Eames Literary Services, llc

Services

REPRESENTATION TO PUBLISHERS

In a culture with an increasing do-it-yourself mentality for everything from home improvement to, well, publishing, an aspiring author may ask, “Why do I need an agent?” Good question. To start with, fewer and fewer publishers accept unsolicited manuscripts. We, as literary agents, are able to get the book proposal to the publisher, who then reviews it with a commitment to at least consider publication. We help an author shape a strong book proposal, and selectively choose which publishers receive it, so that every project is given the strongest possible representation.

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

After acceptance for publication, many authors then find contract negotiations – particularly financial issues – to be awkward. It has been said that “every word in a contract counts.” Because of this, we as agents (author advocates) do not make assumptions about “contract boiler plate.” We review every word of a new contract. Issues like rights reservations and reversions must be stated clearly, as do discount and royalty rate thresholds. Eames Literary Services has many years of experience navigating business deals within the publishing community, and this expertise is of incomparable value to authors.

MANUSCRIPT CONSULTATION

Of equal importance with the astute handling of business negotiations is the cultivation of a manuscript that is of the highest quality possible. To this end, we offer manuscript consultation. With experience in editing, writing, and writing instruction, we at Eames Literary Services walk alongside authors as they work through the stages of manuscript completion, offering both critique and encouragement, as needed. This service is available to the authors whom we represent, and also, on a consulting basis, to authors (published or unpublished) who are looking for professional advice about their manuscripts. Please contact us for further information.