Interview by Margaret Lea
Vicky Weber is a former elementary school teacher turned bestselling children’s book author and literary agent at Creative Media Agency. She represents commercial fiction—from board books to adult—but specializes in children’s literature. In every manuscript she represents, Vicky seeks intensity in the writing. She wants to be fully immersed in the moment, experiencing the story alongside the characters. If your book is high-concept, commercial fiction with beautiful, literary-leaning prose, it’s probably up her alley.
We’re thrilled to welcome Vicky as our guest speaker for our February 3rd meeting! To help you get to know her better, she answered a few questions we’ve shared below.
Vicky, which of your roles do you most enjoy and why?
Honestly, it’s hard to pick just one because all my roles—author, agent, coach, and entrepreneur—are so connected. They feed into each other in ways that make every day feel fresh and exciting. That said, my own writing has taken a bit of a backseat recently, which I’m trying to fix. I’m a natural people-pleaser, so it’s easy for me to focus on helping others with their stories instead of carving out time for my own.
My coaching company, At Home Author, is something I do on the side because I love teaching and helping authors navigate the industry. But most of my time is split between agenting and writing. Every day looks a little different depending on what’s happening. For example, this week, I’m preparing for At Home Author’s first-ever Picture Book Creator Conference. My background as a literary agent has been key to bringing in a great lineup of speakers and agents for the event.
At the end of the day, all my roles come back to one goal: making publishing more accessible. Whether it’s through coaching, agenting, or my own writing, I want to help authors find their path in this industry.
Do you prefer self-publishing or traditional publishing? Why?
That’s such a tricky question because my answer changes depending on where I am in life. I love self-publishing because I enjoy having control over every aspect of the process. I also don’t mind the work that goes into it—I’ve learned so much over the years that it feels less overwhelming now than it did when I first started.
That said, self-publishing takes a ton of time, and with two little kids (a 1.5-year-old and a 3.5-year-old), I’ve leaned more into traditional publishing lately. It’s just easier to hand things off to my agent while I focus on my family. But I know that as my kids get older, I’ll likely swing back toward self-publishing because I enjoy it so much.
I also think it’s important for authors to understand both sides of the industry. For most of us, one path alone isn’t enough to make a full-time income. Traditional and self-publishing really can complement each other if you know how to leverage them.
On your website, you mentioned that your first three books flopped, but then you went to business school. What did you learn there that helped you net $15,000 profit in two weeks with your fourth book?
Oh, those first three books! I’m totally open about how much they flopped because it was such a huge learning experience for me. Readers still love those stories, but the truth is, books can’t impact people’s lives if no one knows they exist. I didn’t understand marketing back then, so I was kind of just throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something would stick. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.
I didn’t get a formal business degree, but I took some online business courses and started looking at my writing as a business. My husband has an MBA, so he helped me see things from that perspective, too. Back when I started, there were almost no resources for children’s book authors about marketing or publishing, so I had to figure it out on my own.
The biggest thing I learned was how marketing really works. With my first three books, I thought marketing started after the book was published. That was a huge mistake! Marketing starts way before the release date. Think about how movies are promoted—they build hype months in advance with trailers, posters, and reviews. Once I applied that same mindset to my fourth book, everything changed.
You mentioned you had a launch team of over 800 people for your fourth book. How did you put that together, and what did they have to agree to do?
My launch team was basically a group of people who got a free digital copy of my book before it came out in exchange for leaving an honest review. I built the team by reaching out in Facebook groups, my email list, and anywhere else I could find my target audience. I just asked people who fit the book’s demographic if they were interested, and a lot of them were happy to join.
Have you used the same techniques for your subsequent books? Have results been as amazing? Have any of your coaching students achieved similar results?
I’ve definitely used the same techniques for my other books, and while results vary depending on the audience and project, the approach has been really effective. What’s even more exciting is seeing the success my students have had. So far, every individual coaching student I’ve worked with has sold at least 500 copies in their first month of publication, which is amazing. Of course, it’s not a guarantee, but for those who put in the work, the consistency is there.
Some of my students have gone on to do incredible things. For example, I coached Ceece Kelly, who later founded Soaring Kite Books, which was recently acquired by Lerner. Rebecca Borucki, another student, spearheaded Row House, a traditional publishing imprint for merchandise creators. One of my students, Katie, self-published a picture book that sold over 20,000 copies in just the first four months of publication!
Beyond that, I’ve had countless students get fully funded Kickstarters, secure literary agents, sign publishing deals, and even have sub-rights like audio or foreign rights acquired. It all comes down to treating your writing like a business and having a solid system in place. The strategies I teach in my coaching program are absolutely repeatable, and it’s been amazing to watch so many authors achieve their goals.
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