We recently connected with Leslie Manning and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Leslie, thanks for joining us today. Do you have an agent or someone (or a team) that helps you secure opportunities and compensation for your creative work? How did you meet you, why did you decide to work with them, why do you think they decided to work with you?

I began writing books over two decades ago, and now I am the mother of sixteen novels, six published thus far. When I was still a novice and had best-seller stars in my eyes, I believed two things with fervor:

1. Getting an agent is easy.
2. Having an agent means getting traditionally published is a given.

Well, like many newbie writers, reality was blurred by the stars in my eyes. As they say, “If only I’d known then what I know now.”

Right after I penned my second Adult novel, I was incredibly happy with it and believed others would be as well, so I submitted it to twenty or so agents. BIG agents. Most residing in New York. Keep in mind this was before writers self-published, before Amazon became the biggest bookstore in the world, and before Google was a household word. Chat GPT? That wasn’t even an embryo yet. This was back in 2001. I was living in Southern California at the time, surrounded by the film and theatre industry, a dozen or more writers hammering away in every Los Angeles coffee house or diner. Back then, a writer could only find an agent through the Literary Marketplace bible or a writers’ conference. No one submitted entire manuscripts via email yet, so I would put together packets at my dining room table. Once I had my list in place, I’d head to Kinkos and run off twenty copies of the first chapter of my book, then mail each one with a query letter in a large envelope. This was not only an expensive endeavor, but a taxing one, as it often took an entire weekend. I added a pre-stamped postcard to each packet to allow the agent to request more chapters–maybe the entire book, if I was lucky.

For months I worked on the process of sending out, receiving bad news, sending out more. I frequented writers conferences, another expensive endeavor. A month after meeting agents at one such conference, I got a phone call. It was from an agent in San Diego. She loved the book! I thought, this is it. I’ll sign a contract with her agency, she’ll sell me to Penguin or Random House (they were separate entities back then), and I’ll be on my way! New York Times Bestseller’s List, here I come!

This is where ignorance is bliss. Because I was not on my way anywhere. The agent was awful. She charged me to “run off copies” of my book. She charged me for “business expenses” like envelopes and postage. (This is unethical and illegal, BTW.) Then, when I didn’t hear from her for four months (I’d been advised to sit back and be patient while the agent does the work), I emailed her and asked how things were going. Here’s how she responded: “Oh. I thought because you hadn’t heard from me in a while that you’d realize I couldn’t sell your book.” I knew that meant she was no longer my agent. I was more angry than sad, but more angry with myself than her that I’d allowed her to dupe me. I became much more hand shy after the experience, and I knew I had to be more discerning regarding with whom I wanted to share my work.

Soon after that nightmare, I moved to North Carolina. I finished another novel. I bought an updated version of the Literary Marketplace and spent weeks cross-referencing each and every agent that might enjoy a book like the one I had written. I narrowed it down to only two. One was in North Carolina and the other in Pittsburgh, both members of the Association of Authors Representatives (now called the American Association of Literary Agents), and both actively seeking women’s fiction. They only wanted query letters, so that’s what I mailed. I heard back from both within a week. BOTH wanted the first five chapters. I mailed them. A week later: BOTH asked for the entire manuscript. I mailed those. The agent in Pittsburgh called me within a week. He asked if I was open to making some changes, ones he thought would make the book better. I told him yes. The other one still had not responded. I made the changes the first agent suggested. It took me a month. He told me to email it back to him. I did. He called me a day later and asked if he could sign me. I tried not to scream “Yes!” in his ear. I sent an email to the other agent and told her I’d signed with someone else. She kindly wished me luck.

Now it’s time to flash forward. I’ve been with my agent for thirteen years. We are growing together. I keep writing books, and he keeps submitting them to the top editors. He’s helped some of his clients turn into bestselling authors. He has signed many six-figure contracts, landed in bidding wars, sold to foreign markets, and pitched to Hollywood.

But he has yet to sell any of my books.

I’m sure your questions are thus:
1. Why are you still with him if he hasn’t sold you?
2. How are you published if he hasn’t sold you?

Here is why I’m still with my agent: He’s smarter than anyone I know, he’s a fantastic editor, he has tons of connections, he believes in my work, he promises to keep submitting, he’s well respected in the publishing community, he listens to me when I suggest submitting to a smaller house, he has a cache of bestselling authors under his belt, and he has placed my work, therefore my name, in front of some of the top editors in the world.

How am I published if my agent hasn’t sold me? If my agent tries to sell a book, say, for two years, and no one accepts, he allows me to self-publish. As a matter of fact, we are waiting to hear from the very last editor regarding my latest work, (we’ve submitted to dozens), and if the answer is no, then I take the book, send it to my formatter, have my artist husband create a cover, get blurbs from my street team, and publish that sucker myself. All with my agent’s blessings.

