Guide to Literary Agents - Children's Writing

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

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

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

Agent Advice: Jessica Regel of Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency

Chuck — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 18:50:47 GMT

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

This installment features literary agent Jessica Regel of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency in Manhattan. She agents her own list of children's and adult books while also working in the subsidiary rights department, selling film, audio, and UK rights. She received her BA degree in English Literature from Hunter College.

She is seeking: strong commercial fiction, literary fiction, edgy/hip fiction, young adult, and middle grade novels, children's non-fiction, and narrative nonfiction. She doesn't handle practical nonfiction, inspirational/religion, genre science fiction or fantasy, or political thrillers.

Jessica Regel

GLA: What are some children's writing subjects or styles that you don't see tackled often, and wonder why more writers aren't tackling such a subject/style?

JR: I'd love to see more narrative nonfiction and memoirs for teens. Something similar to In Cold Blood, Eat Pray Love and Random Family, but for issues that would interest teen readers. Memoirs and narrative nonfiction books are so successful for adult audiences, and I really think this is a genre that the teen market isn't hitting. I also think these books could rope in some of the non-readers out there.

GLA: Do you ever turn down work because it's too "smart"—meaning the concept is too complex or the language is too advanced? Is there a fine line?

JR: Not really. However, I'm not typically drawn to books that play with the formats. I've never liked epistolary novels (and don't even get me started on Pamelaby Samuel Richardson). I'm also not a fan of books that are told through verse or text message.

Complexity, however, I love. A book I really liked as a kid was The Westing Game. I just recently reread the book a few months back and realized how much I'd missed—but, I still loved it!

GLA: I've heard that nothing is taboo anymore in young adult books, and you can write about topics such as sex and drugs. Is this true?

JR: I would say this: Nothing is taboo if it's done well. Each scene needs to matter in a novel. I've read a number of "edgy" young adult books where writers seem to add in scenes just for shock value and it doesn't work with the flow of the rest of the novel. "Taboo" subjects need to have a purpose in the progression of the novel—and of course, need to be well written! If it does, then yes, I would say nothing is taboo.

Taboo topics do, however, affect whether the school and library market will pick up the book—and this can have an effect on whether a publisher feels they can sell enough copies.

GLA: Do you find writers proposing things to you as "the first of a series"? Is that helpful or hurtful?

JR: I wouldn't pass on a project just because it was "the first of a series." I would pass on a project that isn't a complete book in its own right—meaning the first book in the series needs to have a beginning, a middle and an end.

GLA: What is the most common reason you reject a query?

JR: In a query, it's simple: bad writing. In sample chapters, the most common reason is because I don't feel the necessary "spark" with a story. I get a lot of responses from writers whose chapters I've passed on asking why I've passed. A lot of times, it's just a subjective gut reaction. If I can't get 100% behind a project, then I'm not going to take it on.

GLA: When you sit down to read a manuscript, what do you want to see (or "feel") in the first 10-20 pages (if anything)?

JR: (Is it a cop out to go back to "the spark"?) I want to be fully immersed in the story from page one. If it's funny, I want to laugh. If it's dramatic, I want to feel connected to the characters. It's a similar feeling any reader has when they go to the bookstore and read the first few pages of a new book. What makes you buy that book? The line, "But it really gets going in chapter 10" is lost on me. No agent, editor or consumer will get to chapter 10 if they're not interested in chapters 1-9.

GLA: What are some children's books you've read recently that you think all children's writers should read?

JR: Well, I, along with everyone else on the planet, just finished the last Harry Potter. Rowling's series is such a modern classic, I think any children's writer should check it out. For the YA audience, I would also say The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants because it's a wonderful example of how teen girl fiction can be commercial and well-written. Spud is a funny and touching "boy" story. And a book I recent sold, The Patron Saint of Butterflies, by Cecilia Galante, which comes out next spring, is a great example of a book on a serious topic that's told in a compelling way.

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

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

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

6 Tips on Writing Picture Books (That May Just Warm Your Heart)

Chuck — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:14:27 GMT

We all know that it takes courage to write—to persist despite the endless stream of form rejections or the demons of doubt that constantly assail us. I think it helps to remember that the word "courage" comes from the French word La Coeur, meaning "heart." Below you will find a few tips to keep our writers’ hearts brimming with hope and joy—and according to Jane Yolen, hope and joy these are the two most important ingredients of any children’s book.

Guest column by Kathleen Pelley, author of
Magnus Maximus a Marvelous Measurer (May 2010;
illustrated by S.D. Schindler). Kathleen was born
in Scotland, and has written two other picture
books: Inventor McGregor, and The Giant King.
See her website here.

READ ALOUD
For 18 years, I have been reading picture books, mainly fairy tales and folk tales at an inner city elementary school. I have only one rule: I will only read stories that I absolutely love, for it is that love that seeps into the words as I read and enchants the children into another world where hope and joy make their hearts bigger and better and bolder and braver. Read aloud every day poems and stories and words that make your heart pound with delight!

FIND SPACE TO LISTEN TO YOUR INNER VOICE
When Doris Lessing won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2007, she told the reporters that the real question they should pose to any up and coming writer, should not be about how they write—word processor, electric typewriter, pen or quill—but rather, “Have they found the space to write, for that space is a form of listening…” We children’s writers need to ponder this question: Do we give ourselves space—to listen to the inner voice, and do we leave space in our words for the illustrator to paint the pictures that come from his heart?

WONDER
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away.” Every picture book should leave the reader with some glimpse of beauty, some glimmer of truth that lingers long after the last page is turned or final word uttered. What whiff of wonder or bolt of beauty took your breath away today?

TRUST BEYOND YOURSELF
When Michelangelo carved his sculptures, people asked him how he made such beautiful carvings from a block of marble. “I only discovered what was hiding there,” he said. Many great artists and musicians do not take credit for their work; rather, they give credit to the Muse, the Divine, something beyond them. It is a good exercise for the writer’s heart to trust that there is something “beyond” us—it is part of the Mystery of this great creative process.

FIND HEAVEN
“All of earth is crammed with heaven,” said Elizabeth Browning. The best part of being a children’s writer, I think, is rummaging around my day to find a little piece of heaven to write about. That would make any heart sing!

LOVE
“The best way to know God is to love many things,” said Vincent Van Gogh. And I think that the best way to write for children is to love many things, to feast on life and on all the little joys that greet us every day, if only we take time to notice them. I have a little magnet on my fridge that I look at every day before I write. It is the picture of a little boy, his face lit up with joy as he peeps over a window ledge at a bedraggled bird shaking a wet wing. Underneath are the words: “Show me a day when the world wasn’t new.” Love the world they way you did when you were a little child.

Take heart now, and write!

If you want to compose books of little ones,
seek out Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford
Paul, whose own picture books have
won numerous awards.

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

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

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: Caroline Starr Rose

Chuck — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:39:32 GMT

"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.

Caroline Starr Rose's first book, May B., a
middle-grade historical novel-in-verse, will
be released Fall 2011 (Tricycle Press). Caroline
blogs about writing, reading, and the
publication process online.

AGENT SCHMAGENT

I came to the querying process in fits and starts and with lots of misinformation. Because an agent isn’t a necessity in the children's market, I’d never consistently looked for one. It was easier to submit directly to editors, bypassing what, to me, felt like a superfluous step. Every so often, while waiting a year or more on an exclusive, unsolicited submission (what was I thinking?), I’d reconsider trying the agent route. Then I’d remind myself agents represented established authors, not green ones, like me.

On my first attempt at finding an agent, I sent out a dozen queries to those listed in the Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market guide. One resulted in a full request, another in a partial. The full came back with a handwritten page gushing about how great my manuscript was and how someday I'd sell the piece and have to let the agent know, but the story wasn't right for her agency. The partial was returned with "I think I'll pass."

I got caught up in revisions of my other manuscripts (I’d written four middle-grade novels and seven picture books), and the lure of conference one-on-ones. The agent search never really got off the ground.

THE PLOT THICKENS

Last spring, I won a contest at a local writing conference. My prize included a meeting with an editor who specialized in fantasy, sci-fi, and women’s fiction—a world apart from my historical MG novel. She took one look at my manuscript and asked, “Why don’t you have an agent yet?”

That’s when I started submitting in earnest, sending three to five queries at a time. I combed through blogs like Cynsations, Literary Rambles, and the Guide to Literary Agents blog, looking for any mention of agents taking on new clients. By May, I'd gotten my first full request. In June I received two more. In July another two. In September, yet another two.

By October, I’d had ten agents request fulls and two ask for partials. One agent liked my story, but felt some significant changes were necessary. I thought through her suggestions but took things in another direction, coming up with an entirely new, stronger ending. In the days I spent revising, two more agents requested fulls, bringing my total to twelve. I contacted the first agent, telling her I’d made changes to the story, though not along the lines she’d suggested. If she was still interested, I told her, I’d be happy to send the manuscript along, but I also wanted her to know two more agents were reading the newer version. She graciously told me she’d love to see the story if the other two agents passed. One did. One didn’t.

FALLING IN LOVE WITH MICHELLE

I found Michelle Humphrey on the Guide to Literary Agents blog and fell in love with her upbeat attitude about the publishing process (“Make rejection pie!” she said). She responded to my query the next day. A week and a half later, she e-mailed me, saying she’d read my manuscript in one sitting and wanted to talk to me about it as soon as possible. Less than two weeks after reading Michelle’s GLA post, I had an agent.

Not long after, I spent a morning reading through the submission records I’d kept ten years running. Some information I’d had to fish out of other folders, but for the most part, I had a pretty accurate (though low-tech and messy) list of manuscripts, submissions, editors, agents, and rejections. Here's what the records showed:

11 years of writing (10 years of subbing)
11 manuscripts
211 rejections from editors (2 fulls and 1 partial requested over the years)
12 contests/grants entered (1 win)
75 rejections from agents (12 fulls and 2 partials requested, mainly last year)
1 yes! (Thank you, Michelle)

Writing books for kids or teens? One resource
you need is The Everything Guide to Writing
Children's Books.

Want more on this topic?

Agent Elaine Spencer talks queries.

How to write a query letter - the three parts.

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

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

Successful Queries: Agent Stephen Fraser and ''I Was a Teenage Popsicle''

Chuck — Mon, 24 May 2010 00:26:11 GMT

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

The 36th installment in this series is with agent Stephen Fraser (Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency) and his author, Bev Katz Rosenbaum, for the YA novel, I Was a Teenage Popsicle.

Dear Mr. Fraser:

Floe Ryan is a cryogenically preserved Venice Beach teen who is thawed ten years from now, and suddenly has to adjust to being the ward of her younger (now older) sister, while crushing on the boy from the vat next door, and, oh, adjusting to a whole new world. (Ashton Kutcher as vice president, anyone?)

I Was a Teenage Popsicle is a 60,000-word young adult novel. I am a former romance editor and a twice-published romance author. My latest romantic comedy, Wanted: An Interesting Life (Harlequin Flipside, 2004), was cited by Romantic Times Magazine as one of the five best Flipsides of 2004.

Aside from I Was a Teenage Popsicle and its potential sequel, I am also working on a young adult novel called Retest, about a teen who finds herself reliving a test day over and over again.

You can contact me at any time. I do hope my book premises intrigue you! I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Bev Kate Rosenbaum

Commentary from Stephen

Bev's letter jumps right in and she starts with the pitch. It’s a short, enticing summary of the book that gives us an idea of what the whole story will be about.

Mentioning the word count shows she knows appropriate length for YA books. I also liked how the book works as a standalone or in a series.

She's been published before and has impressive credentials. She has other projects in the works and is interested in working on her craft.

This query excerpted from Children's Writer's
& Illustrator's Market, an annual resource for
writers of kids books. Buy the latest edition here.

Want more on this subject?

Successful Queries: (Kids/YA) "Tagged"

Successful Queries: (Kids/MG) "Sway"

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

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

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

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

Literary Agents Talk Trends in Children's Publishing at NESCBWI

Chuck — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:42:41 GMT

This weekend was the NESCBWI (The New England chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Conference in Fitchburg, MA. There were informative workshops and inspiring speakers. One particularly informative session was an Agent Panel featuring Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency, Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary Agency, and Edward Necarsulmer IV of McIntosh and Otis. They gave insider opinions on the state of fiction, picture books, nonfiction, and writing a standalone novel versus a series. In addition, they spoke about writers maintaining an online presence. Keep reading to find out what writers wanted to know and the advice agents gave.

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.

ARE SERIES STILL SELLING OR IS IT BETTER TO QUERY WITH A STANDALONE NOVEL?

Sarah Davies believed whether or not a book will garner interest as a series depends on the premise. If a writer wants to sell it as a series, it needs to have a fantastic hook.

Edward Necarsulmer recommended starting with a standalone. He’s found most books start that way and then if they sell well, will later become a series.

No matter the genre of children’s books, the agents on the panel recommended tight writing and a hook to interest agents and publishers. In addition, even if you have an idea for a series, be willing to promote it as a standalone. And if you’re going to maintain a blog, make sure it’s written to impress potential agents and publishers.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR WRITERS TO HAVE AN ONLINE PRESENCE?

Ammi-Joan Paquette said if she’s considering a submission, she’ll do a Google search on the writer to see if they have a blog or website. She doesn’t think it’s essential, so it’s not a deciding factor for representation. But if it’s there, it’s a plus.

Sarah Davies warned writers to be aware of who’s reading their blogs. There are scouts looking for hot new talent. If there’s a link at the bottom of a query, she will check the blog. She suggested updating your blog frequently and not to write about rejections.

IS THE PICTURE BOOK MARKET DEAD?

Ammi-Joan Paquette acknowledged that picture books have been pushed down for a while. This genre on the rise, but it’s still a soft market. If you want to sell picture books they need to stand out. Go beyond the story for subtext and depth. Leave room for illustrators to play and imagination of the readers to take off. If there’s lasting value and rich quality, there will always be room for your book.

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF NONFICTION IN THE CHILDREN'S MARKET?

Ammi-Joan Paquette said it’s a challenging market. The book needs to be a compelling, fresh topic that fits into the same categories. You need to find the right project. It has to be a great story, greatly delivered.

Edward Necarsulmer suggested it’s easier to get nonfiction published as a first time author because almost everyone is writing fiction. But you still need to have an interesting topic and a new hook.

SHOULD WRITERS FOCUS ON THE NEXT BIG TREND?

Edward Necarsulmer cautioned against writing for the market. While it would be nice to anticipate trends, there’s a fine line between timely and opportunistic. Besides, if something is in, by the time you write it, the trend is over. Since he’s been in publishing, Edward has been told picture books are dead, YA is dead, and so on. Everything comes around. Dark concepts are a crowded market right now and maybe readers will want a break from it soon. He suggested ignoring marketing and focusing on craft.

Sarah Davies said YA is still dominant and has life left in it, so the biggest deals are still to be found there in the children’s book market. Dystopic books are popular right now so many publishers are looking for big, dark, hard-hitting conceptual stories. Selling light, commercial YA is trickier because it needs to really stand out. Agents and publishers are always on the lookout for something with a different hook they haven’t seen before.

Ammi-Joan Paquette agreed it’s a challenging market in this economy. This is forcing authors to dig deep and hone their craft. Short cuts and quick runs won’t go the distance because agents and editors don’t want to take the time and chance on an interesting concept that’s poorly written.

Writing YA? Novelist K.L Going has tons of
tips for you in Writing & Selling the YA Novel

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? tparisi@martingunn.com

Successful Queries: Agent Kristin Nelson and ''Give Up the Ghost''

Chuck — Fri, 14 May 2010 04:34:25 GMT

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

The 35th installment in this series is with agent Kristin Nelson (Nelson Literary) and her author, Megan Crewe, for the YA novel, Give Up the Ghost (year).

Dear Ms. Nelson:

I am seeking representation for my completed 62,000-word young adult novel, Give Up the Ghost.

Sixteen-year-old Cass McKenna would take the company of the dead over the living any day. Unlike her high school classmates, the dead don't lie or judge, and they're way less scary than Danielle, the best-bud-turned-backstabber who kicked Cass to the bottom of the social ladder in seventh grade. Since then, Cass has styled herself as an avenger. Using the secrets her ghostly friends stumble across, she exposes her fellow students' deceits and knocks the poseurs down a peg.

When Tim Reed, the student council V.P., asks Cass to chat with his recently-deceased mom, her instinct is to laugh in his face. But Tim's part of Danielle's crowd. He can give Cass dirt the dead don't know. Intent on revenge, Cass offers to trade her spirit-detecting skills for his information. She isn't counting on chasing a ghost who would rather hide than speak to her, facing the explosive intervention of an angry student, or discovering that Tim's actually an okay guy. Then Tim sinks into a suicidal depression, and Cass has to choose: run back to the safety of the dead, or risk everything to stop Tim from becoming a ghost himself.

Told in Cass' distinctive voice, at turns sarcastic and sensitive, Give Up the Ghost will appeal to fans of Scott Westerfeld and Annette Curtis Klause. My short fiction has appeared in Brutarian Quarterly and On Spec. I maintain the Toronto Speculative Fiction Writers Group, and I've worked with children and teens as a recreational programmer and behavioral therapist for several years. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Megan Crewe

Commentary from Kristin

Call me a rebel, but I love the idea of knocking down the poseurs a peg or two. Wasn’t that always the secret fantasy of any teen who was an outsider to the status quo? But the main thing that caught my attention quickly in the first pitch paragraph is the idea of using ghosts as a secret army of spies. If ghosts can be anywhere, of course they would see/hear all the dirt and be able to report it. That’s brilliant. Of course that’s how a person who can see ghosts would actually use them. Such a twist on the whole ghost story idea. This had my attention immediately. And Megan didn’t suger-coat Cass’s initial motivation. I like novels that are honest.

During the second pitch paragraph, I'm wondering: If Cass is lumping all other teens into one clique fitting mold as they do her—does that make her any better? I’m thinking this novel is about Cass realizing that. The final sentence in this paragraph is the clincher; it raises the novel's main question. I’m so interested!

When she mentions other authors, it's an excellent comparison. It shows that Megan understands her novel’s place in the market. Notice she doesn’t say her novel is as good as these huge successes—just that the voice will appeal to the fans who enjoy these two other authors.

For the bio, she didn't have too much background in writing, so she keeps it short and sweet. Fiction can stand on its own; a bio is helpful, but a lack of background is not a deal breaker. However, Megan does have experience with teens and makes sure to include that. That never hurts. All in all, this is a really strong query. She uses backstory and character insight to build a great pitch around her hook.

Writing your query? Check out The Writer's
Digest Guide to Query Letters. It's a great,
up-to-date resource for query letter writing.

Want more on this subject?

Successful Queries: (Kids/YA) "Tagged"

Successful Queries: (Kids/MG) "Sway"

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

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

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

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

Agent Advice: Jennifer Mattson of Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Chuck — Sun, 09 May 2010 04:59:59 GMT

"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 Jennifer Mattson of Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Jennifer came to the agency after nearly five years of reviewing children's literature as part of the Books for Youth staff of Booklist magazine. A native of California now based in Chicago, Jennifer has a degree in English from Amherst College.

She is seeking: picture books, middle grade and young adult. For the older set, she is drawn to richly imagined fantasies that depart from old-hat heroic quests (alternate realities, magical realism, and steampunk are all styles/premises to have recently caught her notice). She has a special interest in dystopian fiction for middle graders and in sprawling, atmospheric tales with Dickensian twists and satisfying puzzles.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

JM: After working as a children’s bookseller in New York, and then as an editor at Dutton Children’s Books, I moved to Chicago. Chicago’s not known as a big center for children’s-book publishing, but lucky for me, it is the home base of the American Library Association. I joined the staff of the ALA’s Booklist magazine and reviewed children’s books for nearly five years, but I missed working with authors and participating in the bookmaking process. I knew that agenting could be done from home bases other than New York, and was very fortunate that Andrea Brown Literary was open to expansion at that time. I’ve been agenting with ABLA for nearly two years now.

GLA: What’s something coming out, or recently came out, that you’re excited about?

JM: Kimberly Norman’s picture book, Ten on the Sled, illustrated by Liza Woodruff, will be coming out from Sterling this Fall—it’s a rollicking winter celebration set in the Arctic. On the YA side this summer, watch for Emily Horner’s debut, A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend, about a group of friends who band together to stage a crazy ninja musical after the show’s author dies in a car accident; and Jenny Meyerhoff’s Queen of Secrets, about a contemporary conflict between peer and family loyalty that was subtly inspired by the Old Testament story of Queen Esther. I should note that the two previous books were sold by my predecessor Michelle Andelman, but they’re both novels that I’m thrilled to be associated with as the authors’ new agent.

GLA: Let’s talk picture books. Besides rhyming, where are writers going wrong with these submissions?

JM: I wish I could see more picture book authors showing an awareness of that all-important “turn”—the picture-book raison d’etre that leaves readers feeling surprised and satisfied. So many picture books have a nice premise, concept, or tone, but seem to lack critical mass when it comes to the story’s end. Also, voice. Talk about voice is huge among writers of fiction, but less so when it comes to picture books. I really sit up and take notice when a picture book author seems to have a considered, well-developed voice. For instance, I love Kate McMullen’s I Stink, and others in that series, for their great, in-your-face approach.

GLA: Is it true that so many picture book submissions focus on tired subjects, such as going to bed or monsters in the closet? If so, does the foundation of a good picture book come with a unique idea as a foundation?

JM: I’ve heard a lot of editors say they’re looking for “high-concept” picture books, which I take to mean a picture book with some sort of succinctly stated, unusual premise. A vegetarian vampire, or something like that. So, certainly a fresh idea is a big part of what would excite an agent’s interest, but for me it’s also sensibility—a sense of the kind of varied language and sentence structure that works for young children, a keen awareness of the powers of the pageturn, and a respect for the future illustrator’s contribution.

GLA: If the normal length of a picture book is 32 pages, should submissions not actually be that long to leave room for covers and title pages?

JM: Word counts are more important than page counts at the manuscript stage. Most editors will want to figure out how and where the text will break from page to page themselves, so it’s useful for authors to paginate their manuscripts, but not necessary (and in some cases, not advisable) to submit them that way. By knowing the range of word counts that can work for the picture book audience, you’ll be taking covers, title pages, and other frontmatter into account by default. A lot of writers I know use what’s called “mentor texts” to get a sense for appropriate word counts; these are the texts of published picture books typed out into a Word document, allowing you to really get a sense for what a functional picture book manuscript looks like on the computer screen.

GLA: Concerning MG and YA, it seems like so many agents these days are searching for the next dystopian hit, after the success of Hunger Games. Are you seeing a lot of dystopian come in through the slush?

JM: Yep.

GLA: In your bio, you talk a little bit about what kinds of fantasy you want to see vs. those you don’t. Can you delve into this a little more, in terms of what catches your eye and what doesn’t work for you?

JM: I’m not a big fan of sword-and-sorcery, witch-and-wizardry fantasies, especially those in which characters from our own world open a portal into another world (and often discover that they’re some kind of descendent of that world, and/or some kind of prophesied savior). Having said all of that, I do like Suzanne Collins’ pre-Hunger Games hit, the Gregor the Overlander series, which does involve a kind of portal! (I never promise to be consistent.) Some of my favorite fantasies feature alternate realities that are just slightly tilted from our own: Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, Elizabeth Knox’s Dreamhunter Duet. I also relish fantasies that explore culture quasi- anthropologically: Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea was a huge touchstone for me growing up, and I love Shannon Hale’s romantic, folksy fantasies, as well as Sharon Shinn’s books.

GLA: You say you will always look for good stories that take great voice over a high–concept hook. Is this what drew you to Tom Leveen’s Party? What did he do right and what can other writers learn from him?

JM: Tom was originally signed to Andrea Brown Literary by our former agent Michelle Andelman. When Michelle left to become a scout, each of the remaining agents were given the opportunity to “adopt” her clients, and I jumped at the chance to work with Tom. As you say, his voice just stood out—his interstitial narrative has a relaxed, authentic feel, and the dialogue between his characters really pops. Tom has a background in theater, and I think his experience reading scripts and performing on stage proved an exceptional training ground for writing dialogue and communicating the volumes spoken through body language.

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

JM: I’m attending Big Sur in the Rockies, a conference run jointly by Andrea Brown, and SCBWI-Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Chapter, May 14-16, 2010, in Boulder, Colo. And I’ll be at the SCBWI-Illinois Prairie Writer’s Day, Nov. 13, 2010.

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

JM: I love to take dance classes, any kind of dance, but lately especially ones choreographed to really corny top-40s music. Right now I’m taking a class with the amusing title “Cardio Strip,” which always makes me laugh. I’m definitely a great prospect for writers whose characters dance.

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

JM: The best piece of advice I ever received, from Anita Silvey, who met me for an informational interview back when I was trying to break into children’s publishing, was “work in a bookstore.” I was lucky to have an indie children’s store to train at—Books of Wonder in NYC. But I’ve also worked in children’s sections of chain stores. It’s fantastic advice for writers, too. You can’t get more valuable, direct experience of what goes on the bookstore shelves and what leaves them, and the conversations with customers are useful, too. Plus: You can often cadge galleys from the buyers.

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

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: Taylor Martindale of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency

Chuck — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:03:34 GMT

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 Taylor: She is a proud graduate of The College of William and Mary and holds a BA in English, with a minor in Hispanic Studies. She was the copy chief of her college newspaper for three years and does freelance writing for a local paper. Before joining the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency in 2009, Taylor was the submissions coordinator at Bliss Literary Agency, Intl.

She is seeking: Young adult fiction—specifically contemporary, paranormal, urban fantasy, and any story with a captivating voice. Taylor is also interested in commercial fiction, women’s fiction, and multicultural fiction. She is looking for engaging and unforgettable characters and stories that stay with you long after you turn the final page.

How to contact: Hard copy submissions only. Send to Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, (Attn: Taylor Martindale), PMB 515, 1155 Camino del Mar, PMB 515, Del Mar, CA 92014. Send a query, 1-2 page synopsis, and sample pages (no more than 50, double spaced, single sided, and unbound). Please only submit to one agent at the agency. Include all contact info. Let the agency know if this is a simultaenous submission. (Similarly, be sure to let us know if we have your work exclusively.) Every submission is read, though due to a large number of unsolicited submissions, the agency can only respond when interested. Will respond if interested within 8 weeks.

Want more on this subject?

New agent seeking fiction and nonfiction: George Bick of Doug Grad Literary.

