Guide to Literary Agents

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

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

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 prolific kids writer Libby Gleeson.

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

"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.

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

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 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?

If you like what you're reading, sign up for e-mail notifications by putting your e-mail in the box on the upper left corner of this page.

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!

My Agent and I Sold a Book!

2010-02-24T13:09:31.888-05:00

I've kind of kept this news under wraps for a while but I recently got the OK from my editor to let the news out. My agent and I sold a book! In late 2009, we sold my humor book, How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack, to Ten Speed Press, which is part of Crown, which is part of Random House. Here's the cover-in-progress. It's not finished yet, but you get the gist:

Very exciting! The contract is signed and my editor and I are in the wave of first edits right now. I was very lucky to land where I did. Although it's being released by a company as huge as Random House, because the imprint Ten Speed is handling it, the book is getting love and personal attention. Bonus.

The book comes out on Sept. 21, 2010. If you know any relatives, friends or neighbors that either possess garden gnomes or live in the vicinity of gnomes, for God's sake they need this book. While garden gnomes are thought to be symbols of merriment and good will, secretly they're watching you and conspiring while pushing their little wheelbarrows. The book is a guide to assess if you're in danger, fortify (gnome-proof) your home inside and out, and, if necessary, combat a gnome in close quarters with a variety of weapons.

Getting the book bought was a fun journey. I wrote the book proposal in May; I edited it in June-July with my agent, Sorche Fairbank; she sent it out in August; publishers expressed interest quickly; Ten Speed made a pre-empt offer in October, and we accepted. It was all very quick. I've already learned a lot through the process and continue to learn things, so I will pass on all sorts of cool info to you along this adventure.

So remember: Defend yourself when the garden warriors strike (and they will).

How to Create a Simple Writer Blog

2010-02-24T09:29:44.7624369-05:00

Writing is hard work. First, you have to write the story. Then you have to revise it, workshop it, revise it some more, write a query letter, do query research, then mail your baby out. While many writers think the work ends the moment they sign a contract, pros know otherwise. Being a successful author is an awful lot of work, not the least of which is promotion. A blog is an easy way to get started—all you need is a computer and an Internet connection.

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.

There are lots of great blogging platforms out there, each with good points and bad points. But most die-hard bloggers and social media tweeple swear by Wordpress.

Why Wordpress? Unlike most services, even the free Wordpress.com platform offers users a lot of templates and customization. Although this may seem unimportant, the Internet is blog central—making your blog stand out can help keep you up front in your readers’ minds. (And really, why pick vanilla when you could have mint choc chip with hot fudge sauce?) Another perk: Wordpress can be setup much like a website (more on this below). It’s also easy to move to self-hosting later on.

WHAT DO YOU BLOG ABOUT?

Not sure what to write or blog about? Start with whatever interests you—the book you loved/hated/roasted on a spit, the latest update from Publishers Weekly, things you’re struggling with in your novel. Blogging is a useful way to keep readers updated on your professional life, show off your writing chops, and show agents and publishers that you’re interested in going the extra mile.

Keep it professional, though—it’s easy to fall into the trap of regular personal updates, such as what you ate for breakfast and how many times Baby has spat-up (twice in the last hour, if you’re wondering). Some details are okay—in fact, you’re more likely to connect with readers by giving them some idea of who you are—just don’t go overboard. And remember, if it’s something you’d be embarrassed to talk about down at the local coffee house, don’t put it on the Internet! Ready to get started? Here’s what you need to know.

SETTING UP

1. Head over to Wordpress and sign up. Think carefully about your domain name—you can’t change it later. (Your username and blog title can be changed in settings at any time.)
2. Follow the prompts and update your profile. Don’t just skip the “about yourself” section—take every opportunity to connect with your readers.
3. Check your inbox for the activation e-mail. Give the link a little love. (E-mail didn’t arrive? Check the update profile page to ensure your e-mail addy is correct. Scroll to the bottom of the page to change it.)
4. Log in at the top of the page.
5. Click on “My Dashboard” in the menu bar at the top of the page.

