157. Noah Feldman, American Legal Scholar, Academic, and Author
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Noah Feldman, Harvard Law professor, author, and ethical advisor talks about his career in constitutional law and his experiences in Iraq and Tunisia, sharing stories from his time guiding, and in some cases, establishing, the law of countries in turmoil or collapse. He also talks about the themes explored in his books and current pursuits. Real World Projects in Constitutional Law Noah describes his academic journey, starting from his early love for school and his decision to pursue academia full-time, with brief interruptions for real-world projects. He shares his...
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156. Ted Caplow, Life at the Intersection of Society and Technology
The 92 Report
Show Notes Ted Caplow graduated with a degree in social science and has had a career in engineering and entrepreneurship. He describes his initial interest in science and his experience with physics at Harvard, which he found challenging. Ted shares his interest in humanities, particularly theater, and his involvement in various theater activities at Harvard. He discusses his consideration of theater conservatory programs and urban planning after graduation. Joining the Peace Corps and Sailing across the Atlantic Ted recounts his application to the Peace Corps and the unexpected...
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155. Lloyd Lee, A Blessed Life and Real Estate Private Equity
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Lloyd opens the conversation by talking about the infinite opportunities at Harvard and encourages incoming freshmen to make the most of their time there. Lloyd shares his initial plan to study pre-med but also pursued fine arts, specifically architecture, and theater work. He mentions meeting Professor James Stilgoe at the Graduate School of Design, which opened his eyes to opportunities beyond STEM. From Cornell to New York City Lloyd discusses his decision to attend Cornell and his subsequent move to New York City. He had two job offers: working at Disney or a consulting firm,...
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154. Trisha Pérez Kennealy, Culinary Arts & Community Building
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Trisha Pérez Kennealy describes her initial stint in New York in commercial banking, followed by investment banking and studying to become a chef at Le Cordon Bleu in London, where she lived for three years. She moved back to the United States, settling in Lexington. She has three children and while they were little, she was active in town meetings, became a town official, and advocated for public education. In 2010, Trisha bought a property near the Battle Green in Lexington and converted it into a luxury hotel with 22 guest rooms and a restaurant. It opened in 2014...
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153. Rana Dershowitz, A Career Driven by Passion from Sports Law and Public Policy
The 92 Report
Rana Dershowitz went straight to Harvard Law School after graduating in 1992, partly due to the economy and her love for learning. She describes her experience at Harvard Law School, including her role as a law school "old timer" in Cambridge. After law school, Rana moved back to New York and started working on Wall Street, initially hating the big law environment but appreciating the people she worked with. Entertainment Law at Madison Square Garden and onto Sports Law Rana discusses her career counselor's advice to explore sports law, which she had overlooked despite her involvement in...
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152. Eugene Kim, Pediatric Surgeon and Wine Connoisseur
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Eugene Kim shares his post-graduation journey staying in Boston to finish research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute which was part of his thesis and also laid down the groundwork for his own cancer research which he has conducted over the years. He credits his understanding of science to his time at Harvard. He also worked at the now-closed Love the Border Cafe. Eugene reflects on the valuable lessons learned from working at the cafe and describes the unique subculture of the cafe's staff, including the Brazilian kitchen staff and the diverse backgrounds of the waiters and...
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151. Jonathan Hughes, Consulting at the Intersection of Strategy & Conflict Management
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Jonathan Hughes talks about his career in consulting, starting with an economic consulting firm, Putnam Hayes and Bartlett, in Los Angeles. He mentions his connection back to Harvard through CMI (Conflict Management Inc.) founded by Roger Fisher and Bruce Patton, and his subsequent roles at Vantage Partners and BDO. The Career Path As a Consultant Jonathan describes his role at CMI, focusing on complex negotiations and business partnerships, and his role in helping to start the boutique firm, Vantage Partners where he spent around 25 years as a partner. He later moved over to BDO,...
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150. Steve Petersen, From Improv to Philosophy of AI
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Steve recounts his senior year at Harvard, and how he was torn between pursuing acting and philosophy. He graduated with a dual degree in philosophy and math but also found time to act in theater and participated in 20 shows. A Love of Theater and a Move to London Steve explains why the lack of a theater major at Harvard allowed him to explore acting more than a university with a theater major. He touches on his parents' concerns about his career prospects if he pursued acting, and his decision to apply to both acting and philosophy graduate schools. Steve discusses his...
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149. P.J. Karafiol, Chicago Public High School Principal
The 92 Report
Show Notes: P.J. shares the backstory of his name and how he became a high school principal. He studied simultaneously in law school for a JD and in the Philosophy department for a PhD at the University of Chicago. After realizing he didn't enjoy law or philosophy, he taught math at Phillips Andover and later in Chicago. He helped start a new public school, Walter Payton College Prep, and has been a principal at Lake View High School for the past 10 years. Teaching Chaos Theory and Math P.J. describes his experience teaching at Phillips Andover, including teaching chaos theory. He found the...
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148. Scott Cole, 50+ Jobs Worked Since Harvard
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Scott Cole describes his initial struggles at Harvard, dropping out after freshman year, and returning multiple times before finally graduating in 2012. He shares his first dropout experience, including a brief stint in California and a return to Harvard for sophomore year. He details his various jobs and adventures, including working at a car wash, landscaping, and a research assistant position at Harvard Forest. Working on a Ranch in Wyoming Scott thinks back to his days working at a ranch in Wyoming, where he learned cowboy skills and participated in cattle drives. He...
