Writing While Black: Agent Victoria Sanders Discusses Zora Neale Hurston and Writers of African Descent in White America
By Jill Nagle
Victoria Sanders & Associates LLC, a literary agency, was founded in 1992 and represents writers of both fiction and
nonfiction. In honor of Black History Month, I asked Victoria, who represents the estate of Zora Neale Hurston as well as a long list of African American writers, to tell me about her work with writers of African descent.
How, if at all, has your roster of predominantly writers of African descent influenced the publishing industry in general?
Readers influence publishing more than agents do, but readers can only select from the choices available to them. If you believe there are readers out there for a particular book, you have to convince editors and publishers in order to make it happen. When we are talking about writers of African descent, we are often talking about voices that have not been heard before, voices that are both part of and outside American culture and voices that have a unique perspective on what it means to be different in this culture. As an agent I try to make the case that there is a strong reading community among those who identify as Black or African-American, and that this is a growing community.
I also try to educate (as I have been educated) white or non-Black publishers, marketing directors, and editors about the unique buying patterns of Black readers. For example, frequently Black book buyers will buy multiple copies of a favorite new book to share with family and friends. This is not as prevalent in the white community. Thus, even if your demographic is 12% of the population, you are looking at a higher multiple of those dollars due to these buying habits.
How is the racism of the publishing world similar to or different from the rest of the institutions in the
U.S.?
I think it is more or less the same. I think the manifestations of racism, sexism, and homophobia are similar to what you would see in other institutions. Publishing can be more liberal, but also more insular, than other institutions, so it probably comes out about the same. I do think that white people in publishing (myself included) like to think of ourselves as different and more active about combating racism, sexism, and homophobia. However, I also think that any Black, female, or gay person (myself included) would tell you that we have a very long way to go.
Loosing the hold of dead white men on what college English departments refer to as "the canon" has been a difficult mission, and its proponents, now almost twenty years ago, got called
"PC fascists" and other lovely things for daring to suggest people of ethnicities other than European might broaden the rest of our world. I remember being in the thick of that. What can you say about Black literature in the face of white standards of excellence?
I think there has been undeniable progress, but again, I think a lot more could be done. Zora Neale Hurston was not in the curriculum when I was in college. The only time you would read Black literature would be in a course on the Harlem Renaissance. Now, my nieces, who recently graduated from college, have read
Their Eyes Were Watching God, the novel for which Hurston is best known, in literature survey courses.
Many of the classics that have dominated the curriculum for generations hold their places there because they have always been there. Not that they aren't worth reading, but there are other works that are equally deserving and perhaps speak more eloquently to the questions of identity in 21st century America, questions with huge social and political relevance.
How do you find the writers on your list?
Writers and agents recommend new writers to me, and I also respond to query letters from writers who are looking for an agent but do not have any contacts in the industry. Often new writers will contact me because they love the work of one of my clients, and have seen my name in the acknowledgments section of a client's book.
Alice Walker has spoken with passion about Zora Neale Hurston's importance to her and other writers of African descent in paving the way for their own work. You are the representative of Ms. Hurston's estate. How did you come upon this responsibility, what do you do with those rights, and how if at all does what you do with those rights impact the climate of Black literature?
Agents tend to know each other, and to know each others' client lists. I represent Connie Briscoe, Dr. Bertice Berry, Yolanda Joe, and many other writers who are well-known in the
community. Another agent was approached for a recommendation and I was who she recommended. On the basis of a negotiation and advance I got for a book of Zora Neale Hurston's letters for the estate and the editor of the book, the estate was pleased enough with my endeavors to ask me to handle the estate and its business. I think the estate was looking for someone who would zealously represent their literary and financial interests, which are more related than you might think.
From the point of view of Hurston's literary legacy, you want an ever-increasing readership and an indelible place in the American literary canon. From a financial point of view, the more money a publisher pays, the more invested they are in recouping that advance through book sales. Convincing publishers to pay a certain advance can correlate to a wider readership and in that sense contribute to promoting Hurston's literay legacy and the dignity and stature of her work.
The rights to Hurston's work are constantly sought for publishing and other media, such as film, television, theatre, opera, and other licensing opportunities tied to the stamp
and her image. We field these inquiries and bring them to the estate with recommendations about the proposed projects.
Expanding the readership of Hurston's works inspires new generations of writers and contributes to an environment in which that work will be appreciated, so I think this is a significant and positive impact on the climate of Black literature.
What kinds of works are catching your eye these days?
I don't think it works to chase fads or fashions in publishing. I look at quality of writing, story and character (if the work is fiction), and what is fresh or new about the manuscript, what the hook is and whether that has commercial potential.
Contact Information:
Victoria Sanders & Associates, LLC
241 Avenue of the Americas
Suite 11-H
New York, NY 10114
212-633-8811
Website: http://www.victoriasanders.com/
E-mail for query letters: queriesvsa@hotmail.com
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Resources for Black writers and their fans:
Black Issues Book Review An engaging, up-to-the-minute publication featuring Black authors and their books. I remember discovering this gem of a publication years ago. Now it's
online-- check it out here: http://www.bibookreview.com/
Black Writers United Group A Yahoo online community with more than 1400 members:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bwunited
The reading and writing SISTAZ online book club - http://www.rawsistaz.com
E-books - Need a fix now? Download an e-book by an African American writer. Find those writers here:
http://www.gayletiller.com/authors.htm
Black Writer's Guild of Maryland local but universally inspiring: http://blackwritersguild.org/
For TONS more relevant links, go to http://www.EverythingBlack.com
and click on the "literature" link.
Jill Nagle is a published author and the founder and principal of GetPublished, which provides coaching, consulting, editing and other services for aspiring and ready-for-next step authors. Find us here:
http://www.GetPublished.com.