POSTS, PAGES, CATEGORIES & TAGS

Pages: Pages are exactly what they sound like—static pages with your content. You can have as many pages as you like, and they can be called whatever you like—on *Insert Literary Blog Name Here* I have eight pages (Home, About, Upcoming Publications, the NRI, SFWP.org, Books, and Contact). To make a page, scroll to the Pages drop down on the left menu, and click “add.”

Posts: These are blog entries. Let’s say you want to put some writing samples on your new site (a good idea, by the way). Find the posts menu then click “add new.” Type or paste your content into the text box. (Use the "Paste From Word" function if you’re pasting from a word processor.) Don’t forget a title! Scroll down the right menu, and select the categories your post fits—say, writing samples—then hit save (for a draft) or publish to go live. Voila!

Categories: Categories are like folders in a filing cabinet.They give you an easy way to sort posts and, in some theme,s create a handy menu bar. Since I use my website as both a blog and a freelance portfolio, I chose categories that reflect the areas I work in the most. You can use more than one category per post (only posts can be categorized), and create subcategories. Subcategories can be useful if you have a lot of similar content (say writing) but isn’t all directly related.

Tags. This is geek-speak for keywords. Tags are used in site searches, and are often listed somewhere on the post. Many themes also have tag clouds—a quick and easy way to show what you post about most.

Want more on this subject?

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!

Footnotes: 6 Articles on Building a Platform

2010-02-24T08:57:24.2347977-05:00

Footnotes is a recurring series on the GLA blog where I pick a subject and provide several interesting articles on said topic. Most writers need one but don’t know how to get one. Of course I'm talking about platform, and this week, I’m serving up 6 articles on developing your visibility.

1. What’s a platform? Check out this post from the Killzone blog.

2. It’s all about marketing. Freelancer Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen discusses 10 ways to build your writing platform.

3. Author platform vs. writing platform. Before you have an author platform, you’ll need a writing platform, says Get Known Before the Book Deal author Christina Katz in this column.

4. Creating a platform. On the KC Writers blog, Dorinda Ohnstad discusses her plan for world domination via a writing platform.

5. Mythbuster. On the Writer Unboxed site, WD Publisher Jane Friedman dispels some myths about audience development.

6. Bite-sized tips for building your platform. Fiction writer Lindsey Edwards offers tips for both fiction and nonfiction writers.

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.
Buy Christina Katz's book on platform, Get Known Before the Book Deal.
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!

Secrets of Superb Writing: 8 Tips From Cecil Murphey, co-author of 90 Minutes in Heaven

2010-02-23T10:20:35.736-05:00

When Cecil Murphey (co-author of the best-seller 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life) became an author, he promised God two things: that he’d never stop learning, and that he would always give back to other writers. 114 (!) books later, Cec has made good on that promise by offering numerous scholarships to writing conferences, mentoring aspiring writers, and speaking to large groups of writers each year. I recently had the privilege of hearing Cec at the Hill Country Evangelical Free Church in Fredericksburg, Texas, where he led a session called “Secrets of Superb Writing.”

Guest column from Dena Dyer, author, speaker,
and entertainer from Texas. Her fifth book,
Let the Crow's Feet & Laugh Lines Come (Barbour)
will release in June 2010. For more info, visit her
website or her “Mother Inferior” blog.

With humor and honesty, Cecil touched on many mistakes beginning writers make—and gave us tips on how to avoid them.

1. Avoid “purple prose.” This refers to writing in which the author strains to sound dramatic and powerful. Usually, the result is melodramatic and strained. Examples: "When she saw his visage, her heart leaped into her throat. His feet flashed through the stripes of the late afternoon sun. The trees moved their limbs like an abstract artist piecing his design in the sky. Her dad’s mouth slammed shut like a bank vault a minute after closing." Write like you talk, Cecil advised us. That led to his second tip:

2. Be yourself. “People worry about others stealing their stuff,” he said. “But if you really write well and sound like yourself, no one can copy you.”

