Literary Agent Scott Waxman Shares Tools of the Trade

It's rare that you meet someone who clearly loves what he does at work. But the minute you start talking about the world of book publishing with literary agent and Scarsdale resident Scott Waxman you can sense his enthusiasm for the field and his job. Waxman is a co-founder of The Waxman Leavell Literary Agency with offices in New York and Los Angeles. They represent authors of fiction and non-fiction including journalists, celebrities and first-time writers. Waxman says, ""The great thing about being an agent is that it never gets boring. Each book allows you to enter a new world."

We asked Waxman to tell us about himself - how he came to launch his own agency and what he likes best about his job. He also offers some good advice to undiscovered writers who may be trying to get picked up by an agent.

Q. How did you break into the business? What is your background and how did you come to form your own agency?

A. I started my career in book publishing in 1990 at HarperCollins publishers. I was an apprentice to legendary editor Larry Ashmead who taught me a great deal about every aspect of the business, from evaluating the marketability of manuscripts to editing, to the importance of networking. It was a golden age of publishing, just prior to the explosion of the internet.

Q. Tell us about your agency – what is its market niche or area of specialization?

A. Our agency handles everything from chick lit to serious history. We have done humor books like Shit My Dad Says and Pulitzer winning books like Devil in the Grove. We also handle major sports memoirs from figures such as Brittney Griner and Victor Cruz.

Q. What do you like about what you do?

A. My favorite part of being an agent is the process of development with a non-fiction author. Many of the books I work on start with an idea which needs to be expanded and refined into something a person will want to read for 300 plus pages. What are the storylines of the book and how will they fit into a structure that keeps the pages moving? What are the most important/exciting aspects of the story? How do you build it to a climax? I work with authors at the very earliest stages of the proposal and from there we try to solicit interest from a publisher. When the proposal we worked so hard on hits the mark with publishers it is a very satisfying experience.

Q. What were some of the biggest books you worked on during your tenure at Waxman Leavell?

A. We have had dozens of New York Times bestsellers over the years. Some of the biggest were I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, Beautiful Bastard, Game of Shadows and I Beat the Odds. All of our bestsellers are listed here:

Q. How do you spot new talent? For new submissions, what are the clues that a book has potential and will sell?

A. Most of my thinking on non-fiction is a combination of several factors: originality of the idea; the unique fit/ability of that author for that particular idea; the level of writing talent; and the author's ability to market. I need pretty much all of these to be working for me to feel confident I can sell the book to a major publisher. On the fiction side, it is all about the execution. Does the author have a fresh voice? Is it a book that will stand out from the crowd? Is it hard for me to put it down? These are the major questions.

Q. Any advice for new writers who are attempting to have their books published?

A. Spend a lot of time reading other books in the genre (thriller, romance, chick lit) before writing your own. Make sure you are publishing into a category that is popular so you are not fighting against the tide. For instance, there isn't much of a market for Westerns these days so that's probably not a good genre to test! Join a writing group and workshop your book before sending to an agent. And finally, learn how to write a great query letter to entice an agent.

Q. How has the advent of e-books and "self-publishing" affected what you do?

A. Digital is half my time now. I created a separate company which focuses on e-book titles. It's called Diversion Books and we own over 500 titles in genres like romance, mystery, thriller, science fiction and non-fiction categories of Sports and Business. It's growing extremely fast.

Q. What are you reading now? What would you recommend for summer reading?

A. I am reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. For a great summer read I would recommend The Son by Phillip Meyer which is an unforgettable family saga set in the old West.

Q. As the father of kids in the Scarsdale schools do you feel that the district is fostering good writing skills?

A. I've been very pleased with the focus on writing. I have one child who just graduated the middle school, another who recently graduated Fox Meadow and another moving into second grade. I've seen all of their writing improve dramatically every year. Writing is a skill that requires practice and doesn't come easy to a lot of people (myself included!) But it is absolutely vital in everything we do, from writing a book to crafting a convincing query letter or email. I think our school system recognizes that and spends a great deal of time on it at every level. I have participated in the Young Writers Workshop in Scarsdale since we moved to town five years ago. It's a fantastic event and requires a ton of planning. I think it reflects just how much the community values writing.