 (A guest column by literary agent (and author) Mike Nappa of Nappaland Literary.) Here’s the deal: You really only need to impress three key people to get your book published. No, your agent isn’t one of them. Neither is your editor. Those people are only scouts who may or may not get you to the real decision-makers. So, who decides if your book gets published, and how do you impress them? That’s what I’m here to tell you. I’ve spent all of the 21st Century working in book publishing in roles as varied as editor, literary agent, author, and marketer. For this article, I’ll be wearing my “acquisitions editor” and “literary agent” caps, and we can chat. (So, if I say something like “when you send me your proposal…” you can assume that “me” in that sentence refers to both “me-the-generic-acquisitions-editor” and “me-the-generic-literary-agent.”) When we’re done here, you’ll know what it really takes to get your next book published. The rest, of course, will be up to you. Ready? Then let’s go. The Publish/Reject Decision First, you need to be aware of how the “Publish/Reject” decision is made in a publishing board meeting. Yes, many people weigh in on that decision. That includes the acquisitions editor (your first gatekeeper), and an editorial director. A marketing manager or two, and a salesperson or two. A print buyer. Sometimes a reader or team of readers, and maybe even an employee’s nephew or girlfriend or husband or whatever. But in the end, when it’s time for the publishing board to decide whether or not to invest in your book, only three voices count:
Oh, I know. You’re already arguing with me. “What about the acquisitions editor?” you say. “What about the VP of Editorial? Certainly those people have a say in the publishing decision, right?” The honest answer (and I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you…I know this is going to piss off many editorial folks out there): Not so much. You see, the acquisitions editor makes the initial rejection based on what that person thinks his or her Publisher, Sales VP, and Marketing VP will approve later in publishing board. If the acquisitions editor doesn’t see your book getting a nod from those three executives, the book gets rejected up front. If an editor does take your book proposal into the Publishing Board meeting, he or she gets no vote on whether it gets published. That’s because the primary purpose of any editorial presence at publishing board (acquisitions or executive) is simply as an advocate for whatever book is being presented. The editor and/or VP of Editorial have to literally sell their colleagues on your book. Sometimes this almost feels like used-car hucksterism, with trinkets or gimmicks to capture everyone’s attention. (I once knew of an editorial team that dressed up as pirates to pitch a book for their publishing board!). But most often it’s a straightforward sales pitch directed toward the publisher, marketing VP, and sales VP. Your editor presents the product, deflects any objections, and then asks for the sale—for the company to open its checkbook and buy your book. Fact is, despite his or her ardent efforts on your behalf, the acquisitions editor doesn’t even get to vote in publishing board. He or she is only there as a guest, given a three- or four-minute window to advocate your book. (No wonder editors are often such irritable people!) And yes, the VP of Editorial is usually given a vote, but that vote is also—almost always—simply a lockstep opinion with whatever the Publisher (the VP of Editorial’s boss) has already decided. I’ve worked in acquisitions for four different publishing houses now, and I’ve sat in many, many publishing board meetings. In all that time I’ve never seen a Publisher and VP of Editorial split their votes. If the Publisher and VP of Editorial happen to disagree on a book, they typically work it out between them until they can present a united front. And if they can’t work it out, the Publisher always overrules the VP of Editorial. That’s just the way it works. Sorry. So, if you want to publish a book, you need to convince the publisher, the VP of marketing, and the VP of sales that your book is worth it. If you can win over those three people, then not much is going to stand in the way of publishing your book. If you win only two of the three, then your odds drop to about 50/50. The VP of Sales will almost always carry more weight in publishing board than the VP of Marketing. But he or she will often have to defer to the Publisher. Still, if the sales department says they can’t sell your book—no matter how much the marketing department says they’ll promote it—then most Publishers won’t take the risk. They’ll side with the sales team and send your book packing. I’ve only seen a Publisher override a sales team once in 20+ years … so I guess it can happen. But it’s terribly rare. (Oh, and by the way, that Publisher was right—the book sold four times as many copies as the sales team projected!) At any rate, your wisest course of action is simply to set up your proposal so that there are no dissenters among those three executives. Which, of course, is easier said than done.  