Guide to Literary Agents

How I Got My Agent: Kirsten Rice

2010-09-03T14:13:56.568-05:00

"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.

Kirsten Rice is a college student and aspiring
novelist. When not writing, she splits her time
between Seattle summers and California school-years,
drinking iced tall caramel macchiatos, and
"studying" on the beach. See her blog here,
and she also tweets.

FORGET STUDYING, I HAVE TO QUERY

I got the e-mail on October 19. It was titled “Query Interest”, and it transformed my busy morning into a dance party. I’d been querying my YA novel since the beginning of my sophomore year in college, and now it was October, and this e-mail was from an agent I definitely hadn’t queried.

You know what they say. Plan your query attack. Be professional. Be unique—your query’s gotta stand out from the pack.

That wasn’t going so well for me. I’d only sent out about 20 queries since September—because, let’s face it, college isn’t the easiest time to focus on something as depressing as querying. I’d gotten a couple dead-end partial requests and one full—and rejections were lining up like people line up for midnight releases. Well, not quite. But I was sad. The Inbetween was my fifth novel, and I finally felt like I’d written something the Donald Maass school might call a “breakout novel.” My friends thought I was a rock star writer on the road to instant fame—because I guess it is unusual for a 19-year-old girl to be obsessing more about agents than boys—and the school paper even ran an article on me. I just wasn’t stirring up such a big wave in those agent inboxes.

ENTERING A CONTEST

One day I decided to submit my query in a blog contest (prize: a 20-page manuscript critique), and then I kind of forgot about it all. So my stomach flip-flopped as I clicked on this e-mail. It was from Ammi-Joan Paquette, an associate agent at the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. She’d seen my query on the blog contest and it’d really caught her eye. She wanted to see more. More? **Cue happy dance.**

After that, things happened fast. Two days later, Joan said: "Loved this, please send full." Three days after that, she sent me another e-mail that rocked my dream-world with a dream come true. Wow, this is phenomenal, she said, Are you available to chat on the phone? Oh yes I was. I remember calling home that Saturday morning on my way to study at The Coffee Bean, and talking so fast I could barely understand what I was saying. Do I need to mention that I got nothing done at the coffee shop that day?

But the craziness really started a few days later after I’d talked to Joan on the phone about revisions and signing the contract (ah!). I was in class, and yeah okay, I was paying more attention to my computer than my professor. But. I got an e-mail. It was from the only other agent who’d requested a full manuscript, and she wanted to make an offer, too. And as soon as she found out via e-mail I’d already had another offer, she called me right up. In the middle of class. I didn’t find out until after class because my phone was on silent in my backpack. (I know, I really am a good student!)

ONE OFFER IS NOW TWO

Anyway, I’d dreamed about this: multiple offers, two amazing agents fighting over me. It sounded really cool in my head, but it wasn’t so cool in real life (you probably won’t believe me until it happens to you). That week was the most stressful week of my life. I had about a thousand papers and tests. My parents were out of the country. My friends were super excited for me, but I had to navigate this alone. So what did I do?

I went with my gut—and that’s the best thing to do in this business. Get as much information as you can, talk to the offering agents, think about their revision ideas. Talk to their clients. And then follow your heart. Really, it’s that simple. And it wasn’t abracadabra POOF, because nothing really is, but I signed with Joan.

So while my story is kind of unusual—I never queried my agent in the traditional slush-pile way—it’s just another story about being prepared, writing a stunning query letter, stumbling around for a while without much success, and then finding an agent who loves my book and believes that The Inbetween will stand out. My gut was right.

Writing YA? Check out author K.L. Going's
resource Writing & Selling the YA Novel

Live Near Indianapolis? Come Meet Me on Sept. 18 or Nov. 17

2010-09-03T10:09:41.448976-05:00

I will be presenting at a pair of cool events in the Indianapolis area this fall (2010), so if you're close by, come and see me! I'll be teaching writers on the craft & business of writing at both events.

SEPT. 18, 2010:
GREENFIELD LIBRARY (HANCOCK COUNTY)

There is an Author Appreciation Fair at the Greenfield branch of the Hancock County Library in suburban Indianapolis (east side of town, I think). I'll be speaking from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on "How to Get Your Work Published." Essentally, I will be giving writing tips and taking questions from the audience, so come and ask me what's on your mind.

Also present will be authors Diana Catt (mystery), Phil Dunlap (western), James Heffren (Jr. High at Age Seventy-Five), Carolyn Huston-Ellenberger (American foods and culture), Bill Murphy (Rose Bowl), Tony Perona (Nick Bertetto mystery series), Robert Reed (collectibles), Rita Rose (Sandy Allen), Chris Sickels (edgy picture books for teens and adults), and Julie Young (local history).

NOV. 17, 2010:
ANN KATZ FESTIVAL OF BOOKS (INDIANAPOLIS)

This Indianapolis-based festival of books is actually widespread and includes a lot for writers. The festival runs from Nov. 2-17 and has something different every day, I believe. Check out the festival's website to see the variety of authors and daily events.

I will be there on the final day as one of the closing speakers. I will be a speaker on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010, and will be speaking on "How to Get Your Work Published" at 6:30 p.m. Before and after my speech (from 5:30 to 8:30, loosely), there will be an author mingling event where people can ask me Q&A and just hang out.

The whole festival is put on by the JCC of Indianapolis and all events are at the main center on Hoover Road.

Successful Queries: Agent Meredith Kaffel and ''Shadow Hills''

2010-09-02T21:33:04.647-05:00

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

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

Dear Ms. Kaffel,

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

Anastasia Hopcus

Commentary from Meredith:

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

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

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

Want to Know More About Blogging and Gaining an Audience? Jane Friedman Explains How on Sept. 16

2010-09-02T21:22:57.924-05:00

Ever had any of these questions?

Should you blog?
If so, what should you blog about?
How do you start a blog?
Can you post work online on a blog without endangering its prospects with agents and editors?
How does a fiction writer gain an audience through their blog?
How can a blogger increase traffic and gain a platform?
How can a blog help me get a book deal?

These are the kinds of questions Jane Friedman will be answering in her webinar, "Build Your Author Platform Through Blogging," on Sept. 16, 2010.

Here's the gist. Jane Friedman, former publisher of Writer's Digest and current e-media college professor, knows a lot about blogging and how to use a blog. (In fact, her writing blog called "There Are No Rules" has won some awards!) She's laying out all she knows to writers at 1 p.m., EST, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010. The webinar lasts 75 minutes. (Sign up here.)

What you'll learn:

How to develop strategic content for your blog that will benefit your career as an author
When and how to post your work-in-progress on your blog or site
When and how fiction writers should blog
What kinds of blogs attract the attention of editors and agents
5 ways to grow your blog traffic—and how to know when your blog has a visitor count worth talking about
The consistent habits and methods of successful bloggers
The essential metrics for analyzing your blog's traffic, and how to improve your blog based on visitor data
The best blogging platforms to use, and what features really matter

Agent Barbara Poelle On: 6 Things Writers Can Do To Make Their September Rock

2010-09-01T22:55:43.293-05:00

Barbara Poelle is an agent with the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, representing thrillers, literary suspense, historical romances, humorous/platform driven nonfiction, and upmarket fiction.

Barbara’s co-agent, Irene Goodman, offers manuscript critiques on eBay every month, starting on the first day of each month, with all proceeds going to charity. Click on the link for more details on these critiques and charity auctions.

Juxtaposed against the dog days of August, the publishing industry in September is all amped up like a toddler on speed. Many agents have spent the summer digging deep into their slush and attending conferences all in the hopes of plucking those rare jewels of talent to prepare for fall submissions.

Every year I plan on greeting the Tuesday after Labor Day with less than three client e-mails in my inbox and a large vacancy sign hanging over my slush pile. And every year September comes roaring in and I am covered in paper cuts and flop sweat, one hand clutching a Red Bull, and the other raised in victory that I am down to a mere 100 queries and 25 client emails that need a reply.

But I can tell you that for as much as I am hustling on my end, it is necessary that you, the querying author, hustle on yours. Here are some quick tips that I know work for me as far as authors “nudging” me on their solicited material:

1. Let agents who have your work know if other agents also now have it. If you have requests for partials or fulls of your manuscript within the first 2-3 weeks of submission, that is a great time to nudge the agents who have it:“Barbara, I just wanted to keep you in the loop that the partial/full for my novel Thunder Vampires has now been requested by three other additional agents. Looking forward to hearing from you.”

2. Be patient. If you are not getting quick responses on your submission, NO WORRIES!!! Simply mark your calendar for 8-12 weeks out from the date you e-mailed your submission. On that date, send a simple “Barbara, I am circling back to check the status of my requested submission, Thunder Vampires. I look forward to hearing from you.”

3. Use a little shame. If you are following up, send your one-line nudge e-mail as a response to the initial request from materials that the agent sent, so that when I scroll down I can see it. This accomplishes two things: it refreshes my memory on the material, and it shames me when I see the date of request :-)

4. Be patient, again. Generally I send a “Thanks for the nudge! It is working its way up the queue!” e-mail, but don’t panic if I don’t. It really is working its way up the queue.

5. Resist the urge to call. Never call the office and ask to speak to an agent who is reviewing your requested submission. If you get an offer from an agent and want to communicate your next steps, e-mail. Don’t call.

6. Keep working. You should be working on your next novel/proposal while you are nudging on the first, this way you have further materials to offer should someone ask, and it will prevent you from barking and eating hair while you wait to hear on your masterpiece.

Okay September … bring it!

Agent Advice: Catherine Drayton of Inkwell Management

2010-09-01T22:37:01.592-05:00

"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 Catherine Drayton of InkWell Management. Catherine graduated with a Bachelor of Arts/Law from the University of Sydney and a Masters of Law from University of New South Wales. She worked as a copyright and defamation litigator in Sydney for four years before moving to the United States in 1995. She had a brief stint as a literary scout and then joined Arthur Pine Associates in 1998.

She is seeking: "both fiction and nonfiction. She has had considerable success with books for children and young adults."

GLA : How did you become an agent?

CD: I am a lawyer by profession. When I moved to the U.S. in 1995, I decided to pursue my love of literature. I began working as a scout and then joined Arthur Pine Associates, which subsequently became InkWell, in 1998.

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

CD: Hereafter by Tara Hudson (HarperCollins), Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick (Simon & Schuster), Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow by Nathan Bransford (Penguin), Leverage by Joshua Cohen (Penguin), and Cleo (Citadel).

GLA : On your online profile, it says you work with writers of fiction, nonfiction and kids. That's very general — can you tell us more about what you want to see in submissions and what you don't?

CD: I tend to concentrate on all genres of children's books (picture, middle-grade and YA) and women's fiction. In young adult, I love the very literary novel such as The Book Thief by Markus Zusak or The Anatomy of Wings by Karen Foxlee, but I also enjoy compelling commercial projects such as Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan. I look for high-end women's fiction such as Saving Ceecee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman and am always on the look-out for novels that will appeal to women's book clubs. I'm excited about Cleo, a memoir by Helen Brown that is about to be published, but I don't do much nonfiction these days.

