Guide to Literary Agents - BreakingInWritersDigest

Successful Queries: Agent Meredith Kaffel and ''Shadow Hills''
Posted by Chuck

This series is called "Successful Queries" and I'm posting actual query letters that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting the actual query letter, we will also get to hear thoughts from the agent as to why the letter worked.

The 40th installment in this series is with agent Meredith Kaffel (Charlotte Sheedy Literary) and her author, Anastasia Hopcus, for her young adult paranormal novel, Shadow Hills, which came out July 13 from Egmont. School Library journal said this about the book: "Even characters with minimal roles are fleshed out via Hopcus's rich use of language ... It will be especially popular with those who prefer their supernatural romances with more sweetness and fewer sexual themes."

Dear Ms. Kaffel,

I am submitting to you because I was impressed by your sale of Swoon by Nina Malkin. My name is Anastasia Hopcus, and I’ve written a 100,000-word young adult novel named Shadow Hills. It is the first in a series of books about the danger that lurks behind the perfect façade of Devenish Preparatory, an upper crust Massachusetts boarding school.

Hoping to make sense of her sister’s death and the cryptic dreams that followed it, Persephone “Phe” Archer resolves to attend Devenish, the boarding school her sister mentioned in her sister's last diary entry. As soon as she arrives, Phe is affected by the eerie aura surrounding the town of Shadow Hills, and she is quickly drawn to the imposing hospital that looms near Devenish. Hidden away behind the hospital is a centuries-old graveyard, where Phe is disturbed to find that an unexplained epidemic decimated hundreds of the citizens of Shadow Hills in 1736. As she explores the cemetery, she meets Zach, a striking young man who, though a stranger, has appeared in her dreams. The longer Phe is at Devenish, the more she suspects that she is somehow linked with the bizarre history of the area. And though she realizes she is falling for Zach, she can’t ignore the fact that he—along with many of the other students—seems to possess odd powers.

Even stranger, a mysterious mark is forming on Phe’s hip, and her dreams are becoming increasingly prophetic. The deeper she digs, the more the danger around Phe escalates, putting her on a path that will lead her to her deepest, and possibly darkest, self.

Thank you for taking the time to review my project. If you want to see a full synopsis and/or sample chapters, please let me know. I am enclosing an SASE for your convenience.

Sincerely,

Anastasia Hopcus

Commentary from Meredith:

Stacy’s query grabbed me from the first line because it immediately stroked my ego! By mentioning my then-recent sale of Swoon in the first line, she showed me she had done her research on my specific list, which an agent always appreciates. The mention also piqued my interest; it made me wonder and hope that her project might prove to be along similar lines to that beloved book—and delightfully, she delivered! So that was the first thing she did right.

On a more general level, it’s just a very well-written letter. Straightforward, confident, certain of the story it aims to tell, and full of compelling characters and a setting to die for—literally! So many paranormal plots in particular come across as convoluted or overwrought in the query letter, but Stacy’s description is clearly articulated and so simply sounds original and intelligently complex. And the last line of her pitch is a terrific little sound-bite, to boot.

This post is an online exclusive complement
to a spotlight on Anastasia in the Oct. 2010
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | Successful Queries

Thursday, September 02, 2010 10:33:04 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [3]

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Some Tips for Writing a Series
Posted by Chuck

When you find yourself in the position of planning or being contracted for a series of books—whether for two or twenty-two—it’s important to keep track of the details, and have a final goal in mind for your characters to reach.

Guest column by Jess Haines, author of
Hunted by the Others, the first in an urban
fantasy series. Jess also writes short stories
and screenplays, and has experience in in
technical writing and editing. See her
website here, or find her on Facebook.

First, you have to decide on some basic elements:

How is your series linked? Is it all written from the perspective of or following the same character from start to finish, or does it follow different characters?
What is the major, overarching conflict?
Who is the main character(s) and what do they want to accomplish? What do they have to do with the conflict above? What are some of the major obstacles they will have to overcome?
Who is the main antagonist(s) and what do they want to accomplish? What do they have to do with the conflict above?
Who else is involved? Why?
Which point of view will you be writing this from?
When and where is this set?
If a fantasy, what kind of fantastical elements are involved, and what are the benefits, drawbacks, and restrictions involved?

Based upon the answers to the above, know your limits. Use those questions as a starting point to flesh out your world and make it believable.

PLOT THE TIMELINE

One of the best ways to keep track of the overall story arc is to plot a timeline of significant events. Even if the timeline stretches far beyond what is covered in the books, it helps you keep track of what occurred, when, and why. Even if it is no more than a sentence or two beside a date, it will give you bounds to work within, and a greater sense of purpose as you fill in the details between one major event and the next. You’ll know where your characters are going, which helps you to plot out the answers to the questions of how and why. It also gives you a way to track what occurs between Point A (main character gets pulled into conflict) and Point B (main character puts an end to said conflict).

UP THE ANTE

Remember, your characters have to continually face increasing odds and challenges in a series, so don’t play your trump card in the first book. There should be ripple effects from the characters’ actions, so make sure you take these things into account and plan accordingly. Make note of them. Don’t keep your world static—have the actions and reactions of all the various characters, including behind the scenes, have an effect on each other. Even if you’re using different characters book to book, as long as it’s all set in the same universe, there should be some action/reaction going on at all times. Characters should grow and learn over time, too, so make sure if they’re making mistakes that it’s not the same mistake over and over again.

YOUR "BIBLE" (OR "CHEAT SHEET")

Another tip is to keep a “cheat sheet” of sorts. Use it to keep tabs on things like minor characters, background info that might have bearing on the novels, snippets of statistics or information that you may need to refer to later, etc. You can also keep a database tracking major character attributes (height, weight, skin color, eye color, certain groups they belong to, notable quirks in speech or personality, physical ticks, habits, etc). This can be an invaluable tool to refer to when working across a series where a minor character may only pop up once every few books—and you need to know exactly what they look like so your sharper readers aren’t left wondering why the character had blue eyes in the first book, and brown eyes in the second.

ADDING QUIRKS

Lastly, you should consider keeping a style sheet—a document that tracks “quirks” to your writing style. For example, if you want to insert text messages and emails into your story, but need to show how the text should be formatted differently to separate it from the rest of the novel (e.g., extra indent, justified, font size 12, use Courier New instead of Times New Roman), make a note of it on a separate document. This goes for spelling or grammar quirks, too. This can be a handy tool for you, your agent, your editor, and the copy editor.

What all of the above boils down to is—be organized. Be prepared. Be knowledgeable about your story and your craft. It will make for a far stronger series in the end.

This post is an online exclusive complement
to a spotlight on Jess in the Sept./Oct. 2010
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Want more on this topic?

Read Jess Haines's "How I Got My Agent" column

Author Suzanne Young on: How to Write a Series.

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!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | Guest Columns

Thursday, July 29, 2010 9:49:42 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [6]

Sunday, July 25, 2010

How I Got My Agent: Cicily Janus
Posted by Chuck

"How I Got My Agent" is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. I find it fascinating to see the exact road people took that landed them with a rep. Seeing the things people did right vs. what they did wrong (highs and the lows) can help other scribes who are on the same journey. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings.

