Lindstrom Literary Management LLC

Finally, marketing and publicity falls increasingly onto the authors' shoulders; I'm always impressed by someone who has a grasp of how to get started and who has thought out what angles they can pursue to promote the book.If they do, I can help guide them in the right direction.

Q Will you take on someone who is published in one genre but wants to switch genres?

A I have from time to time represented people trying to jump genres. Sometimes this can be a difficult transition. As I wrote earlier, publishers want someone who has been writing thrillers, for example, to continue in that genre; they wouldn't be happy if that person suddenly shifts to science fiction. Or vice versa. I'm not saying it's impossible, but rather that it's a transition that has to be planned and whose difficulties must be acknowledged.

Q Will you take on an author who has been published by a small publisher and only has limited sales?

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A Yes, but with the current economic climate it's increasingly difficult to sell authors who don't have solid sales histories and what publishers are now calling 'platforms' from which to launch a book. And it depends on the credibility of the original publisher; many authors, for instance, submit works to me as 'published' when in fact they have self-published their books. There are many examples in publishing history of authors who started with small presses and later had huge success -- Tom Clancy and The Hunt for Red October for one -- so there is always hope that an author can break out with his or her next book.