3. Be revealing. “If you don’t want to be self-revealing, don’t become a writer,” he said. “After all, I’d rather be disliked for who I am than be liked for who I’m not!”

4. Avoid clichés. “If it’s something you’ve heard before, don’t use it.”

5. To write good dialogue, listen to the way people really talk. “We don’t go around using other people’s names all the time,” Cecil explained. “But many writers use their characters’ names repeatedly in dialogue. It’s distracting.” ("CSI: Miami," are you listening? David Caruso needs to quit saying everyone’s name all the time!)

6. Let your sentences average no more than 20 words. “Years ago, short sentences were seen as choppy, but it’s simply the way people read now,” he explained. Similarly, he advised us:

7. Don’t be afraid to change with the times. “Words change and usages change,” Cecil said. “Don’t get hung up on that. It’s okay!”

8. End sentences with your strongest word. Instead of “Richard rattled the bushes with a stick he broke loose from a tree on the way in,” try: “With a stick he had broken loose from a tree on the way in, he rattled the bushes.” Bushes is stronger than the preposition in.

And finally, Cecil encouraged his audience to be true to themselves, follow their calling, be persistent, and keep growing and learning. “If you do these things, you will succeed,” he said. Great stuff, from an icon of the publishing world. For more of Cecil’s writing tips, visit his new blog.

How I Got My Agent: Jamie Harrington

2010-02-22T15:14:28.374-05:00

Guest blogger Jamie Harrington runs the blog,
Totally the Bomb, and also is on Twitter.

BIG-TIME SUCKAGE, THEN AWESOMENESS

I was totally addicted to World of Warcraft. I played it more hours than I care to admit, and even ran a guild. It was time for me to give the game up. You know, find something else to occupy my free time—so I turned to writing. I have a degree in Literature, and always wanted to be a writer, but I’d never sat down and actually finished anything. The second I started typing my first novel, Warcraft went out the window and I’d found my newest addiction. There was just one problem. My novel sucked. Big time.

I didn’t know this, of course, and queried it anyway. All the while checking out agent blogs, commenting on their posts, and trying to get to know them a little better. I discovered the awesomeness that is Twitter. (Oh yeah, I said it—don’t judge me.) That was the turning point for me. I talked back and forth with authors in the query trenches, chatted it up with a few that were agented or published, and even started making friends with the literary agents. While I was getting to know all these people, I started to see the total suck factor of my book and put it away, where I think it will stay for all eternity.

I’m totally cool with that.

Because then I read this blog post, and number 13 on that list totally jumped out at me. Dude! A YA chick villain. She had to be written, and I couldn’t write the words fast enough. I finished my second book in like a month and started querying.

BREAKING THE RULES

Why? Why did start querying so fast? Shouldn’t I revise first? Try to make it better? I thought I was totally above such things. My contacts from Twitter were really cool and many of them requested to look at the first part of my manuscript. Guess what? I totally wasn’t ready, and all my agent friends told me so. They sent me nice rejections, told me the concept was great but that it felt more like a first draft. (How dare they see right through me like that?!) Some even offered up helpful advice on the revision process and suggested things I should change. I realized that all my social networking and contact making was good for getting people to read my work, but it was pointless if the book sucked.

So I got to work. I revised the heck out of the novel. I changed it from first person present to first person past. I let anyone I could find beta read it, and I read everything good or bad they had to say. It was hard, but I knew it had to be done. The crazy thing is, when I finished the revisions, the book wasn’t just good enough—it was good. I was finally ready to query, but I’d wasted all those letters to those agents I’d made friends with. Rules of querying say you can’t just requery people. I couldn’t break those, right? Wrong.

I broke the heck out of the rules. I sent people letters telling them the truth: That I’d queried way too early and that I sent them a crap manuscript. I asked them to reread it and lots of them said yes. They requested fulls, offered advice on revisions, and many of them got really excited about Sketch.