To see the previous installments of this column, click here.

If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk specifics

Cicily Janus is the author of The New Face of Jazz
(Random House, July 2010), which Grammy-winner
Wynton Marsalis called "probably one of the most
important books on jazz to date." Cicily lives in
Colorado. See her website here.

A PAJAMA PARTY WITH AN AGENT GUEST

The old adage write what you know certainly applies to my success story as a writer. In 2005, I began to hear voices. I assume they’re the same voices the rest of you hear every day when you sit down at your computer. The writing bug bit me in the very worst way and, within a year, I had my first novel completed. In the fall of 2006, I attended my first writing conference in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. There were about twenty writers total and we all stayed in the same house where the daily workshops took place. I had no idea what to expect, nor did I think that writing would ever be my profession.

Gary Heidt from Signature Literary Agency was the agent scheduled to work with us. At some point during the first evening (we had all had our fair share of wine and beer that night), there was a knock at the door. I was sitting in the main living area in my pajamas. (As a matter of fact, we were all in our pajamas.) I, being the closest to the door, was roped into answering it. With a looser than usual tongue, I asked the man at the door if he was lost, seeing as he obviously didn’t get the memo regarding the pajama party. He laughed and said, “I only brought my agent costume.” After picking my jaw up off of the floor, I let him in. Throughout that weekend, not only did Gary give me his time in regards to the craft he also spent time talking about life and mutual interests like jazz.

AN INTERESTED EDITOR

Not once did I think of him as this scary entity or a future rejection … I thought of him as an ally. Throughout the two years following the conference, we kept in touch via e-mail. The e-mails were sometimes six months apart, but I made sure to keep them professional and courteous. My first novel never saw the light of day, of course, but I never once brought up the “question” of representing me in the future.

Fast forward to the spring of 2008. I was attending the Pikes Peak Writers Conference in my hometown of Colorado Springs. I had just completed my second novel and was slated to pitch it to an editor from HarperCollins. He rejected it. Later that evening, I got to know this particular editor and he mentioned how much he loved jazz. (Although the Pikes Peak Writer’s Conference is one of the larger in the country, I found plenty of time to get to know agents and editors after the scheduled events.) Eventually, I mentioned my idea about a book on jazz. He seemed interested in the project, and forked over some names of agents I should query. He also told me to have them send him the proposal. But, because of my established relationship with Gary, I couldn’t think of any one better to hit up first.

"YES I REMEMBER YOU, CICILY"

Within two weeks I finished the first draft of the proposal, garnered some attention from a few key players in the jazz community, and sent him the following email:

Hi Gary,

This is Cicily Janus. If you don't remember, I met you at the Mass. Writing Conference with Mike Neff in October 2006. I am writing to you because I have an editor from Harper Collins who is interested in seeing my NF book proposal titled, New Face of Jazz. This book would essentially be a field guide to jazz across the country. It will also touch on jazz education, influential artists alive today as well as various resources for jazz listeners and players. I have members of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Jane Monheit, and jazz musicians across the country already endorsing this project.

If this is something you might be interested in, I would be more than happy to send you my proposal via email or snail mail. Hope you are well.

Cicily

Within a few minutes, he replied and said to send it over. Two months later, he signed me on as a client. Although he really liked the first draft of the proposal, he made sure that I was also willing to work and apply his suggestions. Since then, we have tirelessly worked to bring this project to life. It took us four major proposal rewrites, 48 editors (48 rejections) and nine months to sell the book to my editor at Random House. Gary never gave up on me.

Gary didn’t remember me because of a pitch nor did he remember me because I hounded him about representing me. He remembered me because of our mutual love for music and the fact that I got to know him as a human being. Be who you are on a day-to-day basis because this is what not only has shaped your writing, but the traits that will ultimately determine your success as an author.

This post is an online exclusive complement
to a spotlight on Cicily in the Sept./Oct. 2010
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Want more on this topic?

Footnotes: 5 Articles on Creating Characters.

Footnotes: 5 Articles on Writing Description.

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!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | How I Got My Agent Columns

Sunday, July 25, 2010 6:58:56 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Friday, July 09, 2010

Successful Queries: Agent Elana Roth and Eli Stutz's ''Pickle Impossible''
Posted by Chuck

This series is called "Successful Queries" and I'm posting actual query letters that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting the actual query letter, we will also get to hear thoughts from the agent as to why the letter worked.

The 39th installment in this series is with agent Elana Roth (Caren Johnson Literary) and her author, Eli Stutz, for his middle grade book, Pickle Impossible, which was released in May 2010 from Bloomsbury.

Dear Ms. Roth,

A boy with a hidden power and the girl who was sent to stop him have 24 hours to win a pickle contest.

12-year-old Pierre La Bouche is a cornichon. That's French for "pickle," but it also means "good-for-nothing." A middle child who gets straight C's, he's never been No. 1 at anything. When the family farm goes broke, grandfather Henri gives Pierre a mission: to save the farm by winning an international pickle contest.

En route to the contest, Pierre meets Aurore, the charming but less-than-truthful granddaughter of a rival farmer. She's been sent to ensnare Pierre, but after a wake up call from her conscience, she rescues him. Together, they navigate the ghostly Paris catacombs, figure out how to crash-land a plane, and duel with a black-hearted villain who will stop at nothing to capture their pickles. In their most desperate hour, it is Pierre's incredible simplicity that saves the day. Always bickering but becoming friends, Pierre and Aurore discover that anything is possible, no matter how hard it may seem.

Pickle Impossible is complete at 32,500 words. I'm a technical writer by day, optimistic novelist by night. Recently, I've interviewed a host of pickle makers and French natives. My own pickles are fermenting in the kitchen. I grew up in Toronto and live with my wife and children in Israel.

Thank you for your consideration. I hope to hear from you.

Kind Regards,

Eli Stutz

Commentary from Elana

At the core of this letter are 3 main paragraphs. Two of them are about the book. The last and shortest is about the author. Sure, he tosses in a little tagline, which is totally unnecessary, but it worked here, so I'll leave it alone. Let's go through each paragraph:

1. The first paragraph introduces our main character and the set-up. He uses concrete things to describe Pierre. He throws in the French flair of the book right away. And he doesn't beat around the bush to tell me what Pierre has to accomplish.

2. The second delves a little deeper into the plot. It gives me the complication that will drive the story forward—someone is out to stop Pierre. And then Eli accomplishes the most important trick here: He gives me some fun examples of what will happen in the book without summarizing the entire plot. That is key because I don't want to read the whole book in the query letter. But he gives me flavor.

3. His bio paragraph is straight to the point, not overcrowded with his whole life history, and also ties light-heartedly right back to the subject of the book. I loved that he tried fermenting his own pickles. (He later told me they weren't very good.)

Here's the kicker. The total word count on this letter is 242 words. 242! Look how much he fits into 242 words. There's plot, character, personality and quirk. From this tightly-written letter I know I'm going to get a fun, zany story. Those of you who wanted 250 words just to pitch your book, take heed! Shorter is better.

This post is an online exclusive complement
to a spotlight on Eli in a forthcoming
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Want more on this subject?

