BNC SalesData is not just for book publishers and sellers. It’s an indispensible tool for literary agents, too. To be truly effective at pitching books, one has to know how published books are doing, and to really look out for your authors, you need to know what’s happening in the marketplace as it’s happening.
Pitching
Through their own access to SalesData, publishers now know what works, even outside their own publishing house, so your pitches have to reflect the marketplace accurately. While this is sometimes a bit of a downer, it can also help you focus on what is feasible and react quickly to market trends. Should you say your author is the next so and so? Before making the comparison, better make sure that so and so got some sales with that acclaim if you’re shooting for a considerable advance.
Signing New Talent & Advising Existing Authors
Logging into SalesData regularly gives an agent a real sense of what’s moving and what’s not, which is essential when considering new clients and advising existing authors on their next move. It equips you with the necessary information to make sure your author’s expectations are realistic, and it tells you enough about the market to know if a potential client’s project will get off the ground. Have we had enough of cat stories? Do young memoirists sell books? These are useful things to know.
Case Management
SalesData also helps you with the other side of your business: being your author’s advocate. The best agents are those who know what’s going on with their clients’ books all the time, even after publication. This wasn’t always possible, but it is now.
SalesData allows you to see how an author’s book is selling long before the royalty statements come in. It allows you to respond to possible issues promptly or relieve a nervous author’s stress by congratulating him or her on a successful tour. This sort of careful attention builds strong relationships with authors and helps you retain talent.
Stay ahead of the pack by staying in the loop with SalesData. The best literary agents are always up to date on what’s happening in the publishing market. It makes them sought after and indispensible to authors as well as respected and trusted by publishers.
