, he offered me a
trajectory. He was reasonable in
partnership in the firm.
Carl was calm, steady, deep. I was working out issues with publishers.
Many editors remarked to us on his
high-energy, intense, analytic. He
B
the pitch fall 2013
kindness to them when they were
just starting out. Agent and editor
friends sent anecdotes about the
tremendously thoughtful acts he
undertook to help them through
their own personal hard times. I was so moved to see not
an empty chair or a dry eye at
the memorial service we held at
the Century in October. He was
remembered in glowing terms
through spoken tributes from
writers, colleagues, and one of his
three adult children. You could feel
the love for this distinguished friend
and advocate, who never put himself
first or stepped into the spotlight.
Rarely asking for attention, credit, or
even a pat on the back, he gave his
all so naturally that you barely saw
the heavy lifting. Carl may be one of
the last of the old school – admired
by all of us who grew up learning
at their feet. As a mentor, teacher,
colleague, and friend, he was a role
model to his family (including three
children and eight grandchildren!)
and to his co-workers in the office. So now when I go the Century
Club, I will be hard-pressed not to
think of lunching there with Carl,
over these many years. I will never
forget that first drink with him,
which set me on the path I am on
today. I only hope I can live up to his
standards of excellence in his client
list, in his dedication to his friends,
and in the concept of an alwaysevolving and friendly workplace.
His values may be unusual in this
money- and success-obsessed world
– but we hold these values dear. I
dare say that as folks filed out of his
memorial service, they took away a
deep message about what is really
valuable to stand for in one’s life.
Here are just some of the
comments we received from writers,
friends, and editors:
continued on page 13
page 13
the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 12
“Carl Brandt shepherded all
six of my books into publication. I
think it safe to say that without Carl
I never would have been an author.
I have, as have we all, lost a friend, a
mentor, a wise and exemplary agent,
a pillar of support whose confidence
in my abilities gave me confidence in
myself.”
•••••
“I met Carl when I was 24
years old with a silly manuscript
for a book under my arm and my
heart in my throat. He had a huge
lumberjack beard at that time and
he scared me to death. After all, he
was a sophisticated New Yorker and
I was a still-wet-behind-the-ears
Californian…. That was 50 years
ago. It was to be a friendship that
was made to last…. To say we will
miss him is a gross understatement.
But we will always have nearly half a
century of rollicking memories.”
•••••
“I had the idea that he would
always be there, a kindly sort of
Gibraltar, regardless of the changing
tides of my writing and the unsettled
currents of the book business. Here
among the mountains, I’ll burn a
sprig of sage and spill a few drops of
whisky in his honor.”
COMMITTEE REPORT:
DIGITAL RIGHTS
The Digital Rights Committee has been hard at work on the AARdvark
blog (www.aardvarknow.us ) which you will be seeing soon in its new
home on the updated AAR website and we hope you will follow and
encourage others to follow. You can also follow the blog via the
@digitaar Twitter stream.
The Committee also organized and ran a panel of industry
journalists to discuss how the agent community is treated in the media
and how publishing in general is reported within both the industry
trades and the general media. We discussed how to improve the image
and coverage of publishing and received feedback that journalists would
love to have more connection and contact the agenting community to
hear both about the issues we face as well as help when verifying and
breaking stories.
The Committee is also compiling a list of e-publishers for our
members, and we’d like your help.
We’re thinking of places like Byliner, Untreed Reads, The New
York Review of Books (who knew?), and The Atavist. Clearly, this
will be an ever-growing list. We’ll divide the publishers into rough
categories by genre. We’ll make the list available on our website, and
we’ll regularly update it.
Shana Cohen,[email protected], is the contact person
for your suggestions. So send her an e-mail with the name of those
e-publishers. And if you’ve got any information about contacts, e-mail
addresses, or their interests (i.e., nonf iction, f iction, backlist, mystery,
literary f iction), please include it.
page 14
the pitch fall 2013
Photos courtesy of the League of Assistant Editors
Behind The Scenes
At Dealmakers: A
Speed-Networking
Event
By Adam Schear
O
n a brisk night in late
September, I walked into the Housing
Works Bookstore Cafe in Soho, put
on a name tag sticker, found my
assigned seat, and sat down in front of
a stranger. We both attempted to sum
ourselves up in three minutes before
a bell rang, everyone shifted one seat
over, and we all repeated the process.
Despite what it may seem like, this
was not speed dating. This was speed
networking.
Before arriving, I wondered how
similar to real speed dating the event
would feel. Would I find myself
cracking the same joke over and over,
worried that the poor soul stuck next
to me would be driven mad by it?
Would the majority of conversations
end with a comment on how difficult
it is to sum yourself up in a minute
and a half? Would I start to question
my wardrobe choices? The short
answers: no; yes; well, maybe I am due
to get a new pair of glasses.
Walking into Housing Works, it
was quickly apparent that the hosts
for the evening, a new professional
networking group called the League
of Assistant Editors led by Allyson
Rudolph (assistant editor at Grand
Central Publishing) and Meredith
Haggerty (who recently left
publishing), had put a lot of thought
and an endearing sense of humor into
the night. Each of the 37 tables was
named after a popular lunch spot, and
when viewed from above, the tables
were even organized to mirror each
restaurant’s actual location in the
city. I was seated at Hillstone, right
between Soba Nippon and Brasserie
Les Halles, and I made sure to hold
onto the list of tables for some future
restaurant ideas. I got a drink at the
bar, and barely had a chance to say
hello to a few people before Allyson
and Meredith introduced themselves
to the crowd and got everyone started
with a mock speed-networking
session. The bell rang, business cards
flew, and we were off.
“The Dealmakers event was the
founding idea, not the professional
networking group,” Allyson and
Meredith told me later. Allyson had
been thinking for a while that the
publishing industry needed speed
dating, but for editors and agents
instead of potential romantic partners.
Then she met Meredith, “who makes
things happen.” Meredith got on the
phone with Housing Works, and all
of a sudden they had a date and a
place and a terrifyingly large quantity
of tickets to sell. They charged $15 a
ticket, included a 10% discount on all
books bought, and 100% of proceeds
went to Housing Works’ mission to
fight homelessness and AIDS. What
continued on page 15
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the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 14
they didn’t have was a name for the
event, or a name for themselves for
that matter. Those things had to fall
into place quickly. The goal of the
event was to speed up the pace of
networking for young agents and
editors, to make a networking event
that was more focused and goaloriented than your average mixer, and
to hopefully, eventually, increase the
volume of submissions getting traded
at the young agent and editor level
of the industry. “That mission has
become the mission for the League,
and we’re trying to keep that in mind
as we grow.”
It turns out that Allyson was
inspired to create the event from
a real speed-dating experience she
had years ago. She thought it was an
awful framework for making romantic
connections but was inspired by
the laser-like focus of the men she
met there (“How soon do you think
you'll be ready to get married?”)
and never shook the feeling that it
would be better for professionals
than romantics. It seems like her
hunch has been vindicated. After
being mentioned in Publishers
Lunch and featured in some of their
favorite publishing blogs and the
YPG (Young to Publishing Group)
newsletter, the event sold out quickly.
COMMITTEE
REPORT:
WEBSITE
Ellen Geiger, Website Committee
chair, is pleased to announce that
the AAR website is going into
beta testing (a soft launch) shortly
and should be up and running
before the holidays.
