Literary Scout

What's your personal record for most manuscripts read in a day?

Asked by Ruxpin over 12 years ago

Probably two is the max. Keep in mind manuscripts may be between 250-800+ pages. I'm a pretty quick reader and could maybe somehow manage three, but you also want to be paying enough attention to what you're reading that you can write a 3 page report on it and discuss it in detail.

Are you evaluated on anything other than the commercial success of the books you get published?

Asked by Hutch over 12 years ago

I would say that a successful scout needs good taste, an understanding of what makes a manuscript commercially viable, a nose for tracking down sources for the next big thing, and the ability to form strong, long-lasting bonds with clients. When clients are in town it's the scouts who typically arrange their schedules, go to some meetings with them, and meet with them frequently throughout the day. During books fairs we spend days with each other, going out for drinks, dinners, more drinks, etc. That friendship is what keeps clients with scouts for years and may cause them to follow a scout who leaves an agency.

I'm currently a freelance reader. What would be my next step toward becoming a scout? Thanks!

Asked by Nicole over 12 years ago

There are very, very few scouting agencies, so positions are hard to come by. Try talking to any agents you know and looking on Publisher's Marketplace and Media Bistro.

Can a novelist achieve success through self-publishing, or is a traditional publisher required to really make things happen?

Asked by Mark over 12 years ago

There is the very rare story of a breakout self-publishing hit like The Shack, but it’s atypical. There are so many self-published books out there that it is almost pointless to spend time trying to weed out the good from the bad. This is why we really only work with agents and publishers. For example, scouts started reading The Shack only after it had been acquired by a large publishing house.

If you were designing a high school curriculum and could hand-pick the the books students would read, name 5 that would make your list.

Asked by Kyle over 12 years ago

Is there a particular theme? If we are just talking in terms of great books that provide high schoolers a range of genres and concepts and are extremely readable, I'd go with the below. 1984 - Cinematic and an engulfing read that demonstrates the dangers of fascist governments. Also a good jumping off ground to discuss our society's willingness to destroy our own privacy with Facebook and such. Rebecca -A beautiful gothic novel that is well-written and creepy. It shows "literature" doesn't have to be intimidating. Go Tell It on the Mountain - Good jumping off point to discuss race, social class, and generational confusions between parents and kids. Death Of a Moth - Collection of short, very readable essays that provide a good example for a personal essay writing lesson. My Name is Asher Lev - Exposure to a world most kids are totally unfamiliar with and a good opportunity to discuss kids being torn between getting their parents' approval and finding their own identity.

Who do literary scouts work for? (e.g. publishers, talent agencies, film companies?)

Asked by Mari55a over 12 years ago

Scouts work for foreign publishing houses, but can also work for film companies to assist them in deciding what books might do well as movies.

What recent best-sellers do you think are TOTALLY overrated??

Asked by Tried and Trudy over 12 years ago

I have to say that I really, really disliked Sarah's Key. The Tiger's Wife was pretty good, but didn't blow me away. A Visit from the Goon Squad was terrific, but the last few chapters really disappointed.

Was there ever a book you were REALLY pushing for with your publisher, but the publisher passed on it, and then it went on to become a huge success? (What book was it?)

Asked by Tonja over 12 years ago

The one book that comes immediately to mind is The Shack. It's a super Christian book that sold tons and tons of copies. Few clients bought it because the subject matter didn't appeal to them.

What's the best way to get my manuscript to stand out among the rest?

Asked by Celia over 12 years ago

It’s really the agent or editor’s job to provide a strong synopsis to a scout and convince us that of the huge pile of manuscripts to get through, theirs is a priority. A manuscript definitely does not need to start off with a punch to the gut if the writing is good. If the writing is bad, then it just needs to have a commercial enough synopsis that we know it will probably do well. For example, after The Da Vinci Code there were a ton of similar thrillers being read, after Kite Runner everyone was reading heart-wrenching novels about that region, and after Twilight it was a scout’s job to look for the next great vampire/werewolf book. Whether the writing is good or not, there has to be some commercial element to it. If no one is going to read it, then our clients are not going to acquire it. Because we work with an international audience, we also need to know what different regions love or hate, plus the individual tastes of the editors we work for. For example, Germans do not want outsiders writing about the Holocaust, the French are sick to death of the French Revolution and Napoleon, and Italians do not think anyone can write about their country as well as they can.

