For over a decade NLA has compiled our yearly stats. This year is no exception and there is one positive note in the number of manuscripts requested that also received offers of representation. This is good news for writers! Find out what else was positive for writers in 2021 (hint: across the pond).
13,932 : Queries read and responded to. Up 371 queries from 2020 [which had a total of 13,561]. This looks like a close match…but it’s not. The agents of NLA, collectively, were closed to queries about 47% of 2021, as opposed to in 2020, when we were collectively closed to queries for only 27% of the year. So our average number of queries received per month actually increased 29% in 2021 over 2020.
353 : Number of full manuscripts requested and read (down from 430 in 2020): 95 requests for Kristin, 161 requests for Joanna, and although no longer with the agency, 97 requests for the other agents.
111 : Number of manuscripts we requested that received offers of representation, either from us or from other agents/agencies (up from 106 in 2020). This is good news for writers in the query trenches.
22 : Number of referred manuscripts KN read and considered during the times she was closed to general submissions but open to referrals only. The total for number of referrals read is 34 when including the other agents.
3 : Number of new clients who signed with NLA (0 for Kristin—which is first in her career; 3 for Joanna)
37 : Books released in 2021 (down slightly from 41 in 2020).
2 : Number of career New York Times bestsellers for Joanna. Extra congrats to her client Kate Baer!
51 : Number of career New York Times bestsellers for Kristin (up from 48 in 2020). Marie Lu hit the list again this year, while Stacey Lee and Richard Chizmar made it for the first time.
5 : TV and major motion picture deals (almost on par with the 6 from previous year)
1 : TV show in production (Wool Saga coming on Apple+ in 2023)
126 : Foreign-rights deals done (up from 70 in 2020). Wowza. This is great news for writers, as foreign markets are another great source of income.
0 : Physical conferences attended. Thanks again, Covid.
2 : Virtual conferences attended by Kristin (Story Brook Children’s Lit Fellows, Virtual Stoker Con).
103 : Physical holiday cards sent (up one from 102 in 2020—we still only sent to clients during this Covid year).
736 : Electronic holiday cards sent (down from 837 in 2020 as a lot of editors left and we did a much needed cleanup of the list).
0 : Eggnog-chai lattes consumed during December because Starbucks didn’t offer. Huge sad face.
Lots : Of wonderful days reading and appreciating creators.
Sobering!
Thank you.
Now let’s move on to ’22
and higher expectations
everywhere.
Lots of love (unconditional) to us all.
Sally M. Singer
Thank you for working so hard for writers, as always, and congratulations to all who made the grade even with stuff competition and long odds. Having written, published, and marketed my own work, I know the blood sweat and tears that go into to this labor of love. Cheers!