In total, 75 people participated
(38 editors and 37 agents) and the
reaction has been almost entirely
positive. The League already has
another one in the works for January,
and they hope to host one quarterly,
but that’s not all. They started a
monthly newsletter in September, and
they look forward to featuring any
deals that come out of a Dealmakers
event, among other things. “We're
toying with planning some small
dinner parties in a format anyone can
copy and host. We’ve also considered
game nights. A poker league, so we
can practice bidding, in case we find
ourselves in a heated auction. Some
sort of panel discussion. Google
Hangouts to incorporate folks
outside of New York.” They recently
held “office hours” at Lulu’s, a bar in
Greenpoint where anyone could stop
by, talk, and bounce ideas off of each
other.
The future of The League remains
to be seen. Meredith has recently left
publishing to become an associate
features editor at HowAboutWe.
A big part of her job will be book
coverage, so she remains active in the
group, and they have no plans to slow
down. As Allyson puts it, “she’s just
as involved with the League as she
was when we were co-workers, but
her departure from the industry has
been a great reminder that we need
to think carefully about structuring
this organization so it will persist
after its founders have moved on.
We’ve been doing some very sexy
strategic planning: mission and vision
statements, articulating what success
looks like in the years ahead, defining
our constituents, etc. We have a lot
of steps to take, but the end goal is a
robust networking organization that
no longer has anything to do with us.”
When the final bell rang, a good
number of attendees were off to
Botanica, a bar around the corner to
keep the networking going. It was
there that Meredith and Allyson were
finally able to feel a bit less like the
evening’s facilitators, and more like
participants, and I left thinking about
all the parallels between publishing
and dating. I thought about the
excitement when signing a new
author, about the check dance around
who is paying for lunch, and about
calling up an editor to pitch a new
project to her for the first time. I’ve
gone to lunch with a number of the
editors I met that night, and I can
think of at least one clear advantage
that speed networking has over its
romantic counterpart. Unlike in the
dating world, if I sell a book to an
editor down the road, nobody will ask
me “so, how did you two first meet?”
We won’t have to look at each other
sheepishly and admit the truth.
Speed networking may have its
awkward moments, but I will say, it
broke me out of my routine, it forced
me to meet some people I might
not have met otherwise, and it made
me question some of the categories
I place myself into. Just like in
relationships, finding a great editor/
agent match can involve more luck
than we care to admit, but for those
who want to be a bit more methodical
in their search, I’ll see you at the next
speed-networking event. I’ll be the
one with the name tag sticker, and
possibly new glasses.
For more information on the League
of Assistant Editors:
Website: www.
theleagueofassistanteditors.tumblr.
com
E-mail:
TheLeagueofAssistantEditors@gmail.
com
Twitter: @AssistEdLeague
page 16
the pitch fall 2013
Up and Coming
Editors
By Adam Schear and Meredith Kaffel
Victoria Matsui
Assistant Editor
Little, Brown
Victoria Matsui grew up in
Brooklyn and went to Vassar College
where she studied sociology with a
minor in creative writing. There, she
discovered that she loved working
with other writers and helping them
shape their work. Each summer
throughout college she interned in a
different area of publishing – Foundry
Literary + Media; A Public Space
literary magazine; and Farrar, Straus
and Giroux. After graduating in 2010,
Victoria moved back to Brooklyn in
a state of near-lunacy, determined
to do anything book-related. She
worked full-time at Poets & Writers
magazine managing the classified
ad section, while also working parttime at BookCourt (“my childhood
bookstore!”) and freelance copy-editing
for literary magazines on the side.
In March of 2012, she was hired
by Michael Pietsch (then publisher
of the imprint) to be his editorial
assistant at Little, Brown. He has been
an exceptionally generous mentor to
Victoria, and she says she’s lucky to
learn from him. Now that Michael is
CEO of Hachette Book Group, she
works with him on the few books he
edits (most recently, Donna Tartt’s
“The Goldfinch”), and she also works
with Little, Brown publisher Reagan
Arthur on all of James Patterson’s
adult novels (“seven a year!”). She’s
also been building her own eclectic
list, which includes a debut novel, a
poetry collection, and a memoir.
Victoria has loved working on
“The Yellow Birds” by Kevin Powers,
which she says occupies a special
place in her heart. “An Iraq War
veteran, Kevin writes about the darkest
human experiences and pulls it off
with outrageously beautiful prose,”
she said. She feels privileged to be
editing Kevin’s next book, a poetry
collection titled “Letter Composed
During a Lull in the Fighting” (April
2014) – the first time Little, Brown
has published poetry in 30 years. She
also loved working on “The Sugar
Frosted Nutsack” by Mark Leyner,
whose humor and electric voice
she says is unlike anyone else’s. She
was therefore thrilled to acquire his
memoir, “Gone with the Mind,”
which will be written in the form
of a video game, and is sure to be
equal parts bizarre, fun, and thoughtprovoking. Editing James Patterson’s
books has taught her an enormous
amount about structure, pacing, and
suspense. If you want to read one
Patterson book, she recommends
“Cross My Heart,” which is the next
novel in his iconic Alex Cross series.
Victoria is looking to acquire
literary fiction and narrative nonfiction.
Her first acquisition was a debut novel
called “Sweetness #9” by Stephan
Eirik Clark (August 2014). The novel
is about a flavor scientist who fails
to blow the whistle on an artificial
sweetener after discovering its bad
side-effects – and how, 20 years later,
his secret has disastrous effects for his
family and for our culture at large. She
says it’s brainy and wry; and at once
a comic satire, a family drama, and
an exploration of American culture –
three of her favorite kinds of fiction. In
general, she likes thought-provoking,
voice-driven writing. She’s a sucker for
a contemplative first-person narrator,
as is the case with two of her favorite
books, “Leaving the Atocha Station”
by Ben Lerner and “Remainder” by
Tom McCarthy. More things she
likes: literature in translation, unsettling
atmospheres, characters driven by
obsession, and foreign landscapes. In
nonfiction, she’s drawn to cultural
histories and narratives about women,
food, comedy, TV and film, science, and
technology. In anything she reads, she
likes the feeling of uncovering secrets.
Outside of books, Victoria’s greatest
loves are comedy, poker, and cats.
Hannah Wood
Associate Editor
HarperCollins
As an only child growing up
in rural England, Hannah Wood
realized at an early age that she was
responsible for her own entertainment.
She found deliverance in books, and
continued to rely on them as she dealt
with the culture shock of moving to
Washington, DC at age 11. But it was
during a creative writing class at Bryn
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the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 16
Mawr College that she awoke to the
possibility of an editorial career because
she realized she enjoyed the workshop/
critique portions of the class more than
spending time on her original work. After
graduating with an English degree, she
interned at W. W. Norton where she was
assigned to Bob Weil’s office. With his
guidance and encouragement, she tried
her hand at everything from writing flap
copy to line-editing, and loved all of it,
even the filing. She also read manuscripts
for Ellen Levine, who connected her
with Irene Skolnick. Assisting Irene
gave her a thorough introduction to
the agency side of the business and
instilled in her a profound respect
for the agent’s role in the publishing
process, but the chance to work for
Gerry Howard drew her back into
the editorial fold. In the almost four
years she spent at Doubleday under his
auspices, she received a phenomenal
editorial education that prepared her
for a move to Harper that she made
just over six months ago. Now she has
the opportunity and support to acquire
her own titles while working with
Claire Wachtel on her incredible list. Hannah says that it’s been so
much fun to work on big books from
established authors like David Rakoff,
Bill Bryson, Kate Christensen, and
Dennis Lehane. But there’s nothing
more thrilling to her than helping
newer authors hatch into the world.
