And gives SJ Writers one on one book pitch rehearsals
by Sharyn Konyak
A unique ability to translate random letter combinations into words earned literary agent Sheree Bykofsky an opportunity to try out for a coveted spot on the Wheel of Fortune. But when she spun the wheel and guessed the $34,000 cryptogram puzzle, it wasn’t luck. It was an understanding of the game and its audience, planning and perseverance. As she recounted her preparation for the chance of a lifetime to a group of eager listeners at the June South Jersey Writers’ Group meeting, she highlighted how these same qualities are necessary to get published. They are among the Six Secrets to Getting Published she shared with our members.
Understanding the game or having a sense of the marketplace is one of the most important, she believes. When querying an agent or publisher, it is important to know where a book fits on the shelf. That means research doesn’t end the minute an author begins writing. Instead, it continues long after the final revision by reading Goodreads reviews, trade publications and bestseller lists. Visiting book stores is another effective way to identify other authors in the genre and discover what booksellers are putting on their shelves.
The acknowledgements page of any book provides an insider’s look into the process. It is where authors recognize editors, agents and publishers. If a manuscript matches a book within a genre, the people thanked on that page are likely to be the best target for the manuscript.
Sheree also revealed the Five Reasons You Need an Agent. An author’s road to publication can be fraught with rejections, revisions and obstacles. Literary agents are experts in their field. It is their job to make and maintain contacts in the publishing world, to know which publishers represent which genres and negotiate the best contract for authors. Sheree didn’t decry self-publishing and acknowledged it can be a suitable option for some authors.
Sheree Bykofsky founded Sheree Bykofsky Associates, Inc. in 1991. A long standing member of the AAR, and the first agent to have a web page (Shereebee.com), Sheree has represented over a thousand authors in all areas of adult non-fiction as well as literary and commercial fiction. She is an Adjunct Professor at several universities and teaches at conferences around the country.
Sheree is also the author, co-author and editor of more than thirty books, including the best-selling The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published (Pearson), now in its fifth edition and absolutely not for idiots.
Sheree is also a poker pro, and her newest book is The Kaizen of Poker: How to Continuously Improve Your Hold’Em Game (ECW, 2018).
And importantly, she won $34,000 on Wheel of Fortune!
