Guide to Literary Agents

Successful Queries: Agent Jessica Faust and 'Murder on the Rocks'

2010-03-18T10:36:45.609-04:00

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 29th installment in this series is with agent Jessica Faust (Bookends, Inc.) and her author, Karen MacInerney, for the book Murder on the Rocks, the first of Karen's Gray Whale Inn mystery series.

Dear Ms. Faust,

I enjoyed meeting you at the conference in Austin this past weekend. As I mentioned, I have had my eye on BookEnds for quite some time; when I discovered you would be at the conference, I knew I had to attend. We met during the final pitch session and discussed how the series I am working on might fit in with your current line of mystery series. Per your request, I have enclosed a synopsis and first three chapters of Murder on the Rocks, and 80,000-word cozy mystery that was a finalist in this year’s Writers’ League of Texas manuscript contest and includes several bed-and-breakfast recipes.

Thirty-eight-year-old Natalie Barnes has quit her job, sold her house and gambled everything she has on the Gray Whale Inn on Cranberry Island, Maine. But she’s barely fired up the stove when portly developer Bernard Katz rolls into town and starts mowing through her morning glory muffins. Natalie needs the booking, but Katz is hard to stomach—especially when he unveils his plan to build an oversized golf resort on top of the endangered tern colony next door. When the town board approves the new development not only do the terns face extinction, but Natalie’s Inn might just follow along. Just when Natalie thinks she can’t face more trouble, she discovers Katz’s body at the base of the cliff and becomes the number one suspect in the police’s search for a murderer. If Natalie doesn’t find the killer fast she stands to lose everything—maybe even her life.

I am a former pubic relations writer, a graduate of Rice University, a member of the Writers’ League of Texas, and founder of the Austin Mystery Writers critique group. I have spent many summers in fishing communities in Maine and Newfoundland, and escape to Maine as often as possible. The second Gray Whale Inn mystery, Dead and Berried, is currently in the computer.

If you would like to see the manuscript, I can be reached at (phone number). Thank you for your time and attention; I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Karen Swartz MacInerney

Commentary from Jessica

Let’s start by looking at the first paragraph. Flattery can get you everywhere and Karen used it well here. She wasn’t over the top, but stated what I can only hope are facts. We had met at the conference and she had been watching BookEnds grow. She was smart to remind me immediately how we had met and that we had a personal connection.

I like that Karen put the title in italics. Bold, italics, whatever, but something to make your title jump out a little helps. I’m not sure why, but it does. The word count is right there with the standards for cozy mysteries, and since that’s what she’s targeting she’s headed in the right direction. I also want to point out that her description actually fits her genre. All too often I’ve received submissions in which the author named a genre for the book, but the description didn’t seem to match the genre.

Typically I would say that Karen’s blurb is a little long and I suspect she could probably have tightened it to one paragraph, but it does work. What really works about it for me is that it gives a sense of Karen’s voice and the feeling for the book. I like the sentence, “But she’s barely fired up the stone when portly developer Bernard Katz rolls into town and starts mowing through her morning glory muffins.” There is so much that’s said in that one line and so much we learn. I get the sense that Karen’s voice is light with a touch of humor and I get a real feel for the hominess of the bed-and-breakfast as well as the arrogance of Bernard Katz.

Karen’s credentials are impressive. She’s obviously been writing for a while and I really like the addition of her summers in Maine. I think it’s a personal touch, but one that’s perfectly related to the book. Book note: We did in fact sell Murder on the Rocks. It was the first title to launch her Gray Whale Inn series. So this query letter truly did launch an exciting career for Karen.

This query featured in the book
Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript, 3rd. Ed.
To see dozens of query letter examples (novels,
nonfiction, short stories, kids books and more),
seek out this title.

The (Third) ''Worst Storyline Ever'' Contest!

2010-03-17T10:12:40.074-04:00

Have you got a horrible idea for a story? Well I want to hear about it. Welcome to the (third) "Worst Storyline Ever" Contest - a competition that encourages terrible loglines. This contest happened before, so click on "Contests" at the bottom of this post and scroll down a bit to see previous incarnations. (If you have any problems or concerns, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com.)

"Worst Storyline Ever"

Contest

A logline is a one-sentence line that explains what your story is about and shows the "hook" - the unique idea that makes people want to see more. You see loglines all the time in TV Guide and on the back of DVD boxes. Here are some examples:

"Three middle-aged men defeat their midlife crises by starting a college fraternity." (Old School)
"When a Roman general is betrayed and his family murdered by an evil prince, he comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek revenge." (Gladiator)
"In a future where criminals are arrested before the crime occurs, a cop struggles on the lam to prove his innocence for a murder he has not yet committed." (Minority Report)

But that's all the examples I'm going to give you, because I'm not looking for good examples of a logline; I'm looking for bad examples. Nay - terrible, stupid, "oh-my-God-that-idea-is-dumb-as-hell" examples.

Examples of Bad Loglines

1. " After an unidentified cow swallows an armed nuclear device in a botched Homeland Security raid, Agent Tom Anderson is thrust into an unlikely partnership with buxom organic farmer Daisy Jones to sift through three hundred cows and 10 barns full of manure as the clock runs down in a desperate quest to save Kansas City from a moo-clear disaster." (past contest winner from Livia Blackburne ).

2. "A man's lifelong plan to dress up like Jabba the Hutt and star in a new line of workout tapes finally comes to fruition, but everything goes horribly awry when the man gets ink poisoning, lead poisoning and mercury poisoning all at once."

3. " After losing badly in The Kentucky Derby, a horse is sold to the glue factory where he is processed and bottled, and we follow the stories of everyone who uses the glue, from a nose-picking pre-schooler to a dyslexic kidnapper who glues cut-out letters on a ransom note, until the last drop is gone." (past contest winner from Chris Whigham ).

Here are the rules:

1. Stick to the format, but have fun with the idea. You want your logline to be one sentence only and must be 60 words or fewer, and explain what the story/movie is about. It's what you put in that one sentence that will win you this competition. So the trick is to make your logline a terribly creative idea that's pitched in a professional manner.
2. The contest will go until the end of the day, 11:59 p.m., EST, Sunday, March 28. Submissions received after that will not be considered.
3. To participate, simply click on "Comments" at the end of this post and leave your submission as a comment with your full name and e-mail. You must include your real name and e-mail. If you are super paranoid about leaving your name (Google!), use "L. Martin Smith" instead of "Leonard Smith."
5. You can submit up to two (2) bad loglines. You can include both in the same comment post as you wish.
6. The contest is open to everyone of all ages, save those employees, officers and directors of GLA's publisher, F+W Media (formerly F+W Publications).
7. By posting a terrible logline for consideration in this contest, you are agreeing to the terms written here.

Please note: To be eligible to submit, I ask that you do one of two things: 1) Mention and link to this contest twice through your social media - blogs, Twitter, Facebook; or 2) just mention this contest once and also add the Guide to Literary Agents Blog (www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog) to your blogroll. Please provide link(s) so I can verify eligibility. You can e-mail the links if you wish (literaryagent@fwmedia.com).

The Prizes:

First prize (grand prize): 1) A query letter critique from me. 2) A follow-up phone call to discuss the query critique and a plan of action for seeing your work published (basically: you ask questions, I answer). 3) A one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com; 4) Praise on this blog from yours truly.

Two runner-up prizes: 1) A one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com (value $50).

The Judges:

          First Round Judge                           Final Round Judge:
        Chuck's dog, Graham                     Graham's owner, Chuck
           (pictured age 3)                               (pictured age 11)

* Please do not throw dog mentions into every entry. Graham is an independent judge who is looking for just plain funny.

7 Things I've Learned So Far (Using Songs), by Jessica Lee Anderson

2010-03-17T09:48:40.8498394-04:00

This is a new recurring column I'm calling "7 Things I've Learned So Far," where writers at any stage of their career can talk about seven things they've learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning. This installment is from kids writer Jessica Lee Anderson.

Jessica Lee Anderson is the author of Trudy ,
which won the 2005 Milkweed Prize for Children’s
Literature, as well as Border Crossing . She’s
published two nonfiction readers, as well as
fiction and nonfiction for a variety of magazines
including Highlights for Children. See her
website and her blog.

1. “You’ve Got a Friend” by James Taylor. In this business, sometimes the north wind of rejection blows, an agent might desert you, or reviews seem like they’re taking your soul. There is nothing like having a network of friends that are willing to support you through it all!

2. “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers. I’ve leaned on the advice of my critique partners to strengthen my writing. I’ve also sought out the counsel from my mentors when I’ve needed a hand making important career decisions.

3. “With a Little Help from My Friends” by Joe Cocker. I’ve discovered there is definitely power in group marketing, and getting by with each other’s help. Jo Whittemore, P.J. Hoover, and I recently started a group called The Texas Sweethearts for this very reason.

4. “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson. The life I love is writing, and I’ve learned that I need to hit the road to make new connections by attending conferences (local, national, and international), book festivals, assemblies, book clubs, etc.

5. “Patience” by Guns N’ Roses. I’ve made some progress over time by trying not to focus on the things I can’t control (like how long it takes to get a response), and I try to focus on staying productive instead.

6. “Taking Chances” by Celine Dion. What do I say about taking chances? I’m all for it, especially since my first novel, Trudy, was pulled from the slush pile. I felt like I’d jumped off the edge when I wrote about schizophrenia in my second novel, Border Crossing. What I do say about taking chances? Go for it!

7. “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac. Yesterday is gone, and even though there are many things I didn’t get accomplished, tomorrow will be here soon. I can only hope it will be even better than before!

New Media Rehab: Opportunities Through Blogs and More

2010-03-16T09:42:29.375-04:00

It’s no news that big print media considers new media a kind of onslaught, as though traditional print is the once-lustrous orchard, and bloggers and other independents are each a locust, which, one-at-a-time, are not normally threatening, but jillions of them at once is a different story.

Guest blogger Hollis Gillespie is a humor writer
and columnist for Atlanta magazine. She is also an
NPR commentator and guest on "The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno." Her blog is titled Inappropriate
Conversation. Her third book, Trailer Trashed: My
Dubious Attempts at Upward Mobility , was just
released. She is also the founder of the Shocking
Real-Life Media Continuing Education Academy,
which hosts writing, blogging and new-media workshops.

WRITERS HAVE THE POWER

But the plight of print media does not equal your plight. Because here is the fact: Writers have all the power now. They aren’t waiting to be deemed worthy of a platform by the Big Prints. Instead they are creating their own platforms by blogging, and because of that, advertisers have recognized a grassroots means to reach a massive audience by partnering directly with the writer. In short, advertisers have figured out a way to cut out the middleman. This is problematic for traditional media but not necessarily for you.

In fact, it’s a good thing for many writers, especially those who are still trying to make their mark. Because now you are able to plant your own sapling with a much better chance of seeing it grow. Because now the ground is level, and it’s fertile. Right now is when you need to plant your own tree, and I am talking directly to all of the out-of-work traditional-print writers out there who are wasting time bloviating about how no one’s paying them anymore.

BUILD YOUR IDEA

You need to build your boat right now, and, to do that, you need the basic equipment to compete in the new playing field. I am not even talking about equipment that costs money, I mean resources that are free. You simply need to learn to use them. What you need, in short, is a simple media rehab, the very basics of which consist of these components; a blog, an affiliate marketing account, Twitter and Facebook.

All of these are free to start and maintain. In the most elementary terms, it works like this: Your Twitter and Facebook accounts feed traffic to your blog, this traffic buys products advertised there and you receive a check for a percentage of those purchases. It’s no different from when you worked at a newspaper or magazine, except for all the difference in the world in that you are now your own publisher, and your income is directly related to the volume of the audience you are able to attract. This is freedom, people. Your product—your voice, your expression, your ability to write it—that hasn’t changed at all. That is still exactly where you left it, and there are still droves of people hungry to connect with it. What has changed is that Big Print can’t pay you for it anymore, so they are either taking away their platform or asking you to do it for free (now a depressingly common occurrence for writers).

THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE YOU

Enter your blog. Examples like peopleofwalmart.com should be very encouraging to you. This blog reportedly began garnering $1,000/day in revenue only three months after its inception. Another example is this brand-new twitter account that landed a TV deal just months after its inception, and a novice blog called regretsy.com that landed a book deal almost immediately after the first few posts hit the web. All of these blogs were started by people no different from you; people dealing with downsized income because of the economy so they created their own platforms to showcase their expression and the world responded.

IT'S A NEW WORLD

Writers, you have to stop kicking that dead horse hoping it will cough up another paycheck. And stop worrying about the travails of traditional media. History has proven that whenever a new media is introduced, it weeds out the weaker of the old media, but it doesn’t destroy it altogether. Radio didn’t destroy newspapers. Television didn’t destroy radio. And the internet won’t destroy all of the above. Just because some big trees in the orchard are dying, and making a lot of noise about it, doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing for you as a writer, even if you are one of the leaves that used to be attached to them.

Remember, you are the one with the power. Set up your own online platform and get your money directly from the advertisers who used to pay your former employer who, in turn, used to toss you your check. You are on your own now. Now is not the time to freak out or listen to the deafening (and often false) wailings of the dying meglomedia. You are not a leaf on a dying tree. You are a seed that has been set free.

Trailer Trashed: My Dubious
Attempts at Upward Mobility

Agent Advice: Quinlan Lee of Adams Literary

2010-03-15T10:47:54.437-04:00

Agent Interview by

contributor Ricki Schultz.

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 Quinlan Lee of Adams Literary. Prior to joining Adams Literary, Quinlan worked for eight years as a freelance children’s writer for Scholastic, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, working on licensed projects for Clifford Puppy Days, Dora the Explorer, Hello Kitty and the Planet Earth series.

She is seeking: interested only in children’s, middle-grade, and young adult literature.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

QL: I had worked in children's publishing for years as a writer and knew the importance of having someone focus on the business aspects of a writer's career, so a writer can focus on his or her creative process.

GLA: Tell us about a recent project you’ve sold.

QL: Penguin recently bought Time Snatchers by Richard Ungar, which will pub in Fall 2011. It is the exciting story of a 14-year-old orphan and conscripted time thief from 2061 New Beijing who steals treasures from the past for a Fagin-like character named Uncle. (Richard is also a picture book author and artist, and this is his debut novel.)

GLA: Are there any books coming out now that have you excited?

QL: Dark Life by Kat Falls pubs this May with Scholastic Press. It is an amazing story set in an apocalyptic future, where global warming and rising oceans have forced people to settle in underwater communities. From the moment I read it in our submissions inbox, I couldn't wait to share with other readers.

GLA: Adams Literary specializes in juvenile literature—picture books to middle-grade to young adult and everything in between. Do you find you gravitate toward a particular age group within kids’ lit?

QL: I love all children's and YA literature—from clever picture books to edgy YA. However, if I read the first pages of a middle-grade novel where the character's voice rings true or a YA novel that creates a world that seems familiar but lives only in the author's imagination, it goes to the top of my reading pile.

GLA: Do you accept any nonfiction?

QL: We do accept nonfiction, but Adams Literary is selective in taking on nonfiction authors and projects because it is a challenging market. A great example of nonfiction that we love is Vaunda Nelson's Bad News for Outlaws, which recently won the Coretta Scott King Award.

GLA: What are you looking for right now when tackling the slush pile?

QL: Books that appeal to boys are often hard to come by—I'm always looking for something that would make my nine-year old son laugh out loud or stay up past his bedtime, reading with a flashlight under the covers. When I'm tackling the slush pile, I want the same experience—to be sucked in so completely by a character or story that I want to stay up past my bedtime to finish it.

GLA: Do you notice any trends in the kinds of projects that pique your interest, in terms of subgenres or elements that particularly grab you?

QL: Of course, high-concept Dystopian stories are big in the market right now, and I find them fascinating. The great thing about these stories is that worlds can vary greatly from the underwater settlements of Dark Life to the disparate colonies of Panem in Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, so each one is interesting and fresh.
     The best ones tell an enthralling story, but also raise important moral and life-changing questions that readers are dealing with in today's world.

GLA: What would you say is the number one mistake writers make when writing for kids?

QL: Bad children's writers don't think very highly of children—in a picture book, they go for cute instead of clever; in middle-grade fiction, they over-explain or dramatize a character's emotions so the reader is sure to “get-it”; and in YA, they assume edgy only means sex and drugs, not the tightrope of teenagers’ emotional lives.

GLA: How healthy is kids’ lit at the moment? Do you see it increasing or declining in the coming years?

QL: Literature for children and young adults is a bright spot in the challenging publishing market and continues to grow. For example, adult hardcover sales were down 17.8% for the first half of 2009 versus the same period in 2008, but children's/young adult hardcovers were up 30.7%. Another great trend is adult readers are gravitating towards YA books because they're well-written and tell a compelling story. Who doesn't want to read a book like that?

GLA: Name two things writers can include in their queries that will elicit an automatic rejection from you.

QL: Adams Literary only accepts children's and young adult literature—so anything that's adult goes out immediately. That said, we read everything that comes in through our e-mail submission form from our website (www.adamsliterary.com). We receive more than 6,000 submissions annually, so be patient in waiting for a reply, but we will respond.
     Queries that put up red flags say things like, “I made this story up for my grandchildren and they love it!” or “I don't know anything about children or writing, but I've always wanted to be writer.”
     Conversely, showing you take your writing seriously and know the industry by attending SCBWI or other writing conferences, being in a writers' group or having an MFA in writing from a reputable school make your query stand out.

GLA: Will you be at any upcoming writers’ conferences where writers can meet and pitch you?

QL: I'll be attending the SCBWI Carolinas Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 24-26, 2010, and I'll also be on the faculty of the annual conference on Children's Publishing at Carthage College in Wisconsin on October 1-2, 2010.
     You can also meet other Adams Literary agents at these events: Tracey Adams will be at the NJ SCBWI, June 4-5, 2010, and Josh Adams will be on the faculty of the National SCBWI Conference July 29-August 2, 2010, in LA.
     You can always visit Adams Literary's website to submit and to learn about other upcoming events.

GLA: What is something about you that writers would be surprised to hear?

QL: I am a writer myself, so I know the absolute joy and horrors of a blank page. I am also aware of the dangers of thinking that being a “published author” will make your life complete. I encourage all writers to learn the truth that Anne Lamott puts so beautifully in Bird by Bird, that “Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. The thing that you had to force yourself to do—the actual writing—turns out to be the best part.”

GLA: Best piece(s) of advice we haven’t talked about yet?

QL: Don't send something on the first day that you write the last word. Patience! Let your writing sit for a while, let others read it and tell you what confuses or bores them, and then read it again yourself and see what worked better in your imagination than it does on the page. After that, revise. I see so many submissions with potential, but few with the confidence and maturity that comes from working on something until it is fully developed and ready for us to send it out editors.

This agent interview by Ricki Schultz,
freelance writer and coordinator of
Shenandoah Writers in VA. Visit her blog
or follow her on Twitter.

How I Got My Agent: Eve Brown-Waite

2010-03-14T16:20:59.251-04:00

"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.

Guest column by memoir writer
Eve Brown-Waite, author of First Comes
Love, Then Comes Malaria

NO WATER, NO CLUE

First, let me assure you that you do not need to have connections to get an agent. Nor do you need to hobnob with already published authors, or be famous, or have money. Nor, apparently, do you even need to know what the hell you’re doing.

Of course, no one believes me when I tell them how completely clueless I was when I began this endeavor. But it helps if you imagine a young mother with an undergraduate degree in political science and a graduate degree in public health (no literature or creative writing courses there) toiling away in the Third World while writing about toiling away in the Third World. Yup, that was me. No electricity, no running water, no writers’ group, no Internet access … no clue.

I was back in the states by the time the book was (I thought) finished, but I still didn’t have much of a clue. I suppose I could have integrated myself into a local writers’ group or sought out some resources on this newfangled thing called the Internet. But hell, I was struggling just to make my way through the supermarket without getting dizzy, and I still got giddy every time I picked up the telephone and got a dial tone! It just seemed easier to plod along on my own.

ONE BY ONE ...

After blindly sending my manuscript off to a number of publishers, I learned that if I wanted to even approach a major publisher I’d first need an agent. So I bought that year’s Guide To Literary Agents and winnowed it down to about fifty agents who I thought might be matches. And then I proceeded to query them—one by one. Honestly, I’d wait for a response from each and every query letter before I’d go ahead and query the next agent on my list. And quite often that meant waiting months for some intern to pull my letter out of the slush pile and send me the standard rejection form. Yes, I was a very polite girl—and a very naïve author.

Needless to say, after three years of doing this, I’d only made it a quarter of the way through my now outdated list of agents. And it was while I was tracking down one particularly promising-looking agent, who’d opened up his own agency in the meantime, that I came across Laney Katz Becker. (By then I’d gotten a bit familiar with the whole Internet thingy.)

Laney was relatively new at the young agency (which I took to be good signs, as I thought she’d still be looking for new clients). She loved memoirs (another good sign) and especially those that transport the reader to an exotic location (Bingo! Or tic-tac-toe … I suppose the bingo would be that she liked books with a Jewish theme and she seemed to have a sense of humor). So I sent off a very funny query. I’d read somewhere that your query should reflect the tone of your book. Then I prayed.

Laney quickly wrote back and I sent her three sample chapters. Then I got my whole family praying. I should probably say right here that I am a Jewish, Humanist, Unitarian Universalist with pagan tendencies married to a proudly ex-communicated Catholic. So when I say “pray” it might not really be what you imagine. But we did send out positive energy into the Universe for Laney’s continued good health, and of course, that she’d like the book.

WHAT PROPOSAL?

Soon Laney asked to see the entire proposal. My entire what? I asked. Your proposal, she answered and then went on to explain that nonfiction books are sold on proposal only. Surely you’ve written a proposal, she added. No, sadly, I’d only written an entire book. So I got myself several books on how to write a proposal and went to work. And when I finally sent my proposal to Laney, I had my entire e-mail list praying for Laney’s continued good health and that she’d love my proposal.

On March 15, 2007, Laney called. “I love your book,” she said. “I’d like to represent you.” Three and a half months (and several proposal revisions) later, Laney sold my book—at auction—in a six-figure deal. Me: An unknown author with no connections. Just some good writing, a lot of persistence and some prayers! Oh, and one great agent!

Eve Brown-Waite is the author of First Comes Love,
Then Comes Malaria: How a Peace Corps Poster
Boy Won My Heart and a Third World Adventure
Changed My Life, (2009, Broadway Books)
available in paperback on April 14, 2010.
See her author website here.

Writing Tips From Max Lucado, Best-Selling Author

2010-03-13T17:03:58.2282394-05:00

It was his first time attending a writing conference. He is a best-selling author who has written more than 50 books and has sold 65 million copies of his work. Yet it was also his first time speaking at a conference. Although he was on unfamiliar territory, New York Times best-selling Christian author Max Lucado spoke of the tools writers have, at the Writing for the Soul conference in Denver in February 2010. Below, find his best tips on subject, discipline and clarity for writers.

Guest column by Audra Krell, published
freelance writer. Audra is also a vocalist,
and she and her son lead worship in
churches and at conferences across the country.

MAX SAYS: BE PASSIONATE

     • Your subject must be so worthwhile that it keeps you riveted to your chair.
     • Because of your passion, you write without ceasing until it's finished.
     • Strong topics and subjects cause writing to happen from the soul.
     • Desire to work your writing through, so the reader doesn't have to.