FROM MULTIPLE OFFERS TO A PERFECT ONE

Finally, one of them said YES! He called me to make the offer of representation. I was standing in Target, my arms full of socks and underwear for my four-year-old. I dropped everything into the cart and walked right out to the car. It was really happening! I wanted to accept right there, but I knew better. I’d been reading agents blogs long enough, and I told the agent I’d let him know in a week. I headed straight home and started e-mailing everyone who had a full or a partial, and a few who hadn’t yet responded to my query that I just really wanted to work with.

They answered immediately from their blackberries and iPhones. I was mailing out fulls like gangbusters. Loads of people had my book, and I’d set myself up to be in the exact position I’d wanted to be in—multiple offers.

I got them, too. I talked to several agents about what they had planned for not only my manuscript, but my career. They all had great things to say, but Victoria Horn of Liza Dawson Associates and I just clicked. She was from a mid-sized agency that was part of the AAR, and I loved everything she had to say. She seemed like the kind of person I really wanted on my team—in control, and willing to stand up for what she believes in. She was perfect. And now she’s my agent.

Want more on this topic?

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

See all posted stories of writers finding their agents.

Agent Janet Reid provides 20 Query Letter Tips.

Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Agent Advice: Etta Wilson of Books & Such Literary Agency

2010-02-22T14:55:31.0492476-05:00

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 Etta Wilson of Books & Such Literary Agency. In addition to being a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, a founding member of the Tennessee Writers Alliance, and having served as the president of the Nashville chapter’s Women’s National Book Association, the school librarian-turned-agent has written 12 children’s books herself.

She is seeking: young adult, middle-grade and children's books for both the general and the Christian markets.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

EW: I became an agent as an outgrowth of being a book packager in the nineties. Several of the authors I worked with asked me if I would represent their work, and I was off and running. Most of these were authors of children's works, and that is my real love.

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

EW: Recent sales include: Crystal Bowman's What Rhymes with Pickle? (Boyd's Mills Press), Carol Adams’s Sammie, the Little Broken Shell (Harvest House) and Judy Christie's Hurry Less Worry Less for Families (Abingdon). All are due out this year.
At the moment, I'm really excited about Jerry Pinkney’s winning the Caldecott for The Lion and the Mouse. He's such a marvelous illustrator, and he's the husband of my client Gloria Jean Pinkney, who wrote Daniel and King of Lions (Abingdon, 2008).

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

EW: I look for imagination and creativity that indicate an author knows what he or she is writing about and is not afraid to put things together in a different way—either in fiction or nonfiction. Some of that comes with experience, so having publishing credits helps, but it's always a thrill when I find an exciting "voice" for young readers.

GLA: You specialize in young adult and children’s books for both the general and Christian markets. Are there any subgenres within juvenile lit that particularly hook you?

EW: The picture book has always been my favorite, partly because really good ones are such wonderful combinations of text and illustrations to communicate across the ages. It's also the genre that most usually avoids questionable content. Alas, they are also expensive to produce…
And I do love historical fiction and nonfiction. I also think children's comics and graphic novels are more appealing, probably due to the economy.

GLA: Any you shy away from?

EW: I simply don't know enough about vampires and witches to judge a good manuscript from a bad one for YAs. I don't "shy away from" the realistic contemporary novel, but it has got to be super to sell in today's market, and I'd love to see more of those—super ones, that is.

GLA: How would you describe the state of the Christian market right now?

EW: A certain segment of the Christian market is very solid and very loyal to shopping at Christian outlets. I'm not sure how large that segment is, but I have the feeling that it is declining. What was formerly a fairly healthy Christian bookstore market has been impacted by things like the success of Christian books in the general market (e.g. The Shack) as well as the sale of books online, which make the markets very hard to distinguish. In children's books, it's clear that publishers think curriculum is what they need to be producing for the Christian market.

GLA: What are three “Cardinal sins” you notice writers making when you’re reading a partial?

EW: Not knowing what is on the market at the time, modeling characters or plots too much like a current bestseller (sort of the opposite), and writing in a voice that doesn't really fit the story or the age level of the intended reader.

GLA: What changes do you think 2010 has in store for the publishing industry?