New agent seeking fiction and nonfiction: Myrsini Stephanides of Carol Mann Agency.

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

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

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

Chuck — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:17:42 GMT

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

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

Dear Ms. Clark:

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

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

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

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

All the best,

Kristin Walker

Commentary from Ginger

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

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

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

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

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

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

New Agent Alert: Bree Ogden of Martin Literary Management

Chuck — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:20:02 GMT

About Bree: Bree has an MFA in Journalism and began her publishing career as an intern and executive assistant at Martin Literary Management.

She is seeking: Middle Grade, Young Adult and Graphic Novels. "I am also open to picture book queries, but it has to be really stunning and unique."

How to contact: Query her at Bree[at]MartinLiteraryManagement[dot]com. No calls please. The agency's entire submissions process can be found here

Want more on this subject?

Interested in graphic novels? See this successful query.

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

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

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

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

''Dear Lucky Agent'' Contest: Middle Grade and Young Adult (with agent Regina Brooks)

Chuck — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:36:42 GMT

Note from Chuck. It's April 28 and it's been
two weeks. Regina has asked for until Monday
to pick her top winners. Winners will be
announced as soon as we know. Thanks!

Note from Chuck: It's April 15, 2010, which means this contest
is now closed. Thank you for entering. Winners
should be announced within 14 days or so.
Meanwhile, keep an eye on the blog
for our next contest - coming shortly!

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

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

HOW TO SUBMIT

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

WHAT TO SUBMIT

The first 150-200 words of your unpublished, book-length work of middle grade or young adult fiction. You must include a contact e-mail address with your entry and use your real name. Also, submit the title of the work and a logline (one-sentence description of the work) with your entry.

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

CONTEST DETAILS

      1. This contest will be live for approximately fourteen days—from March 31 through the end of Wednesday, April 14, EST. Winners notified by e-mail within 14 days of end of contest. Winners announced on the blog thereafter.
      2. To enter, submit the first 150-200 words of your book. Shorter or longer entries will not be considered. Keep it within word count range please.
      3. This contest is solely for completed book-length works of middle grade and young adult fiction (kids novels).
      4. You can submit as many times as you wish. You can submit even if you submitted to other contests in the past, but please note that past winners cannot win again.
      5. The contest is open to everyone of all ages, save those employees, officers and directors of GLA's publisher, F+W Media.
      6. By e-mailing your entry, you are submitting an entry for consideration in this contest and thereby agreeing to the terms written here as well as any terms added by me in the "Comments" section of this blog post. (If you have questions or concerns, write me personally at literaryagent@fwmedia.com.)

PRIZES!!!

Top 3 winners all get: 1) A critique of 10 pages of your work, by your agent judge. 2) A free one-year subscription to WritersMarket.com.

MEET YOUR (AWESOME) JUDGE!

Regina Brooks is the founder of Serendipity
Literary in Brooklyn. She has edited,
written and agented books. She is the
author of Writing Great Books for Young Adults.

Want more information?

See examples of Successful Queries that agents liked.

Check out The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters.

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

Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

SCBWI Live-Blogged Conferences = Tons of Info

Chuck — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 01:14:57 GMT

I don't highlight things like this as much as I should, but know that some conferences nowadays are live-blogged, allowing those who can't attend the event a glimpse at the informational sessions and presentations that go on. Of course, nothing takes the place of personally attending a conference (you get to pitch and network), but live-blogged conferences invite writers to pick up some tips.

First off, SCBWI Western Washington live-blogged their conference here. Posts include information on the following:

Niche publicity and marketing.
Author Jay Asher's (13 Reasons Why) keynote address.
"Write like an author; revise like an editor."

Second, another SCBWI chapter (Eastern Pennsylvania) also live-blogged their conference here. Posts include information on the following:

Author intensive on writing sci-fi and fantasy.
The picture book process.
All about Internet promotion.

Agent Advice: Elana Roth of Caren Johnson Literary Agency

Chuck — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:32:42 GMT

This interview is part of The First Novels Club
live-blogging the SCBWI-EPA 2010 Pocono
Mountain Retreat from April 9-11. Check
out www.FirstNovelsClub.com for regular
updates on Elana's sessions and more.

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 Elana Roth of Caren Johnson Literary Agency. Elana began her career at Nickelodeon Magazine, which made her fall in love with children’s publishing. Afterward, she spent nearly 5 years as an editor at Parachute Publishing, a packager specializing in children’s book series. She’s spent the last two years as an agent, and loves working with her clients closely, being very hands-on editorially to get those existing (and already fabulous) manuscripts just right.

She is seeking: children's and young adult books, and is primarily looking for high concept middle grade and YA fiction. She will consider picture books from author/illustrators only. She considers a select number of adult projects for narrative nonfiction, pop culture and pop science. No vampires.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

ER: I started as an editor at a packager for five years. Packaging involves a lot of concept creation, and really structured development of book projects, especially a series. After a few years of learning the ropes and managing a few series on my own, I started to ask my bosses if I could help develop original projects in-house. Not only is that coming up with ideas, but also looking for writers to attached to those projects. So I started calling agents, and developing relationships with them, and realized what I was trying to do was what agents were already doing—developing authors. One thing led to another and I switched sides. It’s been two great years so far and I feel incredibly lucky to be working with my authors.

GLA: What is something you repped that recently came out that you’re excited about?

ER: I have 2 amazing books that just released in March. The first is what I think is the awesomest picture book in the whole world: Doug-Dennis and the Flyaway Fib by a debut author/illustrator, Darren Farrell. The reviews have been great, comparing him to Mo Willems and Jon Scieszka, so now I’m just crossing my fingers that readers find it and talk about it so this one can break out in a really tough picture book market. (That was definitely a hint for you to help. If you think it’s hard to get a picture book published, it’s even harder to break it out.)
The second is a stellar dystopian YA novel called Epitaph Road by David Patneaude. The premise got me from the very beginning: a world where men have mostly been killed off by a virus and women turned what was left of the planet into a virtual utopia. Only nothing is ever as simple as it seems. It’s a great adventure story that I’d recommend to boys and girls alike, and that I think will help tide over those of us who are anxiously awaiting the last Hunger Games book.

GLA: I’m looking forward to seeing you at SCBWI-EPA’s Poconos Retreat. You’re leading a session on query letters, and a great query is told in the all-important “voice” of the novel. Any advice on how to incorporate voice in a query?

ER: I’m not sure I think great query letters must be told in the voice of the novel, necessarily. But they do need a voice. Some voice. Your voice. You can tell when a writer is a natural, and can convey simple ideas and plot summary without being boring or giving away too much. Unfortunately, this is a bit of a “you know it when you see it” situation. But that’s what I hope to explore at the session, which should be really enlightening for the writers who are attending!

GLA: You’re also speaking about Internet marketing and social networking for authors. Can you list for us your favorite author website/blog and book trailer and why?

ER: Internet presence and image has become a personal cause of mine lately, which is why I’m giving this session at the conference. I can probably name more bad websites than I can good ones. And some of the “best” (coolest?) author websites are the ones that are utterly unaffordable, like J.K. Rowling’s of course. Most people can’t afford such intricate design and coding, and the truth is most people don’t need it. There are amazing platforms available now to give you a professional, attractive and manageable site.
Separate from the agenting, I actually just started my own company, Cone 6 Media to provide that service, with an eye toward authors specifically. I realized there was a real need after I was helping some of my clients get set-up and seeing how convoluted and frustrating the process can be. Most recently I did the Doug-Dennis website, which is adorable. I have a lot of fun with the sites and design, love working with authors, and I’m open for more clients.
In terms of trailers, I have to say I don’t pay that much attention to them. I don’t think they help all that much, but they certainly can’t hurt. My client, Pam Bachorz, did a very affordable, attractive one for Candor that you can see on her website and I’ve always liked Micol Ostow’s trailer for So Punk Rock (searchable on YouTube). They’re short, to the point, and display the personality of the book without being cheesy.

GLA: What’s one trend you’re hoping for in children’s writing, or a hole in the market you want filled?

ER: I happen to be one of those agents who don’t like to harp on trends. I might be tired of the ones that are still going (ahem, vampires), but I think there’s a natural ebb and flow to them, and it’s useless to try to fit into one, or start one. The market does what the market does. I always like to quote agent Jennifer Laughran, who gets all the credit in the world for saying, “There’s always a market for awesome.” I’m less focused on what trends are there, or which I’d like to see, and just looking for something to blow my mind.

GLA: How can writers get the most out of a conference?

ER: Conferences are great for two main reasons: you can network with other writers like you, and you can attend sessions to educate yourself about the industry and business. They are not there for finding an agent, or circumventing the agent search by finding an editor to grab up your book. As far as I’m concerned, conferences are only there for education and networking. My favorite part of attending a conference is running a session where I get to teach something, and not just get pitched picture books I’ll never represent. There’s no correlation between whom I’ve signed and whether they go to conferences regularly. So come to learn, and not for a contract.

GLA: Will you be at any upcoming conferences besides this one?

ER: Yes! I’m going to SCBWI Arkansas’s Spring Conference at the end of April in Little Rock. I’ll also be at the Backspace Writers Conference in New York in May. Beyond that, my calendar is open and I’d love some invitations.

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

ER: I come from a huge family. No, really. I’m the oldest of five kids, and my youngest sister just graduated from high school. I also teach afternoon Hebrew school. This means I’ve never really had a chance to lose touch with real kids and teens, and probably why I love working on content for them so much.

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

ER: Keep your butt in the chair. It’s tempting to obsess over this query letter faux pas, or that agent who said, “Never do X.” We both help and hurt by pumping the Internet full of more interviews, blogs and Twitter feeds. If you’re spending all your time on message boards, how much time are you writing? At the end of the day, the writers who keep their butt in the chair, do the work, read everything, and write great books will get noticed. The rest is details … and more than a little common sense, of course.

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

Want more on this subject?

Check out Donna's guest column: 7 Things I've Learned So Far.

Check out Donna's guest column: Demystifying contracts.

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

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

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

Tips on Writing Middle Grade: What Kids Love

Chuck — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:24:38 GMT

Once a month, I write a page-long adventure for my youngest daughter’s class that features the kids, a feisty teacher, a goofy principal, a silly dragon and a resurrected lizard. I read my story, then the kids come up with their own ending. If you want to sharpen your storytelling skills, I discovered there's no better laboratory than a live reading in a fourth grade class. Here are some things I've learned about effective storytelling from fourth graders.

Jewel Allen divides her time between being
a wife, mom, a freelance journalist, a musician,
and a novelist aspiring to be published someday
soon. She runs the Pink Ink blog.

Use a familiar setting with a fantastic twist. The new student turns out to be a ghost, a rainstorm sucks the class into the bottom of the sea, or Santa Claus gets stranded outside their class portable.

Introduce a mystery. How did a dead lizard get out of its aquarium? Who threw an eraser at the next-door teacher?

Add a dragon, if at all possible. Dragons come in handy when a fourth grade class needs to fly somewhere quickly. And kids always perk up at the word “dragon.”

Feature memorable, quirky characters. Denny the dragon usually gets in trouble. Mr. Brunsdale, the principal, reluctantly grants them permission to go on outlandish field trips. Mrs. Walker, the teacher, isn’t scared of bopping sharks on the nose. These characters stick out to kids and are easily remembered.

Get the characters in lots of trouble. Sensory details—like how dragon wings feel and look—are important, but nothing engages a fourth grader quicker than a problem that turns from bad to worse. The rain storm turns into a flood … the class gets washed out of their portable … they get sucked into a hole in the soccer field.

Slapstick comedy works. The kids have laughed loudest over an octopus plastered over a teacher’s head, the principal swimming the backstroke in a flood, and the new dragon-student’s wings whopping his seatmate on the head. (This probably explains why, as a fourth grader, I laughed like crazy over The Three Stooges.)

Don’t kill off a sweet character or you won’t hear the end of it. The kids really, really didn’t like the plot twist about the class lizard dying. I had to bring her back to life somehow!

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

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

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

How to Write a Book Series

Chuck — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:20:57 GMT

It was a strange thing. There I was writing books about teens struggling with alcoholic parents and depression, when an idea for ninja cheerleaders popped into my head. See—strange? Turns out that idea became The Naughty List, my first young adult novel (released in February 2010). But then things got even weirder… it became a series.

To be honest, I didn’t set out to write a series. But along the way, I’ve learned a lot about them. In fact, I have another series coming out next summer. Again—completely by accident! So what made The Naughty List series-worthy? I can only offer guesses, but I’ll give it a shot.

CHARACTERS

I really love a character-driven series. I think a writer needs to create a main character that’s likeable, but original. Relatable, but special. Someone we won’t be completely sick of after one book. For The Naughty List, my main character is a perky cheerleader, but as the book (and the series) goes along, you see different sides of her, sides that everyone has. She becomes vulnerable, and hopefully readers can invest in her. If you have a character that you want readers to join on a journey, make them someone they can root for. And while you’re at it, side characters that we can be friends (or enemies) with in real life add dimension to the story. Give everyone some flesh!

HOOK & PLOT

Every good series needs a hook. Whether it’s a story about a future society that puts the characters in a battle of life or death, or a book about cheerleading spies who catch cheating boyfriends, writers need something that can sustain multiple books. And evolve.

Don’t write the same book over and over again. The theme and characters may remain the same, but each book needs to be whole and complete in itself. You should have conflict and resolution, not just a setup for the next book. Be satisfying—like a strawberry smoothie!

CONTINUITY

One thing I didn’t do when I started (again, because I never planned to write a series) was keep a list of characters with descriptions, settings, motivations, etc. I wish I did. I remember getting back an edit once where the copyeditor wrote, “I’m pretty sure she’s blonde?” It was such a small thing, but I felt embarrassed. Now I have a character bible because it helps me keep my characters straight in my head. I have a lot going on in there!

SOW EARLY, REAP LATER

A fun part about writing multiple books is when you get to plant evidence—little discoveries that’ll come to light in later books. Sometimes they’re on purpose—a narrowed look here, an unanswered question there. Other times they are completely accidental but work great in a new plot line. For example, in book one, there was a character who occasionally showed a darker side. I realized in book two why she was like that, and it ended playing a major roll in the plot. Sometimes, even though you may not envision your book to be a series, you might realize that your characters have so much more to say.

In each new book, I first start out with a quick, not-too-obvious summary of what readers may have missed in the story so far, just in case they’re new to the series. But once I start digging in, I really enjoy visiting with my characters again, their familiar settings. It’s like seeing an old friend from high school—only without all the awkward “we should have kept in touch” moments.

Writing a series is a blast, but I think it’s really important that the first book set up the world. That it’s a stand-alone that can tell a whole story all by itself. And if your editor makes it into a series, that’s fantastic. If you love the characters and the story, you won’t mind spending a little more time with them, and neither will your readers.

Suzanne Young is the author of The Naughty List series—
stories about a group of cheerleaders who investigate
cheating boyfriends. The first book, The Naughty List,
is available now from Razorbill/Penguin. So Many
Boys will be available in June 2010 and A Good
Boy is Hard to Find will be out November 2010.
She is also writing a new series for Balzer and
Bray/Harper Collins. Suzanne lives in Portland, Ore.

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

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: Ali McDonald of The Rights Factory

Chuck — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 01:28:06 GMT

About Ali: She is focused on children's authors. Ali started at The Rights Factory in January 2009, in an editorial capacity, and decided to become an agent and started building her list at The Rights Factory in Fall 09.

She is seeking: Young adult and middle grade books.

How to contact: The agency has a submissions form on its website for queries. Please do not send unsolicited manuscripts. Start the online submission with a note: "Query for Ali."

Want more on this subject?

New agent seeking kids stuff: Adriana Dominguez.

New agent seeking kids stuff: Mary Kole.

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

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: Marissa Walsh of Shelf Life Literary

Chuck — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 14:12:16 GMT

Note from Chuck (4-28-2010):
Soon after posting this new agent alert, Marissa
contacted me and said she is joining the crew at
FinePrint Literary Management. All her bio
info remains the same.

---------

About Marissa: Shelf Life founder Marissa Walsh began her publishing career at Nan A. Talese/Doubleday and the Ellen Levine Literary Agency. She was an editor at Delacorte Press/Random House Children's Books for seven years, where her books received various awards. She is the author of the comic memoir Girl with Glasses: My Optic History (Simon Spotlight Entertainment) and the YA novel A Field Guide to High School (Delacorte Press/Random House Children's Books), as well as other projects.

She is seeking: pop culture, humor, narrative nonfiction, memoir, or children's books. Concerning picture books, she is looking for younger books with very little text (800 words or fewer). Include the manuscript in the body of your query e-mail. Concerning middle grade and YA, no paranormal please. She prefers contemporary stories. Include the first chapter in the body of your query e-mail.

How to contact: querymarissa(at)gmail(dot)com.

Recent sales: How the South Won the Rap Civil War, by Ben Westhoff (Chicago Review Press); The World is Like a Big Sister, by Jennifer Stark: (Putnam); and Rules to Rock By, by Josh Farrar (Walker).

Want more on this subject?

New agent seeking kids stuff: Adriana Dominguez.

New agent seeking kids stuff: Mary Kole.

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

Should you start with plot or character?

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

Agent Advice: Quinlan Lee of Adams Literary

Chuck — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:47:54 GMT

Agent Interview by

contributor Ricki Schultz.

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

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

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

GLA: How did you become an agent?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GLA: Do you accept any nonfiction?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Want more on this subject?

7 reasons agents stop reading your first chapter.

Word count for novels and children's books.

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

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

Footnotes: 5 Articles on Writing Picture Books

Chuck — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:15:01 GMT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Want more on this topic?

Footnotes: 5 Articles on Writing First Pages.

Footnotes: 8 Articles on Revising Your Work.

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

How can you improve your query letter?

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

Agent Advice: Etta Wilson of Books & Such Literary Agency

Chuck — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:55:31 GMT

Agent Interview by

contributor Ricki Schultz.

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

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

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

GLA: How did you become an agent?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GLA: Any you shy away from?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Want more on this subject?

Need to write your query to Etta and want some guidance? Check out The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters.

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

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: Mandy Hubbard of the D4EO Literary Agency

Chuck — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:13:49 GMT

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

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

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

Want more on this subject?

New agent seeking kids stuff: Adriana Dominguez.

New agent seeking kids stuff: Mary Kole.

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

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

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

Three Great Links for Kids Writers

Chuck — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:22:02 GMT

Here are interesting things you may want to check out on this fine Tuesday:

1. The Official SCBWI Blog is all online from their recent conference this week. The link here will take to all the info agents gave during their agent panel at the 2010 Winter SCBWI Conference in NYC. Great stuff here. Special thanks for running the blog goes to Alice Pope, editor of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market.

2. Kids agent Chris Richman explains what he is looking for. Chris, an agent with Upstart Crow Literary, goes into detail about exactly what he wants to receive in terms of kids submissions. This is a nice breath of fresh air.

3. Kids agent Mark McVeigh invites you to query once again. Mark is a publishing pro but new to the agent world. Evidently, he got buried in submissions and couldn't respond to them, so he is inviting writers to resubmit if they never heard back the first time. This message below was posted on the Verla Kay message boards. (Special thanks for this heads up goes to blog contributor Nancy Parish.)
       "If you sent us a query before November 1, 2009, and haven’t heard anything back from us, please consider querying us again (queries[at]themcveighagency.com). Please only reach out to us if your manuscript falls into one of the following categories:
       • Quirky, funny picture books with a unique twist; always kid-centric: what haven't you ever read before in a picture book? Well, write it!
       • Chapter books with a great hook--school based, funny, always character or situation driven.
       • Middle grade genre books, especially those with series potential – for example, set in a private school, sports-related (for either boys or girls or both!), for horse-lovers, and something so irresistible to capture that elusive male reader who prefers video games. Girl books, but no watered-down "rich girl with sexy lifestyle" please
       • YA – funny or full of teen angst; envelope pushing or issue based; love stories, of course; always looking for something original and with a kid's or teen's voice. Again, ask yourself: what hasn't been done before. Make it--and this goes for everything you send Mark--start with an intoxicating chapter that FORCES the reader to keep going.
       Please note that we are NOT looking at middle grade or YA fantasy at this time. Dazzle us with your query letter but keep it brief! Then paste the first 10 pages of your manuscript into the body of the e-mail (no attachments). Can’t wait to read your work!"

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

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

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: Lauren MacLeod of the Strothman Agency

Chuck — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:50:11 GMT

About Lauren: She joined the Strothman Agency after graduating cum laude from Emerson College with a BFA in Writing, Literature and Publishing.

She is seeking: middle grade novels, young adult fiction and nonfiction, as well as highly polished literary fiction and narrative nonfiction. Some of her favorite (non-client) YA authors are Meg Rosoff, Maureen Johnson and John Green. Specifically, she's looking for contemporary YA & MG, narrative nonfiction for young adults, graphic novels, YA Dystopian with strong world-building, and adult trade nonfiction on quirky subjects or people. She is currently especially drawn to YA & MG projects with humorous situations or funny characters.

Flooded with: "Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Historical Fiction, Tragedy Memoirs."

How to contact: Do not send entire manuscripts unless requested. E-queries accepted, strothmanagency (at) gmail (dot) com. Include a query, synopsis, and (for fiction) 2-10 pages. No attachments please. "If we have not replied to your query within six weeks, we do not feel that it is right for us." Snail submissions accepted, too: The Strothman Agency, LLC, 6 Beacon Street, Suite 810, Boston MA 02108 and include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

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

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: Jennifer Unter of The Unter Agency

Chuck — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:14:02 GMT

About Jennifer: Jennifer is a literary agent and founder of The Unter Agency, LLC. She began her book publishing career in the editorial department at Henry Holt & Co. She later worked at the Karpfinger Agency while she attended law school. She then became an sssociate at the entertainment firm of Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP where she practiced primarily in the areas of publishing and copyright law. In 2008, she started her own agency.

Seeking: quality fiction and general nonfiction, with a particular interest in memoir, food/cooking, nature/environment, biography, pop culture, travel/adventure, true crime, politics and health/fitness. She also represents all types of children's literature (picture books, middle grade, and young adult).

How to submit: (Editor's update 1-11-10: Someone just wrote and said that Jennifer got a flood of queries - probably thanks to this post - and is no longer accepting queries because of it. I would wait a month or two before trying her again. This is her website.)

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

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

Agent Kate Epstein Now Accepting Young Adult

Chuck — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:40:34 GMT

I saw a note on Nancy Parish's Sound and Furry blog about how agent Kate Epstein of Epstein Literary is now taking young adult fiction and nonfiction. Below you will find the gist from Kate. For submission guidelines, head to the Epstein Lit website.

Kate says: "I’m so excited about this. YA books are fantastic these days. In YA, serious literature has accessible writing and impressive pace. Speculative novels are astonishingly creative without neglecting character and plot. Even romance novels that I might find a little trashy are damned fun in this area—they’re not jaded and depressing. Humor is wry and wet and honest—I don’t just titter, but really get to LAUGH. My favorite books in this area all have great pace and plot. I want to be a part of working on these novels, and serving this passionate, exacting audience. I’ve been doing a fair amount of research over the past few months in this area, and coupling that with the experience of four years representing nonfiction, I know I can do well by these authors. Nor do I plan to neglect nonfiction. The pleasures and rewards in that area have not faded by comparison. Memoir, narrative, and exposition for adults is truly entertaining and enlightening, and representing practical nonfiction gives the rich reward of feeling it directly improves people’s lives."

Two Contests for Kids Writers

Chuck — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:39:09 GMT

If anyone prides themselves on having a beat on ongoing writing contests hosted by editors, agents and other professionals, they should contact me. I would love to have a recurring contests update on here. Recently, I got wind of two different contests happening now/soon. Check them out:

1. Kids agent Mary Kole, who I recently interviewed, is hosting a contest on her KidLit blog, inviting writers to submit the first 500 words of their finished young adult or middle grade novel. Deadline: Jan. 31, 2010. See all details here.

2. Sourcebooks is launching a new young adult imprint called Sourcebooks Fire and is hosting a contest for YA writers. You're invited to submit your pitch, a bio and the title. Contest runs from Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, 2010. See all details here.

Want more on this subject?

Buy the 2010 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market.

See a great example of a young adult query that snagged an agent.

New agent seeking kids books: Gwendolyn Heasley of Artists & Artisans.

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

Buy "My Big Nose and
Other Natural Disasters"

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

Successful Queries: Agent Ted Malawer and 'My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters'

Chuck — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:17:06 GMT

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 24th installment in this series is with agent Ted Malawer (Upstart Crow Literary) and his author, Sydney Salter, for her book, My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters, a young adult novel. Besides Big Nose, Sydney also has written a nonfiction kids book, Jungle Crossing, and has a second YA novel coming out in 2010 called Swoon At Your Own Risk (Harcourt/Graphia).

Dear Mr. Malawer,

I would like you to represent my 65,000-word contemporary teen novel My Big Nose & Other Natural Disasters.

Seventeen-year-old Jory Michaels wakes up on the first day of summer vacation with her same old big nose, no passion in her life (in the creative sense of the word), and all signs still pointing to her dying a virgin. Plus, her mother is busy roasting a chicken for Day #6 of the Dinner For Breakfast Diet.

In spite of her driving record (it was an accident!), Jory gets a job delivering flowers and cakes to Reno’s casinos and wedding chapels. She also comes up with a new summer goal: saving for a life-altering nose job. She and her new nose will attract a fabulous boyfriend. Nothing like the shameless flirt Tyler Briggs, or Tom who’s always nice but never calls. Maybe she’ll find someone kind of like Gideon at the Jewel Café, except better looking and not quite so different. Jory survives various summer disasters like doing yoga after sampling Mom’s Cabbage Soup Diet, Enforced Mother Bonding With Crazy Nose Obsessed Daughter Night, and discovering Tyler’s big secret. But will she learn to accept herself and maybe even find her passion, in the creative (AND romantic!) sense of the word?

I have written for APPLESEEDS, Children’s Playmate, Confetti, FACES, Hopscotch, Story Friends, Wee Ones Magazine, the Deseret News, and Blooming Tree Press’ Summer Shorts anthology. I won the Utah Arts Council prize for Not-A-Dr. Logan’s Divorce Book. My novels Jungle Crossing and Going Native! each won first prize in the League of Utah Writers contest. I am currently serving as a Regional Advisor for SCBWI.

I submitted My Big Nose & Other Natural Disasters to Krista Marino at Delacorte because she requested it during our critique at the summer SCBWI conference (no response yet).

Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Sydney Salter Husseman
Enclosures: Sample Chapters of My Big Nose & Other Natural Disasters, synopsis, biography & SASE

Commentary from Ted:

When I first started agenting, I was working as an assistant at Firebrand Literary, going through the slush—which, in our case, was electronic. With hundreds and hundreds of queries, it’s tough to stand out. Sydney, however, did just that. First, she had a great title that totally made me laugh. Second, she sets up her main character’s dilemma in a succinct and interesting way. In one simple paragraph, I had a great idea of who Jory was and what her life was about—the interesting tidbit about her mother help show the novel’s sense of humor, too.

Sydney’s largest paragraph sets up the plot, the conflict, and introduces some exciting potential love interests and misadventures that I was excited to read about. Again, Sydney really showed off her fantastic sense of humor, and she left me hanging with a question that I needed an answer to. I already knew I would request this manuscript and hope that her writing lived up to the potential of her query. (Luckily, Sydney not only met my expectations—she exceeded them!)

Her fourth paragraph demonstrated she has writing and experience and has completed other manuscripts that were prize-worthy. Her SCBWI membership—while not a necessity—showed me that she had an understanding of and an interest in the children’s publishing world. Lastly, the fact that an editor requested the manuscript is always a good sign. Because I knew Krista personally and highly valued her opinion was, as Sydney’s main character Jory would say, “The icing on the cake.” The book came out in April 2009.

Writer Sydney Salter is based in Utah
and writes kids fiction and nonfiction.
See her fun website here.

Want more on this subject?

Successful Queries: (Kids/YA) "Wake"

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

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

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

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

Agent Advice: Mary Kole of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Chuck — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:09:14 GMT

"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 Mary Kole of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Mary is a new agent at ABLA and runs the Kid Lit blog. She has also worked in the children's editorial department at Chronicle Books and is currently earning her MFA in creative writing at the University of San Francisco.

She seeks: young adult and middle grade novels and truly exceptional picture books. While she's not interested in high fantasy, science fiction, thrillers or horror, she would love to consider realistic/contemporary, urban fantasy and fantasy/adventure, historical, paranormal and mystery manuscripts. One of her favorite genres is magical realism: a story set firmly in our world, only with a twist—magic, danger or something that turns "reality" on its ear.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

MK: I came to publishing through a passion for writing. Early on, I realized that I wanted to educate myself in what happens "on the other side of the desk," with agents and editors. So I started reading manuscripts for the agents at Andrea Brown, fell in love with it, and, about a year later, officially came aboard. In the meantime, I also worked for the children's editorial group at Chronicle Books to see what happens on the editorial side of things. I like to joke and call myself a "triple threat," because I have the writing, the editorial and the agent perspective. My favorite thing is to take on an incredible manuscript and put in a lot of editorial work with a client to make it even better before going out on submission.

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

MK: I recently sold an amazing author/editor debut picture book to Tricycle Press that's called Buglette, The Messy Sleeper. It comes out Summer 2011. There are some other deals in the works, including another debut author/illustrator project, but they're too fresh to talk about. Stay tuned!

GLA: What draws you to kids writing?

MK: Kids and teens don't read like adults do. Most adults read fiction before bed, to put themselves to sleep. Kids devour books, devour them again and tell all their friends. Personally, I love that sense of excitement and discovery. I try to go about my own life that way. Kids and teens have open minds, they see opportunity all around them and they think big. Also, to the kidlit audience, a book is like a friend, a confidante, something to spark their imaginations ... the books I represent could very well change someone's life. There's no better feeling than that.

GLA: You are building steam with this cool new site - Kid Lit. How did it come about?

MK: Since I started out writing, I understand what writers go through and what questions they have. I understand how valuable and gratifying it is to hear from professionals in the industry. Since I can't chat with every writer individually, I keep the blog to reach out, be approachable and provide correct, actionable and inspiring information. A lot of agents and editors seem like shadowy gatekeepers in some ivory tower. I want blog readers (potential future clients, I hope!) to get to know me and my philosophies. I've been getting great submissions as a result, things that are right up my alley.

GLA: You seek historical MG/YA works. Any time periods of special interest?

MK: I've been taken recently by the 19th century, but 20th century history is also very interesting. Historical is best for me if I get to learn about some hidden history or see a part of the US or world where something unique is going on. All historical has to be really strongly justified for me to like it, and it has to have a hook that's fascinating and exciting for modern readers. One bit of advice I like to give writers about historical fiction: even if people spoke or described stuff in an affected way in the days of yore, that's no excuse to write in a dry or stilted style. Dialogue and description still has to be fast-paced, fluid and engaging.

GLA: What do you pray for when tackling the slush pile. Other than "good writing," what, specifically, are you looking for in the kids writing world that's hard to find?

MK: Voice is essential when writing for kids. Any kind of moralizing is an immediate turn-off. The people who succeed at writing for kids and teens respect their readership and acknowledge that this time in a person's life is just as rich, vibrant, smart and complicated as adulthood is. Other than that, personally, I'd love to find a really smart dystopian YA novel, like M.T. Anderson's Feed, anything with a drama or theatre setting and a really strong, realistic boy voice for the YA market. Mysteries are always fascinating to me, too!

GLA: Share your wisdom with us real quick. As someone who doesn't read much fantasy, help me (and other writers, hopefully) understand what kind of fantasy you want to see vs. that which you don't. On this note, what is the difference between urban fantasy and paranormal?

MK: I'm in the same boat as you. High fantasy often goes right over my head. I love fantasy that's set in our world or close to it, which I'd more accurately describe as "magical realism." Something where the fantastical element is one of the only quirks about an otherwise realistic world. I like books that hit too close to home, like they could almost happen to me. I will never end up piloting a ship through the galaxy or butting heads with dragons, but I just might develop the power to pause time one day (a girl can dream!).
As for paranormal vs. urban fantasy, the main difference with urban fantasy is a darker side, an edge, some grit. Paranormal can take place in a historical setting or attract younger readers. Urban fantasy usually takes place in a modern setting or the near future, with characters who are getting into more dangerous or sexy situations. The readership is often older teens. There's also usually a strong romance plot. It's a specific slice of the larger paranormal pie.

GLA: You just hosted a query contest on your Kid Lit blog. Looking over all those queries, what advice can you give writers?

MK: Make me care. A lot of queries don't tell me what's important to the character, what's at stake, how things go from bad to worse for them. People read to bond with people. Even if you've got a blockbuster plot, the character is still important because they're what will pull me into the other elements of your story. Focus on them. Keep things simple and brief. Also, I'm sure you have lovely children, pets, hobbies, anecdotes, pictures, friends ... but, no offense, unless they're directly related to your project, maybe leave them out of your pitch.

GLA: Describe your dream client.

MK: A dream client knows how to write very well, wants to learn about craft and revision, has good habits that keep them productive, shares work with a critique group before giving it to me, and is somewhat savvy about the publishing industry. Even after they have an agent and editor, an informed writer has an edge in today's market. There's no excuse for being blissfully unaware these days. Publishing is a fascinating industry and if you hope to work in it, start making connections, reading blogs, participating. Buy books, read them, go to author events, go to trade shows, meet other writers and authors, attend conferences. There's literally a whole world of opportunity available to you.

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

MK: Yes! I love going to conferences, meeting writers, critiquing manuscripts, giving workshops and hearing pitches. I will be at the SDSU conference in San Diego in January 2010, at the San Francisco Writer's Conference in February 2010, at the Big Sur Conference in March 2010, and that's just the next few months. I constantly update the "Events and Conferences" list on my website, so check there for my most current schedule.

GLA: What's something about you writers would be surprised to know?

MK: I'm a passionate traveler. My favorite places on the planet (that I've seen so far) are Ireland, England and Costa Rica. I'd love to get to Japan, Australia and Spain someday, as well as do a road trip across America.

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

MK: Read your butt off, grow a new butt and read it off again. Lather, rinse, repeat. A large chunk of my writing knowledge comes from my aggressive reading load. I read both published, unpublished and soon-to-be-published books. In doing so, I internalize plotting, character arc, tension, pacing, description, dialogue. Plus, for me, it's research. There's no excuse not to be reading voraciously within and outside of your chosen genre or market.

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

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: Kody Keplinger

Chuck — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 19:27:52 GMT

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

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

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

This installment of "How I Got
My Agent" is by writer Kody Keplinger.

Kody is a YA writer whose book, The DUFF
(Designated Ugly Fat Friend) is due out in Oct. 2010.
Kody recently started "Agent Appreciation Day"

and you can read her blog here.

REFRESH, REFRESH, REFRESH...

I've been making up stories since I learned to speak, and I suppose I wrote my first "novel" when I was eleven; however, it wasn't until January 6, 2009 that I actually focused all of my attention on writing and began to put together my first publishable work. I started working on The DUFF and queried agents once I thought it was ready.

Refresh, refresh, refresh. That was me back in April, waiting on query responses. If I didn’t check my e-mail every ten seconds, I thought I might actually die. I was trying to be patient. I started by only sending out five queries, thinking I would wait for those replies to filter in before I sent out more. However, this plan failed miserably. Weeks passed and I had only received one—one!—response. So I sent more queries. More, more, more! Still, very, very few answers. At that point, I was desperate even for a form rejection.

During this time, a fellow aspiring writer lent me her list of queried agents. It was a spreadsheet that told me how long she had waited for replies. On the list were agents who had replied within the same day! I tried those agents, and nothing. I was so confused and concerned. Why wasn’t anyone responding? Had I done something wrong? Were my e-mails even going through?

JOANNA WHO?

It was on my friend’s spreadsheet that I discovered the name Joanna Stampfel-Volpe. To be honest, I hadn’t heard of her, but when I Googled her name, tons of great information appeared. Plus, she had a quick response time, so I thought I’d give it a shot. Downside: she didn’t want to see any sample pages and I didn’t have much faith in my query, so I really didn’t think anything good would come of this e-mail.

But the next day, I had a partial request. Immediately, I sent the first thirty pages of my novel, using my high school e-mail address. I was just thrilled, at this point, to have any feedback. Then, later that evening, I had a full request—my first and only full request—and I seriously freaked out. Just five days after sending Joanna the initial query, I received an offer of representation. That was in mid-May, and she happened to call me on my best friend’s birthday. So, of course, my BFF claims it was her birthday karma. Either way, it was one of the best days of my life. The best part? Most likely it was Joanna’s reaction near the end of our conversation when I said, “Oh, there’s something you should know. I’m not eighteen yet. Is that a problem?”

It wasn’t a problem at all. Joanna was shocked, but in a good way. I knew, by the time I hung up the phone, that she was exactly the right fit for my book and me. So I signed with her less than a week later—after she’d talked to my Mom, of course.

THE E-MAIL MYSTERY REVEALED

The irony in all this is I later learned that my high school e-mail only sent out queries that I had pasted less than five sample pages in. So three quarters of my queries never even sent! This means that Joanna’s submission guidelines, which I thought would be my downfall, really saved me. It’s like a little bit of e-mail fate, right?

In the end, I’m very, very glad most of my e-mails didn’t send. Only one agent ever read my full manuscript, and she was just the agent for me. I can’t imagine anyone being a better fit. I found an agent who not only loves my book, but who is, in general, a great match for me, and we are always—always—on the same page.

It just goes to show that sometimes a technology-fail can be a blessing. Everything happens for a reason, and when things finally fall into place, it’s the best feeling in the world.

If you want to write books for kids and
teens, get the bible for kids writers:
the 2011 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market.

Want more on this topic?

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

See all posted stories of writers finding their agents.

Agent Janet Reid provides 20 Query Letter Tips.

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

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

Successful Queries: Agent Caryn Wiseman and 'Escape From Camp David'

Chuck — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:52:42 GMT

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

The 23rd installment in this series is with agent Caryn Wiseman (Andrea Brown Literary Agency) and her author, Dee Garretson, for her book, Escape From Camp David, a kids adventure. The book is set for release in August 2010 (Harper Collins Canada) and was recently retitled Wildfire at Camp David.

Dear Ms. Wiseman:

Everyone assumes Camp David must be one of the safest places on earth, but what would happen if a natural disaster caused the security systems to turn the retreat into a prison? Escape From Camp David is a young adult manuscript approximately 40,000 words in length. I read on your bio you were interested in stories that would appeal to boys, so I thought you might be interested in this.

Just once Luke Brockett would like to do something slightly dangerous, but when your father is the President of the United States, that is not an option. Always surrounded by Secret Service agents and kept in a bubble of safety, Luke sees Camp David, the presidential retreat in the woods of Maryland, as the only place where he can almost normal. For one week in August, Luke's mother has arranged for Luke to have a 'summer camp' experience, if summer camp had only three kids and the counselors carried automatic weapons. The experience comes to a quick end when a forest fire surrounds Camp David. Luke and his friends are trapped inside, left on their own, the Secret Service agents incapacitated, forcing the three to outwit security systems designed to be unbeatable before the fire gets to them.

While it isn’t possible for the average person to know exactly how Camp David is protected, some educated guesses can be made to make this story plausible. I have a degree in International Relations from Tufts University, and have been careful to research both the lives of presidential children and the details of any government references in the story. This is the first of a planned series; a president's son as a main character can have many adventures other children could not.

Thank you,

Dee Garretson

Commentary from Caryn

This query interested me for several reasons. It's a great high-concept premise, and the author gives me the hook right in the first line. She also shows in the first paragraph that she really has looked at our website and identified me as the right agent for her, due to my interest in "boy" books. Too often, this is not the case. Although our website clearly states that I don't handle adult work, you'd be amazed at how many adult queries I receive! Although the query letter is on the short side, the author definitely did her job in piquing my interest with it. She gives me the word count right up front, so I know that her manuscript is not way too short or way too long for the genre.

In the second and third paragraphs, the author gives a succinct synopsis of the plot, that demonstrates, even in this brief paragraph, that she is a talented writer with a humorous side. I was also pleased to note that, although this is fiction, she had done her research, making for a more believable story. She also mentions that this is the first of a planned series, although I might have liked a more convincing reason. Series really need a raison d'etre, not just "I like the characters". Still, I think she is right in saying that a president's son can have adventures that other children can not.

The author could have done a better job in closing her query letter, although I was already hooked. She also could have let me know whether or not the submission was exclusive; I assume that it is not, but it helps to have confirmation. HarperCollins has decided to make this a series, called Danger's Edge. The second book in the series, Blizzard on Wolf Mountain, be released in Winter 12. The first book has been retitled, Danger's Edge: Wildfire at Camp David.

Want more on this subject?

Successful Queries: (Literary/Upmarket Fiction) "Last Will of Moira Leahy"

Successful Queries: (Kids/MG) "Sway"

Successful Queries: (Crime/Thriller) "A Bad Day for Sorry"

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

Want more on this topic?

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

10 Tips on Writing Picture Books

Chuck — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:18:44 GMT

And now: a great guest column from picture book writer Jean Reidy, and her thoughts on the Top 10 Picture Book Takeaways from the Rocky Mountain SCBWI Conference. The panel she's writing about was led by kids book editor Allyn Johnston and kids book illustrator Marla Frazee.

Jean Reidy is a freelance writer and
children's author. Her first children's
book, Too Purpley! comes out in Jan.
2010 (Bloomsbury) and will be followed
by Too Pickley! and two other books.

10. Beware of dialogue-heavy picture book manuscripts.

9. The only beef editors and agents have against rhyming picture books is that they're so often poorly written.

8. Manuscripts need to be more perfect than ever before they're ready for submission.

7. While marketing yourself is certainly important, a writer's most important job is to make his/her book amazing.

6. Perfect picture books are like a dance between text and illustrations.

5. Adding just one word - the perfect word - to a picture book text, can carry layers of emotion like wistfulness, uncertainty or imperfection.

4. Picture book pacing is a combination of text on the page, text-free pages, punctuation, page turns, timing and breathing.

3. Even humorous picture books carry an emotional truth and strike an emotional and harmonic chord at the end.

2. Picture book endings should disarm us. They must have a touch of mystery, a touch of magic, and space for the reader to fill in the ending or ponder it.

1. If you ever have a chance to see Allyn Johnston and Marla Frazee present together, don't miss it. You'll leave with inspiration (and laughter!) for a lifetime.

Buy "Too Purpley!"

How I Got My Agent: Picture book writer Kristyn Crow.

Interview: Kids agent Mary Kole.

5 articles on writing picture books.

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

Word Count Guidelines for Novels and Children's Books.

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

Agent Advice: Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary Services, LLC

Chuck — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:18:49 GMT

"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 Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary Services LLC. Adriann was previously with Anderson Literary Management. (Wolf's website is under construction.)

She is looking for: fiction and limited nonfiction, with an emphasis on children’s, middle grade, and young adult books. She is most interested in realistic, true-to-life stories with conflicts based in the real world. She likes edgy, dark, challenging voices, unique settings, and everyman stories told with a new spin. She does not want academic nonfiction, self-help, spiritualism, religion, or sci-fi.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

AR: I became an agent through the usual circuitous route from a liberal arts degree ... aside from random bookkeeping/waitressing/barista/unpaid internship jobs, I started at The Editorial Department, a freelance editorial firm in Tucson, to Anderson Literary Management, to Wolf Literary Services. I'm just building my list with Wolf, so it's affording me fantastic flexibility to acquire all the quirky, off-beat stuff I love best.

GLA: Excited about any submissions going out?

AR: I have a picture book and young adult book on submission now by two very exciting, promising new authors. I must be channeling a past life—they're both about young female rock stars.

GLA: You seem to have an expansive background—foreign rights, editing an online e-zine about the business of publishing, being a literary scout. How does it all contribute to your tastes and skills as a literary agent?

AR: Being an agent means wearing a lot of hats (cliché, sorry!), so I think having an eclectic background helps me be more adaptable and prepared. The Editorial Department honed my editorial eye, foreign rights introduced me to a vast network of international editors, scouting for ALM made me very discerning and market-savvy ... I feel that publishing as an industry makes it pretty easy to follow what you love, and so far it's led me to agenting.

GLA: So I'm looking at your Publishers Marketplace profile, and it seems like Kirsten will be focusing on adult works, while you will aim more for kids stuff. Are you also taking adult submissions? Still looking for "general literary fiction, psychological thrillers, gritty police procedurals, and nonfiction written with an engaging voice?"

AR: WLS as a whole is specializing in children's books (picture books, middle grade, and young adult), but we're both open to adult works as well. I still love gritty mysteries and procedurals, and both Kirsten and I have a penchant for weird/disturbing thrillers and horror stories. Literary fiction is really tough right now, especially in adult, so it would have to be spectacular, but I'm still open to nonfiction as long as it has some fresh, cool angle.

GLA: What kind of nonfiction are you looking for?

AR: I'm a big narrative nonfiction and memoir buff. I haven't done much with kids nonfiction, but would be willing to consider it. True crime is tough, so it would have to really stand out. Having said that, In Cold Blood is one of the most haunting, disturbing books I've read, so if you fancy yourself the next Truman Capote, I'd love to read your stuff.

GLA: What draws you to the kids world?

AR: As most obsessive book lovers were, I was a pretty precocious reader in middle school/high school and I remember feeling frustrated that there seemed to be nothing between easy-peasy kids books and adult books that were way over my head. (I idiotically went through a Dostoyevsky phase, which I apparently didn't absorb a single thing from.) So I'm basically trying to find books that I would've read—challenging, quirky reads that make you realize you're never alone in your struggles, no matter how alien you might feel.
I went to a Libba Bray reading this weekend for her new book Going Bovine, and someone asked her why she chose to write young adult. She said that she had a pretty tumultuous childhood, which made this difficult transitional period in her life even more emotional and dramatic. Since adolescence is such a keyed up point in everyone's life, it sort of naturally becomes fantastic book fodder.

GLA: Let's dig deeper into what exactly you want in a kids submission. What areas or categories really interest you? What are you sick of?

AR: I most appreciate realistic fiction where the book has some anchor in reality. Fantasies on weird planets featuring characters with unpronounceable names are a little too much for me—ditto to faeries, "chosen ones," or sci-fi in general. I'm sick to death of vampires, angels, zombies, and werewolves. I'm open to picture books, but not ones about Jesus.

GLA: You say you want edgy fiction, dark fiction. Can you point readers to a few dark edgy works you loved so they can get a feel for the type of writing that catches your eye?

AR: I love quirky, funny books like ones by Tom Robbins, Christopher Moore and Carl Hiaasen; creepy, un-put-downable mysteries like ones by Tana French, Steig Larsson, and Boris Akunin; groundbreaking young adult books like ones by Sherman Alexie, Cory Doctorow, and Barry Lyga. I'm also a huge fan of Mary Gaitskill, Jonathan Lethem, David Sedaris, Norman Maclean, Junot Diaz ... etc!

GLA: If someone wants to query you (or Kirsten), what is the best way to do so?

AR: We ask for a query letter and first 50 pages be e-mailed to queries@wolflit.com. Our website is under construction, but we're hoping to get a splash page up within the month.

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

AR: None that I have scheduled!

GLA: What's something about you writers would be surprised to know?

AR: I have quite a few tattoos and can't wait to get quite a few more. Not exactly relevant, but there it is.

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

AR: Read, read, read, read, read! No matter what happens with ebooks, iphone apps, hardcover editions, self-publishing, print-on-demand, or Google, write because you can't live without reading.

Want more on this subject?

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

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.

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

CWIM Interviews Kids Agent Tina Wexler of ICM

Chuck — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:34:46 GMT

My awesome coworker, Alice Pope (editor of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market) just posted an interview with agent Tina Wexler of ICM, who handles both adult and kids books. I've only met Tina once, but she seems very cool and very good at what she does.

See the entire interview here or read an excerpt below!

AP: What are the advantages for you working at a big agency? What are the advantages for your authors?

TW: The advantage of being at a big agency is that everything is kept in-house , which means having more control of what is happening with my clients' projects (and for the client, only one commission). We have the Los Angeles office shopping our books for film/TV; we have the London office securing UK and translations deals; we have an in-house lecture department; an agent who sells audio, ebook, and serial rights; and a theater department ready to negotiate stage adaptations of our books. I'm able to pull from a number of resources: our in-house attorneys, our tax and royalty departments, the knowledge and experience of the ten other agents working in our literary department. All of these elements come together to make my office run smoothly so I can focus entirely on my clients and their needs.

AP: What type of material do you represent? Are you open to queries?

TW: I represent mostly YA and MG (and adult non-fiction too). Within those categories, I'm interested in most everything: magical realism/paranormal, mysteries, adventure, suspense, contemporary, and some non-fiction for teens. I tend to shy away from high fantasy and poetry collections, but I love novels-in-verse. In short: make me laugh, make me angry, make me cry, make me pause. Also, I do not represent screenplays. I am accepting queries at twexler[at]icmtalent[dot]com, despite what ICM's website says about unsolicited material.

Want more on this subject?

Buy the 2010 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market.

See a great example of a young adult query that snagged an agent.

New agent seeking kids books: Gwendolyn Heasley of Artists & Artisans.

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

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

Agent Jill Corcoran Seeking Kids Books

Chuck — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:27:33 GMT

There's a big difference between an agent saying they "represent" children's books and that same agent actually detailing the specific things they want to see—meaning what kind of stories and scenarios they're always looking for but not finding.

Well that rare detailed answer writers always seek was provided recently by agent Jill Corcoran of Herman Agency, as she detailed what she really wanted in a submission. Check out her post here. While you're checking out that post, stick around and read more of Jill's helpful blog advice.

Jill Corcoran

Want more on this topic?

Example of a middle grade novel synopsis.

Interview with kids agent Kate Schafer Testerman.

Example of an excellent middle grade query.

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

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: Susan Hawk of The Bent Agency

Chuck — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:41:20 GMT

About Susan: "I was born and grew up in Washington, DC, and was an avid reader from an early age. For the past 15 years, I’ve worked in Children’s Book Marketing, most recently as the Marketing Director at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, and previous to that as the Library Marketing Director at Penguin Young Readers Group."

She is seeking: young adult and middle grade books; within the realm of kids stories, she likes fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction and mystery.

How to contact: E-mail queries@thebentagency.com, or if you’re writing for children or teens, kidsqueries@thebentagency.com. "Tell us briefly who you are, what your book is, and why you're the one to write it. Then include the first ten pages of your material in the body of your e-mail. We regret that we cannot respond to each and every query, although we do our best. Rest assured that we read each one and we will certainly follow-up when we have interest."

Want more on this subject?

I interviewed Jenny Bent before. See that interview here.

New agent seeking kids stuff: Mary Kole of Andrea Brown Literary.

New agent seeking kids stuff: Gwendolyn Heasley of Artists & Artisans.

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

How can you improve your query letter?

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

Agent Advice: Alex Glass of Trident Media Group (Part II)

Chuck — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:46:31 GMT

Agent Interview by

contributor Ricki Schultz.
This is Part II. See Part I here.

"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 Alex Glass of Trident Media Group. Alex came to Trident as Chairman Robert Gottlieb's assistant in 2001 and was promoted to literary agent shortly thereafter. He has a BA in political science from Johns Hopkins and an MFA in creative writing from American University, and has worked in the literature program at the National Endowment for the Arts and in the marketing department of the Putnam Berkley Publishing Group.

He is looking for: debut literary fiction, crime fiction and literary thrillers, middle grade and young adult fiction, and pop culture, humor, and narrative nonfiction.

Alex Glass

GLA: Are there particular subgenres of young adult or middle-grade books that hook you? Adventure stories? Boy books? Vampires? Edgy stuff?

AG: Like the rest of my list, my children's list is diverse. I've done older teen novels, comedy, fantasy, realistic middle grade, historical, and boy books. I love realistic novels with a very strong voice or that tackle an important issue that kids can really relate to. It's easier to sell comic novels for children than adults, so I'm always looking for a funny novel with a pitch-perfect voice.
I think that children's books have been getting more and more concept-driven, so authors are feeling pressure to come up with that perfect idea combining angels, vampires, and spy kids, all set at a elite prep school for the ultra rich and debauched. A great commercial idea with great writing can definitely still bring in the big bucks, but I think there's been a backlash against a lot of these commercial conventions, so it's hard to know exactly what the market wants.
When I was a kid I was equally all over the place—I loved Lloyd Alexander, John Bellairs, Roald Dahl, and Beverly Cleary. Great writing still trumps a great idea, and the most important thing in kids books is the connection between author and child. It's hard to tap into characters and fantasy worlds and realistic situations that kids will get and identify with and get wrapped up in, and I think authors are most likely to achieve it when they start with a character and a setting that is meaningful to them and don't just write for the market.

