Authors have more possibilities than ever when it comes to publishing their books, but if you want a traditional publishing deal, then it's worth considering how an agent can help sell your book. In today's interview, literary agent, Barbara Poelle, gives tips for story craft, query letters, how to find and pitch an agent, plus what to expect from the publishing industry. In the intro, I discuss some of the findings of the Authors Guild report on 2-18-20-with-logo-and-toc-final.pdf&hl=en">The Profession of the Author in the 21st Century; Rebecca Giblin's paper on author rights in Australian publishing agreements; plus, Google Play Books has made publisher signup easier than ever and increased royalty rates and added affiliate links. Plus, I share my walk along the Kennet and Avon canal and my talk about self-publishing on the NaNoWriMo YouTube channel, as well as my writing update on Map of the Impossible. Join me and Mark Dawson for a free webinar on How To Get Your First (Or Next) 10 Book Reviews on Thurs 5 March at 3 pm US Eastern / 8 pm UK. Click here to register for your free place or to get the replay. penn-courses.teachable.com/p/how-to-write-a-novel"> Today's show is sponsored by my course, penn-courses.teachable.com/p/how-to-write-a-novel">How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Finished Manuscript. Is it your dream to write a novel but you just don’t know where to start? Have you started writing only to run out of ideas? Are you suffering from self-doubt about whether you’re good enough to write a novel? Do you feel overwhelmed by all the information and craft books out there? Do you want to strip everything back to basics and learn a step by step process to writing your novel? If yes, this course might be for you. Check out my courses at www.TheCreativePenn.com/learn Barbara Poelle is a literary agent at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency in New York. She's also a magazine columnist at Writer's Digest and the author of Funny You Should Ask: Mostly Serious Answers to Mostly Serious Questions About the Book Publishing Industry. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below. Show Notes * Why craft matters when pitching an agent * The importance of pacing in any book, especially thrillers * The hook, the book and the cook of a query letter * How the agent-author fit is like a relationship * Thoughts on pen names and whether agents are interested in self-published authors * The types of deals that are possible for a book * The reality of being successful in the book industry in the 21st century