EW: One thing I really love about this business is that we never know what's coming or how fast! My best guess about 2010 would be more adaptation of content to electronic formats and continued change in the way revenues are computed and derived for authors—however, the changes in delivery of content to the consumer may be greater.

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

EW: That my favorite activity is traveling—four trips to England and Scotland, three to Italy, one to China, one to Australia and New Zealand, one to Switzerland, and one to the Scandinavian countries. It makes me sad that airline security is so threatened. I've got places to go!

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

EW: See our agency's Web site at www.booksandsuch.biz for our travel in 2010. Coming up, I will be at the Association of Professional Church Educators at the end of January and at SCBWI's Historical Fiction Workshop in March (both in Nashville).

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

EW: No matter how fast the world seems to spin, there are new things from the past to be incorporated into the present. We just have to keep our eyes and ears open. Yesterday I saw a chart on Fibonacci's numbers in nature—fascinating!

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!

''Dear Lucky Agent'' Contest: Middle Grade and Young Adult

2010-02-21T17:11:47.814-05:00

Note from Chuck: It's Feb. 22, 2010, which means this contest
is now closed. Thank you for entering. Winners
should be announced on the blog within 7 days or so.
Winners will be contacted personally by me beforehand.
Meanwhile, our next contest should start
within a week or two, as well. I believe the next
contest will be for writers of urban fantasy
and paranormal romance.

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

"Dear Lucky Agent" Contest:

Kids Novels (Middle Grade and Young Adult)

Welcome to the second "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 book-length kids novel, this second contest is for you!

HOW TO SUBMIT

E-mail entries to februaryagentcontest@gmail.com. Please paste everything. No attachments.

WHAT TO SUBMIT

The first 150-200 words of your unpublished, book-length work of middle grade or young adult fiction. 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.

CONTEST DETAILS

      1. This contest will be live for approximately fourteen days - from Feb. 7 through the end of Sunday, Feb. 21, 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 middle grade and young adult fiction (kids novels).
      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 25 pages of your work, by your agent judge. 2) A query critique from your agent judge. 3) Two free books from Writer's Digest Books (I will give you several choices and you pick the books your want).

Runner-ups - second and third place: 1) A critique of 10 pages of your work, by your agent judge. 2) One free book from Writer's Digest Books (I will give you several choices and you pick the book your want).

MEET YOUR (AWESOME) 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

Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl, by Daniel Pinkwater

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!

New Agent Alert: Mandy Hubbard of the D4EO Literary Agency

2010-02-20T10:13:49.009-05:00

About Mandy: Mandy is an author as well as an agent. Her debut novel, Prada and Prejudice, (Razorbill/Penguin, June 2009) is in its fifth printing. She has four other books under contract, divided among Harlequin, Llewellyn Flux, and Razorbill/Penguin. Mandy interned at The Bent Agency before joining D4EO Literary, where she is now building her list. She has a website and runs a blog, as well.

She is seeking: middle-grade and young adult fiction, whether they be contemporary or historical, fantasy/paranormal or realistic. She loves books with a heavy focus on romance, as well as 'issue books' with a strong voice. "If your book has a high concept or a big hook, I want to see it. If your story includes portals to fantasy worlds, wizards or dragons, it’s probably not for me. Please, no chapter books, pictures books, poetry, nonfiction, or books for the adult market."

How to contact: Send your query letter, along with the first five pages of your manuscript (both pasted into the body of an e-mail) to mandy[at]d4eo[dot]com.

Want more on this subject?

Examine great high-concept hooks for kids books.

New agent seeking kids stuff: Adriana Dominguez.

New agent seeking kids stuff: Mary Kole.

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 Tia Nevitt

2010-02-20T09:52:21.657-05:00

Guest columnist Tia Nevitt has a book review blog
at Debuts & Reviews, and her reviews appear at
Fantasy Literature. She is a published freelancer
now working on novels.

