You have a book idea. Maybe you've had it for years. But here's what nobody tells you — the idea is not enough. Before a literary agent finishes reading your pitch, they're already Googling you. And if what they find doesn't back you up, that email gets closed.

In this episode of Unknown to Known, Jamie Maglietta sits down with Sally Ekus — literary agent, founder of The Ekus Group, and author of the Substack newsletter The Not So Secret Agent — to pull back the curtain on what it really takes to land a traditional book deal. Sally has placed authors with Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and more, and she is one of the most transparent voices in publishing today.

In this conversation they cover the full road to becoming a published author — from comp research at your local bookstore to building a platform before you ever send a pitch. Sally also breaks down the difference between traditional, hybrid and self-publishing, explains what the 1-3% audience conversion rule means for your follower count, shares the behind-the-scenes story of how The Lao Kitchen came to be, and delivers a serious warning about using AI in your query letter — because she can spot it immediately and it's an automatic pass.

This one is for every person who has ever said "I should write a book." Today we figure out what's standing between you and that deal.

🔗 Sally's Substack — Not So Secret Agent: https://substack.com/@sallyekusThe Ekus Group: https://ekusgroup.com⚠️ Writers Beware (author scam resource): https://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/

Connect on IG: https://www.instagram.com/sallyekus/

Proposal Guide: https://notsosecretagent.substack.com/p/cookbook-proposal-guidelines?r=6lue7

Mentioned: Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) - https://www.ibpa-online.org/

Connect with Jamie:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamie_maglietta/

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-maglietta/

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