Book Broker: an interview with Suzy Evans

I’m a literary agent, attorney, and author who holds a Ph.D. in history from UC Berkeley. My books include Machiavelli for Moms (Simon & Schuster) and Forgotten Crimes: The Holocaust and People with Disabilities. I’m also a former ghostwriter for a #1 New York Times bestselling author with 55 million copies sold and my work has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications, including USA Today, Newsweek, Parade, McSweeneys, and The London Times.

1) What stands out in a good submission?

I’ll try to be quick. My dad took me to a race track when I was nine years old and taught me how to read and analyze the racing form and I learned quickly what a trifecta is. You bet on the the top three contenders SO, as I’ve shared with others, my Trifecta for both fiction and nonfiction is:

1) CONCEPT — is it timely, interesting, fascinating, and original?

2) MARKETABILITY! I might love the book but if it can’t sell to a broad audience it’s probably not gonna work. I always follow my interests, curiosity, and heart but always keep the market and bottom line in mind!

3) CAN THE AUTHOR WRITE FOR THE TRADE MARKET? I can tell in the first few lines of a query or first few pages of a manuscript or proposal if the writing is good—and a quick FRIENDLY tip: revise, revise, and then hit SEND!

2) What's a typical warning sign that a manuscript isn't ready for representation?

Usually in first few pages. I like to stay positive but bad grammar, syntax, etc. Slow pacing. Editors and agents are VERY busy and swamped with submissions so we need to focus on the very best of the best. Like any other creative industry, book publishing is an incredibly competitive, increasingly crowded market, and it is probably just as hard to write and sell a bestselling book as a blockbuster movie in Hollywood. So bring your A-Game!! Always.

3) What's at the top of your manuscript wish list right now?

As a lawyer, historian, author, editor, and lifelong learner, I lean toward adult and children’s nonfiction because I really want to learn from anything I read or write. Give me a great history or gripping narrative nonfiction and I’m all in!! Bring it!

4) For writers without prior publications, what can they say in their "about me" query paragraph to catch your attention? Does it help to know if the manuscript has gone through workshopping or developmental editing?

Hmmm, it’s easy to see if the work is polished. I only submit manuscripts and proposals when they are as “perfect” and polished as they can be. I am a very editorial agent but if there is too much editorial lifting needed, it’s probably best to develop and polish more before submitting to anyone. Just another quick, friendly tip!

5) Some people say that "agents hate prologues." Is that true for you? What is the most common reason that a prologue falls flat?

Read Save the Cat by Blake Snyder. It’s about screenwriting but also applies to book writing and the basic elements and structure of great storytelling. Get into a scene late and leave early. Set up the story organically and quickly. Fast paced. Action packed. High Drama. High stakes. Context. Character. And why do we care? Relatability. Think cinematically like your book has “MOVIE!” written all over it, as I say on my website.

And another one of my favorite sayings is from Blaise Pascal: “I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter.” It’s way harder to write a short, compelling, intriguing prologue than a long, meandering, flat one. Cut the word count and use active words that move the narrative forward. Hard to do, yes, but great writing IS hard! Don’t give up. Stay positive! And keep mastering the art and craft of your writing!!! You can do it! And read, read, read!! Then read some more.

6) If you could change one thing about the publishing industry, what would it be and why?

Well, it can be glacially slow, but well worth it when it works! It’s a long, slow process that can be frustrating at times but it’s slow for good reason. We all LOVE books and it takes a lot of time from a lot of really creative smart people to make good books and that’s what I love about it! And remember kids: reading is fun!!! It’s why we’re all here! Keep on writing!! Keep reading!!! Books matter!! And when you hold your own book in your hands for the first time or see the cover reveal, you'll know the hard work and long wait was worth it.

7) With the rise of generative AI, are you seeing more submissions that appear to have been written with the help of a chatbot? What are the common features of robo-writing?

Ugh!! Eek! It’s the Wild West for sure but technology always changes and the law always lags behind technological change. I’m also a lawyer and will be watching the law develop in relation to generative AI and book publishing very closely. Just sayin!

8) What red flags in a query letter are enough to cause you to pass on a project without looking at the writer's sample pages? What percentage of submissions would you say die with the query letter?

Query letters are VERY important. It’s like a first date. For me, I only need to see a few paragraphs. Concise, compelling, and convincing—and queries should convey exactly what the book is about. The proof is in the pudding and pages! Give me something I want to read and think is important, original, unique, timely, and interesting! Personality, title, and voice matters a ton, too! I’m a nice, fun, hard-working person with four kids so I appreciate a positive, honest, short, fun, well-written query. Make me smile and think about the world in new and surprising ways! And my response time varies from a few minutes to a few weeks.

9) What's the best (non-client) book you've read recently, and how did it hook you?

Good question! I’m about to reread The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. One of the greatest and most heart-warming if heartbreaking openings in literature, and later in the book he writes: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Think hard and deeply, people! And in between all my reading, it’s Shark Week now so I’m watching a lot of scary shark movies! I live at the beach! Help! I’ll never go in the ocean again! Just kidding but not really! And, yes, I love ocean books and am always looking for a great whale or shark book! Or anything to do with animals and nature. Bees, trees, birds, cats, dogs, forests, etc. I’m in!

10) Can you tell us about an exciting author you're working with at the moment? 

Yes!!! Thanks for asking! My author and Holocaust scholar Elizabeth Hyman's THE GIRL BANDITS OF THE WARSAW GHETTO, pitched in the vein of Hitler's Furies and Hidden Figures, follows the smart, brave, determined women and girls of Warsaw as they risk everything to resist Nazi terror and fight back, responding to the Nazi destruction of their people not with paralyzing fear, but with action, working as couriers, spies, assassins, commanders, gun runners, and fighters smuggling grenades, hiding dynamite, and shooting Nazis with deadly aim, while writing diaries so that they would be remembered—sold to Sarah Stein at HarperCollins, by Suzy Evans at Suzy Evans Literary Agency (world).

I also LOVE Women on Waves: A Cultural History of Surfing: From Ancient Goddesses and Hawaiian Queens to Malibu Movie Stars and Millennial Champions, the latest book by my author Jim Kempton, former editor-in-chief of SURFER magazine and current president of the California Surf Museum, providing an in-depth history of women in surfing, with a focus on Hawaii, the US, and Australia. Kempton highlights achievements in surfing by women, using archival records, interviews, first-hand accounts, photographs, and existing research to piece together a story that spans nearly a millennium. Pure genius and an honor to help bring this book into the world!