Meet Morgan Hughes

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Morgan Hughes a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Morgan, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

The funny thing about imposter syndrome is how universally isolating the feeling of imposture is. Most of us have been in a room surrounded by people thinking the same thing: “I don’t belong here. Do they know?”

Last year, I sat on a panel for the first time. The audience was asking questions, and we all passed the mic up and down the row. Despite my confidence in my responses, the physical discomfort of sitting next to industry experts that are supposed to be my peers had me crawling out of my skin and second guessing every word coming out of my mouth. I just hoped the mic wasn’t picking up my shaking voice.

When the panel was over and we were mingling with the audience, no one accused me of not fitting in. I felt so much relief in having “gotten away with it.” Nobody knew I was an imposter.

But maybe I wasn’t.

Recently, I had a conversation with a colleague about feeling inadequate. I was debating offering representation to a new client and told them I feared the author would never pick me. Her advice was to look at the literary agents I admire most and determine how they’d handle the situation. I wondered in that moment if they’d ever felt like an imposter.

I began to think of my idols. My mentors. My fellow panelists from last year. I pictured them as young professionals, barely starting their climb to success. Their fearlessness to pave their own paths and persevere through those feelings of insecurity instantly made me feel braver.

Overcoming imposter syndrome should be simple. It’s realizing we all carry those feelings and all make choices and decisions for the first time. No one will ever know all the answers, and even the experts have had to make on-the-spot decisions, wondering if they’re doing the right thing, the right way. So, each time I’m faced with a choice is one more opportunity to unmask the other imposters in the room and learn from their successes and mistakes.

I rely heavily on advice from my mentors. Their confidence in me helps me feel like I belong. Fake-it-til-you-make-it can only take you so far, and when you’re holding clients’ careers in your hands, it’s not something to mess around with. My confidence and their trust in my decisions matters more to me than anything else.

I’ll probably never overcome imposter syndrome completely. But it’s easier to manage when I surround myself with people with whom I feel comfortable sharing my vulnerabilities.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I believe that books can change the world. They certainly changed my life at a young age. As a literary agent, my job is to find books and authors I love and try to find them a home with a publisher.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I would say perseverance is the first one that comes to mind. I took a lot of detours before finding my place in publishing, and even then, the road wasn’t always smooth. I kept pushing because it it’s important to me. Now that I’m actively in the industry, there’s a lot of moments where it would be easy to give up – dealing with rejection and disappointment isn’t always easy. But the wins are always worth it.

Compassion is another quality I pride myself in, and I think its beneficial when it comes to agenting. I truly care about the people I represent and work with, and I share both their excitement and disappoint that is inevitable in this industry.

Lastly, I would say an important skill that I’ve continued to develop is the ability to think strategically. There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to being successful and the ability to see the bigger picture helps a lot.

If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?

Travel anywhere and everywhere. I love experiencing new places and revisiting old ones. I took a solo trip to Italy a few years ago and it was the most rewarding experience, and I crave that feeling often.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://morganchughes.com
• Instagram: @morganchughes
• Twitter: @mohughes22

Image Credits

Kelby Lynn Photography
Lindsey George