Could I get a new agent? Maybe, maybe not. I’d have to fire my current agent before submitting to a new one, and it would have to be a different book than the one currently on submission. What are the odds that another agent will want me? Some don’t want to take a chance on a self-published author. And what if I sign with a new agent, but he or she can’t sell my work? Without a crystal ball, how do I know how things will play out?

So. Should every writer obtain an agent? Nope. Does getting an agent mean an author will get traditionally published? Nope. Does getting signed with a publisher mean you’ll become a bestselling author? Nope.

Case in point: My agent years ago submitted one of my YAs to Harper Collins. The editor loved the book. We worked together for six weeks (lots of coffee and tears!) while I made all the changes she suggested, including adding a subplot. A writer must make the changes prior to signing a contract. The book was finally finished, and my agent sent it back to her. Surprise! The editor had been offered a position with Amazon’s romance line, leaving Harper Collins and my book in the dust. Since no other editor wanted the book at Harper, or any other pub house, it landed back in my hands for self-publishing.

My agent works his a*s off, as do I. We also work well together. We respect one another. And we both look at the industry with a realistic vision and without those earlier romantic notions of automatically hitting the big-time. He is the ying to my yang. My therapist. My editor. My publishing partner in crime. My friend. We are in this together, like it or not. And even if I never become a best-selling author, we both can say we tried our best.

That’s all any of us can do, isn’t it?

Leslie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an award-winning novelist who writes about adults and teenagers craving independence and often stumbling into it headfirst. I especially love digging into universal topics such as friendship, bravery, and self-forgiveness. I spend four days a week writing furiously, and my evenings tutoring young adults. When I’m not crafting books, plays, or musicals, I enjoy taking care of my Southern Victorian home and traveling with my artist husband. I am proudly represented by the TriadaUS Literary Agency.

I started writing in college when I was a theatre major and had to submit a full-length play. I needed a few more units to graduate and tried out a novel-writing class, just for fun. It was all downhill from there! I got the calling over twenty years ago, and the voices have never stopped, not even to take a breath. Unlike many writers and creatives, I’ve never suffered from writer’s block. I plan to write until my brain fizzles out! I’ve completed sixteen novels, six short plays, two full-length plays, and two musicals. My ultimate goal is to see my work adapted for film or stage.

My awards include the Sarton Women’s Literary Award; North Carolina Author Project Award; Self-e Library Journal Selection; International Book Award Finalist; Taleflick Road to Development Finalist; Indie Brag Medallion; Story Monsters Certificate of Excellence; and the Firebird Literary Fiction Award. My writing is considered commercial-literary and has been compared to the work of Sue Monk Kidd and Mitch Albom, respectively.

I have worked for twenty years to hone my skills as a writer, and the last ten to grow as a marketer and publicist. Completely dedicated to my writing career, I am an active participant on Goodreads, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, WordPress, and Instagram. Along with in-person book signings, I have been a guest speaker at many conferences, symposiums, book clubs, and libraries in North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, and Delaware. Always on the lookout for a prestigious award program, I never stop submitting my novels to prove their relevance. As a member of the North Carolina Writer’s Network, I am constantly meeting writers, editors, librarians, and readers in order to form new connections. My scope of work has been seen via local Eastern North Carolina newspapers, magazines, radio and television interviews, and a national podcast.

Website: www.leslietallmanning.com
Amazon Books: www.amazon.com/Leslie-Tall-Manning/e/B00VRZ3FOK%3Fref
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Leslie-Tall-Manning-Writer/236448826562926
Twitter: twitter.com/LTManningWriter
Instagram: instagram.com/leslietallmanning
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/leslietallmanning

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There are so many resources available these days to writers, as well as other creatives. Because I am a novelist, I will offer a list of those that have helped and continue to help me over the years as I navigate an ever-changing publishing industry:

Jane Friedman: blogs about practical writing information
Writers Unboxed: a place where writers share their writing journeys
Written Word Media: a great marketing company for writers
Netgalley: best place to get professional/semi-professional reviews
Goodreads: my second home, a place to connect with readers and writers from around the globe
Winning Writers: offers lists of the latest writing contests
Reedsy: list of editors, cover designers, book marketers, etc, from around the world
Query Tracker News: updated list of agents/publishers and their current needs
Literary Marketplace: best place to find an agent
Local Libraries: always supportive of local authors
Local independent bookstores: need I say more?
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My drive comes from not having children and wanting to leave behind a legacy of some kind. I wish that my stories will still be read and enjoyed long after I’m gone. This, to me, is true success. Like a mother with many children, I hope they thrive and are loved for years to come.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.leslietallmanning.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/leslietallmanning
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Leslie-Tall-Manning-Writer/236448826562926
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/leslietallmanning
• Twitter: twitter.com/LTManningWriter
• Amazon Books: www.amazon.com/Leslie-Tall-Manning/e/B00VRZ3FOK%3Fref