103: How to Land a Literary Agent and Publisher with David Moldawer (Part One)
What takes a book proposal past the slush pile onto a publisher’s deal sheet? How do you get the attention of literary agents who might also be looking for you?
In the first half of this two-part conversation, I’m chatting with longtime publishing, editing, and ghostwriting maven David Moldawer about what makes a great “big” book idea.
More About David: David Moldawer spent over a decade as a book editor at a slew of New York publishing houses including St. Martin’s Press, McGraw-Hill, and Penguin, acquiring and editing bestselling nonfiction in the areas of business, technology, health, and memoir. Today, he’s an independent writer and editor. He also writes the Maven Game, a newsletter for experts, authors, publishers, and agents on making ideas and knowledge public—writing, speaking, sharing—without hating yourself in the morning.
🌟3 Key Takeaways:
📝 Permission: Go ahead and reach out to agents with a concise query email—don’t forget they are in the business of meeting new authors and finding great books! Just make sure to find one who specializes in the kind of book you want to write.
✅ Do (or Delegate) This Next: Create an idea capture file. I use Notion for this - check out the Loom walkthrough here, and the full Author Toolkit here »
📘Books Mentioned:
🔗Resources Mentioned:
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