1. Write another novel. Once you've finished that first novel, spend some well-deserved time celebrating, but then take an honest look at it. Is it really good enough? Don't do what I did. I spent years trying to make my first novel good enough. When I finally thought it was ready, I sent it to a single agent, who rejected it, after which I stopped trying. Deep down, I knew my writing wasn't ready. Find readers for critiques. Don't go to family and friends. They'll tell you what you want to hear, which is never satisfying, or even helpful.

2. Cut with impunity. Often, you have to write a lot of words just to figure out which words you need to keep. And this isn't a bad thing—it's necessary. Want proof? Go grab a DVD of your favorite movie and select the Deleted Scenes from the Bonus Features section. Listen to the director describe the scene. He'll say something like, "We realized we just didn't need it." Writers need to do the same thing. You had to write it, but it doesn't have to stay in the story. Be grateful you didn't spend six figures filming that scene. Just cut it out and paste it into a "Deleted Scene" folder in case you need it later.

3. When you think it's final, print it out. Yes, I know. It seems like such a waste of paper. But you really need to see it on the printed page. It is so easy to gloss over problems on a computer screen. It will astonish you how many problems you will see, especially when you also . . .

4. Read it aloud. Yes, the whole thing. Armed with a red pen—or some other color that stands out—take that printout you created above, put it on a clipboard, and read the entire novel out loud. Even if you're all alone. You engage different areas of the brain when you read aloud, and you will hear problems you didn't see when you read it on the computer.

5. Writer's block is a warning. When I get writer's block, I try to rethink the scene I'm writing. I ask: Am I heading in the right direction here? Often, the answer is no. My muse is warning me that something is wrong. At this point, I often set it aside and work on another project. Usually I can come back to it with a fresh approach or renewed enthusiasm—and the answer to my problem.

6. Probe character motivations. If you have to convince yourself that your character's motivations make sense, they probably won't make sense to a reader. I'm brutal about this, both as a reviewer and as a beta reader. Your characters need good reasons for doing what they do. Don't have them do stupid things just to make the plot work, unless you're going for humor. Your readers will want to tear pages out in frustration.

7. After you write the ending, rethink the beginning. We all spend a lot of time thinking about that perfect opening. But leave that for later. Just get it started, get going, and get to the end. Odds are, you'll end up with plot threads that you'll have to weave back into the beginning anyway. Once the entire story is down, it's easier to figure out the point where the actual story begins. One of my agented critique partners ended up trashing her opening and rewriting it, and that was the novel that got her an agent.

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!

Cover Band Soap Opera: The Night That One Crazy Girl Got Arrested

2010-02-19T10:59:54.4543869-05:00

On two occasions, we played in a venue that could best be described as a Olive-Garden-type restaurant. If a loud rock cover band playing in an Olive Garden sounds like a ridiculous scenario, that's because it is. We were well aware of the fact that we would be too loud, but the owner crossed our palms with silver, so we showed up and plugged in.

So, basically for the first three hours of our performance, no one was listening to us (as expected). The night took a decidedly more interesting turn at around 12:30 a.m. A girl walks into the place, alone, essentially just begging for a conversation with anybody. So our lead singer approaches her at the bar during a break and says hello, etc., and—immediately—the whole band gets a weird vibe. Something's just ... off.

We soon began the final set of the night. It was at this point that the girl started to dance in front of us in a way that looked like a cross between Elaine from Seinfeld and some crazy person dancing the dance of the seven veils. She was sweating—a lot—and would often touch her shoulders.

Not being well versed in drugs, I turn to the bassist mid-song and mouth the word "Ecstasy?" He kinda shrugs and nods at the same time—basically saying that he thinks so, but like me, really has no idea. The strange dancing continues for some time, but then the girl starts to knock over things accidentally, like a drink glass or mic stand. The owner appears and asks her to leave. She seems to not comprehend such a request. (We're playing this whole time, so I'm just reading body language and lips, really.)

The owner grows more frustrated, and the girl goes from wacky-happy to angry. Cops are called and the girl is arrested and taken to a police cruiser while she's highly emotional and yelling. The whole thing was just nuts. The nicest place we will ever play, and it's our only arrest story. The place did not invite us back—I have no idea why.