GLA : I see many numerous kids books sales on Publishers Marketplace. What draws you to the realm of kids writing?

CD: I have three children so am surrounded by their books! If you can capture a child as a reader you have given them an enormous gift.

GLA : Within kids writing, what (besides simply good writing) are you looking for and not getting.

CD: I look for imagination and voice. I see a lot of projects that are derivative of published works. It's a tough market out there and there are too many books published so I want the books that I represent to be of the highest quality.

GLA : You rep a lot of YA. Can you give us your best three tips for writing for teens?

CD: 1) Remember what it is like to be a teenager. 2) Don't lecture. 3) A wry sense of humor always helps!

GLA : You're from Australia and I see you rep some Aussie authors. Do you look for nonfiction/fiction that has ties to Down Under?

CD: I represent some Australian publishers and agents so I look for the best Australian writers.

GLA : You rep Marcus Zusak, whose book The Book Thief , has gotten all kinds of acclaim and I believe is a featured book at my county's library this month, to boot. What was it like when you heard it won the Printz?

CD: The Book Thief is a brave and beautiful novel. It will be read for many years to come so I was thrilled, but not surprised, when it won.

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

CD: I don't attend many conferences. Writers are welcome to query me by e-mail and I do read and respond to my own mail. [Chuck's note: Online at Inkwell's website, it says all queries should go to submissions@inkwellmanagement.com. I would suggest writing "Query for Catherine" in the subject line.]

Writing YA? Check out author K.L. Going's
resource Writing & Selling the YA Novel

5 Things Television Teaches Writers

2010-08-30T23:40:14.169-05:00

We’ve all watched television—dramas, police procedurals, reality shows, newscasts. Although television is a different medium than writing, it provides an abundance of advice wrapped inside the programming that’s relevant to today’s writers.

Guest column by Janice Gable Bashman, co-author
of Wanted Undead or Alive: Vampire Hunters
and Other Kick-Ass Enemies of Evil (Citadel
Press, 2010) and contributing editor of the
Big Thrill (the newsletter of the International
Thriller Writers). She is a regular contributor
to leading publications. See her website here.

1. Jump Right In—Television shows start smack in the middle of the action to grab and hold our attention from the get-go. This method discourages the viewer from flipping the channel to find something more interesting. Once we’re hooked, backstory is revealed. Tune in to any drama or even the news and you’ll see this method in action. Today’s readers expect the same from their books. They want to be hooked after reading that first paragraph, the first page, the first chapter. They want a book so exciting that they can’t put it down, a story that captivates their hearts and souls and fires up their imaginations. They want a story that pulls them into a new world and threatens to hold them there until the very last word. It’s up to writers to hook the readers, to keep them interested enough to keep reading. And it all begins with the first scene. Make it exciting.

2. Use Hooks and Cliffhangers—What keeps us hooked to television shows when the distractions of home, family, friends, work, the Internet, etc. threaten to pull them away? It’s simple really. Good storytelling. But it goes beyond that. Just because it’s good doesn’t mean viewers will stay tuned, especially once a commercial comes on. Television shows tease us when going into a commercial or ending the show. They leave us hooked with an unfinished question or scene that makes the viewer want to know more and makes us wonder what will happen to the characters in the future. This process is a deliberate effort to keep us watching the shows. And it works. For writers, it’s important to begin and end a scene with a hook. It can be an unfinished question, a line of dialogue, or a bit of action—anything that grabs the reader’s attention and make the reader wonder what comes next. The hook compels the reader to turn the page and read more. As readers, we’ve all experienced that book that keeps us up well into the night when we have to get up early the next day. What keeps us reading each page, each chapter, when we know we should really go sleep? It’s simply a good story combined with great hooks.

3. A Break From Writing Is Not a Waste Of Time—We’ve all seen the television character who can’t solve a problem but who is then hit with a great idea while fiddling with the remote, hanging out with friends, playing basketball, or cooking. Some of the best ideas come to us when they’re least expected. Some writers believe that writing is the only way to find new ideas or resolve problems, but sometimes taking a step back from the process yields wonderful results.

4. It’s Not Always Best To Brainstorm Alone—Ideas don’t occur in a vacuum. Television cops don’t work alone, the women on "Army Wives" solve problems together, and the creative group on "Mad Men" is just that—a group of individuals who work together to brainstorm ideas. Many of the ideas are terrible and are rejected, but then a unexpected gem emerges from the give and take among the group members. When stuck for ideas or for solutions to plot problems, writers often stew in their chairs, surf the internet, knock out chores, or play games on the computer with the hopes that the solutions will magically appear. Sometimes it does; sometimes it doesn’t. Shooting an idea past a colleague or brainstorming with a friend can be just the thing to bring freshness and excitement to your work.

5. Diversification Is Key To Success—How many good television shows have gone stale? They show the same twist on an old story line over and over again. As a result, we become bored, abandon the shows, and find new ones to watch. Also, have you noticed how advertisers don’t focus on only one market? They diversify among television, print, radio, and the internet and adjust their advertising to each market to achieve the highest success rate and to reach the widest audience. As writers we must diversify in order to succeed in this ever-changing industry and to ensure our work is constantly in demand. If we focus on only one market and that market becomes stale or fails, we’re out of work. But if we diversify and continually look for new opportunities in untapped markets, the opportunities are endless.

What forms of media have inspired your writing, and how?

Interested in scriptwriting? Check out The 101
Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters, and
read interviews with the writers of Rain Man,
Forrest Gump, Die Hard and more.

Want more on this subject?

See a profile of script agent Garrett Hicks of Will Entertainment.

Is there a difference between literary agents and script managers?

Want a great database of script agents/managers, script contests, conferences and theaters? Buy the 2010 Screenwriter's & Playwright's Market today! An interview with Blake Snyder is in the 2010 guide.

Check out an interview with script manager Marc Manus.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

New Agent Alert: Kerry Sparks of Levine Greenberg Literary Agency

2010-08-30T12:50:43.619-05:00

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 Kerry: Kerry is a published short story writer, In addition to her passion for words, Kerry has a love for film, road trips, running, and bubble tea. Although she enjoys the luxuries of gargantuan cities she has lived in, Kerry has yet to find a bookstore as impressive as Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon. She is now an associate agent at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency.

She is seeking: Kerry loves to be transported and surprised when reading both fiction and nonfiction. She is looking for great YA and middle-grade fiction, both commercial and literary, with a fresh voice and compelling story (although she tends to shy away from the paranormal) and enjoys the occasional picture book. In nonfiction, Kerry is most drawn to health and lifestyle books with a prescriptive focus.

How to contact: Please do not send original artwork, photos or other items that need to be returned. Rather than e-mailing Kerry directly, go to the agency's online submission form and send your query by clicking the submit button at the bottom of the page. (If you do feel Kerry is a good fit for your project, make a note in your submission that you wish the query to be passed on to her.) If you don't wish to use this form, you can send your query by e-mail to submit[at]levinegreenberg[dot]com (and again, make a note that yours is a query for Kerry). "Do not attach more than 50 pages. Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to respond to each individually. If we would like more information about your project, we'll contact you within three weeks (though we do get backed up on occasion!). We prefer electronic submissions and are no longer accepting queries sent by mail."

Want more on this subject?

Interview with agent Byrd Leavell of Waxman Literary.

Check out another new agent: Folade Bell of Serendipity Literary.

Agent Irene Goodman talks thriller writing.

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? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Agent Mary Kole is Teaching a Webinar on How to Get Your Kids/Teen Fiction Published

2010-08-30T12:02:30.2-05:00

Very cool news! Agent Mary Kole is teaching a webinar on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010. You may know Mary Kole as the founder of the ever-so-awesome KidLit Blog, and as an agent for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, one of the biggest & best kids agencies in the country.

The webinar is called Publish Your Children's, Tween, or Teen Fiction in Today's Market:How to hook an agent with your 'Once upon a time...' and make your own fairy tale. Sign up here!

4 Reasons to

Attend Mary's Webinar

1. A critique of your work! All registrants are invited to submit 1-2 pages of their work, double-spaced (500 words or fewer) of your middle-grade or young adult prose, OR the first 300 words of your picture book following the event. All submissions are guaranteed a critique by Mary.

2. Mary's instruction. Her KidLit blog on kids writing is one of the most popular agent blogs on the Internet for a reason: Mary knows her stuff and love the children's writing scene. What you'll learn in this session:

The essential elements of books written for younger children, tweens, and teens
How your kid reader thinks about fiction and what they want
What agents and editors look for in terms of pitch, writing, and book premise
How to make your hook absolutely irresistible
What separates an aspiring writer from a contracted author in this field

Sign up here for the webinar!

3. You can ask Mary questions. She'll be taking questions in real time from the audience, so you can ask questions specific to your circumstances and project. If you've always wanted to ask a pro something, now's the time.

4. Get your work in front of the eyes of an agent. You already know all attendees are guaranteed a quick critique of their first pages. But keep in mind if Mary happens to love what she reads, she'll request more pages and keep reading your book. And that, my friends, is a wonderful way to jump the slush pile.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Writers who are actively querying agents and publishers with their children's books
Writers who aren't sure about where their writing fits into the children's market
Writers who have always wanted to try writing a children's book, whether for publication or as a keepsake
Writers who want to improve their pitches and hooks
Writers who want to take the next step toward publication in the children's market

Cover Band Soap Opera: What Do Our Concert Ticket Stubs Say About Us?

2010-08-29T12:34:57.124-05:00

My rock cover band had a show last night. Combined with that, I went to my first concert in years the other night - seeing Stone Temple Pilots at Riverbend here in Cincinnati (and Scott Weiland fell off the stage, btw). The whole week got me thinking about how my musical preferences of today (and in turn, what I play with the band and how I play musically) are shaped by my musical upbringing. So I opened my memory box and pulled out my concert ticket stubs of old. Here they are. Anybody at any of these shows?

Concert tickets I could not find, sadly, include REM, Saliva, and Van Halen (2004). And I know Rocky Horror is not a concert, but your first RHPS show in person is still a noteworthy experience.

7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Victoria Ceretto-Slotto

2010-08-29T12:20:47.7030467-05:00

This is a 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 writer Victoria Ceretto-Slotto.

Victoria Ceretto-Slotto is a Nevada-based
writer whose first novel is currently being
shopped by her agent. See Victoria's blog here.

1. Cultivate Beginner’s Mind. Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned writer, approach your work as though you were a novice. Read good writing in many genres. Subscribe to magazines such as Writer’s Digest. Devour books about the practice of writing. Reread classics and explore contemporary work. Give a book 50 pages then, if it isn’t working for you, put it aside. Never, ever become complacent. The day you believe you have arrived, you will cease to develop.