I'm a writing major and have decided that being a literary scout is the perfect job for me. But do you think it would be smarter to minor in english/literature or marketing?

Asked by Semilia almost 12 years ago

I’d say literature. I don’t know of any scout with degrees in marketing. It’s a field made up of book lovers who love to shmooze and are curious to learn about other cultures. Remember, the most important thing is internships. Even if you can’t intern with a scout, try to get some experience working with a literary agent or publishing house.

Do you have to run checks for plagarism on manuscripts you review?

Asked by SaltairLA over 12 years ago

Nope. That's the responsibility of the American publishers working directly with the authors.

Why is teen fiction - hunger games, twilight, harry potter - so popular all of a sudden?

Asked by mrx over 12 years ago

Publishing houses tend to pay giant advances for the next "it" adult fiction novel these days. As a result they are very careful about what they purchase. Things tend to be safe and follow pretty specific formulas. There's more room for creativity in Young Adult writing and so that's one possible reason there's such an influx of attention to these series. The other possibility is that American adults aren't super smart and are overwhelmed by real literature. I don't mean there's anything wrong with reading YA stuff as part of a mix of books. The issue is when the books that make millions of dollars are primarily YA rather than adult novels.

You've got a freaking dream job -- how do I get this gig???

Asked by TheBookWerm over 12 years ago

Like any job in publishing, step one is an unpaid internship. Publishing is a competitive field (despite the low pay) and the only real way in is to offer your services for free until you find someone willing to pay for them. Many people find themselves taking on a string of unpaid and then eventually paid internships before being able to land a full-time job. The best thing to do is start as early as possible during college. Although you may be able to intern at a university press, really to have a career you must live in New York or California, but New York is really preferable. This is a networking heavy industry, even though it’s populated by bookworms. If you love books, but aren’t up for schmoozing, it’s not the right industry for you.

Where do scouts look for new material?

Asked by rossina over 12 years ago

We get all of our manuscripts from agents and publishers. Scouts do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Unless it’s definitely being printed in the US, it is not part of our scope.

To what extent have blogs become a sourcing ground for literary scouts?

Asked by Skeener over 12 years ago

They have certainly become a sourcing ground for agents, but as scouts receive manuscripts only after they are already out on submission to US publishers or after they have been accepted for publication, we’re mostly interested in how big of a following the blog has. If a book has a built-in audience that’s certainly something our clients should know.

Do scouts look only at book manuscripts, or does your coverage extend to other stuff like journalism, blogs, editorials, etc?

Asked by MadMax over 12 years ago

Scouts are only reading book manuscripts, but if there is a really notable piece of media that is preceding a likely book (like Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture video or the Dragon Mother’s media buzz), that’s certainly important to be aware of as well. Scouts need to be plugged into what topics are hot and what people are hungry for more of.

What college majors are best for getting a job as a literary scout?

Asked by adm almost 12 years ago

Studying literature and writing would be the most helpful. In particular, classes that focus on elements of novels such as constructing plot, developing characters, etc, would be useful for pinpointing the strengths and weaknesses of a manuscript. Your own personal reading experience is the most valuable education, though. Read a range of new and old highly regarded fiction and nonfiction books to familiarize yourself with what is so special about them. It is kind of like learning a language where after a point you can just feel when something is right even before you can use the academic knowledge to point to what exactly that is. Plus when you interview for those invaluable internships, it would be very helpful to be able to actually name books that you admire and show your familiarity with the literary world. Plan to start interning as soon as you can, even freshman or sophomore year if possible. The experience of learning from professionals and making contacts is the most important first step.