GLA: Name three things that make you stop reading every time they crop up in a query letter.

AG: (1) The words "a fictional novel." (2) The words "this is my third (or fourth, or fifth, or sixth, etc.) unpublished novel, so I am clearly
very dedicated and hardworking..." (3) Dear (Insert name of other
agent here):

GLA: A nonfiction area you seek is family saga. This category lends itself to sequences of novels, being that it follows families (and sometimes generations of families or interrelated families) through time or history. When writers query you, do you prefer they mention any sequels they have, or is that better saved for a later conversation?

AG: I personally don't have experience with family saga as a series of books, and I don't think I would put much weight in a mention of sequels. It's not an obvious thing to discuss the way it would be for a mystery or a romance novel. But I have represented a lot of stand-alone family sagas, books like Da Chen's Brothers, Shari Goldhagen's Family and Other Accidents, and Erick Setiawan's Of Bees and Mist, and it's a category I really like.
I think a writer who can tell a story about a family over years or even generations in a single novel and keep the reader engaged, which is no easy feat, can have great success at creating a huge emotional reaction in the reader. Family is obviously at the root of human experience, and these novels show not only a snapshot or a summer or a year in the life, but how entire childhoods and lives turn out.

GLA: Can you tell us a little bit about what you look for in humor projects?

AG: Publishers are most concerned about "platform" when it comes to this category. The author should have a built-in audience of some kind and have had his or her talent validated in another medium before trying to put together a book. Usually humor books are written by magazine writers or newspaper columnists, stand-up comedians, or TV/radio personalities or writers. It is possible to come out of nowhere with a great humor book idea and sell it, but it's tough and it has to be a very creative, original idea, and, most importantly, funny.

GLA: What is the number one mistake authors make when pitching you in person at a conference?

AG: I'm pretty easygoing about the face-to-face stuff, I'm not likely to hold too much against a writer in that odd environment. It's never good to be pushy or demanding, which I haven't really run across. Although I have had authors be overly defensive and even argumentative after I've critiqued their pitch or query, which is not likely to get you very far. If you're like that before you're my client, it's not a good a sign.

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

AG: Right now on the slate I've got the New York Writers Workshop Perfect Pitch conference on Saturday November 14, 2009 in NYC, and The Pennwriters 23rd Annual Conference takes place May 14-16, 2010, at the Eden Resort in Lancaster, Penn.

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

AG: Etiquette and manners go a long way. Always be respectful and patient when dealing with agents. If we're not treating you likewise, or we're not responding to you at all and you've checked in and given us a chance to get back to you, move on. There are a lot of us. There is nothing more annoying than coming into the office on a Monday morning and you're behind schedule on a dozen things, and there's an e-mail from an aspiring author saying "Hellooo Alex???? Anybody home???" The chances of that writer getting signed are not strong.

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

Want more on this subject?

Need to write your query to Alex and want some guidance? Check out The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters.

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

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: Kristyn Crow

Chuck — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:53:34 GMT

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

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

This installment of "How I Got
My Agent" is by kids writer Kristyn Crow.
See her website here and find all her
children's picture books on Amazon here.

SNEAKING IN

Carving out time to attend a week-long writing conference wasn’t easy for a mother of seven. I had to arrange babysitting, swap carpool shifts, stock the refrigerator, and leave a trail of reminder notes for my husband. But the dream of getting a children’s picture book published had nagged at me since I was a kid, and I couldn’t ignore it any longer. I had been writing stories for twenty years.

When I arrived at the conference registration desk, the secretary told me that Rick Walton’s workshop—the one I really wanted—had “no spaces available.” She insisted I select another. But Rick Walton was the local guru of picture books, having authored more than fifty. I wanted to learn from him. So I snuck into his class, finding an open chair in the corner. Gratefully, nobody shooed me out the door.

I'M ONE OF "THOSE PEOPLE"?

Soon manuscript critiques were underway, and after a dozen or so it was my turn. “Who will volunteer to read this one?” Rick asked. A hand went up, and as my story was read aloud, I tried to pretend my guts weren’t twisting into knots. I had written a rhyming, jazzy tale of a rat in the city, told in scat. Admittedly, the thing was odd. Would anybody get it? When the reader finished, there was an awkward silence, then a wave of positive comments. Rick seemed enthusiastic. “There’s a literary agent here at the conference you should show this to,” he said. I was ecstatic.

A meeting was arranged. I remember entering a small classroom and sitting across from the classy-looking agent in high heels. It was the Dollar Store meets Saks Fifth Avenue. I smiled, introduced myself, and gave her my manuscript. She looked it over, then got a confused expression and began to chuckle. “Who sent you to me?” she asked. Before I could answer, she looked up at the ceiling, speaking aloud to some invisible force in the universe: “Why do they always send these people to me?” I blinked, dumbstruck. I didn’t know who “these people” were but they sounded pitiful. She handed back my story with a verbal pat on the head, and pointed to the door. Needless to say, I was crushed.

Back in workshops, I privately shared the agent’s reaction. Rick shook his head. “She’s wrong,” he said. “Here. Try this agent.” He wrote down the name and address of Kendra Marcus of Bookstop Literary Agency. “Send her your manuscript and a few more of your best things. See what happens.” I tucked the piece of paper into my purse, thanking him, but wasn’t sure I was ready to set myself up for more rejection.

The conference ended, and I returned to my life of refereeing kid-squabbles, finding missing socks in potted plants, and experimenting with macaroni and cheese. It took several months of prodding from my husband before I had the courage to send off “a few of my best things” to the mysterious agent scrawled on the paper in my purse. Yet finally, I did. And I waited. Then tragedy struck. The United States was attacked on September 11th. Everyone was in an awful state of shock, rage, and mourning. Church and synagogue attendance was on the rise as our troops prepared for war. Suddenly my whimsical rat story about—of all places—New York City, which mentioned—of all things—the Twin Towers, seemed ridiculous. It was all bad karma. I put my nagging dream of publication away for good.

THE CALL

Several weeks after the dust had cleared (both literally and figuratively), I was looking through my pantry when the telephone rang. The voice on the line said, “Kristyn, this is Kendra Marcus from Bookstop Literary Agency. And if you’re interested, I’d like to represent you.” I dropped the can of chili I was holding. She continued: “I’ve been reading over your manuscripts and they’re very good. If you’re willing to make some revisions, I think I can sell these stories.”

A year later, Kendra sold Cool Daddy Rat to G.P. Putnam’s sons. It received starred reviews, and Mike Lester won the Rueben award for his illustrations. Since then, she's sold other picture books for me, including Bedtime at the Swamp (HarperCollins), The Middle-Child Blues (G.P. Putnam’s Sons), and Skeleton Cat (Scholastic). Kendra and her perceptive associate, Minju Chang, have been more than agents; they’ve been mentors, advocates, and friends. I am thrilled to be represented by Bookstop Literary Agency.

For me, the recipe for getting published was a mixture of hard work, networking with other writers, finding the right representation, and hope. Sure, one agent didn’t connect with my work, but the next enthusiastically signed me on as a client. I’m often haunted by the question, "What if I hadn’t tried again?"

Buy The Middle Child Blues
in time for Christmas!

Want more on this subject?

Have some questions on your road to landing a literary agent? Ask me! Join me for my "How to Get a Literary Agent" webinar on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009 - and learn about queries, proposals, synopses, submissions, research and much more.

Want to contribute a guest column like this one? Write to me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk.

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

The 'Flight of the Navigator' Synopsis

Chuck — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:16:45 GMT

I always tell people that if they're confused as to how a novel synopsis
should look, simply go to Wikipedia. Search any movie made in the last five years and the first thing on the page is the long "Plot" section, which is essentially a front-to-back synopsis. A lot of them are too long; a lot of them are poorly written; but some are good, and you will get a sense of how they work. Or—you could just let find good ones for you and edit them a bit.

This time it's Flight of the Navigator. In book terms, this would be considered fun middle grade, considering the protagonist is 12. More specifically, it would probably be a science fiction adventure. Concerning this synopsis, I cut all out mentions that Max's home planet was called Phaelon. I cut all info about how the craft could fly at high speeds. I left in one little moment about the freefall, because I felt it showed David's arc in taking control of the situation after starting as a guinea pig at NASA. I had to lose a lot of specifics about how Max got stuck on Earth and what exactly he did with David's brain. You're starting to see a pattern here - cut, combine, cut, combine, cut. Smooth and fast—that's how a short synopsis has to look.

Twelve-year-old DAVID FREEMAN is trekking through the woods at night when he falls into a ravine and blacks out. Waking a short time later, David heads home only to find an older couple in his house and no visible trace of his parents or brother. Police arrive and start asking questions, but David’s answers are met with puzzlement. His parents are located in a nearby city in Florida, but upon meeting them, David is shocked to see they have visibly aged. He faints and is taken to a hospital. There, he has a conversation with his younger (now older) brother, JEFF, who explains that eight years have passed since that night in the woods and David was declared dead long ago. Everyone in the family is overjoyed with this miraculous reunion, though no one can explain David’s disappearance or lack of aging.

NASA official DR. FARADAY arrives at David’s home and asks for testing. David agrees. At the NASA base, David receives garbled messages in his head, apparently coming from something or someone in a nearby hangar. During tests, Faraday discovers that David’s brain now holds incredible amounts of information related to a strange flying craft, galaxy maps, bizarre languages, and more. Faraday theorizes that an alien spacecraft picked up David in the woods and took him to another galaxy and back. The light-speed trip only took four hours, but everyone on Earth aged eight years. Scared at this revelation, David runs out of the testing room, screaming that he wants his old life back. He hears more from the voice, and follows its directions to a hangar. There, he discovers the spacecraft his mind projected on screens earlier. Inside, he meets the ship’s robotic pilot, whom he nicknames MAX.

Max escapes the base with David onboard. It turns out that David, along with creatures from other planets, was taken for study on Max’s peaceful home planet. Unlike usual, Max did not return David to his original timeline (eight years prior), fearing that humans as a species are too delicate to survive time travel. While Max explains how he got caught in power lines trying to leave Earth (then captured by NASA), David takes a liking to a small friendly creature whose home planet was destroyed by a comet.

David and Max realize they both need each other to get home. David needs Max to pilot to Florida, and Max needs star chart information in David's head to navigate back to his home galaxy. Max performs a scan of David's subconscious to extract the information but accidentally gets some of David’s memories and personality. Max’s voice immediately changes, becoming less robotic and more humorous and erratic. David and Max bicker as to their next course of action, to which Max's response is to shut down in a freefall, forcing David to take control and drive the ship. The two bond, and David heads for his family in Fort Lauderdale, though Max warns him NASA will anticipate this move.

They locate David’s house when Jeff sets off fireworks from the roof. David’s initial happiness to see home wears off when he discovers NASA is waiting for him for more "guinea pig tests." He urges Max to return him to his own timeline, despite the danger. Max and David share a heartfelt good-bye, having become friends. Max speeds up the ship until David passes out. Awakening in the ravine like before, David walks home and finds everything the way he left it. He hugs his family (yes, even his little brother Jeff) and gets a pleasant souvenir from his adventure: The "orphaned" alien creature he bonded with seems to have stowed away in his backpack.

Want more on this subject?

Read about Everything You Need to Know to Write a Novel Synopsis.

Concerning names and backstory in a synopsis.

Read another good synopsis: Peggy Sue Got Married.

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

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

Agent Advice: Kate Schafer Testerman of KT Literary

Chuck — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:01:16 GMT

Agent Interview by

contributor Kerrie Flanagan

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

This installment features Kate Schafer Testerman with KT Literary. After nearly ten years with industry powerhouse agency Janklow & Nesbit Associates, Kate formed kt literary in early 2008, where she concentrates on middle grade and YA fiction as well as diving into some adult commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction. Bringing to bear the experience of working with a large agency, she’s looking forward to concentrating on all aspects of working with her authors, offering hands-on experience, personal service, and a surfeit of optimism.

She is looking for: "brilliant, funny, original middle grade and young adult fiction, both literary and commercial; witty women’s fiction; and pop-culture narrative nonfiction. Quirky is good. Please note: at this time we do not represent picture books."

GLA: How did you become an agent?

KST: Perseverance, and being given a chance. I was working in the foreign rights department of a literary agency as an assistant, doing my job as it was required, but always eager to take on more responsibility. Over time, I was promoted to handle foreign rights on agency titles on my own, and as I did that, I also continued to volunteer to do more, especially in the realm of kids books. Eventually (and yes, this whole process took about nine years), I signed clients of my own.

GLA: What misconceptions do people have about agents who don’t live in New York?

KST: Very few, I find! I hear more and more lately about agents that aren't located in New York. With technology such as it is, it's almost easier today for me to stay in touch with people 1,600 miles away than a few years ago, when I was only six blocks away. One thing I do come across sometimes is when authors think if they live in Colorado, they need to have a Colorado literary agent. There's benefits, I guess, but I don't consider an author's location when deciding to sign them. And as an author, I wouldn't worry too much about an agent's location either.

GLA: What do you do to stay in contact with editors/publishers when you are back home in Colorado?

KST: My best tools? Facebook and Twitter! That, and regular e-mails and phone calls to check on submissions, and catch up on anything new and exciting.

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

KST: I just placed a YA novel with vintage photographs with Quirk Books. The author, Ransom Riggs, is an amazing photographer, with a a long history of interest in found photos—this novel will place that interest in the character of a young boy who discovers "orphaned" photos—in more ways than one.

GLA: Do you have any exciting news to share about current clients?

KST: I do! Maureen Johnson's forthcoming series about a British ghost police force has been sold in Germany, France, and Italy, with pending deals in two other territories! Plus, we're thrilled to be working again with Brilliance Audio on an audio edition of the series.

GLA: What are you looking for right now and not getting?

KST: Fantastic middle grade novels. I feel like my cup runneth over a bit in terms of the quality and quantity of YA submissions I receive, but I would love to see more great middle grade novels, particularly those you'd call "boy books."

GLA: What are you tired of seeing?

KST: Guardian angels, vampires, werewolves, and the over-used idea of a main character who suddenly discovers they're the only one in the world (or multi-verse) who can save X.

GLA: You represent mostly middle-grade and YA, but on your website you say you are open to some adult fiction. What does an adult fiction novel have to have for you to say yes?

KST: I think it would need to be compulsively readable and character-driven. In my free time, I love reading Nora Roberts and Jennifer Crusie and Sophie Kinsella—they write characters that I become emotionally involved with, and plots that make me keep turning pages. Plus, humor. It's got to be funny—or at least have a sense of humor about itself. I feel like I gravitate right now to characters in their late 20s or 30s—not just the wife and mom who's looking to make a fresh start because of something that happened, but bigger idea books.

GLA: What is a common mistake you see in the middle-grade/YA submissions you receive?

KST: In queries, telling me what happens without spending time allowing me to invest in the character. Without that connection, I don't care what happens. I also hate being told that that everything out there in the market is bad, or that the author couldn't find anything good to read, so they decided to write a book themselves. It's insulting to me and to my clients.

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

KST: I don't have any scheduled at this point, but if any of your readers are organizing conferences, I'd love to be considered. I've meet several clients through conferences, and really enjoy going to them.

GLA: What is something about yourself writers would be surprised to know?

KST: I'm not sure there's anything they don't know already! I put a lot of myself on my website, blog, and Twitter feed, so writers who follow me already know I used to work at a Renaissance Faire, belong to a coed bowling league, am going for my White Belt in Nia, and have a serious crush on Nathan Fillion. I guess one thing I don't speak too much about is my own interest in writing. It's on the backburner right now while I concentrate on building kt literary and working with my clients, but some day I'm sure I'll focus on it again. I think having some experience as a writer myself helps me be a better agent.

GLA: When writers first contact you, what do you want them to send and how?

KST: In a query, I ask for a letter pitching their book and a little about themselves, plus the first three pages of their manuscript. If I like that, I'll ask for the first five chapters and a full synopsis. If I like that and still want to read more, I'll ask for the full manuscript. I'm always amazed when someone thinks they have a better idea of what I want to see than I do. But seriously, five non-sequential chapters from somewhere in the middle of your book aren't it.

GLA: What advice do you have for new writers?

KST: Read everything you can get your hands on! Read novels in your genre, read books about writing, read author blogs. And know that just finishing a manuscript, while a personal triumph, doesn't mean your novel is ready to be shopped. Learn to love to edit, and find a critique group.

This agent interview by Kerrie Flanagan,
director of Northern Colorado Writers and
a freelance writer. Visit her blog, The Writing Bug.

Want more on this subject?

Agent interview: Michelle Brower of Folio Literary Management.

Agent interview: Elizabeth Pomada of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents.

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

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

Agent Elana Roth Calls for Children's Submissions

Chuck — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:33:54 GMT

Agent Elana Roth of the Caren Johnson Literary Agency recently made a call on the CJLA blog for more kids submissions. See the details below. She is looking for more good middle grade and young adult. Read on to learn more!

Elana Roth

ELANA'S WISH LIST:

1. Middle-grade novels. I have been reading a ton of awesome MG novels lately. When You Reach Me is perfect. I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President (which I guess some people are calling YA, but the kid is in 7th grade, so dammit, I'm calling it MG) is cracking me up. So send me something with a strong hook and a great voice, and make it good. Think big.

2. Non-paranormal YA. I've had so many "I see ghosts" books cross my desk, that even if you are reinventing the hook, I can't see it anymore. I don't mind fantasy, or sci-fi elements, but bear in mind, I like my YA reality-based with a splash of those things. Go read Candor if you really want to get a sense of my taste. So give me a twisty YA, give me a voice I haven't heard before, a vision of the future I haven't seen yet, a POV that hasn't been touched on (I'm still waiting for the YA version of the movie Saved! to cross my desk).

Want more on this topic?

New agent seeking kids stuff: Teresa Kietlinski of Prospect Agency.

New agent seeking kids stuff: Beth Fleisher of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

New agent seeking kids stuff: Adriana Dominguez of Full Circle Literary.

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

Interview with agent Jeffrey McGraw (The August Agency).

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

Agent Advice: Chris Richman of Upstart Crow Literary

Chuck — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:36:56 GMT

"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 Chris Richman of Upstart Crow Literary. Chris received his undergraduate degree in professional writing from Elizabethtown College, and an MA in Writing from Rowan University. A former playwright, contributor to The Onion, and sketch comedy writer, Chris broke into agenting in 2008 and has sold several projects.

He is looking for: "Chris is actively building his list, enjoys working with debut writers, and is primarily interested in middle grade and young adult fiction, with a special interest in books for boys, books with unforgettable characters, and fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously."

GLA: How did you become an agent?

CR: In 2008 I was a 25-year old writer desperate for a career in books who decided I had to move to NYC to make it happen. I brought my life savings and applied to every editorial position I could find. Then, on a whim, I applied for an internship with Firebrand Literary (who had already passed on a novel of mine). They let me come in and assist for a few weeks before deciding I had potential. They offered me a position and two months later, I sold my first project. It's been a bit of a whirlwind ever since.

GLA: Tell us about this move to Upstart Crow.

CR: Working with the great Michael Stearns was one of the main reasons I initially took a position at Firebrand, so it was an easy choice to join him at Upstart Crow. I've been told our love of books and authors shines through on our website, blog, and in the general way we speak about the agency, and I can say with confidence that it's no act or way of endearing ourselves to potential clients. We simply love books and want to do the best by them. It's wonderful being at an agency where the focus shines directly on the books and the writers.

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

CR: Lately we've been focused on selling lots of subrights on projects. It's been great to sell projects in foreign territories, like Jacqueline West's forthcoming The Books of Elsewhere series. In the states, it'll come out in June of 2010 from Dial.

GLA: Your history is as a playwright and comedy sketch writer. How does this influence your tastes and the way you read?

CR: My experience with comedy, though probably not as impressive as it sounds, has made me extremely picky with "funny" manuscripts. It takes a lot to make me laugh, so when something does, I find it extremely gratifying. However, I think sometimes people are a bit intimidated by my background in comedy, especially considering I briefly contributed to The Onion, but I'm here to assure you that 1) I'm not as funny as I think I am and 2) if you can hook me with humor, I'll be a terrific advocate for your work.

GLA: Before we get into your love for kids work, tell me: Do you rep any adult works?

CR: When I first started agenting, I though I might dabble in adult works. I imagined myself selling humor or sports books. I've learned, however, that it's incredibly hard to "dabble" in the world of publishing. I've decided that if I can't go into something 100%, it's better to stick with what I really know. For me, that's kid's books.

GLA: You seek YA and MG. Besides a soft spot for boy books, what else can you tell us about your preferences? What do you see too much of? What do you see too little of?"

CR: I'm definitely looking for projects with something timeless at their core, whether it's the emotional connection a reader feels to the characters, or the universal humor, or issues that are relevant now and will still be relevant years from now. Can readers truly understand what it's like to be the prince of Denmark? Probably not, but they can identify with feeling disconnected from a dead loved one and the anger at watching him be replaced by a conniving uncle. I want stories that, no matter what the setting, feel true in some way to the reader.
I definitely see too many people trying to be something else. I used to make the mistake of listing Roald Dahl as one of my favorite writers from my childhood, but I've found that just inspires a bunch of Dahl knockoffs. And trust me, it's tough to imitate the greats. I get far too many emulations of Dahl, Snicket, Rowling, and whatever else has worked in the past. It's one thing to aspire to greatness; it's another to imitate it. I want people who can appeal to me in the same way as successful writers of yore, with a style that's their own.
I see too few writers willing to take chances. I just finished Markus Zusak's wonderful novel The Book Thief. It breaks so many so-called rules for kids books - there are tons of adult characters and POVs, it's a
historical at heart, and it's narrated by Death for crying out loud. It's one of the best young adult novels I've read recently.

GLA: What are some Chapter 1 clichés you often come across when reading a partial?

CR: One of my biggest pet peeves is when writers try to stuff too much
exposition into dialogue rather than trusting their abilities as
storytellers to get information across. I'm talking stuff like the mom
saying, "Listen, Jimmy, I know you've missed your father ever since he died in that mysterious boating accident last year, but I'm telling you, you'll love this summer camp!" So often writers feel like they have to hook the reader write away. In some ways that's true, but in others you can hook a reader with things other than explosions and big secrets being revealed. Good, strong writing and voice can do it, too.

GLA: Tell me more about "fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously." Help define this more so people understand what and what not to send you.

CR: When I was younger, I went through a big fantasy kick. I read Robert Jordan and Tolkein and the combo of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. There's definitely a place for those types of books, but I now find myself drawn more to fantasy that's more fun. The thing about Twilight is that it's not fun at all. If you're going to send me fantasy, I want there to be more than an epic quest and worlds in peril and all that, if I'm going to take on any at all.

GLA: I know Michael (Ted, too?) reps kids books. Do you find yourself
discussing and passing along different projects in this new community
atmosphere?

CR: We definitely discuss projects at Upstart Crow. Before signing new
clients, in fact, we generally share a synopsis and sample chapters with the rest of the team, including Danielle Chiotti, our adult expert. It's always great to have another set of eyes on a project to make sure that it's not only good, but saleable.

GLA: Is Publishers Weekly right? Are vampires out and angels in? Regardless, is it fair to say there will always be a big call for "paranormal," though the specific paranormal item (zombies, vampires, werewolves) is in flux?

CR: I think people are saying that angels are "in" because of a few projects that have just pubbed or are about to, like Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush or Lauren Kate's Fallen. These things come in cycles, though, and more vampire books are coming out each season. I really think some things, like certain types of monsters, will always stay in fashion in one way or another, as long as the mythology stays interesting and there's romance at the core. Or comedy, like with zombies, because they're really funny.

GLA: What's something writers would be surprised to learn about you personally?

CR: That before becoming an agent, some of the ways I made money were by: waiting tables, teaching at a community college, writing jokes, writing about fantasy sports, bartending, and acting in a dinner theater.

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

CR: I'll be doing several SCBWI events over the next few months. Look for me at the Metro NYC in November, Princeton in February, North Carolina next September, and many other places. We keep an updated calendar online that we'll be adding more to soon.

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

CR: Take your time with your stories, listen to feedback, and, when you have a real winner, send it to me!

Want more on this subject?

Agent interview: Michelle Brower of Folio Literary Management.

Interview with agent Phil Lang (Reece Halsey North/Kimberly Cameron).

What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

What Agents Hate: Even More Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

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

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: Mary Kole of Andrea Brown Literary

Chuck — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:42:12 GMT

About Mary: She is a new associate agent at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and runs the KidLit blog. In her quest to learn all sides of publishing, she has also worked in the children's editorial department at Chronicle Books and is currently earning her MFA in creative writing at the University of San Francisco. Mary's passion is editorial work. When she's not reading manuscripts and queries, she's devouring books by some of her favorite authors, like Laurie Halse Anderson, Libba Bray, Sara Zarr, Jake Wizner, M.T. Anderson, Scott Westerfeld, Frank Portman, Neil Gaiman, Rick Riordan, Elizabeth Scott, Lauren Myracle, E. Lockhart and others.

Seeking: "young adult and middle grade novels and truly exceptional picturebooks. She's seeking fresh, unique voices and idiosyncratic characters who, by book's end, she knows like a friend. Her favorite stories are character-driven but well-plotted—a mix of fast pacing, emotional resonance and beautiful writing. Boy books, girl books, first person, third person, it doesn't matter. She's looking for a literary spark with commercial appeal. While she's not interested in high fantasy, science fiction, thrillers or horror, she would love to consider realistic/contemporary, urban fantasy and fantasy/adventure, historical, paranormal and mystery manuscripts. One of her favorite genres is magical realism: a story set firmly in our world, only with a twist—magic, danger or something that turns "reality" on its ear—to make things more interesting. Favorite themes include: family, home, unlikely heroes, discovering one's voice, finding one's equilibrium after a big life event."

How to submit: E-queries only to Mary@andreabrownlit.com. If you haven't heard anything in 8 weeks, please assume that she is passing on your project. For picture books, include query and full ms. For fiction, include query and first 10 pages pasted in e-mail. No phone calls please.

Want more on this subject?

New agent seeking kids stuff: Adriana Dominguez.

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

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

Successful Queries: Agent Joanna Stampfel-Volpe and 'Sway'

Chuck — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:44:46 GMT

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

The 19th installment in this series is with agent Joanna Stampfel Volpe (Nancy Coffey Literary) and her author, Amber McRee Turner, for her book, Sway, which was just recently sold to Hyperion/Disney.

