Don’t Be Above Plot: From 100+ Agent Rejections to a Big Five Book Deal with Emily J. Smith

okay so you have friends that are writers too and i'm curious your thoughts on so you like this is a big five book and how you think about the experience like in terms of like having a good editor that you did not have to pay for at this stage and like the contract like Did you feel good about how that was negotiated with them? Were you able to reserve any rights? Anything you want to speak in that territory?

Just to be clear, I also did pay for a developmental editor.

Previously, right?

Previously.

I find they're so helpful if you can afford it.

Like so helpful.

I wish I got a bigger advance.

I think my advance was like more than average for literary fiction, but that's not saying much.

It was still, you know, it was a five figure advance and I spent so much time.

And it's just, I think the reality for so many writers that like, this is not like book sales, book contracts, they're never going to, pay your bills.

That's not going to be the thing.

Maybe it was Lee Stein who said on her Substack, think of it as a bonus, not your salary, which I think makes sense.

We reserved foreign brights, but we haven't been able to sell any.

The market's been really tight.

At least that's what I've been told.

And my agent, I love her.

She's great.

I would always recommend her.

She was new as an agent.

And so... like I have some friends who have really big hitter agents and the process, like the, the buzz they're able to build up for a project.

You see the difference in, in the deal, like that matters.

And not always like, I'm sure my agent, even though she's newer has landed some big deals.

Like I don't actually know, but I'm sure she's very talented.

She has, but like, I've just seen firsthand like a major agent can like make things happen.

Do you feel like it was a night and day experience relative to like what it would have been like as at a small press or like for this type of book? Can you see another viable, you know, the publishing landscape has changed so much over the last however many years.