She says that one of the most satisfying
books to work on was “Heads in Beds,”
a hilarious memoir that transformed
hotel front-desk clerk Jacob Tomsky
into a New York Times bestselling
author. Doing her part to shepherd
Hanya Yanagihara’s mindblowing
debut novel “The People in the Trees,”
a Publishers Weekly Top 10 of 2013,
into existence was also unforgettable.
When asked what she’s looking for,
she describes herself as an omnivore,
but her drug of choice is cinematic
fiction with a dark, emotionally gothic
streak (not to be confused with abject
misery). It can be contemporary or
historical, literary or commercial,
but it has to be psychologically
sophisticated and driven by a voice
too compelling to ignore. She enjoys
thrillers in this vein, too, and memoirs
with these qualities also ring her bell.
She is also quick to point out that she
has a lighter side as well. She loves
wry humor and narrative nonfiction
about almost anything, as long it tells
an unusual story. She’s particularly
interested in “pop anthropology” –
books that observe and analyze culture
or human behavior in original ways,
like Tom Vanderbilt’s “Traffic” and
Nikil Saval’s upcoming book “Cubed,”
about the history of the office.
Hannah is also a pop-culture
fiend who loves to organize things,
take naps, and drink gin. She goes
back to visit her family in the UK at
least once a year, but she also loves
traveling to unique places; she’s been
to Antarctica, spent a semester abroad
at the American University in Cairo,
and on her last vacation she visited the
mountainside rainforests of Nicaragua.
Brit Hvide
Editorial Assistant
Simon & Schuster
Brit Hvide grew up in
Singapore and went to college at
Northwestern in Chicago. While
at Northwestern, she studied premed and physics before switching to
the more lucrative field of creative
writing. She was the prose editor of
Northwestern’s literary magazine
and a member of the sailing team.
After taking a few creative writing
courses, Brit realized that helping
other people with their stories was a
lot more fun than writing her own. In
2011, after she’d made that realization,
she interned with Writers House and
cut her teeth tweaking manuscripts
and pitch letters, reading submissions,
and taking on as many odd jobs as
she was able. After graduation, she
went to the Columbia Publishing
Course and landed her current job
at Simon & Schuster, where she
has worked since the summer of
2012. Brit’s current bosses, Thomas
LeBien and Ben Loehnen, have been
huge mentors to her, guiding her
through the editing and acquisition
processes, and doling out reality
checks and support in equal doses.
While at Simon & Schuster,
she’s had the good fortune of working
with some truly great nonfiction
authors and books, including Gary
M. Pomerantz’s “Their Life’s Work,”
Nolan Bushnell’s “Finding the Next
Steve Jobs,” and Clifton Leaf ’s “The
Truth in Small Doses.” Brit’s tastes
are pretty widespread, but she’s drawn
to quirky, heartfelt literary fiction
in the vein of “St. Lucy’s Home for
Girls Raised by Wolves” and “The
Dog Stars;” whip-smart speculative
fiction like “World War Z,” “Game
of Thrones,” and “Ready Player One;”
and narrative nonfiction with unusual
characters à la “Behind the Beautiful
Forevers” and “The Lost City of Z.”
She also has a not-so-secret passion for
graphic novels. So far, she has acquired
a pop-culture history of Batman, a
graphic novel by Jeff Lemire, and a
science-fiction trilogy. When Brit
is not reading or editing, she’s busy
building an extensive video-game
collection and wondering whether
Spider-Man or Batman would win
in a fight. She promises that she’s
not as nerdy as she may seem.
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the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 17
Kaela Myers
Associate Editor
Random House
Kaela Myers grew up across the
street from a library in a tiny town
in rural Vermont. She attended
Brown University, where one
outstanding course on Nikolai Gogol
led her to begin learning Czech
and Russian and to study abroad
in Prague and St. Petersburg.
After graduating in 2010 with
a doubly-bankable degree in Slavic
Studies and Literary Arts, Kaela
enrolled in the Columbia Publishing
Course in the hopes of pursuing an
editorial career. That fall, she was
hired as an editorial assistant to
Andy Ward and Kendra Harpster
at Random House, and she loves
working there now even more
than when she began three years
ago. During her time at Random
House, Kaela has had the pleasure
of working with authors including
George Saunders, Mira Jacob, Michael
Paterniti, and John Jeremiah Sullivan.
As for her own burgeoning list,
Kaela is actively seeking literary
fiction and narrative nonfiction
from authors whose writing offers a
new perspective on the world. She
especially likes writing that builds
worlds for its readers to live in, that
bends genres and subverts tropes; and
writing that has a big voice and an
interesting perspective, that’s not afraid
to take on questions about identity
and society. But, above all, Kaela loves
a good story, the kind that invades
your thoughts and changes the tenor
of the world you live in, if only for a
while. Some recently-read favorites
include Kelly Link’s new collection,
“Get in Trouble,” Edmund de Waal’s
“The Hare with Amber Eyes,” and
Elaine Dundy’s “The Dud Avocado.”
As Kaela puts it, she is also
still “young enough to believe that
short story collections can work
and that graphic stories can be just
as literary as written ones.” And, of
course, she maintains an outsized
interest in writing from and about
the post-Soviet world, such as Caleb
Crain’s “Necessary Errors” and
Vladimir Sorokin’s “Ice Trilogy.”
Kaela lives in Brooklyn where
she pursues various Brooklyn-y
interests like eating doughnuts, having
dinner parties, and talking about
the weirder corners of the Internet.
Alas, she does not own a bicycle.
Anne Brewer
Associate Editor
Thomas Dunne Books
“One of the best feelings in the
world is opening a book for the first
time and being immediately enthralled
as the first few pages plunge you into an
exciting new world, draw you in with an
intriguing mystery, or introduce you to a
compelling and original new voice – or,
even better, all of the above,” says Anne
Brewer, associate editor at Thomas
Dunne. In the five years she’s spent at
St. Martin’s Press and Thomas Dunne
Books, the pursuit of that electric
feeling – when you know a particular
book is one that will cause you to miss
your subway stop because you can’t
stop turning the pages – has remained
one of her favorite parts of the job.
Although Anne started out acquiring
a great deal of crime fiction (her first
acquisition, “Purgatory Chasm” by
Steve Ulfelder, was nominated for the
Best First Mystery Edgar Award),
since coming to Thomas Dunne Books
she has expanded her list to include
women’s fiction, historical fiction,
and general nonfiction as well. Under
Tom Dunne, she’s had the great
pleasure of working on a wide range
of commercial fiction and nonfiction,
from “Mad Women,” a frank and
witty memoir by Jane Maas about
life as a woman in advertising during
the Mad Men period; to “Capturing
Camelot,” a gorgeous photo book by
Kitty Kelley that captures the magic
of the Kennedy presidency; to “The
Headmaster’s Wife,” a haunting and
deeply affecting portrait of one couple
at their best and worst, written by
Thomas Christopher Greene. Recent
acquisitions include “The Perfume
Garden,” a sensuously written story of
lost love and family secrets set between
modern-day Valencia and the Spanish
Civil War, by Kate Lord Brown; “The
Art of Not Having It All,” a hilarious
memoir by Melissa Kite, hailed as
“an endearing modern-day Bridget
Jones” (Easy Living); and a charming
cozy series beginning with “Rosemary
and Crime” by Gail Oust, featuring
a small-town Georgia spice shop.
