What services do you provide?
Curious Minds’ services include:
Editing. We offer advice and help where wanted, working in consultation with you to do as much editorial work as we feel is necessary in producing marketable ideas, proposals and manuscripts. And we are always happy to read and comment on chapters as your book is written.
Sales. We discuss with you where we intend to place your project, working closely with you on strategy, submission and negotiation and keeping you promptly and regularly informed. Nothing is submitted to any publisher without your approval, and we convey responses from editors directly to you. After submission, interested editors will often ask to chat or meet with the author before they make an offer. We brief you on what they are likely to want to discuss, and where possible we offer to accompany you to the meeting if you wish. Once an offer is on the table, we talk to you about the strengths and weaknesses of the publisher or imprint that has shown an interest.
Marketing and publicity. We monitor the publisher’s handling of your work, including such details as packaging, advertising and publicity. If a dispute arises, we can mediate between you and your publishing house.
Film and television. We track all aspects of the commercial exploitation of your project including film and television rights. We liaise closely with radio and television producers as well as a select number of film and television agents. We also revert rights where the licensee is no longer exploiting them.
Foreign sales. Depending on the individual project, translation sales are handled either directly by us or through leading subagents and co-agents around the world (their commission is paid by our agency). We also also represent our authors at major international book fairs and regularly visit publishers in the UK, US and Europe.
Legal. We draw up and negotiate all contracts internally, based on precedents negotiated over the years with each publishing house. We also monitor copyright.
Accounts and taxation. We handle all author payments, requests for VAT, foreign tax-exemption certificates and so on, and generally act as your financial watchdog throughout the life of your work. We check royalty statements and chase overdue accounting, paying monies owed to you promptly on receipt. All client money is held in a trust account separate from the funds of the agency.
What are your terms and conditions?
We require our authors to sign an agency agreement that spells out the details of the author–agent relationship. Under this agreement we:
Retain a 15 per cent commission on UK and Commonwealth sales and a 20 per cent commission on US, Canada, translation, audio, film and television sales. (For US and Canadian authors, the commission is 15 per cent for US and Canada sales, 20 per cent for UK and Commonwealth sales.)
Pay the author’s share of monies within 10 days of funds clearing, less any local taxes, bank charges and commissions. (For authors taxable in the European Union, we charge VAT on commission, net of any payments made to subagents or co-agents, at the prevailing German rate.)
Do not charge the author for expenses incurred in the normal operation of a business office such as administrative, postage, telephone, fax or other overhead costs.
Are entitled with the author’s prior approval to receive reimbursement from the author for any unusual or extraordinary expenses (such as legal expenses, requests from the author for courier shipments or special promotional book orders). Applicable expense charges are accrued to the author’s account and reimbursed from the author’s income. Reimbursed deductions are itemized and supported by receipts.
Shall hold all confidential information in confidence and trust, and shall not use, publish or disclose it, except (1) to another person or entity bound by a duty of confidentiality to the author and needing to know the information in order to carry out Author’s purposes, or (2) as specifically permitted by the author.
Please note that we never charge an author for commission until a contract is agreed and signed by the author: that is, we don’t earn until the author does.
How do I put together a proposal?
When approaching publishers with a nonfiction book project, it’s often preferable not to have written the whole manuscript. Prospective editors and publishers will want a chance to influence an author’s thinking about the structure, content and style of the final book to make it as appealing as possible to its target audience. What’s more, editors often don’t have the time to read entire manuscripts, and may end up simply passing over those that are submitted.
They’d rather see an impressive submission package that addresses their key questions and provides enough material to enable them to evaluate your project and determine their ability to market and publicize your finished book successfully. We work closely with our clients to develop the material and final package, but we do ask all authors to submit a carefully detailed publishing proposal, as outlined below, to start the development process.
There are five important questions that every editor wants to see answered in a book proposal:
What is the book about?
What is the book’s thesis or argument, and what’s new about it?
Why are you the right person to write the book?
Why is now the right time to publish the book?
Who is the core audience for the book, and why will they find it appealing?
The ideal submission package should therefore contain the following sections:
1. Introductory pitch. A narrative or description of 10–20 double-spaced pages explaining: (a) what your proposed book is about and why what you have to say is important, original or controversial; (b) why the book is needed – i.e. the problems, reasons or situations that prompted you to want to write it; (c) what makes it distinctive or unique; (d) any fresh approach or perspectives you will offer, in for example style or content. A useful strategy is to focus on the central question you’re asking, why it’s an important question that previous authors either haven’t understood properly or haven’t addressed at all, what your approach is and where it leads you. In addressing these questions you should strive to show rather than just tell: support any generalizations with memorable examples, quotations, anecdotes and facts and figures. You can consider this introductory pitch as a draft preface, except you should avoid taking the reader through a chapter-by-chapter description. So rather than summarize what you’ll say later, write what you'd want to read about your book in the New York Times Book Review – that is, tell readers where you stand.