2. Refute the Myth of Writer’s Block. There are days when the last thing you want to do is face the ominous blank page—and sometimes that’s okay. But when one writing-free day leads to another and another, you are at risk of slipping into writer’s entropy. Devise a treatment plan that will free your creative muse from its self-imposed exile. Brainstorm with a friend; write a poem; revise a short story you’ve previously abandoned; take a walk in nature; pick random words from the dictionary and use all of them in a paragraph, poem or short, short story. Find a remedy that works for you.

3. Listen to Others, but Be True to Your Vision. Participation in critique groups and workshops is of immense value. Objective, balanced advice from fellow writers helps you develop your skills and improve your manuscript. Learn to listen to suggestions with an open mind and hone your ability to give feedback that is both constructive and encouraging. Take notes while your work is being reviewed. Soon after the session, correct typos, grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, but defer making changes related to plot or character until you have completed your first draft. Hold onto the reins of your story: the plot, story arc and characters belong to you at this point. Don’t do radical surgery until you are know it will improve the prognosis of your story.

4. Embrace the Process of Revision but Keep on Writing. I wrote my first novel in a little over a year and revised for eight years before it was accepted by an agent. Don’t be afraid of the hard work of writing. Take a break after you’ve completed the first draft—let your manuscript gestate. Be creative in the process of revising and editing: read your novel aloud; read it backwards, beginning with the last chapter, to discover unresolved story lines and inconsistencies in characters; read it with a focus on grammar, on active verbs, on tightening the narrative, eliminating unnecessary adverbs and adjectives; look for word echoes—you get the idea. But, in the meantime, move forward. Outline your next novel or book proposal. Write in a different genre. Try to balance your time between the new and the old. Finally, know when it’s time to give birth.

5. Query with Care. You will save yourself some of the heartbreak of rejection if you attend well to the process of submitting your work. Ask other writers for feedback on your query letter, synopsis and outline. Make them as succinct and compelling as possible and tailor your presentation to the agents or publishers to whom you are submitting. Do a thorough review of their websites to assure that you are meeting their requirements and that your masterpiece matches the type of work that they represent. Don’t send more than they request. And when you’ve accumulated your fair share of rejections, keep on trying—don’t give up. If you’re lucky enough to receive a personalized note of rejection, consider any advice that’s been offered and if necessary, be willing to take another look at your manuscript and, if needed, initiate CPR.

6. Manage Your Time and Organize Your Space. The creative process can be messy, even chaotic. Disorganization, however, can take over our lives and waste time. How can you maximize efficiency? Develop processes that work for you such as computer files, folders for research and document back-up systems. Decide whether you will work from an outline or if you prefer to let your characters lead the way. Before beginning to write, consider fleshing out character profiles and detailed setting descriptions. Avoid or limit time-busters such as computer games, surfing the Internet and other writing-avoidance gimmicks that have inched their way into your routine. Finally, design or discover a sacred space that invites you to unleash your creativity.

7. Adjust Your Definition of Success. Ask a writer how they define success. You will hear responses ranging from winning a Pulitzer to multiple weeks on the NYT Bestseller List. While I couldn’t argue with those answers, I’d like to think that, along the way, we achieve many smaller successes. From my agented-but-not-yet-published place on the continuum, I’d like to focus on some of the other achievements that have had meaning in my writing life: making the effort to show up at the blank page, publishing my first short stories and poems in small literary journals, completing those first drafts, finding the perfect word that expresses what I want to say, experiencing the zone outside myself when the writing just happens guided by the creative Spirit, receiving a complimentary rejection, knowing at the end of the day I’ve worked toward what I’m here on earth to accomplish. Celebrate success!

Need to sharpen the beginning of your novel?
Check out the great resource Hooked, which is
all about writing an excellent Chapter 1.

Want more tips and posts?

Query letter tips.

Five signs a literary is a good match for you.

What are the BEST writers' conferences in the country?

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Agent Advice: Sally van Haitsma of van Haitsma Literary

2010-08-28T15:00:03.759-05:00

"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 Sally Van Haitsma of van Haitsma Literary.
Sally earned her B.A. and Masters of Communication from the University of California, San Diego. While in graduate school she was co-owner of Altitude, an upscale retail store for tall women. Transitioning to publishing, she worked at an alternative weekly newspaper, the San Diego Reader, before agenting at the Castiglia Literary Agency. Sally lives with her husband Dirk Sutro and an eclectic library of books, in Encinitas, Calif.

She is seeking: specializes in commercial and literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, pop culture, education, business and current affairs. Although we do not represent genre fiction (historical, romance, horror, fantasy, sci-fi), we are interested in works of a more literary bent that include these elements.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

SVH: My path to agenting was circuitous. As a teenager, I worked in the school library and read one or two novels a week for pleasure. I considered a life in academia, earning my Masters in Communication at UC San Diego, but was drawn toward the publishing world. Meanwhile, I supported myself as a civil litigation paralegal, honing my business and writing skills. After a brief sojourn in New York City I landed at the San Diego Reader, one of the largest alternative weekly newspapers in the country. A few years later I apprenticed at Sandra Dijkstra’s agency and caught the bug to become a literary agent. Julie Castiglia offered me this opportunity, and I agented for her six years before launching my own agency in March 2010.

GLA: What is a book coming out you repped that you’re excited about?

SVH: Actually, I have three books coming out in short order regarding particularly timely topics. This August, Craig Brandon’s The Five-Year Party exposes the crisis in higher education—how we are paying more and learning less. It's made a huge splash. It got a terrific review in the Wall Street Journal that catapulted it to a top 100 Amazon book for a while, and the author has been featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, ABC & Fox news and a myriad of other media outlets.
A couple months later, foreign policy expert Sarwar Kashmeri’s second book NATO 2.0: Reboot or Delete? reveals the troubling state of our international alliance now fighting in Afghanistan. And in our own back yard, novelist Raul Ramos y Sanchez contemplates civil war as the blow-back from our failed immigration policy in House Divided, the second installment in his America Libre thriller series.

GLA: You say you’re looking for commercial fiction but tend to stay away from genre fiction. Does your interest lie in so-called mainstream or upmarket fiction? Book-club stuff?

SVH: Yes, I definitely look for upmarket fiction that has book club potential. Michael Zadoorian’s The Leisure Seeker is an example of a work that bridges literary and commercial fiction. At its core, it’s a classic American road trip and love story with a nod to Raymond Carver. That it just so happens to broach end-of-life questions (the main characters are in their 80s) makes it all the more book club worthy.

GLA: Most common problems you see that make you stop reading a fiction partial?

SVH: Poor word choice, exposition that doesn’t serve the narrative, and excessive attributions that suck the life out of the reading experience. If I find myself second-guessing words or phrases within the first few pages, I’ve already lost confidence in the story.

GLA: In addition to fiction, you rep a lot of nonfiction and have plenty of sales in that arena. Do you usually go out and find pros to write books, or are there coming through the slush?

SVH: I’ve sought out journalists and bloggers, but I’ve mostly met my nonfiction clients through writers’ conferences or referrals, or they find me through reading interviews like this one.

GLA: A lot of nonfiction writing tips are pretty simple concerning book proposal writing. But you have sold so many books, I just have to ask if you have any wisdom about getting a nonfiction book published that you would like to share.

SVH: The author platform is so critical these days with regards to nonfiction projects that I encourage authors to develop their professional and social networking at least one or two years in advance of approaching an agent. For example, join national organizations that pertain to the topic or themes of your project, get on their e-mail and newsletter list. Most authors today have websites and/or blogs, so be sure yours is interesting to read and look at, and update it regularly to give visitors an incentive to return and recommend your site to others. And remember, writers are members of a global community, so whatever you can do to help other writers thrive while you pursue your own path to publishing will serve you well.

GLA: You seek pop culture books. These seem tough in my mind because pop culture fads can pass so quickly. How can writers capitalize on a good pop culture idea?

SVH: I think you can look more broadly within social trends and discover topics that aren’t ephemeral. Blogging about a particular slice of pop culture has proved to be a terrific way to convince publishers there is a huge audience for your idea. Several new books are based on provocative, well-written blogs that either created or capitalized on emerging trends—there’s the cute cheeseburger-loving kitties, and the foul-mouthed dad, and the spoof on white people. The plethora of zombies and vampires certainly speaks to our conflicted attitude towards death. That’s why I’d consider my client Robert Webster’s forthcoming book, Does this Mean You’ll See Me Naked?—Field Notes from a Funeral Director to fit within the pop culture category.

GLA: Interested in any kids stuff?

SVH: No, I don’t represent children’s or young adult. However I do represent parenting books.

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

SVH: I just attended the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference this July, and will be heading to the South California Writers Conference in Irvine late September 2010 and the La Jolla Writers Conference in November 2010. My agency website lists a full conference schedule which I update regularly.

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

SVH: I can walk away from cookies and ice cream, but have absolutely no will power when it comes to hot popcorn.

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

SVH: Perfecting their writing craft is obviously the most important thing an aspiring author can do, however approaching the goal of becoming published in a professional manner is also important. A succinct and lively pitch letter makes a strong first impression, and speaks volumes as to the writer’s ability to execute their ideas well. And if an agent turns you down or offers constructive criticism, don’t take it personally. Agents want to work with authors who are receptive to improving their work and who can handle the highs and lows of the publishing business. Perseverance is essential.

If you need some book
marketing tips, check out
Author 101: Bestselling Book Publicity

Want more on this subject?

The Knight Agency talks book marketing.

Children's agent Sarah Davies talks book marketing.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Come Meet Me in Cincinnati: Books by the Banks, Joseph Beth, and the Kenton County Library (Erlanger, KY)

2010-08-28T11:24:37.921-05:00

It's a busy fall to say the least and there are a lot of good writing events happening before the holidays land. (I've already blogged about how I will be in Tucson, AZ, Sept. 24-26.) If you live in the greater Cincinnati area, think about popping by to one of the following events.

SEPT. 20, 2010: "MEET THE WD EDITORS" AT JOSEPH BETH

This a two-part event. There is a "Meet the WD Editors" panel going down at 7 p.m. at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Rookwood Pavilion. Basically, we are there to help you on your writing journey. You ask questions; we give answers--it's that easy and it's all free. Also, at 5:30 p.m., there will be a quick informal eat & schmooze book party for my humor book that comes out on Sept. 7: How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack. Come and schmooze.

OCT. 2, 2010: BOOKS BY THE BANKS (BOOK FESTIVAL DOWNTOWN)

Books By the Banks is Cincinnati's premiere book festival, and it's happening downtown at the Duke Energy Convention Center. It all goes down from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Free admission.
More than 100 authors will be there.
There is a Kids Corner for young readers.

You can see the big list of authors in attendance if you visit the BBTB website online.