Successful Queries: (Kids/YA) "Tagged"

Successful Queries: (Kids/MG) "Sway"

Successful Queries: (Kids/YA) "My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters"

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!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | Successful Queries

Friday, July 09, 2010 1:25:53 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [4]

Friday, June 25, 2010

How I Got My Agent: Boyd Morrison
Posted by Chuck

"How I Got My Agent" is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. I find it fascinating to see the exact road people took that landed them with a rep. Seeing the things people did right vs. what they did wrong (highs and the lows) can help other scribes who are on the same journey. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings.

To see the previous installments of this column, click here.

If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk specifics.

Boyd Morrison's novel The Ark was released in
May 2010. The novel was chosen as an Indie Next
notable pick by the American Booksellers Association
and has sold in 18 foreign markets. Boyd's next book
is Rogue Wave (Dec. 2010). Besides writing, Boyd
lives in the Seattle area, loves to act, and fulfilled
a lifelong dream in 2003 when he became a Jeopardy!
Champion. See his website here.

THE DEAL WITH MY WIFE

I started writing my first novel while I was finishing my PhD dissertation. How I thought I could do both at the same time, I have no idea. It took a year to finish the book, and in 1996, I queried four literary agents. Yes, only four. Out of those four, one of them asked to read a partial manuscript and gave me some positive feedback but ultimately decided not to represent me. One out of four was a stellar percentage, but I didn’t realize it at the time, and I stopped submitting it. My wife thought I gave up too easily, and she was absolutely right. (I listen to her much better now.)

At the time, she was just starting her pre-med courses in anticipation of applying to med school. It meant that I would be supporting her during her training, so I put my writing on hold to concentrate on work. So the deal was that I would support her through nine years of pre-med, med school, and residency, and then when she was a full-fledged doctor, I would be able to quit my job and get nine years to become a published author. Not a bad deal, eh?

PITCHING AGENTS IN PERSON

In January 2005, I left my job to crank up my writing again. I finished my second novel in 18 months. Now it was time to do the agent search again. This time I was more savvy. I went to writers’ conferences like the Las Vegas Writers Conference, Thrillerfest, and the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference, and pitched my novel in person. I also queried the traditional way. I would say my success at getting an agent to ask for a partial manuscript was approximately 1,000% better when I pitched my book in person than by query letter. I would strongly advise anyone looking for an agent to pitch them in person at a conference. Putting a face to a book gets the partial through much faster than if it’s a query letter from someone the agent has never met.

At least four agents asked to see the entire manuscript of my second novel, but no takers. I know I got over 50 rejections, but after you get above that, do you really need to know the exact number? Suffice to say, I queried every agent who I thought would be remotely interested. None were.

Back to the keyboard. I finished my third thriller novel, The Ark, in 2007. This time, I didn’t bother to query. I went straight to conferences to pitch. At the 2007 Agentfest (part of Thrillerfest in NYC), agents only saw authors during the lunch session, and it was arranged that one agent would sit at each table. Who you were sitting with was totally random. I was talking with author Jon Land at the time, and we were late to the lunch, so we sat at the very last table in the room, which was about six miles from the front. Being late to that lunch changed my life. At that table was Irene Goodman, a very well-respected agent who has been in the business for 30 years. She had been representing primarily romance and nonfiction but was looking for thrillers to add to her portfolio. When we were all seated, she went around the table and asked each writer to pitch their novels to her. Here’s the exact pitch I gave her for The Ark:

A relic from Noah’s Ark gives a religious fanatic and his followers a weapon that will let them recreate the effects of the biblical flood, and former combat engineer Tyler Locke has seven days to find the Ark and the secret hidden inside before it’s used to wipe out civilization again.

As soon as I said “Noah’s Ark”, she asked to see the first three chapters. I told her I still had some slight editing to do, but when it was ready and polished, I would send it to her. I would advise anyone pitching a novel to have a pithy one sentence summary of what your book is. If you can do that, it’s clear that you know what your story is about, which is more more attractive to an agent than a rambling five minute recounting of the plot.

THE SECRET IS TO KEEP WRITING

During Thrillerfest and then the PNWA conference that year, I found ten more agents who wanted partials. I also got blurbs from James Rollins and Jon Land, both of whom generously agreed to read an early copy. If you want bestselling authors to give you blurbs, go to conferences and spend time with them. Again, writers’ conferences are where it’s at.

By this time, Irene (she tells me now) wondered if I had forgotten about her. I hadn’t. She was among the first agents I sent the sample chapters to. I mailed them on a Thursday in September. On the following Monday, she called me. CALLED ME! She was the first and only agent to ever call me, which made quite the impression. She told me she loved the opening, and would I be willing to Fedex the entire manuscript to her? Uh, let me think … Yeah! I would have driven it there on a unicycle if she wanted me to. I got a call from her on Thursday offering me representation. I chewed it over for a day (I’d sent it to other agents who weren’t quite as quick to respond). On Friday, I accepted.

It’s been 14 years since I finished writing my first novel. So every writer who talks about persistence being a defining trait of published authors is absolutely correct. Listen to them. Keep writing. Don’t stop at that first novel. Don’t rewrite it over and over. Move on. You’ll improve your chances a hundredfold by writing that next book.

This post is an online exclusive complement
to a spotlight on Tom in the July/August 2010
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Want more on this topic?

Agent Elaine Spencer talks queries.

What should you write in the bio paragraph of a query letter?

How to write a query letter - the three parts.

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!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | How I Got My Agent Columns

Friday, June 25, 2010 11:00:40 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [10]

Friday, June 18, 2010

How I Got My Agent: Tom Leveen
Posted by Chuck

"How I Got My Agent" is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. I find it fascinating to see the exact road people took that landed them with a rep. Seeing the things people did right vs. what they did wrong (highs and the lows) can help other scribes who are on the same journey. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings.

To see the previous installments of this column, click here.

If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk specifics.

Tom Leveen's debut novel, Party, was
released in April 2010 (Random House). It
tells the story of a summer party and 11 teenagers
who intersect in ways that none of them saw
coming. Tom lives in Arizona and is the artistic
director of the Chyro Arts Venue.
See his website here.

ONE AGENT PASSES IT TO ANOTHER

My first rule for obtaining an agent was: Follow the rules. I spent months researching proper query format, manuscript format, what agents like and don’t like … things like that. I asked questions on writing discussion boards, I asked for and got brutal feedback on my terrible query letter (for which I am eternally grateful). I built a simple database to keep track of who I was sending queries to, and how (or if) they responded. Forty agents weren’t interested. One was.

I queried an agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and was instead contacted by one of their associate agents, Michelle Andelman, who told me the agent I queried wasn’t interested, but had passed the manuscript on to her. Michelle took about a week to talk it over with the agency before calling me to offer representation.

(I did not weep inconsolably with joy after we got off the phone, if that’s what you’re thinking, or perhaps you saw a picture online that is now deleted. Nope. Never happened. I was a rock. Yep.)

WHAT IF YOUR AGENT LEAVES?

Michelle and I revised for several months before she felt the book was ready to pitch ... and then no one bought it! (BTW: While the pitching process was going on, I worked on my next book (Party), which is exactly what any writer should be doing while his/her first book is being pitched—or submitted to agents.

