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Episode 18: “Why is this a must-read book?” How to show a literary agent/editor that your book is important: a conversation with literary agent and former editor, Susan Rabiner
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Manage episode 402806954 series 3488653
In this episode we speak with Thinking Like Your Editor author and agent, Susan Rabiner about how academics can best present their book project to an agent or editor. We talk about what a strong book proposal, cover letter, and sample chapters need to do. We also talk about what it means to write your academic book with strong narrative; the significance of the table of contents; why academic writers cannot rely on facts alone to make a point; the importance of figuring out your “core audience”; understanding your book’s central questions; what to expect (and not expect) from a literary agent and from a trade press; why an academic press might be a better fit for your book; and why it’s okay not to earn out your advance.
Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all social media platforms here:
https://linktr.ee/writingitpodcast
63 episodes
Fetch error
Hmmm there seems to be a problem fetching this series right now. Last successful fetch was on November 17, 2025 12:05 ()
What now? This series will be checked again in the next day. If you believe it should be working, please verify the publisher's feed link below is valid and includes actual episode links. You can contact support to request the feed be immediately fetched.
Manage episode 402806954 series 3488653
In this episode we speak with Thinking Like Your Editor author and agent, Susan Rabiner about how academics can best present their book project to an agent or editor. We talk about what a strong book proposal, cover letter, and sample chapters need to do. We also talk about what it means to write your academic book with strong narrative; the significance of the table of contents; why academic writers cannot rely on facts alone to make a point; the importance of figuring out your “core audience”; understanding your book’s central questions; what to expect (and not expect) from a literary agent and from a trade press; why an academic press might be a better fit for your book; and why it’s okay not to earn out your advance.
Don't forget to rate and review our show and follow us on all social media platforms here:
https://linktr.ee/writingitpodcast
63 episodes
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