OCT. 16, 2010: KENTON COUNTY LIBRARY PRESENTATION

I will be presenting on "Everything You Need to Know About Agents" at 3:30 p.m., at the Erlanger branch of the Kenton County Library in Northern Kentucky. Location: ten minutes south of downtown Cincy. In fact, my speech is the final event of an entire day's worth of writerly happenings at the library. I don't see the event online (yet), so I don't know if it costs to attend. The contact is Venus Moose, venus.moose[at]kentonlibrary[dot]org.

10:30am: "Marketing Your Short Story or Novel"
1:30pm: "The Freelance Lifestyle: Making a Good Living as a Writer in the 21st Century"
3:30pm: "Everything You Need To Know About Agents"

I Will Also Be Speaking At These Great Writing Events in 2010:

Sept. 18, 2010: Hancock County Library Authors Day (Greenfield, IN)

Sept. 24-26, 2010: Wrangling With Writing Conference (Tucson, AZ).

Oct. 22-24, 2010: Surrey International Writers Conference (Vancouver, Canada)

Nov. 6, 2010: Vegas Valley Book Festival (Las Vegas, NV)

Nov. 12-13, 2010: Writing for Change Conference (San Francisco, CA)

Nov. 17, 2010: Ann Katz Festival of Books (Indianapolis, IN)

How I Got My Agent: Deborah Blake

2010-08-27T09:48:05.85-05:00

Deborah Blake is the author of Everyday Witch
A to Z: An Amusing, Inspiring & Informative
Guide to the Wonderful World of Witchcraft
(Llewellyn 2008) as well as Everyday Witch
A to Z Spellbook (2010) and Witchcraft on
a Shoestring (Sept. 2010). She has published
numerous articles.

2 YEARS, 3 MANUSCRIPTS AND 50 REJECTIONS

Five years ago, I wrote a book about modern Witchcraft, and started my career as a Llewellyn author. I loved writing nonfiction, and my fourth and fifth books will be out this year—but truly, my heart was with the fiction world. So I set myself some concrete goals: I would write and finish a novel. Then I would get an agent. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. But I didn’t realize just how hard and long the journey would be.

I finished the edits on the first book in early February of 2008, and sent out my first query about a week later. Over the course of about a year, I sent out a lot of other queries, and got requests for partials and a few requests for fulls (including one from Harlequin editor Patience Smith, as a result of my EMILY “Best of the Best” contest win). I used Guide to Literary Agents as well as sites online. I also checked websites for the agencies and agents I was interested in, read the dedication pages of books by authors I respected, and started spending inordinate amounts of time following agents and editors on Facebook and Twitter. Lesson #1: Do your research.

I DIVED IN AND MADE FRIENDS

I also started following some of the authors I really liked and admired, most especially the fabulous Candace Havens, who is amazingly supportive of up-and-coming authors. I went to blogs and left comments. I bought books and told the authors I’d done so. I supported and applauded their endeavors, asked questions, and soaked up as much wisdom as possible from all these lovely folks who were further down the path than I was.
Lesson #2: We're all in this together.

Eventually, I joined RWA. I entered contest after contest for almost a year, garnering lots of feedback, which I added to the feedback I’d gotten from agents and editors. Some of it really resonated with me (or was repeated over and over, which told me that no matter how I perceived my work, others were seeing it differently). I also took a number of online writing classes and went to workshops at my first ever RWA Nationals last year. And I kept writing. When book #1 didn’t sell, I wrote book #2. When book #2 didn’t sell, I wrote book #3. Lesson #3: Use all the tools at your disposal to improve your writing. Then write, write, write.

A REFERRAL TO ELAINE

Book one got sent out to over sixty agents. Book two got sent out to two—both folks who’d read the full of #1 and said, “Not quite, but send me the next one.” But as much as I loved the book (and believe it will sell when the market changes), it was clear that humorous paranormal romance was a tough sell. So I made a conscious choice to put aside both books 1 and 2 for a bit, took a break from querying, and wrote #3. When it was done, I queried my top three choices. The first choice said he wasn’t taking on anyone new, nothing personal. The second one said she didn’t love the voice. The third one—Lucienne Diver—said she loved the book … but she’d recently signed someone whose protagonist was a little too similar to mine, and she felt she wouldn’t be able to sell it. Arghhh!

So I took a chance, and asked her if she would mind sending it on to Elaine Spencer, also at The Knight Agency (and Candace’s agent). Elaine had read book #1 and liked it, but felt it was too close to things already being repped by the agency. The next day, I got an email from Elaine telling me she loved the book. That was on a Friday afternoon. On the following Monday, we talked on the phone and she officially agreed to represent me. My journey was over. Lesson #4: Be flexible and never give up.

Nothing on this journey went exactly the way I expected it to. But the combination of what some might call a stubborn refusal to admit defeat, a desire to become the best writer I could be, and the help and support of a whole lot of people—many of whom have never met me in person—led me to a happy ending.

Deborah used Guide to Literary Agents to
help find an agent. You can buy the book
here at a 30% discount.

Super Rates Right Now for WritersMarket.com

2010-08-26T15:08:58.134-05:00

I've explained before that WritersMarket.com is the market database to end all databases. It's got more than 6,000 listings for book publishers, literary agents, magazines, newspapers, contests, production companies, and much more. In other words, it's the motherload of markets. If you were thinking about signing up for WM.com and having access, now is the time.

Why is it the time? Because the usual good deal just got sweeter. Right now, WM.com is offering a deal that has two special options.

Use brand new coupon codes to get $10 off annual and biennel subs. An annual subscription drops to $29.99, and a biennel subscription drops to $44.99. (Sign up here.) The one-year code is 1YRAUG10 and the two-year code is 2YRAUG10.
Or you could subscribe monthly (just $5.99/month). New monthly subscribers get free access to Alan Rinzler's webinar, "An Insider’s Guide to Landing a Book Deal." In this webinar, a veteran editor with years of experience and hundreds of books published explains what it takes in today’s publishing climate to not only land a book deal, but to land the best possible deal, with the best possible publisher.

Rinzler's webinar will be useful for users who:

Have never been published by a commercial house
Have been published but want a better deal next time around
Are seeking an agent
Are planning to submit without an agent
Are thinking about self-publishing first as a strategy for getting a better deal down the road

This is a limited-time special, and ends effective Aug. 31. Don't miss out! Sign up here.

(By the way, if you sign up monthly, I've been told you will get access to the Rinzler webinar effective Sept. 15. They need some time to create access for new users.)

Agent Advice: Sarah LaPolla of Curtis Brown, Ltd.

2010-08-25T08:50:15.285-05:00

"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 Sarah LaPolla, an agent with Curtis Brown, LTD. She had been working with CB since 2008. With her own MFA in Creative Writing from The New School, Sarah loves getting to work directly with new and developing authors.

She is seeking: literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, science fiction, literary horror and young adult fiction.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

SL: I interned with a small boutique agency while I was getting my MFA. In college, the big dream was to move to New York and become an editor. I didn’t really know what an agent did. I just had the vague definition of agent being “a person you need in order to get published.” When I moved to New York and started interning at an agency, I realized that was true, but that they are also editors and publicists and cheerleaders all rolled into one. I knew I wanted to stick with agenting. It just felt like the best way
for me to work with writers from the beginning stages and watch their careers grow. To be a part of it. A job opened up with the foreign rights department at Curtis Brown, which has been such a great experience. Learning about foreign markets is so important in being a good agent, so I’m grateful to have that knowledge. And now, two years later, I am an associate agent with CB!

GLA: Your bio states that you are interested in literary horror. My first reaction to this is to imagine a mass murderer sitting by Walden pond reflecting about himself. For the sake of an author who may have unknowingly written a literary horror, are there clear characteristics to look for? Perhaps a few examples of this?

SL: I think you might be onto something. I can picture a serial killer, an existential crisis, and an opening scene of him staring pensively to the other side of the ponds. Usually, when I think of literary horror, I think of writers like H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, and Shirley Jackson. Style-wise, I think what makes “literary horror” its own genre is the same as what makes literary fiction different from commercial fiction. Heightened language, themes, concepts, etc. Only with horror, you get all the dark and gruesome elements too. Added fun.

GLA: Talk to me about selling literary horror or literary fiction in general? Is it a tough sell? Do you find yourself turning down good work because of the market?

SL: Selling literary fiction in general is harder, and it always has been. So many people are saying that style is “dead,” but I don’t believe that at all. It’s probably never going to be an easy sell, and I do keep that in mind when reading submissions. But, I think there will always be people who want it, especially if a novel is worth it. Maybe I’m an optimist.

GLA: You also like to see coming-of-age stories. Are you looking for children’s coming-of-age or adult or both?

SL: I like both, even though I think they’d technically need to be called something else when it comes to adults. I prefer YA coming-of-age because I think there’s more room to explore and allow the character to really change. In real life, adults don’t usually go through massive transformations, so in novels, the changes are more subtle or pertain to a specific aspect in their lives. With teens, every year of their lives is something new, and they are often completely different from who they were the year, or sometimes day, before.

GLA: You say you’re drawn to strong narrators. Do you find yourself drawn to female or male narrators more?

SL: It’s strange because some of my favorite narrators of all time are teenage boys (Holden Caulfield, Ponyboy Curtis, and Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower), but I am always drawn to a strong female voice (I’m thinking of someone like Scout’s adult perspective in To Kill a Mockingbird or the protagonists in a Lorrie Moore short story). To me a strong narrator is more than just someone who’s sassy (which I see a lot of in female-narrated YA) or even someone who’s tortured. No matter the gender, good narrators need to have something to say while staying true to their character, and they need to be multi-dimensional.

GLA: Science fiction seems like a really tough genre for new writers to break into unless they have been commissioned to pen a novel in an established series (such as Star Trek). What can science fiction authors do to make themselves stand out?

SL: I love science fiction, but it is really hard to find something that stands out as “special.” I think a good thing to remember about science fiction is that there are many different genres and styles, so you need to know what you’re going to write before you write it. Otherwise, it can become a mess. Another is to establish whatever world you’ve created immediately. Once I know where I am, when I am, and what I am, it is much easier for me to just let go and enjoy it. The best way to stand out is to have a great story
that’s original and compelling. Original doesn’t always have to mean “this has never been thought of before ever” either. To me, with genre fiction especially, more often it’s the way the story is told, as opposed to the plot itself, that makes it fresh and relevant.

GLA: In your bio, you seek both urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Since these genres tend to have many of the same characteristics, do you see some subtle differences that could help authors know which category they fall under?

SL: I was talking about this recently with a colleague, and she helped me break it down in a much less convoluted way than I would have normally explained it. There is a lot of overlap in these two genres, but at its core, paranormal romance cannot exist without a romance. Urban fantasy can.

GLA: What are you sick of seeing in the slush pile?

SL: Vampires! Werewolves! Angels! Zombies! No more please. Some creatures are still OK, but I need an indefinite break from those others.

