Sports Literary Agent

R.K. "Bob" Speights, Literary Agent

Publishers are seeking proposals and/or manuscripts within this genre.

Any books on Xtreme Sports, fiction or non-fiction.

Generation "Z" books

Sports related, fiction, non-fiction, fundamentals, inspiration. Football, baseball, basketball, soccer, etc.

Cook books - talegate parties, sports gourmet, cookbooks by coaches, diet, cook books for diabetics.

Childrens novels related to sports.

Bob Speights,

332 West Wellington

Carthage, TX 75633

RobertSpeights@sbcglobal.net

What is a literary agent. and what roll does he/she play in getting an author published?

A literary agent is a commissioned salesperson hired by an author to sell his/her works to a book publisher.

Why do you need a literary agent?

Book publishers receive thousands of unsolicited proposals and manuscripts each year. Most go into the trash can because they were not brought to the attention of the publisher by a literary agent. Some publishers accept unsolicited proposals and manuscripts but on a limited basis.

What does the agent need to know?

The concept that a book publisher publishes books, is a misnomer. At one time years ago, - with the advent of the printing press - publishers did publish any and all types of books but now publishers are specialized. One might publish only sports related books while another romance or educational material, etc.

The literary agents know which publisher specializes in which topic or topics, so they only submit to those publishers who will review the proposals or manuscripts they send. As publishers grow to know the literary agent they understand when they see his name on a proposal that they are not wasting their time, which is a premium commodity in the publishing business.

Publishers do not want to negotiate contracts with an uninformed author. It is less time consuming to allow the literary agent to be the liaison between the publisher and author.

One thing a publisher understands about the literacy’s roll in the process is that he/she is a commissioned sales representative of the author and does not get paid if he does not sell the book idea plus the more he negotiates for, the better his commission.

What is the author/agent relationship?

The agent/author relationship should, first and foremost, be one of trust. If an author feels that they can’t or don’t trust a literary then they should not sign a contact with the agent.

The author needs to know and understand the more money the agent makes for the author, the better the agent’s commission. The agent is the liaison and negotiator between the two parties. The author or prospective author needs to understand that a good agent is blunt, a person who will tell what you need to know not what you want to hear.

A book is like a baby to an author, it’s the most beautiful baby in the world yet in reality is may be an ugly baby. If it’s ugly it won’t sell, if part of it is ugly it won’t sell. The agent needs to be up front and honest with the author. Cosmetic surgery may be required before the baby becomes beautiful in the eyes of the publisher and the world.

The same applies to the proposals an author writes.

For first time author’s, a good agent will explain the whole process - from start to finish, - if there is a finish - before signing a contact to represent the author. An agent will make no promises except to endeavor to sell the work and get the best deal possible. This is the reason for mutual trust.

Last but not least, there is a word that literary agents have learned that author must learn too, "Patience." Getting a book published is not an overnight process but can takes weeks, months or years. The old saying, "No news is good news" applies.

Book Publisher Seeking Proposals and Manuscripts on

Football

Baseball

Softball

Basketball

Xtreme Sports

Cookbooks

Sports Encyclopedias

Auto-biographies

Author/Agent Agreement

Submit Proposals

Books Under Contract By Agent