In lieu of the book cover (forthcoming),
how about this photo of Amber Turner (right)
and her mom, Pat. Credit: Skirt! Memphis.

Dear Ms. Volpe,

Eleven-year-old Cass Nordenhauer had always been bundled in the admiration she felt for her mother’s storm clean-up work with the Southern Mobile Aid Response Team. Her pride rises near flood level when Mom announces her enrollment in meteorology school, where Toodi Bleu Nordenhauer plans to become “Toodi Bleu Skies.” Not so honorable, it turns out, is a soon-to-be-famous mother whose dream will be financed by a new man. Or better yet, a news man.

Reeling emotionally from the storm caused by her mom’s betrayal, Cass is sentenced to a summer ride-along with her seemingly lackluster dad, Douglas Nordenhauer, seller of frozen meats. When Cass reluctantly boards her new world-on-wheels, an old RV nicknamed “The Roast,” she’s increasingly captivated by the mysterious objects she finds – a freshly-glittered wagon, a trunk full of smelly shoes, a tambourine dripping with ribbons, and a unique method of navigation, Ye Olde Sneaker Reacher. It’s when Cass is introduced to her dad’s alter ego, “Make Believe McClean, Traveling Soap Sliver Salesman,” that she realizes she’s in for no run-of-the-mill beef jerky road trip. M.B. McClean wears a snug lime-striped suit. He sings Gordon Lightfoot. He’s got a suitcase full of magical soap slivers, and a whole lot of sway. And in one summer, M.B. McClean will escort his daughter from wonder to disgust and back home again, where Cass’ own special sway can take root.

Sway, a contemporary middle grade novel, is the story of a season with Cass and Make Believe McClean and the wounded-but-wise characters they meet along the way. It’s an adventure sudsy with southern gothic appeal, filled with arm-wrestling ghosts, sunken bumper boats, tumped port-o-potties, and fruity-chewy wax lips. It’s about the power of old soaps and lost shoes and how just the right combination of the two allow Cass to wash her hands of the past and look toward a future foaming with magic … with a new appreciation for “1 big can of lye.”

In 1993, I received a degree in Fiction Writing from Rhodes College, where I won both the Jane Donaldson Kepple writing prize and the Memphis Magazine fiction contest student award. I’ve had soap sliver sway oozing out my ears since that year. Thank you, Ms. Volpe, for your consideration of this query. At your request, I will be happy to send along part of the story, which is complete at 32,900 words.

Regards,

Amber McRee Turner

Commentary from Joanna

Every time I read it, I'm reminded that I love, love this query just so darn much. Here's why: the voice. Every sentence of this query is just oozing with eleven-year-old Cass Nordenhauer's voice. The play on words and witty but child-like descriptions caught me immediately. So I just had to request the manuscript to see if it delivered, and it did.

Not every query has to convey your protagonist's voice to be successful. But this story isn't high concept, it isn't super commercial and it isn't about vampires—so it's not exactly easy to pitch the plot and sound interesting. It's about a girl whose mom leaves. She goes on a forced-summer road trip with her least favorite parent—Dad. She learns a lesson. Their relationship grows. Sounds real interesting, right? Well, no. No it doesn't.

But what makes this story stand out is the honest voice, the beautiful prose, the real-to-life but still unbelievable twists and turns that Cass and her dad take along the way. Amber had to show this in her letter to make it stand out, and she certainly did. Now, typically I don't love a third paragraph that tells me why this story is wonderful. I usually like the summary to just speak for itself. But in this query Amber did something else that worked. She wrote that paragraph in Cass' voice too.

So for those of you out there telling a coming-of-age type story (sans vampires or zombies), one way to make your query stand out is by letting that voice really shine in your query. Introduce us to your main character right away. Let him or her make us stand up and take note. I think Amber proves that it can work!

Want more on this subject?

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

Successful Queries: (Kids/YA) "Wake"

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

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

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

Agent Sara Crowe's Call for Young Adult Submissions

Chuck — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:23:16 GMT

Sara Crowe, an agent with Harvey Klinger, Inc, recently posted an in-depth post concerning exactly what she looks for in a young adult submission. Fascinating stuff, considering this is exactly the kind of thing writers need to see to pinpoint the best fits for their work.

Here's some example text from the post: "I am sure I have said in some places that I am not looking for fantasy or historical - but that is not quite true. I don’t rule anything out because its historical or fantastical. Contemporary often speaks more to me because I respond to the realism of that writing, its emotional truth, but when a story is out of this world and fantastical, it can still work for me - as long as I can believe in the characters and the world they are living in." See the entire post here.

Want more on this topic?

New agent seeking kids stuff: Teresa Kietlinski of Prospect Agency.

New agent seeking kids stuff: Beth Fleisher of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

New agent seeking kids stuff: Adriana Dominguez of Full Circle Literary.

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

Examine great high concept hooks for children's books.

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

Agent Advice: Erin Murphy of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency, Inc. (Part II)

Chuck — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:14:15 GMT

This interview with Erin is
Part II. Read Part I here.

"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 kids agent Erin Murphy of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency, Inc . Erin specializes in kids book and has agented for 10 years. She's based in Arizona.

She is seeking: Erin has a unique submission policy and only likes queries from writers she has met at one time or another, or writers who come through an impressive referral. She seeks kids books—young adult, middle grade and picture books.

How Do You Wokka-Wokka?
is a picture book Erin represented.

GLA: Let's talk picture books. These are very difficult to get published, it seems. What can writers do to enhance their chances?

EM: I know it sounds simplistic, but write the very best picture books you can. I think the market contraction has been a good thing, for the most part. I'm only selling the very best picture books my clients write—but I'm definitely selling them. Picture books are generally skewing young, and have been for some time, so focus on strong read-alouds and truly kid-friendly styles. I'm having a lot of luck with projects that have the feel of being created by an author-illustrator even if the author is not an artist, in that they're fairly simple, have all kinds of room for fun and interpretation in the illustrations, and have a lot of personality.
    A year or two ago, I had an early inkling that meatier, more story-based picture books might be coming back around, but then the economy crashed and that went out the window. It will happen eventually, and I will be glad, because I love those stories, too, but they're darned hard to sell right now.
    I see a lot of picture book manuscripts that depend too heavily on dialogue, which tends to give them the feel of a chapter book or middle-grade novel. The style isn't a picture book style.

GLA: Kids writing is one of those worlds where plenty of people still go straight to editors and sell things. Do you find that agented writers can secure better deals and advances?

EM: Well, I'd hope so, or we agents aren't doing our jobs! But having an agent is definitely not required to be successful in children's books, and advances aren't the only (or even the best) way to measure success. It's a very personal decision.

GLA: Do you also take submissions for juvenile nonfiction?

EM: I do represent nonfiction projects; Chris Barton is a primary example from my client list. One of the sales I'm currently negotiating for another client is for a middle-grade nonfiction piece. I don't ever picture a time when a huge percentage of my clients are focused in this area, though, and I already work with a few writers of nonfiction, so the odds are lower there for new writers subbing to me.

GLA: You have an associate agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette. Does she have different tastes readers need to know about? Same submission procedure?

EM: Same submission policy. Our tastes overlap quite a bit, so the agency identity didn't drastically change when Joan came on board, but of course we do have some differences. I'd say the main similarity is that we both love heart-driven stories. Joan is really talented with rhymed and metered picture book texts; I know a good one when I see it, but Joan is terrific with these and getting them into really strong shape. She is more drawn to paranormal YA, dystopian, and the like than I am; I am more open to historical (so long as it's not purely historical-for-the-sake-of-the-setting).

GLA: You've been in business for many years as an agent and editor. How do you see the industry and kids books changing? What do serious writers need to know?

EM: I think the thing I'm most focused on now is that the industry requires you to hone your craft. For many years, SCBWI was all about learning the market, and that's definitely important—but it seems to be harder and harder to find writers who have really let themselves sink into their craft, into developing as writers, and give the process the time that it takes.

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

EM: I am not scheduled for any conferences in 2010, I'm afraid—and I hope to keep it that way so I can conquer this reading pile at last! The next conference I'm scheduled for is SCBWI Florida in Miami in January 2011. Joan will be at Missouri SCBWI on March 20, 2010, and NESCBWI on May 14-15, 2010.

GLA: Will you accept queries from those who don't meet you at conferences? Or is it best to meet you first or have a connection? Either way, what do you want to see and how do you want to see it?

EM: I have a pretty closed submission policy, which allows me to spend most of my time focused on my current clients. I don't accept unsolicited queries or submissions. If you go to a conference where I speak, or if you have a referral from someone I know, I will be happy to take a look. I prefer queries via e-mail.
        By the way, I don't put an expiration date on the offer for conference attendees. I'd much rather that a writer wait until a submission is truly ready than rush and get something undercooked to me in a certain window. I've received queries and submissions from people I met at conferences years ago, and I really respect the confidence it takes to reach out after all that time. I also find that those people have had long enough to get to know the business and develop their craft that they are generally more ready for representation.

GLA: What's something writers would be surprised to learn about you personally?

EM: Hmm! That's a hard one! Well, I just mentioned to a group at the Southern Ohio SCBWI Conference that I have a famous relative, so this won't be surprising to those folks, but perhaps it will for others: Allison DuBois, the Phoenix psychic who inspires the Patricia Arquette character on the TV show "Medium," is my second cousin through my maternal grandmother. At the beginning of her book Don't Kiss Them Goodbye, she talks about the great-grandfather who appeared to her after he died when she was a child, and was her first experience with the afterlife; that was my great-grandfather, too (and I had my own weird experience at his wife's, my great-grandmother's, funeral a few years later!). If she and I have met, though, it was when I was too young to remember; we haven't crossed paths as adults. I like to claim relational psychic ability when it's handy, though!
        Oh! And I can't wear a watch, because I make it stop, and it can't be started again; my maternal grandmother is the same way, so there's definitely something unusual going on in the DNA on that side of the family.

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

EM: Claim your spot in this world of children's publishing with confidence. Read what is coming out now; take advantages of the industry resources and insights the Internet provides; network how you can; stay in touch with the things that interest kids, and with kids themselves. But write for you, above all else. If you don't appeal to your own inner child, how will you ever be happy writing for kids?

Erin Murphy

Want more on this topic?

Interview: Kids agent Joe Monti of Goldblatt Literary.

New agency seeking kids work: Rodeen Literary Management.

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

Examine great high concept hooks for children's books.

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

Agent Advice: Erin Murphy of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency, Inc. (Part I)

Chuck — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:38:57 GMT

This interview with Erin is
Part I. Here is Part II.

"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 kids agent Erin Murphy of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency, Inc . Erin specializes in kids book and has agented for 10 years. She's based in Arizona.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

EM: I was editor-in-chief at Northland Publishing and its children's imprint, Rising Moon, here in Flagstaff, Ariz., before going out on my own as a freelance editor. When lots of children's writers reached out to me and asked me to critique their manuscripts, distill/interpret comments they'd received from editors, and the like, it was a short hop to helping them sell the manuscripts to publishers. I didn't set out to become an agent, but it turned out to be a good fit for me. I love my job.

GLA: What are some sales you're excited about?

EM: I keep my recent sales list updated at Publishers Marketplace. I am so excited about the releases my clients have coming out early in 2010—it's going to be a banner year!
       Really lively, fun picture books: Jean Reidy's Too Purpley!, Chris Barton's Shark vs. Train, Audrey Vernick's Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?
    Great chapter books and middle grade: new Theodosia and Nathaniel Fludd books by R.L. LaFevers; the latest Effie Malone book by Mary Hershey; stunning debuts from Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (Eighth-Grade Superzero) and Sarah DeFord Williams (Palace Beautiful); Laura Resau's first middle-grade story, Star in the Forest (Laura's YA, The Indigo Notebook just released last week!)
        Keep-you-riveted YA novels: The second half of the Oathbreaker duo, Prince Among Killers, by S.R. Vaught and J.B. Redmond; debut YA author C.J. Omololu's Dirty Little Secrets, about the daughter of a hoarder; the latest gorgeous read from Heather Tomlinson, Toads and Diamonds.

GLA: Why do you love kids books? What draws you to them?

EM: I love the clear connection between story and reader. There are so rarely filters the reader has to work through, layers of pretense or literary ambiguity that makes reading a scholarly exercise—but re-reading brings new meaning and new understanding, so it doesn't have a lack of richness. Emotion is so clear, whether it is pain or delight. Reading children's literature feels like tapping into something primal. I constantly have in mind the new readers out there, coming to new books; it is so satisfying to help writers to reach them!

GLA: Concerning YA and MG, what do you find yourself drawn to?

EM: Unforgettable characters; stories with heart; emotional transformation; strong relationships; laughter; tight plots that surprise me; worlds I don't want to leave. I like to connect with the protagonist, so disaffected characters have to let the reader behind the mask to catch my heart. I don't tend to get on the bandwagon—I'd rather turn the conventional story or the hot new thing on its head—so I'm rarely intrigued by a pitch along the lines of "Twilight meets X" or "the next A-List." I've been seeing a lot of stories for middle-graders that feel as though they would have fit in perfectly with new releases ten or twenty years ago; they are missing a freshness and a smartness that today's successful middle-grade stories need to have. For YA, I see a lot of stories that are supposedly about teens, but the characters feel 11 or 12 to me.
        I'd love to see solid, well-constructed mysteries with strong characters for either age; more romance (sweet young love for middle-grade, intense sparking for teens); and characters who reflect the splendid diversity of today's children (multicultural, biracial, homosexual, struggling with gender issues; with single parents, gay parents, grandparents doing the parenting; with half-siblings, siblings much older or younger than themselves; in nontraditional situations like house-sharing or single parents filling in for each other to cover gaps; religious, spiritually seeking, or forging their own spiritual paths) in a way that is fully integrated into character and story, not tacked on, not preachy, and not treated as a problem.
        I tend to like fiction that others might find "too quiet," but encourage writers to find a way to give them hooks—which doesn't mean throw in a werewolf or change the setting to somewhere more hip, it means give the story something to hang a description on, something that makes for an eye-catching cover and title. Can you still describe it in one sentence even if it's character-driven and quiet? With the right "something," yes.

GLA: What are some problematic chapter 1 clichés that you see often in a YA/MG partial?

EM: The biggest thing is starting in the wrong place—either having lots of backstory at the opening, which keeps readers from engaging, or conversely, starting so much in the moment of the story that, again, it's hard to connect with the main character. It can be hard to give enough context and get the story moving at the same time. The other thing I see a lot is "talking heads"—all dialogue, no narrative.

GLA: If someone was chatting you with over dinner and said they have a story but don't understand the line between MG and YA, how would you explain the difference?

EM: Is there a line? It seems to me there is scale more than a line. An editor said to me recently that if the main character is 14, it automatically gets shelved in YA in the chain stores. There's a line. But I work with authors whose light and wholesome novels, with teen MCs, are read mostly by tweens; and others whose novels are populated by middle graders going through such intense experiences that the readership skews to the high end of MG/low end of YA.
        In my mind, the best people to decide who the readers are for any particular book are the kids themselves, and the teachers and librarians who know the kids they work with, and who stay abreast of what is happening in today's juvenile literature. I try to focus on helping my clients making their stories the best stories they can be, rather than fitting them into boxes. The line sometimes feels like a moving target, and the writer has little control over it; better to focus on what you can control, which is how good it is.
        That said, characters should feel as though they are truly the age they are supposed to be—and that age *today*. Kids are more savvy than they used to be even five or ten years ago. They are exposed to more and more at a younger age. Writers should respect their readership accordingly.

My Fair Godmother

Want more on this topic?

Interview: Kids agent Joe Monti of Goldblatt Literary.

New agency seeking kids work: Rodeen Literary Management.

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

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

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: Shelli Johannes-Wells

Chuck — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:58:28 GMT

This installment of "How I Got
My Agent" is by Shelli Johannes-Wells.
Shelli recently wrote her first novels
for children and her agent is trying
to sell her books.

EARLY ROADBLOCKS

I had never written a day in my life unless you consider my nutrition essay that won an Elementary state competition. Somehow, I don't think that counts. Even though I was doing business writing and spent 18 years in marketing, I never dreamed of being a fiction writer until I got pregnant with my first child. When I had my daughter in 2004, I took five months off. One day, I got an idea and started writing during her naps and late at night. Soon, I queried with my first draft (a big no-no, right?). I did a mass mailing without researching anyone! (another big no-no!) and rightfully received more than 100 form letter rejections from agents/editors. However, my manuscript ended up at acquisition meetings at two different houses. Unfortunately, it didn't make it.

I got frustrated and threw in the pen. Shelved my manuscript and turned off the computer. I mean, who was I kidding? I can't be a writer when I have never taken a creative writing class. Who did I think I was? I went back to working in marketing but something was missing now. In late 2006, I got pregnant with my son (do you see a trend?). I got another idea and started writing again. This time, I got more serious and joined SCBWI. For many personal reasons, I couldn't finish it. In the meantime, I wrote a tween non-fiction book that went to acquisitions at a huge brand name house but also didn't made it. I was so frustrated, I gave up again.

March 2008: I went to a conference where I actually talked to people and met Jessica Dehart. She and I started an informal critique group! This fabulous group of writers helped me finish the book and in 6 months it was ready for submission.

MAYBE - JUST MAYBE

Oct 2008: I queried a few agents. An agent replied, saying she liked my voice and setting, but hated the plot. More personal rejections followed saying the same thing. I sent out another round and waited. To prevent myself from going crazy, I needed to keep busy so I started my marketing blog to help other authors better market their book. I also began another book. I immersed myself in the industry and learned as much as I could. I did interviews with editors and agents and began building a platform. (My marketing blog got 40,000 hits in nine months!)

One of my blogger friends e-mailed me after seeing my blurbs and recommended her agent. This was so sweet because she had never met me; she just liked my writing. I sent my manuscript to her agent. A few weeks later, I got a promising letter saying, she " loved my characters, voice, and setting, but absolutely hated the plot." Same comment! The huge difference in this rejection was that at the bottom she said "if you revise it, I might be inclined to review it again.

Might?!

That was all I needed. A chance. Some hope. Since I had already gotten similar feedback, I decided to revise. I dove in and spent the next few months reoutlining and totally redoing my book. I changed the premise, rethought the plot, and reWrote (not revised!) about 70,000 words - all because of that one chance No guarantee, just a shot!

SUCCESS WITH ALYSSA

In April of 2009, I sent the agent my revised book. While I waited, I went against all advice and re-queried (another no-no!) the few agents who had sent me personal rejections (my current agent was one of these lucky few :) I asked if I could resubmit and I outlined all the changes I had made. I also pitched the new book I was working on. (which again, is a no-no!) Lucky for me, they'd forgotten the "rules." Within a couple days, they all e-mailed me requesting not only my revised book, but also the first 50 pages of the new book I was working on.

Within a few weeks, I got an e-mail from the agent "who might review my book again," saying she wanted to speak with me on the phone. That sent off a series of crazy events. She scheduled a call and offered me representation. I loved her and almost accepted her offer straight out but a writer friend told me to let the other agents know first. So I did. Then I got a barrage of emails requesting to speak with me on the phone! I ended up interviewing several agents about offers of representation. Somehow, I was suddenly in a position where several agents wanted me! And now, I got to choose. What? That really happens?

A few days later, I chose Alyssa Eisner Henkin from Trident Media Group. Why? Because she had passion for my work. She had a very specific plan for both of the books she read, and we clicked. Being the optimistic pessimist that I am, I needed someone who was positive, and passionate. My tween angel book is just now going out on submission to some key editors. Having Alyssa by my side has been wonderful and worth the long journey. My advice is keep going. One day I was a frustrated writer and the next I woke up to multiple offers of representation. And you know what? When I got up that morning, I had no idea That Day was going to be The Day.

Want more on this topic?

Agent Elaine Spencer talks queries.

How to write a query letter - the three parts.

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

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

Agent Advice: Amy Tipton of Signature Literary

Chuck — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:42:07 GMT

"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 Amy Tipton of Signature Literary. Formerly, Amy was with FinePrint Literary Management.

She is seeking: Amy is looking for both fiction and nonfiction–edgy or quirky, commercial or literary–in particular, she is interested in YA, middle grade, and women’s fiction. In nonfiction she is looking for women’s studies/academia, fashion/beauty, and pop culture.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

AT: Peter Rubie. He encouraged me to take on clients when I was just an assistant. I was terrified! I had no idea I would love it so much.

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

AT: Janet Reid sold The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab to Hyperion/Disney on my behalf at FinePrint Literary Management. I’ve sold YAs to Saint Martin’s Press and Simon Pulse.

GLA: I read online that you're looking for gritty urban fiction. This still true? If so, can you give readers a few examples of books you love so they can get a feel for what to send you?

AT: Yes, but I don't want authors to think I'm talking about crime novels or hard boiled mysteries, neither of which I represent - so I don’t say I’m looking for “gritty urban fiction” anymore. All I meant by “gritty” was real, dirty, heartbreaking. I love authors like Michelle Tea and Eileen Myles because they expose themselves.

GLA: What nonfiction subjects do you take on?

AT: I do very little nonfiction. I like academia/feminist work. I also like beauty/fashion projects. I’m doing a retro-fashion/beauty guide right now.

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

AT: Something I can’t live without! Be it a YA, MG, adult fiction or nonfiction. I have eclectic taste so it’s not something easily pinpointed.

GLA: Let's talk children's for a moment. I believe you handle both YA and MG. What can you tell us about your love for these categories? For example, are you looking for boy books? Paranormal but sick of the vampire craze?

AT: Yes, I handle both YA and MG—and I love them! I really believe that Flux statement, “YA is a point of view, not a reading level.” I think the line between YA and adult has become transparent. I think MG is a little easier to distinguish. The language is simpler but you have to be careful with MG—you wonder if it’s just dumb (because you’re not used to reading at that level) or if it’s MG. Everyone wants a good boy-book! I would like a good boy MG, though I’m very girl-centric when it comes to YA. But in both categories, I’m big on reality-based stuff. No vampires here! Please ….

GLA: If I asked you for your top 3 tips on writing for kids, you would say ______ ?

AT: Don’t treat them like they're stupid, Use their language, Make it believable (like, if you’re writing fantasy, go all out—suck those kids in).

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

AT: No. I don’t have any upcoming conferences. But my colleagues do!

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

AT: I prefer e-mail queries: amy@signaturelit.com.

GLA: What's something writers would be surprised to learn about you personally?

AT: I just had a stroke (this year) and I’m still working … I think that says something about my love of books, my authors, and the dedication I have to this industry!

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

AT: Do your homework! Research agents before submitting to them.

Want more on this topic?

Interview with Signature agent Gary Heidt.

Interview with Signature agent Ellen Pepus.

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

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: Adrienne Kress

Chuck — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 02:29:27 GMT

This installment of "How I Got
My Agent" is by Adrienne Kress, a
writer and actress. She writes books
for children and has a super-cool
website. Click here to learn more
about her book, Timothy and the Dragon's Gate.

LONDON

I started writing my novel as an unemployed actress working as a temp in London, UK. When you’re stuck in front of computers all day long with not that much work to do, writing a novel seems logical. As I kept writing, and realized I was really getting somewhere, I wondered if I should try to see how one gets published. I figured it couldn’t be any harder than acting, and, heck, I was already used to rejection.

I purchased The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook, and, sure enough, the book said I needed an agent (as one does for acting). In the UK, they don’t want just the standard North American “query letter,” but also a synopsis and first three chapters. I thought this was awesome. When you contact an acting agent, all you send are your picture and résumé, not a sample of your talent. Writing something and sending it to a literary agent was a demonstration of what you could do. And no one was judging me on superficialities like appearance. Huzzah!

HELLO, MISTAKES

I perfected my query and submission package with the help of my parents (former high school English teachers) and sent it out to 14 agents by snail mail. I’d read that it took a while for agents to get back to you. Since I’m the kind of person who works best on a deadline and I’d come to a point in my novel where I just couldn’t finish (probably had around 20,000 words left to write), I figured knowing that I had 4 to 6 weeks to finish the manuscript would help me get it done.

Now this is how amazingly fast snail mail is in the UK. The next day, the phone rings, and it’s Julia Churchill from the Darley Anderson Agency asking for the entire manuscript. Well, what’s a girl to do? First, she panics. Next, she calls her parents in Canada. Then all three come up with a plan: Finish the book in the next three days so I can print off the whole thing at one of those printing places on Friday (it was closed weekends.) So I do. Then I place the manuscript on my fireplace mantle. And stare at it. Until Monday.

Then I walk the manuscript over to the agency. Since the agency was in my neighborhood, I thought it made sense. After all, hand-delivery would save me money, and I could guarantee that it got to its location. Little did I know that this was a no-no, that one simply does not go in person to an agency without being a client or being asked. I knock on the door. A confused girl answers it. I pass her the manuscript, all smiles, turn around and leave. It’s only when I get home I think maybe I should do some research on the agency. That’s when I learn that the Darley Anderson Agency is one of the top agencies in the UK. And I panic. Again. For two months.

And then I make yet another mistake: I decide to follow up. So I call. I didn’t know the general rule of thumb: Don’t call an agent if you aren’t a client or haven’t been asked to. But I call Julia, and she says she’ll get back to me later. She does. She loves the work, but wants me to cut it by 10,000 words and shorten the chapters. Sure. No problem. Gulp. I take two painful weeks and do it. Once more, I walk the manuscript over. This time in the pouring rain. That same girl opens the door. Soaking wet, I pass her my manuscript protected in several plastic bags.

SUCCESS & A PUB

Julia calls on the Friday. Awesome. She asks to meet me Saturday at a pub. We hang out for five hours. She tells me a few more edits she wants from me, but doesn’t offer representation, and we move on to just chatting. Finally I ask her, “If I do these edits and stuff, um ... what happens next?”

“I’d like to represent you.”

“Oh, good.” All smiles. In a moment, my life has changed. So many thoughts running through my mind. Must call parents who can’t understand why they still haven’t heard from me since the meeting was scheduled for 6 and it’s now 11. Julia’s all smiles, too. She says, “I always wait to see how long it takes the author to ask that question.” Oh those agents and their wacky sense of humor.

Buy Timothy and the Dragon's Gate!

Want more on this topic?

How I Got My Agent: Kate Douglas.

How I Got My Agent: Robert Hicks.

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

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: Gwendolyn Heasley of Artists and Artisans Inc.