I finished Party, and we began the revision process all over again, after having decided to shelve the first book. The day before we were going to pitch, Michelle left the agency for another job in the industry. I learned of this news on the evening of my wedding anniversary. Dinner was not celebratory that night. Two years, two manuscripts, and I had nothing to show for it? This was, as they say, “a kick to the groin.” (Let me clarify for the record that Michelle was and is awesome. If not for her, her patience and willingness to take on a debut writer, I would not be here today. I learned more with her than I had learned in the previous 10 years combined about what goes in to a successful YA novel. She is still one of my heroes.)

POLISH YOUR WORK TO A GLOSSY SHINE

A few weeks later, I was picked up by Jennifer Mattson at Andrea Brown Literary, who is my agent still. “Relief” isn’t quite a strong enough word for what I felt. Jennifer had me—wait for it—revise Party. Again. And again. And … maybe once more for good measure. Which she was right to do. She resumed my education where Michelle left off. Finally, we agreed Party was ready to pitch. I got to work rewriting “Book One,” based on responses (that is, rejections) I’d received previously from editors. I also began work on two additional YA novels. Notice the trend, there? My job didn’t stop once the pitches began.

On December 15, 2008, I got The Call from Jennifer: Party had been sold to Random House (at auction, no less). My wife and I gave ourselves a few days to celebrate, having some dinners out and whatnot. (Take that, wedding anniversary gloominess!) And then it was back to work. Getting an agent was not and is not the end of the road. Getting published is not the end. I make sure to take time and savor each step, to be sure; but as of now, writing YA novels is my job. It is work. Never doubt that. Is it a dream come true? Oh, absolutely! There is nothing on earth I’d rather be doing as a career than writing YA and getting to speak to teens at school, library, or signing events. But it’s work. It’s a job. The. Best. Job. Ever.

I’d like to point out one important detail to everyone who’s struggling with that damn query letter, or wondering just how many rejections it takes to get to the center of the publishing Tootsie Pop®: I was just like you. I didn’t “know someone” in the biz, I had no inside track, I could afford no conferences and five-minute pitches to agents or editors. All I did was do my agency homework, spent quality time drafting and redrafting my query, and had a polished finished novel to pitch. That’s it. If there’s a secret formula for obtaining representation and getting a publishing deal, I’m unaware of it. Agents want you to write a great book and a great query, they really do. Now all you gotta do is give it to ‘em.

This post is an online exclusive complement
to a spotlight on Tom in the July/August 2010
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Want more on this topic?

Agent Elaine Spencer talks queries.

What should you write in the bio paragraph of a query letter?

How to write a query letter - the three parts.

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!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | How I Got My Agent Columns

Friday, June 18, 2010 12:43:44 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [9]

Friday, April 30, 2010

Announcing the Best Agent Blogs for 2010
Posted by Chuck

Every year, Writer's Digest compiles its massive "101 Best Websites for Writers" article, and this year's installment just hit newsstands in the May/June issue. (It will be online soon.) With that in mind, I give you my five choices for the best agent blogs on the Internet today. It was tough, and I couldn't list every amazing site; I tried to illuminate some new blogs this year so people can notice all the great resources around. (Lastly, note that the list is alphabetical, not in any ranking.)

1. Chip MacGregor (chipmacgregor.typepad.com)

Chip's blog talks about everything, but his magic lies in his advice regarding the business of marketing and promoting books. He also has an amazing handle on the Christian books market.

2. Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (dglm.blogspot.com)

With many agents at D&G contributing, this newly revamped blog is coming on strong with helpful articles, contests, and other informative pieces.

3. KidLit (kidlit.com)

Children's agent Mary Kole, associate at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, has jumped into her new blog headfirst, with contests, tips, columns and advice galore. It's a great site for writers of kids books.

4. Nathan Bransford (blog.nathanbransford.com)

An agent as well as an author going through the steps of getting his own deal, Bransford dispenses smart, sensible advice and an optimistic outlook about the future of books, all in a personable, approachable way. Check out his new forum where writers can meet and talk.

5. Rachelle Gardner (cba-ramblings.blogspot.com)

Three years running, this is an amazing blog full of articles about craft, business, inspiration, challenges, and the state of the industry. Rachelle, an agent at Wordserve Literary, is generous with insights and inspiration about what it takes for writers to land representation and get published today.

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Writer's Digest, what are you
waiting for? Get one now!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest)

Friday, April 30, 2010 11:37:30 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, April 26, 2010

Successful Queries: Agent Michelle Brower and 'The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors'
Posted by Chuck

This new series is called "Successful Queries" and I'm posting actual query letters that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting the actual query letter, we will also get to hear thoughts from the agent as to why the letter worked.

The 34th installment in this series is with agent Michelle Brower (Folio Literary) and her author, Michele Young-Stone, for the literary fiction novel, The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors (April 2010).

Dear Ms. Brower:

Please consider representing my novel, The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors.

A literary novel, The Handbook... spans nineteen years in the lives of the two main characters (Becca, born into privilege in 1969, and Buckley, born into poverty in 1959), and suggests that people, however disparate, are linked. The 400-page narrative encompasses multiple themes, but ultimately the book is a story of redemption.

Buckley, whose mother is struck dead by lightning, writes a nonfiction handbook, The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors, excerpts of which appear throughout the novel. Becca, a repeat lightning strike survivor, buys Buckley’s Handbook through an ad in the back pages of a magazine. Becca and Buckley, destined to collide, meet during a massive electrical storm where there is a surprising reversal of fortune.

Structurally, the novel tells Becca’s story, then Buckley’s—the tension mounting until the two meet.

I am a thirty-four year old MFA fiction graduate My screenplay Spotting Normal was a 2003 semi-finalist for the Chesterfield Writers Film Project Award and a 2004 finalist for the CineStory screenwriting award. My story “Cop Drag” was a finalist in the First Annual Lewis Nordan Fiction Contest sponsored by Algonquin Books. My second screenplay, Paint Spain With Bart, was a finalist in the 2006 Screenplay Festival Contest sponsored by InkTip. I am currently halfway through my second novel.

Let me know if I may send you the first 100 pages or the full manuscript.

All Best,

Michele Young-Stone

Commentary from Michelle

Michele’s query absolutely jumped out from the slushpile for me, at first for one reason alone: her title was amazing. For all readers, a title creates a visceral response, and as agents, we want that response to be “I must pick this book up!” In this case, there is what we call a “high concept” aspect to the plot--two separate characters, different in almost every way, are linked together by lightning--and the title conveyed that quickly and with great charm. I knew that if the story and the writing lived up to the promise of the title, I would find a receptive audience for this book among publishers. I always think that a really good book can make up for a bad title that will eventually be changed down the line, and no title is good enough to cover for shoddy writing, but this letter is a good example of how the perfect title can really light up a query.

In reading this letter, I could also tell that this story hit the right beats for book club fiction, and the kind of thing I love to read even if it’s something I’m reading for pleasure. It seemed quirky yet deep, and Michele’s bio showed that she had spent time developing her craft and had been nominated for some awards. I truly became hooked once I started reading the sample pages, and became quickly convinced that there was something special going on here. I knew I had to work with Michele on this book when I got to the ending and cried my eyes out. Happily, editors and now reviewers have agreed with me! The Handbook has been piling up accolades and we are all so excited to see it make its way to bookstores.

