Podcast Summary: People I (Mostly) Admire

Episode 10: Suzanne Gluck: “I'm a Person Who Can Convince Other People to Do Things”
Host: Steve Levitt
Date: February 28, 2026

Episode Overview

Steve Levitt interviews powerhouse literary agent Suzanne Gluck—his own longtime representative—about her remarkable career, talent for persuasion, the realities of modern publishing, and her intuitive, fearless approach to negotiation and influence. The episode features revealing stories about the origins of Freakonomics, practical advice for aspiring authors, and sharp insights into gender and power in the literary world.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Suzanne’s Role and WME Overview

• [03:08] Suzanne’s Role:

  • Gluck is a partner at William Morris Endeavor (WME), a large “multifaceted talent and entertainment agency.”
  • “I am books, beginning, middle, end.” ([03:35], Suzanne)

• [03:46] About WME:

  • The single largest supplier of books to Big Five publishers.
  • An industry leader both in the U.S. and internationally.

How Literary Agents Choose Clients

• [05:15] Query Selection Process:

  • Suzanne receives “dozens and dozens” of requests weekly.
  • Immediate eliminations: impersonal queries (“Dear Eric” rather than “Dear Suzanne”).
  • Effective query letters: put forth a unique idea, offer a new perspective, or excellent writing.
  • Only about 20 of 1,000 random queries are read further; about 10 surpass five pages ([07:01]).
  • Advice: Target your queries based on agents’ existing tastes—“so you're not just flying blind.” ([07:33], Suzanne)
  • Tip: Don’t send manuscripts impulsively, especially during holidays like Thanksgiving ([08:14]).

• Writerly Motivation:

  • Levitt suggests: “Don’t write a book if your reason is because you want people to read it ... The chances of that happening are so low.” ([09:31], Levitt)
  • Gluck echoes: “You have to write the book that you’re passionate about, or you have no chance of it being a bestseller.” ([10:24])

The Origin Story of Freakonomics

• [12:50] Suzanne Initiates the Project:
  • Gluck, representing Stephen Dubner, read Dubner’s NYT profile of Levitt and saw book potential.
  • She brought Levitt and Dubner together for a call—requiring “all of your persuasive powers” just to arrange it ([14:23], Levitt).

Notable Quote:

“It probably took a half an hour for you to get me to even be willing to do that phone call ... We actually came to a kind of meeting of the minds because neither of us wanted to write this book you were dreaming of.”
— Levitt ([15:00])

Negotiating the Freakonomics Deal

• [16:08] The Negotiation Goes Down:
  • Initial ask: ~$500K; publisher balked.
  • Suzanne doubled down: “Nope, that was yesterday’s deal—today’s deal is $750,000.”
  • Further, she withheld worldwide rights: “The deal’s off the table. Now the deal is $750,000, but only for North American rights, not for worldwide rights.” ([17:26])
  • Levitt, in awe: “You’re a horrible person and you’re taking everything from us, but we accept.” ([17:56])

Notable Quote:

“Somehow you had the vision. But in some sense, we wrote the book very differently than we would have otherwise because we didn’t expect anyone to read it. And it really freed us up.”
— Levitt ([19:12])

• [18:43] Suzanne’s Perspective:

  • She saw unique value and chased excitement she saw among other editors.
  • Emphasizes it’s impossible to “architect a bestseller”—authenticity wins.

• [19:27] Publishing Business Folly:

  • Anecdote: Harper Collins once hired McKinsey to advise how to only publish bestsellers.
  • Joke conclusion: “If we only knew ... How do we know which ones they are?”

Negotiation and Influence

• [22:54] Suzanne on Being Fearless:
  • “I’m not fearful about what other people think of me. And I honestly think that people need advocacy ... Don’t be afraid to ask, you actually might get it.”
  • Early in her career, got a publisher to pay for Latoya Jackson’s “snake budget” for a UK tour.

