Erin Murphy, the former editor-in-chief of Northland Publishing, never imagined she would become a literary agent. But looking back, she says agenting is what she first thought editing would be: working closely with authors, forming career-long relationships, learning and growing together, focusing on the words. And as an agent, she says she can take more risks, take on projects that she thinks break new ground, and advocate with editors she respects. Murphy works out of Flagstaff, Arizona. That fact of geography forced her into a steep learning curve when it came to working with New York publishing houses, but she believes that in the long run her persistence and "smarts" will open more doors to her than anything else—she apparently has plenty of both.

Anna Olswanger: Some writers are hesitant to sign up with an agent who works outside New York. How do you respond to that?

Erin Murphy: I don't think it matters anymore where your office is. A majority of my correspondence with editors is handled by e-mail, and another large chunk by phone. Editors are busy people. Unless they're well established, they don't have time for long lunches with agents—and as a newer agent, I'm reaching out to up-and-comers. I do meet editors at conferences and conventions, and I make trips to New York to develop contacts there, but who cares where I am, as long as editors look forward to getting my packages in the mail?

Olswanger: How does a writer best approach you or another agent?

Murphy: I want to know that writers have been working hard, establishing contacts, attending conferences, and getting involved in critique groups. In general, I don't think a writer should contact an agent without a referral or connection. If a writer hasn't gotten out there enough to have met agents at conferences or met other writers who know agents, she's not ready for an agent. Being part of the world of writing for children is what takes a writer to a new level and gets her ready to be published. Children's writers form a unique community. They look at each other's work and help each other improve and learn, so a referral from another writer means a lot to me.

Olswanger: What should a writer include in a cover letter to an agent?

Murphy: The writer should say whether she belongs to SCBWI and list published works and awards. She should briefly describe what she has available to market. If there are more than three or four projects, it's usually best to keep it quick—title, genre, age group. If she has relationships with particular editors, I like to know. If she's worked with other agents, I like to know why those relationships ended. All writers say they've been writing since they could pick up a pencil, so I like to know how long a potential client has been serious about writing. It's nice when I can pick up on a writer's confidence and personality, and if she's opinionated about what she wants from an agent, that's good to know too—no sense in my reading further if her needs and my style don't match up.

Olswanger: Do you think a children's book writer can make a living at writing?

Murphy: It happens, although rarely, and it seems to happen in one of two ways—writing one thing consistently and well, or writing a bit of everything. It helps if writers supplement their writing income with school visits, conference stints, and teaching about writing, but I tell my clients not to quit their day jobs. Inspiration comes from life, not from being holed up in a garret writing. If writers don't do anything but write, the well will run dry.

Olswanger: Who publishes a book better—the independent houses or the New York conglomerates?

Murphy: If a book has a high profile on a larger house's list, it generally gets more attention from stores and the media, and can go on to sell large numbers of copies and stay in print a long time—and can bring prestige to the writer. Big houses also do more with subsidiary rights than small houses. Small houses, which rarely have bestsellers and have to depend more on the backlist for continued sales, generally keep their books in print longer, even if they have a lower profile. Personally, I'd rather take a lower advance up front and get a royalty check sooner from an established, respected smaller house, and have a better chance of a book selling over the long haul. Of course, there are no guarantees that anything will sell, much less over the long haul. All of publishing is a gamble. Sometimes it's better to take a big risk, and sometimes it's better to go for the sure thing. What increases the odds is making a good match of author and book to editor and house—and an editor's passion for a manuscript can make all the difference, regardless of the company's size.

Olswanger: Some small publishers only pay royalties on net. Are you comfortable with that?

Murphy: It's true that most smaller publishers pay royalties on net receipts (the amount they make on the sale of each copy) instead of on the list price (the price of the book as listed on the book's cover or in the publisher's catalog). That's how small publishers' accounting systems are set up, and it's difficult for them to make an exception because that would involve taking the book out of the system and doing the accounting by hand. Not easy, not practical. I have heard recently that more small publishers are making the switch to list royalties, but I wouldn't expect it to happen consistently.

Most big publishers, who give royalties on list price, have many sub-clauses that lower the royalty, usually by 50%, on sales above a certain discount. Essentially, this calculates out to be the same thing as giving royalties on net. In other words, most large publishers do most of their sales at a high discount to wholesalers and distributors; that high discount falls into the contractual clause that allows the publisher to give the author half the standard royalty. So if you normally get a 10% royalty with a large publisher, you actually get 5% on most of their sales.

My experience with this issue is that most people who aren't familiar with royalties on net assume that they're bad just because they're different from how the big guys do it. But the net system is just as valid, and in some ways, more forthright. When I was editor-in-chief at Northland and we started working with agents, we considered switching to a list price royalty system in conjunction with changing accounting systems. I was in charge of running those numbers, estimating what the financial impact would be. My conclusion was that it made no difference one way or the other. Of course, since publishers' discounts to retailers, distributors, and wholesalers have gotten deeper, it might not work out to be such a close comparison now, but it still doesn't seem a huge deal to me. If you're best off going with a smaller publisher, this point shouldn't be a deal breaker.

Olswanger: Are first-time authors stuck with boilerplate contracts?

Murphy: Just remember that the worst the publisher can say is no. If you've done your homework and know what's standard in a boilerplate contract, you won't be thought foolish for negotiating. And if you know what's important to you going into a contract negotiation, you can usually come away with it, within reason. For example, if you grant all subsidiary rights to a publisher, but you have a mechanism for finding some of these sales yourself, ask if you can get a higher percentage if you bring a buyer to the publisher and the deal goes through. But, remember, it's better to include rights in a publisher's contract than to retain them and do nothing with them. Big publishers have whole departments of people who do nothing but sell subsidiary rights, and you'll make more money from your portion of those sales than you would from not selling them at all.

Olswanger: How would you like to see the industry change?

Murphy: I'm not much on mulling where the future may take us. For example, there's been so much talk about the way superstores have ruined the industry. Although I miss many independent stores that are now out of business, I think their demise is the result of a sea change driven as much by buyers' and readers' needs as anything else. If it's a bad change, things will come back around, or at least moderate. Just a couple of years ago, people were fretting about the ways electronic books would change things for the worse, and readers essentially spoke up and said they liked paper books. Now e-companies and e-imprints are going under right and left. Things happen for the best in the long run.

Olswanger: What are your suggestions to an author who is trying to market her first book?

Murphy: One thing to remember is that you're trying to get people to BUY books, not give away all your free copies. It's important to get that professional mindset. Charge for presentations—schools expect to pay for them. Charge for books—you're not made of money! If you have a list of publications where you'd like your book to go for review or promotion, ask your publisher's publicity department to send the books out, or provide you with free review copies. As long as you're savvy and flexible, and not trying to send books to inappropriate places, the publicity department should be willing to work with you. Save your free copies for yourself and loved ones. They're treasures, after all.

Olswanger: What do established writers seem to be doing right when it comes to managing their careers?

Murphy: Established writers who continue to evolve in their work and continue to be published successfully seem to stay connected to a peer writing group. They don't believe they're experts who have all the answers—they're still looking for feedback and criticism. They're involved in the living, breathing world of writing.

Olswanger: What are your criteria for a great client?

Murphy: Friend and professional, blended together. Someone I can respect and who respects me. If they can make me laugh—a bonus!.

Text © copyright 2003 Anna Olswanger and Erin Murphy. Visit Harold Underdown's The Purple Crayon for other interviews by Anna Olswanger.