A nonfiction author has to bring a platform with him - radio, a TV show or some kind of recognizable vehicle to help launch them. And the agent is really necessary to represent all of the business interests of the author.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
No agent/publisher is in a position to create across a spectrum of media and distribution what major publishers can accomplish for authors.
I never actually sought out an agent or a publishing house. A friend of mine named David Simmer got wind of what I was doing, and he sent one of my books to a literary lawyer in Los Angeles. He loved it, and he sent it to other people, including an agent, and he picked me up, and that's how 'Bird Box' got to where it is now.
Publishers, editors, agents all have one thing in common, aside from their love of cocktail parties. It's an incredible taste and an ability to find and nurture authors.
With the marketing pressures driving the book world today, it's much easier to get the author of a memoir on a television show than a serious novelist.
A publisher should always be on the receiving end. He should take an interest in almost any subject and remain anonymous, letting the author take center stage.
Writing nonfiction of various kinds has been instructive and entertaining as well as paying the rent.
I have no problem selling ebooks for authors directly as an agent, but partnering with them is another matter.
TV is where a writer can write his novel.
Try to meet as many authors, agents, and editors as you can.
Agents and publishers only want one thing - good writing.