Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Interview With Literary Agent & Author Jeffrey Herman



1. Jeff, your latest edition of a book you began publishing in 1990 is out. What led you to create a book that features your competition -- other literary agents? The only way to make the book useful for writers and industry insiders was to give my competition equal time. And agents are my best promoters.

2. Who needs it and why?  The primary market is any writer who wants to be traditionally
published because here they get the "who", the "how" and the "why". 

3. How has book publishing and agenting changed over the past 26 years? Traditional
publishers are less interesting than in the recent past because they because most of them have been bought and consolidated into huge corporations. Independent publishing has become a much smaller piece of the pie.  Less capital goes towards mid-list books, which has caused many agents to close or merge. 

4. Which genres do you see growth in?  Anything that can be easily self-published, such as
romance, women's fiction, and occult fiction categories.  

5. What trends do you see in self-publishing? Like above, it's best for mass-market fiction content, because the Internet provides a lot of ways to generate fan interest for these kinds of works.   

6. What do you really love about writing and working with authors? Ideas and expressing thoughts are fascinating. 

7. What advice do you have for struggling writers? Don't struggle. Enjoy the process.  

8. What can be done to improve literacy in this country? Parents need to read with their children. It starts in the home. Even a poor school can be compensated for if children are encouraged to read and think at home. 

9. Is the First Amendment going to be under siege with a Trump presidency? It's always under siege. The Patriot Act is what people need to worry about. Trump is weak, but fear is powerful. 

10. If authors don't actively promote and market themselves, what chance do they have at being successful writers? Relevant communities need to be discussing the book. Marketing doesn't work if it fails to light self-sustaining fires within key communities. Someone has to start those fires and then feed them. Period. 

11. Do you want to blow the Internet up-- or do you find it enhances and grows the book industry? The Internet has liberated humanity to be more brainwashed and enlightened. It cuts both ways depending upon the user's characteristics. It's much easier to reach and accumulate organized communities. It has sped up the pace of life and leaves less time for contemplation. It doesn't favor patience; it rewards impulse. It discloses bull-shit and cements deceptions into realities. 

Please Click On The Best Out Of 2,100 Posts
11 best author, literary agent, media interviews of the year – with an opportunity for you to be interviewed

2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit

2015 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

2014 Book Marketing & PR Toolkit

Book Marketing & Book PR Toolkit: 2013

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2016 ©.
Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby 


No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.