What Editors and Agents Want In Stories

First of all, welcome to the New Year! 2022 was a long haul so I am sorry for the delay in getting this latest post out to all of you! I want to wish you all the best in the coming year.

I was thinking about a lot of blog topics over the recent weeks and I kept coming back to this particular issue as I have been hearing it in a lot of different areas both inside and outside of publishing. A lot of this circles around the issue of diversity and equity. 

Now let me first say that I do believe there are areas out there where there truly is systemic diversity and equity issues. These are indeed important and need to be addressed immediately. It is certainly not right for people to be treated differently because of their diversity! So, with that mindset, I looked to myself in this industry, and started thinking about the editors and agents I work with. Specifically, I reflected on what I look for in a good story and what I expect to see on the bookshelves when I go and purchase a book.

For those of you who remember going to those face-to-face conferences and sitting in the editor and agent panels, it was always a certainty that someone in the audience would ask us what we are looking for in a story. Now, granted, these people were looking for a trend so they could jump on it, but it was still a fair question. Every time the question was asked, I always heard the same comment: "I am looking for a well written story, with characters I want to talk about, with a conflict that is meaningful and an author who can really pull me into the story." 

That has not changed for me.

I read submissions and look first at the story idea. Is this a story that draws me in? Is this a story that is believable, with a premise that is unique? I look at the quality of the writing. Does the author have a command of the writing process and their use of words? Does the phrasing move me along in a vibrant and wonderful flow that makes me want to keep reading? 

As you can see, it is about the writing.

What you look at our submission guidelines (for both editors and agents), you will see a commitment to writing from all types of authors and about a diverse group of topics. But, please also note that we are not using this as a submission guideline. The guidelines focus on the quality of the writing. 

When I hear authors and organizations out there pushing diversity and equity in publishing but somehow putting this over the quality of the writing, I fear they may be missing the point. All writers have equal access to editors (those that are open to unagented submissions) and agents. We all have our websites; we are all open to attending conferences. We tell you exactly what type of stories we acquire (which is based on our knowledge of the field, or likes and dislikes, and what is currently marketable). We are still looking for quality writing. If your heroine is Latin-X in a male dominated industry AND the story is good, we will be interested. It always comes back to the writing. 

I know I mentioned this before, but when the RWA really started pushing this, I did put out a #MSWL for authors from diverse backgrounds bringing forward projects that reflect that background. I only received projects from one background - authors from India and that ethnic background. This was not an issue that I was intentionally not acquiring authors of color or books with diverse backgrounds. There was simply nobody submitting. 

There is also another element that we have to remember when it comes to publishing. Is the story marketable. Is there really a large enough readership out there who wants to read this type of story and would spend a lot of money buying a similar type of book.

As I look at submissions, I always have to ask if the readers are out there. Sure, it is easy to say that you would read that book, but we need a large population. Stories can be good, but it might not be the right time for that book. It might be that the market is currently flooded with that type of story and I would not be able to sell it. It might be that the editors don't have bookbuyers that are looking for that type of story. Remember, this is a business of selling a product. If we don't have a market for it, we will not invest in it. 

As we start 2023, I want everyone to realize that I, like all of the publishing industry is open and committed to diversity and equity. But, as I have said several times in this post, it will still come down to the quality of the writing and if the book is marketable.