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After countless discussions with agents about their workflows and their tools, plus what works (and doesn’t work) for each agency, we’ve noticed some patterns regarding successful agencies that grow beyond a couple people. The ones that last strategize how they spend their time to allow for growth without sacrificing the quality of their client relationships. Instead of working longer hours, they build systems that reduce repetitive administrative work, making more time for discovering great manuscripts, supporting their authors, and growing their business sustainably.
What’s the Difference Between Growth and Scalability?
Growth simply means adding more clients to the business. Scalability means growing without added stress or time spent on administrative tasks because of the larger client base. It means systemizing, delegating, and adopting technology to build a system that spreads the load out.
As an example, you might take on ten new clients. The difference?
Growth: You hire an assistant, you work an extra ten hours a week. The balance all relies on the principal agent's time and their mental organization of the workload.
Scalability: You hire an assistant for administrative tasks, automated workflows handle routine client communications, support staff absorb other additions to the workload, and shared systems keep information organized for everyone.
These types of systems allow a smaller team to handle a large volume of work. They also free up valuable time for more important tasks like pitching, editing, and negotiating contracts.
Principle 1: Systemize the Repetitive Tasks
Identify tasks repeated daily, weekly, or monthly, then document the process. These documented tasks allow for consistency and delegation as needed. If you find yourself explaining certain processes frequently, document those as well.
The Submissions Funnel: Documenting the query process at your agency will save everyone time and frustration. A step-by-step guide means even a new hire can process submissions and know exactly when to send a rejection or flag a notable query. Templates for rejections or manuscript requests further simplify the process.
Contract Review Checklist: Creating a template and checklist for contracts and other documents means first drafts can be delegated.
Beyond these two examples, there are endless ways to systemize work, from royalty spreadsheets and industry contact records to automated prompts for follow-up after a given time. Creating the system is well worth the time in the long run.
Principle 2: Delegate Tasks
Delegating everything but the high-level decision making for the agency leaves the agent’s time open for strategy and working with clients and editors. Everything else can go to assistants, interns, and associate agents.
What to delegate ASAP:
Query Triage and Logging: Assistants or interns can filter out the first 80% of queries before anything makes it to the agent’s desk, eliminating manuscripts that aren’t ready for publishing or don’t fit the agent’s wishlist.
Scheduling and Travel: Meeting booking, pitch scheduling, and travel logistics can all be routed away from the agent’s workflow, saving them time yet again.
File Management: Manuscript, contract, and database organization can additionally be left to support staff, especially if successfully systematized.
Both Principle 1 and 2 facilitate the foundation of a strong system to help the agent avoid micromanaging.
Principle 3: Adopt Core Technology
Some repetitive tasks from Principle 1 can be further systemized by technology. The right tools are the backbone of a scalable company.
A Centralized Database: Instead of copying and pasting information into a spreadsheet, agencies can automate certain information into a database, allowing for easy storage of information as well as easy access.
Automated Communication: Time spent on rejection emails could be otherwise spent working on other tasks. Automation allows rejections with a single click, giving the author the courtesy of a submission update while saving time.
Calendar and Scheduling: Assistants can use tools like Calendly to decrease time spent emailing back and forth to find availability.
FAQs
What’s the biggest barrier to scalability?
Agents are understandably reluctant to make the time to build a better system when they barely have enough time to manage their workload as is. Investing time in documentation, delegation, and technology may slow things down temporarily, but will make a world of difference with freeing up time in the future.
What’s the best thing to systemize?
Spend some time simply observing which tasks are most repetitive for your agency, then start with the most repetitive process. For most, it’ll be query management.
How do I automate communication?
LitArc offers flexibility for agencies to customize and automate common communications throughout the submissions process. Agents can create templates for rejections, manuscript requests, and other routine responses, then send them with minimal effort. Authors receive timely updates, while agents spend less time drafting the same answers repeatedly.