Notable Quote:

“If I’m excited about something, I can get other people excited about it … Also, to play a little on the loss aversion: How are you going to feel if you don’t get it?”
— Suzanne ([25:38])

• Negotiation Techniques:
  • Uses intuition rather than rigid formula.
  • Does not always make the first offer; prefers to “see what the marker needs to be” as other parties sometimes offer more than expected. ([26:39])
  • Makes publishers feel “like they are saying yes from their own volition.” ([27:28])
  • Leans on honesty: “People know that I will tell them the truth. That’s my orientation, but it’s also a very effective strategy.” ([29:16])

Power, Gender, and Publishing

• [32:45] Levitt on Suzanne’s Power:

  • Notes her command of every room and unique presence: “You just embody power ... not only you're a woman, but you're tiny ... but you control the room” ([32:45], Levitt)

• [33:22] Suzanne’s Self-Assessment:

  • “I just naturally felt I’m a person who can convince other people to do things. I grew up in a sense realizing that.”
  • Attributes some advantage to her small stature: people underestimate her, which can be useful.

• [33:29] Does Gender Matter?

  • In literary agenting, being a woman wasn’t a disadvantage, partly because “women buy books disproportionately to men ... so you’re traveling in a world where your buyer is somebody you are.”
  • Publishing’s legacy of women in power due to its lower pay historically.
  • Still, “the more powerful women get, the less ‘likable’ they are ... that anti-powerful woman bias still lives and breeds big time.”
  • Thinks being “very small” might have helped lessen perceptions of threat.

• #MeToo and Representation

  • Suzanne sees progress: “Things that you could say a couple of years ago, you can’t say now. Things that you could do a couple of years ago, you can’t do now. And all that is for the good.” ([35:38])
  • Praises books like She Said, encourages systemic change, and notes how bestseller lists are beginning to reflect societal conversations (e.g., BLM).

Life Lessons & Advice

• [37:16] Suzanne’s Maxims for Life:
  • “I’m not a big picture thinker. I’m an incrementalist. What can we do today that's effective?”
  • “I’m a very big believer in playing to your strengths. What are you good at? ... people need to reasonably assess what they’re good at and then see within that realm what might be a fit in terms of career.”

Notable Quote:

“Being myself with all those limitations, it's still a thousand times better than being a pale imitation of Suzanne. You just got to live with who you are and do the most with what you got.”
— Levitt ([38:43])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You have to write the book that you’re passionate about, or you have no chance of it being a bestseller.” — Suzanne Gluck ([10:24])
• “I’m not fearful about what other people think of me ... Don’t be afraid to ask, you actually might get it.” — Suzanne Gluck ([22:54])
• “If I’m excited about something, I can get other people excited about it.” — Suzanne Gluck ([25:38])
• “I just naturally felt I’m a person who can convince other people to do things.” — Suzanne Gluck ([33:22])
• “Ambition was then and is often now considered an unappealing attribute. That's something that I think we're getting over. I hope we're getting over.” — Suzanne Gluck ([33:49])
• “The more powerful women get, the less, quote, likable they are. So that anti-powerful woman bias still lives and breeds big time.” — Suzanne Gluck ([34:16])
• “I’m not a big-picture thinker. I'm an incrementalist. What can we do today that's effective?” — Suzanne Gluck ([37:16])

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:08 | Suzanne’s role and agency background | | 05:15 | How agents choose clients and query advice | | 12:50 | The origins of Freakonomics and Suzanne’s initial outreach | | 16:08 | How the Freakonomics negotiation unfolded (“yesterday’s deal vs. today’s deal”) | | 22:54 | Suzanne’s philosophy on fearlessness, asking, and negotiation | | 26:39 | Negotiation tactics: first bid, intuition, and guiding publisher enthusiasm | | 32:45 | Power and presence: being a small woman with large influence | | 33:29 | Gender in publishing: advantages, traditions, and buyers | | 35:38 | MeToo, representation, and the evolution of publishing norms | | 37:16 | Life advice: incrementalism and playing to your strengths |

Conclusion

This episode offers an authentic peek into the world of a literary super-agent, combining illuminating industry anecdotes, blunt advice for aspiring authors, and thoughtful reflection on gendered dynamics of power. Suzanne Gluck’s blend of intuition, honesty, and “emotional influence” not only shaped the launch of Freakonomics but continues to set a standard for excellence—and fearlessness—in navigating creative careers. For listeners, her lessons on self-awareness, incremental progress, and leveraging your unique strengths are universally applicable well beyond publishing.