This post is an online exclusive complement
to a spotlight on Michele in the May/June 2010
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | Literary Fiction | Successful Queries

Monday, April 26, 2010 11:49:54 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, April 23, 2010

How I Got My Agent: James L. Rubart
Posted by Chuck

"How I Got My Agent" is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. I find it fascinating to see the exact road people took that landed them with a rep. Seeing the things people did right vs. what they did wrong (highs and the lows) can help other scribes who are on the same journey. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings.

To see the previous installments of this column, click here.

If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk specifics.

"YOU GOTTA MEET CHIP"

Before I headed out to my first writing conference in the spring of ’06, an acquaintance said, “Chip MacGregor will be there. He’s an editor and he's wired in the industry. You’ve gotta meet him! Get your manuscript in front of him if you can.”

Included in the conference fee was the chance to submit a manuscript to two pros, editors or agents. So a week before the conference, I sent the first twenty pages of Rooms and a synopsis to Chip. I spotted Chip on Friday afternoon, the first day of the conference, holding court in front of the coffee shop’s large fireplace. A group of five aspiring writers huddled around him and peppered him with questions. And they told him how badly Time Warner (now Hachette) needed their books. Late that evening, as I chatted with three writers I’d just met, Chip approached our table and slid into the chair directly across from me. (He and one of my new friends are old buds.)

Intros were made, and within moments, Chip slung a sarcastic remark my way. (Please understand: Chip can’t help himself. He has a great sense of humor and a lighting quick wit.) I was intimidated and nervous, but figured “Why not?” and slung a playful barb of my own back across the table. Chip’s eyes lit up as if to say, “I like this! Someone that’s willing to volley with me.” We end up poking fun at each other for the next hour and a half, finding out along the way we have a ton in common—like sleight of hand being a long-time hobby, and a love of Cannon Beach, Oregon (where my novel is set).

Rooms (order the book here) is a suspense novel
and James L. Rubart's debut. It was released
in April 2010 by B&H Books.
See James's author website here.

A REJECTION - BUT A NEW FRIEND, AS WELL

Late Saturday morning, I got my critique back from Chip. Rejected! He said Rooms was an interesting character study but not a fit for Time Warner because allegories don’t sell. But hey, I wasn’t going to let my dream being shredded into microscopic pieces keep us from being friends, so I went to his workshop Saturday afternoon and chatted some more. On Saturday night, Chip and I hung out again, both of us doing card tricks for a bunch of fellow conference-goers.

Then came Sunday night. Chip and I hung out for the third night in a row, going to dinner with three other writers. By the time the conference ends, I thought, “Cool, I’ve got a friend in the publishing biz.” I didn’t imagine us ever working together. Because of his rejection, I figured any chance with Chip was over.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THREE AGENTS SAY YES?

I'll skip ahead to July of ’06, when I found myself in the surreal position of having three agents interested in repping me. I needed advice. Who to call? Yep, Chip of course. He was gracious and gave solid counsel about the pros and cons of each agent. Around that time—in a moment of self-candor—I admitted that my writing, while good enough to attract serious attention, still wasn't quite where it needed to be. I attended an intense three-day writing workshop and started re-editing my manuscript. It's also around this time that I got word Chip had left Time Warner and started his own agency.

It wasn't long until we touched base again. Chip called me as my dad and I strolled in Lincoln Park next to the waters of Puget Sound. “So what’s going on in your writing world?” he asked.
     “Well," I said. “I’ve got this agent and this agent and this agent interested in me, and I went to this writing clinic where I learned a ton and I’m in the middle of reworking Rooms.”
     “Ah, you don’t want to go with any of them. Send me some chapters.”
     After a few minutes, the light dawns. He’s talking about signing me. I struggle to believe it. Ten days later (it felt like ten months), Chip replied and offered representation. Wow.

Oh yeah, and if you're wondering about Chip’s rejection note from that first conference? Of course I still have it. I even read it to him the other day. Gotta keep the barbs coming, you know?

This post is an online exclusive complement
to a spotlight on Kristin in the May/June 2010
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | How I Got My Agent Columns

Friday, April 23, 2010 10:29:11 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [4]

Monday, April 19, 2010

Successful Queries: Agent Ginger Clark and 'A Match Made in High School'
Posted by Chuck

This new series is called "Successful Queries" and I'm posting actual query letters that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting the actual query letter, we will also get to hear thoughts from the agent as to why the letter worked.

The 33rd installment in this series is with agent Ginger Clark (Curtis Brown) and her author, Kristin Walker, for the YA novel, A Match Made in High School (Feb. 2010, Razorbill).

Dear Ms. Clark:

When everyone in the senior class gets paired up for a mandatory course in marriage education, Fiona Sheehan has to survive being pseudo-married to Todd Harding, the most popular jerk in school. In the meantime, she needs to figure out how to 1) forgive her best friend's betrayal, 2) fake being a robot-turkey cheerleader, and 3) decide if she's really falling in love with the fat kid.

Using plenty of humor and the brash voice of a geeky main character, my young adult novel, A Match Made in High School (62,000 words), taps into the growing debate over the need for marriage education in high schools. According to the article, "Marriage Education in High School," published out of Brigham Young University, every one of Utah's high schools has a course called "Adult Roles and Responsibility," and Florida has passed a bill to make marriage education mandatory in high school. Other states are following suit. I think A Match Made in High School speaks to this issue; however, I was careful to avoid preaching any kind of message in my manuscript.

You can get a more thorough sense of my writing through my website www.kristin-walker.com. My work has appeared or is forthcoming in Ladybug, Wee Ones (November/December, 2006), Chicken Soup for the Mother of Preschooler's Soul (2006) and Chicken Soup for the Sister's Soul 2 (2006).

May I send the novel to you? I'd like to mention that this is a simultaneous query. Thank you so much for your time and attention.

All the best,

Kristin Walker

Commentary from Ginger

Here’s what grabbed me about Kristin’s query:

This is the platonic ideal of queries—it's short; it conveys the voice of the book without being gimmicky (particularly important when dealing with children’s books); it’s informative; and it’s also free of any glaring typos. And Kristin spelled my name correctly!

The query was less than 250 words, and yet it conveyed to me the A, B, C and D plots, who the protagonist was, and what kind of book this was. Fiona is a senior in high school (so, 17/18 years old)—and that makes this YA or teen. This has a romantic comedy style plot, so that is how I would be pitching this. After reading the query, I wanted to know more about the best friend’s betrayal. Friendship between teen girls can be both very fulfilling and fraught with complications, and I personally enjoy any novels that explore it. Note that Kristin conveyed all that in just two sentences. And she didn’t weigh us down with character names, or specific details.

