#157 Inside the Mind of a Literary Agent: Sam Hiyate on Selling Books, Pitching, and Breaking Into Hollywood

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Sam Hiyate

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I met Sam Hiyate, President & CEO of The Rights Factory, at the Erma Bombeck Writer’s Conference—and I knew I had to have him on Freelance Writing Direct. His agency has championed bestsellers like This One Summer by Jillian & Mariko Tamaki, and Healthy AF (Ditch the Diet) by Oonagh Duncan, and in our conversation he shares such smart, candid insights about the business of books.

We cover everything from what agents really want in a pitch to why escapism and hope are resonating with readers right now—and even how BookTok and backlist titles are fueling deals in publishing and film/TV.

In This Episode 

  • The trends shaping today’s book market, including the rise of speculative elements in literary and commercial fiction [2:45]

  • How “Hollywood memoirs” and screen-ready stories are attracting publishers [5:31]

  • Why themes of escapism, hope, and redemption resonate with readers in turbulent times [6:05]

  • The changing role of editors and the increased need for outside editing before submission [10:33]

  • The realities of pitching agents—what to prepare, how to stand out, and why most pitches get a “no” [12:36]

  • How social media, BookTok, TED Talks, and even backlist titles can drive publishing and film/TV deals [26:05]

  • Why career-building authorship is more valuable than a one-hit wonder—and how agents nurture long-term writer relationships [29:10]

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About Sam Hiyate 

SAM HIYATE is keen to discover new voices and help writers prepare their works for market, and to help them build lasting careers. In the past two decades with THE RIGHTS FACTORY his hundreds of book deals have resulted in several bestsellers such as MORE, the memoir by Molly Roden Winter, THIS ONE SUMMER, the graphic novel by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, non-fiction such as HEALTHY AF (DITCH THE DIET) by Oonagh Duncan and THE MYTH of CAPITALISM by Jonathan Tepper and Denise Hearn, and fiction such as GIRLS IN WHITE DRESSES by Jennifer Close and THE ADULT by Bronwyn Fischer.

Connect with Sam

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Related Episode

#148 How to Hook Readers by Planting Curiosity Seeds in Interactive Novels with Bianca Marais

Other Episodes with Agents

#135 Joelle Delbourgo

#147 Maria Whelan

#76 Rita Rosenkranz

#80 Amy Collins

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