Chuck — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:52:51 GMT

About Gwendolyn: Gwendolyn Heasley is the author of the upcoming YA novel, Confessions of a Teenage Recessionista, which will be published by HarperCollins. She earned her B.A. from Davidson College in North Carolina, and her Master’s degree in Journalism from University of Missouri-Columbia where she wrote her thesis on why women read Us Weekly. In the past, she has sold greeting cards and taught creative writing to young adults.
She joins the two current agents at Artists & Artisans: Adam Chromy and Jamie Brenner.

Seeking: She’s actively seeking authors of Young Adult manuscripts of all genres, specifically manuscripts that have a sharp voice and vivid settings.

How to submit: "Send the first 10 pages in the body of an email along with the query. In order to minimize our impact on the environment, we strongly encourage authors to query via e-mail instead of snail mail (please start the subject line with "Query"). Please know that we usually do not respond when we are not interested - no response should be a clear enough indication. So save paper and postage - do not send queries with SASE because we will not return them. All fiction queries must include a brief author's bio, and the setup or premise for the book. No unsolicited manuscripts will be accepted. Gwendolyn Heasley gwen@artistsandartisans.com."

Want more on this topic?

New agent seeking kids stuff: Teresa Kietlinski of Prospect Agency.

New agent seeking kids stuff: Beth Fleisher of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

New agent seeking kids stuff: Adriana Dominguez of Full Circle Literary.

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

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

Wanted: Agent for a Multicultural Picture Book

Chuck — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:12:37 GMT

Q. I am the author of several children's books and am currently in need of an agent who is well-established and has a great deal of experience in representing a variety of authors. My children's book is however primarily geared towards an African-American audience. I would greatly appreciate it if you could recommend an agent to assist me in this endeavor. I look forward to hearing your favorable response. Thank you for your kind consideration.
- T.D.

A. Hi, T.D. I don't recommend individual agents like you're asking, but for this, first look through agents that handle children’s works – specifically ones that seek picture books because few do. From there, look through their web pages and interviews (etc.) and try to find any agents that specifically say that multicultural or ethnic themes are of interest. Those can be your specific targets if you like. However, all picture book agents would probably be willing to give it a look, though - don't discount them.

Want more on this subject?

Serious about children's writing? Check out two essential resources: 2010 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market, and Writing Picture Books.

See more picture book advice in this interview with agent Kelly Sonnack.

Agent Stephen Barbara also reps picture books.

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

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

Agent Advice: Michelle Humphrey of Sterling Lord Literistic

Chuck — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:56:38 GMT

(Editor's note: As of Fall 2009, Michelle left SLL and joined Martha Kaplan Agency, 115 West 29th Street, New York, NY 10001. Her new e-mail for queries is michelle.c.humphrey@gmail.com.)

"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 Michelle Humphrey of Martha Kaplan Literary. As an assistant for the Renee Zuckerbrot Agency and then Anderson Literary, she's worked with such authors as Kelly Link, Amy Ryan, Barry Lyga, and Helen Benedict. Prior to agencies, her gigs have included English Teacher, Proofreader, and Freelance Book Reviewer; her reviews have been published in Bitch, Bust, and The Women's Review of Books.

She is looking for: "She is interested in representing writers of young adult fiction (historical, contemporary, literary), middle grade, memoir, women's fiction, and narrative nonfiction (history, psychology, women's studies).

GLA: How did you become an agent?

MH: After working numerous non-fulfilling jobs (I think my low-point was when I was a proofreader for the yellow pages), I took an internship at the Renee Zuckerbrot Literary Agency, and have been working at agencies ever since - for three years.

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

MH: This month, I've sold a YA novel called Steinbeck, the Scoot and the Pull of Gravity, by Gae Polisner, to Frances Foster at Farrar Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers.

GLA: You seek awesome YA. What can you tell us about your love for this category?

MH: I'm drawn to teen heroines. It seems like all the great battles happen for them: girl versus family, girl versus boy, girl versus best friend from childhood, girl versus popular crowd, girl versus Evil Creature of the Night. Who can resist?

GLA: You seek not only contemporary and literary YA, but also "historical." Can you give us some examples of historical YA you loved so writers can get a feel for your tastes.

MH: One of my favorite books is The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages, which is about the Manhattan project. I love those characters, and I especially love World War II history and 20th-century history in general. If characters are likeable and dimensional, I could get into any kind of historical context, but 20th-century history is probably my favorite.

GLA: Do you also accept middle grade, as well?

MH: Yes I do! I'm open to anything, especially stories that are character-driven.

GLA: Some agents love synopses and some don't. Where do you stand?

MH: I am pro-synopsis - no more than three pages, though. Not a fan of synopses in the query. Query letters should have a teaser for the story (like a blurb on the back of a book), whereas a synopsis should be separate from the query letter.

GLA: When you get a narrative nonfiction submission, do you want a full proposal or the entire book, or a combination thereof?

MH: Full proposal and sample chapter, please.

GLA: Do you find yourself getting proposals for narrative nonfiction that really aren't narrative NF at all, but rather mis-classified?

MH: I don't get many proposals, unfortunately, but I'm always on the lookout for great narrative nonfiction. I do get memoirs in proposal format, and I'm generally not a fan. For memoir, I'd prefer to see the writing - first three chapters, for instance.

GLA: What are the most common and recurring problems you see in chapter 1 of a garden variety fiction partial?

MH: This is an excellent question. The most common problem is that the writing feels a little clichéd (i.e., it's something I've heard before, and it's not particularly vivid). Or, I just don't get a sense of a story happening. Even character-driven stories, I think, need a clue of the drama right from the beginning.

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

MH: I am obsessed with Red Hot Chili Peppers - band and food.

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

MH: Nothing planned right now. People can query me at michelle.c.humphrey@gmail.com.

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

MH: Embrace rejection! Wink at it, laugh, maybe bake a rejection pie. You'll get there -- why not have fun along the way?

Want more on this subject?

New agent seeking kids stuff: Adriana Dominguez.

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

How many agents should you query?

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: Myrsini Stephanides of the Carol Mann Agency

Chuck — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:18:52 GMT

Myrsini Stephanides
of the Carol Mann Agency

About Myrsini: She has 10 years of experience as a nonfiction editor and book packager specializing in highly illustrated books. Most recently, she worked as an Acquisition Editor at Sterling Publishing, where she developed the pop/culture and music category with titles including Woodstock: Three Days That Rocked the World, Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and the Music of Laurel Canyon, The British Invasion, and Record Store Days. Myrsini was the editor of the Weird travel series (Sterling), senior editor of The Duke Encyclopedia of New Medicine: Conventional and Alternative Medicine for All Ages (Rodale, 2006) and developmental/series editor of the first three books in the Men’s Health Best series (Rodale 2005). She has also collaborated on projects with The Smithsonian, Archaeology magazine and YANKEE Magazine and was a contributing writer to the fifth edition of the Hammond World Atlas (Langenscheidt, 2007).

Nonfiction areas of interest: pop culture and music, humor, narrative nonfiction and memoir, cookbooks.

Fiction areas of interest: offbeat literary fiction, graphic works, and edgy YA fiction. Can fiction be offbeat and commercial? She thinks it can. She is NOT looking for: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance (adult); MG (middle grade) fiction

How to contact: For fiction, paste the first 10-15 pages of your manuscript into the body of your e-mail. Please e-mail your query letters to myrsini (at) carolmannagency (dot) com. If your query has a graphic component, attach it to your email as a low-res PDF or JPG.

Tips: Myrsini futher delves into what she wants and doesn't want on the CMA website. "Hook me with your query and keep me hooked with your proposal. If you’d like to connect via the magic of social networking, you can follow me on twitter or check out Goodreads to see what I’m reading now."

Want more on this subject?

How to write a query letter: The 3 parts

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

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

Agent Advice: Nathan Bransford of Curtis Brown, Ltd.

Chuck — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:28:32 GMT

Agent Interview by

contributor Ricki Schultz.

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

This installment features Nathan Bransford of Curtis Brown Ltd. Nathan was born and raised in Colusa, California, where he learned a thing or two about rice farming, and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in English. Besides the usual agenting duties, Nathan is well known for his popular blog on agenting and publishing, widely regarded as one of the best (if not the best) blogs by literary agents on the Internet. In addition, he is a new writer of middle grade works, with his first book due out in 2011.

He is looking for: a wide range of genres and is particularly interested in literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, young adult fiction, historical fiction, mystery, science fiction, business, sports, politics and popular culture. He does not represent poetry or screenplays. He welcomes submissions via e-mail. Please send a brief description of your project (no attachments, please) to nb@cbltd.com.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

NB: I really love books and wanted to work with authors. When I graduated from college, I decided to go into publishing and found my way to Curtis Brown Ltd., where I started as an assistant. I've been with Curtis Brown ever since.

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

NB: The most recent deal I announced was a debut suspense novel, Rock Paper Tiger by Lisa Brackmann, which will be published by Soho Press in 2010. When the author queried me, it was one of the best I'd ever received, and the manuscript didn't disappoint.

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

NB: I'd like to see a bit more nonfiction, but I'm really just looking for new, talented writers of all types.

GLA: How long have you had your blog?

NB: I've been blogging in earnest since early 2007.

GLA: Has the volume of submissions you get increased significantly since you started the blog?

NB: Definitely. I now receive somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 queries a year, and I think the blog is the main reason behind the high volume. When the legendary anonymous agent blogger Miss Snark linked to me for the first time, I received several hundred queries almost instantaneously, and it's been a steady stream ever since. But I'm very thankful for the queries I receive, even if it's an ongoing challenge to keep up.

GLA: On your blog, you have an extensive list of tips, rules, and good/bad examples you refer to as "The Essentials," which you request writers read before querying. Where are new writers are going wrong in the queries you see?

NB: I always recommend that authors carefully target their agent search and personalize their queries, and I wish more authors took the time to do this. Personalization shows that an author has chosen to query an agent specifically and isn't simply blasting an e-mail out to every agent they can find on the Internet. It also means they've taken the time to research the business. All of these qualities bode well for the author's professionalism and the quality of the manuscript.
Queries also tend to be either way too long or way too short—it's surprising how few queries provide just enough information without being overly long. It shouldn't take much more than 250-350 words, but then, it shouldn't take only 50 either.

GLA: With regard to "The Essentials," do the queries you receive show evidence that the senders have done the homework?

NB: I'd say about 25% of the queries I receive really take the advice to heart. No matter how much advice is out there, not everyone is going to follow it.

GLA: You represent young adult fiction but tend to stay away from middle grade projects. Has this changed since writing and selling (congrats on your book deal, by the way!) a middle grade sci-fi novel? As well, do you find you lean more toward sci-fi when it comes to juvenile literature?

NB: Thank you! As an agent, I'm actually drawn more to the types of books I read than what I write. I may write sci-fi, but I read all types of books and don't really prefer sci-fi over other genres. I'm drawn to the author's talent and the particular stories they tell more than the genre they're writing in.
    When it comes to children's books, the projects I have taken on have been all over the map, from dark literary fiction to fun commercial genre fiction. I tend to lean more toward the young adult side of the children's book world as a reader and agent, but I'm open to the right middle grade project as well.

GLA: Two nonfiction categories you accept are "history" and "business." With so many books already written in these subjects, what must book proposals in these areas have in order to get you interested?

NB: For history and business, the author needs to have impeccable credentials, the writing talent to engage the reader, and must be addressing the topic in a unique fashion and/or charting new territory. It's a tricky and somewhat rare combination, which is why there's such a premium on the authors who possess all of these qualities.

GLA: In addition, you represent sports-related books. What topics are you tired of seeing in this area?

NB: I'm definitely open to sports nonfiction, but fiction in the sports world can be somewhat tricky. In real life, sports already provides such a compelling ongoing narrative, and sports novels that try only for verisimilitude can sometimes have a difficult time competing with what's actually happening in the real word. I mean, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson legally changed his name to Chad Ochocinco because his jersey number is "85." How can a novel compete with that?
        In order for a sports novel to work it usually has to be what I call "sports plus." Literary sports novels have worked, historical sports novels have worked, children's sports novels have worked, suspense novels in the sports novels have worked, etc. But just a "sports novel" is difficult.

GLA: You are a self-proclaimed "e-book aficionado." Having embraced what many believe will take over the publishing world, do you have any advice on how writers can maximize their success in this changing industry? What are your thoughts on the future of publishing?

NB: Things are going to be changing very rapidly in the business in the coming few years as e-book adoption continues to rise. The business is going to have to adapt, and it may necessitate new business models.
        But I don't think everything is going to change. People will still want to read books, there will still be a demand for great books, and authors will still be needed to write them. The delivery of those books to readers may change, but books aren't simply going to disappear.
        The most important thing an author can do as the world of books changes is to keep doing what they've always been doing: write as well as they possibly can. After that, it's a matter of letting the chips fall as they may. Even if they're digital chips.

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

NB: I like to encourage authors to engage in "productive procrastination." Everyone needs to take breaks while writing from time to time, but instead of fiddling with fonts and the cover page, instead: read industry blogs and newsletters and try and find out as much about the industry as possible. I'm always looking for authors who demonstrate a high level of professionalism and take the time to learn the ins and outs of the business. There's a whole lot of great information out there, and authors who take the time to learn about the business before querying agents and read industry blogs (like your GLA blog) will have a big leg up.

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

Want more on this subject?

Agent interview: Michelle Brower of Folio Literary Management.

Agent interview: Elizabeth Pomada of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents.

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

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

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

What's In a Pitch? Examining 'The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp' (Book One)

Chuck — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:40:11 GMT

What's In a Pitch? is a new series that takes actual novel pitches and examines why they work successfully. This series is designed to help writers who need help composing the pitch paragraph of their query letter, or pitching an agent in person.

By the way, since I read mostly kids fiction, it will be mostly kids fiction here, too, but the framework of a successful pitch is the same no matter what category or genre you're writing. Today's pitch to dissect is (young adult) Rick Yancey's The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp.

THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ALFRED KROPP

Alfred Kropp is the last person you'd think could save the world. But when this oversized underachiever gets roped into a suspicious get-rich quick scheme, his life takes a turn for the extraordinary. Little does Alfred know he has been tricked into stealing Excalibur--the legendary sword of King Arthur--and the most powerful weapon ever wielded by man.

With an ancient order of knights in hot cars, thugs on motorcycles, and a mysterious international organization following his every lumbering step, Alfred undertakes a modern-day quest to unravel a thousand-year-old mystery and return the sword to its rightful place.

Why Does This Pitch Work?

Like the other pitches examined, in this one: Alfred, our hero, is immediately introduced. It doesn't start out talking about the history of Excalibur, or Arthurian legend for that matter. It starts with Alfred. Not only that, but Alfred is easy to like because of how Yancey calls him an "oversized underachiever." This clever play on words immediately tells us that he is a lovable oaf who has never really done a whole lot - but he will.

Then the big hook lands. Excalibur, the magical sword of legend, is actually real - and Alfred has unleashed its power onto the world. Good hook. Hard to resist. It has magical and fantastical elements to it, but you can see from the rest of the pitch ("hot cars," "motorcycles") that this story is based in reality and the present time.

The stakes are clear: The most powerful weapon on Earth is in the wrong hands - and that means humanity itself is at stake. Alfred has unintentionally endangered the world and he is on an adventure to right his wrongs. Very nice. Buy the book!

Want more on this subject?

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.

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

Successful Queries: Agent Michael Bourret and 'Wake'

Chuck — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:22:03 GMT

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

>The 14th installment in this series is with agent Michael Bourret (Dystel & Goderich) and her author, Lisa McMann, for her book, Wake.

Dear Mr. Bourret:

I’m seeking representation for Janie Hannagan: Dream Catcher, a 33,000-word paranormal novel for young adults. I see from your website that you represent YA fiction, and I wonder if this would be a good fit for your list.

For 17-year-old Janie Hannagan, getting sucked into other people’s dreams is growing tiresome. Especially the falling dreams. The naked-but-nobody-notices dreams. And the sex-crazed teenager dreams. Janie’s seen enough fantasy booty to last her half a lifetime.

But then there are the nightmares that leave her blind and paralyzed in fear, even after the dreams are over. Those are the worst. Because one day, someone’s going to notice her freefalling to the floor after somebody’s study hall naptime nightmare, or collapsing outside a resident’s room at the nursing home where she works. Or her worst fear: careening headlong into a tree if she ever drives past that house again.

She can’t tell anybody about it. They’d never believe her. And she can't do anything to stop it. Until she gets to know Cable, a secretive pothead flunkie turned pretty boy. And he accidentally falls into a dream with her on the senior high bus to Stratford.

It’s his own dream.

And it’s a dream he’d rather no one know about.

Especially Janie Hannagan.

My credits include a $10,000 Templeton award for an international short-story contest, and short story contained in Literary Mama: Reading for the Maternally Inclined (Seal Press), Pindeldyboz, Snow Monkey, Gator Springs Gazette and The Binnacle, among others. I’m a former children’s bookstore manager. Now I write full time. Janie’s next story is in the works.

Thanks for your time and consideration. I’ve pasted a few pages below. May I send you the complete manuscript?

Sincerely,

Lisa McMann

Commentary From Michael

It’s not often that a query really gets my attention. It’s even rarer that a query makes me stop what I’m doing and beg the author for the manuscript. When I came across Lisa McMann’s query for Dream Catcher (which would become Wake, from Simon Pulse), I knew I had to have it.

Although the opener wasn’t necessary, the rest of the query was clear, concise and compelling. That first line of description was perfect, and I knew from that one line that the concept was great. From there, the writing really drew me in; it was different, unusual and, as I suspected, reflective of the book.

Between the great writing and the fascinating concept, I was hooked. Less than a week later, Lisa was a client (after I wrestled her away from several other eagar agents), and nearly three years later, she’s a New York Times best-selling author. Her second book, Fade (Wake Book II), hit shelves in February. The third book in the series, Gone, comes out in Feb. 2010.

This post about agents was
pulled from the current issue of Writer's
Digest (Sept. 2009) Order it online
to see more queries as well as our exclusive
list of 24 Agents Who Want Your Work.

How I Got My Agent: Tabitha Olson

Chuck — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:43:07 GMT

This installment of "How I Got
My Agent" is by Tabitha Olson, whose
first book - the young adult title,
Royal Rose (forthcoming). She
also has a blog.

SCBWI NYC

I started planning my YA novel, Royal Rose, in the summer of 2006. It was my third novel (nothing ever happened with the first two) and I managed to write a few chapters before attending the SCBWI NY conference. I’d brought along ten pages of Rose to be critiqued.

My first critique session was with an up-and-coming agent, and she really liked my work. She gave me some pointers, asked a bunch of questions, then asked if it was done yet. When I told her no, she said she’d love to read it when it was. I was thrilled! When I got home, I buckled down to write this story ... but it didn’t go so well.

Rose was so far out of my comfort zone that I had no idea what I was doing. Plus, I was so emotionally invested in this story that I was mentally exhausted after each writing session. It sometimes took days to recover. As a result, it was a year before I had a completed draft. When I sent a query to the agent who’d critiqued it, she said she remembered me (!) and still liked the story - BUT, she was swamped with YA, and didn’t have the time to take on anything new. She referred me to a few other agents and wished me well.

CONTACTING OTHERS

I queried those agents and got a partial request from one of them. I sent it, and she replied back with a revision request, saying the story was weak in certain areas of the craft of writing. At first, I didn’t know what she was talking about. I’d thought my story was strong in those areas. But she was the professional, not me, so it was worth at least some research. It took months to figure out where my storytelling was lacking, but, lo and behold, she was right. I revised the manuscript and sent it to her. She said my changes were better, but not strong enough. I did more research. More reading. LOTS of work. Then I rewrote the whole thing.

I sent it back to her, confident I’d done what she’d asked. And she said I had - BUT (again with the but), she didn’t feel confident that she could make my manuscript stand out with what she knew of the YA Contemporary market at that time, with that particular project. So she passed. On one hand, I was devastated because I'd worked so hard, and it had never occurred to me that she’d say no when I’d done what she’d asked. But on the other, I admired that she knew her limits and didn’t take me on out of some weird obligation. In all honesty, I ended up getting more out of the exchange than she did, and I’m very glad for her insights.

PHASE TWO AND SUCCESS

Even though it felt like it at the time, I was not back at square one. I had a much stronger manuscript and a much better understanding of craft. Plus, I’d proven to myself that I could work my tail off instead of give up. I could definitely bring that to the negotiating table of other agents. I started researching agents through online websites then sent off my query letters. I got a solid request rate, but no offers. The rejections rolled in, and as they piled up it was hard to keep going. I wondered if there was something really wrong with my story, but no one had either the time or the guts to tell me. Regardless, I wasn't going to give up. I loved Rose too much to set it aside. So I took what feedback I got, did more research, and still had that same request rate. I told myself that I would find someone who loved Rose as much as I did.

And I did. Two, actually.

I got a phone call from fabulous Agent #1, saying she loved Rose and wanted to discuss representation if I was willing to make some revisions. She wasn’t asking for an overhaul, but it wasn’t minor, either. And, it made sense. But I was about to leave for an amusement park when she called, and I didn’t want to make any rash decisions, so I asked if I we could talk the next day. She said that was fine, and I floated out the front door. Right after that, I got an e-mail from fabulous Agent #2, asking to schedule a phone call to talk. My brain pretty much imploded. Apparently, I can handle only so much good news in one day.

Over the next few days, I spoke with both agents and both offered me representation. It was obvious that I’d be lucky to work with either one. I ended up going with fabulous Agent #2: Andrea Cascardi at Transatlantic Literary Agency. Not only because of her years of experience in this industry, but also because we really hit it off on the phone. I can’t say enough how excited I am to be working with her, and already have my sleeves rolled up, anticipating the hard work to come. Which I wouldn’t miss for the world!

Want more on this topic?

Do you have a good story about how you snagged a literary agent and want to tell it on this blog? Write to me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk.

See all stories of how agents and writers hooked up here on the blog.

Learn more about children's agent Brenda Bowen.

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

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

Middle Grade vs. Young Adult: What's the Difference?

Chuck — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:18:57 GMT

The MigWriters site has an amazing post breaking down the difference between the two children's categories of middle grade and young adult. To define the two, they pull a lot of good info from a variety of different sources - editors, agents (such as Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency) and writers alike.

It's just a big, fat post tackling tough questions about these categories. If you're a kids reader, this is a post you want to read. Questions they address include the following:

How long is a MG vs YA book?
Who reads MG and YA books?
How old is the protagonist?
What are MG and YA books about?

Simple yet immensely informative.

Want more on this topic?

Agent Jennifer Laughran of Andrea Brown Literary talks juvenile books.

A new agent at Full Circle Literary is looking for kids books.

Examine great high-concept hooks and ideas for kids books.

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

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: Teresa Kietlinski of Prospect Agency

Chuck — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:35:51 GMT

About Teresa: "Teresa Kietlinski joined Prospect Agency in 2009 after thirteen happy years of working in the publishing industry at Disney-Hyperion, Dial Books for Young Readers, Viking Children's Books, William Morrow and Company, and St. Martin's Press. Teresa has designed and art directed hundreds of children's books of all sizes and shapes, and has worked with amazing talents including Kevin Sherry, David Sonam, LeUyen Pham, Boris Kulikov, Kadir Nelson, Brian Karas and Amy Young. She is now very excited to be on the other side of the fence, representing illustrators and authors whose work she really admires."

Seeking: "As an agent, Teresa is particularly interested in artists who both write and illustrate, but she's looking for anyone who will inspire and spark great things in both children and adults. Now what can you do with a pencil or mousepad?"

How to contact: Query only. Website submissions only. Go to SUBMISSIONS online to upload your materials. Please do not send submissions via email or mail. If your full manuscript is requested, please e-mail your work to the requesting agent in Word, RTF, or PDF format. "We ask that you do not submit your manuscript to more than one agent at Prospect Agency simultaneously, but we do not have an exclusive submissions policy and you are free to submit your work to other agencies in addition to Prospect Agency simultaneously. Please submit only one manuscript at a time. Responds in three months or less."

Want more on this topic?

Previously, I blogged about two other agents at Prospect Agenct: Rachel Orr and Becca Stumpf.

The McVeigh Agency is a new agency looking for kids writers.

Interview with kids agent Kelly Sonnack of Andrea Brown Literary.

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

Interview with agent Jeffrey McGraw (The August Agency).

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

Agent Advice: Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency

Chuck — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:16:01 GMT

Agent Interview by
contributor Ricki Schultz.

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

This installment features Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency. Lucienne joined The Knight Agency in 2008, after spending fifteen years at Spectrum Literary Agency. She has sold more than 600 titles to every major publisher and has built a client list of more than 40 authors spanning the commercial fiction genres. Her authors have been honored with the RITA, National Readers' Choice Award, the Golden Heart, and the Romantic Times Reader’s Choice and have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. She is also a writer, having recently published a YA book, Vamped. See her personal website here: www.luciennediver.com.

She is looking for: fantasy, science fiction, romance, mystery, suspense, erotica, and young adult lit. She does not accept nonfiction. See full submission guidelines here.

Lucienne Diver

GLA: How did you become an agent?

LD: I always knew I wanted to go into publishing, though I was also drawn to forensic anthropology and applied to graduate schools in the field as I was applying for entry level positions in the book world. Originally, I thought I wanted to be an editor. Until I was called in for interviews, I’d never even realized that book agents existed; I’d never really thought about it. However, when I landed my literary assistant job at Spectrum Literary Agency over sixteen years ago, I fell in love. As an agent, I have the freedom to “acquire” anything I fall in love with. I don’t have to worry about the needs of a line, though I do approach my list with the idea of diversity. (I’m an omnivore anyway, and I like to make sure that my authors complement rather than compete with each other.)

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

LD: Just today I did a deal for Japanese language rights to an erotic romance by Jasmine Haynes. I’m also finishing up a UK deal for a young adult series by Chloe Neill that’s already sold in the US. Shortly before that, I did deals for German, Hungarian and Polish language rights to various books in Rachel Caine’s bestselling Morganville Vampires series and sold a new urban fantasy series for her and for Faith Hunter.

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

LD: I represent more than 40 authors, so I’m possibly not looking as actively as I used to be. That said, though, I took on a new author just last week whose urban fantasy novel blew me away. I don’t set out looking for a particular genre or theme, really. As mentioned, I’m a voracious and omnivorous reader. I want something, anything, that will impress me and keep me reading late into the night. I love a strong voice and a really unique, well-paced plot.

GLA: You write some young adult lit (Vamped) and have represented it in the past. Do you still accept submissions in this area?