I'm an English major in college and I'm very interested in going into publishing. I recently learned about literary scouting and I was just hoping I could learn a little more about it, see if it's something I'd like to pursue

Asked by Hazel over 11 years ago

Do you have a specific question?

What's the difference between a literary scout and a literary agent?

Asked by The Poe Poe almost 12 years ago

Literary agents have writers for clients and represent their work to publishing houses and film companies. Sometimes they will also work out the deals for their work to be sold to foreign publishing houses. That last part depends on whether the US publishing house that acquired the manuscript also acquired the foreign rights. If they did, then the publishing house works out who to sell it to and for how much, etc. Literary scouts have foreign publishing houses for clients and are concerned with finding the right books for them. Agents and scouts will meet regularly and the agent will talk to the scout about the books they're representing. If the agent is familiar with the editors at the scout's houses, he or she will be able to make tailored recommendations. The scout will typically read the recommended manuscript or any others that seem promising and report back to their client. If the client is interested, they typically will then deal directly with the agent to work out the deal. The scout is basically a consultant that keeps a pulse on what is being published in America and reads like fifty manuscripts so that client only has to read the one or two that would potentially be right for them.

Are aspiring writers better off writing full manuscripts for submission, or creating shorter pieces online to get noticed?

Asked by StarvinMarvyn over 12 years ago

That’s probably something a literary agent could answer better for you. My understanding is that you certainly should succinctly include information about other writing in your cover letter to an agent, but the process is to write a strong submission letter about your novel and enclose the first ten pages of the manuscript. Agents (or really the unpaid interns reading through the unsolicited submissions) will ask for more if they’re interested. The best thing of course is if you know someone in the industry. You’d be shocked if you saw the number of manuscripts agencies receive every day. The goal is to look at everything through fresh eyes, but we’re only human.

What kind of perks do you get?

Is there travel involved in your work?

How do you find out what is foreign publishers should acquire?

Asked by Lillian over 11 years ago

Perks include free galleys, business lunches and dinners, publishing parties, and yes, trips to bookfairs and occassionally to visit clients in their home countries.

You spend time getting to know specific editors tastes and what topics do or don't work in specific cultures.

Follow up to work/life question: Would you say that it's possible for an unpublished writer to work as a literary scout and still have enough time to work on their book/writing? Or is scouting an, if enjoyable, all consuming career?

Asked by Joy UK almost 11 years ago

Last: OK, you confirmed that literary scouts aren't extremely well compensated- BUT given that most scouts apparently need to live in NY, when you say not paid well, are we talking NY standard "not paid well"? As in actually kiiinda OK? Numbers?

Asked by Joy UK almost 11 years ago

Sych. Ok the real last ?: I've read here & there that America's reign as the book-export king may be coming to an end/winding down. What do you think? Might this mean that scouts can be more intlly based in the future? Say, in 5 years in London?

Asked by Joy UK almost 11 years ago

What other job would you do if you couldn't be a Scout anymore?

Asked by Lenora about 6 years ago

What should i major in to get into the publishing business? Preferably as a YA Publisher.

Asked by starjoy14 over 11 years ago

Are there any classes you recommend taking in university (undergrad or graduate) to become a literary scout?

Asked by Josie almost 11 years ago

What about multiple submissions for a 5-page sample writing. Do I sit and wait, one at a time, while the synopsis of my novel sits in a pile somewhere? Or, send to several agents?

Asked by Placerite over 11 years ago

It seems that there is a much bigger market for genre fiction than literary fiction. Do you think this is true, and if so what is the reason for it?

Asked by Matt over 11 years ago

What education (college) do i need to become a literary scout? and what can i be doing in high school to prepare me for this career?

Asked by CJ over 10 years ago

What is the work/life balance like? Have you or other scouts found that working as a literary scout tends to take an exorbitant amount of time away from family or your personal life? Even/esp. when starting out?

Asked by Joy UK almost 11 years ago