In fiction, Anne finds herself
especially drawn to unique, fresh,
engaging voices combined with brisk,
intelligent plotting and a strong
emotional pull. She’s eagerly seeking
nonfiction in the following categories:
fashion, pop culture, pop science/
psychology, animals (especially dogs!),
narrative nonfiction, and memoir. But
she’s equally engrossed by clever writing
that takes her “behind the scenes” on
any topic she thought she knew well
but turns out not to know at all.
Anne’s “wish list” would include:
pacey female-oriented suspense;
emotionally-resonant book-club
fiction; women’s fiction with a tinge
of magic (à la Paula Brackston, with
whom she works alongside Pete
Wolverton); smart, engaging popular
history and science (particularly
exploring little-known but fascinating
histories or the story behind something
you’d think you know); warm pet
narratives (again, especially dogs); and
style guides (particularly fashion).
page 19
Profile Of A Small
Press: City Lights
By Matt McGowan
S
an Francisco’s City Lights is
perhaps the most iconic “small
press” in America. Founded in 1955,
Lawrence Ferlinghetti launched the
publisher with the Pocket Poets Series
and it is through poetry, in particular
Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl and Other
Poems,” that the press rose to national
prominence. According to current
executive director and publisher Elaine
Katzenberger, Ferlinghetti’s original
idea was “to avoid both the provincial
and the academic, and to participate in
and publish an international ferment in
a single, supranational cultural voice.”
While Ferlinghetti, at 94, is no longer
very actively involved in the press, “he
will always be the guiding force of City
Lights.”
City Lights, of course, has gone
on to publish much more than poetry
with a backlist that includes a range
of genres and such authors as Charles
Bukowski, Denise Levertov, Noam
Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Gregory
Corso, and Jack Kerouac. “The
objective of the press,” Katzenberger
maintains, “continues to be the
publication of vanguard works.
We are a politically progressive
organization with populist, pacifist,
and anarchist roots, and we are
committed to making books
available that question the status
quo, defy conventional wisdom, and
the pitch fall 2013
stimulate thinking in new ways.”
City Lights, nonetheless, struggles
against preconceptions about its
historical nature from time to time
(i.e., that it is primarily a “Beat
Generation” publisher). But most
people, according to Katzenberger,
understand its contemporary
relevance: “that we are a completely
current and vital institution, with
a history and legacy that is both
quite impressive and foundational
but which is also being created and
added to with each book we publish.”
These days, City Lights
publishes approximately 16 titles
each year: a mix of poetry, works
in translation, contemporary
literary fiction, and progressive
cultural studies and contemporary
political commentary. Recent and
forthcoming works include a reprint
of the 1938 Nigerian novel “Forest
of a Thousand Daemons” by D.O.
Fagunwa; “Yokohama Threeway and
Other Small Shames” by writer/
performance artist Beth Lisick;
“Spying on Democracy” by Heidi
Boghosian, executive director of
the National Lawyers Guild; and
“Nan Domi: An Initiate’s Journey
into Haitian Vodou” by Mimerose
Beaubrun. “We are always on the
lookout for new and exciting fiction
and poetry,” says Katzenberger,
“though, as a ‘for-profit’ press, we
do need to perceive a reasonable
readership for any author we take on.
Creative nonfiction is a genre that
would be exciting to expand further
into. This is a broad category, but
generally I’d say that our intention
is to provide new insights into
culture and/or the writing/studying/
teaching/creative life. A progressive
politics could and possibly should
inform writing in this genre for
submission to our press.”
City Lights has been publishing
for over 50 years and many of the
editors have had long careers there,
so a good deal of new authors
come via existing networks in the
local, national, and international
community of writers. Katzenberger,
though, says submissions from agents
are very welcome: “Agents do bring
work to us as well, and we have
successfully worked with a number
of them. We pay modest advances,
which vary according to the
perceived potential of each project.
Some of our authors have gone on
to publish with larger houses, and
some of them have come from larger
houses to us. In a few instances,
they’ve been launched here and gone
on to publish with larger houses,
only to return to us later, seeking out
the kind of relationship that only a
smaller press can offer.”
The City Lights acquisitions
team consists of Katzenberger,
who looks for fiction in translation,
challenging contemporary American
fiction, cultural studies, creative
nonfiction, politics, and spiritual
traditions, as well as gay & lesbian
fiction and nonfiction; Greg
Ruggiero, acquiring editor and
editor of the City Lights Open
Media Series, who looks for politics,
current affairs, and books about
Mexico and spiritual traditions;
Garrett Caples, acquiring editor and
editor of the City Lights Spotlight
Series, looks for poetry and histories
of literary movements, especially
poetry movements; Robert Sharrard,
acquiring editor and foreign rights
director, looks for fiction and poetry
in translation, gay and lesbian fiction
and nonfiction, literary fiction in
English, and cultural studies; and
Michelle Tea, editor of the City
Lights Sister Spit imprint, who is
looking for contemporary, queer,
feminist writing.
continued on page 20
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the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 19
Elaine Katzenberger
You can’t discuss City Lights
Publishing without talking about
the City Lights Bookstore, founded
in 1953, two years before the press.
City Lights achieved landmark
status in 2001. The San Francisco
Board of Supervisors cited the
organization for “playing a seminal
role in the literary and cultural
development of San Francisco
and the nation.” San Francisco
attracts people from all over
the world, and many of them,
according to Katzenberger, “come
to our bookstore to see what’s on
offer – naturally, we feature all of
our own publications prominently
throughout the store.” She goes
on to explain, “this is invaluable
bookstore ‘real estate’ and very wideranging exposure for any author
we feature. We have found that the
project of City Lights itself means
something special for many, many
people – and while we do loom
large locally, this is also true on a
national and international basis, so
our reach is really quite broad from
our perch on the Left Coast.”
While enjoying its unique
position as a publisher with its own
store, City Lights does everything
that any major or independent
house would do to widely market
and promote each book they
acquire: “We are actively involved
in keeping current with new ideas
and strategies. I suppose what
might set us apart from some other
houses is that we pay attention to
every book on our list, and we try
to maximize the potential for each
and every author as far as we are
able. We work closely with authors
(and sometimes with agents) to
craft our marketing and publicity
strategies, and we remain actively
involved with that aspect of each
book throughout the ‘life’ of the
launch (pre-publication and postpublication). While our fiscal
resources might be limited in terms
of money paid for advertisements
and vendor promotions, we are
experienced and adept at using
every bit of network we have at
our (and our authors’) disposal –
and after many years of building
relationships (our marketing
and publicity director has been
on the job for us for 15+ years,
for example), our network, and
our reputation, is quite strong.
Additionally, we have someone
in-house who was hired two years
ago and is specifically tasked
with digital/social marketing
and publicity strategies. This
combination of longtime experience
and new thinking gives us a range
of tools to contemplate and apply to
each project under consideration.”
