Books Forward is celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, and one of the ways we’re celebrating is by showcasing 25 people you should know in the book world. There are many unique roles in the book world, and the many kinds of people who play a part in the community we love.
Today, we’re getting to know Eric Smith, an author and literary agent in Philadelphia. Stay up to date on other industry professionals by reading our Lit Happens blog throughout the year.
A note from Eric:
Most Mondays for me are the same, and I’ve got a routine that doesn’t change that dramatically unless there is a book emergency (these are rare) or I’m digging into things with a pretty tight deadline (a client’s option novel) or expected turnaround (such as a contract!). This is also me assuming I don’t have any meetings that day. I try to avoid meetings on Mondays.
As the founder of my agency, I’m also lucky enough to work at home and make my own hours in a way that prioritizes my family. Publishing ain’t gonna love you back, friends. If you can, please find a healthy balance.
Come on, let’s go.
6 a.m.
Wake up and get to it. It takes me a minute to get ready for the day, and then I spend time packing my kiddo’s lunch and grinding coffee beans to make my wife’s to-go tumbler of coffee. I also take some time to catch up on any chores around the house, because if things are a mess when the workday starts, that’s just an excuse to procrastinate.
6:45
I slowly walk up the steps to my office, careful not to wake anyone up. I get caught up on my personal and work emails and dig into query letters. I try really hard to stay on top of those every single morning, but especially on Mondays, when the weekend has been full of folks sending pitches my way.
8:00
Get kiddo ready for school and head to drop off. Make small talk with other parents who are way cooler than I am. Stress over whether anyone will notice the hip band t-shirt I’ve got on and maybe ask me about it. Literary agents, they’re just like you!
8:45
Mondays I volunteer at my kid’s school library! Sort books and clean bookshelves for an hour, take returns from little kids, and read graphic novels and Middle Grade books when things are quiet. I’m currently making my way through every Raina Telgemeier novel.
10:00
And I’m back home. Generally, I call upon my inner Hobbit and allow myself a second breakfast (and coffee). I’ll catch up on my query letters if I haven’t finished, and then I check on submissions.
Checking on submissions is something I do every day, seeing where current client books are, how long it’s been since I’ve heard from an editor regarding a pitch, or something they’re reading. I see if there are places I should be pitching them, places I’ve missed. Is there someone I need to follow-up with? I go through my spreadsheets, fire off a bundle of emails.
11:30
Since we’re operating on a perfect Monday without any meetings or book emergencies or things that need to be negotiated, I’m reading. I start with whatever client project I’ve got next in my queue. I try to make it a point to get back to my clients on their books within four to six weeks, but sometimes life can get in the way and it can take a lil’ longer.
Reading client work every single day is a must, to make sure no one feels they are being overlooked.
1:00 p.m.
Lunchtime! Generally, I will spend my lunch taking a walk while listening to publishing podcasts. I highly recommend Print Run, the Manuscript Academy’s podcast, and The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing (and hey, if you’re new to listening to publishing industry podcasts, check out back episodes of Pub Crawl, Deadline City, and Shipping & Handling).
And as my friends in my neighborhood will tell you, this walk is generally to bookstores or the books section of the local thrift shop, to clear my head, see what’s new (and old!) on the shelves, and keep myself excited about work.
Nothing quite does it like seeing those books out there, friends.
2:00
Crunch time. Pick up is at 3:30PM, so the last hour and a half of my day is usually spent a few ways. Reading. Writing emails. Sending pitches. Chatting with clients. I also teach one class a semester at Drexel University (Business of Publishing!) so the end of my day is sometimes spent checking in on students, looking over campus emails, and making sure they’re feeling caught up.
3:30
Pick up my kiddo from school, get him a snack on the way home from the deli.
4:00
My kid is home, the computer is off. The day is over. What else matters? Although if he does decide to play Minecraft on his iPad, that means I can read some client (or recently requested!) manuscripts on my Kindle in my favorite papasan chair.
And that tends to be the typical Monday in the day of this Philadelphia literary agent.
Does it change day to day? Absolutely. A brand-new publishing contract can take over an entire day. A client with a new manuscript on deadline who needs a fresh set of eyes, when the book is due next week? Sure, I’m dropping everything and reading the whole of the book before they fire it off to their editor.
Sometimes I have to do accounting stuff, keep tabs on quarterly taxes and bookkeeping. Some days I have back-to-back Zoom meetings with editors and clients. It’s not all sitting in the sun with a manuscript and discovering the next great novel…
Although some of it is.
And those moments are pretty great.
Eric Smith is an award-winning Young Adult author and literary agent living in Philadelphia. He is also the founder of Neighborhood Literary, a boutique agency. He’s worked with New York Times bestselling and critically acclaimed authors across genres and categories. In his author life, his latest book, With or Without You, published with HarperCollins/Inkyard Press in November 2023, and was a Junior Library Guild selection. His other books include You Can Go Your Own Way (Inkyard Press), Don’t Read the Comments (YALSA 2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults selection), the contemporary fantasy novel The Girl and the Grove (Flux), and the IndieBound bestseller The Geek’s Guide to Dating (Quirk).
A fan of collaborating, he’s also worked on two acclaimed Candlewick anthologies with award-winning author Lauren Gibaldi, Battle of the Bands (a Bank Street Best Book and Read Across America selection) and First-Year Orientation. His collaboration with Alanis Morissette, Academy award-winner Diablo Cody, and Glen Ballard, Jagged Little Pill: The Novel (Abrams) is an adaptation of the Grammy and Tony award winning musical.
He has short stories and essays in the anthologies Color Outside the Lines by Sangu Mandanna (Soho Teen), Body Talk by Kelly Jensen (Algonquin), Allies by Dana Alison Levy and Shakirah Bourne (DK), All Signs Point to Yes by Candice Montgomery, cara davis-araux, and Adrianne Russell (Inkyard), Boundless by Ismée Williams and Rebecca Balcárcel (Inkyard), When We Become Ours by Nicole Chung and Shannon Gibney (Harper), and RELIT by Sandra Proudman (Inkyard). His writing is represented by Jennifer Azantian at Azantian Literary.
Ellen Whitfield is senior publicist at Books Forward, an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers.
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