In the second paragraph, Kristin discusses what inspired her to write the book, and how it could be positioned when it comes to any publicity surrounding it. I liked the fact that she had done her homework and was thinking that far ahead into the process (but without grasping at straws—“My book is about a show choir and I think kids who watch ‘Glee’ will love it” is a stretch). I also liked the subject itself, personally. I’m married, and I’ve been with my husband since we were close to Fiona’s age. Marriage is such a complicated and intensely polarizing issue nowadays that I wanted to see how Fiona would react to this mandatory marriage class. Lastly, Kristin’s credits indicated she was professional, and probably someone who revised well and without much crying or tears.

What Kristin does so well (Razorbill’s buying a second novel from her partially because of this) is that she has the teen voice down. While there are no direct quotes from the book in this query, you can tell from the use of “pseudo-married,” “a robot-turkey cheerleader,” and “falling in love with the fat kid,” that Kristin has got an ear for teen voice. That’s something very hard to come by, but if you don’t have it down, teens aren’t going to trust you as a writer.

This post is an online exclusive complement
to a spotlight on Kristin in the May/June 2010
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | Children's Writing | Successful Queries

Monday, April 19, 2010 10:17:42 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [2]

Monday, March 01, 2010

How I Got My Agent: Ellen Bryson
Posted by Chuck

"How I Got My Agent" is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. I find it fascinating to see the exact road people took that landed them with a rep. Seeing the things people did right vs. what they did wrong (highs and the lows) can help other scribes who are on the same journey. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings.

To see the previous installments of this column, click here.

If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk specifics.

Ellen Bryson's book, The Transformation of
Bartholomew Fortuno, comes out in June
2010. The story follows Fortuno, the world's
thinnest man, as he's hired by none other
than P.T. Barnum to work at a spectacular
American museum. See Ellen's website here.

REJECTIONS TRICKLE IN

When it came to finding an agent, I was not well prepared. I didn’t realize how many good web sources there were to answer questions; I didn’t do much research, and I never once wrote a good query letter. Mostly, though, I couldn’t find an agent because my manuscript wasn’t ready. It took me years to finish a full draft—sometimes working steadily, sometimes not at all. I plugged away, enrolling in a Masters program to keep me working and, thanks to some really great teachers, help me improve. Eventually, I felt ready enough to send the manuscript to writer friends of mine and writer friends of others—anyone who was willing and able to give me usable advice. I rewrote, and unwrote, and rewrote again.

Finally, I felt I could reasonably say The End. Out went the manuscript to an agent that someone had told me might be a good fit. Back it came with a ‘no thanks’ but, generously, with notes. I took the notes very seriously and rewrote to try to answer points raised. Out it went again, this time to an agent I had researched and found to like the same kind of books that I liked. Back it came again, this time with nothing but a form letter. I sent it again and again—the results more or less the same.

These rejections weren’t fun. It didn’t matter that I knew it wasn’t personal. But I didn’t mind going back to the manuscript. Quite honestly, rewrites were work I really liked. In the work, I had control. It was the agent search that I found difficult. It all seemed so magical to me, and I did not feel like the hero of my story.

BRANCHING OUT

Deciding to try another tactic, I went to the writer’s colony Breadloaf, a humbling experience but my first chance to “pitch” in front of an agent. Talking about my manuscript to a professional was both nerve-wracking and instructive. It made me nervous. I did it anyway. And I left with a request from an agent to send her what I had when I felt it was finished. Wow, what a show of interest can do to renew one’s you-can-do-it sense of things. It took nearly a year before I felt ready to send her a partial and then, lo and behold, the whole thing at her request.

In a meantime, I sucked it up again, this time going to a local writers conference. I’m not particularly social, and events like this weren’t easy for me. But at this conference, I got lucky. I met a writer much further along the path than I was. In a moment of generosity, he said, “I’ll take a look at your manuscript if you want me to.” I loved him! Then, when he suggested I send it to his agent, I was utterly beside myself. Since I hadn’t heard from the Breadloaf agent who still had my manuscript, and as she had not asked for an exclusive, I figured, what the hell. His agent turned it down.

YES, YES, YES!

My friend then suggested another agent he knew: Mollie Glick. Why not? I sent Mollie a quick e-mail, telling her who I was and who had recommended me. After reading my first three chapters, she asked to see the full manuscript. On the day before Thanksgiving, Mollie called to tell me she liked the manuscript, but asked if I was willing to work on it. Yes, I said. Yes, yes, yes!

It took two more years of back and forth, including six months of research, until Mollie was happy with it. I dreaded her editorial letters but understood the points she was making and did my best. The big changes I had to do alone, but both of us did line-editing for misspellings, dropped or repeated words, and flabby writing—all the painstaking stuff. After that, it didn’t take long for the manuscript to sell. That moment was, well, wonderful!

So what did I learn through all of this? I learned that it takes what it takes. A manuscript is never done, but it needs to get to a certain point before anyone will be able to see it. Because I didn’t know what finished meant, I sent it out too early. I sent to only one agent at a time even though no one asked me for an exclusive. As a result, I often waited many months to hear back. Finally, and this is what an author friend of mine said: It's not a real book until the professionals get a hold of it. But that’s another story.

This post is an online exclusive complement
to a spotlight on Ellen in the March/April 2010
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | How I Got My Agent Columns

Monday, March 01, 2010 10:39:12 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Comments [5]

Monday, February 08, 2010

How I Got My Agent: Debra Berndt
Posted by Chuck

"How I Got My Agent" is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. I find it fascinating to see the exact road people took that landed them with a rep. Seeing the things people did right vs. what they did wrong (highs and the lows) can help other scribes who are on the same journey. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings.

To see the previous installments of this column, click here.

If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk specifics.

Debra Berndt is the author of "Let Love In:
Open Your Heart and Mind to Attract Your
Ideal Partner." See her website and
follow her on Twitter.

SHARING WHAT I LEARNED

My idea for the book was born after another failed love affair that led me on a transformative inner-journey. A year later, I found myself in a new career and a fresh perspective on my love life. I wanted to share what I had learned and empower single women to love themselves. I hired a coach and began the process of making my dream a reality.

I wrote my first book proposal in 2004 and attended the San Diego State University Writers' Conference in 2005. I gained a ton of insight about getting published but, lacking an impressive platform, I left the conference without any bites on my proposal. Internally, I had a nagging doubt of whether my "attract love" system (the subject of my book) worked because I was still single. Although I have seen the power of the transformation in many of my clients, I felt my proposal had a touch of disbelief in between the lines.

FINDING A PLATFORM ... AND LOVE

During the next year, I continued to receive rejection letters from agents while I was busy building my platform with a regular column in a local Denver magazine and monthly segments on the ABC affiliate's Saturday morning news show. I also met the man of my dreams, which finally gave me the reassurance that my system for singles was solid. I rewrote the proposal with a little more passion and conviction and returned back to the SDSU Writers' Conference in 2006.

Before attending the conference, I researched the various editors and agents in attendance and made my wish list. One agency—Full Circle Literary—really stood out to me because of their interest in empowering women. I picked both partners of that small firm (one as a backup) just to be certain that I was able to at least meet one of them. Because of a cancellation, the event staff scheduled me to meet with both!

