Dyanne: This month I’m pleased to have in my author’s spotlight, Allison Brennan, New York
Times and USA Today bestseller. Just a look at Allison’s bio and you’ll see her schedule is pretty full. Still she made
time to grant this interview.
A lot of authors and aspiring have problems approaching agents and even those with agents are unsure how the
relationship should work. Granted, Allison is one person and her answers are her opinion, but I found her information on
the author/agent relationship to be such that I do believe writers at all stages will benefit from this interview.
New York Times and USA Today bestseller Allison Brennan is the author of fourteen novels and four short stories.
A former consultant in the California State Legislature, she lives in Northern California with her husband Dan and their
five children.
An only child, Allison entertained herself on rainy days by both reading and making up her own stories. Thinking she
had to have a "real" job after dropping out of college, Allison worked in the California State Legislature as a
consultant, married Dan Brennan in 1993, and they subsequently had five children and made their home outside
Sacramento.
But Allison never stopped writing. In fact, she began over 100 books that she never finished. After turning 30, then giving birth to her third child, Allison decided to actively pursue a career in writing. Committing herself to write a book
from beginning to end, she wrote five complete novels before selling The Prey in 2004. Two years later it was released
and nudged the New York Times list at #33. The first four manuscripts have been destroyed and will never see the light
of day.
With her first book Allison's publisher asked if she could write two books connected in some way to The Prey. Since
that book was already written and in production, plot options were limited. During the copyediting stage, she tweaked
the backstory of her heroine so that she had two friends from the FBI Academy, and they became the heroines of The
Hunt and The Kill. Her "Predator Trilogy" was the first of four loosely connected romantic thriller trilogies.
Each story is a complete work with a separate hero, heroine, and villain with some recurring characters that can be read
individually or in order.
Crime fiction, mysteries, and romantic suspense have always been Allison's favorites, so it's no surprise that her romantic thrillers have a dark suspense edge. Reviewers have called her books "terrifying,"
"mesmerizing," "fast-paced," "pulse-pounding," "wonderfully complex,"
"layered," and "a master of suspense - tops in the genre."
Allison's research shelf is filled with numerous true crime and research books, such as 65 Ways to Kill Your Victim in Print, Practical Homicide Investigation, Book of Poisons, and Tales from the Morgue. Her favorite research trips
included a tour of the Sacramento County Morgue - complete with autopsy - and her eight week FBI Citizens Academy
course, where she competed at the gun range and won a much coveted award by the SWAT commander: the "My
Characters Shoot Better!" award. All of this has been supplemented by trips to Quantico, interviews with law
enforcement officials nationwide, and conversations with experts of all kinds in fields of forensics and technology.
Crime fiction is not Allison's only interest. Growing up, she immersed herself into the more supernatural worlds of
Stephen King, Dean Koontz and John Saul, reading horrific suspense, unable to put the page-turning - and rather
terrifying--books aside. Before she even sold her first book, she came up with a series based on the Seven Deadly Sins
- as demons released from Hell by an evil occult seeking the key to eternal mortality. After the initial success with her
Predator Trilogy, Allison put the Seven Deadly Sins idea aside to pursue the crime and suspense genre exclusively.
Nearly seven years after the original idea for a supernatural saga however, she finally launched her Seven Deadly Sins
series in early 2010 with Original Sin. Now, her crime research books share wall space with quite different research
material, from The Black Arts to An Exorcist Tells His Story; Lilith's Cave to The Encyclopedia of Hell.
The first two supernatural thrillers in her Seven Deadly Sins series--Original Sin and Carnal Sin--are available now. They are contemporary and
grounded in the world as it is today, with the exception that the Seven Deadly Sins are incarnate demons who, when
they touch someone, that individual loses his conscience and acts on his personal worst sin - to deadly results.
Forensics and police investigations also plays an important part in the series so while the series is definitely
paranormal, it's grounded in criminal procedure.
Allison continues to write her trademark romantic thrillers. In early 2011, she'll launch a series starring Lucy Kincaid, a favorite character from her No Evil trilogy. The stories will tackle complex and current issues in law enforcement through the eyes of Lucy, an FBI recruit; her brother Patrick, a computer genius who's recovering from a two year coma; and Sean Rogan, a private security expert. expected release dates, LOVE ME DEATH 12/28/2010 and KISS ME, KILL ME 2/22/2011.
Writing three books a year is more than a full-time job, and so is raising five kids, but Allison believes life is too
short to be bored. When she's not writing, she's reading, playing video games, watching old movies or new television
shows, driving to or attending volleyball / basketball / football / soccer games, and on occasion even makes it to the
gym where she enjoys people-watching more than the exercise.
