As a debut author not long ago, I was desperately uninformed about who’s who in the publishing world. I knew I’d be working closely with my agent from day one, and ultimately the editor who acquired my debut. What surprised me was that in the months leading up to my book’s release, this circle of key players grew wide (and fast!) No longer were only my agent and editor on phone calls. Soon, these were joined by publicity, marketing, sales…quite overwhelming, to say the least. At the time, I didn’t understand what each team was responsible for, or how they differed from one another (even now, I struggle to understand the difference between publicity and marketing!)
It takes a village, as they say, and my objective today is to summarize each of the (very) important players in the traditional publishing village. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and there are roles behind the scenes that aren’t listed here, such as finance, distribution, etc. However, I tried to include the players with whom an author is most likely to interact.
Core team: Agent & Editorial
Your agent and editor will be the individuals with whom you work most closely before, during, and after your book’s publication. Below is an overview of these roles.
Agency team
- An agent represents the author and acts in the author’s best interest at all times. He or she submits manuscripts to publishers, negotiates contracts, and advises clients during the publication process or as legal/financial issues arise. Some agents may be “editorial” in nature and offer editorial feedback on a manuscript before taking it on submission.
- Many agencies have contract managers who are responsible for an in-depth review of publishing contracts (including subrights). They may be involved in strategizing negotiations with an agent or reviewing royalty statements to ensure accuracy against agreed-upon contracts.
- Many agencies also have assistants or interns who perform the initial vetting of manuscripts sent to the agency. These individuals may also review royalty statements for accuracy, provide administrative support for agents at the agency, track royalty payments, proofread contracts, and reply to author queries on behalf of an agent.
Editorial team
- An editor acquires and edits books, and they shepherd manuscripts through the production process. Editors may sit within “imprints” at a larger publishing house, and they are often given a budget to build their own list. Editors work very closely with both authors and agents; they’re the first point of contact for an author/agent with queries, concerns, etc.
- An editorial director supervises editors and oversees the vision for a publisher or imprint. He or she ensures cohesiveness of the titles published by an imprint, in addition to standard editorial tasks like acquisition and editing of their own list.
- An editorial assistant may be responsible for the initial screen of manuscripts submitted by agents. Assistants often log and track manuscripts in internal systems, coordinate manuscript production schedules, prepare book-related sales materials, and coordinate contracts and payments with authors/agencies.
- Once a manuscript has been accepted, copy editors proofread the text for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. They also verify the accuracy of the information within a manuscript (e.g locations, dates) and ensure a manuscript adheres to the publisher’s style requirements.
Publicity, Marketing, and Sales
As the launch date approaches, this trio—publicity, marketing, and sales—gets heavily involved. Often, authors will have a planning meeting with these teams to do a “meet and greet” and review the anticipated publicity schedule.
Publicity
- A publicist or publicity manager develops media strategy and executes publicity campaigns for upcoming titles, including online and print media, as well as radio, TV, etc. A publicist may pitch outlets for a book’s announcement or cover reveal. Publicists also orchestrate media tours or book tours for an author.
- An assistant publicist writes press releases and promotional material, pitches media outlets, coordinates book tours/events, and maintains media contact lists.
- Note that an independent publicist includes the responsibilities as listed above but this person is not “in-house,” i.e., employed by the imprint/publisher. Instead, an author or a publisher may opt to hire an outside independent publicist to augment the in-house publicity efforts.
Marketing
- A marketing manager is responsible for the advertising and promotion of a book across assigned channels. “Channels” may include digital or print, or relate to specific buyers like libraries or special markets (e.g. book subscription boxes). Marketing also identifies advertising outlets, manages a marketing budget, and creates marketing assets (e.g. ads, emails, graphics) for internal and external use.
- Many marketing teams have a designated social media coordinator who is responsible for the marketing duties as noted above, but specific to social media, e.g. Facebook, TikTok, YouTube. These individuals also create marketing assets (graphics, videos) for use on social media.
Sales
- Sales reps, also known as account managers, may oversee clients at a regional or national level, or they may be devoted to a specific client (wholesalers, bookstores, schools, libraries). Sales reps may be responsible for existing clients, or they might also be tasked with prospecting for new clients. Key duties include pitching upcoming titles to prospective and assigned accounts, maintaining good relationships with assigned accounts, meeting sales goals, managing advertising strategy and budget for assigned accounts, identifying promotional opportunities for clients, and providing market feedback to the marketing team.
Art and Production
In the lead-up to launch, a cover concept will be provided to the author. Late in the production process, authors will also be asked to review “pass pages” which represent the envisioned interior layout of the book. An author does not typically work directly with the art and production teams, but rather the editor will act as a middle-man.
Art & Book Design
- An art director is responsible for developing the cover (and book jacket) design concepts. Via the editor, the art director collaborates with the author and editorial team on concept changes or refinements. Depending on the contract an agent has negotiated on an author’s behalf, the author may be granted “final cover approval,” meaning the cover cannot move forward without an author’s go-ahead.
Production
- A production specialist tracks and trafficks manuscripts through the production process. They are responsible for the layout of a book’s interior (e.g. font, margins) and may interact closely with copy editors on late-stage text revisions. In some instances, the specialist is responsible for coordinating with the printer(s) responsible for printing the book, including materials sourcing.
Subsidiary Rights
The exploitation (sale) of subsidiary rights (also known as subrights) on a book may be handled by the literary agency, the publisher, or both—it all depends on what rights the publisher initially acquired. Generally speaking, if a publisher did not acquire certain subrights, the agency is then free to take these rights to market.
Subrights
- A subsidiary rights agent or manager (at either an agency or publisher) is responsible for selling subsidiary rights. Subrights include translation rights (i.e., rights outside of the home territory, also known as foreign rights); audio rights; large print; screen or stage adaptations; and so on. This individual interacts with buyers, scouts, and international editors to sell and negotiate subrights, and may also be responsible for reviewing subrights contracts and royalty statements for accuracy.
Film & TV
- A book-to-film agent oversees the sale and negotiation of screen subrights. He or she may work with producers, studios, or screenwriters. This agent advises clients as legal/financial inquiries arise. Often, these agents work at talent agencies.
- An assistant book-to-film agent performs the initial vetting of manuscripts sent to the talent agency, proofreads contracts, and replies to author queries on behalf of the agent.
What are your thoughts on this who’s who roundup? Are you surprised by the number of key players involved in a publishing deal? Authors, what other key players would you add to this list?