LD: I represent all kinds of fiction—adult and young adult—though I don’t do early children’s and haven’t done middle-grade (not that I’d close that door if the right project came along).

GLA: In science fiction and fantasy, what are a few topics you feel are overdone?

LD: You know, there are some things out there in abundance, but I love them still. Characters who kick-butt and take names, vampires and shape-shifters and demons, oh my! There are few things so done that you can’t find a new angle and a fresh take on them, though it does become harder the more crowded the field.

GLA: Tell us a little bit more about your interest in romance. Do you accept both category and single titles? As well, are there specific subgenres you prefer over others (i.e., contemporary vs. historical romance)?

LD: I love romance. I’m not looking for a lot of category romance, but I have a couple of authors who do it very wonderfully and successfully. Mostly, I’m interested in single title. I love suspense, paranormal and anything quirky. Books don’t need to have all three of those to catch my interest, but if none of the three are present, chances are I’m not the right agent for the work.

GLA: Staying with romance, is there a difference between the subgenre “erotic romance” and straight-up “erotica”? If so, how does a writer know which she’s written?

LD: The difference to me is that erotic romance is primarily between a couple (or sometimes a threesome) that will have a happily ever after. At its heart, it’s the story of people finding their soulmates and exploring the connection via sex. Erotica doesn’t have to end in a committed coupling. The focus (to me, and I’m sure others’ mileage will vary) is more on the voyage of self-discovery … a character or characters learning what it is that makes him or her happy and comfortable and finding the courage to accept whatever might be revealed. It’s almost that erotica is to romantica as chick-lit is to romance. Does that make sense?

GLA: It does. You also seek mystery and suspense novels. How can a new writer break into this category without producing a run-of-the-mill detective story? What are some untapped subjects you feel would make for fresh and intriguing queries in these areas?

LD: Producing a “run-of-the-mill” story is the surest way not to break in. Again, what distinguishes work that sells for that which doesn’t is frequently voice, the way the tale is told. Of course, you do have to develop a strong story with red herrings, a sufficiently diabolical villain (though very definitely not in the cartoonish way) and a sense of urgency driving the plot. Aside from that, though, there are no real “musts.” Untapped subjects? Hmm….I’d love to see more psychological storylines. I’m as big a fan of psychology as I am forensics. Unless you’ve got a really new angle, I’d leave stalkers, serial killers, organized crime and terrorists behind. Whatever that leaves, there’s still room for it!

GLA: Where are new writers most commonly going wrong in the query letters you see?

LD: Ever since I started taking electronic submissions, I’ve found that many people don’t put the care into query letters that they would have in a hardcopy submission. It’s as if they see an electronic query letter more as an e-mail than a professional introduction to their work. So I’m seeing the disturbing, “Hey, Bob, I’ve got this manuscript I think is right up your alley. Can I send it?” sort of letters. Writers should think of the query as they would a cover letter that goes along with a resume. You wouldn’t dash that off carelessly (or CC it to everyone in the field, another common mistake), so don’t do it with query letters. Also, I see a ton of queries for material I don’t represent, like nonfiction. It’s important for writers to do their homework on agents so they don’t waste their own or the agent’s time.

GLA: How much does a writer’s platform impact whether or not you agree to represent his or her manuscript?

LD: I think platform counts a lot more in nonfiction than in fiction. It’s wonderful, of course, to find that an author has a great starting point for promotion, but what really sells a work to me is the writing itself.

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

LD: October 17th I’ll be doing a three-hour workshop for the Gulf Coast Writers in Ft. Meyers, FL. October 23rd through the 25th I’ll be at the Kiss of Death Writers Retreat in Albuquerque, NM and I’ll be in San Jose for the World Fantasy Convention the week after. Then, I think, I’ll collapse from exhaustion!

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

LD: The best piece of advice I can give is: Don’t ever rush things out the door. You know the saying, “Act in haste, repent at leisure.” This definitely goes for rushing query letters, synopses and/or manuscripts out the door before you’ve revised and polished them to the best of your ability. To borrow on yet another cliché, you may not get a second chance to make a first impression.

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

Want more on this subject?

Agent interview: Michelle Brower of Folio Literary Management.

Interview with agent Phil Lang (Reece Halsey North/Kimberly Cameron).

What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

What Agents Hate: Even More Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

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

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

Agent Ted Malawer Joins Upstart Crow Literary

Chuck — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 01:38:43 GMT

Literary agent Ted Malawer has joined Upstart Crow Literary. Ted was previously with Firebrand Literary, but with Firebrand's recent closure, he will join four other former Firebranders in forming Upstart Crow. He specializes in children's fiction.

The Upstart Crow agency webpage is not completely updated yet, so I will post some info about Ted below.

For YA: "I am really looking for books that walk the line between commercial and literary. I like high concept novels with great 'hooks,' unique premises, and great humor. I also enjoy lyrical fiction, as long as it has an authentic and compelling voice. I'm a huge fan of mysteries, smart historicals, and urban fantasy about original topics (no vampires, please). I'm not so much into the snarky 'chick lit' voice, but great writing trumps everything..."

For middle grade: "I am drawn to unique coming-of-age stories. I like stories that make me laugh, but if you can make me cry, even better. I like projects with fantastical/supernatural elements, too, and action/adventure plots. I love fun and exciting chapter books, especially with multicultural characters."

How to contact: ted@upstartcrowliterary.com; "submit a QUERY and TWENTY PAGES of your manuscript. Please put your query and sample in the body of the email, we will not open attachments. If your submission is received by our system, an automated response will be emailed to you. We will respond to most queries within two weeks to a month. Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming number of submissions received, personal responses are only very rarely possible. But if we are interested, we will request your full manuscript."

Thanks for the tip:
Writer Nancy Parish

Want more on this subject?

See my post on the formation of Upstart Crow Literary.

Upstart Crow founder Michael Stearns interviewed by editor Alice Pope.

Check out our online course: Focus on Writing Fiction for Children's.

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

What's in a Pitch? Examining "The Undomestic Goddess."

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

What's In a Pitch? Examining 'Alibi Junior High'

Chuck — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:14:02 GMT

By the way, since I read mostly kids fiction, it will be mostly kids fiction here, too, but the framework of a successful pitch is the same no matter what category or genre you're writing. Today's pitch to dissect is Greg Logsted's Alibi Junior High. I saw the book at the library, read the inside cover (the pitch) and immediately wanted to read this book.

ALIBI JUNIOR HIGH:

Thirteen-year-old Cody Saron has never lived in one place longer than a few weeks, and has never attended a regular school. Growing up on the run with his father, an undercover agent for the CIA, Cody has traveled the entire globe; he speaks five languages; and he has two black belts. What Cody isn't prepared for ... is junior high.

When the danger surrounding Cody's dad heats up, Cody is sent to stay with the aunt he's never known, Jenny, in her small Connecticut suburb. Cody has no idea how to fit in with other kids, how to handle his first crush, or how to make it through a day of classes. As Cody struggles to adapt to the one thing he's never experienced - a normal life - he starts to fear that his father's world has followed him and no one he loves is safe.

Why does this pitch work?

Immediately we know the protagonist and his age: Cody Saron is our main character, and he is 13. Next: His place in life is intriguing, no? He works with his CIA agent dad and is skilled in dangerous things, such as foreign languages and combat. And now comes the real hook: Can a kid who is prepared for any mortal danger or espianoge situation ... survive normalcy? The hook is laid. It's a unique take on the "fish out of water" story.

Then the "promise of the premise" is unveiled. (Screenwriter Blake Snyder came up with this term.) What it means is this: When you or I hear the big hook ("...survive normalcy?"), what scenes start to pop into our minds? Cody struggling to fit in, Cody struggling to woo a girl, Cody struggling to find classrooms - these are ideas that popped into my head. And as the pitch continues, it lets us know that those scenes are indeed in the story, thereby delivering on the promise of the premise.

The conflict is laid out and clear: Can he fit into a "normal" world? Whether he does or doesn't, what will happen to his father? And will his old world catch up to him in a bad way? Multiple layers of conflict are here.

One thing that struck me immediately was the name. Cody SARON. Sarin gas? Like in The Rock? A chemical agent used by special forces and shizz? Good name! Cody is like the typical boy name, and then you have a name signifying danger. Nice combo.

The pitch is not long - only six sentences - and it works on all levels. We know who the character(s) is, what the conflict is, what the stakes are, and a nice hook links it all together.

Want more on this subject?

Read How to Establish a Connection with an Agent.

Read about How to Make a Good Impression at a Conference.

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

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

Is It More Difficult to Get Young Adult Published Right Now?

Chuck — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 02:50:12 GMT

Q. Why is it so hard to break into the young adult industry right now? I would think that after JK Rowling and Stephenie Meyer's books being released, that there would be agents that would love to get more young adult novels published. And even an agent told me specifically that even though I'm a good writer (I write young adult books) that it is really hard to get into that industry right now. So I wanted to know why.
- Larissa

A. I'm not sure who told you this, Larissa, but the fact is: the children's market (specifically, young adult and middle grade novels) is one of the only sections of the publishing industry that is doing well. A while back, an agent summed up the recession by saying something like this (paraphrasing here): "When the economy was good, somebody would walk into a bookstore and get a book for themselves and one for their kid, too. Now that times are tight, they skip the book for themselves, but still get the book for their kid." And, look, agent Susanna Einstein just said in her GLA blog interview that "the children’s/YA market is flourishing and expanding in terms of subject matter, kinds of books, and sales."
This could just be a simple misunderstanding between you and the agent. First of all, speaking generally it is really hard to get books published. They may have been speaking about the industry as a whole. OR - perhaps they believed you wrote picture books, which falls under the children's category, and is a very, very tough nut to crack.

Want more on this subject?

Got a burning question about agents, writing or publishing? Send it to me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com.

Interested in that interview with agent Susanna Einstein? See it here.

Like interviews with children's agents? Check out Caryn Wiseman of Andrea Brown Literary.

Like interviews with children's agents? Check out Jessica Regel of Jean V. Naggar Literary.

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

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

Agent Advice: Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary (Part II)

Chuck — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:43:53 GMT

Agent Interview by
contributor Ricki Schultz.

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

This installment is part II of II, and features Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary. Joe has been in the business for more than twenty years. He started as a bookseller, became the children's fiction buyer at Barnes & Noble, worked at Houghton Mifflin, and recently at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers as their editorial director of Paperbacks.

He seeks: children's and young adult and takes a special interest in multicultural and boy-centric books. As well, he represents graphic novels, picture books, and some adult genre fiction, with particular regard to fantasy and science fiction.

Joe Monti

GLA: Do you notice any trends in what you tend to represent? Subgenres or elements that particularly sucker you into accepting them?

JM: There’s a lot of paranormal or urban fantasy out there—too much that’s not innovative or challenging to the reader to either transport or help to lift the veil of possibility in the mundane world we live in. I’ve been a reader and fan of this sort of fiction for decades now, and you really need to stand out to impress me. Fortunately, I’ve found some. I am a sucker for that well-done magical realist and urban fantasy novel because it just opens up the world of possibility.
      And then there’s the middle grade novel aimed at a male reader. As I mentioned above, I’m desperately looking for books that would attract that kind of reader, but the male coming of age experience is one I hope to help bring to light more often. (In fact, give me a searching for a father figure themed novel, and I’m yours.)

GLA: Tell us a little bit more about your interest in graphic novels and picture books.

JM: Picture books can be difficult. Right now I’m only looking to represent writer/artists. It’s not any easy market to break into, and then succeed within, and I feel that being able to represent a whole package to an editor makes for a stronger proposal and opportunity for acquisition. That said, I think the picture book market is secretly more vibrant than it seems at first glance, and that makes the possibility of a new artist succeeding more possible than not. But here, it’s the smart picture book, like Jon J. Muth’s, that I think tends to rise to the top most often, from obscurity.
      The same actually goes for graphic novels, or more accurately, sequential artists and cartoonists. Although I am far more open to representing a writer who does not illustrate his graphic novels, I’m particularly interested in writer/artists. One client, Mike Cavallaro, who was nominated for an Eisner for his Parade (With Fireworks) has done illustrations only in addition to his own work. (His forthcoming YA urban fantasy graphic novel, Foiled, written by incomparable Jane Yolen is an example.) Then there’s Charles Vess, who has done all of the above and more.
      And I am very excited about the changes in the graphic novel world, the expansion of it to a general readership through the bookstores, and then particularly in children’s literature. While YA graphic novels are still in their infancy, largely because some of the range of topics that are explored, and explored so well in fiction, when illustrated raises the target audience to an adult section placement. I think several publishers, like First Second and Henry Holt, are publishing smart works for the YA category. Paul Pope’s forthcoming THB is dream come true!
      And then for the younger reader there have been some tremendous successes, the best of course being Jeff Smith’s Bone series. But I’m very interested in finding writer/artists who can create for a six- to 10-year-old readership as I think the demand is there; but the supply is scant, so it’s hard to see it.

GLA: You represent some adult genre fiction as well. Can you be a bit more specific about what you’re looking for (or not looking for) here?

JM: Right now I’m mostly looking for genre writers of fantasy and science fiction. Specifically, in the genre world, I’m looking for challenging works that do not tread on the same ground the genre has gone through the past few decades. In many ways, I think the adult fantasy and science fiction world has lost some of its vibrancy and innovative hubris. There’s been a lot of self-reverential works out the last decade or so, but the opportunity and demand for fresh works is rewarded when they arise. I’m tempted to give a list of some favorite writers here from Bradbury, de Lint, Beagle, Sturgeon, Le Guin, Herbert, and Zelazny to Buckell, Bacigalupi, Stephenson, Blaylock and Gibson, but then I’d only scratch the surface.

GLA: Name three things that make you stop reading every time they crop up in a manuscript.

JM: Not following our submission guidelines.
Reading a cliché within the first paragraph. (They usually crop up within three sentences.)
Poor dialogue.

GLA: What is the number one mistake you see in queries?

JM: "I see you represent Author X, my book is just like/similar to Author X’s, so I know you’ll love it."

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

JM: I will be attending the Rutger’s One-On-One Plus Conference in October 2009; others are slated for later in 2010.

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

JM: Don’t hold back from your passion. Too many folks get caught up in what the marketplace is supposedly looking for, and they lose sight of what they’re trying to write. That and read your drafts (Note the plural usage!) aloud for imperfections of language and cadence. It’s an old horse, but not done enough because it may take you days to finish—but the results are astounding.

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

Want more on this subject?

Along with Joe, another new agent at BG Literary is Beth Fleisher, who I profiled before.

See all children's related posts and agent info here.

Need to write your query to Joe and want some guidance? Check out The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters.

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

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

Agent Advice: Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary (Part I)

Chuck — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:44:24 GMT

Agent Interview by
contributor Ricki Schultz.

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

This installment is part I of II, and features Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary. Joe has been in the business for more than twenty years. He started as a bookseller, became the children's fiction buyer at Barnes & Noble, worked at Houghton Mifflin, and recently at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers as their editorial director of Paperbacks.

He seeks: children's and young adult and takes a special interest in multicultural and boy-centric books. As well, he represents graphic novels, picture books, and some adult genre fiction, with particular regard to fantasy and science fiction.

Joe Monti

GLA: How did you become an agent?

JM: I wanted to marry the unique retail experiences I acquired as a children’s fiction buyer at Barnes and Noble along with my publishing experiences in sales and editorial in a creative way that would also let me utilize my skills in advocacy for my clients.

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

JM: Eisner and World Fantasy award winner Charles Vess’s next picture book, written by Neil Gaiman, titled Instructions, coming late Spring 2010 from HarperCollins Children’s Books. Bits on the creation of the book can be seen here.

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

JM: Non-genre middle grade fiction, because as much as I love genre fiction, with a fierce passion, there is nothing finer to me than reading a middle grade novel that can accomplish so much, so elegantly, and with minimal word choice. I like to cite Jerry Spinelli’s Loser as my example of this. At the end of the novel, there’s a snowstorm, and the not-as-whimsical-as-he-was protagonist dives outside into it to help a friend. His parents follow suit. On one level, it reads like a desperate search through a blizzard; on another, deeper level, that perhaps only a sophisticated or adult reader can appreciate, Spinelli is plotting out a discourse on the meaning of loss. What is lost? What does it mean to be lost? And how do you know you truly are? And what then signifies you as a loser? Brilliant.
      Another deep interest is YA science fiction aimed at a male readership. I’m a big believer that the going wisdom that boys of a certain age do not read is utterly wrong. I do believe that we lose a lot of boy readers after a certain age because there isn’t a lot for them to read, nor to easily designate as potential reads, after the ages of 11-13. When I was at B&N, I was fortunate enough to be in the position as a children’s fiction buyer when everything was changing, and thus be a part of it. In YA, while I think Burgess’s Smack, followed by Anderson’s Speak were the two biggest initial, critical successes, Von Ziegesar's Gossip Girl series deserves equal time as a herald, as it proved to publishers that there was a large female readership here and that they should publish towards it.
      In other words, GG was the gateway fiction the YA category needed to jumpstart it. I feel that smart, high-action science fiction (and action thrillers) will help to do the same for male readers. YA had Paolini, while the books became a phenomenon; oddly not many have tried to write more action-driven fantasy for boys. Give me some smart military science fiction for teen boys and you’ll see that readership start to pick up writers like John Green and Barry Lyga. Then, the category will get even more interesting. So I’m also talking to adult science fiction writers who have shown an interest or a particular appropriate voice in their works to write a YA novel. Whether I represent them or not, I think it’ll be good for the industry as a whole. Doctorow’s Little Brother, which I loved with an intense passion, is a great example.
      Then, there’s another old flame: Steampunk. So, a lot of what I’ve seen is pseudo-steampunk: Quasi Victorian or Edwardian era fiction with some absurdist machinery. What Steampunk really was, and can be, is a rebellion against the mores of society, largely through the utilization of science and education. The rebellion, hence the punk aesthetic, is largely lost in the brass bolt tech or Victorian-ish era setting. I’m looking to put the punk back in steampunk and I hope I get such a manuscript across my desk because the era is such a wonderful mirror to our modern times in many ways. Except for the equality of race. But a good modern steampunk novel should address that as well as have some kick-butt action and tech. A lot is riding on Scott Westerfeld’s forthcoming Leviathan series to help break this subgenre out. But Scott’s got the talent to make it happen, so we may see more of it.

GLA: Why did you choose juvenile literature as your primary area of interest? What is it that draws you to this category?

JM: Honestly, I was lucky. Like many in our field, I fell into it, and within three months of reading it intensely, I was in love and never looked back. In large part, I believe it’s because I can relate to the literature at a deep level. Take my love of middle grade: I had a traumatic experience at the age of nine when I had open-heart surgery. Back then, it was a life or death thing, and they waited to perform the surgery until I was just old enough to survive it. I quickly became the introspective, chubby nine-year-old that enjoyed talking to adults cliché and had a sense of mortality and a level of empathy beyond my years. So when I read books like Because of Winn-Dixie, I not only know that girl, Opal, I also wish I had her story to help me understand what I was going through at that age. Thus, getting behind a book like that is not just a personal advocacy, but also a need to share it in a social sense to pay it forward. Children’s and YA fiction has the ability to transform a reader, and a bookseller, far more than any other category.

GLA: Cultural diversity also interests you. What subjects are you tired of seeing in this area? As well, are there any subjects you feel are untapped and would, therefore, be a refreshing change from the typical multicultural story?

JM: As our president famously said, I’m a mutt. My parents both immigrated here, my mother from Argentina (and her mother a full-blooded Quichua), and my dad from Italy. My wife, also a child of immigrants, is Chinese-American, and our son is all these things and more. So there’s our family history that colors so much of how I perceive the world, as a lens, not a filter.
When I was a buyer, I was tired of certain subject matters only because those subjects have been explored so well, so often, that you really needed to bring something special to the page to make anyone take notice. The Book Thief is a recent example of a Holocaust story done so well that it transcends and sits alongside some of the other great WWII works. Send me a story about some modern immigrant stories, some multi-generational stuff, like the forthcoming (in the US) YA novels of Carlos Ruiz Zafon. There are deeply rich stories about being an outsider, and yet how assimilation means a compromise and loss. I’d also love to see more issues of race discussed in modern terms, where there is the melting pot happening across the US, yet the tensions are still there, like the fear of the other. I think these stories, when done well, are universal stories, as we all feel that way at some point. Look at Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao as exhibit A.

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

Want more on this subject?

Along with Joe, another new agent at BG Literary is Beth Fleisher, who I profiled before.

See all children's related posts and agent info here.

Need to write your query to Joe and want some guidance? Check out The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters.

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

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: Beth Fleisher of Barry Goldblatt Literary

Chuck — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:10:21 GMT

Beth Fleisher

Barry Goldblatt Literary is based in Brooklyn. 320 7th Ave., #266, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

About Beth: She is a former editor, working for The Berkeley Publishing Group. Her passions are science fiction, fantasy and graphic novels, though she handles all kinds of kids stuff.

Fiction areas of interest: She welcomes kids work and graphic novels. She is particularly interest in finding new voices in middle grade and young adult fantasy, science fiction, mystery, historicals and action adventure.

Nonfiction areas of interest: "select children's and adult nonfiction."

How to submit: Send an e-query to query@bgliterary.com. Include the word "query" in the e-mail subject line. This agency accepts simultaneous submissions, but exclusive ones (designated with the word "exclusive" also in the e-mail subject line) will likely get priority. In the e-mail body, paste your query, your synopsis, and the first five pages of your book. No attachments please. Responds in four weeks to queries and eight weeks to manuscripts.

Also: The agency has a blog. See it here.

Want more on this subject?

Along with Beth, another new agent at BG Lit is Joe Monti.

I've written about plenty of new agents seeking children's work, including Adriana Dominguez of Full Circle Literary and Brenda Bowen of Sanford J. Greenburger. See all new agents under the "New Agency Alerts" category.

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

Want more on this topic?

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

Examine Great High-Concept Hooks for Children's Books

Chuck — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:02:01 GMT

Whether you're writing a kids novel, adult genre novel or screenplay, you're ahead of the pack if you have a good "hook." By that, I mean a story that is easily summarized in one, intriguing sentence (a logline).

Teen writer Jay Asher recently went through the Fall 2009 preview in Publishers Weekly, examining upcoming titles for teens (mostly YA, it appears) and then posted his choices for the most interesting books coming out. After looking over the list, I immediately noticed that almost ALL these books have an amazing hook. They're great ideas for stories - plain and simple. If you ever wondered what constituted a good hook or high-concept story, read Jay's picks below (then visit his blog) and you will start to get a sense of how to pique an agent's and reader's mind with just a one-sentence logline.

Jay's suspense novel for teens,
Th1rteen R3asons Why, is
available now.

EXAMPLE OF GOOD HOOKS

Andromeda Klein by Frank Portman. A high school underdog’s tarot card readings become strangely accurate.

As You Wish by Jackson Pearce. A teen falls in love with the genie sent to grant her three wishes.

Claim to Fame by Margaret Peterson Haddix centers on a young TV star who can hear whatever anyone in the world says about her.

DupliKate by Cherry Cheva. An overscheduled teen starts seeing double: suddenly there are two of her.

The Espressologist by Kristina Springer centers on a matchmaking barista who links up her friends based on their coffee orders.

Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev centers on a girl who lives in a magical theater inhabited by characters from every play ever written.

Ex-mas by Kate Brian. Two teens embark on an unexpected vacation when they learn that their younger siblings have gone off to save Santa.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown. Valerie’s boyfriend opens fire in the school cafeteria, killing students who were on a list she unknowingly helped create.

I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb. A boy discovers it’s easier to make a fortune and dominate the world than convince his classmates to like him.

Legacy by Tom Sniegoski. A teen discovers his deadbeat father is actually a superhero.

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey tells of an orphan who is an assistant to a doctor specializing in monster hunting.

Nelly the Monster Sitter by Kes Gray, illus. by Stephen Hanson, introduces a girl who “monster sits” after school.

Powerless by Matthew Cody. A boy learns that his friends are superheroes who mysteriously lose their powers when they turn 13.

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund offers a fantasy about killer unicorns and the teenage girls who must hunt them down.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Sam spends his summers as a human and winters as a wolf.

The Unusual Mind of Vincent Shadow by Tim Kehoe, illus. by Guy Travis and Mike Wohnoutka. A boy who creates his own toys has a chance encounter with an eccentric toy inventor.

Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser. High school students mysteriously disappear after being mentioned in a blog.

How I Got My Agent: Picture book writer Kristyn Crow.

Interview: Kids agent Mary Kole.

5 articles on writing picture books.

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

Want more on this subject?

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

Conference Spotlight: Northern Ohio SCBWI Gathering (August 29)

Chuck — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:53:04 GMT

OK, so it's not technically a conference, per se, but I will be speaking at a regional meeting of the Northern Ohio Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. Very cool stuff.

DETAILS

It all goes down from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Barnes & Noble, 4015 Medina Road, Akron, OH.

I will be presenting on "Everything You Need to Know About Agents." New members are welcome. I won't exclusively be talking about children's books, so non-juvenile writers are free to attend, though I expect we will dedicate a fair share of it to kids stuff.

For more information about the group, visit www.nohscbwi.org. Send questions to me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com

If you'd like to hear me present at a writers' conference besides Akron, I will be in Myrtle Beach, Delaware and New York City over the next six months or so. See my full conference speaking schedule here.
If children's writing is your thing, check out The Writer's Guide to Crafting Stories for Children, by Nancy Lamb.

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

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

Agent Advice: Jessica Sinsheimer of Sarah Jane Freymann Literary

Chuck — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:54:19 GMT

She is seeking: She handles literary fiction, young adult, women’s fiction, food memoirs, travel memoirs, parenting, psychology, and cookbooks. See full submission guidelines here.

Jessica Sinsheimer

GLA: How did you become an agent?

JS: I was lucky. My college roommate had an internship at a large agency in New York and, when she finished, got me an interview. At the time, I was fresh from small-town California—there were literally sheep across from my high school—and had no idea what an agent was. But I arrived, loved it (who wouldn’t love reading and talking to writers and editors all day?), and kept on. The same friend got me another internship at a small publishing house, and when I graduated, I was hired with my current company.

GLA: Tell us a little about yourself – what are your interests? Your hobbies?