Welcome, Allison.
The thing that appear to be on most authors and aspiring authors mind when looking for an agent is, when and for
how much will this agent sell my manuscript? Do you believe that to be the primary function of an agent?
Allison: The sale is only a small portion of what an agent does or should do for their clients. I’ll list
a few points.
- Negotiations. Even after the sale, an agent can (and should)
negotiate better terms across the board. Publishing contracts are very
complex and they ALWAYS benefit the publisher. Negotiations should level
that playing field. Rights (audio, e-rights, film, foreign, book club,
etc.), payouts (how the money for the book(s) is distributed to you and
at what points of the contract--on signing, proposal, delivery,
publication, etc.), option clauses, deadlines, etc. I couldn't even
begin to tell you all the points, and I'm fairly contract savvy. But
some of the changes I've seen in my contracts I would never have known
to ask for--changing words here and there, changing percentages, all
have a huge affect on not only this contract, but future contracts with
that publisher.
- Advocate. Your agent is your advocate at all points of the publishing
process. Many authors don't even know what to ask their publisher for or
when--i.e. when they have a marketing plan, print run, orders, sell-in,
sell-sheets, etc.) They can help smooth the way when you get a bad
cover, when your cover copy is wrong--but your editor says it's too late
to change (it rarely is), helping you get author quotes for your book,
working through problems.
- Career-planning. A good agent should help you build your career and
get you to where you want to go. You should be able to trust them on
what you're doing that's right, and what you're doing that's wrong.
Should you really write that science fiction soap opera or the
historical mystery when your contemporary werewolf stories are doing so
well? Should you write under a pen name? Should you take more money, or
less money with a house that has a better strategy to publish you?
I can't possibly go through all the reasons why you should have an
agent. Selling the book is the EASY part.
Dyanne: Knowing that all situations and all author/agent relationships will differ have you in
your experience noticed any telling signs of when an author should start making a change?
Allison: A lot of the signs are dependent on individual careers. What one author should look for
might be different than another. Stagnant (flat) or falling careers CAN be a sign, but that means talking with your agent
and regrouping and seeing if maybe there is something you both can do to change the path. An indifferent agent, or an
agent who isn't engaged in finding solutions (whether it's with your current publisher or looking for another house;
whether it's marketing or genre or what) is an agent who isn't focused on your career and that may be a signal to
walk.
Lack of communication is another sign. For me, this is a biggie--I need my agent to be accessible and respond in a
timely manner. "Timely" is not "instant"--and it depends on the situation. If it's urgent, I expect a
quick response. If it's not urgent, a couple days is fine. If they're researching something for me, I don't push. Follow-up is
important, because agents are busy and sometimes things slip through the cracks. That's okay. But if this is
consistent--if everything seems to be "slipping through the cracks" it's time to consider if you're on your
agents radar.
How fast they read and what type of editorial they're providing is another potential stumbling block. Authors shouldn't
expect overnight reads (though that can happen), but if an agent has your new manuscript and you are a client, two
weeks is more than enough time unless the agent tells you they're behind or have other projects and it'll take, say, four
weeks. This is where communication comes in. ASK. If you're scared to ask your agent when to expect them to read,
you're not being a professional author. NO author should be scared of their agent. Period. Ask, get an answer, then
follow-up if your agent doesn't meet their commitment. If the inability to do what they promise is a repeated occurrence,
then you need a sit down with the agent.
It goes without saying that anything fiduciary is an immediate red-flag. Royalties/advances should be made on-time,
accounting should be open, you should know of all offers and have the opportunity to accept or reject (with the agent's
input, of course. You should trust your agent to give you good advice.)
Dyanne: Allison, as you know most authors are a little afraid that if they sever ties with
their agent they may never find another. Any helpful tips on how to sever the relationship with a really nice( as a person)
agent but one who isn't do much to help you advance your career?
Allison: You'll get different answers depending on who you talk to. There is no one RIGHT way,
but there are definite wrong ways. The most important thing is to be professional and don't burn bridges.
* Send a certified letter. Make it short and to the point. Reference your agency agreement, if you have one, and
thank them. Don't put in all the reasons why, you don't have to apologize, keep it short and sweet and above all
professional. If you have a complex career (i.e. a lot of rights that have been exploited, contracts in the works, etc) ask
for a list of all pending projects. If you have a new agent, you can ask that they send the information to both you and your
new agent.
* Calling. Some authors say don't call because it can be an emotional time for you and/or the agent and one or both
of you may say things you'll regret. But follow-up with the certified letter.
* Email. Email is okay, again short and professional, but follow-up with a certified letter.
