Agent Friday: Ted Weinstein

This week, I've got some fascinating audio and video recordings that will give you some of the benefits of a writing conference without spending any money. Though our agent of the week does not host a blog, he's shared so much information online, I couldn't skip him.

Ted Weinstein's agency, Ted Weinstein Literary Management, has been running for ten years. An author himself, and heavily involved in journalism (he's even the music critic for NPR's All Things Considered), Weinstein has his finger on the pulse of today's publishing industry. He's been in publishing for twenty years.

Though he accepts only adult non-fiction, the information he dispenses is helpful to writers of all genres. Look through the links below to see which might be useful to you.

Three audio workshops to listen to: 

Book Proposal Bootcamp: a 90-minute recording from the 2008 Writer's League of Texas Conference. Download the handout, too. I know this one will come in handy someday.

The Business of Publishing: a 45-minute talk given at the 2009 San Francisco Writers Conference. It's worth a lot to hear a veteran of the business give an inside view.

Writers on Writing: Weinstein was a guest on this 20-minute radio show in fall 2010.

Weinstein has a series of brief videos that share even more information:

Intro: What authors need to know to attract the interest of an agent.

Build Your Brand: working on your career, even if you don't have a "name".

The Importance of Platform for Authors:   how high do you stand above the "others"?

The Brand Called You: more specifics, and a great book recommendation.

How Agents Find Authors: three ways agents find authors, and why Weinstein reads his own slush.

An interview in Publisher's Weekly, where Weinstein explains why going with a big publisher is no longer "a foregone conclusion".

How are you building your brand and platform as an "unknown"?