How to Impress the Publisher Here are two ways to get a publisher’s attention: 1. Do the Editor’s Job. Generally speaking, your only access to the publisher is through an acquisitions editor. Subsequently, my job as editor is to deliver everything my publisher needs to feel confident of your book’s success. How do I do that? With a detailed proposal pitch and writing samples. Hmm. That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? In fact, it sounds pretty much exactly like what you sent me in the first place. Of course, you already know I’m harried, overworked-and-underpaid, time-crunched and a bit short-tempered. So why are you depending on me to fill in the gaps and elevate a publisher’s interest in your proposal pitch and writing samples? Heck, you can do a better job of that in your sleep—and you should. (Well, except for that sleeping part.) So, after you’ve created writing samples, carefully put together your proposal with my job as acquisitions editor in your mind, you know I’m going to have to sell your book to my publisher, VP of marketing, and VP of sales. So…give me everything I need up front to sell those “customers” on your manuscript. Include the following elements:
Look, if you make it easy for me to succeed in my job, I’m going to notice—and be grateful. This goes for editors and agents alike. When you make our lives less stressful, we often become your most ardent advocates to the publisher—and that gets you one vote closer to publication. 2. Don’t do a shoddy job on anything my Publisher will see. Some authors live by the rule that “anything is better than nothing” or “good enough is good enough.” Unfortunately, neither of those philosophies is true. The only thing worse than sending me an incomplete proposal is sending me complete crap in your pitch pages. Your proposal should reflect clear, competent thinking that’s reinforced by the superb samples of your writing. If you’ve rushed through your competitive analysis, or don’t actually understand how to articulate reader benefits in a compelling way, you’ve wasted what little time you spent on those things. Remember, good enough is never good enough. A Publisher doesn’t care if you got impatient with all the detail work of writing, or didn’t have time to do a pre-edit on your manuscript, or never actually learned how to differentiate your book from the competition. All he sees is what you put on the page—and the Publisher will judge it ruthlessly. So, make sure you submit only your best, from beginning to end.  Learn secrets and proven paths to finding an agent with the book GET A LITERARY AGENT. The guide explains query letter writing, submission dos and don'ts, how to craft engaging opening pages, synopsis FAQs, nonfiction proposal tips, literary agent pet peeves, and much more. How to Impress the Marketing VP Here are a few ideas for how to get on my marketing VP’s good side: 1. Be Good to Mama. In the hit movie musical, Chicago, Queen Latifah plays Matron Mama Morton, a media-savvy, happily dishonest Warden at a women’s penitentiary. When welcoming new inmate Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger) into prison, Mama sings a little melody explaining the golden rule for success in her jail: “When you’re good to Mama, Mama’s good to you.” [1] Why is that important for you to know? Because, in the world of publishing, the role of Matron Mama Morton is played by my Marketing VP. That person holds the keys that can set your book free from its unpublished prison and send it on to its rightful renown. The truth is, professional success as an author depends equally on your ability to write and your ability to market your work. It takes a proactive, productive partnership between editorial and marketing to be the driving force behind any significant sales success. And so, the bottom line is this: If you can make yourself a valuable contributor to my Marketing VP’s success, you will be successful yourself. Remember that the next time you want to publish a book. Be good to Mama, and she’ll be good to you. 2. Get on my Marketing VP’s Team Look, my Marketing VP is already biased against you. In publishing board, she’s going to shine a spotlight on all your weaknesses and argue against taking any real risks with an unproven author. You can either whine about that—and get rejected. Or you can picture yourself as a member of the marketing department and make yourself an ally of my VP by creating something that contributes to her team’s success. So, before you send anything to an acquisitions editor, ask yourself, “What’s this editor’s Marketing VP going to ask about this proposal?” Seriously, go ahead and make a list of anticipated questions that will concern the marketing team about your book. Next, figure out how to answer all those questions in ways that are “good to Mama”—that is, in ways that show my VP you’re doing the best you can to make the marketing team successful in their work. This may take some thought on your part, and some questions may strike you as impossible to