You may want to consult a literary attorney on how to handle some of the complex issues of termination and protect
your rights. Your new agent will also likely contact your old agent, another reason to not burn bridges.
Some people have said that the author-agent relationship is like marriage without sex. The books you’ve worked on
together are your children, because you will be bound together for years through those books (your agent will generally
continue to be paid 15% on all contracts she’s negotiated.)
One more point: some authors will tell you to find another agent before you sever ties; other authors will tell you to
sever ties first. This is a personal issue and one you’ll have to decide on your own.
Dyanne: Are there certain things that an agent should do for their client, send out more
than one ms at a time if the author has them available, keep the author abreast of what the markets are calling
for?
Allison: Again, this is really dependent on each individual career and the goals of the writer
which should be developed with the agent and writer together as a team. But communication is essential, so if the
author is expecting the agent to go out with more than one manuscript, the author must discuss these expectations with
their agent and know and agree to whatever strategy they create. As far as markets, I never believe in writing to the
market. I believe in writing what you love in a marketable way.
Dyanne: There are lots of things that authors don’t understand about the publishing
industry. Some believe it’s their agents duty to keep them in the know. Considering that agents get 15% should they be
able to explain royalty statements or should the author look for an intellectual properties attorney.
Allison: Every author needs to learn how to read a royalty statement. You don’t need an attorney
for this. If you have questions, call your publishers accounting department. There are as many different royalty
statements as there are publishers, some better than others. If you don’t understand it, and your agent doesn’t
understand it, then your agent should get the answers for you from your editor or the publisher. You shouldn’t have to pay
extra for that.
Dyanne: How necessary to you think agents are to an author's career?
Allison: If you are writing commercial fiction and want to be published by a print house, I believe
that agents are essential and necessary. There are so many more things an agent does than negotiate the deal. They
exploit rights you’ve retained, and work with the publisher to make sure they exploit rights they’ve retained. They should
know the publication process and be instrumental in managing the publication of each of your books. For example, they
should know what to ask for and when, be able to work with your editor to get information about co-op, marketing,
reviews, arcs, print runs, cover art, etc. If you have a problem with a cover, you’ll want your agent to play the bad guy. If
you’re not getting paid in a timely manner, you’ll want your agent to go to bat for you. If you’re having a conflict with your
editor, you want your agent to mediate. Your agent is your business partner---or, rather, your business manager
because you’ve hired them and they get a commission on what they sell for you.
I would not venture into this business without an agent. They should protect you and help build your career.
Dyanne: Allison, this question kind of goes with an earlier about ways for authors to sever
the author/agent relationship. Why do you think authors have such a fear of terminating their relationships with
agents?
Allison: Because they don’t know if they’ll be able to get another agent. Because the grass is not
always greener. Because they don’t know if they’re cutting ties for the right reasons. Because they’re scared.
Dyanne: Any words of encouragement to the authors out there who are in the middle of starting
over, doing their own submissions, looking for another agent?
Allison: I have talked to a lot of authors who have severed ties with their agent. It is never easy. It
comes after a lot of inner turmoil and angst. Finding a new agent is never easy, even if you’re a major NYT bestselling
author. You’ll always wonder if you’ve made the right decision, both to terminate and in selecting a new agent. But in
your gut you’ll know if you did the right thing. Trust your instincts. This is your career and you need to take responsibility
for it. Every publisher and every agent has many other authors they work with. You are one of many to them. Yes, you are
important, and yes, they want to succeed with you. But ultimately, you are one of many and thus are the most important
person in the author-publisher-agent team.
Seeking advice from people you trust is important, but can never replace your instincts. Listen, but make your own
decision based on your needs and your career goals, then stand by it. Admit when you make a mistake and move on.
Do not cast blame because blame is rarely in order. If there is a disconnect or failure, it’s rarely one person’s fault. So
don’t focus on the past, focus on the present and the future and keep writing, because we are not writers if we don’t
write.
Dyanne: Allison, thank you for all of the candid information. I’m sure anyone reading this will be
helped by your answers.
With all of the agent stuff out of the way, what are your plans for the foreseeable future?
Allison: I’m launching a new series with fan favorite Lucy Kincaid in the starring role. LOVE ME
TO DEATH comes out in January 2011 and KISS ME, KILL ME comes out in March 2011. The third book in Lucy’s
series is tentatively scheduled for fall 2011.
Dyanne: Where can your fans reach you?
Allison: On my website, www.allisonbrennan.com, I have a contact form that comes directly to me.
Dyanne: Once again I’d like to thank Allison Brennan. Visit her website and learn more about her
backlist.