GLA: What makes you reject a query?

SL: If the execution of the query is bad, I question the writer’s storytelling ability. It might not be fair, but it’s usually a safe bet that it’ll be weaker. But most times I reject a query either because I have no interest in the plot or because it feels like something I’ve read a hundred times before. Or, of course, if there’s a vampire in it.

GLA: What kind of writer would you ideally love to represent?

SL: I’d want a writer whose work I am in love with and who will be in it for the long hull. I also like to be a part of the editorial process, so it’s important for me to have mutual trust and respect in our relationship. So far, I’ve been lucky.

GLA: Best way to submit to you?

SL: I prefer email (sl[at]cbltd[dot]com) with a query letter and the first five pages pasted into the body of the e-mail. I’m also not opposed to snail mail, but it will take me longer to respond.

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

SL: Yes, I’ll be at the Rutgers One-on-One conference in October. I can’t wait!

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

SL: I was voted “Most Optimistic” in my junior high school yearbook, which I later discovered was because most of my friends thought it would be funny. The irony is that at the time, I was a typical angst-ridden teen, but now I am a legitimately optimistic person. Most of the time.

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

SL: My grandmother’s favorite piece of advice to hand down to us grandchildren when we were little was “Think before you write.” I think that’s still a valid point.

This interview by Jennifer Benner, 2010 summer
intern for Writer’s Digest and senior at
Grace College. She spends her time working
on a novel and talking to other writers.
Check out her blog.

Want more on this subject?

What's in a Pitch? Examining "Alibi Junior High."

How to Maximize an Agent Pitch Slam.

What are the BEST writers' conferences in the country?

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Hollis Gillespie

2010-08-24T18:01:13.891-05:00

Hollis Gillespie is an award-winning humor
and travel columnist, with her column appearing
every month on Atlanta magazine's coveted
back page. She is also a best-selling memoirist,
NPR commentator, professional speaker,
comedian and guest on the Tonight Show
with Jay Leno. She runs Shocking Real Life,
the largest writing school in Atlanta, which
offers workshops on blogging and social media.
These days she gets most of her exercise
running to catch flights.

1. Social and digital media are now essential as well as inescapable. As a writer, if you don't update your skills so they include social and digital media then you might as well lumber off to your secret lair to languish with the other old elephants. If writing is your craft, these tools are now necessary for you to continue it. Other professions are subject to updating—you don't see doctors who cure fevers by blood-letting anymore—and writers are not exempt.

2. There is no such thing as a "finish line." When you sell a book, you are creating a new job for yourself, one that will hopefully replace your old one. It almost doesn't matter how successful you become, you still never feel relaxed enough to rest on your accolades. There have been times as recently as, like, yesterday, when I've told myself that if the restaurant where I waited tables in college knocked on my door right now offering me my apron back, I'd jump at it.

3. Literary agents have very, very specific needs when it comes to material. When you pitch an agent, you have to make sure your material is perfectly in line with the genres she represents. Most likely, that agent has cultivated relationships with publishers that specialize in a very particular line of books. When considering an agent to pitch, at the very minimum make sure there is a book in her client list that strongly compares to your own manuscript.

4. No one is going to steal your memoir idea. Stop worrying about that.

5. No one is going to sue you for how you portrayed them in your memoir. Stop worrying about that. They might not like what you said about them, but since when is it illegal to have a low opinion of someone? I usually put it to my students this way, "If someone in your life has behaved like a volcanic @sshole, you're not legally liable just because you noticed."

6. Fear is the most creatively corrosive element that writers have to face each day, and it comes disguised as so many things. The one I see encountered most often has a lot to do with #5 above. I can't count how many times I've heard a student recount the most fascinating—and marketable—life story, only to insist they can't write about it because they're afraid of how it will be taken.

7. It helps to write your story as though no one will read it. That goes a long way toward solving #5 and #6 above.

Writing a memoir or life story? A great
resource is Writing Life Stories.

Want more on this subject?

Tips on writing memoir.

An author's tale of how his memoir came to be.

"7 Things I've Learned So Far," by a memoir writer.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Footnotes: 6 Articles on Dystopian Stories/Writing

2010-08-24T17:22:43.462-05:00

"The future is not set. There is
no fate but what we make for ourselves."
~ Kyle Reese

Footnotes is a recurring series on the GLA blog where I pick a subject and provide several interesting articles on said topic. Suzanne's Collins's Hunger Games series has ignited a craze for dystopian literature. That's why today I'm serving up six articles on dystopian stories.

1. What does it even mean to be "dystopian"? Start at the Science Encyclopedia.

2. An agent's current take on the genre. Agent Michelle Andelman at Regal Literary posted her thoughts on dystopian fiction over on The Spectacle's website for kids writers.

3. Dystopian writing was once out but is now in. This according to the official blog of Writing for the Web.

4. Even The New Yorker weighs in. The big-time mag addresses the rise in dystopian fiction for young adults.

5. Listen in on a panel of writers at BEA. I haven't watched the entire 45-minute video yet, but here is a panel of authors discussing dystopian fiction at BookExpo America 2010.

6. Where can we find a list of dystopian books? Right here! This list by Jen Robinson also includes "straight" sci-fi, but it's an excellent place to start.

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

Want more on this topic?

Footnotes: 5 Articles on Creating Characters.

Footnotes: 5 Articles on Writing Description.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

New Agent Alert: Jason Pinter of Waxman Literary Agency

2010-08-23T13:43:53.868-05:00

About Jason: Prior to starting at the Waxman Literary Agency in 2010, Jason worked as an editor at St. Martin's Press, Random House and Warner Books (now Grand Central Publishing). He is also the internationally bestselling author of five thriller novels, with 1.5 million copies in print in a dozen languages. He also tweets.

He is seeking: commercial fiction (mysteries, thrillers, romantic suspense). Plot is an important vehicle, but only if there are memorable characters and a strong voice to drive the train. He also seeks pop culture, entertainment/media, sports, humor, quirky literary fiction, politics/current events, urban fantasy, young adult fiction and middle grade fiction. "I'm a sucker for stories about ordinary people thrust into extraordinary situations, and normal people who must overcome seemingly insurmountable odds."

Does not want to receive: category romance/erotica, screenplays, poetry, picture books, speculative fiction.

How to contact: To submit a project, please send a query letter only via email to jasonsubmit[at]waxmanagency[dot]com. Do not send attachments, though for fiction you may include 5-10 pages of your manuscript in the body of your e-mail. Please do not query more than one agent at our agency simultaneously.

Want more on this subject?

Interview with agent Byrd Leavell of Waxman Literary.

Check out another new agent: Folade Bell of Serendipity Literary.

Agent Irene Goodman talks thriller writing.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

2011 Guide to Literary Agents is Out!

2010-08-23T12:48:32.375-05:00

The book is finally out and available in major bookstores!

The new 2011 edition of Guide to Literary Agentshas more than 20 brand new literary agencies never before listed in the book. I realize there are other places you can turn to for information on agents, but the Guide to Literary Agents has always prided itself as being the biggest (we list almost every agent) and the most thorough (guidelines, sales, agent by agent breakdowns, etc.). That's why it's been around for 20 years and that's why it's sold more than 250,000 copies. It works—and if you keep reading, I'll prove it to you.

Buy it here! When you order it online from our WD shop, you get the same deep discount you find on Amazon. Need more reason to buy? How about some testimonials from these very cool people:

Eight Reasons to Buy the

2011 Guide to Literary Agents

1. Marisha Chamberlain, The Rose Variations(Soho):

" Guide to Literary Agents oriented me, the lowly first-time novelist, embarking on an agent search. The articles and the listings gave insight into the world of literary agents that allowed me to comport myself professionally and to persist. And I did find a terrific agent."

2. Eugenia Kim, The Calligrapher’s Daughter(Holt)

"After so many years working on the novel, the relative speed of creating the query package prodded the impetus to send it out. As a fail-safe measure, I bought the Guide to Literary Agents and checked who might be a good fit for my novel..."

3. Eve Brown-Waite, First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria(Broadway)

"I bought the Guide To Literary Agents ... and came across Laney Katz Becker. So I sent off a very funny query. On March 15, 2007, Laney called. 'I love your book,' she said. 'I’d like to represent you.' Three and a half months (and several proposal revisions) later, Laney sold my book—at auction—in a six-figure deal."

4. Mara Purnhagen, Tagged (Harlequin Teen)

"I trusted the Guide to Literary Agents to provide solid, up-to-date information to help me with the process. I now have a wonderful agent and a four-book deal."

5. Richard Harvell, The Bells (Crown)

"Guide to Literary Agents contains a wealth of information and good advice, and was crucial in my successful search for an agent. I found a great agent and my book has now sold in 11 territories and counting."

6. Patrick Lee, The Breach (Harper)

"The Guide to Literary Agents has all the info you need for narrowing down a list of agencies to query."

7. Michael Wiley, The Last Striptease and The Bad Kitty Lounge (Minotaur)

"The Guide to Literary Agents was very useful to me when I was getting started. I always recommend GLA to writers."

8. Jennifer Cervantes, Tortilla Sun (Chronicle)

"Within 10 days of initial submission, I found an energetic and amazing agent—and it's all thanks to GLA."

Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents here!

Trends in Publishing: How Our Worlds Are Changing

2010-08-22T13:24:07.188-05:00

In August 2010, the BlogHer ’10 Conference took place in New York City. A particularly interesting session was called “The Evolving Publishing Ecosystem,” and it was run by the following people:

Kamy Wicoff, founder of the blog “SHE WRITES”
Florinda Pendley Vasquez, who writes for the blog “Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness”
Penny Sanseveiri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. and author of Red Hot Internet Publicity
Carleen Brice, author of Orange Mint and Honey.

They employed their varied perspectives to answer the question, “What have been the biggest changes in publishing in the last 3-5 years?”

Guest column by Theresa Milstein, who is writing
middle grade and YA fantasy novels. She's also
a substitute teacher. Read about her adventures
in writing and subbing on her awesome blog.

THE FUTURE OF SELF-PUBLISHING

Penny believes self-publishing has gone from being considered a last-ditch effort to a more respected enterprise. She brought up Legally Blonde as an early success story of a self-published book. Carleen mentioned J.A. Konrath’s success with e-books that had previously not sold or had gone out of print. Penny cautioned that self-publishing authors homework, and makes sure they publish quality books. She said, “Your book is your resume.”

THE RISE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING

Florinda discussed how the Internet has dominated over traditional media. Book blogs have critical for generating sales. There are also giant online book clubs, book blog tours, and even conventions. These blog authors have a huge influence on their readers. Penny added that traditional media channels like “Good Morning America” and newspaper reviews don’t have the same influence as before.

