A Chat With Chip MacGregor
I’m honored to interview literary agent, Chip MacGregor. Chip is widely known and respected in the book industry and has recently been honored by Publishers Marketplace, naming him one of the top agents in America among more than two-thousand literary agents. Welcome, Chip.
What made you want to become a literary agent?
I was making my living as a collaborative writer, and realized I needed to know more about the business – contracts and negotiations and that sort of thing. So I started educating myself, and pretty soon I was speaking at conferences about topics like publishing contracts and market trends. After a while other authors were asking me to help them – would I look at their contract, would I introduce them to an editor, etc. While I was working as a senior editor at Harvest House, Alive Communications came and asked if I’d join them as an agent. I was thrilled – I have a heart for mentoring, and working with books and words was exactly what I wanted to do. It’s a great fit for my skill set, and my heart is really into helping authors succeed. After years as an agent at Alive, I left to go be a publisher with Time-Warner, but it was never really a fit. After a couple years there, I was happy to go back to agenting.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
Working with an author long-term. Frankly, there’s nothing more fun. I get to be friends with an author, we talk about his or her book ideas, and we start mapping out plans – not just plans for the next book, but plans for a career as an author. Since most authors are very creative people, it’s both interesting and energizing. Let’s take an author I represent – Ginger Garrett or Kimberly Stuart or Claudia Mair Burney. In each case I’ve been able to meet with each of them, become friends, talk about their writing, bounce ideas around, focus on the future, make plans for which books they’ll write when… it’s enjoyable, fulfilling, and very fun.
What advice do you have for authors who’d like to help launch their first novel so successfully that it would entice that same publisher to offer another contract?
Most first-time authors live with the illusion that they just write the novel, and the publisher markets and sells the novel. That’s not the case. So I’d advise authors who are being published for the first time to take charge of their marketing. Express appreciation for anything your publisher does, but assume it’s all on your shoulders. Invest yourself fully in getting word out on your book, and start three months before your book releases. Create a plan, invest your time and money, and work tirelessly. Talk with retailers. Figure out where your readers are and go to them. Network with other writers so you can work with them to promote books. Research how you can use the internet to help promote your book (a powerful-but-underused tool to this point). If we were talking about a writer who isn’t published yet, I’d be focused on craft, but since you asked specifically about what a writer who is about to be published should be doing, my answer is easy: MARKETING.
What is your take on branding?
I keep hearing people in publishing talk about branding without defining their terms. Consequently, much of the advice I hear about branding isn’t relevant. I don’t think an unpublished author can adequately conceive of a brand, and trying to do so prematurely is often an exercise in futility. So here’s my take: A brand is the impression people have of you and your product or service, and it’s built over time by making repeated impressions. It identifies you, develops trust, and fosters a relationship with your customer (in this case, a reader). That, in turn, makes selling your books easier. But it takes time, a focus on the same message/theme/genre, and a series of positive impressions to create a brand. In many ways, your brand is established by others – as you write books that clarify your voice and message, then notice what people respond positively to, your brand emerges. And you strengthen your brand by reinforcing it with more books that do the same. So if you’re a first-time romance novelist, you don’t establish a brand simply by getting new business cards with the words "The Queen of Romance" printed on them. Most editors and readers will look at that and laugh. Branding isn’t a miracle word that’s established with a tagline or logo – it’s an identity you establish over time that reveals who you are and why you’re unique.
It’s easy for new writers to feel overwhelmed with all the advice out there. What are your top ten tips for writers who are just starting out?
-Pick a time and place to write, and write every day. Every day. Sit your butt in a chair and write.
-Set a goal of 1000 words a day.
-In addition, say one nice thing to somebody in publishing every day. (This is stolen from Carolyn See’s book Making a Literary Life. Imagine the great relationships you’d have in publishing if, every day, you sent a charming note to an author of a book you liked, an editor you appreciated hearing from, a speaker you learned from at a conference, a friend who needed an encouraging word.)
-Learn to get your words down on paper, then revise. (In other words, don’t try and write and edit at the same time.)
-Give yourself lots of short assignments. Take that big project and break it into bite-sized chunks.
-Recognize the importance of crummy first drafts. Don’t worry about getting it all perfect; just create a crummy first draft so you’ve got something to work with.
-Focus on building yourself as a great writer. (Everybody will try to get you to focus on marketing. There are plenty of great marketers out there. There are few great writers. Become a great writer and you’ll stand out.)
-Get your life organized. You need a writing calendar, a to-do list, an up-to-date address book, and a working filing system.
-Invest in relationships. That means join a critique group. Get involved in an online writing group. Participate in a book group. Attend conferences. Meet writers and editors. Publishing, like all businesses, is a people business.
-Keep in mind that there’s value in WRITING, not just in PUBLISHING. If you don’t love books and words, if you’re doing this to make yourself feel special, or if you are sure you’re going to become the next John Grisham, try something else – buy a lottery ticket. There is value in writing – I understand myself and my world better when I write. I understand God better when I write.
I would love to hear about any current trends in the market.
Christian fiction is one of the growth categories in the market. There are new fiction subcategories (when it used to just be "religious fiction"). There’s a new realism trend in CBA fiction. There’s much more fiction marketing than there used to be. Another trend is the huge increase in the number of agents. The distribution patterns of books have changed significantly – the trend is away from the independent store and toward the big box and super chain stores. Last year internet sales topped sales at local independent stores, so that’s certainly a trend. There’s a trend toward "platform" for everybody – even novelists. And there’s a huge trend toward charismatic authors (as well as a smaller trend toward emergent church writers). One last trend: away from CBA, toward ABA – all the CBA publishers now focus their energies on the general market more than the Christian bookstore, and all of the major general market publishing houses have Christian imprints.
What are some of your favorite books and why?
Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm – a perfectly told story that taught me all sorts of things. Barbara Tuchman’s A Distant Mirror, perhaps the best history book I’ve ever read. Penelope Wilcock’s The Hawk and the Dove, which is certainly one of the most profound novel series ever done in CBA. I loved Peace Like a River – great story, great use of language, great mystery. Also really enjoyed The Time-Traveler’s Wife, which I found to be one of the most unique novels I’ve ever read. Lisa Samson’s Tiger Lily for its great characters. Tom Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow, for the biggest story ever told. Mark Helprin’s Soldier in the Great War, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island for their stories and writing. And for pure entertainment, anything from Ross Thomas or P.G. Wodehouse.
Describe your dream client?
A bestselling author who is a friend, low maintenance, and appreciative toward others.
Is there a question you’ve always wanted to be asked?
Yes. I’ve always wanted to be asked, "How’d you get to be so tall?" Alas. For the record, I’d also like to be asked, "Did you know you look just like Brad Pitt?" and "Have you noticed People Magazine just named you one of America’s sexiest men?" and "Would you like me to give you money?"