I first met agent Stefanie Von Borstel, who really liked my idea. She was impressed with my platform and eager to discuss my proposal with her partner, Lilly. I met Lilly Ghahremani later that afternoon and I felt that I could work with both of them. During the conference, I attended some of Lilly's panels and saw that she was extremely knowledgeable in the publishing industry. Later that evening, I ran into Stefanie at a networking cocktail party and really enjoyed speaking with her. Out of all the agents, they were my top choice to represent me.

A few weeks later, my excitement quickly died when Lilly rejected the proposal, but she gave me some really great advice on how to fix it up. It was a relief that she was open to see another submission. I could have given up after all that time, but I was in for the long haul. So determined to get it right, I hired a writing coach to help me get the proposal in top shape. Shari Cauldron had a lot of knowledge in the publishing industry (a published author herself) and knew exactly what I needed to do to make the proposal irresistible. We worked for a few months on the proposal and I had a professional editor put the final touches on it. The financial investment was a little steep, but turned out to be worth every penny.

POLISHED AND READY

When I resubmitted the proposal to Full Circle Literary, I felt confident that I put in my best work. Lilly contacted me stating that she loved the changes and was ready to talk about possibly working together. Over the next few months, she continued to coach me on adjustments to the proposal to make it even better and more appealing to publishers. We came up with our final proposal and she sent me the contract to represent me. The first hurdle was overcome. I had an agent!

At first, the search for the dream publisher was slow, but within a few months I had four solid offers in the same week. I accepted the offer from J. Wiley & Sons, LLC in 2008 and my book will be in stores on March 1, 2010. The journey from idea to final publication has been a long road, but the final product was worth the wait. As I look back, I am so glad ignored the advice to self-publish and rush the creation of my book. My advice to those who are searching for an agent is to get expert advice, professional editors and never give up—because there are readers out there who want to buy your book.

This post is an online exclusive complement
to a spotlight on Debra in the March/April 2010
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | How I Got My Agent Columns

Monday, February 08, 2010 3:17:43 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Comments [1]

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Successful Queries: Agent Tina Wexler and 'Tagged'
Posted by Chuck

This series is called "Successful Queries" and I'm posting actual query letters that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting the actual query letter, we will also get to hear thoughts from the agent as to why the letter worked.

The 26th installment in this series is with agent Tina Wexler (ICM) and her author, Mara Purnhagen, for her young adult book, Tagged.

Dear Ms. Wexler,

Sixteen-year-old Kate Morgan is just as baffled as the rest of the Cleary High School student body when gorillas invade their town. Okay, they’re not real gorillas, just life-like renderings painted on the buildings, but still. Why would anyone go to so much trouble?

A mysterious graffiti artist isn’t the only thing causing an uproar in Cleary. The school’s resident rich girl is throwing a sweet sixteen bash complete with an MTV camera crew, a live band, and an ultra exclusive guest list, which, to Kate’s shock, includes her but not Lan, her Vietnamese best friend. Kate is determined to acquire an invitation for Lan, but the birthday girl isn’t budging- until she needs a peculiar favor from Kate.

Shy and sensitive Kate is also trying to conceal her crush on Eli, a guy she works with at the local coffee shop. Ever since she was dumped by her first boyfriend months earlier, Kate has turned to Eli for support and now hopes their friendship can turn into something deeper. However, Eli’s girlfriend, Reva, has made it clear that he’s taken, and with her fiery temper and razor-sharp nails, she’s the last person in the world Kate wants to anger. Kate suspects that Reva may be involved with the graffiti, or worse, that she’s covering for Eli and his friends.

Both the graffiti and the party spark debate among the students at Cleary. Some think that the graffiti is a crime while others classify it as art. Some want more than anything to be invited to the party so they can cash in on their fifteen minutes of televised fame while others plan to boycott the over-the-top snobfest. Kate falls somewhere in the middle of both issues until the night of the party, when she learns the truth behind the graffiti- and the real reason why Lan has been left off the guest list.

My short fiction has been published in Orpheus and the GSU Review. I won the 2003 Hardegree Prize for Fiction, a regional award sponsored by the Hub City Writers Group. I am also a member of the SCBWI.

Tagged is a completed 49,500-word young adult novel. I would be happy to send sample chapters. Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely,

Mara Purnhagen

Commentary from Tina

Mara's query caught my eye with the very first sentence. (Did she say gorillas?!) I had to find out more based on that line alone.

And who doesn't love a secret crush and a school divided by the whims of the popular, tough choices between best friends and peculiar favors? I'm also interested in art and in general interested in YAs that explore issues beyond the high school bubble, so I was excited to see that this story would be exploring What IS art?. Lastly, I was a big Veronica Mars fan (sniffle), and the mysteries at the core of this story made me think that Tagged might fill the void left by that show's cancellation, which in my mind is as good a reason as any to ask to see a manuscript. ; )

Of course, it's also just a well-written query, with the right amount of personality and professionalism, a solid bio, etc. I was thrilled when I received pages and found Tagged to be exactly what her letter promised--and more!

This post is an online exclusive complement
to a spotlight on Mara in the March/April 2010
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Want more on this subject?

How to Write a Query Letter.

Successful Queries: (Kids/YA) "Wake"

Successful Queries: (Nonfiction) "Buy Ketchup in May and Fly at Noon"

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!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | Successful Queries

Saturday, February 06, 2010 10:04:42 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

Comments [3]

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

How I Got My Agent: Matt Mikalatos
Posted by Chuck

"How I Got My Agent" is a new recurring feature on the GLA blog. I find it fascinating to see the exact road people took that landed them with a rep. Seeing the things people did right vs. what they did wrong (highs and the lows) can help other scribes who are on the same journey. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings.

To see the previous installments of this column, click here.

If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk specifics.

This installment of "How I Got My Agent"
is by Matt Mikalatos, freelancer,
and author of the novel "Imaginary Jesus"
(BarnaBooks, April 2010). See his website here.

LET'S MAKE A DEAL

I wanted to write fiction, but couldn’t seem to sell it. I found, however, that I was selling short satirical magazine articles with astonishing regularity, and soon I sold a couple of “how to” articles on spiritual topics to the Christian market. When it came to magazines, I just had more success with nonfiction than fiction. I decided to write a proposal for a book of humorous essays called Imaginary Jesus, and started looking for an agent so I could submit it to the publisher who printed my magazine. I started through Writer’s Market, trying to cut the pile of agents down to a top ten list. I mentioned that I hoped to have an agent soon to one of the magazine editors, and they told me that they preferred un-agented submissions when they had worked with an author before, so why didn’t I send a proposal over and abandon my agent search? I immediately sent my proposal to the publisher, who said we would probably strike a deal with no advance and see where the book could go.

Excited and a little overwhelmed, I contacted an author friend named Gary Thomas. Gary had taught a seminary class at Western Seminary a few years previously and had graciously agreed to an interview for a class project of mine at the time. Now he agreed to meet me and my wife and give advice about the writing life. In the course of our conversation he told me that I really did need an agent and referred me to two of them, giving permission for me to use his name when I sent my queries. Both agents were out of my league without Gary’s referral and, in fact, I had crossed them both off my agent search list a month earlier simply because I didn’t think they would represent someone like me.

