During my time at Q, I've had lengthy conversations with acquisitions editors from Baker and Zonderzan. They were here trolling for new talent, making new connections. As a senior editor, I had a slightly different mindset. My acquisitions radar is almost nearly on, but with me there wouldn't be a direct route to real talks about book opportunities. I'd have to connect potential authors with the right people. Perhaps it was that we weren't actively competing for the limited authors here, but both the editors I met opened their "playbooks," so to speak, on how they generate good leads and relationships with new and established talent.
Like so many others I've encountered in publishing, both of them boiled down their style to an intuition-driven, relationship-reading gut check. But they also had practical tactics. For instance, Chad Allen from Baker will email presenters and attenders of conferences from out of the blue two weeks before the event and invite them to meet. His invitation is basic, brief, friendly, and upfront. He said that it's typical that 60 percent of his emails aren't returned, but that the others turn into good conversations, seeds planted.
To put it plainly, acquiring is about perceiving potential and passion, estimating the impact of a certain message or person, and being yourself in order to make a natural connection. Chad insightfully said, authors or potential authors are still just people, and most anyone is flattered when you express genuine interest in their work and genuine desire to create an authentic, meaningful partnership.
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2 comments:
Great post.
Another tactic Chad Allen told me about, which came from Greg Daniels, is checking Publishers Lunch to see what agents are making deals in the genre you want to make connections in. It's a quick and easy way to get in touch with the right people. The lead in, "I've seen your name a lot on Pub Lunch recently with books that really caught my attention. Let's meet!"
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