MAX SAYS: STEADY IS AS STEADY DOES

     • Make a date night with your notebook. If you sit long enough, you'll find something to write about.
     • With disciplined writing time, you'll grow to appreciate your work.
     • Good words are worth the work.
     • The only thing better than writing is when your words connect with the reader.

MAX SAYS: ON A CLEAR DAY

     • Get your book down to one sentence. Every paragraph must pay homage to that sentence, or it doesn't get to play.
     • Every word must earn its place on the page.
     • Write concise but not shallow.
     • Revise for as long as you can.

Good writing will go where we never can, and reroutes the trajectory of life. It seeps into the farthest corners of the world and the depths of a reader's soul. Readers let authors into their private moments by inviting the author to speak through their story. Although it's a challenging invitation, it's valuable and authors should accept. Clear thinking will deliver your words to their destination. Most places are far away, and require a long, long chair ride. Do not begrudge the hard work of getting it there, this generation needs the best books you can write.

For his final point, Max reminds the writer to let every part of the process work. "Sentences are like just caught fish. Spunky today, stinky tomorrow." Let editing do its job. That way, you will put forth good, passionate writing, which will reach readers where they live.

How to Market and Sell Your Books

2010-03-13T16:01:36.6150394-05:00

I have some exciting news regarding WD's webinars. Agent Chip MacGregor, founder of MacGregor Literary, is teaching a new, amazing class called "Marketing for Authors." Chip, who runs a popular agent blog, is very wise when it comes to marketing both fiction and nonfiction. We are fortunate to have him aboard for this course, and I, for one, will be attending this webinar and yoking his knowledge.

This is a unique business-oriented webinar for authors who have self-published books out, authors who have traditional published books out, and authors who have books coming out soon. Chip will be presenting and also answering questions from writers.

DETAILS

It's a 90-minute webinar. It goes down at 1 p.m., EST Thursday, April 8. Each registration comes with access to the archived version of the program and the materials for 1 year. In other words, if something happens and you cannot attend it live, you can watch it later.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

These days most publishing houses expect their authors to handle the vast majority of the marketing effort for their books. Since most authors are trained writers but not trained publicists, it can be a bit daunting. The goal of this webinar will be to break the marketing process down into clear, doable steps. We'll explore how to create and begin implementing your own, personalized marketing plan to make your book stand out in a crowded marketplace. What you'll learn:

The basics of marketing in the new economy
What an author "brand" is, and how to establish and use it
Five things you can do to become your publisher's favorite author
What to expect your publisher to do (and what not to expect)
The keys to great marketing copy
How to get maximum impact out of social media

ABOUT CHIP

Chip MacGregor has been in publishing for almost three decades. He has represented hundreds of titles, his authors have won numerous awards, and the books he's represented have hit every major bestseller list, including #1 on the New York Times list.

Questions? Contact writingwebinars@fwmedia.com. Sign up here!

Conference Spotlight: Writers at the Beach, Delaware

2010-03-13T15:37:26.392-05:00

As you may know, I attend a lot of writers' conferences and like to promote the events I will be at. Today I am doing something special, and promoting one I will not be at. It's Writers at the Beach: Pure Seaglass, a writers' conference in Delaware. The reason: Proceeds of this event all go to charity.

DETAILS

Hosted by the Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild, a 501c(3) association, "Writers at the Beach: Pure Sea Glass" was founded in 2005 to raise money for, and awareness of, mitochondrial disease, a little known disease that affects as many as 1 in 2000 children.

Still, why a writers’ conference? Because unless this story gets told—and heard—the money for a cure will never be raised. Because we all have stories like this that need to get told for whatever reason. Writers at the Beach is about helping others to tell their stories.

WHO WILL BE THERE?

Flip Brophy and Douglas Stewart, two literary agents from Sterling Lord Literistic, a very cool NYC agency, will be taking pitches. A mix of published authors, some who have attended before and some new to the event, present workshops.

REASONS TO ATTEND

Overall, there are more than 30 workshops, a dozen panel discussions, and plenty of manuscript reviews! There is a keynote dinner at the Atlantic Sands instead (and the cost is included in your registration). There will be an open mic on Saturday following the reception.

100% of our net proceeds will be donated to Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children to help defray medical costs of those being treated there for mitochondrial disease.

New Agent Alert: David Patterson of Foundry Literary + Media

2010-03-12T11:35:40.7874394-05:00

Reminder: Newer agents are golden opportunities for new writers because they're likely building their client list; however, always make sure your work is as perfect as it can be before submitting, and only query agencies that are a great fit for your work. Otherwise, you're just wasting time and postage.

About David: Before joining Foundry Literary + Media, David has worked at PublicAffairs and Henry Holt and Company. Books that he published while at PublicAffairs and Henry Holt include Nate Blakeslee's J. Anthony Lukas award-winning Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town, Thurston Clarke's bestselling The Last Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days that Inspired America, Peter Manseau's Rag and Bone: A Journey Among the World's Holy Dead, Ethan Brown's Shake the Devil Off: A True Story of the Murder that Rocked New Orleans, and Michael Schaffer's One Nation Under Dog: America's Love Affair with Our Dogs.

He is seeking: David is looking especially for the most prominent and talented journalists, scholars, and personalities in a wide variety of fields, with either outstanding narratives and/or idea-driven works of nonfiction, which can be deeply serious or terrifically entertaining, and often combine those two qualities. David will also represent fiction when he feels strongly that the author has a distinctive voice that can break out of the pack.

How to submit: Please address your materials to one agent only and include the following materials in your submission. Fiction submissions should have a query, synopsis, first 3 chapters of the ms, and author bio. Nonfiction proposals should include the query, sample chapters, table of contents and author bio/platform. Mail queries to Foundry Literary + Media, (Agent name), Submissions, 33 West 17th Street, PH, New York, New York 10011. Please include a SASE if you would like your materials returned. E-mail queries to submissions[at]foundrymedia[dot]com.

Want more on this subject?

New agent seeking nonfiction: Jacquie Flynn of Joelle Delbourgo Associates.

New agent seeking nonfiction and fiction: Chasya Milgrom of Dystel & Goderich.

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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Reminder: Third ''Dear Lucky Agent'' Contest Ends Sunday!

2010-03-12T11:13:41.869-05:00

Note from Chuck: It's March 15, 2010, which means this contest
is now closed. Thank you for entering. Winners
should be announced within 7 days or so.
Meanwhile, our next contest should start
within a week or two, as well.

------------------------------

The latest "Dear Lucky Agent" contest, for writers of paranormal romance and urban fantasy, is about to end at the end of Sunday, March 14—so get your submission in now! You can see all the rules here.

See the full page for rules, but the gist is that agent Joanna Stampfel-Volpe is judging this contest, and writers of paranormal romance and urban fantasy are invited to submit the first 150-200 words of their completed books. Top three stories = winner winner. The three finalists will be notified via e-mail within one week of the contest's end. Winners announced on the blog thereafter.

7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Libby Gleeson

2010-03-11T10:07:36.9822394-05:00

Two of Libby Gleeson's most recent
juvenile books are Mahtab's Story and
Clancy & Millie and the Very Fine House

1. The publisher who accepts your first work is not necessarily beginning a lifelong affair. You may decide the experience is not completely positive and decide to try some other publishing house. You may discover that your book doesn’t sell well and your publisher loses interest in you. Your publisher may be gobbled up by a bigger company that sacks your editor and wants to discard you along with the stock in the warehouse. Don’t take it too personally. It happens to all of us.

2. Publishing a book doesn’t mean the second one will come easily. It won’t. Each book brings its own problems which need unique solutions. There are times in your career where you may decide to change genre or to vary your style. To stay interested in writing, you need to grow and change and try new directions. Believe me, I’m currently struggling with number thirty five and I feel almost as vulnerable as I was with number one.

3. Don’t wait till your book is published until you start the next one. The lag between acceptance and publication is rarely less than twelve months—frequently more. You can waste a lot of time basking in the glow of anticipated publication.

4. Nothing comes easy. The brilliant idea you have had for a story now needs developing and crafting and laboring through many drafts before it will be ready for submission. And then there’s editing.

5. One publisher saying no doesn’t mean they all will. My first novel (Eleanor, Elizabeth, 1984) was rejected by the first publisher it was sent to. They listed five or six points they felt were flaws in the story and its structure. The next publisher who saw it accepted it and when told of the first publisher’s verdict said the points raised were the very strengths they liked about the book.

6. Don’t accept writer’s block. Writing becomes stalled for any one of a number of reasons. Maybe the idea just isn’t strong enough to sustain the kind of story you envisaged. Maybe you can see problems emerging in the story and you don’t want to deal with them. Maybe something else in your life is demanding your time and energy. Find solutions. In my case, a long solitary walk or a time spent reading really good writing often works. There is a power in good prose.

7. Join your professional association. Writing is a solitary pursuit and, at times, you have to deal with complex issues such as contracts, co-authorship and copyright law. You need assistance, and there are writers before your time who have banded together to help you sort out your relationship with your agent and your publisher. How else are you going to work out what exactly the Google Book Settlement means and how you should position yourself?

Kids writer Libby Gleeson lives in New
Zealand and has written more than thirty
books for children, including picture
books and kids novels.

A Story of a Second Chance: How One Writer Fought to Have His Memoir Reissued

2010-03-11T09:45:59.9514394-05:00

Bertelsmann didn’t want to return my rights, even though my book, Heartbreaker, had lain dormant for over twenty years. Doubleday, the original publisher, had been swallowed by this German conglomerate, and of course they wanted to hang on to any book in their catalogue, even if it hadn’t sold a copy in years. But Oh, no no, they said, this book isn’t dormant; anyone who wants it can order it through print-on-demand. I finally had to enlist the help of a lawyer and then The Author’s Guild counsel, Kay Murray. Kay told Bertelsmann she would make my book, Heartbreaker, a test case of the issue for any author who wanted his/her rights back, and would pursue it all the way to the Supreme Court. (Go, Kay!) Threatened with this tough talk, Bertelsmann knuckled and sent a letter of release. Now I owned my book and was free to pursue a reissue.

This guest column by John Meyer,
author of Heartbreaker.

I spent a year querying agents. No one wanted it. But I knew I had something salable—a memoir of the time I tried to rescue Judy Garland from her demons, shortly before the end of her life. In 1968, I had been an idealistic young composer who met Garland to show her a song. Meeting her, I was entranced. Foolishly, I undertook to "save" her from her unhealthy lifestyle of pills and liquor. I thought I could succeed where everyone else had despaired. I was blinded with a Messianic fervor, and spent eight excruciating, emotionally draining weeks with her, acting as her manager, booker, escort, chauffeur, general factotum and boyfriend. I wore myself out with the effort and eventually fell, exhausted. But my obsession had granted me an up-close, detailed look at this amazing woman, with all her fascinating idiosyncrasies.

THE FIRST RELEASE

Finally, after years, I felt I’d gained enough objectivity to put down the story in a fashion the general reader would find palatable. In 1983, Lisa Drew, then an editor at Doubleday, snapped up the manuscript. Now, of course, the agents came flocking. It’s not hard to get an agent when you’ve already made the sale. (By the way, this is a good way to go; if you know an editor, you can place the book yourself—then have an agent negotiate terms. You don’t want to accept the publishing house’s first offer). In its initial release, the book sold eleven thousand copies. Not bad.

A SECOND LIFE

Now, in 2005, what made the book re-printable, I thought, was the CD that new technology now allowed to be bundled within the book, inside the back cover. It was a forty-minute rehearsal I’d taped with Judy around the piano, singing and telling stories, unself-conscious, impromptu. But even the promise of this rare window into the life of a legendary entertainer couldn’t convince the current crop of agents. Everyone was running scared—the publishing "climate" was getting more and more difficult to surmount. But I forced myself to remember: To Kill a Mockingbird went through fifty rejections.

