AGENT ROUNDUP
be your own contribution to the collection as well as the
introduction to the book as a whole.
For my upcoming Body Talk anthology, I knew what
I wanted to do but I had a diffi cult time saying it in a few
paragraphs. I found writing my own essay, as well as the
book’s introduction, made being able to distill the goals
into a few paragraphs much easier because there was
something to work with. It also gave me two additional
pieces of the collection to include in the proposal to my
agent and editors, helping clarify the vision for them as
well. My essay and introduction to the collection gave
me an opportunity to hone the editorial voice, allowing
me to focus on that as a means of explaining the whys,
hows, and goals of the anthology.
Developing an outline of content will look diff erent for
each anthology. For some editors, there might already be
contributors who are on board to take part. For others,
there might not yet be a single contributor who has been
asked or agreed to take part. Th is is the stage in anthology
creation where the whys, hows, and goals become vital
parts of craft ing what content you want to include.
Using the pitch and the description paragraphs that
you just created, begin to brainstorm the big themes and
ideas you want to include in your anthology. Th ese can be
precise, particularly if you already have collaborators, and
they can also be pretty loose if you’ve yet to secure partici-
pants. Once you’ve developed a list of themes and ideas,
pull them together into cohesive groupings. Whether or
not those groupings will remain isn’t important; rather,
this is an opportunity to see the bigger picture of how the
book can come together. Th is outline of topics and group-
ings can then be used to brainstorm who you’d like to
approach about contributing to the anthology.Determining and Soliciting
Contributors
Chances are you already have some idea of who you’d
like to include in the anthology, especially once you’ve
developed a list of topics. If you already have a handful
of contributors on board, here is where you include what
they plan to write about. If you don’t already have con-
tributors on board or you have just a handful and desire
more, this is where you let yourself dream.
Who has written about the topic of your collection
before, either in their own books, in magazines or web-sites, social media, or elsewhere? Start with including
their names on a list of potential contributors. Ensure
you’re brainstorming an inclusive list that includes
voices from an array of racial, sexual orientation, gen-
der, and (as appropriate) religious/faith backgrounds.
Th is list isn’t meant to be defi nitive, but rather, a starting
point. I’ve found in my own anthologies that contribu-
tors I include or those I reach out to who ultimately do
not choose to participate oft en have a wealth of their
own contacts who they suggest as potential contribu-
tors, which helps deepen the anthology’s voice and
perspective.
Dream big here! An anthology is an opportunity to
really work with an incredible slate of people, includ-
ing those you suspect you’ll have no problem connect-
ing with, as well as a chance to solicit work from people
you’ve always dreamed about working with. Early on in
creating Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World, one
of my editors noted that including celebrity and “big-
name” voices would give the collection something very
diff erent from others on the market. Th at felt intimidat-
ing—how do you even contact them?—but she noted
that reprinting existing pieces is always an option and
provides the opportunity to share powerful work that
already exists with a new audience. It turned out that by
beginning with acquiring reprint rights, it became easier
to then reach out to the public relations contacts and
managers of other celebrities, who were sometimes able
to contribute something entirely new and fresh.
In contributor list creation, it can be helpful to
develop an “A” list and a “B” list. Th e “A” list is who you
absolutely want to ensure you contact. Th e “B” list is who
you will reach out to if those on your “A” list are unavail-
able or end up dropping out along the way. Th is isn’t a
ranking of importance, but a way of ensuring inclusivity
and variety in the voices you include.
Th is list will be part of your outline and proposal, and
I’ve found it helpful to also include the letter I intend
to use to pitch these contributors in the outline as well.
Using the elevator pitch as well as key details from the
paragraphs about the book’s why and how, craft a short,
informative template that will be used when reach-
ing out to those contributors. Each letter will, of course,
be unique when sent. You always want to include why
you’re reaching out specifi cally to those individuals, so
it’s clear that you’re not mass soliciting and instead want40 I WRITER’S DIGEST I October 2019