2. Market and competition. Who is the intended audience for the book? Is the audience local or international? What benefits will your book bring to this audience? Why should they buy, read and talk about your book? Why might it be important or influential? Are there any circumstances we should bear in mind from the point of view of timing? In short, why should people care about your book? This is where you should also discuss how your book stands out from competing books on the same or a similar topic as well as mention comparable books – books that are not directly competitive but whose readers you wish to reach. ‘This book will appeal to readers of…’ – and say why.
3. Publication details. Please outline: (a) the proposed book length (an average general nonfiction book contains 70,000–90,000 words, which makes a 250–320-page book); (b) the number and type of display items, if any (tables, graphs, charts; line drawings; photographs; plate sections – colour or black-and-white); (c) how long you realistically need to complete the finished manuscript – i.e. delivery date.
4. Biographical sketch. This should be written in the third person and stress your background, training and experience and point to your authority to write the book. Include the following information if pertinent: (a) a list and description of books you have published (title, publisher, year; sales figures; reprint, book-club and foreign deals if possible); (b) details of your activities to promote previous books, including author tours and public talks; (c) a selection of book reviews; (d) a selection of articles written by you or about you and your work, particularly if aimed at a general audience; (e) a list of academic publications and current research interests; (f) details of your lecture activities and media appearances; (g) any blogs or websites devoted to you or your work. If you have a robust social media presence, e.g. on Tiktok, LinkedIn, or Twitter, please include relevant details.
5. Table of contents. A single page containing a list of chapter titles – and subtitles or one-line summaries if necessary.
6. Chapter summaries. These should run to two or three single-spaced pages. Each chapter heading should be followed by two or three paragraphs (but no more) presenting brief capsule versions of the planned content and main arguments or objectives of that particular chapter. The summaries should be written in full continuous prose. Avoid jargon and textbook language, as well as repetitive phrases (such as ‘In this chapter…’, ‘This chapter looks at…’). A sound plan might be for the first paragraph to identify the point of the chapter and for the second to highlight materials or devices that the chapter will use to support the point. Focus on how each chapter will function within the logic of the whole book. If your introductory pitch was equivalent to an architectural elevation (‘Look at the beautiful building I’m proposing to put up’), the outline is the floor plan: it tells how the parts will be organized into a coherent whole.
7. Sample chapter. Editors and publishers will need to know how your book is going to turn out in the telling (in fact this is often the decisive factor). So a sample chapter showcasing your writing is invaluable if not essential. It should provide an example of your prose style and the level and content of the proposed book. To what extent, for example, will your own voice appear? What literary devices do you intend to use to sustain the narrative – e.g. literary, historical or philosophical references, comic asides, personal anecdotes, imaginative metaphors? The chapter doesn’t have to restrict itself to the stuff of one particular chapter in the finished book: it can cannibalize material from other chapters if need be. And if you’ve written long articles on the topic of the book, then those can be submitted in its place – as long as they look enough like the stuff of book writing and not too much like journalism.
Do you deal with academic publishers?
Yes, we do. The top university presses have trade lists that compete with those of the major commercial houses. And there are situations where they not only can offer bigger advances than any of those houses, but also can publish your work better – more rigorous editing, higher production standards, more energetic and focused marketing and publicity.
How do you sell foreign rights?
We represent our authors at major international book fairs around the world and make regular selling visits to publishers in the UK, US and Europe.
For all territories excluding Japan and Korea, translation rights are handled by Louisa Pritchard at Louisa Pritchard Associates. We work very closely with Louisa, attending the London and Frankfurt book fairs with her and jointly hosting many of our meetings there.
In Japan our titles are represented by the English Agency (Japan), and in Korea by the Duran Kim Agency.
Any commission charged by subagents and co-agents is paid by our agency.
How do I obtain permissions for extracts?
If you wish to quote from one of our author's works you must apply for formal permission to do so. You will need to supply us with full details of the extract you wish to use, including the number of words, the title of the volume in which it originally appeared and the name of the original publisher, as well as information about your own publication, including the title, publisher, price, size of print run and territory in which it will be published. Please also let us know the fee you are proposing.
You may apply via our info email.
We respond to permission requests as quickly as we can but we may not be able to give you an immediate response. If you have a deadline to meet, you should therefore make sure you apply in good time.
The fees we charge for the use of our authors' work are based on a standard scale approved by the Society of Authors. The level of fee will vary depending on a number of factors, including the length of the piece, the territory in which you wish to publish and the size of your print run. Payment should be made on publication of the work in which the quotation appears.