Agent Amy Brewer from Metamorphosis Literary Agency is my last interview from the writers conference. She represents a wide range of books, from middle grade to book club reads to romance. She is outgoing, fun, and very easy to talk to—even if you’re a nervous author. If you get the chance to meet her, I highly recommend it. Best of all, she is a golden nugget of wisdom in the murky waters of traditional publishing. Before jumping into the interview, here is a little bit of her background.
Bio
Amy Brewer wears many hats every day, from senior literary agent and subsidiary rights manager at Metamorphosis, to co-author of the Texting Prince Charming series, to social media manager, to yoga teacher. Her intuitive human understanding can help writers bridge the communication gap and jump into the publishing world. Her experience in the mental health field and yoga training help her guide and assist clients with stress and anxiety in this highly competitive industry. All of this is pulled together with a multi-tasking and hyper-organized brain so at the end of every day she feels accomplished and grateful.
Interview
When considering a manuscript to represent, what are some specific things you look for in the writing?
First thing I look for is word count. Honestly, sometimes before I even look at the title. I look at genre and word count. If they are way off on word count, then they don’t know what they are doing. There are standards in major publishing that you have to go by, and, if somebody submits a 180,000-word romance, I know that they don’t know what they are doing and I don’t read any further.
Then I get into the first page, which is just: can they write a sentence, is it shallow POV, what is their prose like, and what is their writing style. Then, into the first three chapters: how is the voice—is it pulling me in—do I care about the characters, and what is the hook. Those are the most essential things.
If you decide to take on a book, what is the general range of time it takes for an agent to sell a book to a publisher?
I would say a year to eighteen months. It depends on how many clients the agent has and what they have going on. At the moment, I have four middle grade novels, and I can’t put them in competition with each other at the same publisher so they have to wait. There has to be a staggering system to make it fair for everybody. So, it just depends.
I’ve sold a book in two weeks. I signed them and got it ready to go, it went out, and two weeks later we had a contract on the table. The fastest I’ve ever sold a book was twenty-four hours. It was the kind of situation where I knew the author, and he had been with me before. I knew exactly where the work would go. I knew exactly who would snatch it up, and they did. But generally, I would say a year to a year and a half. That’s what writers should know going in.
What happens if you take on a new author and you can’t sell their book?
At Metamorphosis, we do things a little bit differently. We have a no-author-left-behind policy. If we can’t sell it, we either keep trying to sell it to independent publishers or small presses, whatever the author feels comfortable with, or we just put that one on the shelf—it’s not it’s time—and what else have you got. Bigger agencies have the tendency to just cut people off and say we’re done with you, goodbye. We don’t do that. We’re there for the duration of the author’s career and not just for a one book situation.
So, how many authors does an agent usually represent? How many are on your list?
I have forty on my list, currently. All agents are different. I think the reason my number is so high is because I have some inactive clients. I don’t want to say against their will, but one of them is an ER nurse, and she has not been able to write since the start of COVID. So, there are just some things that happen, and we’re the kind of agency where I’m not going to dump my inactive clients just because they’re not writing at the moment. So, forty might be a little high. I think most lists are around twenty, but it’s different for every single agent.
Do you normally represent books from the same genre or do you pick a wide variety?
It depends. You are going to need to know the right editors, and that’s the key—knowing the editors for each genre. I like being a little bit more ecliptic because then I’m not putting my authors in competition with each other. So, I have a wide range of genres on my list, but I probably specialize in YA and romance the most. Though, I’ve been doing quite a bit of children books lately, and, like I said, I’m shopping for middle grade right now. It’s just whatever I think I will sell and, as a genre, I can edit. I have to be able to look at it and know what has to be fixed for me to sell it. And there are some genres out where I can’t do that.
We’ve talked about the mechanics of working with an agent, but what makes a good relationship between an agent and an author?
It depends on the author. I’m hyper communicative, and I’m kind of a cheerleader. I’m very up front with that. If that’s not what you’re looking for, then I am not the right agent for you. I am going to be friendly and cheerful. I am going to send you emojis and text messages that say you can do this or you can make that deadline or what can I do to help you. Things like that.
Some writers prefer a more standoffish thing. They want to check in with their agent periodically, and they want to be sort of left in the dark. I am not that. So, I think it’s learning who they are and what kind of person they want to work with and making sure it’s a fit. You want to feel like you got the right agent because they’re out there championing your work. You want to make sure it’s the right person for you.
I saw you at a different writers conference last year so you seem to attend conferences regularly. How many do you attend a year?
About five a year. In 2019, I probably did five or more, and then three last year, and then five this year.
What’s the purpose of you attending all these conferences?
Hearing all the people and their pitches, getting to know authors, and you never know who you are going to meet. I was at a conference in Texas when I met the author Dana Swift and signed her work, and that was the one I sold in two weeks to Delacorte at Penguin Random House. You never know what stories the authors are going to have, and closing yourself off to sit behind a computer sort of keeps it out.
Also, the other reason I go is to educate. I am teaching a class today on how to pitch. I have a class on the reality of publishing in 2022, where I get into, not just the numbers of publishing, but the reasons why things are happing in publishing. This is just some of the stuff that isn’t out there widely available to writers. I want writers to know what’s going on in the real world verses what they think writing will be when they see it on television or when they read about it in a book. It is not the same.
So, an author shouldn’t feel bad about approaching an agent at a conference as long as it’s in a respectful way?
Absolutely. We call it working the floor. If we are out on the floor at any time, you are welcome to come and talk to us about anything. I would say, while we’re eating, don’t give us a dry pitch unless it’s an arranged lunch for that.
Ask questions like, “hey, I’m pitching my book to you later or to someone else can you give me a recommendation?” That’s always a really good opening. Presenting it as a question instead of a pitch because we’re here to help. Don’t approach an agent in a bathroom. I have had that happen. I had someone pass their book under the stall. I kid you not. I just was like, nope. No. So, boundaries, but agents are humans. They love writing, and they love writers. Don’t ever be hesitant to reach out to an agent.
One more question. If you could give aspiring authors one piece of advice, what would it be?
Do not get in this profession for the money. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a choice. You have to have the passion for the words. The passion to write. The dedication to put in the time. This is not a—I’m going to write the next Twilight and be a millionaire because anybody can write a book. That is not this profession, and agents and editors can see that from a mile away. That’s my advice.
Final Thoughts
What good advice Amy had! Despite everyone seeming to clamor for her time, she had a way of making you feel like talking to you was the top priority on her list. I hope all of you have such a wonderful first discussion with an agent. Amy has definitely set the bar high for me. I loved getting a real dose of what the publishing world is like so I can set my expectations accordingly. Mainly, don’t be in a rush and make sure the agent you say yes to (because you can say no!) is going to be the right fit.
Thanks for reading!
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