“…If/when I travel to a big book fair again, I will be able to attend seminars for professional development as well as touring the halls to discover new possibilities and publishing trends, rather than focussing solely on meetings and being confined to the agents’ centre or Australian stand.”
In a profile interview with Think Australian, literary agent Jacinta di Mase, founder and lead agent Jacinta di Mase Management, spoke about the impact of Covid-19 on the way she makes contacts and sells rights.
Like so many in the industry, di Mase turned adversity to advantage and drew on the benefits of the (for now) New Normal to improve her performance and look at longer-term changes beyond the pandemic.
We have embraced video conferencing and hold regular meetings with our sub-agents and literary scouts. This has led to much stronger connections and positive results in real time. Now that I have regular meetings with our international contacts, if/when I travel to a big book fair again, I will be able to attend seminars for professional development as well as touring the halls to discover new possibilities and publishing trends, rather than focussing solely on meetings and being confined to the agents’ centre or Australian stand.
