Ask the Agent, plus the secret to transformational storytelling
Next week, I’ll be judging the first Speaker Slam of the year.
In case you’re not familiar with it, Speaker Slam is North America’s largest inspirational speaking competition. And on January 28 in downtown Toronto at Lula Lounge, 10 speakers will go head-to-head and heart-to-heart to inspire audiences with their speeches on the theme of resilience.
Last year, I got to see my friend Robb Gilbear perform his talk—where he shared a scene from his book that we worked on together. We did a lot of crying, and laughing, as we built that book out together, to make it as powerful and emotionally resonant as we could for it to have the kind of impact Robb dreamed of.
As we did, we would conspire over the talk he would one day deliver—how his book would hone his story, his message, refining scenes—and now here he was, on the stage, making it come alive for a live audience. It was magical.
The thing about Speaker Slam is that every talk hinges on powerful storytelling.
And what makes a story powerful?
-Vulnerability
-Authenticity
-Bonus points for an arch—along the lines of the hero’s journey (up, down, up)
But here’s another secret to transformational storytelling:
It’s about hope.
By taking readers on a cathartic journey from hopelessness to inspired action, we give readers the courage to face their biggest fears, take that bold step forward anyway, and come out on top.
I’m building out a step-by-step guide to help you make this happen (DM me if you want a copy!), and you can see me do this in my book Again, Only More Like You, launching in April (pre-order your copy now to get an exclusive gift from me!).
For now, share your story in the deepest, most honest way you can. If you feel goosebumps or tears start to fall (the tingle test), you’ll know you’re on the right track.
Cat xo
Ask the Agent: Elizabeth Rudnick, Gillian MacKenzie Agency
Before the holidays, I had the chance to chat with literary agent Elizabeth Rudnick, of Gillian MacKenzie Agency.
As an editor at Hyperion/Disney, Elizabeth worked with best-selling authors and celebrities such as Melissa de la Cruz and Miley Cyrus, and has written over 50 books for children. Elizabeth represents writers of literary and upmarket fiction. (Note that currently, Elizabeth is not accepting unsolicited submissions.)
In our chat, Elizabeth emphasized the importance of a unique hook and a well-prepared proposal, and also talked about the shift towards shorter, more digestible content. Here are some other insights she shared and my top takeaways from our conversation:
NICHE DOWN
-Even though they may come with inherently smaller audiences, niche books can actually be easier to sell/pitch to publishers. Example: A Cape Cod coffee table book.
-Memoir is hard to sell, and collections of essays can be just as difficult to sell, however they can still find success with smaller presses and publishers.
FIND UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES IN CHILDREN’S BOOKS
-For kids non-fiction, look at what’s working in adult non-fiction, as that will trickle down
-Thought leaders and experts can ask yourselves, How can I bring my message to kids in the nonfiction space?
THINK ABOUT YOUR OFFER
- More and more, publishers are still looking for platform-driven content (so authors with 500K+ followers), even though that doesn’t necessarily correlate with sales. However, if you have unique access/assets that can help sell the book (such as a large email list, chain of stores, etc.), that can go a long way to convincing publishers to sign you.
QUESTION OF THE DAY
-If you’re writing non-fiction, particularly prescriptive, to build a case for your book, ask yourself: Why would someone read your book instead of getting this information from YouTube? THAT’S what you’re competing against.
Life begins at 40...or does it?
Anyone else have a life-changing experience as you hit 40? Or maybe it was another milestone birthday that rocked your world?…
Maybe you’re at a different crossroads in your life—a job you don’t love. A relationship that you feel stuck in. Do I stay or do I go?
It’s these kinds of choices that my characters Carmen and Ally face in my book AGAIN, ONLY MORE LIKE YOU, launching April 29. And how they navigate the breakups and shakeups still brings a smile to my face and tears to my eyes—even a million drafts, revisions and iterations later.
There is a Japanese art called Kintsugi that involves repairing broken objects using gold or lacquer, which leaves a gold seam where the cracks were, giving the item a new, more refined aspect.
In the end, I think that’s what this book is really all about. The beauty in the broken things. Falling apart and putting yourself back together. Again, only more like you. 💕
Available for pre-order now from you favourite book stores.
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