After two years, discouraged, I was about to give up and go the self-publishing route. Ironically, this would have amounted virtually to Bertelsmann’s POD method. But an acquaintance offered to introduce me to June Clark, an agent at Peter Rubie (Now FinePrint Literary). June took the book to an editor named Bob Shuman, who was thrilled at the possibility of grabbing the new Heartbreaker for Kensington. He went to bat for the book in an editorial meeting, and Kensington reissued the book in 2006. It came out in a glamorous new edition, with the inclusion not only of the CD, but an eight-page photo section with shots of Sid Luft, Kay Thompson, and ... my parents! So, whaddaya know –a story with a happy ending.

Heartbreaker

So You’ve Set Up a Writer Blog—Now What?

2010-03-10T10:34:36.8478394-05:00

If you read my previous guest post on how to set up a blog, you know how easy the tech stuff can be. Once you’ve found your perfect theme and written up your contact info, there’s just one thing left: the first entry. Faced with the paralyzing task of finding something relevant to say, many new bloggers ditch their blog before they even get started. But blogging isn’t as hard as it seems—you just have to get a feel for it.

Guest post by Peta Jinnath Andersen,
freelance writer & editor. See her website,
*Insert Literary Blog Name Here*. She also
writes flash fiction and short fiction.

THE MISSION STATEMENT

Spend some time working out a sort of "mission statement." Think about why you want a blog, and the general focus (e.g. writing, rejections, book reviews, etc.) and scope. You don't have to stick to what you come up with, but it might help you get your head around the startup process.

Once you're feeling a bit more comfortable, write a little intro post/about page. Tell prospective readers about yourself. If it's easier, pretend you’re being interviewed by your best friend, and write it as a Q&A. Try and stay on topic. If you write animal-related fiction, talk about your dogs—or the time an alligator chased you at the zoo. Include a picture; readers like being able to put a face to the name, and are more likely to read your page if they can relate to you.

IDEAS, IDEAS, IDEAS!

Blogging is about more than writing—it's about reading. The most popular blogs are how-tos, or opinions and reactions to things the authors have read. For writers, there are a few places to get started—an article you read in PW, a post on the GLA blog, a review in The New Yorker, etc. Pick things that make you think, or that you find yourself talking about. One useful trick is to write your blog posts in a Word document (make sure you use the paste from Word tool if you do this) and treat them as articles or letters. Don’t go overboard—if your focus is too broad, you’ll have a hard time keeping readers interested. And remember, if you go the how-to route, make sure you research appropriately!

GETTING BUSY WITH THE BLOGOSPHERE

Bloggers like to talk, network, and generally get to know each other. Look for blog rings and blogfests (a quick Google search will get you started), take part in writing prompts and challenges on other blogs, and get involved in networks (try http://bookblogs.ning.com—book blogs on Ning).

Be honest in what you write, and write about things you're interested in or love. Post links to other pages you like; link posts are a great way to get to know other bloggers. Pull together your top five posts on any topic (top five descriptions of chocolate cake!), and write about why you love them and what the poster did well.

SCHEDULE IT!

Some people have no problem finding things to blog about—the rest of us need to plan ahead. Keep a file of post ideas (or even one file per idea) and paste useful links into it, along with any thoughts. Outlining posts, complete with subtitles and bullet points, can help you get a better idea of what you're trying to say.

KEEP IT APPROPRIATE

There are no hard and fast rules about blogging, but it’s important to remember that whatever hits the Internet stays on the Internet. As long as you don't post anything inappropriate for your line of work—say, you work in a Kosher butcher's shop then blog about how much you love bacon—you can't really go wrong. It takes a while for blogs to find their feet, and that’s okay.

Blogging is a great tool for promoting yourself. More importantly, though, it’s an excellent way to create connections and learn from other people. Now it's time to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

Want more on this subject?

Peta's first guest post: How to start a blog.

How royalties and advances (money) work.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket with just one book.

You have a contract but no literary agent - what to do.

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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Agent Advice: Kate Epstein of The Epstein Literary Agency

2010-03-09T15:45:14.347-05:00

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 Kate Epstein of The Epstein Literary Agency. Kate founded her agency in 2005, after four years' acquisitions experience at Adams Media. Kate Epstein holds a B.A. with Highest Honors in English from the University of Michigan. She lives with her husband and two children outside Boston.

She is seeking: The only fiction she accepts is YA. On the nonfiction side, she likes Crafts, Fashion, Health, Humor, Inspiration. Journalism, Lifestyles, Memoir. Nonfiction Narrative, Parenting, Pets, Popular Culture, Reference, Relationships, Self-Help, Travel, and Women's Interest

GLA : How did you become an agent?

KE: The short answer is that I quit my editor job, paid my town $20 for a business certificate, and hung out my shingle. My background as an editor was invaluable; I also took a number of agents out to lunch or drinks, in exchange for which they let me pick their brains. These days I still find it helpful to solicit advice, at times, and I’m always open with my own. (Even agents more experienced than me seem to find me useful at times.)

GLA : What's something coming out right about now that you're excited about?

KE: Jeffery Guidry’s memoir, An Eagle Named Freedom, releases in May from William Morrow. It’s a moving story of a man who volunteers in wildlife rescue and his relationship with a very special bird.

GLA : You used to be an editor. How does your background play into your skills and style of agenting?

KE: I find it immensely useful to know where an editor is coming from when issues arise. Editors are, for authors, the face of their publisher, and sometimes have to present decisions that were not made by them unilaterally. While at times it’s my job to be a bad cop so my clients can protect their relationships with their editors, I keep in mind that there are always people involved.
I’m extremely good at the ventriloquism and sympathy involved in editing a manuscript, and I delight in such work. I love to seek ways to make a book more what its author dreamed it could be.

GLA : Your history is specializing in nonfiction, and I see a lot of pet- and animal-related books you've sold. Are you still looking for books in this area?

KE: Absolutely I am. Nonfiction for adults was my exclusive focus for a several years and now I’ve added YA fiction and nonfiction. Nonfiction continues to stand out among submissions because so much of what I’m getting now is fiction. When it comes to pet books, I know a good deal about what I can sell and a good, credentialed author in that area is especially welcome, because I do bring so much expertise to that area. Doing your homework and making it show in your query that you’ve read my website is still the best thing you can add to a great query to make me pay attention.

GLA : You probably see more book proposals than most anybody. Can you give writers three tips on improving their proposals?

KE: The most important thing to remember is that it is a sales piece. It should be professional—but also dynamic. It’s great to dot your i’s and make sure all the pieces are there, but you need to transmit a level of excitement about your project.
A really common problem is a weak marketing plan. I do understand the challenges people face in this area. I believe that even if your efforts are unlikely to directly generate more than a few hundred sales, that you should still describe what you are going to do personally to push your book. An ambitious, even creative, plan for what you will bring to the effort tells a publisher that you will be an eager partner, and that any resources they do provide you will not be ill-spent.

An Eagle Named Freedom

GLA : What are some bite-sized helpful tips writers can take home concerning how to boost their platform?

KE: I think the most important thing is to understand your audience. Know them well. The trap of platform-building—apart I suppose from simple burnout—is that talking can preclude listening. Talk (I mean that broadly—if it’s online it’s typing, of course) about who you are and what you have to offer, but at the same time, listen (or read) and learn.

GLA : Concerning the slush, besides "good writing" and "voice," what are you looking for and not getting? What do you wish there was more of in the slush pile?

KE: Practical nonfiction by credentialed authors is certainly the smallest stack in my pile, and I’d love to see more of that. I’ve placed a couple of craft books recently, and more of that is welcome. Uncredentialed authors that want to write practical nonfiction should, as a rule, team with someone more credentialed. If I were more on top of my slush pile right now, I could better answer this question, but thus far I’m getting the strong impression that a lot of YA authors have embraced hackneyed ideas about high school and social strata. Plot and character are to me the two most important things; I think most people that attempt YA realize how vital plot is, but to me character is just as important.
     I can truthfully say that I’m open to all kinds of topics in YA.
     When it comes to memoir, I’m always curious about peculiar jobs or unusual experiences, and I tend to see a lot more books about family life, which aren’t necessarily as interesting to me.

GLA : Recently you made an announcement about taking on your first fiction submissions—with young adult. What draws you to young adult?

KE: I really thought for many years that I had lost much of the ability to gobble a book like a delicious meal, to be so absorbed in it that the real world looks pale. I thought perhaps that was a childish thing. When I started reading YA again, I realized that it is a function of the books themselves. Good YA draws in a reader and doesn’t let go, but it doesn’t stint on plausibility or fullness of character.
     I fear to comment on my favorite subgenres because it’s so hard to say how I’ll feel about a book without looking at it, and there isn’t wide agreement about what defines certain genres. (For example, by my lights The Hunger Games, which I adore, is obviously science fiction. But not everyone seems to agree.) When a novel has speculative elements—fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal—I tend to like it most when it reflects in some way on the world we live in. This has not generally been a norm of fantasy (Tolkien told the truth when he said he didn’t write allegory), but it can certainly appear.

GLA : You also said you'd take on YA nonfiction. Do writers still need to submit a proposal?

KE: Absolutely publishers will expect a proposal for YA nonfiction. I’m pretty open in this area. It’s probably pretty narrow, though, since young adults read nonfiction for adults as well.

GLA : Best way for writers to contact you?

KE: E-mail, definitely, kate[at]epsteinliterary[dot]com. I have a rule set up so that if you’re not in my address book and your email has “query” in the regarding line, it’ll get sorted correctly. My guidelines are on my website; I’ve recently started asking for the first three pages for all memoir and fiction submissions.
     The only reason I have not simply closed the door to paper submissions is because I am committed to the first amendment rights of prisoners, and prisoners generally can’t e-mail. Everyone else should be able to, is my point of view.

GLA : Something personal about you writers may be surprised to know?

KE: My undergraduate thesis was about Emily Dickinson. It was called “Visiting with Emily Dickinson” and it was about how poets have responded to her in prose and poetry. That feels like a long time ago; but I do still mark December 10 as her birthday.

GLA : Best piece(s) of advice we haven't discussed?

KE: Read, for gosh sakes, read! Read books!
     I also think that if you’re getting ready to pitch agents, it might be worth your while to read Publishers Marketplace for a month for $20. The deal announcements are mostly mini-versions of agents’ pitches to publishers (notwithstanding editors can post deals as well, I think it’s mostly agents that do it), and they give you a very up to date version of what’s selling and how. You can also see what agents are placing books like yours—though don’t assume Publishers Marketplace is always complete.

How I Got My Agent: C.J. Omololu

2010-03-08T17:02:35.137-05:00

CJ's book, "Dirty Little Secrets"

OFF TO KANSAS CITY

You’ve probably heard the story of the aspiring writer who cornered the unsuspecting agent in a conference bathroom and passed her manuscript under the door of the stall. Arguably the most celebrated moment in the history of how-not-to-get-an-agent. You should also not pass your manuscript to an agent in an elevator, in the buffet line or during their keynote speech. But is all casual contact taboo? Is there a way to use a chance meeting to your advantage? Sure, as long as you do it right.

I met my agent, Erin Murphy, in an elevator. I was in the process of writing my first novel and was starting to research agents (in hindsight, I recommend actually finishing your book first). Erin was at the top of my list and I heard she was speaking at a weekend conference in Kansas City. Although I live in Northern California, I needed a weekend away and had enough frequent flyer miles, so although I really didn’t know anyone in Kansas City, I went.