Learn more about "Imaginary Jesus"

HE LOVES MY QUERY BUT HATES MY BOOK

I sent a query to these guys within about 24 hours of talking with Gary, and the man who was about to become my agent, Wes Yoder of Ambassador Literary, sent me a note the next day saying he wanted to talk. During our conversation, Wes said he read my partial, hated it and told me he didn't want to represent me. I believe he said, "This is bad," as well as, "You're not delivering what you promised in the proposal." He told me that he suspected I was writing what I thought agents and publishers would want to see rather than what I really wanted to write ... that I wasn't being weird enough or honest enough, and wasn't embracing my desire to write a story instead of essays. He did say, though, that he would be willing to take a second look if I reworked it.

That weekend I radically altered the book from essays into a novel, and started writing the story of a guy named Matt Mikalatos who discovers while sitting in a coffee shop that the Jesus sitting across from him is not the real Jesus at all, but an imposter, which leads to encounters with the apostle Peter, a talking donkey, and a giant chase through space, time and Portland, Oregon. I sent five chapters off to Wes, and within a few hours he was sending me e-mails and leaving voice messages not to talk to any other agents. He said he wanted to be the "real agent" for Imaginary Jesus.

SUCCESS WITH WES

Now that it was fiction, I needed to finish the book! I wrote it in the evenings and the holiday breaks over Thanksgiving and Christmas ... the first draft was finished in just under six weeks, which was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. I have a lot of memories of turkey cooking in the kitchen while I was hunched over the laptop by the fire.

So, my agent search lasted about two weeks from start to finish. About two months later the book was finished, and within a few months more we had two offers from great publishers on the table. And Imaginary Jesus hits the shelves this April! Looking back, I know Wes was right - I was successful when I wrote what I wanted to write, not what I thought would sell.

This guest column by Matt is an exclusive online
supplement to a feature on him in the Feb. 2010
issue of Writer's Digest (the "Breaking In" section).
If you haven't subscribed to WD yet, what are you
waiting for? Get a sub now!

Want more on this topic?

Want to pen a guest column? Write me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com.

See all posted stories of writers finding their agents.

Agent Janet Reid provides 20 Query Letter Tips.

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!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | Christian Agents | How I Got My Agent Columns

Wednesday, January 06, 2010 2:12:55 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

How I Got My Agent: Colin Broderick
Posted by Chuck

To see the previous installments of this column, click here.

If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk specifics.

This installment of "How I Got
My Agent" is by Colin Broderick.
Colin is the author of the memoir,
Orangutan. His site, www.colinbroderick.com,
will be up and running soon.

ROCK BOTTOM

On the sixth day of the sixth month 2006, I left my apartment in Hells Kitchen with the last of my belongings in a small U-Haul truck to drive to farmhouse up north and try to save my life. It might sound like I’m fabricating the facts here for dramatic effect but as I started the truck and headed north I glanced at the dash clock and it read 6:06. It occurred to me then and I still believe it now that there was some Dante-esque connection at play here, my life had literally spiraled to its lowest point. I was a 38-year-old, twice divorced alcoholic weighing in at an astonishing 115 lbs. I was broke and now I had lost my apartment. It was time to start the long crawl out of the hole I had dug for myself. I had witnessed the depths of the inferno and it held little of the allure it once did for me. I wanted nothing more to do with it.

Within three days, I had started writing what was to become my memoir, Orangutan. I had been writing for twenty years since moving to New York from Northern Ireland at the age of 20 to work construction. I completed a couple of novels, plays, short stories and notebooks full of poetry—but I had only ever managed to get one short story published and that had been 10 years before. I spent my twenties convinced that I would be "discovered." An agent or editor would read one page of my manuscript and run to the nearest phone to dial my number with an offer that would catapult me into the waiting arms of the Nobel Prize Committee. It didn’t happen. I did send my early manuscripts out to a few agents and agencies but I can’t remember even receiving a rejection letter. It seemed finding an agent was a more elusive dream than finding a publisher. I used to joke that you needed an agent to get an agent in this town.

Orangutan

THE AA REFERRAL

After spending a year on Orangutan—a year that saw me back on the bottle for a brief but productive period that added a stint in an upstate jail to my resume—I started dating a girl who had been a bartender of mine once upon a time. She was a writer, also. She read what I had written and was convinced that this was the manuscript that would finally get me published. She took me back to the city gave me a place to stay and a desk for my work. I married her for her efforts and quit drinking to devote my time and energy to creating a career for myself in the only profession that has ever made any sense to me: writing.

I was at a meeting one night way downtown—one of those meetings you hear about where the alcoholics gather to drink coffee and smoke their cigarettes—when I heard a guy about my age tell his story. He’d escaped from a locked ward at Bellevue Mental Hospital, and was the first to escape from the institution since the early 70s. He’d sobered up and written a book about it, and with the help of his wonderful agent had just nailed down a book deal. I lurked around outside the meeting afterward waiting for my moment. He was quite popular and had a lot of goodbyes to say but I was patient. This was my guy—I was sure of it. When he finally turned to leave, I followed him around the corner and stopped him with a tap on the shoulder.

“Excuse me, my name’s Colin I just heard your story in there and it was great. Here’s the deal; I heard you say you have an agent, well I’m a writer myself and I have this manuscript almost finished and I could really use an agent.” Here he started mumbling some line about how he had introduced someone to his agent already and it hadn’t really worked out for him but I didn’t let him finish. “I can assure you, I told him that if you introduce me to your agent you will always remember this as the night you discovered Colin Broderick.” He smiled. I had appealed to his cooky sense of happenstance. He laughed and eyed me skeptically.
     “You’re not bullshitting me,” he said. “You can really write?”
     “I promise, I will not embarrass you.”

"SHOOT"

Three days later (thanks to a phone call from this nice man), I was seated in the office of Dystel and Goderich down on Union Square. I on one couch, Jane and Miriam on another facing me. “Okay, shoot,” Jane said clasping her hands in her lap and the two women glaring at me with raised eyebrows.
     “What?” I had no idea what to do next.
     “Well, why are we sitting here with you? Shoot.”

This was the moment I had been waiting for my entire adult life. Here was an honest-to-goodness shot at the hoop. I jumped right in with my story and within a few minutes I could tell they were warming up. We had made a connection. They asked me if I’d brought anything with me for them to read. I had. I gave them a disc with what I had of the manuscript so far and in within three days I was back in their office signing a contract. I had my agent!—the same agency who represented Barack Obama, a Hemingway, Judge Judy, and a Bellevue escapee. I had found my home.

It took six months for them to sell Orangutan to Three Rivers Press, (Random House, no less). Over the past year, both Jane and Miriam have been working closely with me helping me refine my next book proposal. They have just submitted it to the publishers. It’s been a long hard road, but it’s been well worth the wait. And that Bellevue escapee, author Chris Campion, and I became fast friends into the bargain.

This guest column by Colin is an exclusive online
supplement to a feature on him in the Jan. 2010
issue of Writer's Digest (the "Breaking In" section).
If you haven't subscribed to WD yet, what are you
waiting for? Get a sub now!

Want more on this subject?

Word count guidelines for novels and children's books.

Networking at writers' conferences.

20 Tips on Query Letters.

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!

Breaking In (Writer's Digest) | How I Got My Agent Columns | Memoir

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 11:29:43 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)

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