Tax Tips for Writers

2010-02-18T10:12:43.551-05:00

Working for yourself as a freelance writer can be a nickel-and-dime business, but come tax time, reporting self-employment income means all sorts of things related to your business are eligible for deduction. Consider this: before self-employment deductions, I owed $266; after the deductions, my refund was $238. I consulted H&R Block tax specialist Sharon Burton on how to maximize your savings for 2009 and what to consider in 2010.

Guest column by contributor
Jessica Monday, published freelancer
and aspiring novelist. She lives in Wyoming.
E-mail her at jemonday[at]gmail.com.

HOME OFFICE

Some of the biggest deductions are tied into whether you can claim a home office. The IRS says a home office “is a room or other space in your home” used regularly and exclusively for business. As long as your work area is a separately identifiable space, that portion of the room is deductible even if you don’t use the entire room for your business, Burton said.

The key to this is not so much how much space you use, but rather how you use it. If you consistently write and sell your writing each month, that constitutes "regular use." The trickier part is you must use the area only for business. So if you generally write at the kitchen table (which is not a station used only for business), find a cheap desk at a garage sale, move it into a corner and voilá - you can claim the area as your home office. But remember: No paying bills or letting the kids do their homework in your work space (which is a nice way to create a little solitude for your art too!).

Now you may think, a desk tucked away in a 5,000 square foot house is not going to amount to much—and it’s not. But if you have a large desk in a more modest abode, the savings do add up. For instance, I have a desk, computer and filing cabinets set up in a shared office room with my fiancé. I measured how much of the room they occupied and approximated the total square footage of our apartment. Since my home office equals 5% of my total home, I’m able to claim 5% of the rent (same thing goes for a mortgage), utilities, renter’s (or homeowner’s) insurance and Internet connectivity fees. (If you file your taxes online, the computer will figure the percentage for you given the square footages.)

Tip for 2010: If you're trying to sell your home, deductions on the mortgage for a home office may have tax consequences after the sale. You may still be able to write off a portion of the utilities without a penalty, but be sure to talk with a tax professional before filing your return.

VEHICLE

If you use a personal vehicle for freelance work, a portion of the mileage is deductible. You can choose one of two methods, standard or actual, to report vehicle expenses, but “it’s always better to do standard miles,” Burton advised. “That way you don’t have to keep receipts, you only have to record your mileage.” This year, the IRS gives 55 cents for each business mile you drove, as well as itemized deductions for license plates, registration, interest on a vehicle loan, parking fees and tolls.

Tip for 2010: Keep a small clipboard in your glove box to write down business mileage, as well as the odometer reading on Jan. 1 and Dec. 31.

CELL PHONE

Cell phones and monthly bills are deductible even if their main purpose is for personal calls. Unless you have a separate cell phone used exclusively for your business, Burton advised keeping track of the number of calls rather than adding up minutes. Normally people spend between 10-20% of their minutes on business calls, Burton said.

Tip for 2010: Track your cell phone usage for a month (or one week if you make a lot of calls). Find the average minutes used for business calls and compare the portion to your total monthly minutes. Use your average to figure the percentage use at the end of the year.

HEALTH INSURANCE

If you pay your own health insurance, monthly premiums are deductible. (At least that’s some relief until they figure things out Washington, right?)

BIG, LITTLE THINGS

More costly equipment like a computer, printer and fax are deductible, but don’t forget about office supplies including stamps, pens, printer paper and ink. Small purchases add up after 12 months. Other deductible items include business membership dues, magazine and newspaper subscriptions, conferences fees, hotel rooms and associated meals, and bus and cab fares. Remember, all expenses must be related to your self-employment. If you’re not sure an item qualifies, seek professional advice—and keep all of your receipts. “That’s the big thing, just keep track of everything,” Burton said. “The flow in and flow out.”

Tip for 2010: Start a new file for the year and collect your receipts, tax forms and any other paperwork useful come tax time.

Want more on this subject? >

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! >