THE ELEVATOR PITCH

I saw Erin speak at the conference that first day and it only cemented the fact that I wanted to work with her. She’s editorial, knowledgeable about the business, has great contacts and a fantastic client list. All good. But I had nothing to show her and no reason to talk to her, so I spent the whole day in seminars and talking to other writers. I figured that I’d just take my experience home with me, finish the book and query her when I was ready. And then I got my chance.

Early on the last morning, I was riding the elevator down to the hotel lobby when Erin stepped aboard on her way to speak at a seminar. My mind was racing as the floors flashed by—this was my big chance! What the heck do I do with it? I started with the brilliant “Good morning.” She smiled and said "Good morning" back. She yawned and said that she was tired and I mentioned that I’d stayed up late, too, talking to some of the other conference attendees. Then I glanced at her and said, “Luckily, I just have to sit there and listen. Unfortunately, you have to go and be brilliant again.” That broke the ice and she laughed. Erin glanced down at my outfit and admired the trouser jeans I’d bought special for the trip. I told her where to get them, we chatted for a few seconds and that was it. The elevator reached the lobby and we went our separate ways. My palms were sweaty as I replayed the conversation in my head, knowing that there was so much more I could have done to make a better impression. At least I hadn’t blown it ... had I?

"REMEMBER ME?"

Fast forward a few months, and my manuscript was polished and ready. I’d read everything I could about query letters, and decided to take a chance with mine. I opened with, “Dear Erin, We met briefly at the Missouri Writer’s Guild conference—I am the tall gal with the striped hair and the fabulous not-jeans from J.Jill. I know that you are not accepting unsolicited submissions and I know that you are not looking for any new clients. I also know that I want you to be my agent.” After a short wait that I spent holding my breath, Erin e-mailed that she did indeed remember me and invited me to send her my manuscript. I’m pleased to say that my novel Dirty Little Secrets came out from Walker books on February 2 and I look forward to a long and prosperous partnership with Erin.

If you find yourself in an elevator with your dream agent, resist the urge to slip them your manuscript. Instead, engage in some casual conversation. Mention something they said or someone they represent that you really like. Compliment them on a necklace you admire. Treat them like real people and you never know what might happen. If you happen to meet your dream agent in the conference bathroom however, I strongly suggest you leave her be.

Cynthia Jaynes Omololu is the author of
Dirty Little Secrets (2010) as well as
When It's Six O'Clock in San Francisco.
See her website here and her blog here.
She lives in Northern California.

Live Near Lexington, KY? Come See Me Speak on March 20!

2010-03-08T16:44:44.44-05:00

On Saturday, March 20, I will be presenting at the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning in Lexington, KY—giving a two-hour speech on "Everything You Need to Know About Getting an Agent." Come out and see me! This is my first dealings with the Carnegie but it seems like they have year-round cool programs for writers. See their website here. To register for the event, call the main number (859) 254-4175.

In this speech, I will address all things agent, and show writers how to snag a rep without fear of being scammed. We’ll discuss book proposals, novel synopses, query letters, pitching, how to find an agent, and everything else. Questions welcomed and encouraged!

The whole thing goes down from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, March 20, at the center, 251 West Second St., Lexington, KY. Phone: (859) 254-4175. Validated parking for the Carnegie Center is now available at a new location: Validated parking for the Carnegie Center is available at the Featherstone Garage on Upper Street between Second and Church streets.

Successful Queries: Agent Sharlene Martin and 'You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again'

2010-03-07T19:59:09.556-05:00

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 28th installment in this series is with agent Sharlene Martin (Martin Literary Management) and her author, Suzanne Hansen, for the book, You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny.

This query is from Sharlene's awesome new work, Publish Your Nonfiction Book (Nov. 2009). If you're looking to sell a book proposal, this book is a must-buy.

>

Dear Ms. Martin:

When I was 18 years old, I moved from my hometown in Oregon (population: 7,500) to live with the most powerful man in Hollywood and be a nanny to his three children.

In my memoir: You’ll Never Nanny in this Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, I describe my unusual experiences with the rich and famous, and provide a peek into their private lives. I also share humorous stories about my girlfriends who were working for celebrity families. The book describes my short education at the Northwest Nannies Institute in Portland, Ore. It also describes my journey as a 24-hour-a-day modern servant, juggling medical emergencies, as well as toddler and adult tantrums.

This book is a cross between People magazine and “Seinfeld.” One example of the bizarre priorities of the wealthy: The family had a small painting in their family room that cost five times as much as my parents’ home, but I was told not to take anything from the hotel honor bar on vacation, because it was too expensive.

I self-published the book last year and was selected for a distribution contract through the IPG small publishers program. I’ve consistently ranked in the top five percent of Amazon.com sales. I’ve already sold more than 4,000 copies in 12 months and have garnered great reviews. I also have a popular website: hollywoodnanny.com. Some of the media attention I have received includes an E! Channel “Will Work for Stars” red carpet interview for the Screen Actors Guild awards. I’m featured on an upcoming A&E special “Fathers and Sons in Hollywood.” I’ve been interviewed on many radio programs, and I speak nationally.

So now I’m ready to go mainstream with a major publisher. Apart from writing this book, I’m a mother of two, and have worked as a high-risk labor and delivery nurse, lactation specialist and childbirth educator. I can send you a copy of the book by e-mail or regular mail, and hope to hear from you to discuss this further.

Suzanne Hansen

Commentary from Sharlene:

The instant appeal of a nanny who worked for a major Hollywood player is obvious. And paragraphs two and three make a clear description of the work, so that when the “spoiler” comes in paragraph four—telling of the book’s self-publishing past (a usual deal killer)—she builds upon momentum she has already established, pointing out that her self-published book enjoyed real success in online sales and through word of mouth.

After Suzanne sent me this letter, the supposedly “impossible” happened: Her previously self-published book sold to Crown Books/Random House for a six-figure advance in auction, and quickly went into multiple printings. It became a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller.

BUY Publish Your Nonfiction Book

Want more on this subject?

Successful Queries: (Literary Fiction) "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet"

Successful Queries: (Memoir) "Queen of the Road"

Successful Queries: (Narrative Nonfiction) "Peaches & Daddy"

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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today! >

Agent Rachelle Gardner's Teaching a Webinar!

2010-03-07T11:26:12.046-05:00

Exciting news. Literary agent Rachelle Gardner (well known for her super-awesome and popular publishing blog) will be teaching an online webinar on Thursday, March 11, on "How Do Agents and Editors Decide?" It's a 90-minute online class guaranteed to be an info-filled bonanza of advice and tips for both fiction and nonfiction writers.

ABOUT RACHELLE:

Let's cut right to the chase: Rachelle knows her stuff. Her publishing blog has been on the Writer's Digest 101 Best Sites every single year that her site's been in existence. If memory serves, she mentioned that about 450,000 people visited her site last year to learn from her. What does it all mean? Rachelle knows how to communicate ideas and tips that writers can take away.

She is an agent with Wordserve Literary Group. She's looking at all genres of adult fiction except fantasy, sci-fi, and erotica, and prefers stories with strong characters and page-turning plots. Currently her favorite genres are contemporary women's fiction, historical romance, and romantic suspense. In nonfiction, she's looking for authors with strong messages (for either a Christian audience or the general market) and significant marketing platforms.

ABOUT THE WEBINAR:

Why do some projects get picked out of the pile by agents and editors while most do not? It's because great books that catch the eyes of the pros are a combination of an excellent idea, excellent writing, and, in some cases, an excellent platform.

In this webinar, writers will learn:

How to capture your book in a compelling hook that will draw the attention of agents and editors.
How to determine if your rejections are less about your project and more about the marketplace.
What is meant by the "competitive advantage" and how to know if you have it.
How to make your writing shine—taking an idea and fleshing it out with voice, narrative, point-of-view, and structure.
How to develop an attractive writer platform—connecting with other writers and individuals while making yourself a visible authority on a subject.
How agents and editors quickly look over a project and decide if it has the necessary elements to make them request more.
How to get your book published!

ASK QUESTIONS!

One of the best parts about webinars is that you get to interact and ask questions to the presenter. Rachelle will address writer questions in real time. If she can't get around to all questions during the seminar, she'll address them afterward and e-mail you the answers! No question goes unanswered, so sign up for "How Do Agents and Editors Decide?" today!

Want more on this subject?

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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today! >

Cover Band Soap Opera: Types of People at Shows, Vol. 2

2010-03-06T18:08:42.665-05:00

Looking through all the pictures of my cover band shows, you start to see the same things over and over again. In other words, a lot of people who come to our shows fall under a certain grouping, and these posts will help show you some of the characters we see over and over again. Here is Volume 2 (see Volume 1 here). Note : These are all real photos from my cover band shows. (I even know some of these people.)

4. THE CREEPY STARING GUY

Creepy Staring Guy (homo sapien crisis midlifis) is a harmless nuisance, but an unnerving one nonetheless. He oftens stands awkwardly close to the band, usually staring at the guitarist or bassist, sometimes without blinking for long periods of time. He's either a musician, examining the band's skill at close range, or just a very strange guy.

5. STAGE GIRLS

When that fourth drink has kicked in, these are girls who want to one thing: Dance! And dance they will. When one decides to cross the audience-band border, the floodgates are open, and more follow. Never mind the smiles and friendly demeanor of Stage Girls (homo sapien dancus babus); the truth is: They're very dangerous. Stage Girls result in the most amount of accidents per capita for cover bands worldwide. They spill drinks on surge protectors; they bump your mic; they try to play the instruments. It's all very crazy.

6. THE UNINVITED SINGER DUDE

Who cares that he wasn't invited onstage? This man is so sure of himself that he's coming up anyway. Drink in hand, he's a wild dude (homo sapien drunkus annoyus). There's no rhyme or reason as to when he'll suddenly grab the lead singer's mic and belt out a lyric. It's all random (fun!) and he likes it that way. Sure, you can ask him to leave the stage, but he'll be back, and he'll be drunker next time.

7 Things I've Learned So Far, by F. Gerard Jefferson

2010-03-05T19:44:22.051-05:00

1. It’s not me; it’s the revision. (Or sometimes, it’s the shoes.) Yeah, you’ve heard about this revision thing before, and you’ve probably also heard that anyone—yes, even you!—can become a better writer. But I don’t necessarily agree with this world view. Here’s what I think. I think I’m the same writer I was seven years ago. I’m a better writer not because of anything I’ve written, but because of everything I’ve erased. You can become a better writer, too, but it’ll take some time, maybe even years, to become a better self-editor. The good thing about it is, as a wannabe writer, time is on your side.

2. That egg you see? It’s yours, and it’s all over your face. You’re going to make mistakes. Know that from the beginning. In your manuscript. In your formal requests for a prom date. In response to all the “Ewww! I’m not going with you!” rejections you’re going to get. Some mistakes will be minor. Others might get you reported to your Internet service provider, or ridiculed on the blog of some famously anonymous literary agent/editor. But it’s okay. You can survive. Take that egg and whip yourself up an omelet, and while you’re at it, fix me some, too. Hunger is the perfect equalizer for embarrassment.

3. Continuing with the prom theme, while you’re at home working on your moves, don’t forget the writer’s anthem: Back that thang up! I’ll be the first to admit it: Redundant, as a word, sounds suspiciously close to dunce. But how do you think I felt when my Quantex computer died in 2004 and I didn’t have redundant copies of all my work? Now I’m somewhat of a Napoleon about backup systems with three tiers of tyrannical protection, but I sleep easy at night. Or, at least, I try to.

4. Writing your book is just the beginning. I remember when I finished my first novel a few years ago. I thought the majority of the work was done. If I could go back in time, I’d slap myself. Hard.

5. Short stories are harder to write than novels. If you’ve been paying attention, you know airplane pilots have been all over the news lately, not for well they take-off, but how well they land. As a writer, your job is to land that big, hulking idea you’ve got, and make sure as few people as possible get injured in the process, or that your name doesn’t get associated with negligence. As one pilot to another: Just know it’s easier to do this when there’s a lot of runway to play with.

