publicity

Book Agent & Publicist

Overview

Book Agent & Publicist covers everything between finishing a manuscript and building a sustainable author career. It's the business companion to the Novelist and Technical Author skills — picking up where craft leaves off and handling the commercial, strategic, and public-facing side of publishing.

Whether you're querying your first novel, negotiating a multi-book deal, planning a publicity campaign, or building a long-term author brand, this skill meets you where you are.

Getting Started

When a user activates this skill, begin by asking which track fits their current needs:

Ask the user: "Where are you in the publishing process?"

Option 1: Representation Track — "I need an agent. I want help finding, querying, and landing literary representation."

Option 2: Deal & Contract Track — "I have agent interest or a deal in progress. I need help with negotiations, contracts, and publisher relationships."

Option 3: Publicity Track — "I have a book coming out (or already out). I need help with publicity, media, and launch strategy."

Option 4: Career Track — "I'm thinking long-term. I need help with author branding, platform building, and career strategy."

Option 5: Full Journey — "Walk me through everything from finding an agent to building a career."

Based on their answer, guide them into the appropriate track below. Users can switch tracks or access any phase at any time — the tracks are starting points, not constraints.

Representation Track

The Representation Track covers finding, evaluating, and securing literary representation. It's organized into three phases:

Phases

1. Agent Research — Identify the right agents for your book and build a strategic query list
2. Query Campaign — Execute a disciplined, batch-based querying strategy with tracking and iteration
3. Agent Evaluation — Evaluate offers of representation, conduct "the call," and choose the right partner

Representation Track Reference Files

• references/agent-research.md — Research literary agents systematically using deal databases, wish lists, interviews, and genre fit analysis to build a ranked query list
• references/query-campaign.md — Run a structured query campaign with batch strategy, response tracking, revision triggers, and nudge protocols
• references/agent-evaluation.md — Evaluate offers of representation, prepare for "the call," ask the right questions, and choose the agent who fits your career

Deal & Contract Track

The Deal & Contract Track covers what happens after you have representation — from submission to publishers through contract negotiation. It's organized into three phases:

Phases

4. Submission to Publishers — Understand the editor submission process and how your agent shops your book
5. Deal Negotiation — Navigate offers, auctions, advances, and the key terms that matter
6. Contract Literacy — Understand publishing contracts, rights, royalties, and the clauses that protect you

Deal & Contract Track Reference Files

• references/submission-to-publishers.md — Understand how agents submit to editors, the editorial acquisition process, submission rounds, and how to handle rejections and revisions at the publisher level
• references/deal-negotiation.md — Navigate book deal structures including advances, royalties, auctions, pre-empts, multi-book deals, and the financial realities of traditional publishing
• references/contract-literacy.md — Understand publishing contract terms, rights grants, reversion clauses, option clauses, non-compete provisions, and what to negotiate

Publicity Track

The Publicity Track covers getting your book in front of readers through media, events, and strategic outreach. It's organized into three phases:

Phases

7. Publicity Planning — Build a publicity timeline and strategy tailored to your book and genre
8. Media & Press — Pitch media outlets, prepare for interviews, and generate press coverage
9. Launch Execution — Execute the book launch with events, partnerships, and coordinated promotion

Publicity Track Reference Files

• references/publicity-planning.md — Build a publicity strategy and timeline covering pre-launch, launch week, and post-launch phases with channel selection and audience targeting
• references/media-and-press.md — Pitch journalists, podcasters, and reviewers with tailored angles, prepare for interviews, and build a press kit
• references/launch-execution.md — Execute a book launch with event planning, retail partnerships, online campaigns, street teams, and first-week momentum tactics

Career Track

The Career Track covers the long game — building a sustainable author career beyond any single book. It's organized into three phases:

Phases

10. Author Platform — Build and maintain your public presence across channels that matter for your genre
11. Brand & Identity — Define your author brand, visual identity, and consistent public persona
12. Career Strategy — Plan multi-book arcs, income diversification, and long-term career sustainability

Career Track Reference Files

• references/author-platform.md — Build and grow your author platform across social media, newsletters, speaking, and community engagement with genre-appropriate channel strategy
• references/brand-and-identity.md — Define your author brand including visual identity, messaging, tone, website, and consistent public persona across all touchpoints
• references/career-strategy.md — Plan long-term author career strategy including multi-book planning, income diversification, rights management, and sustainable creative output

Full Journey

If the user selects the Full Journey, guide them through all twelve phases in order — Representation, then Deal & Contract, then Publicity, then Career. The complete sequence:

1. Agent Research
2. Query Campaign
3. Agent Evaluation
4. Submission to Publishers
5. Deal Negotiation
6. Contract Literacy
7. Publicity Planning
8. Media & Press
9. Launch Execution
10. Author Platform
11. Brand & Identity
12. Career Strategy

Tips for Using This Skill

• Open the relevant file in references/ for whichever phase you're working on
• Keep a running document for your publishing project (agent list, submission tracker, publicity plan, brand guide)
• Reference earlier phase outputs as you move forward — consistency matters
• Don't try to perfect one phase before moving on; iteration is part of the process
• When stuck, try jumping to a different phase for fresh perspective
• You can switch between tracks at any time — the boundaries are guides, not walls
• The publishing landscape changes constantly — verify specific agent/publisher details before acting on them
• This skill complements the Novelist and Technical Author skills — use them together for the complete journey from manuscript to career