When asked to describe the vibe
of City Lights, Katzenberger says:
“Funky, as in, it’s an old, interesting
building and we’ve worked here for
a long time! Full of history. Most
people enjoy a visit.” Make sure you
do next time you’re in North Beach.
COMMITTEE
REPORT:
ROYALTIES
The Royalties Committee
continues to stay in touch with
Simon & Schuster as they
develop the capabilities of their
online Agent Portal. They
are working on two issues:
providing separate PDFs for
each proprietor so that agents
will not have to create their
own, and implementing an
ACH payment system. In the
interim, they provide guidance
on free software that agents
can use to create separate
royalty statements for each
client (in the Portal, click on
“Frequently Asked Questions”).
Other ongoing projects include
updating the royalty chart
with new contact details and
information about online
access to royalty data. And
we continue to nag Amazon
to improve their royalty
statements.
Following the merger of
Random House and Penguin,
we have had confirmation that
all statements from Penguin
Random House will eventually
follow the Random House
format.
The Committee will begin
to look at how publishers
report income from digital
subscription programs, such as
Harper’s arrangement with
Scribd.
page 221
Big Moves: Spotlight
On Editors’ Recent
New Positions
By Kate McKean
L
eah Hultenschmidt made a
big jump this fall from respected and
innovative independent publisher
Sourcebooks (in their New York
offices) to Big Six publisher Grand
Central Publishing, on top of
moving from YA to adult lists.
Learn more below in this interview
about her new challenges and
opportunities.
Where are you now and where have you
been? (hat tip, Joyce Carol Oates)
In September, I started with
Grand Central Publishing as editorial
director of the Forever and Forever
Yours romance lines. Before that, I
was with Sourcebooks, heading the
YA imprint and working on half
of the romance list. And way back
when, I spent ten years at Dorchester
Publishing, where I did editorial, then
publicity and marketing, and then
went back to editorial.
How have your areas of acquisition
changed in your new role? Are there
any additional administrative duties?
In my new position, I’m no
longer acquiring Young Adult.
But I’m still actively looking for
romance of every kind. I’m also
now responsible for scheduling the
roughly 175 titles a year across the
Forever and Forever Yours lists.
We’ve been rapidly expanding in
the pitch fall 2013
both print and e-books, so it’s a big
job.
What's the next big thing, from your
vantage point?
What new challenges has your new
role presented?
We’re seeing a lot of new
opportunities opening – types of
stories in New Adult and erotic
romance that never would have
made it to market two years ago are
burning up the bestseller charts. It’s
exciting to me to see a genre evolve
and I’m eager to see how some of
these trends will translate over into
more mainstream romance.
The aforementioned scheduling
can start to feel a bit like solving a
Rubik’s Cube, but I love strategizing
cross-promotional opportunities and
potential marketing advantages tied
to release dates while still making
sure our art, managing editorial, and
production teams have the time they
need to produce a beautiful book (or
e-book as the case may be). I’m also
more highly involved in cover and
copy approval.
What new skill or muscle does this new
position allow you to exercise?
Well, speaking of muscles,
approving models for covers comes
to mind. But that’s hardly a chore.
It’s nice to have the chance to go
back to more strategic involvement
in marketing and PR.
What aspect of your past position did
you wish you could take with you to
your new one?
For any editor, it’s hard to leave
authors or a line you’ve worked so
hard to develop and grow.
What part of publishing do you wish
would just sit down and not change
again already?
What fun would it be if we
weren’t constantly changing? Though
if there were a way to pick one social
media outlet and make that the most
popular one across all demographics
for all time, I’d take it.
Nancy Mercado joined Scholastic
Press this fall as their new editorial
director. She had been executive
editor at Roaring Brook Press.
Where are you now and where have you
been?
I’ve come full circle in terms
of my office address: I began my
career at 557 Broadway (Scholastic),
then moved a few blocks over to
345 Hudson Street (Dial Books
for Young Readers), and then a few
subway stops north to reside in the
Flatiron (Macmillan/Roaring Brook
Press) for five years. Now I’m back at
557 Broadway and I’m thrilled to be
walking these hallways again.
ALERT
Over the past six months the
AAR contract committee
has distributed two alerts
for members, the Magazine
Contract Checklist alert
and the Amazon Publishing
Contract alert. This is a
reminder that both alerts can
be found on our website.
continued on page 22
page 22
the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 21
How have your areas of acquisition
changed in your new role? Are there
any additional administrative duties?
My areas of interest are similar
to what I’ve acquired in the past.
I’m hoping to acquire great stories
that will stand the test of time and
become part of the literary canon of
children’s books; diverse voices that
have been typically underrepresented
in children’s books; humorous, quirky,
light-hearted stories that happen to
feature characters of color; realistic,
contemporary, middle-grade and
YA novels; and books like the books
I devoured when I was a kid.
Some examples: the “Anastasia Krupnik” series, “The Tillerman Saga,”
“The Austin Family Chronicles,”
the “Great Brain” series, the “Shoes”
books by Noel Streatfeild, every YA
novel ever written by Paul Zindel
and Paula Danziger, etc. I will
definitely be looking for books
that can work in the Scholastic book
clubs and book fairs, but agents
shouldn’t hesitate to send me “edgy”
and “unusual” material as well.
What new challenges has your new role
presented?
I just started three weeks ago, so
I’m not sure! I’ll have to get back to
you on that.
What new skill or muscle does this new
position allow you to exercise?
Scholastic Press is a much bigger
group, so this new position will
allow me the opportunity to mentor
younger staff and to help shape the
overall list.
What aspect of your past position did
you wish you could take with you to
your new one?
Not sure yet, but I do wish I
could have taken my old office with
me. (It had windows!)
What part of publishing do you wish
would just sit down and not change
again already?
Honestly, I think the changes in
the industry are good. It means that
we are continuing to grow. I never
want to be one of those editors who
claim that everything was better back
in the day. I am, however, tired of
people declaring the death of [insert
genre here].
What’s the next big thing, from your
vantage point?
I have no idea, but I would hope
that the next big thing would be a
bestselling middle-grade series that
features a protagonist of color.
page 23
COMMITTEE
REPORT:
international
The AAR International Committee
is busy on a number of fronts, with
plans to survey the membership
about foreign rights activity and
interest so as to better focus the
Committee’s agenda.
We have plans to expand the
Tax Exemption Chart to include
information concerning UK,
Canadian, Australian, and
other foreign clients, as more of
our membership seems to have
international clients and questions
about their tax status.
We initiated a new Book Fair lottery
with the Sharjah International Book
Fair in the UAE, and are looking
forward to the report from the first
year’s winner, Linda Konner.
Along with the AAP’s International
Committee and at their invitation,
we’ll be meeting in December with
BEA to discuss early plans for BEA
2015 in New York when China will
be the guest country. BEA expects
this to be by far the largest foreign
contingent to ever attend BEA.
We continue to review various
contract issues that arise in foreign
agreements, and to monitor digital
publishing developments overseas.