Carlene agreed with Florinda about social networking being an important tool, noting the advantages authors have when they are able to go directly to their audience and their readers being able to contact their authors through e-mail, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. But the disadvantage is authors must do much of their own self-promotion. Some publishing houses have shrunk their publicity budgets. And advances have dwindled. This means authors must work hard and lay out their own money to promote their books.

Kamy promoted “SHE WRITES” as a place for authors to find help. She recommended getting to know bloggers in your market, comment, and network. And she encouraged writers to get to know other authors who write what you want to write about because many readers will buy the same type of book. In short, build a platform.

HOW TO START OUT

Novellas and short stories are a good way for writers to start out. There was a small market for these types of books before e-books. People can also publish a chapter to entice readers to buy the whole book. She also recommended making a video to promote your book. If a video becomes popular on YouTube, it can help generate book sales like it did for Kelly Corrigan of The Middle Place.

Penny said to know your market. Do research. She cautioned that if your book doesn’t sell well, publishers will be much less interested in taking on your second book. So you must promote as much as you can for your first one. She acknowledged the memoir market is more forgiving than fiction as a second book option.

Some enlightening statistics:

1,500 books per day get published
The top 5 books sold on iPad are children’s books
Last month, Kindle sales were larger than hardcover sales on Amazon.

All members on the panel agreed that whether authors publish through traditional publishers or self-publish, they must take greater charge of book promotion.

Interested in iPhone apps for something like
your book? Download a comprehensive webinar
from Al Katkowsky, whose book, Question Of
The Day, has been downloaded more than 100,000
times as an iPhone app.

Want more on this subject?

Guest column: How to start a blog.

Guest column: You've set up a blog - now what?

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Cover Band Soap Opera: ''I Don't Want To Be'' by Gavin DeGraw

2010-08-21T13:10:28.297-05:00

For anyone who follows the ridiculous adventures of my Cincinnati rock cover band, you may have noticed that I don't put up much video. Truth is, I'm self-conscious. Someone missed a note, or this didn't sound right, or that's blurry, blah blah blah.

Well, no more of that. This is my band playing "I Don't Want to Be" by Gavin DeGraw at a recent summer show. That's me playing guitar on the right.

Agent Advice: Adam Friedstein of Anderson Literary Management

2010-08-20T09:52:26.797-05:00

"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 Adam Friedstein of Anderson Literary Management, LLC. He was previously at Trident Media Group.

He is seeking: He primarily represents debut literary fiction, literary thrillers and suspense, young adult fiction, memoir, and narrative and serious nonfiction (politics, education, biographies and more).

GLA: How did you become an agent?

AF: It wasn't my plan after getting my B.A. in Comparative Literature. I thought I was going to be a tweed-sporting academic, but I ended up moving to New York and using my only employable skill to get a job as a painter. It was a nice intellectual respite but I soon felt myself wanting to be involved with books as I had my whole life. Academia wasn't it, though—I wanted to be close to the writing process and have a hand in the dissemination of great books. I applied for an internship at Writers House and though I wasn't accepted, I went to work part time in their accounting department, and soon after in the foreign rights department at Harold Ober Associates. I realized then that I really did want to be an agent—to be involved in the first stages of the representation process, so I moved to Trident Media Group where I came to get excited about the relationships built with authors and the entrepreneurial aspect of agenting. when an opportunity to build my own list came along, I knew it was what I wanted, though I do own some tweed.

GLA: You seek literary fiction and even thrillers in a literary style. What draws you to literary writing? Is this your first love?

AF: What draws me to literary writing is a certain reverence for and inventiveness with language that's on par in resonance with the attention to the novel's arc and structure. There's a creative, artistic intent you could say, and great literary fiction can transmit truths no other writing can. My first love, though, was nonfiction, particularly philosophy and psychoanalysis. I spent a lot of time in middle school and high school devouring the likes Freud and Kant at the public library. As far as fiction goes, my first loves as a young Jewish boy from Massachusetts were Kafka and Elie Wiesel, so even my fiction tastes were historical bent.

GLA: Besides "good writing," what, specifically, are you seeking that never seems to land in the slush pile?

AF: I love the sport of pool, and hustler lore. I'd love to see a novel centered on that. I'd also love to see a narrative nonfiction book about the pool tables, bars, and halls of New York City. I'd also like to see a humorous novel about the transition from college to the workplace.

GLA: Some agents love the synopsis; some hate it. Where do you stand and why?

AF: I can understand both perspectives. I don't hate synopses, though I do prefer to experience a story for myself, especially if it's already piqued my interest with a well-written and creative pitch.

GLA: You're looking for "serious nonfiction." Does this mean any kind of nonfiction written by a qualified pro?

AF: Terms like "serious," or "literary" are pretty malleable terms in publishing, and memoir can be serious ... or not so serious. What I consider to be serious nonfiction are biographies, histories, extrapolated critical essays, travel books, etc. Books researched and written by authors with appropriate qualifications, sure. While I'm not that interested in celebrity memoirs or prescriptive dating and weight loss books, I am interested in pop science writing, idea books in technology, politics, education. Memoir, and pop culture books as well.

GLA: With memoir, do you like to see the full ms, or a proposal?

AF: If it was something came in that I wanted to see more of, I'd request a full manuscript rather than a proposal.

GLA: You seek YA. Any category within YA?

AF: I have never been a big sci-fi or fantasy guy. I do go for YA on the historical side. I like YA on the darker, older side as well—quirky stories that remind me of the pathos of adolescence in a creative way.

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

AF: Unfortunately I don't have anything planned at the moment, but I encourage authors to check out our website and submit to me via e-mail that way: adam[at]andersonliterary[dot]com.

GLA: Something personal about you writers may not know?

AF: Hm. I'm a trained jazz percussionist.

Writing memoir? Steve Zousmer's book,
You Don't Have to Be Famous, shows
writers how to capture and record
life stories and memories on paper.

Want more on this subject?

6 Keys to Revising Your Fiction.

The Different Stages of Querying.

4 Ways to Beat Writers Block and Write From Anywhere.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Gnomes Book Party in Cincinnati (and a WD Books Editor Event!)

2010-08-20T09:28:20.309-05:00

Two very cool things are happening on Monday, Sept. 20, at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati.

First, at 5:30, I'm having an open event to celebrate the release of my book, How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack. The event is open and will have some free snacks (score!). I believe I will be talking about the book for a little while, and then moving on to the Bistro for some food. Come on down!

At 7 p.m., we are having a "Meet the WD Books Editors" event, which is essentially a Q&A panel. The audience asks questions about whatever they want. We answer. It's that simple, and it's all free. It's in honor of the release of the 2011 editions of the market books.

Joseph Beth Booksellers is an amazing independent bookstore here in Cincinnati. For more information about JB or directions, click here. I hope to see you there on Sept. 20!

The Irony of Impossible

2010-08-19T09:53:39.799-05:00

One of the most daunting things about trying to get published has got to be reading all those odds that say it’s impossible to get published. My emotional self remembers hearing some of these numbers, and they feel like doomsday statistics:

Agents reject 99% of everything they read.
Editors pass on a large majority of what agents send them.
Fiction, especially debut fiction, almost never gets picked up, unless your platform is already incredibly strong. Things that help your chances include: a fan base of 25,000 daily blog readers; a syndicated TV show; your own theme song in the Billboard Top 100; a flag representing your brand in the League of Nations.

Guest column by Kirk Farber, author of
Postcards from a Dead Girl (Harper
Perennial, Feb. 2010) which was an
“Indie Next” selection for March 2010,
and also a Denver local bestseller. He
lives and writes in Colorado, and can
be found online at kirkfarber.com.

But how is an unknown author supposed to achieve this kind of popularity? It’s a Catch-22: you can’t get published unless you’ve already been published. This leads many to believe that the world of publishing is hyper-exclusive—a sort of gated community with a limited number of keys. Or that the industry is actually populated by aliens who can smell your human scent through paper and email and will therefore know to shred or delete your manuscript immediately upon arrival.

All kidding aside, these numbers can be a formidable mental and emotional wall to climb.

HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED

I received the best advice about this particular struggle by listening to a newly published author speak at a book signing. His tactic, and one I also find particularly successful, is to ignore the statistics. Treat writing like any other job, and improve your odds by getting better at your craft. Build your résumé by starting with smaller publications, and consider entering contests while working on your longer work. If you need to focus on a number, make it the number one—it takes one person of influence to see promise in your work. The rest is noise.

The irony I’ve learned about all those “it’s-impossible-to-get-published” numbers out there is that as soon as you do get a manuscript published, a whole new set of numbers defies everything you’ve come to believe. Suddenly you learn that not only do writers get published regularly, but upwards of 500 books get published every day. In fact, there are so many books getting published so often, that chances are your book will be ignored amidst the cacophony of printing machines, shipping trucks, and cash registers.

The new stats present themselves:

Only 10% of first-time authors actually sell through their advance.
Only 8% of published writers make a living through writing alone.
Knock that down to 1% for a comfortable living.

Whew, that’s a lot of math.

The good news is that for many writer types, numbers have always been a lot of noise anyway. Most of us fiction writers love using language and characters to try to make sense of the world through stories. And we nonfiction writers are often driven to share information, increase awareness, or otherwise educate readers.

So whether it’s the wise move of career-minded authors or just plain naiveté, I hope we can all ignore the numbers and continue to work on the words. Ultimately we need to decide what to focus on: fear-inducing statistics, or love of writing?

Need to sharpen the beginning of your novel?
Check out the great resource Hooked, which is
all about writing an excellent Chapter 1.

Want more tips and posts?

Query letter tips.

Five signs a literary is a good match for you.

What are the BEST writers' conferences in the country?

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

How I Got My Agent: Katie Lee

2010-08-19T09:34:21.483-05:00

Katie Lee is a writer of romance.

MY FIRST BOOK: REJECTED

In early 2000, I had completed my first romance novel and started sending it out to publishers. I didn’t have much knowledge about the publishing world, so not surprisingly my uninformed foray was not successful. I was roundly rejected by all the publishers I had submitted to. The experience was discouraging, making me temporarily shelve my dream of becoming a published author. I focused on other things, such as my law career, but writing to me is like food—I can go long periods without it, but at some point, I need it to live.

So I started writing again, but kept it relaxed—doing it more to satisfy my need to write as opposed to wanting to get my work published. Then through friends and colleagues, I started to pick up a few freelance writing gigs here and there. I was a regular contributor at About.com, recapping and reviewing reality television series, and I wrote a children’s play for a theater in Michigan—all of which gave me a needed boost of confidence.

Flash forward to late 2009: I was doing a final edit of my second romance novel, Match Made in Haste. Newly invigorated and armed with the lessons I had learned from my first attempt, I was ready to try the publication process again.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, BUT IT’S ALSO REALLY CONFUSING

Unlike my blind, unprepared jump into the deep end of the publishing world with my first novel, I decided to do some research this time around, to inform myself about how the business works and what the best approach would be for publishing my book. So I went online, read blogs, and joined forums. I checked out how-to books at the library, and the Writer’s Market and Writer’s Digest became my new best friends.

