As one of the most sought-after literary agents in all of America, this snazzy Latinx has helped countless clients secure deals with some of the biggest players in the world of publishing. To date, she has sold more than 200 non-fiction and fiction projects to independent and traditional publishers and is sitting pretty at the 1st spot for narrative self-help, 4thspot on the list of the best non-fiction/advice agents in the country, the 5th for non-fiction narrative agents and the 9thamongst non-fiction book agents. While these numbers fluctuate with the business, Leticia consistently stays in the top ranking. Additionally, Gomez has also had the rights to several of her projects optioned for films and/or television series.
Yet, there is something very human about her own story. Gomez wasn’t always the relentless, successful agent we see her as now. Long ago she was a Latinx struggling to be taken seriously and recognized by mainstream traditional publishers as a geographically-challenged and underdog agent.
What she did have was a rambunctious spirit and a desire to succeed no matter what. With this mantra at heart, Gomez began serving a who’s who of entrepreneurs, executives, and sports figures. She remains committed to supporting underdog authors who, with the right assets, can be wildly successful.
In the 15 years since, Gomez has worked day in and day out to get to where she is today. She put in extra effort to develop an expertise in both fiction and non-fiction publishing, one book at a time, and also worked on enhancing her understanding of the market for books in general. This, coupled with the first-hand experience of building Savvy Literary Services from the ground up, have rendered her the ideal person for writers to seek practical and relevant advice from.
Perhaps that is why, Gomez has decided to impart her wisdom to the world. One would think she is set for life but ever the curious cat, this go-getter has no plans of slowing down and just recently, has started her very own series of workshops for universities, corporations and nonprofit institutions and the people therein to learn and tell their stories better.
What sets Gomez’s workshops apart is the fact that she is bi-lingual and so, appeals to both English-speakers and the Latinx living in America. One could say she is a champion of the downtrodden, encouraging them to break the shackles of society and go after what they believe in.
Each session in the workshop is customized as per the audiences and features interactive activities to keep them engaged. Some of the topics Gomez often speaks about include:
· Traditional vs. independent publishing
· Nonfiction book proposals
· Advances and royalties for writers
· Sale of film, television, and foreign rights
Typically, the workshop begins with Gomez coming clean about her life as a Latinx woman from a very humble background and how she was able to break the glass ceiling, nonetheless, making it to the top with just a high-school diploma in hand. She will also inform her listeners of how she helped the Ascendant Group launch its own publishing and entertainment division, Ascendant Entertainment. Ascendant is a large company focusing on CEO’s and has helped build the CEO branding of many high-powered executives for almost two decades.
And what’s more, she will do it in a manner that is sure to tickle your funny bone and maintain your attention, from start to finish.
That is Gomez’s USP. Her time in the industry has taught her how to keep long-term relationships with her clients. Having said that, if you are planning to enlist her help, take note that she can be brutally honest with her feedback and does not shy away from calling the shots. In other words, don’t be shocked if she critiques what you thought was your best work too much – that’s her job! Gomez pledges her wholehearted support through every step of the publishing process but makes sure to keep clients’ expectations in check so they can achieve their dreams.
With this uncanny ability to really make people listen, instead of merely hearing her out, Gomez embodies the strong, modern and diverse female entrepreneur of the 21st century; an inspiration to writers, book lovers, businesswomen and all people of color. She can surely make your next corporate event an insightful one.
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