Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Loberg.
Hi Kristin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in LA (Westwood). Groomed myself to become a doctor since kindergarten. Was a star student; valedictorian at Marymount High School (class of ’93). Then went off to Cornell University where I continued to aspire to be a doctor as a pre-med student. In addition to all the biology and chemistry classes (plus work in laboratories), I sought diversity in my education and majored in Romance Studies knowing that fluency in Spanish would come in handy as a doctor. But a doctor was not what I’d become. After failing to gain entry to medical school in 1997 (big failure #1), I was forced to change course/ reinvent myself. I came home and felt compelled to try writing medical thrillers (and be the next Robin Cook). Eager to learn the craft, I enrolled in courses at UCLA’s Extension (“Writing the Novel the Professional Way”) and got cracking. Finished a book, then two, and neither one sold. Sigh: Failure #2, and #3. Deflated but anxious, I joined a small publishing house in LA that taught me the ropes to the industry in ways I could not have gotten elsewhere. By then, I’d abandoned the dream of becoming a doctor because I fell in love with working with authors and helping them reach the finish line (confession: I found it easier to work with someone else’s scrawl than my own). I also helped lead a networking group of people in the book publishing world here in LA. A call one day came in from a member literary agent: “I have an author that needs his proposal to be totally redone. Can you do it?” I had never written a book proposal before but said reflexively “Of course.” I bought Michael Larson’s classic How to Write a Book Proposal and spent three sleepless days figuring it out. Rewrote and re-engineered this guy’s proposal and it went on to not only sell for a robust seven figures, but the book itself that I helped write became an instant New York Times bestseller. I was hooked–hooked on the business of writing successful book proposals and then collaborating with authors throughout the entire process.
All my years immersed in the sciences had prepared me well for this endeavor. I could turn gritty, esoteric peer-reviewed journal papers into engaging writing anyone can understand. I found a niche in the non-fiction market, especially health/ wellness/ and business–the drivers of the bestseller lists. When the paychecks at the publishing firm started to bounce, the writing was on the wall: I needed to launch myself and try to turn my knack for proposal- and book-writing into my own business. Which I did. Today, twenty years later, I continue to work with the same literary agent and I’ve enjoyed 13 New York Times bestsellers (and counting!). I work with some of the most respected experts in the world, helping them reach their audiences, tell their stories, and offer their wisdom. I like to think I’m changing the world through other people. My dear late dad always told me that if I could communicate well, I could go far. Well, that’s exactly what I ultimately learned how to do well and now I share that skill with people whose ideas need to be heard. And I have plenty of enthralling stories I could share from behind the scenes with notable, high-profile individuals. I’m paying it forward now too and teach annually in the same Extension program at UCLA that gave me the tools to writing books.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My success today is predicated on serial failures. When you get the proverbial door slammed in your face multiple times and nothing can give you the keys to the kingdom despite will, wisdom, charisma, and connections, you have to ask yourself: Maybe I need a different set of keys to a different door. You have to learn how to be your own tactician and go where the wind takes you–the wind that you cannot see and cannot control. We overvalue success in our society–failure is where it’s at! Even today, there are failures and misfires that become lights on the path to where I’m supposed to be. For a long time, I was deeply embarrassed and ashamed that I didn’t get into medical school. I never told that part of the story other than to say, “medical school didn’t work out.” Now, however, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I marvel when some of our world’s most trusted authorities and leaders lean on me for advice and help. It’s such a humbling honor and an absolute thrill. When you work in a creative field–any field, really–you need to cultivate resiliency. Resiliency helps tip the scales in your favor for success. We live in a world where there is so much uncertainty. And we as humans don’t like that. When you work on resiliency (and embracing all the criticism that will make you a better professional and person) all, the uncertainties in life are much easier to navigate.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I help high-profile authorities craft their book proposals and, ultimately, write their finished books. I work with the large main publishers in the US (Penguin Random House, S&S, Harper, HMH, Hachette, etc.) and projects come in from them or through my literary agent. I have established a niche in health and wellness topics due to my extensive experience in the sciences. And I’m a no BS-er. I think my authors enjoy my work ethic, engaging personality, and dedication to get things right no matter what. I find myself a book therapist, too. People (especially highly visible people) feel very vulnerable when it comes to their books. They have reputations to uphold, facts to get right, and expectations to meet. I try to be their secret sauce and hold their hands as they move through the daunting and demanding publishing process. I get involved with every aspect of the process, which is a little unusual. But I become emotionally attached to my projects and want them to succeed–so I find myself often involved in the marketing and publicity part. I am typically the closest person to the manuscript so it’s easy and effortless for me to work with the content and package it for various outlets. Publishing is tough today–not easy to be noticed amid the volume of published books and distractions from online content, social media, and the push for ever-briefer messaging.
How do you define success?
Finding what you were put on this earth to do and going after that with gusto and resolve. And loving every minute. And when your dreams don’t seem to be happening as you wished or planned, success is having the courage to move forward in the blur of that uncertainty and taking things as they come. Success can be predicated on total failure and groping in the dark.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kristinloberg.com
Image Credits:
Steve Gaffney Photography