Three Committee members attended
the Frankfurt Book Fair this year,
the week of October 7th, and here is
their report:
the pitch fall 2013
Sally Wofford-Girand of Union
Literary identified the overall
mood as good, despite the fact that
people were steeling themselves for
tough times. More than one foreign
publisher mentioned to her that they
are where US publishing was in
2009. They think that their markets
historically trail the US market,
so the fact that US publishing has
bounced back from the depths of
‘09 seems to give them hope. Chris
Lotts of The Lotts Agency reported
that the overall mood was businesslike. There was not a great spirit
of risk-taking, exactly, but people
seemed to be handling the situation
in the Euro-zone with more
acceptance and patience. There was
the feeling that no one is out of the
woods yet, but neither has it been
completely catastrophic; they are
operating with more knowledge and
less fear. Many countries feel they are
at the bottom of a situation, and that
things will gradually improve. Italy seems very lively, as do the
UK and Eastern Europe, despite
economic woes and shrinking
territories; and Latin America and
China are strong, while in Europe,
France and Spain still seem quite
sober. Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown
noted anecdotal evidence that the
American presence seemed lighter,
specifically at the key Bertelsmann
party.
In genre activity, there is some
curiosity over New Adult and Young
Adult thrillers, but as for digital, it is
still early days for foreign territories,
and Wofford-Girand reported that
e-books are not moving the needle
sales-wise yet. Lotts added that there
is concern and resignation in some
countries that digital is not taking
off. For places like Italy and Japan,
there is also concern that younger
people are not taking up the habit of
reading books at all, either paper or
digital.
As always, the Nobel Prize for
Literature was announced on
Thursday morning of the Fair, and
there was much rejoicing throughout
the halls for all the publishers of
Alice Munro.
The schedule has definitely shifted at
least a day earlier: Tuesday is now
a full day of meetings (although the
Rights Center is open, the publishers’
halls are not), primarily at the
Frankfurter Hof, with Wednesday
and Thursday being the busiest days,
as Brits and Europeans – editors in
particular – who see each other more
often during the year and prefer
shorter fairs begin to leave by Friday
morning. Asian publishers and
agents who travel farther tend to
stay longer, but energy really drains
out of the Rights Center by Friday
afternoon; and Saturday, when the
German public can attend and visit
the publishers’ halls, feels more like
an odds-and-ends day, now lacking,
as is the case with Friday, any major
evening parties.
page 24
the pitch fall 2013
Publicity Contact Sheet 2013
Once again we are grateful to Publishing Trends for sharing this helpful chart.
PT's Publicity Contact Sheet 2013
{Asterick * denotes nonfiction only}
Name
Contact Information
Specialites
Andrea Burnett Public Relations*
(650) 207-0917
www.andreaburnett.com
[email protected]
Lifestyle book publicity. Specializing in food,
parenting, children’s, fashion, beauty, design,
mind/body/spirit. Press materials, national media
outreach, and more.
Author Marketing Experts
(Penny Sansevieri)
(866) 713-2318
www.amarketingexpert.com
[email protected]
Specializing in both fiction and nonfiction titles
with targeted outreach to broadcast, book
reviews, national and regional print, blogger
outreach, and online author tours.
Blue Slip Media
(Barbara Fisch, Sarah Shealy)
(619) 938-3193
www.blueslipmedia.com
[email protected]
[email protected]
Exclusively for children's/YA books. Strong
relationships with online and print media,
retailers, educational markets. Curriculum guides/
activity kits. Blog outreach.
Buxus PR
(David Bukszpan)
(646) 770-0328
[email protected]
Specializes in literary fiction (English and in
translation) and academic nonfiction, also trade
nonfiction and poetry. Innovative campaigns
aiming beyond traditional print reviews for
national profiles and features in print, public and
commercial radio and TV.
The Carriere Company
(David Carriere)*
(413) 243-6767
[email protected]
Traditional media PR for illustrated, nonfiction,
and children’s.
Danzig Communications
(Jill Danzig)*
(212) 579-5215
www.jilldanzig.com
[email protected]
Specializes in customized traditional PR for
serious nonfiction books with a message
(including social issues, current events, history,
health, science and more).
(617) 320-0556
David Ratner Publicity & Publishing Consulting www.ratnerpr.com
[email protected]
Publicity, marketing, and strategic consult
for authors all genres. Develop customized
promotional campaigns based on goals, needs,
and budgets. Assist aspiring authors with book
development projects and work with corporate
entities interested on books as brand equity.
Deb Shapiro & Company
(212) 496-5808
www.debshapiroandcompany.com
[email protected]
PR, marketing, media services and consulting
focusing on authors and books for all ages.
Eleanor Van Natta Publicity
(360) 608-6409
www.eleanorvannatta.com
[email protected]
Specializing in adult nonfiction and fiction, and
would consider children and YA for the right book;
primary services include press releases, media
pitches, book trailers.
February Partners
(Dee Dee DeBartlo, Gretchen Crary)
(212) 255-2034
www.februarypartners.com
[email protected]
Full media and marketing campaigns; platform/
image development, events, tours, speaking
engagements.
Franklin Public Relations
(Amy Franklin)
(646) 489-0300
www.franklin-PR.com
[email protected]
Targeted publicity campaigns specializing in
music, pop-culture, photography, art, high-profile
authors and special events. National, local,
online, radio, television, print and social media
strategy.
Gail Leondar Public Relations*
(781) 648-1658
www.glprbooks.com
[email protected]
Emphasis on progressive social change books
as well as serious academic and non-academic
nonfiction; heavily focused on public radio.
continued on page 25
page 25
the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 24
PT's Publicity Contact Sheet 2013
{Asterick * denotes nonfiction only}
Name
Contact Information
Specialites
Goldberg McDuffie Communications (Lynn
Goldberg, Camille McDuffie, Angela Baggetta,
Megan Beatie, Kathleen Zrelak, Jeff Umbro)
(212) 705-4226
www.goldbergmcduffie.com
[email protected]
Strategic publicity campaigns, through traditional
and digital media, for business, politics, fiction,
pop culture, children’s, and YA titles. Coordinates
review outreach, off-the-book-page coverage,
local market tours, special events, author social
media platforms, online advertising, and website
development.
Graf-Martin Communications
(Tim Underwood)*
(519) 342-3703
www.grafmartin.com
[email protected]
Publicity, social media marketing, and strategic
marketing services to publishers, small
businesses, nonprofits, and authors.
Greg Mowery Public Relations
(503) 477-4832
www.stovetopreadings.com
[email protected]
Book publicist, author of cookbook review blog,
and specialist in promoting cookbooks.
GT/PR
(Gene Taft)*
(301) 593-0766
www.genetaftpr.com
[email protected]
Straightforward publicity, specializing in politics,
current events, history, and pop culture.
The Hendra Agency Inc.
(718) 622-3232
[email protected]
A full-service pr and consulting firm in every
aspect of national, regional, and local public
relations, marketing, publicity and promotion.
Emphasis on business, finance, serious nonfiction
and literary fiction.
Hilsinger-Mendelson
(Sandi Mendelson)
(212) 725-7707
www.hilsinger-mendelson.com
[email protected]
Brand awareness, book awareness campaigns;
organizes press kits, book tours, publication
parties, annual events/galas, satellite media,
internet campaigns, VNRs, product launch,
publicity
Jessica Jonap PR
(305) 864-5521
www.jessicajonap.com
[email protected]
Creates traditional and viral publicity campaigns
that include print, broadcast, and online media.
JSA Kids Marketing
(Joyce Stein)
(914) 980-5108
www.jsakidsmarketing.com
[email protected]
Full-service children’s and young adult book marketing and public relations firm. We do traditional
media outreach, social media outreach, and outof-the-box marketing.