Then I was sucked under by the tsunami of information. There was just so much information out there, and seemingly no order to any of it. Oftentimes, I got conflicting information, where one source would recommend seeking out publishers first, while another suggested seeking out agents. There were so many options that I began to wonder if my blindly ignorant foray almost ten years earlier was actually the better way to go.

However, I did manage to glean from this overwhelming influx of information that if I wanted my manuscript to come anywhere near an editor at a "big name" publishing house, I’d have to get an agent because those publishing companies don’t let any ordinary Joe (or Jane) waltz through their doors. So I narrowed my plan of attack down to two options—get an agent or sell my book myself.

Through all of this, I kept bemoaning to a close friend that I wished I had someone working in the industry that I could talk to, really talk to and not just read their blogs, or their posts on forums. So my friend, a wiz at social networking, suggested I look into joining groups on networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

Once I joined those groups, I began to look at the members and their profiles, and I contacted those in the industry, hoping to network with them. Some connected with me, including an agent working out in Colorado named Terrie Wolf, with AKA Literary LLC. Through e-mail, Terrie and I struck up a friendship, and discovered many shared interests and a common background. As we got to know each other, I confessed my desire to publish my novel. Terrie was always really open and generous about sharing her knowledge and understanding of the publishing field. She was the industry insider I had hoped for—someone to help me make sense of the process. Knowing that I was nervous about submitting to agents, she offered to be my guinea pig so that I could do a test submission with her, and she’d give me critical feedback to help me fine tune my proposal before I sent it out to "real" agents.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Even though this was "just practice," I was going to treat it as if I was really submitting to an agent hoping for an offer of representation. So I agonized over my proposal package. I once again went online and to the public library to research query letters and submission packages. I checked the AKA website for their submission guidelines, making sure I tailored my proposal package accordingly.

I did, however, make one mistake in this practice run. I never researched Terrie. At the time, she was a friend, and I guess it never occurred to me to read her bio page on her agency’s website. I didn’t look at what type of books and authors she represented because it never occurred to me that she could be my agent.

In any event, I finally got a proposal package together that satisfied my inner perfectionist, and sent it off to Terrie. Within a week, Terrie e-mailed me back and asked if she could consider my submission for real. It was then that it occurred to me to look into Terrie’s background and amazingly enough, I discovered that she represented romance writers.

With nothing to lose, I gave Terrie the go-ahead to treat my submission as a real one, and a week later, she asked to see the full manuscript. Thrilled, I sent it off to her, but as I waited, I gave myself a reality check. I didn’t want to become disillusioned again, knowing that the road to publication would be a long one. Besides, this was my first attempt at landing an agent, so the odds weren’t in my favor. Instead, I told myself that whatever happened, it would be a learning process, and I should enjoy the journey. Imagine my shock when Terrie contacted me a month later with an offer of representation. I had just had one hell of a practice run, and I was definitely enjoying the journey so far!

Writing a novel? Agent/writer Donald Maass
is a fiction writing expert, and his book
Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook
can guide you on your journey.

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 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Agents Tell All at RWA National

2010-08-18T09:21:55.339-05:00

I spoke at the 30th annual Romance Writers of America conference in Orlando, Fla.—which was chock-full of awesome. The first afternoon of the intense three-day event (attended by over 2,000 people!), I went to the PRO Retreat, which included an all-star lineup of publishing pros.

Here’s a little Q&A from the agent panel, which featured the following reps:

Holly Root of Waxman Literary
Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary Agency
Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
Melissa Jeglinski of The Knight Agency
Emmanuelle Morgen (formerly Alspaugh) of Judith Ehrlich Literary

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

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR RIGHT NOW?

Emmanuelle: She wants more historical and paranormal submissions. And contemporary, also—the market has opened up a little for small town settings, everywoman/man. It’s open in young adult, too.

Melissa: She wants great historical fiction. She’s not into paranormal or sci-fi/fantasy. She’s looking for women’s fiction, romance (erotic to inspirational), YA (not paranormal YA, but historical YA), and middle-grade. No nonfiction.

Sara: She's actively hunting for new clients—she loves debut authors. Loves romance—yes paranormal, yes erotica—no inspirational.

Kevan: Looking for historical fiction (commercial & romance). She loves contemporary—would love to find a contemporary romance. Is OK with paranormal, but struggles with the almost-sci-fi paranormal. It’s OK, though—if you can pull her into it. Doesn’t want inspirational. Is seeking new authors in a limited and selective way.

Holly Root

WHEN YOU GET A REQUESTED PARTIAL, WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT? AND DO YOU WANT A SYNOPSIS?

Kevan: Doesn’t need a synopsis—she wants to love the story. She says: Sweeten the way in the first and second chapters. She wants to be dying to ask for more. Captivate her.

Melissa: Does want a synopsis. She needs to know spoilers—wants to know how it ends. [She reads the ends of books and all spoilers for TV shows, etc.] Wants to be engaged with the pages.

Emmanuelle: The chapters should get better and better.

Sara Megibow

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE "BRAND" BEFORE YOU SELL? WEB PRESENCE?

Kevan: It’s not an issue for fiction. It’s huge for nonfiction. Novelists should work on the book first—then work on the brand.

Sara: Says she’s the opposite. Your presence should be up—professional—polished—now. You should be involved in social media now. You don’t necessarily need to have it all, but you need to have some.

Melissa: “Just write me a really good book. I won’t Tweet—I’m sorry. I just want a great book.”

Emmanuelle: Wants a great manuscript. However, if you have amazing e-book sales, that can push it along.

Holly: She likes to see a basic, clean, professional website, but it’s not a deal-breaker if you don’t have one. You don’t need to spend a ton of money and energy on creating a brand (necessarily). Don’t dig yourself in before you have to.

Kevan Lyon

CAN A WRITER QUERY A PREVIOUSLY SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK OR E-BOOK?

Melissa: Not a fan.

Kevan: If you’re asking her to sell that book, it’s really difficult for her to do. In terms of self-published books, etc., selling her on you as a client, she says the “big story” is one in a zillion. Unless you’ve sold 25,000-30,000 copies, the numbers are not meaningful to an editor. “Show me your next project.”

Melissa Jeglinski

CAN A BOOK END WITH AN UNHAPPY ENDING?

Melissa: No unhappy endings! She’s a romantic at heart, but it depends. The ending doesn’t have to be “happy happy,” but it needs to be satisfactory.

Emmanuelle: The market prefers a happy ending.

Sara: She can take difficult endings, but they need to have redemption to them. Prefers that it’s happy overall.

Kevan: Wants to feel good about it—that it’s redeeming.

Holly: She’s okay with a bittersweet ending in women’s fiction. “It’s more about the catharsis than it is the wedding bands.”

Emmanuelle Morgen

IF AN AUTHOR WANTS TO CHANGE AGENTS, WHEN SHOULD THEY CONTACT YOU?

Holly: Contact me after you cut ties with your previous agent. Don’t stay with an agent out of fear that you won’t get another—be professional about it. Have the conversation. But don’t contact a new rep until you’ve done this.

Emmanuelle: Bring up your issues with your agent—try to iron it out. If that doesn’t work, part ways, and then shop.

Sara: [If you’ve parted ways with your agent,] it’s helpful to have a list of editors the project may have been submitted to when approaching a new agency. So no one’s time is being wasted.

SOME SAY AGENTS ARE BECOMING THINGS OF THE PAST. IS THE AGENT'S ROLE SHIFTING TO MAKE ROOM FOR E-PUBLISHING?

Sara: Their roles are shifting to include e-publishing and e-awareness.

Kevan: E-publishing opens up all new avenues for authors to reach new readers. Her role is to maximize that potential.

Emmanuelle: It’s tough to negotiate deals for your own work. Agents are irreplaceable. They know the ins and outs (with so many complicated rights, etc.). It’s their job to know that stuff; it’s the author’s job to write.

Writing romance? A must-have resource
full of information is Leigh Michaels's
On Writing Romance.

Want more on this subject?

Word Count Guidelines for Novels and Children's Books.

Check out agent Don Maass's popular book, The Fire in Fiction.

20 Tips on Writing a Query Letter

How Money Works: Book Royalties, Advances and Flat Fees.

What are the BEST writers' conferences in the country?

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Join Me For ''How to Land a Literary Agent'' on Aug. 26

2010-08-18T08:53:38.34-05:00

You hear me talk a lot on this blog about the writers' conferences I attend and the presentations I give on agents and pitching. Well, if you've ever wanted to attend such a conference but can't because of money or proximity issues, here is your chance to listen in and ask questions from your computer at home!

I'm teaching a webinar at 1 p.m. EST, Thursday, August 26, 2010 on "How to Land a Literary Agent."

Some praise from past attendees:

"Thank you so much for putting the time and
effort into the agent workshop today Your answers
(to my questions and those of others) were
valuable and most appreciated. It was great to
hear you speak on such an important topic."
- John Backman

"Thank you so much for the information shared
in your webinar. The information provided will be
invaluable in my search for a literary agent."
- Paula Lieberman

"Just wanted to thank you, using the tips
I learned in your webinar, I started
resubmitting my query. I just got my first
request for chapters, and it was to the first
agent I queried. I'm ecstatic. Thank you!"
- Lea McFalls Zeqiri

Here's the Gist:

You've finished your masterpiece. It's as good as you hoped it would be—but you're struggling with the next step: finding a literary agent. This next step involves queries, synopses, selling your idea and much more. It's a completely different monster than actually sitting down to write.

If you're looking for guidance in the agent-hunting process or have questions that need answering, sign up for my webinar, "How to Land a Literary Agent," at 1 p.m., EST, Thursday, August 26, 2010. There's a reason that "How to Land a Literary Agent" is WD's most popular webinar. It's because the online session crams tons of info into 90 minutes. Subjects I'll be talking about include, but are not limited to: queries, pitching, proposals, synopses, conferences, avoiding scammers, where to find agents, self-publishing, and how to target the best reps for you. Some questions we'll address include:

What's the best way to begin your query letter?
How long should a synopsis be?
Do fiction writers need a platform?
What personal information should you include in the query?
Can you send your work to multiple agents at the same agency?
How exactly do you follow up with an agent regarding a submission?
Should you copyright your work to protect it?
Will an agent take on a self-published work?

After editing the Guide to Literary Agents for four years and attending conferences all over the country, I've learned all the ins and outs of how to snag a rep who can sell your work. If you sign up for this webinar, I can pass on what I've learned to you.

Also, attendees are free to ask as many questions as they like. Go on - hit me with your best shot! I'll be answering questions live in real time, and I will address all questions afterward and e-mail you the answers. No question will go unanswered—guaranteed. Also, attendees will be able to access and "rewatch" the entire presentation (so you don't have to take notes!).

