Agent interview by
blog contributor Robin Mizell:

"Agent Advice" is a series of quick interviews with literary and script agents who talk with Guide to Literary Agents about their thoughts on writing, publishing, and just about anything else.

This installment features literary agent Janet Reid of FinePrint Literary Management. She was formerly with Imprint Literary; before that, she had her own agency: JetReid.  Janet runs two successful and popular blogs: one that talks about publishing and agenting, and the Query Shark Blog, which critiques queries that come in. She became a literary agent after working for 15 years in book publicity and hosting an author interview program for an Oregon Public Broadcasting affiliate.

She is seeking: At present, she is reading all types of manuscripts, but she especially appreciates crime fiction and authors with a wry sense of humor.

GLA: What's the most recent thing you've sold?

JR: Siesta Lane, by Amy Minato to Skyhorse Publishing.

GLA: The FinePrint Web site indicates you're seeking mysteries and offbeat literary fiction; elsewhere you've said you're also interested in nonfiction: justice and death penalty issues, African politics, contemporary art and music, and how-to books. Do you consider anything else? What about graphic novels?

JR: I'll look at anything people send me. I don't know anything about fantasy or Westerns, so I tend to say no, but I read every query letter.

GLA: If you happened to receive a promising submission that was outside your areas of interest, might you pass it along to one of the other agents at FinePrint?

JR: You bet. And if you query me and I say no, you can still query anyone else at FinePrint.

GLA: How would you describe your ideal client?

JR: Jeff Somers. Mindy Tarquini. Sean Ferrell. Eric Stone, Jake Needham. Bill Cameron. Bob Fate. Oh, you mean generally? They write well. They write really, really well.

GLA: How do you prefer to be contacted by writers seeking representation?

JR: E-mail. Snail mail is fine. I really, really don't like phone calls.

GLA: What is your defining personality trait? What don't we already know about you?

JR: I'm cruel, unkind, demanding and fierce. And I drink a lot of scotch.

GLA: What publishing industry periodicals or blogs do you currently read that might also be helpful to prospective clients?

JR: 1) Yours (GLA). 2) GalleyCat. 3) Kristin Nelson's Pub Rants blog. 4) Nathan Bransford.

GLA: You've said you don't enjoy traveling, but will you be attending any conferences or events in the future where writers can meet you?

JR: Scene of the Crime Conference, Wichita, Kan., April 11-13. The Muse & the Marketplace, Boston, Mass., April 26-27. Surrey International Writers’ Conference, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, Oct. 23-26, 2008. No one else has been brave enough to ask.

GLA: What's your best piece of advice regarding something we haven't discussed?

JR: Read Stephen King's book On Writing. Read E.B. White's books of essays. Surround yourself with beautiful things when you write, even if you prop open an art book from the library. Expect great things from yourself. Don't talk about what you're going to do ... Do it.

Want more on this topic?

• 5 Signs a Literary Agent is a Good Match For You.
• See examples of Successful Queries that agents liked.
• Check out The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters.  
• How to Write a Synopsis for a Novel.
  
• Facebook, Twitter and Literary Agents.
• Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.
  
• Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.
• Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!