PARK LITERARY & MEDIA: Pete Knapp, Emily Sweet, Andrea Mai

We have Pete Knapp, Emily Sweet, and Andrea Mai from Park Literary & Media on the show today! This is the very first time we’ve had an interview that features more than one guest at a time.

In our conversation, we cover how Park Literary & Media works creatively to promote their clients’ brands in new and exciting ways. Pete, Emily, and Andrea give us examples of their roles and responsibilities in the agency and share what they love most about their positions in the publishing world.

For listeners who are in the middle of querying, or will be querying very soon, they share what they hope to find in a query letter and the first pages of the manuscript. You’ll also learn why it’s crucial to clarify the core of your story in your query letter.

I’m so excited for you to learn from this episode.

Happy listening!

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“Always focus on the craft because the reality is if you keep improving your craft and continue writing your stories, you will get published.”

-Pete Knapp

“There are a lot of great ideas and everyone has great intentions but, in terms of actually making it happen, the devil is in the details.”

-Andrea Mai

“You can’t understate how important the book is. If you have a really good book, then none of the other stuff is going to matter.”

-Emily Sweet

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

- How Park Literary and Media works creatively to promote their clients’ brands in new and exciting ways
- How Park Literary and Media successfully promotes their up-and-coming clients to retailers
- Why having a website or an online presence is not necessary for publication when you have an outstanding book
- Learn what Pete, Emily, and Andrea’s favorite things are about their positions in the publishing world
- A day-to-day look into their roles and responsibilities at the company
- How their different roles merge together to create successful publications and promotions for their clients
- Fun ways Park and Literary and Media discovers unique opportunities to to extended their clients’ brands
- How books serve as communication outlets between authors and their fans
- Why Pete chases authors who are not only skilled at writing but are constantly trying to improve their craft
- What Pete hopes to find in a query letter and the first pages of the manuscript
- The importance of clarifying the core of your story in your query letter
- Why it’s crucial to share the same vision with your literary agent about the direction of your career

Learn More About The Park Literary & Media Team

Pete Knapp: Fueled by the thrill of reading a new story for the first time, Peter works creatively with clients and the PLM team on marketing, branding initiatives and promotions to get great books into the hands of readers. Before joining PLM, he was a story editor at a book-scouting agency working with film clients, and he continues to look for new ways to partner with Hollywood on adaptations and multimedia properties. Find him re-watching Studio Ghibli movies, playing board games with friends, or at Park Literary looking for new voices in middle grade and young adult fiction! You can find Peter on Twitter and on Instagram.

Emily Sweet (Park Literary’s Executive Director of Brand Development and Client Initiatives): At times providing legal and business insight to the agency’s clients, Emily really shines at helping clients build innovative marketing initiatives and develop their own brands in all kinds of ways. This includes overall brand strategy, publicity, website development, social media, promotional partnerships, licensing or simply helping authors mine their own contacts, in order to develop his or her own career in book publishing. After earning a B.A. in Political Science and Women’s Studies, then a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law, this business savvy jack-of-all-trades went on to practice law at King & Spalding, joining PLM in 2009. Now she loves channeling her creativity to dream up possibilities for her clients, and then making them happen.

Andrea Mai (PLM’s Director of Publisher and Retail Relations): Andrea works with authors, publishers and retail accounts to develop and execute promotions that boost brand awareness and maximize sales. She loves a challenge in any form and when she’s not cooking up sales initiatives she brings her creativity into the kitchen where she’s constantly trying new recipes or indulging in something sweet! But her true passion is publishing. After earning a BA in English, she attended the Denver Publishing School before working in sales at Random House and then Penguin Young Readers Group. Andrea joined PLM in 2013 and is the main point person for publishers as well as a liaison with film studios and retail accounts. She’s constantly working to create marketing plans and build promotions around PLM clients that go beyond the book and bring excitement and new fans to their brands.