6. However long you think it’s going to take, add five years. There are two things in life you never do: Never ask a woman her age; and never ask a writer how long they’ve been unpublished. If you decide to break this rule, and the woman/writer asks you to guess, always underestimate.

7. Temper your expectations. It’s okay to dream, but that deadline for finding a perfect New York agent that I’m sure you have? In my humble opinion, you should throw it out the window.

Want more on this subject?

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

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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today! >

New Agent Alert: Don Fehr of Trident Media Group

2010-03-05T11:11:44.4114486-05:00

About Don: He comes to Trident as a 20-year publishing veteran in editorial and various executive level publishing positions. He has held senior level editorial jobs at Atheneum, Addison-Wesley, Viking Penguin, Basic Books, and was the Publisher of Smithsonian Books/HarperCollins. Don had published over a dozen New York Times Bestsellers and his authors and books have won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the P.E.N. Faulkner Award, and The L.A. Times Book Award among others. He holds degrees from Gordon College and Harvard University.

He is seeking: new literary and commercial novelists, narrative nonfiction, memoirs, biography, travel, as well as science/medical/health related titles. And since he reads alongside is ten-year-old daughter, he has also developed an interest in young adult authors.

How to submit: dfehr[at]tridentmediagroup[dot]com. Query first. Please send mss or proposals only upon request.

Want more on this subject?

New agent seeking nonfiction: Jacquie Flynn of Joelle Delbourgo Associates.

New agent seeking nonfiction and fiction: Chasya Milgrom of Dystel & Goderich.

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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Demystifying Contracts: What Every Writer Should Know

2010-03-05T10:55:54.958-05:00

At the SCBWI 2010 Winter Conference, agent Edward Necarsulmer IV (of McIntosh & Otis) gave a presentation called "The Real Deal about Contracts." At McIntosh & Otis, Necarsulmer handles his clients’ contracts with publishers. Other agencies have contracts departments. Either way, both agents and authors should understand the ins and outs of contracts and the process of negotiating rights with a publisher.

Donna Gambale blogs at the First Novels
Club and is the author of a mini kit,
Magnetic Kama Sutra. She’s currently
revising her young adult novel, Multiple Choice.

WHAT'S A CONTRACT?

At its most simple definition, a contract is a legal document saying what the publisher is going to say or do, and what you, the author, are going to say or do. It should be fair and clear on both ends.

Oftentimes, a publishing house will offer a basic contract to an author, and it’s the agent’s job to negotiate better (and more specific) terms. The agent explains everything to the author and discusses his/her options before continuing negotiations. With each revision, the agent goes through the contract with line-by-line vigilance, making sure the author has what he/she needs and what the publisher promised.

HOW MONEY WORKS

The most obvious part of a contract involves negotiating author advances and royalties. Of course! Check out this post for complete details.

PRIMARY RIGHTS

Primary rights include the original edition of the book and paperback reprint rights, but they may also cover foreign territories/translation rights. The standard grant of rights is for the publisher to print/publish/sell/distribute your book in the English language. Your agent would probably want to retain foreign rights, but that depends on a cost/benefit analysis. Meaning, is it worthwhile to attempt to sell your book to foreign markets?

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Here's a post breaking down subsidiary rights. Necarsulmer believes that it’s preferable for the agency to retain as many subsidiary rights as possible in-house because then the writer only has to give 15-20% of earnings to the agent instead of also splitting 50% with the publisher.

These rights include the following:

     • Audio rights. Generally an agent also tries to retain these, but it depends on the earning potential for the author of the agency shopping the book versus the publisher.
     • Film/TV/dramatic rights. Should be retained in-house. These rights are important because of the possibilities to help boost the sales of your book.
     • Graphic novel rights. These should be negotiated as something entirely separate from your novel.
     • Commercial/merchandising rights. It’s also best for your agent to retain these rights. These include plush toys for picture books, Edward Cullen dolls, etc.
     • Electronic rights. Because this is ever-changing, Necarsulmer includes a clause to renegotiate the terms of electronic rights in one to three years, to keep it labeled as an ongoing discussion. Plus, he ensures that, as much as possible, he and his clients have the opportunity to approve electronic rights decisions before they’re made.

Other elements of a contract Necarsulmer mentioned include the following:

     • Publication timeframe. There’s also frequently a clause that a publisher must publish your book within a certain timeframe. With picture books, this can be slightly different because authors and illustrators have to be coordinated.
     • Author copies. Lists the number of free copies an author receives, plus discounted pricing for additional copies.
     • Warranty and indemnity clause. This covers the author under the publisher’s insurance (for libel, lawsuits, etc). Another clause under this includes bankruptcy—what happens if the publisher goes out of business?
     • The agency clause. This outlines the author’s and publisher’s relationship with the agent. For example, noting that all sums of money due goes through the agency (the author benefits when the agency’s accounting department double checks payments), or listing what percent of earnings goes to the agent. This clause possibly requires payment to the author from the agency within a certain number of days.

Necarsulmer’s presentation emphasized how an agent is a valuable ally who looks out for the author’s best interests during complex contract negotiations. A skilled agent keeps contracts from becoming intimidating so that the author can focus on what’s really important—writing.

Want more on this subject?

Check out Donna Gambale's other guest column, 7 Things I've Learned So Far.

See a successful nonfiction query here.

Nonfiction words of wisdom from agent Ted Weinstein.

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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today! >

Agent Advice: Tamar Rydzinski of Laura Dail Literary Agency

2010-03-04T23:36:28.621-05:00

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 Tamar Rydzinski of The Laura Dail Literary Agency.

She is seeking: Tamar is not interested in prescriptive/practical nonfiction, humor, coffee table books or children’s books (meaning anything younger than middle grade). She is interested in everything else, providing it is well-written and has great characters.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

TR: In college, I didn't know what to do with myself one summer and a friend of my mother, who happens to be an author, said, "I think you would love being an agent." She got me an internship with her agency and she was right, I loved it! So in a way, agenting fell in my lap and I am eternally grateful for it.

GLA: What’s the most recent thing you’ve sold? What’s something you represented that recently came out?

TR: The most recent thing I sold is called Blood on the Moon and it's a paranormal YA series about a college freshman who learns the true meaning of sacrifice and the dangers of falling in love, especially when werewolves and vampires are involved.
A couple of books of mine that have recently come out are Shadow Magic by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett, the second book in a wonderful fantasy series and The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James, which fictionalizes the love story between Charlotte Bronte and the man who eventually became her husband.

GLA: One of your favorite categories is women’s fiction. What draws you to this category? Why the love?

TR: I love women's fiction because I'm a sucker for relationships of all types--romantic relationships, friendships, relationships with your surroundings; I love when the setting takes on a life of its own and becomes a character in its own right. And I think that often, women's fiction does that best.

GLA: How can writers make their submission break out of the pack?

TR: In general, the way to make a submission stand out is to do your research--if you mention that you read such and such book represented by our agency and your book is reminiscent of it, then I am more likely to take notice. And, of course, writing is key. Query letters are hard, but they are the first thing I see so take your time, days if necessary, and make sure that it is well written and there are no typos.

GLA: You look for kids writing. Can you be more specific about what you do and do not want to see?

TR: I look for middle-grade and above, so no picture books and no chapter books. I do love fantasy of all types, though I think there is a lot of room for realistic books as well. And I am a big fan of dystopian, though I generally don't like apocalyptic fiction. And series are generally more intriguing than stand-alones, though I definitely have stand-alones, too. I know this doesn't truly narrow it down too much, but that's because I love almost everything!

"Shadow Magic" is a book Tamar repped

GLA: On the subject of young adult fantasy, this is a category I don’t read too much. Can you help me (and other readers) understand some of the basic subgenres of the category? For example, what classifies something as “high fantasy”? Etc.

TR: Well, the way I classify them (which isn't scientific and not necessarily even correct) is that in high fantasy, an entire world is created; it doesn't take place on what we recognize as the world as we currently know it. It usually has magic or magical creatures of some sort, though there are some exceptions.
Low fantasy takes place in what is recognizably our world, but has traditional magical creatures.
Paranormal fantasy also takes place in what is recognizably our world and has vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, etc. Characters that are human, or were once human, but have evolved into something else.

GLA: You take a lot of nonfiction subjects. Is it as simple as “Give me a good idea and a good platform and we’re golden”?

TR: It is! Platform is key, though our agency has had success with Skinny Bitch, where the authors had no platform! So if your voice or idea is incredible, then there are ways to get around the platform issue.

GLA: What’s the best way for writers to contact/submit to you?

TR: I prefer e-mail queries: queries[at]ldlainc.com. The guidelines for submission are on our website. Of course, I accept hard copies of queries as well.

GLA: What’s something personal about you writers may be surprised to know?

TR: One thing about me that people in general are surprised to know is that I actually grew up right here in Manhattan, where I live to this day.

GLA: Best piece(s) of advice we haven’t discussed?

TR: Make as many connections as you can in as many different places as you can. If an author was referred to me by another client, or someone I know, their query and material go to the top of the pile. And once your book is sold, it's helpful to know lots of people to help get the word out there.

Want more on children's writing?

Examine Great High-Concept Hooks for Children's Books.

New children's agent seeking submissions.

How to write picture books for kids.

Buy the kids writers' bible: the Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market.

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

Read a successful young adult query: "Wake" by Lisa McMann.

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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Footnotes: 5 Articles on Writing Picture Books

2010-03-03T23:15:01.285-05:00

"You have to write whichever book it
is that wants to be written." ~ Madeleine L'Engle

Footnotes is a recurring series on the GLA blog where I pick a subject and provide several interesting articles on said topic. This week, I’m serving up five articles on writing picture books.

1. Ten Myths about writing for kids. Do you know what they are? Check out the list on the Hogwarts Professor blog.

2. Picturebooks vs. Novels. Agent Michael Stearns discusses the uniqueness of representing picture books versus other genres.

3. Saying a lot with a little. Thus is the fine art of writing a picture book.

4. Three times a charm. Author Pam Calvert discusses the Law of Three and other tips for writing humorous picture books on her blog Woven with Pixie Dust.

5. Writing a picture book? Check out these 20 Do’s and Don’ts from Author Mem Fox.

This guest series by writer
Nancy Parish, who runs her
blog, The Sound and Furry.

Want more on this topic?

Footnotes: 5 Articles on Writing First Pages.

Footnotes: 8 Articles on Revising Your Work.

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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today! >>

Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript: The Awesome Third Edition

2010-03-03T21:50:35.903-05:00

This is so cool. Very soon after holding a copy of the new 2010 Guide to Literary Agents in my hand last summer, I got some more good news: my other new book, Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript, 3rd Ed. is out and available now. Awesomeness.

When asked if I would helm the third edition of Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript, 3rd Ed., I said yes immediately. After all, I kept the second edition right next to my desk at work and consulted it all the time – it would be an honor to update it. My only worry was: How can I make this good book better?

My solution: New query examples and new article examples – and lots of ‘em, baby. (See a review of Formatting & Submitting on The Writing Bug website.)

There’s a reason that this book warranted a third edition. It has more than 100 examples of queries and articles and everything else writing-related. It doesn’t just tell you how to format something, it shows you – with sample queries and submissions that are well constructed, while also showing what to do and what not to do when contacting publishing professionals.

Making submissions look pristine is not an easy task, no matter what you’re writing. Are you confused as to how to format a magazine query or sidebar? I'll show you how to do it. What about formatting a screenplay or a film treatment? I've got examples of those, too. Or what about stage plays, picture books, graphic novels, fiction, book proposals and everything else? Yep – it’s all in here. On top of the examples, this book has hundreds of pages of general submissions tips and info – the dos and don’ts when sending your work to editors and agents.