answer. But if you can think of the questions, you can bet my Marketing VP is going to ask them. So, tackle them head on, and be that rare author who actually makes Mama happy with a new book proposal. How to Impress the Sales VP Try these strategies to win over my sales VP: 1. After you’ve written words, think in numbers. People who write books are word folks—that’s what empowers us to capture ideas and express them well on the printed page. People who publish books are numbers folks—that’s what empowers us to actually make money from writing. Understand this: Regardless of an author’s artistry with words or the life-changing ideals on display in a manuscript, every book in a publisher’s approval process must pass a final feasibility report (also called “P&L—profit and loss” “Pro Forma” and “Projected Book Budget”) before it sees the light of day. Every possible expense we can think of has been tossed into that P&L statement, along with any possible way we can see to bring income from your writing. Down at the bottom of that report, typically in bold letters that are either red or black, there’s a single number that predicts what our ROI (return on investment) will be on your book. If that number shows 50% or higher net return in the first year, chances are very good your book will be published. Anything under 50% and your prospects dwindle. If you really want to publish, find out how you can manipulate those bottom-line numbers until they make my Sales VP smile. That’s the only near-guarantee you have for avoiding rejection of your book. This takes a forced change in perspective because, if you are any good as a writer, up to this point you’ve been 100% focused on creating a work of art with words. That’s good, if only because true art is inherently rare and thus infinitely valuable. But after you’ve created the art, after you’ve bled your heart and soul into a manuscript and transformed the intangible idea into actual, physical words, it’s time to stop thinking like an artist. It’s now time to start thinking like an accountant. To view your spiritual masterpiece as merely another commodity to be bought and sold like pork futures or a shovel on sale at the local Ace Hardware store. What makes your manuscript something that people will buy? And how many will buy it? And how much can your publisher realistically charge for it? And how much will it cost to make it? And how will that paper-and-ink commodity add up on the accounting ledger? Answer those questions well and you’ll make a kindred spirit out of my Sales VP—and earn her support when it’s time to vote on your book. 2. Find a way to guarantee a certain amount of sales for your book. Hey, if money really is what matters in publishing, then being able to guarantee sales that make money gets everybody interested. Of course, that’s much easier said than done—but you’ve got to try. People who are best positioned to do this are those with a built-in demand for what they create. For instance, leaders of an association that’ll commit to buy 1,000 copies out of the first print run on their book. University professors who’ll require their books as textbooks. Professional public speakers who can buy and sell a significant number of their own books each year. A writer’s own online store that demonstrates significant sales already. A business leader of a national retail chain that can promise all her stores will carry her book. You get the idea. Regardless of your situation, regardless of your writing skill, to get the vote of a Sales VP, you’ve got to be able to realistically convince that person that your book will sell. Figure out how to do that, and very little will keep you from getting published. Now What? Of course, we’ve barely touched the surface here, but at least now you know what it really takes to publish your next book: You must impress the Publisher, the Marketing VP, and the Sales VP. Easy? No. Impossible? Also no. Worth the effort? Well, if you see yourself as a legitimate threat for success as a published author, then that answer must be yes. I look forward to seeing your work on bookstore shelves everywhere! [1] 4. “When You’re Good to Mama.” Chicago, DVD, directed by Rob Marshall (2003; Buena Vista, CA; Miramax Home Entertainment, 2003).  MIKE NAPPA is an award-winning theologian, as well as a bestselling and award-winning author. His highlight reel includes VeggieTales comics, the bestselling Coffey and Hill seriesof suspense novels (endorsed by the legendary Lois Duncan!), and the bestselling devotional book, Reflections for the Grieving Soul. He writes “coffee-shop theology” books, children's books, and lots of articles on random topics such as pop culture, grief, data intelligence, biblical studies, the publishing industry, and pretty much anything he finds interesting at the moment. Mike is proud to be a person of color (Arab-American) active in the publishing industry. Plus, he once met Stan Lee for 45 seconds, so you know, he's got that going for him too.  Pitch Agents at a Writers Conference in 2026:
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