Kat Purcell
(914) 575-8736
www.pigtailpublicrelations.com
[email protected]
Book tours, press materials, media escorting,
byline articles, media training, content marketing
and social media marketing.
Kaye Publicity
(773) 878-0722
kayepublicity.com
[email protected]
A full-service public relations agency specializing
in publishing and entertainment.
Kelley and Hall Book Publicity
(Jocelyn Kelley)
(617) 680-1976
www.kelleyandhall.com
[email protected]
Full service publicity and marketing firm that
offers publishing consultation, national media
outreach, branding strategies, social media
campaigns and press kit development. Traditionally published as well as self-published authors.
Experienced in all genres: fiction, nonfiction,
young adult, and children’s.
Kimberly Burns Literary Publicity
(212) 226-0981
www.KimberlyBurnsPR.com
[email protected]
Targeted national publicity campaigns for authors
and publishers of narrative nonfiction, memoir,
short story collections and literary fiction. Contact
4 to 6 months before publication date
Krupp Kommunications
(Heidi Krupp)
(212) 886-6700
www.kruppkommunications.com
[email protected]
Media relations with producers, editors, reporters;
consulting and strategic partnerships; high-profile
projects.
The Lisa Ekus Group*
(413) 247-9325
www.lisaekus.com
[email protected]
All culinary; serves as publicist and agent, provides media training, career development, and
spokesperson development.
continued on page 26
page 26
the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 25
PT's Publicity Contact Sheet 2013
{Asterick * denotes nonfiction only}
Name
Contact Information
Specialites
Little Bird
(Sarah Burningham)
(917) 546-6866
www.littlebirdpublicity.com
[email protected]
Campaigns with broadcast, print, and online
media; branding strategy; sponsorships and corporate partnerships; web platform development;
media training; blog and radio tours; national
event and speaking tours; press kit development.
Lorna Garano*
(510) 280-5397
www.lornagarano.com
[email protected]
Individual authors and with independent and
corporate publishing houses nonfiction, including
politics, memoir, women’s interests, psychology,
self-help, health, and history.
Margo Donohue
(917) 679-6945
[email protected]
Nonfiction and lifestyle topics; health and fitness.
Author tours, national talk shows and regional
media. Established health & fitness blogger with
strong contacts in social media.
Marian Brown PR
(917) 541-5814
www.marianbrownpr.com
[email protected]
Traditional media campaigns; social media campaigns; blog tours; general publishing consulting; creative event planning; strong networking
support; website consultation. Willing to work with
self-published authors if material is strong.
Maryann Palumbo Marketing Concepts
(718) 680-6483
[email protected]
Traditional publicity campaigns for celebrity,
women’s issues, politics, health, parenting,
children’s and YA books, among others. Strategy,
press kit preparation, media outreach.
McCartin | Daniels PR
(860) 435-6464
[email protected]
(702) 450-6464
[email protected]
Full-service public relations firm specializing in
national media relations, public relations counseling, and strategic planning to provide clients with
both short-term coverage and long-term visibility.
Media Connect
(212) 593-5847
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Customized service to publishers and authors of
all genres. Interviews/reviews with national and local TV, magazines, newspapers, newswires, radio,
blogs, and online reviewers. Road tours, website
development, press kit writing, media coaching,
satellite TV tours, strategic social media consultation, and speaking engagements.
Meghan Phillips Public Relations*
212-932-0688
www.meghanphillips.com
[email protected]
Specializes in nonfiction and lifestyle book publicity. Customized, targeted publicity campaigns.
National, local, print, online, radio, television, and
social media outreach.
Michele Karlsberg Marketing and
Management
(917) 359-2803
[email protected]
Straightforward marketing; print and electronic
media for the mainstream, lesbian, gay, and
feminist market.
Miracle Worker PR
(Anne Sullivan)*
(646) 373-0382
www.miracleworkerpr.com
[email protected]
Strategizes publicity campaigns for nonfiction
titles with targeted outreach to national and
regional print, broadcast, online, and review media. Coordinates author tours and special events.
(212) 260-7576
www.mouthpublicrelations.com
[email protected]
Traditional media, internet marketing (websites,
SEO, iPhone apps, and more), promotional video,
media training; publicity boot camp, B2B, brandbuilding, parties/special events, crisis management, book proposal prep, and agent/ publisher
introductions.
(212) 353-3478
www.onepotata.com
[email protected]
Specializes in targeted and strategic publicity campaigns. National/local radio, television,
print and online media campaigns; social media
(Facebook & Twitter) content providers; special
events/publication parties; consultations with
self-published authors. Primarily handle nonfiction
and commercial fiction titles.
Mouth Public Relations
(Justin Loeber)
One Potata Productions, Inc.
(Diane Mancher)
continued on page 27
page 27
the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 26
PT's Publicity Contact Sheet 2013
{Asterick * denotes nonfiction only}
Name
Contact Information
Specialites
Over the River Public Relations
(Rachel Tarlow Gul, Jennifer Richards)*
(201) 503-1321
www.overtheriverpr.com
[email protected]
Consultations, pre-pub marketing plans, galley
letters and press kits, print media campaigns,
reading group discussion guides, internet campaigns, social networking, appearances & speaking venues, newsletters, awards nomina- tions,
op-ed submission.
PR by the Book
(512) 501-4399
www.prbythebook.com
[email protected]
Specializes in traditional, online & social media
campaigns for authors, publishers & experts.
Books in nearly every genre; publishers to
self-published. Focus is on building a long-term
brand.
(631) 539-4558
www.theprfreelancer.com
[email protected]
Full service publicity and public relations agency
for adult nonfiction titles, traditional publishers and self-published. Business, leadership,
entrepreneurship, workplace, personal finance,
health, current affairs, etc. Magazine, newspaper,
national and local television, online, ezines, bloggers, radio, podcasts.
Rare Bird Lit
(Tyson Cornell)
(213) 623-1773
www.rarebirdlit.com
[email protected]
Works closely with bestselling and debut authors,
major and independent publishers, media and
booksellers on all promotional platforms: book
tours, events, radio, television, print, sponsorships, B2B, branding, social networking, new
media, creative campaigning, and guerrilla
marketing.
rhalee hughes public relations + marketing
(212) 260-2244
www.rhalee.com
[email protected]
Campaign strategy and execution, media relations, marketing communications, branding,
corporate communications, corporate social
responsibility initiatives, press kit development,
special events planning, national tours, online
strategy.
Richards Public Relations
(Tammy Richards-LeSure)
(817) 453-6166
www.richardspr.com
[email protected]
Top-tier national, regional, and local media
campaigns. Press material development; review
coverage and feature interviews; author tours;
radio phoners; special events; cross-promotion
via social media. Special interest in: Politics &
Current Events, Health/Medical/Science, Religion,
African-American, Mystery/Suspense, Parenting,
Sports, Humor, Food, and Business.
Sarah Russo Public Relations
(917) 627-5993
www.sarahrusso.com
[email protected]
Publicity, social media, tours and strategic consulting for authors and publishers with a focus on
nonfiction and literary fiction.
Scott Manning & Associates
646-517-2825
www.scottmanningpr.com
[email protected]
Publicity and marketing consulting; media placement via long-standing contacts with print and
online journalists, book reviewers and broadcast
producers; social media strategy and implementation.