It all adds up to giving writers the best shot of getting their work read and published – whether you want to call it getting ahead of the curve, to the head of the class, or just to the front of line.

Maybe you’re ready to submit but want to make your work perfect, or maybe you’re just starting out and don’t know whether that idea is a novel or a screenplay. Either way, this is a book that can truly assist you in your writing journey. What's so cool about this book is that no matter what you’re composing, Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript, 3rd Ed. can help you do it right. After all, it helped me; why not you, too?

Want more on this subject?

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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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today. >

Get Agents to Like Your Characters and Keep Reading

2010-03-02T10:08:12.0138825-05:00

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that one of my favorite books on writing is Save the Cat (and it's not even a WD book, so you know I'm telling the truth). Save the Cat is a modern-day look at structure and story, written by screenwriter Blake Snyder, a wonderful man who passed away recently at the much-too-young age of 52.

So why is the book called Save the Cat? One of Snyder's most basic points is that we (readers) must like the character we're following. If we see the protagonist do something kind or admirable in the first few minutes/pages, then we will like him. And if we like him, we follow his story and root for him to succeed in getting what he wants.

I recently read some pages from a novel-in-progress. I had some typical notes: "This is good ... this doesn't work ... cut, cut, cut." But the big point was that the protagonist was unlikable. When we first meet the main character, they seem annoyed, and in the middle of a frustrating relationship. We cannot be introduced to characters like this, because why would we keep following a character that is constantly agitated and generally unhappy? We need to root for them, and that's what the Save the Cat moment is all about. So let's look at some movies and identify early Save the Cat moments.

Miss Congeniality

Sandra Bullock is on a sting to catch a mobster. When agents ID themselves and hold the mobster at gunpoint, he starts to choke. But is he really choking, or is it a ruse? It's not clear. None of the male agents move, but Sandra scurries in to help the choking man. She cares; she has compassion. That's a perfect Save the Cat moment.

The Hangover

This movie is essentially about three guys trying to find a fourth guy who's lost just before his wedding day. So which one of the three is the main character? The answer: None. The main character is actually Doug, the groom-to-be who's lost. The Save the Cat moment is very early when he invites his new wacky stepbrother, Alan, to Vegas, even though he doesn't have to. This makes us like Doug. And if we like him, then we root for him to succeed. To succeed means to get married. To do that, we root for his friends to find him in time for his wedding. Save the Cat.

Nottingham

A few years ago, a screenwriter re-envisioned the Robin Hood legend as told from the Sheriff of Nottingham's point of view. In this (unproduced) screenplay, the story begins with a battle. Meanwhile, underground, an Army Leader (actually the sheriff: our protagonist) is leading troops through tunnels for some kind of surprise attack. He stops for a moment to address his men, only to see that instead of looking at him, they're all staring at something else. It's the bucket of water he's holding. It's clear that they're parched. He takes off his own helmet and pours some water in it, instructing them to pass the helmet around and take one sip a piece. The whole thing takes about 7 seconds, and it makes us like this man. Save the Cat.

Sea of Love

I've never seen this movie, but this is the film where Blake Snyder identifies a perfect Save the Cat moment. At the beginning, Al Pacino, a cop, is arresting New York criminals who arrive at a location thinking they're going to meet some Yankees. When Pacino sees that the next approaching criminal has his young son in tow, Pacino makes himself visible, showing his badge. The criminal sees this, and tells his son that there's been a change of plans, walking away. Pacino says "... Catch you later." This is great. It shows Pacino is a tough cop but willing to give this criminal a break because of the kid, but the criminal is not off the hook. Save the Cat.

Recognize other Save the Cat moments in film or books? Let me know.

7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Colette Martin

2010-03-02T09:50:36.5735169-05:00

Following a career as a marketing executive,
Colette Martin is embarking on a second act
as a nonfiction writer. She writes about food
allergy solutions, corporate culture, working
women’s issues, blogging and social media. She
is the author of the When Fridays Were Fridays blog ,
where she shares her views on life in Corporate America.

During my tenure in Corporate America, I was responsible for developing and marketing products and services. On the surface this may sound very different than the career I am now pursuing as a writer, but I am still developing and marketing a "product," and I am finding that many lessons I learned in Corporate America do indeed carry over into the writing and publishing world. Seven key things I learned are:

1. It’s not personal, it’s business. We hear a lot about employees in Corporate America who are unsatisfied with their performance ratings, or who didn’t get a raise or promotion. In the writing business, we hear a lot about rejection—writers who can’t get the book deal, and fear of agents and publishers. At a recent pitch slam I could feel the tension as the writers lined up to talk to the agents. But guess what? The agents were pleasant, easy to talk to, and just plain nice. They don’t want to reject your work any more than a manager wants to tell an employee they need to do a better job. There was no yelling and throwing of books. The truth is (are you ready to hear this?) not everyone can rise to the top. Just like bosses in Corporate America who need to hire the best talent for the job, agents and publishers look for the best product they can find so they can optimize their success.

2. It helps if you follow the rules. Let’s face it. Nobody wants to work with difficult people. There is always the exception of the employee who is so brilliant that management looks the other way, and if you are the next James Patterson then more power to you. For everyone else, just play nice. If an agent asks for a particular process or format, give it to them.

3. There is always something new to learn. The world changes fast. Technology changes. And yet it’s too easy to get stuck in the same old rut. The quickest way to rejuvenate your thinking and your work is to attend a conference, take a class, or just step out of your comfort zone and explore something new.

4. Keep your competition close. Uh-oh! Someone used your idea—they beat you to it! Or did they? As a product marketing manager, keeping a pulse on what the competition was doing was critical. But being first isn’t usually what counts, being better is. Watch what others are doing—closely—and do it better.

5. If someone else is succeeding at it, there is a market. Just because there are a handful of books already published on your topic doesn’t mean the market is saturated. If those books are selling well, that’s a sign that there is a market for what you have to offer. Use that as leverage to demonstrate you have an audience.

6. Everyone sees things differently depending on where they sit. There’s a term we use in the marketing world called the "value chain," which describes who the stakeholders are, what they get out of the deal, and how they make money. Let’s take the publishing process, for example. The writer, the agent, the publisher, the distributor, the bookseller—each see the process very differently based on what they get out of it. Get inside their heads. Understanding how each of these players views the world is a huge advantage for the person producing the product (in this case that’s you—the writer). And here’s a hint—they each care most about how they are measured and rewarded.

7. There is no one right path to success. I admit it. I’m an information junkie. So as I set out on this new path, I went in search of the how-to’s. It seems that every successful writer has written a book, or a blog, or an article on how to do exactly what he or she did. There is so much (often conflicting) advice thrown at us that it can be hard to get off the roller coaster. But I learned in business that while we can have role models and mentors, by the time it’s your turn to take that path the path will have changed. Everyone’s journey will be different, and we each have to go with our gut and do what feels right for us!

Want more on this subject?

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

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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!

How I Got My Agent: Ellen Bryson

2010-03-01T10:39:12.9347688-05:00

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!

Kids Contest Winners Announced!

2010-03-01T10:13:03.3307073-05:00

Judging is complete and here are the winners for the second "Dear Lucky Agent" contest, which focused on kids writing. Congratulations to all winners. We had about 400 entries, which was amazing. The current contest (goes till March 14) is for writers of YA and adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy.

GRAND-PRIZE WINNER: The Not-So-Ordinary Summer of Emily Bartels, by Jeni Bell: Twelve-year-old Emily Bartels joins the swim team in an effort to get closer to her sportswriter father, but gets more than she bargained for when she ends up on the Pee Wee team, swimming with the kindergartners and first-graders.

TWO RUNNERS-UP: Life and Beth, by Lisa Amowitz: When 17-year-old guitarist Beth Collins is scouted by a mysterious arts academy, she soon finds it's not her killer chops they're after, but her other killer talent—the one for controlling death.
The Suspicions of Cairo Jones, by Mary Danielson: In 1920s New York, Cairo Jones, teen reporter, is on the hunt for that big story that will launch her into a real newspaper job, but when a front-page crime hits too close to home, it will take all of her investigative skills to save both Cairo's dreams and her family.

YOUR AGENT JUDGE: Jennifer Laughran is an agent with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Books she's repped include:

The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z., by Kate Messner
Flash Burnout, by LK Madigan
I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It, by Adam Selzer

Want more information?

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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!

''Dear Lucky Agent'' Contest: Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance (For Both Teens and Adults)

2010-02-28T17:13:47.21-05:00

------------------------------

"Dear Lucky Agent" Contest:

Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Romance

Welcome to the third "Dear Lucky Agent" Contest on the GLA blog. This will be a recurring online contest with agent judges and super-cool prizes. Here's the deal: With every contest, the details are essentially the same, but the niche itself changes—meaning each contest is focused around a specific category or two. So if you're writing a novel-length work of urban fantasy or paranormal romance, this third contest is for you!

HOW TO SUBMIT

E-mail entries to thirdagentcontest@gmail.com. Please paste everything. No attachments. (Also note that I do not check this account. Only the agent does. Looking back over old e-mails, some people have wrote to say hi to me, or perhaps ask a question. Contact me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com.)

WHAT TO SUBMIT

The first 150-200 words of your unpublished, book-length work of urban fantasy or paranormal romance (adult or YA - both accepted).

Joanna says: "Please keep it to these two subgenres specifically. While you can incorporate a variety of fantasy elements, they still have to fall under these two categories. For those of you who are unsure, keep in mind that both urban fantasy and paranormal romance have a strong base in a real world setting (like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files or J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood or Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy). So no stories that take place solely on another planet or world!"

You must include a contact e-mail address with your entry and use your real name. Also, submit the title of the work and a logline (one-sentence description of the work) with your entry.

Please note: To be eligible to submit, I ask that you do one of two things: 1) Mention and link to this contest twice through your social media - blogs, Twitter, Facebook; or 2) just mention this contest once and also add Guide to Literary Agents Blog (www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog) to your blogroll. Please provide link(s) so I can verify eligibility.

CONTEST DETAILS

      1. This contest will be live for approximately fifteen days - from Feb. 27, 2010 through the end of Sunday, March. 14, 2010 EST. Winners notified by e-mail within seven days of end of contest. Winners announced on the blog thereafter.
      2. To enter, submit the first 150-200 words of your book. Shorter or longer entries will not be considered. Keep it within word count range please.
      3. This contest is solely for completed book-length works of urban fantasy and paranormal romance (either adult or YA). To know more about what falls into these genres, look at the bold text above.
      4. You can submit as many times as you wish.
      5. The contest is open to everyone of all ages, save those employees, officers and directors of GLA's publisher, F+W Media.
      6. There are more rules (most of them dealing with legal stuff) that you can find in the comments section of this post.
      7. By e-mailing your entry, you are submitting an entry for consideration in this contest and thereby agreeing to the terms written here as well as the terms added by me at the beginning of the "Comments" section of this blog post.

PRIZES!!!

First place: 1) A critique of 20 pages of your work, by your agent judge. 2) A one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com.

Runner-ups - second and third place: 1) A critique of 10 pages of your work, by your agent judge. 2) A one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com.

MEET YOUR (AWESOME) JUDGE!

Joanna Stampfel-Volpe is an agent with Nancy Coffey Literary. Books she's repped include:

Pieces of Sky, by Kaki Warner. This award-winning, Romantic Times Top Pick debut novel is the first book in Warner's Blood Rose trilogy (Berkley, January 2010)

Haunting Emma, Book One: Deception by Lee Nichols (Bloomsbury Children's, June 2010)

The Town that Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food by Ben Hewitt (Rodale, March 2010)

Want more information?

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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Agent Advice: Jeff Gerecke of Gina Maccoby Literary

2010-02-27T16:25:13.3305622-05:00

Agent Interview by

contributor Ricki Schultz.