7 Things I've Learned So Far, by Kim Wright

2010-08-17T09:24:22.616-05:00

Kim Wright's novel Love in Mid Air (March 2010)
received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
Kim has been writing about travel, food, and wine
for more than 25 years and is a two-time recipient
of the Lowell Thomas Award for Travel Writing.
See her website here.

1. Your agent needs to be a good editor. I think most aspiring novelists know that agents are the gatekeepers—if they’re not impressed with your work as is, they’re unlikely to take you on as a client. But what I didn’t know two years ago is that many agents—like my own—come from an editorial background and are very qualified to help you get your manuscript in even better shape before sending it out to editors. My agent is now my first reader.

2. Your editor needs to know how to sell. If you’re with a big publisher, they release dozens of books each season, all in competition with each other for resources and attention within the house. If your editor is a strong advocate for your book, he or she can sell its merits to the people in publicity and sales, and make sure your book get the budget and manpower it deserves.

3. Don’t show your work to everyone. Most of the professional writers I know are very selective about getting feedback in the early stages. I’d say a circle of 2-5 trusted readers is perfect. Beyond that, you’ll either get confused by contradictory advice or your book will sound like it’s been edited by committee.

4. The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. I think Walt Disney said that and if he didn’t, he should’ve. It seems like a long career in writing hinges on your ability to keep coming up with new possibilities. Editors and agents want to know you’re not just a one-trick pony and you need to know that your whole life isn’t riding on a single project.

5. Once you’ve sold the book, you’ve sold the book. It took me a while to figure out what selling a book is like selling a house—i.e., you don’t own it any more. You can’t drive by six months later and stop and ask them “Why the heck did you paint the front door orange?” It’s their house now. Publishers might listen to your opinion about titles, covers, etc. but the final decisions rest with them.

6. Accept that publicity and marketing are part of your job. This is tough because you’ve probably just been alone and terribly focused on one thing for years. But after you sell the book you morph from the writer—who stumbles around in her bathrobe until noon, muttering—into the author, who is expected to be articulate, outgoing, perfectly dressed and media ready. It feels so weird and scary you might be tempted to crawl under the bed and leave everything to your publicist, but the truth is, if you want your book to be successful, this is part of the process.

7. Savor the sweet moments. Publishing is a wild ride and you’re always going to feel you should be doing more and doing better. Try to pause in the middle of hourly checks on your Amazon ranking and attempts to put a curse on Kathryn Stockett and enjoy the little triumphs. A review from someone in Minnesota who understands exactly what you were going for … a kind note from a fellow writer ... a good day’s work on book two.

How much can you accomplish in 30 days?
Book in a Month can help you get that
first draft down on paper.

Want more on this subject?

5 lies unpublished writers tell themselves.

A day in the life of a querier.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

New Agent Alert: Weronika Janczuk of D4EO Literary

2010-08-16T12:47:52.263-05:00

About Weronika: Weronika has worked in different capacities on both the publishing and agenting end of the business—with acquisitions editor Brian Farrey at Flux as well as literary agents Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency, Kathleen Anderson of Anderson Literary Management, and Mary Kole of Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She has been an associate with Bob Diforio at D4EO Literary since April and was recently promoted to agent.

She is seeking: Single-title romances with an interesting premise and hook, particularly romances set in present-day; women’s fiction that deals with quirky and witty issues and stories that can make her both laugh and cry; literary fiction by authors with an established background and with a voice, especially books narrated by a younger protagonist; commercial fiction with a high concept; thrillers, mysteries, and crime novels that are fast-paced and transcend the genre stereotypes; horrors, both commercial and literary, with high public and private stakes; memoirs that offer interesting angles on real-life issues; and nonfiction that speaks to the general public (in specific subject areas as listed on her website, http://www.weronikajanczuk.com).

How to contact: E-query: weronika(at)d4eo(dot)com. No attachments. Write "QUERY" in the subject line. Paste the first 10 pages below in the query.

Want more on this subject?

Check out another new agent: Folade Bell of Serendipity Literary.

Agent Irene Goodman talks thriller writing.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Agent Advice: Louise Fury of L. Perkins Associates

2010-08-15T12:15:47.546-05:00

"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 Louise Fury, of L. Perkins Associates. Louise runs her own blog here. You can follow her on Twitter: @LouiseFury.

She is seeking: High-concept young adult fiction and fun, imaginative, and engaging middle grade fiction–-think humor, adventure and mystery. The characters must be authentic and original. Louise really loves historical (especially Regency and Victorian), paranormal, steampunk romance, mystery and epic horror. She’s passionate about connecting with South African authors–anything about South Africa, or by a South African author is on her wish list. In nonfiction, she is looking for pop culture, humor, gift books and witty memoirs.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

LF: Six years ago, my journalist husband wanted to write a book. I jumped in head first and together we set about researching editors and publishing, query formats and synopsis specifications. We spent our time researching the market and the right way to go about a nonfiction submission. We sent out 10 queries and received an offer before the week was up. I have a marketing background and since that first sale, I have been involved in the publishing industry in as many capacities as I could manage: Reviewer, marketing consultant for authors, both e-pub and print as well as for a literary agency. Because of those various capacities I started to take note of market trends and I loved the idea of helping someone make their dreams a reality. When Lori Perkins and I started working together, we discussed various ways to put my talents to use. We brainstormed my dream client list and because she was no longer accepting new clients, she wanted someone who knew the market, had contacts in the publishing industry and would work hard with her current team of agents to maintain the integrity of the agency she had started.

GLA: I know L. Perkins Associates specializes in romance and you are no exception. But within the genre of romance, can you tell us more about what you like and dislike? Regency? Paranormal? Series? Single title?

LF: If it is a well-spun tale, I will probably love it. I am a historical romance fanatic and I love the Regency and Victorian eras. I am also on the hunt for well-written gothic novels. I am always looking for original paranormal ideas and I adore all forms of steampunk.

GLA: Romance follows a certain form. How can writers keep their stories fresh? Is it as simple as good characters and voice?

LF: Good characters are essential to a good story and originality is important. The plot can be tried and true, but your characters have to be authentic. Grammar can be fixed, but unless you have a good voice and a great hook it can’t work. And even then sometimes a perfect manuscript is rejected.

GLA: I didn’t even know there was steampunk romance, but there must be, because it’s on your wish list. Are there any good examples people could seek out to see how this mix of genres works?

LF: I am looking forward to reading The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook. Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti has gotten some great reviews. Soulless by Gail Carriger is a fun, mild steampunk with a lovely romantic element. I have a fantastic one I am shopping around right now, but there is not much steampunk romance out there. Please ask your readers to send me some!

GLA: Concerning historical romance, is there anything that’s been overdone? Anything undertapped? For example, have people seen too much set in London? (Or can there never be too much set in London?)

LF: I think the fairytale element of London, royalty and fashion creates a fantasy we women have imbibed on since reading Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty as children. I don’t think there can ever be enough London. Historical Romance is like a grown-up fairytale filled with balls and men with titles. I think the underclass is undertapped in historical romance. We all love the Cinderella story, after all it’s like the American dream, and I love stories about people in service: The stories of women who made ends meet as fortune tellers and writers or seamstresses. I know they had scandalous adventures, too. I would love to see more of that.

GLA: What drives your love for kids’ fiction?

LF: I have worked and been surrounded by children my entire life. My mother took in many underprivileged children. I babysat in high school and college. I was the host of a Road show for children. The youth market was my target demographic in my advertising job straight out of college. I spent a year as an au pair; I have worked with underprivileged kids in foster homes and spent my life entertaining this market. It has always seemed natural to include the youth demographic into my job, no matter what the career.

GLA: Besides general YA and MG, what are you really looking for? For example, less vampire, more boy books, etc.

LF: I love a good vampire story. As far as middle grade, I would love to see more mischievous girl characters—girls who have good intentions, but get up to mischief for a worthy cause.

GLA: Tell me about your interest in South Africa. Are you from there?

LF: Yes, I was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and moved to America more than ten years ago. There is so much talent in South Africa, but the publishing industry is almost nonexistent there. People don’t have money to buy books or e-readers; it is really shocking to me. Talented writers who are published in South Africa have very little exposure to the rest of the publishing world. I want to help them break out into the international market.

GLA: Three most common problems you see in query letters?

LF: Sending queries to agents who don’t represent your genre. Queries that are way too long and/or include links to other sites where I am supposed to search for information. Queries that include a list of multiple books, many of which are incomplete.

GLA: Will you be at any upcoming conferences where people can reach meet/pitch you?

LF: The New York City Golden Apple Awards in September. The New Jersey Romance Writers of America Conference in October. Push to Publish in Pennsylvania October 2010.The 2011 DFW Writers' Conference in February in Dallas.

GLA: What’s the best way to submit to you?

LF: E-query me at lfury[at]lperkinsagency[dot]com Include a brief, well-written paragraph describing your work as well as the first 5-10 pages in the body of the e-mail. No attachments please. I also post submission calls on my personal blog at www.louisefury.blogspot.com.

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

LF: Way back in the ‘90s, I made my screen-acting debut on national television in a South African television series.

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

LF: 1) Be nice. Be gracious. Keep your cool and try not to get involved in the cattiness of online bickering. 2) You cannot write in a vacuum, so get out into the world and work, meet people and interact with other writers. 3) Sometimes the best writing can originate from an overheard conversation. But you have to experience the world in order to write about it. I believe that you have to live in order to write. You have to live. Period!

Looking for some help on your journey to find
an agent? Attend my (Chuck's) webinar on
Aug. 26, 2010: "How to Land a Literary Agent."
Find out much more details here.

Want more on this subject?

How to publicize your book with courage.

The Knight Agency talks book marketing.

Children's agent Sarah Davies talks book marketing.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

My Adventures in ... Alaska (and Canada, Too)

2010-08-14T12:39:48.233-05:00

I just got back from a cruise vacation to Alaska and British Columbia. (It was kind of the last chance to vacation before things get super-crazy this fall.) My wife and I saw whales, glaciers -- the whole deal. It was very nice. One of the coolest parts about going anywhere out of the area is popping into the bookstores of different sizes and seeing if they carry my books. It's always a thrill to see your work on the shelves. (Isn't that what we daydream about when we first start writing?) Here is a quick picture montage of my bookstore searches:

The downtown Seattle Barnes & Noble:
I found Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.
You can barely, barely see it, but to the
left of my knee (mostly obscured) is the
brand new 2011 Guide to Literary Agents.

Above: Hearthside Books in metro Juneau did
not have any of my books, but did have
the brand new 2011 Writer's Market, which
was quite a thrill to its awesome editor,
Robert Brewer.

Above: The employees at Munro's Books in Victoria, BC,
Canada were super sweet. After finding my books,
they must have looked me up, because a kind
lady asked if I was the author of How to Survive
a Garden Gnome Attack. I answered "Hell yes."

Lastly: a glacier. Wowzers.