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Lauren Galit began her career as a magazine editor for about a decade before transitioning into editing and agency work. She started with Gentleman's Quarterly, she worked for advertisers, and later worked for Mode magazine, a plus size women's magazine. She eventually landed her last job at Good Housekeeping.
Lauren was a deputy editor at a magazine, where she was responsible for managing the entire content and was in charge of every word that went into the magazine. She worked with a team of writers, editors, and editors and was able to bring her ideas to life. However, Her passion for connecting authors to audiences and helping them craft their voices led her to switch from magazines to books. She realized that going longer form was a better way to nurture these relationships and nurture the writers’ voices. She went to an agency where she took a major pay and title cut and became an assistant.
Working as a Literary Agent
Lauren’s journey from magazines to books has been a journey of connecting authors to audiences and helping them craft their voices. She has learned to adapt her approach to different publications and agencies, focusing on building relationships and fostering a supportive environment for authors.
Agency work involves generating book ideas, seeking out authors, and working with them to shape their proposals and sell the books to publishers. The agent works with the author to execute the book, executing contracts, shepherding covers, production schedules, and timelines. Lauren started working for John Boswell Associates, a company known for creating 365 Ways to Cook Chicken, and later worked on other projects such as What Not to Wear. The success of this book led her to start her own agency in 2006 and has since worked on various projects in categories such as parenting, diet, exercise, and fitness.
What a Literary Agency Does
As an agent, Lauren used to work with authors to shape and create their proposals, ensuring that they were well-researched and well-written. I also helped them navigate the publication process, including negotiating deals and addressing issues with the editor. The role of the editor in publishing houses, particularly for nonfiction books, is crucial, as the author may have a vision of what the book should be, and the editor may have a different version of what will appeal to the market.
The agency provides services based on the category and interventionist approach. For nonfiction, the agency shapes a proposal, which includes a table of contents, advice, tips, and anecdotes. The proposal, along with marketing and publicity sections, goes to the publisher to entice the publisher to buy the book. In fiction, the book is sold on a full manuscript, while in nonfiction, the book is sold on a proposal.
Lauren explains the business side of the agreement between agent and author, the services provided, percentage of the deal, and what the publishing house covers.
The Role of the Editor and Relationship with the Author
Lauren explains that the agent, editor and author often have a phone call to discuss the concept, and if there are conflicts, the editor expects the author to deliver a different version of the book. There are various options for rewrites, and if they cannot come to terms, the contract can be dissolved.
Lauren has represented the authors of many books around exercise, diet, and fitness, including books about eating fruits and vegetables, exercising, and getting fit. She has shifted her focus to children's literature and middle grade literature for the last decade. She explains the importance of developing a hook and offers a few examples to illustrate how the hook works.
Lauren discusses her experiences in the middle grade and YA fiction space, focusing on magical realism and contemporary books with hints of magic. She highlights the importance of casting a lens on children's emotional lives and making them more consequential.
Exploring What Editors Want
Lauren also discusses approaching publishers and the Rolodex process, which involves researching what editors are looking for and aligning interests appropriately. She suggests that there is a need for more middle grade fiction, as dystopian fiction is being burned out. Lauren also discusses the gender imbalance in middle grade, with boys reading children's books up until a certain age. They often switch to genre fiction, mysteries, adventure novels, and fantasy, but not YA books. She explains why editors don't want to invest too heavily in YA books with male protagonists.
Lauren's advice for other authors in the middle grade and YA fiction space is to focus on matching interests and aligning interests appropriately, and to be patient with the process.
The Landscape of the Book Industry
Lauren explains how the book industry works and how it has been broken down into imprints, with each house having different rules. Lauren touches on the decline of children's imprints, such as Razorbill, which was decommissioned and merged into a single imprint. This has led to a significant downturn in the children's market, with the famous imprint Ink Yard at HarperCollins being discontinued. As a result, the number of outlets and opportunities for book deals decreases.
The shift in the book industry is driven by specialization, specialization, and the need for a diverse range of genres and formats. The book industry is a complex and evolving landscape, with authors often being upset about their intellectual property being trained by AI. This can lead to a lack of understanding of what people know or think about book publishing.
Lauren talks about the role of publishing houses in the future, the importance of an agent, and offers insight on advances for writers. For both fiction and nonfiction, there may be apps that can help authors create books for themselves, such as AI tools that can write books for specific topics or provide personalized advice. However, Lauren states that AI is flawed in its current state, as it is repetitive, clunky, and introduces falsehoods.
Influential Courses or Professors at Harvard
Lauren mentions Marjorie Garber as an influential professor.
Timestamps:
04:13 Bringing out an author's own voice
09:39 How Lauren started her own publishing company
16:03 The role of the editor at the publishing house
22:17 How Lauren got into parenting books
27:34 How to approach publishers for manuscripts
32:56 Boys and girls and YA?
37:08 Selling books with fewer and fewer big buyers.
41:23 The importance of having an editor who loves your book
45:47 Advice for aspiring writers
Links:
Website: LKGAgency
CONTACT:
X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/LKGagency