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 Jeff Gerecke of Gina Maccoby Literary Agency. In his publishing career, Jeff has worked at the University of California Press and also as a foreign scout for publishers like Hodder & Stoughton in England and Wilhelm Heyne in Germany. He spent 17 years at the JCA Literary Agency, and has been out on his own, while affiliating with the Gina Maccoby Literary Agency, since 2005.

He is seeking: Commercial and literary fiction, including chick lit, true crime, mystery, historical fiction, and thrillers/suspense. His nonfiction tastes include: history, sports, politics, business, finance, technology, journalism, and pop culture. He does not accept: screenplays, sci-fi/fantasy, or romance.
>

GLA: How did you become an agent?

JG: I was already in publishing when I realized that lots of my friends were writers and that I sympathized with their circumstances more than those of the publishers I worked with, so wanting to represent their interests came naturally to me.

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

JG: Over the summer, I sold a travel memoir by a British writer named Nick Jubber, who had spent considerable time in Tehran hanging out with students and living a life that couldn't be further than the idealized Islamic Republic would accept. It's called In the Shadow of the Shahs and DaCapo will publish it in the spring next year.
I had only just made the deal when the elections happened and those very same students went on a massive campaign to bring real democracy to their country. It was one of those truly inspiring moments, but also frustrating from a publishing point of view because we knew there was no way to get the book out in time to really capitalize on the situation while it was still on the front pages.
This just brought to the fore the difficult issues that publishing has of being timely when the world has begun to move so quickly. People are now doing books on Kindle directly for the simple reason that it's possible to get them out very quickly, and this seems like something that the publishing world needs to get a handle on if we are all going to remain relevant.

GLA: What are you looking for right now and not getting? What do you pray for when tackling the slush pile?

JG: The hardest thing to write these days is a really good thriller. There's lots of writers out there who are just doing the same old thing, and I read a lot of stuff that's okay, but just not galvanizing. Little Brown did a novel called Beat the Reaper earlier this year that was about a hit man turned doctor that struck me as a really sharp commercial idea and not the umpteenth iteration of Dan Brown.

GLA: Do you notice any trends in what you tend to represent? Subgenres or elements that particularly grab you?

JG: The biggest thing I've been struck by is the extension of the chick-lit/romance world into more mainstream publishing. This happened first when authors like Nora Roberts and Janet Evanovich went from writing romance to romantic suspense, but now we have all kinds of books that are chick-lit variations.
I've got a writer who just finished writing a three-book mystery series about a cosmetologist in a funeral parlor (Fran Rizer) who ends up dating the suspects in the murders, and I thought that was a brilliant way of broadening the audience.

GLA: Anything you’re not interested in?

JG: I just can't get into straight fantasy or romance.

GLA: Your bio says you seek academic subjects with commercial spins, which reach audiences outside academia. Can you give a few examples of books like this you’ve repped so writers can get an idea of what to send (or not send) you?

JG: I sold a book by a Palestinian-American history professor named Ussama Makdisi to Public Affairs, which will be about the sources of anti-Americanism in the Arab world. He's done scholarly books on the same subject, but this will be an attempt to reach a broader audience in a country where the Israeli point of view is generally taken as gospel. In general, though, the idea is to turn an academic thesis into a commercial one by focusing on narrative and personalities, rather than just ideas.

GLA: Where do you notice most new writers fall flat in chapter one?

JG: Especially in thrillers, there is a tendency to try to start with action by creating a scene with a character whose only role is to be killed. These efforts almost always end with the awful cliché of the victim's vision turning to black. I don't believe anyone should ever start a book that way. If you're trying to write about the killer, then it should be from his point of view.
One of the greatest thrillers I ever read is a book called Blood Music, by Jesse Prichard Hunter, in which the prologue shows a killer in the bushes of a park watching a woman and her baby sitting on a bench and waiting for the moment when he hears the internal music, which sets him off to do his thing. The real gotcha about this is that the scene she described was precisely the scene in which she sat frequently in real life, writing her novel with her baby at her side.

GLA: How do you prefer to be queried?

JG: I really only want to get e-mails. There are many agents who resist being queried this way, but my life is on my computer, and paper just gets lost too easily in my cluttered office. I want a very straightforward letter, describing the market for the book, the author, and giving a short paragraph of plot summary. I think everyone should paste in a sample. It's a waste of time not to, since the writing is ultimately what sells anything. Put "QUERY" in the subject line, and send to jeff.gerecke[at]verizon[dot]net.

GLA: What is the one thing you’d like to tell authors pitching you in person at a conference?

JG: Know your market. It seems strange, but many writers turn out not to be very interested readers. That means they have a very limited idea of what is out in the publishing marketplace. It is very important to me that a writer have passion for the kind of writing they are doing, and that means there should be writers that inspire them—and that's what I want to know more than anything.
All books are sold in the biz by making comparison to some past book or combination thereof as in Stephen King meets Janet Evanovich (tee hee) or something like that.

GLA: Speaking of conferences, will you be at any upcoming writers’ conferences where writers can meet and pitch you?

JG: I may be at Killer Nashville. I guess that opens me up to a flood of invitations.

GLA: What would writers be surprised to know about you personally?

JG: I'm not sure if they would be surprised, but in my own Private Idaho, I am quite a computer geek and fan of ’70s punk rock.

GLA: Best piece(s) of advice we haven’t talked about yet?

JG: I've been saying it for years, but it's even more true now. Self-publishing used to be bad, but now it's different, because publishers are, on the whole, so undermanned that it is essential that authors have a strong DIY personality and find a way to market their books themselves—outside the business—to build up a platform that publishing people will recognize.

This agent interview by Ricki Schultz,
freelance writer and coordinator of
Shenandoah Writers in VA. Visit her blog
or follow her on Twitter.

Want more on this subject?

How can you improve your query letter?

Need to write your query to Etta and want some guidance? Check out The Writer's Digest Guide to 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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today! >

Cover Band Soap Opera: Types of People at Shows, Vol. 1

2010-02-27T15:59:30.355-05:00

Looking through all the pictures of my cover band shows, you start to see the same things over and over again. In other words, a lot of people who come to our shows fall under a certain grouping, and these posts will help show you some of the characters we see over and over again. Here is Volume 1. Note : These are all real photos from my cover band shows. (I even know some of these people.)

1. THE POINTER

Usually men, Pointers are guys who know how to have fun. And how do they express their happiness? Through a finger point. Some might shoot an index finger to the sky, others right at you. These gents are usually rockers, and have a tendency to request Motley Crue and AC/DC no matter how many times you tell them no. Pointers (homo sapien rockus pointus) are a common sighting at shows and are generally harmless. However, Pointers can turn violent after serious alcohol consumption (such as the two-beer dude on the left below).

2. TONGUE MEN

Tongue men are pack hunters, and find an excuse to stick their tongue out at anything or anyone. It's a sign of intoxication, but also a sign of an illness I call "D-Bag Fever." They tend to show up in large quantities or not at all, depending on the venue. The rarest of the tongue men breed is the Burger King Greaser (homo sapien tongus beefus). Below you will enjoy a rare sighting.

3. THE TERMINATOR

An exceptionally rare find, The Terminator (homo sapien WTFus) is often the first one on the dance floor, for better or worse (usually worse). These people are most noted for the out-of-place sunglasses, but are also identifiable by having shirts tucked in, and sometimes wearing a fanny pack. Ironically enough, they are harmless creatures but seem to frighten others away.

New Agent Alert: Marisa Iozzi Corvisiero

2010-02-25T16:04:31.688-05:00

About Marisa: Marisa is an author and an attorney as well as an agent. She is the founder of The Corvisiero Law Practice, P.C., a boutique law firm in midtown New York City, where she practices Entertainment Law and Corporate Law among other areas. In the last few years Marisa has merged her passions in writing and in the law into her entertainment law practice, and she is now representing several authors. Marisa and Lori Perkins of the L Perkins Literary Agency have recently formalized a relationship whereby Marisa is accepting submissions made to her via the L Perkins Literary Agency, and is now building her list. Marisa has a Facebook page and a LinkedIn network. A new website and blog are in the works.

She is seeking: Fiction interests include cross genre romance, science fiction, fantasy and urban fantasy, horror, literary, quality chick lit, young adult and children's books. Nonfiction interest include memoirs, how-to (in any industry), guides and tales about the legal practice, parenting, self-help, and mainstream science (no textbooks please).

How to contact: Send your query and first two chapters (or full book for picture books – illustrations are not necessary) to Marisa at marisa@lperkinsagency.com (UPDATED E-MAIL FROM MARISA).

Want more on this subject?

How many agents should you query?

How to write a query letter: The 3 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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today! >

7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Kate Thompson

2010-02-25T13:29:28.5688828-05:00

Kate Thompson is the co-author of It’s So Hard
to Love You—Staying Sane When Your Loved
One is Manipulative, Needy, Dishonest, or Addicted.
She also wrote "Fill it In! A Forms Workbook for
Aboriginal Students." She is currently working on
her first novel. See her blog here.

1. Your words are like your kids. Love them well, do your best, and then let them go. They may or may not be a huge success in the world’s eyes, but once you release them, they’ll be greeted out there in ways you could never have predicted.

2. Learn everything you can about the publishing business before you try to get published—and then realize you probably won't really "get it" until you've gone through the whole process. Up to that time, it's mostly just theory, but at least you can ask intelligent questions.

3. Write on a regular basis. You probably write virtually every day, whether it’s a note to your child’s teacher, a letter to the editor, or your current opus. Pay attention to the quality of your writing if you want to build your skills (and your career). Variety is the spice of writing, not just life. Try silly notes in your beloved’s sock drawer, alphabetized shopping lists, a biography of your favorite author, a spoof ad, a horror story. Count them all as worthwhile if you’re enjoying yourself, learning something, and getting the job done.

4. Read on a regular basis. Okay, so variety is the spice of reading, too. Read cartoons, that big fat book you’ve been scared of for years, a thesaurus, a spicy foreign mystery novel, a joke book, a child’s story, your favorite magazine’s website. You get the idea. The more you expose yourself to good (and, I suppose, bad) writing, the better a writer you’ll be. Other people’s words, imagination, and sentence structure will fuel your creativity and help you hone your skills.

5. If you're not having fun most of the time, something is out of whack. Change your priorities or your career, join a writer's group, write a silly poem, take a course, take a break, write or read something different, go for a long walk, offer a workshop—whatever. Just do something to get back to enjoying the writing.

6. Love, or at least accept, your finished writings most of the time. If that's not working, reread #5.

7. Learn when to stop. No explanation necessary.

Kate Thompson

Want more on this subject?

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

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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!

A Call For Success Stories!

2010-02-25T13:00:58.6887221-05:00

Here at Writer's Digest, we love success stories. For example, did you know that two writers who attended our huge Agent Pitch Slam in 2008 signed with agents at the conference and sold books in separate six-figure deals? That was pretty awesome to hear. And did you know that writers such as Eugenia Kim (The Calligrapher's Daughter, 2009 Borders Original Voices winner for fiction), Patrick Lee (The Breach) and Karen Dionne (Freezing Point) were just some of the many writers who used Guide to Literary Agents on their path to success?

If you or a friend used GLA or a Writer's Digest product on your path to success, let us know! We love testimonials that we can use. E-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com. Did you enjoy a webinar perhaps? Get your agent at one of our conferences? Get a writing assignment after reading an article of ours? Let us know!

Also, there might be a chance that not you, but rather a critique partner or friend, used a WD book as their springboard. If you could pass along this message to them, I would be much obliged. Or perhaps you haven't sold a book yet but enjoy our books. Tell people through Amazon! We always love a nice book review, whether's for GLA or Writer's Market or anything else. Thanks, everybody!