Despite all the changes in publishing, top agent Donald Maass argues that great storytelling continues to make novelists successful. Donald Maass' high energy level suits him well. His Donald Maass Literary Agency represents more than 100 novelists and sells more than 100 books a year to publishing houses such as Warner, Ballantine, Penguin Putnam and Random House, sometimes for as much as six- and seven-figure advances. Adept at juggling a tight schedule, Maass has become a draw at writers conferences across the U.S. and Canada--where he has become known for his smart, witty workshops and panels--and has written a number of books, including Writing the Breakout Novel (2001). Writing courses and some large online discussion groups strive to put his principles to work. Before founding his own firm in 1980 and reaching the upper echelons of New York literary agenting, Maass worked as a junior editor at Dell Publishing and for a literary agency. It was agency work that struck the deeper chord within him. When he struck out on his own , he initially had to supplement his income by writing romance and young-adult novels under various pen names, and later penned some titles in a young-adult series about a famous girl detective (who, contractually, he's not supposed to name). Writing his own fiction was an important education for Maass, who says it taught him a lot about the novelist's craft and how it feels to be and think like an author. He says he also learned what the isolation of creating in a vacuum feels like, why authors are so impatient for feedback, and why they sometimes resist revision. A different type of education has become evident as Maass has watched the changes in publishing over 25 years. As the publishing houses began merging to become large, corporate conglomerates with an increasing reliance on technology, Maass began to feel the effect of an industry practice he says has profoundly hurt writers more than any other change: computerized inventory tracking. The sales history of today's writers has become their fate, he says, with more and more novelists never being allowed to gain a foothold and build an audience. It is this fact that has most often caused publishers to drop authors after their first or second book. Despite this gloomy picture, Maass says, he felt challenged and set out to examine how some novelists managed to get ahead despite a tight-fisted and unfriendly publishing atmosphere. His analysis led to his book Writing the Breakout Novel. Maass has developed a pragmatic philosophy and enterprise around his forte: helping fiction writers become career novelists. Clients like mystery writers Anne Perry, Stuart Kaminsky and Thomas H. Cook, fantasy author David Zindell and science fiction writers Diane Duane, David Feintuch and Todd McCaffrey would all testify to his skills, as they have in creased their income and succeeded under Maass' tutelage, disciplined planning and fondness for negotiation. In a recent e-mail interview, Maass talked about his approach, today's challenging publishing climate, and his conception of the novelist's most vital task. Q: Between doing your office work, teaching workshops, traveling and attending to your clients, do you have a balance of tasks that feels right for you? A: I am a literary agent first and foremost. The writing that I do and the workshops that I teach are really only an adjunct to that primary mission. I feel that there's a message novelists need to hear. Boiled down, it is: Your success is not up to your publisher; it is up to you and the fiction that you write. Q: Why do you only work with fiction authors when nonfiction is published more often and supposedly is easier to sell? A: Nonfiction is easier to sell. Many of my agent colleagues think I am nuts to specialize in fiction. However, fiction is what I love and what I'm best at. I understand story structure and deep character development. Plus, developing a fiction career is rewarding. With nonfiction authors, so often there is only one book. Fiction writers--the true storytellers, anyway--can work well and be successful for decades. It's when we're doing the deal for novels 25 and 26 that success becomes real... and, not incidentally, that we're really making money. Q: What would you say is the state of publishing today? Do writers have any reason to feel encouraged? A: Publishing is more corporate, shortsighted and profit-driven than ever. That is not all publishers' fault, however. Booksellers and book consumers have a lot to do with it, too. It's a tough business and can be discouraging, but I remain optimistic. Why? Because it is stories that make novelists successful. It's not publicity (we're talking fiction now), and it's not advertising. Think about it: The greatest reading-and-signing tour, say 20 cities, will sell directly... what? Four thousand copies, tops? It takes something like 75,000 copies to be at the level of The New York Times bestseller list. Where do the rest of those unit sales come from? Only one thing can explain it: word of mouth. What generates word of mouth? Only one thing: great storytelling. That's the one thing you can't buy and the one thing that publishers, booksellers and critics can't take away from you. I believe publishing will become even more corporate, consolidated and difficult than it is now. But new novelists will be breaking through even so. Q: How much material do you receive in a typical week, and what is the caliber of manuscripts that crosses your desk? A: We receive up to 500 letters, partials and manuscripts a week. Many are competent... just not original, gut grabbing and high intension. That caliber of material is exceedingly rare. Maybe, like, one manuscript of that level of accomplishment every month. When we spot them... boy, do we jump! Q: What is an agent's biggest problem? A: Apart from overhead, payroll, taxes? Finding great authors. I'm not talking about saleable manuscripts. Those are not easy, but they still can be found. I'm talking about true storytellers, those who can go to the well again and again and draw up startling, original, emotional, compelling novels that make you whistle and go, "Wow, I wish I'd thought of that!" Actually, achieving that effect isn't so much a matter of inspiration as it is determined development. The techniques of premise development--the growth of a good idea into a fully elaborated plot with three-dimensional and inwardly conflicted characters--are not something that every publishable-level writer learns. We do a lot of that kind of work with our clients. Q: Can you explain what is meant by an "author's agent" versus an "editor's agent"? A: Some agents are oriented toward giving editors what they want and getting that out of authors. Other agents are oriented toward helping authors tell the stories that they want to tell and finding editors who "get" it. I am the latter type of agent. Sometimes I wish I were the former! (The grass is always greener, eh?) Q: What makes you decide to take on a new manuscript, since you probably have a lot of clients already? A: There are some manuscripts that you simply cannot decline. The stories are too strong, too tense, too compelling, too downright fabulous to ignore. At that point, it doesn't matter how busy you are. You make the time. Q: Some agents claim it is better to be a "new voice" than to be a published author with moderate sales. What does that mean ? Is the market skewed because of publishers' ability to track book sales? A: Yes, exactly. Computerized inventory tracking has made it difficult to move authors out of their "box"; that is to say, above the sales level they've already achieved. That is because the chain stores tend to order new titles according to the way previous titles sold. There are ways out of that trap, of course. Adopting a pseudonym is one, but that only works if the new novels are, in fact, bigger and better. That's not so easy for embittered novelists who've spent years on the midlist and feel embittered. Q: Your book Writing the Breakout Novel and workshops are based on the concept that one can create literary magic by learning breakout techniques. Can you talk a little about that, and does it still apply as much today as it did when your book was published in 2001? A: More so. As I said earlier, great storytelling is the key to success as a novelist. But what, specifically and technically, does "great storytelling" mean? It is things like powerful inner conflict, layered plotting, tension on every page, knowing the proper technique, timing and the power of telling-not-showing (yes, you read that right), antagonist and theme development, and more. Breakout techniques are sophisticated. They are not for beginners. But any novelist who can write smooth prose, structure a scene, shift point of view and has a grasp of what makes a story a story (conflict) can use these techniques to make any story feel bigger, any character more memorable. It's all in my books and workshops. Q: What have you learned by visiting different regions of the country? Do New York publishers have a vision comparable to that of, say, a Seattle or Portland reader? A: New York myopia is a myth. New York editors come from all over the country. A great story will cut through all resistance and nonsense and superstition. When I started in publishing in the late '70s, I actually heard people say, "Blacks don't buy books." Wrong! Q: What tips do you have for how a novelist can map out his or her career? A: Start with one thing--mysteries, say--and build an audience and a steady income. Branch out and grow from there. Another success ingredient: If you can, stick with one publisher all the way. Those are probably the biggest pieces of advice I can give. My message and guiding belief is this: Success as a novelist is not in the hands of publishers; it is in the hands of novelists. Great storytelling is the paramount ingredient. Some fiction writers do not want to hear this message. They would rather believe that success is handed out by publishers, that it's a matter of magic, luck, connections, an agent's clout or something else. My mission is to put power back in the hands of writers. I think that is what makes me different. It is what makes my agency successful.
Andrea Campbell is a resident of Hot Springs Village, Ark., and is at work on her 10th nonfiction book. Among her other writing activities, she is editor of Arkansas Identification News, a newsletter for forensic and law enforcement personnel, and a contributing editor for two writing organizations' newsletters. She also teaches an eight-week course for Mediabistro on writing book proposals. Web: www.andreacampbell.com. Back to submissions page [top] |
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