Shreve Williams Public Relations
(Suzanne Williams, NY; Elizabeth Shreve, DC)
(908) 375-8159 (NY)
(202) 362-0770 (DC)
www.shrevewilliams.com
[email protected]
[email protected]
National, regional, and local broadcast media,
review and feature print coverage, author tours,
and radio phoner campaigns. Focus on serious
nonfiction (current events, history, biography,
etc.), health and lifestyle, memoir, and literary
fiction.
SoCal Public Relations (Rebecca Grose)
(619) 334-7164
www.socalpr.net
[email protected]
Children’s and YA; author tours, online campaigns, media coverage, target special markets,
schedules appearances, author coaching, media
escorting in Southern California, and consultation services for self-published/print-on-demand
books.
The PR Freelancer*
(Lori Ames)
continued on page 28
page 28
the pitch fall 2013
continued from page 27
PT's Publicity Contact Sheet 2013
{Asterick * denotes nonfiction only}
Name
Contact Information
Specialites
Stephanie Barko, Literary Publicist
(512) 291-6188
www.stephaniebarko.com
[email protected]
Nonfiction & historical fiction book endorsement, book reviews, interviews, social networking, literary platform, book promo, virtual tour,
press release, book blog optimization, online
media kit, book groups, webinar, consulting.
Tandem Literary
(Gretchen Koss, Meghan Walker)
(212) 629-1990
www.tandemliterary.com
[email protected]
[email protected]
Press materials, review & feature coverage,
national & local broadcast media, radio phoner
campaigns, online media, social networking, third
party cross-promotion, author tours & events.
To Press and Beyond (Gail Kearns)
(805) 898-9941
www.topressandbeyond.com
[email protected]
Indie authors and publishers: traditional marketing & promotion; blog tours; social media
campaigns; national press release campaigns; regional media campaigns, radio, TV & print. Brand
development. Consult on all aspects of publishing independently. Specialties include children’s
picture books and adult fiction and nonfiction.
(We work 4-6 months prior to publication date for
best results.)
VM / PR
(Victoria Meyer)
(212) 242-0866
[email protected]
Book publicity for literary fiction, memoir, and
serious nonfiction (history, biography, current
events, social issues).
Whitney Peeling Public Relations*
(917) 400-4346
www.whitneypeeling.com
[email protected]
Tailored publicity campaigns for authors and publishers, nonfiction only with a focus on science,
business, policy, foreign affairs and humanitarian
issues as well as mission-driven businesses and
nonprofits
Wiley Saichek, Marketing & Publicity
Consultant
(646) 896-9960
http://publishersmarketplace.com/members/WileySaichek
[email protected]
Marketing/publicity outreach and consultation
services, specializing in the online promotion of
women’s fiction, mysteries, thrillers, memoirs,
historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, horror,
YA, and children’s books.
Your Expert Nation
(Bridget Marmion)
www.yourexpertnation.com
[email protected]
A full service marketing firm. Clients are publishers, agents, and authors of adult and children's
books. Provides marketing, publicity (strategic
as well as implementation), websites, and social
media support at all levels. Offers Social Media
Coaching, a Premier Author Plan for bestselling
authors trying to finish their next book, and presentations on Food & Branding, Word of Mouth
Marketing, and the Common Core Curriculum,
and Your List.
Brand New Brand You Inc
(Cindy Ratzlaff)
www.cindyratzlaff.com
[email protected]
Digital social media publicity strategies for authors and publishers; branding and building social
online communities.
FSB Associates
(Fauzia Burke)
(908) 204-9340
www.fsbassociates.com
[email protected]
Online book publicity, author branding, ebook
marketing, website development, consulting, and
speaking.
Shelton Interactive
(512) 206-0229
www.sheltoninteractive.com
[email protected]
Specializes in platform building through publicity, social media & digital marketing, web & print
design, and strategic public relations services
to publishers, authors, businesses and a broad
range of experts
page 29
the pitch fall 2013
ASSOCIATION OF AUTHORS’ REPRESENTATIVES, INC.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS – 2013-2014
Gail Hochman
Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents
1501 Broadway, Suite 2310
New York, NY 10036
(212) 840-5760/ Fax (212) 840-5776
[email protected]
President
Jennifer Weltz (’15 end of first term)
Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, Inc.
216 East 75th Street, Suite 1E
New York, NY 10021
212.794.1082
[email protected]
Liaison: Digital Rights Committee
Ginger Clark (’14 end of first term)
Curtis Brown, Ltd.
Ten Astor Place
New York, NY 10003
(212) 473-5400
[email protected]
Liaison: Contracts Committee;
International Committee
Ellen Geiger (’14 end of second term)
Frances Goldin Literary Agency
57 East Eleventh Street, 5B
New York, NY 10003
212-777-0047
[email protected]
Liaison: Website Committee
Cynthia Cannell (’15 end of first term)
Cynthia Cannell Literary Agency
833 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10021
(212) 396-9595
[email protected]
Liaison: Newsletter Committee
Wendy Sherman (’15 end of first term)
Wendy Sherman Associates, Inc.
27 West 24th Street, Suite 700B
New York, NY 10010
(212) 279-9027
[email protected]
Liaison: Membership Committee
Beth Blickers (’14 end of second term)
Abrams Artists Agency
275 Seventh Avenue, 26th Floor
New York, NY 10001
(646) 461-9322/Fax (646) 486-2358
[email protected]
Liaison: Dramatic Committee
Dan Lazar (’14 end of first term)
Writers House, LLC
21 West 26th Street
New York, NY 10010
(212) 685-2400
[email protected]
Jim Rutman (’14 end of second term)
Sterling Lord Literistic
65 Bleecker Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10012
(212) 780-6098
[email protected]
Liaison: Program Committee
Gina Maccoby (’14 end of first term)
Gina Macobby Literary Agency
P.O. Box 60
Chappaqua, NY 10514
914-238-5630
[email protected]
Liaison: Royalties Committee
Zoe Pagnamenta (’15 end of first term)
The Zoe Pagnamenta Agency
20 West 22nd Street, Suite 1603
New York, NY 10010
(212) 253-1074
[email protected] Barbara Hogenson (’13 end of first term)
Barbara Hogenson Agency
165 West End Avenue, Suite 19-C
New York, NY 10023
(212) 874-8084/Fax (212) 362-3011
[email protected]
Marta Praeger (’15 end of first term)
Robert A. Freedman Dramatic Agency, Inc.
1501 Broadway, Suite 2310
New York, NY 10036
(212) 840-5766
[email protected] Jody Klein (Administrative Sec’y)
Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents, Inc.
1501 Broadway, Suite 2310
New York, NY 10036
(212) 840-5770/ Fax (212) 840-5776
[email protected];
[email protected]
Ken Norwick, Esq. (Attorney-Literary)
Norwick, Schad & Goering
110 E. 59th Street, 23rd Floor
New York, NY 10022
(212) 751-4440/ Fax (212) 604-9997
[email protected]
Elliot H. Brown, Esq. (Attorney-Dramatic)
Franklin Weinrib Rudell Vassallo
488 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
(212) 935-5500
[email protected]
Jeff Gerecke (OFF THE BOARD POSITION)
Gina Maccoby Literary Agency
P.O. Box 60
Chappaqua, NY 10514
(718)664-4504
[email protected]
Treasurer