Category: In Conversation

Welcome back to this fabulous conversation between literary agents Raphaël Thierry and Emma Shercliff! Yesterday, Raphaël and Emma discussed their journeys towards agenting, the contract “just behind the book”, and protecting author rights. If you missed it, catch up here before tuning into Part 2 below! 

Let’s dive back in!

Raphaël Thierry  

I would be very curious to ask you, Emma, how do you just set up a relation with a writer? Are you always solicited? Or are you just trying to catch up with a writer when you met him or her and you have this opportunity? How do you create this link, because the connection you have with the writer is extremely important in your work as agent. I’m very curious to know how this relation is set up for you.

Emma Shercliff  

So when I started, of course I set up a submissions process for my agency. But I thought initially, it would be about me going out and looking for people and really seeking out writers. And that certainly was the case to begin with. But now, many of the writers that I represent have come to me through personal recommendations from other writers. And that always feels like such a huge compliment, when an author that you have worked with and published yourself feels that you would make a good agent and then recommends you to somebody that they are either mentoring or know, so that’s been a very productive source of new writers for me. And there are other ways.

Recently, I approached an author that I heard on a podcast, a Ukrainian writer actually, and I just thought this woman is amazing, I want to reach out to her and so I did that. And another conversation I’ve had recently was with an author from a particular African country that I don’t yet represent any authors from. And I have been looking for a woman from that country for a long time. And so I reached out to her. So sometimes you can have in mind ideas of the type of writing and perhaps sometimes the geographical region and then if somebody happens to come across your radar from those areas, then your ears prick up. Is that the same for you, Raphaël?

I don’t want to sound a bit naïve but if I don’t feel confident enough with someone I’m working with, then how can a book find its way and how can I find perspective for this book?

Raphaël Thierry  

It’s not completely the same but speaking about co-agenting that’s a very interesting take because I think everyone doesn’t know but as agents we cannot reach every part of the world in every language, so it’s very precious to cultivate these good relations and collaborations with other agents with whom we can collaborate on some projects and propose some books which might fit within the territory or language or country where they are more able to grasp the publishing industry and the publisher’s interest. And I feel as an agent, the first part of the work is maybe to have humility. And rather than doing everything ourselves, sometimes it’s better to build up strong relations in this industry.

And I really point out the industry aspect, because it’s also a business and within a business people are always central. And I don’t want to sound a bit naïve but if I don’t feel confident enough with someone I’m working with, then how can a book find its way and how can I find perspective for this book? And so it’s essential to have this close relation you were speaking about, this recommendation you got from writers, and that’s so heartwarming, but it’s also the proof that you’re professionally respected, and that you’re dealing properly with books, and that writers recognise it. And that’s very important, because the centre of their work as writers is to write. And the centre of your work as an agent is to deal with rights. And that’s essential, to be extremely clear on each position and each work, I guess.

Emma Shercliff  

The experience I had at Cassava Republic was so formative for me in that respect, in that I loved the fact that we were so focused. As you’ll know, like anybody in the publishing world – and I was a publisher for 20 years – you’d go to an event or meet somebody socially and when you say you’re a publisher, then someone will say, Oh, my aunt’s best friend’s cousin’s daughter has written a book, can you look at it? Or, my next-door neighbour has written a children’s book, can you get her published? And I loved the fact that at Cassava Republic, I would always say, oh, does this writer have any African connection? And if the answer was no, then I would say, Oh, I’m sorry, you need to find someone else. I really loved that focus. You know, it’s a shift, it’s helpful.

So when I started the agency with this focus on authors from Norfolk and Suffolk, and then authors broadly from underrepresented backgrounds, I did state specifically on my website as I launched that I was looking for authors in Africa, the Middle East, and Ukraine, because they all geographical territories in which I’ve worked and that I feel very comfortable navigating. It’s helpful for authors, and it’s helpful for me. So I think that you’re right, you can’t take on the whole world or represent everyone. So being focused, particularly at smaller agencies like yours and mine, I think that’s really important. And of course, you’re undoubtedly going to feel more passionate about authors coming from those areas, or with those interests that you wish to represent.

One other thing I wanted to say, Raphaël, just talking about territories and rights, is that so much of the way I operate as an agent has been informed by the way I worked as a publisher and my experience as a publisher. So for example, I always reserve rights for African authors. If I’m taking on an author who has a link to say, Kenya or South Africa or Nigeria, I would always reserve rights for Africa, and then sell very specifically to publishers in those countries. That’s one of my agency commitments and I take it very seriously.