JS: In addition to the usual publishing-type interests (bookbinding, quill pens, wax seals, old books), I enjoy hiking, kayaking, traveling, browsing for heirloom produce at the farmer’s market, making homemade pasta, throwing dinner parties, undertaking unusual arts and crafts projects, keeping up handwritten correspondence, digital photography and exploring the city. In the next year, I’d like to study a new language, find a karate studio, and get involved with an environmental organization.

GLA: What draws you to literary fiction? Why the love for that category?

JS: I’ve loved literary fiction since a very young age, and I love when manuscripts come across my desk that make me sit up after a brilliant sentence and pause to savor the image—to think, Yes, this is why I love books.
I’ve just finished Robert Goolrick’s A Reliable Wife, which is an excellent example—because the writing is so beautiful, the book transcends the subject matter. If you can write a book that’s officially about one thing but really, actually, about so much more, I will bother everyone in the office until they read it (“How about a cup of tea and this manuscript? How about right now?”) and then, as they read and laugh if it’s funny and make appreciative sounds, and we get that incredible We’ve found something really special glow, I can’t imagine doing anything else. I always love my job, but especially in those moments.

GLA: Concerning the “edgy young adult” fiction you seek, can this be any genre? Can you help writers understand more about what you do and don’t want to see in YA submissions?

JS: Yes, of course—there’s a freedom to this work because it’s for readers who haven’t yet settled into the rational, routine, this-is-possible-and-this-isn’t adult mindset. With that in mind, I’m happy to see YA works of any subgenre. Young Adult can be more tender -more emotionally raw, and messy, and thus truer to life than works for adults.
That said, my personal preference is for YA that would be of interest to young women. We’re primarily looking for YA crossover—works that are multilayered so that they are interesting to adult readers as well. My favorite manuscripts include but also deal with larger concepts than shopping/romance/school issues: they examine the emotional nuances of this life stage, with writing that is beautiful but accessible to young adults.

GLA: When reading a YA partial, what are the 1-3 most common reasons you stop? Where are people going wrong?

JS: Once we’ve determined that the writing is strong enough, it’s usually a question of plot (we receive many works that are derivative or otherwise unoriginal) or voice. As we know from the young adults in our lives, anything that sounds even vaguely parental will not be well-received. And there’s nothing worse than narration that reads like a text message from a grandmother.
In the past month, I’ve received twenty-nine YA partials. Looking back on my notes, I see that I rejected eight for writing, seven for voice, six for derivative or unoriginal plots, four because they were inappropriate for the age group, and two that simply weren’t a good fit for the agency but may find a home elsewhere. Then there were two I liked and passed them on to others in my office.
Also, I think a lot of writers, seeing the success of Twilight, have tried to force their manuscripts into this genre. I know you’ve heard it before, but it’s so true: write what you are meant to write—don’t write what you think will sell.

GLA: According to your BEA bio, literary and edgy YA is the only fiction you are looking for. Is that still so?

JS: Not at all! I’d especially love to see women’s fiction, literary fiction, food memoirs, travel memoirs, Parenting, Psychology, and cookbooks. Naturally, many works are some combination of the above. I also have a lot of respect for writing of the Aimee Bender/Amy Hempel variety, but know this is hard to find in full-length form. If the writing was extraordinary, I’d consider anything—though violent works about alien wars would, admittedly, have an uphill battle.

GLA: You seek a few nonfiction subjects. When you start reading a query letter for a nonfiction book, what do you immediately look for in the letter?

JS: I always look for a strong narrative element. Nonfiction isn’t just about facts; it’s about the narrator—usually the writer—discovering the subject matter, how it relates to others, and what it means for the reader. Platform is, of course, necessary for some nonfiction, but it isn’t the first thing I notice. I’d say first writing, then narration, then professional background.

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

JS: Absolutely. In the past six months, I’ve taught workshops, presented on panels, and done author-agent speed-dating, which I love. I’ll be at the Writer’s Digest conference in September and expect to travel more throughout fall and winter. See my blog for updates: http://agencygatekeeper.blogspot.com/

GLA: What’s the best way to submit to you? Just a query? Something else?

JS: A query is best—preferably via e-mail—to Submissions@SarahJaneFreymann.com. I won’t object to a few sample pages (attach them as a Word document, please): I know that writing queries is a skill separate from writing manuscripts.

GLA: I know this may be a tough question, but what are your thoughts on the future of publishing? What can you tell writers?

JS: We need to remember that many of the major publishing houses predate the Great Depression. Yes, there have been scary moments, and the industry is changing. But I don’t think it will be technology that brings on this change. I’m with Nicholson Baker (in this week’s New Yorker): though ridiculously convenient, the Kindle can turn otherwise extraordinary content, like the New York Times, into something the resembles a blog. A reliable blog, but a blog. I think great writing deserves more than that.

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

JS: Keep in mind that we are not looking for, and representing, every work that is devoid of flaws—we’re looking for the work we fall in love with.
      Ensure that the first line of your pitch proves that you’ve done your research: I spent six months gathering data on why I reject authors (there’s a pie chart on my blog), and the number one reason is a lack of research into agents. It’s not necessarily genre, here, but fit: a certain feel that makes a work compatible with that agent’s sensibilities. I immediately have more respect for authors who have done their homework. Use the books available and your intuition.
      Your pitch letter may change your writing life forever. Do not simply cut and paste, and certainly do not BCC. Tailor each one. Say something like, “I see that you represented [name of book]; I liked X, Y and Z about it” or “I loved what you said at [conference name]” or “I see you like [name of TV show]—my work is similar.” Vary your sentence structure, use strong verbs and advanced punctuation—and do so correctly. Prove with your writing that you love the language.
      Be cordial: we’re considering a long-term working relationship. The best writers are often the kindest. Don’t be impatient, but follow up graciously if you’re not sure we received your work.
      I wish I could take authors into the office—a sort of field trip, with free coffee and souvenir letter openers—so that you could see the kind of consideration we give everyone’s work. We read every query carefully, we discuss many of them, we consider a million factors that have nothing to do with whether or not you have what it takes to be a writer. Sometimes we have something too similar to your work; sometimes we just don’t feel we’re the very best agency, of the many, many agents out there, to champion this project. Have faith that we do this out of love of writing, and take our responsibility toward the future of books very seriously. We’re here not just to sell your work, but to make it—and you, as an author—all that you can be.

Want more on this subject?

Previously, I interviewed another agent at Sarah Jane Freymann Literary: Katharine Sands. See her interview on the blog here.
If you're interested in meeting Jessica in person, she will be at our writing conference in New York, Sept. 18-20. Learn more here.

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

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

TONS of Agent Interviews/Tips on SCBWI Summer Conference Site

Chuck — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 03:34:38 GMT

Recently, the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators had their monstrously big summer conference in LA. A team of awesome bloggers, include our very own Alice Pope, blogged everything - including oodles and oodles of agent info. Check out some of the stuff they caught below and get on over to that site ASAP!

Kelly Sonnack of Andrea Brown Literary Agency explains how to avoid childish mistakes when writing for children.
Steven Malk of Writers House on "What to Expect When You're Expecting: An Agent's Guide from Query Letter to Published Book"
Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary on "A Recipe for Writing the Breakout Novel: 5 Ingredients for Success"
Dan Lazar of Writers House on "How to Craft a Winning Query Letter: Secrets to Keep You Out of the Reject Pile"
Brenda Bowen of Sanford J. Greenberger on the agents panel: "The State of the Business" Part 2.

Want more on this subject?

If kids' writing is your bag, you need to tune in to Alice Pope's CWIM blog.
Previously, I interviewed Kelly Sonnack on the blog. See her interview here.

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

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

Query Writing Tips From Agent Michelle Andelman

Chuck — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:14:54 GMT

This is a "Blast From the

Past" post. To celebrate the

GLA Blog's 2nd birthday, I am

re-posting some of the best

"older" content that writers

likely missed.

At the CNU conference a while back, I sat in on a presentation on writing query letters by literary agent Michelle Andelman at Lynn C. Franklin Associates. She had some great advice and I've included a lot of her tips below.

Michelle Andelman

First of all, I should mention this cool point: She said that agents not only see a lot of queries, they also write a lot of queries. She then showed a query that she wrote to an editor, pitching a writer's project. Very interesting! In the query, she talked a bit about markets and readers who would find the project interest - squeezing in audience info and market thoughts in the middle of a story pitch, which is exactly what we writers must try to do.

Michelle's Query Writing Tips:

Queries are formal communication, so treat them as such. They are your "first foot forward," so make sure it's a good one.
Queries must be crafted, and you will get better with them over time. You remember that first short story you wrote back in high school or college? If you look at it now, it's probably not as good as you remember it. Well - queries are the same way. You will get better with time and practice.
Think ratio. If you spend 10 years writing a book, what's the logic in spending just 10 hours on a query? Take the time to perfect it. Your work deserves it.
Do give a pitch, but don't give a plot summary.
Extract elements of your project that make it special. Recognizing these elements is part 1. Incorporating these elements into the query is part 2.
Avoid gimmicks! It can't be said enough. Michelle mentioned a time where an author queried their agency regarding a middle grade novel where the female protagonist lived in Maine. The gimmick? The author sent a crate of live lobsters shipped from Maine along with the query. Some lobsters survived; some didn't quite make the cross-country trip so well. Disaster!
Don't put all your eggs in one basket by querying just one agent. If you do your research, you should have a limited list of prospective agents, but you should have several names, at least.
Every project should be able to be boiled down to one sentence. Try and include that first sentence in the first paragraph of your query.
If you're writing a fun, fluffy book, then you should use fun, fluffy language in the query

Want more on this subject?

Learn the three parts of any query letter by reading this.

Enjoy these 10 Query Letter Tips.

Want to know more about the protocol of sending e-mail attachments to agents. Read on here.

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

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

Upstart Crow Literary Forms, and Offers Plenty of Great Advice on Website

Chuck — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:57:15 GMT

My coworker Alice Pope actually had the scoop on this a few days ago, but I thought I should mention it here as well.

Three agents from Firebrand Literary have broken off to form a new agency: Upstart Crow Literary. Strange name aside, I think the agency looks very cool. It will be headed up by Michael Stearns, who was formerly a prolific children's book editor. Also onboard are agents Chris Richman and Danielle Chiotti. Between the three of them, they handle adult fiction, lots of kids fiction, and some nonfiction, too.

One thing you should check out immediately is their "Toolbox" - a resource page for writers. Besides including the usual blogroll stuff, they actually have specific helpful "articles" for writers - very cool! See the following on the Toolbox page:

How to Write a Query Letter
Ten Commandments of Writing for Children
Dialogue, Some Basics
A Bookshelf for Writers & Editors

Agent Advice: Susanna Einstein of LJK Literary Management

Chuck — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:11:23 GMT

Agent Interview by
Contributor Ricki Schultz:

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

This installment features Susanna Einstein of LJK Literary Management. Susanna has worked in publishing since 1995 and is one of the founding agents at LJK, where, since 2005, she has been building a client list and selling projects ranging from children’s picture books to adult literary fiction.

She is seeking: She is interested in: crime fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction, and women’s fiction, as well as the occasional narrative or practical nonfiction book. She is particularly interested in finding great middle-grade or young adult books. Her primary requirement for any project she handles is having a distinct voice.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

SE: I had worked as an editor and as a scout, and while I loved both of those jobs, I wanted to work on the books that interested me, as opposed to the ones I needed to acquire for a particular list or ones I needed to read for a particular client. As an agent, I don’t have to work within a niche—I can work on crime novels, young adult novels, practical nonfiction, memoir, literary fiction—whatever I think I can sell!

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

SE: I just sold a second novel by a super-talented young-adult author, Lara Zielin, to Putnam Books for Young Readers. Her first book, Donut Days, comes out on August 6, and is getting terrific reviews and word of mouth. The new novel is called Promgate and is based on a true story about a high school scandal in which a pregnant teen was elected Prom Queen.

GLA: What is it that draws you to the middle-grade and young-adult age group?

SE: I love middle-grade and YA books for many reasons. For one thing, the books I read as a child and young adult are the ones that made me love reading, that transported me and made me into the bookworm that I am today. So the opportunity to be involved in that process, where kids and teens discover their own favorite books, is one that I couldn’t pass up. And there’s a joy and creativity in the children’s/YA market that is less present, or at least less visible, in the adult market. I also think, perhaps naïvely, that there’s a sense of purpose, of good work being done, in finding and selling books that young people will want to read, and that’s important to me. Last but not least, the children’s/YA market is flourishing and expanding in terms of subject matter, kinds of books, and sales. What’s not to like?

GLA: You also seek crime fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction, women’s fiction, and sometimes nonfiction. This leaves a lot of wiggle room for authors wishing to query you. Do you have particular "likes" or "dislikes" as far as subgenres for any of these categories?

SE: If a book tells a good story, I am all for it. To me, that means a book I can’t put down because I have to know what happens next, or one in which I’m so seduced by the world the author creates that I just want to stay there. I’m reluctant to say “never” vis-à-vis subgenres, but that said, I am probably not the ideal person for books of military history or military fiction—if battle details and hardware play a huge role, I tend to zone out. I’m also not particularly drawn to what I think of as the MFA novel—a book which has exquisitely chosen words but a plot I’ve read a gazillion times before.

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

SE: I pray for excellence. I see lots of books that are perfectly adequate. They tell a good story, they observe the conventions of their genre, etc., but they don’t stand out. In this market, it’s not enough for a book to be just fine. It has to be superlative.

GLA: Within all your areas of interest, you say you are looking for anything so good you “can’t put it down.” Have a you noticed any trends in what you tend to represent—things you are particularly a sucker for—that prevent you from putting down a manuscript?

SE: Honestly, not really. I have eclectic taste. All of my clients are wonderful storytellers, though, who create tangible, believable worlds. If a book makes me cry, then that’s a good sign, but that’s not to say I’m only looking for tearjerkers. I do find that I like reading about characters whom I’d like to be, if only for a day. I want characters who are charismatic—which does not mean likeable, necessarily—and I want there to be an arc to their story, some real emotion, something at stake. What do they want and how do they get it?

GLA: On the other side of that, what are some things that make you stop reading a manuscript every time you see them?

SE: Bad dialogue stops me immediately. I’m shocked by how many writers don’t seem to read their dialogue aloud, since if they did, they could surely tell it was stopping the reader cold. I subscribe to Elmore Leonard’s rules of dialogue (“Never use a verb other than said to carry dialogue. Never use an adverb to modify the verb said.”). A good writer will be able to give their characters distinct voices and will be able to convey emotion without spelling it out. Anything too derivative of another writer makes me stop reading, as does anything that’s written to a trend—since, in the amount of time it takes to publish the book, the trend will have ended. And, of course, bad grammar, bad spelling, single-spaced manuscripts—all the usual suspects.

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

SE: I just finished a summer full of conferences, so am taking a break for a while. But I’m sure I’ll be at some in the future—I like getting out of New York City and meeting writers.

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

SE: 1. The best writers I know are the ones who treat writing like a job, whether or not they have another one. They work every day, they revise, they network, they educate themselves. They don’t think of themselves as artists, but as workers, and they take rejection in stride.
        2. Your first book may not be publishable. Really consider that when you’re beginning to look for representation. Is this the best possible book to go out with, or do you just want it to be published because you worked hard on it? There are those books that teach writers how to write—and there’s a lot of worth in that, even if they never reach a wider audience.
        3. Join a critique group—one that does not include your family or friends.
        4. Just because I don’t like something, doesn’t mean another agent won’t.

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

Want more on this subject?

To see all the many agent interviews on this blog, click here.

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!

Live Blogging From SCBWI National Conference

Chuck — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:58:46 GMT

If you're all about writing or illustrating for children, then hopefully you're at the national SCBWI conference in Los Angeles right now. But if you couldn't make it for whatever reason, you're in luck. My coworker, Alice Pope, as well as several other very capable individuals are live blogging all about the conference - with interviews, tips and much, much more.

The conference goes from Aug. 7-10, but expect more posts even after it's all done.

Want more on this subject?

Alice runs a great blog all about writing and illustrating for kids.
The 2010 Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market book is out.

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

5 articles on making the most of a writers conference.

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: Adriana Dominguez of Full Circle Literary

Chuck — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:52:25 GMT

Adriana Domínguez

Full Circle Literary is based out of the SanDiego area, but Adriana will be their east-coast representative.

About Adriana: She has more than 10 years of experience in publishing, most recently as Executive Editor at HarperCollins Children's Books, where she managed the children's division of the Latino imprint, Rayo. Prior to that, she was Children's Reviews Editor at Críticas magazine, published by Library Journal. She is also a professional translator, and has worked on a number of translations of best-selling children's books.

Fiction areas of interest: Children's books - picture books, middle grade novels, and (literary) young adult novels. On the adult side, she is looking for literary, women's, and historical fiction.

Nonfiction areas of interest: Multicultural, pop culture, how-to, and titles geared toward women of all ages.

How to submit: "To save trees we are now accepting initial queries and submissions by e-mail only. To submit to Full Circle, please send a brief, one-page query (in the body of the e-mail, no attachments please) describing your book project and author highlights. No phone queries. Please send your queries to: submissions(at)fullcircleliterary.com Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for response. We will notify you if we are interested in representing your project or if we will be requesting additional materials (such as sample chapters or a proposal). Unfortunately we cannot respond personally to every query and submission we receive."

Also: "Please refer to our blog posts on fullcirclelit.blogspot.com for further detail about what we might be looking for at any one time, as well as a more detailed explanation of what we seek in an author and their credentials."

Want more on this subject?

I previously interviewed Full Circle agent Lilly Ghahremani. See that interview here.
Check out Writing & Selling the YA Novel, by award-winning YA author K.L. Going.
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!

Interview with Kids Agent Jill Corcoran Online

Chuck — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:30:28 GMT

Over on the Hunger Mountain website, there is a good interview with agent Jill Corcoran of Herman Agency, who is relatively new but decently known because of her blog.

Jill reps young adult and middle grade works. See the entire interview here or read below to see a small portion of the exchange. (Find the Herman Agency homepage here.)

HM: What types of work are you looking to represent?

JC: I represent Chapter Book, Middle Grade and Young Adult authors. I am a huge fan of humor. If you can make me laugh or crack a smile, you are my kind of writer. Even in a serious literary book, there is room for humor.
        Some of my favorite books are Frindle, Stargirl, Speak, Stuck in Neutral, How I Live Now, Millicent Min, Good Enough, Seeing Emily, Things Left Unsaid, Flipped and Because of Winn Dixie. I would also love to find funny books that are mixed prose and graphic novel a la Wimpy Kid and Bruce Hale’s Prince of Underwhere.
        For published Chapter Book, Middle Grade and Young Adult authors and SCBWI members, please email a query plus the first 10 pages of your manuscript to: Jill@HermanAgencyInc.com. No attachments, please.

HM: What’s the biggest challenge in selecting clients?

JC: I have to love a book to take it on, to commit to that book and that author for the long-haul.
        Sometimes, I have a manuscript crush. I’m enamored by its beautiful language, blinded by its witty and fun, or steamy and dark characters, swept up in its sexy plot. But with time away from its intoxicating pull, I begin to question the book’s integrity. Recognize flaws. Be irked by the little things. Sometimes an author can make the changes to turn a crush into true love. But if not, I must be honest with myself and with the author.
        The books I represent also represent me. Editors judge my taste by what I submit to them. I owe it not only to myself but to all the authors I represent to be highly selective and utterly in love with each and every book I represent.

Want more on this subject?

If kids writing is up your alley, check out all the GLA blog posts relating to juvenile writing and agents.
I previously blogged about Jill joining Herman Agency. See that post here.
Meet Alice Pope, the editor of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market, at one of two WD Intensive Workshops here in Cincinnati (Oct. 3-4 and Dec. 12-13). You may even have some manuscript pages critiqued by her!
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 Actively Seeking Middle Grade and Young Adult

Chuck — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:31:21 GMT

Emily Keyes, a junior agent at the L. Perkins Agency, has posted that she is "avidly" seeking good children's writing - young adult and middle grade works.

Here is her post from the
L. Perkins agency blog:

"I’m tired of getting queries from authors who don’t currently read YA, never read YA, say books published today are terrible, but they heard that Harry Potter lady made more than the Queen, and hey, they can do that! Writing for kids is easy, right?
"I love YA books. I loved them when I was a kid and I still love them now. I want to see manuscripts from people who love it as much as I do. I want to find the books that kids are going to remember with fondness. I inhaled Lois Duncan, LJ Smith, Babysitter’s Club, Sweet Valley, etc, etc. These days I’m excited by the writing done by Suzanne Collins, Kristin Cashore, Claudia Gray. I’m also into the teen novels by people like Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, Barry Lyga and others. I’m looking for smart middle grade and teen novels. (No picture books, please.) I like fantasy and paranormal, and other odd things. Zombies are pretty big at the moment, and I’d also like to see witches, psychics, time travel and superheroes. As far as non-genre, I like strong, female heroines and books with fresh voices and a quirky sense of humor. I’m really sick of knock-off 'Harry Potters’ and 'Twilights'."

How to contact: Query first. Send queries to EKlperkinsagency@yahoo.com

New Agent Alert: Brenda Bowen of Sanford J. Greenburger Associates

Chuck — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:57:27 GMT

55 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10003. (212)206-5600. bbowen@sjga.com. Prior to becoming an agent: She has been editorial director of Henry Holt & Company, Disney/Hyperion, Scholastic Press, and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

Areas of interest: Bowen represents authors and illustrators of children’s books for all ages (preschool to teen) as well as, in her words, "graphic novelists, animators and maybe a surprise element or two."

How to contact: "If you plan to query via e-mail: Please submit a query letter in the body of the e-mail, and the following as Word attachments: the first three chapters of the manuscript (for fiction), a book proposal (for nonfiction), a synopsis of the work, and a brief bio or résumé. If you plan to send a hard copy query: Please submit a query letter, the first three chapters of the manuscript (for fiction), a book proposal (for nonfiction), a synopsis of the work, a brief bio or résumé, and a stamped self-addressed envelope for reply. Original artwork is not accepted (send copies only). Enclose a stamped, self-addressed mailer if you wish to have your materials returned to you. We generally reply to queries within 6-8 weeks."

Agent Jennifer Laughran Talks Juvenile Writing

Chuck — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 04:57:16 GMT

This is a "Blast From the

Past" post. To celebrate the

GLA Blog's 2nd birthday, I am

re-posting some of the best

"older" content that writers

likely missed.

Since I hope to one day write juvenile fiction, I sat in on a session at the San Francisco WC where agent Jennifer Laughran of Andrea Brown Literary and Wendy Lichtman, author of Secrets, Lies & Algebra, talked tips and advice on writing for teenagers and pre-teens.

Here are some great points they made:

Kids are very media savvy these days, of course, and that should be reflected in your story.
You can’t talk down to kids. Jennifer brought up Octavian Nothing, noting that she first believed the book was way too smart for kids. But the truth, she said, is that kids are actually smarter than we think, where as adults are the lazy ones. Kids feel an intense connection with books and will take the time to tackle a book. They consider a "smart book" to be a great challenge.
Wendy said she sat in on a high school class for three months to pick up kids' patterns of speech, lingo and cadence.
You will indeed come across morality vs. reality dilemmas. For example, if teenagers use the word “retard” constantly in a derogatory fashion, should you include it as such? Wendy refused. And yes, thirteen-year-olds do have sex in today’s world, but is that really proper to include in a middle grade work?
Publishers are constantly trying to push the boundaries in terms of sex in these books. Anything is fair game, but a lot depends on how the crucial horrific moments are dealt with. For example, if a teenage girl narrator is telling of a scene where someone is murdered, she doesn’t have to provide the graphic details. It’s the difference between “He slit her throat and blood sprayed everywhere” and “Her body went limp and the carpet became red.”
If you want to go with heavy sexual stuff, that’s OK, but understand that the book is always facing gatekeepers (librarians, booksellers, agents, editors, teachers) who can opt not to carry a certain book because of what they deem inappropriate content.
Don’t start your book off with something terribly graphic and horrific. It may scare off booksellers. Wendy said that her book, at first, began with a suicide. She moved the suicide to chapter 2 so that those who picked up the book weren't immediately confronted with something so morose that didn't define the rest of the book.
You can cross genres. In adult fiction, things are often pressured to be classified. "Is it a mystery? Is it women's fiction?" Juvenile fiction has less of that problem.
The joy of novels for kids is the incidental learning. Kids don’t want to be lectured. They want to learn while being entertained.

Want more on this subject?

How to pitch an agent at a conference.

The next Writer's Digest Editors Intensive event is Sept. 11-12, 2010. All attendees receive a critique of 50 pages of their work.

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

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: Stephanie Maclean of Trident Media Group

Chuck — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:55:52 GMT

Stephanie Maclean

Trident Media Group, 41 Madison Ave, Floor 36, New York, NY 10010. Fiction areas of interest: Romance, Women’s Fiction and Young Adult. smaclean@tridentmediagroup.com.

How to contact: "Please send queries by email or regular mail (Email is faster). Please include a cover letter, synopsis and the first chapter of the manuscript. I only respond to queries I am interested in."

How I Got My Agent: Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

Chuck — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:57:06 GMT

This installment of "How I
Got My Agent" is by
Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, who
writes children's books.

LIFE PRE-AGENT

Though I didn't have an agent when I first began to write, I was lucky enough to get my work published. Over the course of six years, thirteen of my books - twelve children’s activity books and one middle grade novel – came to life. It wasn’t that I didn’t want an agent – I did, and had queried a half-dozen or so over the years. It’s just that other things fell into place first.

THE SCBWI CONFERENCE

In February 2008, I attended the annual SCBWI conference in New York. At a panel of agents addressing the state of the publishing industry (because there is always a panel of agents addressing the state of the publishing industry), I was very impressed with Tracey Adams of Adams Literary. Aside from the fact that she said she loved historical fiction (my favorite genre), she mentioned that the goal of Adams Literary was to produce beautiful children’s literature, and to work on building each of their client’s careers. That's music to writers' ears.

I queried her the moment I stepped off the plane back in Nashville. I was excited when she requested the full manuscript of my latest historical fiction story. But things weren't so simple.

UNDER REVIEW BY AN AGENT AND EDITOR

At that time, I was obligated to submit my book-in-progress to an editor I had worked with previously. The editor read it and requested big changes. I explained the circumstances to Adams Literary. "Would you mind waiting?" I asked, "while I made these changes?" They said they would wait. They said, in fact, “Enjoy the writing.”

Enjoy the writing! These people got it.

And thank goodness they are patient. Nearly a year later, I sent them a, “Hey! Remember me?” message. And yay – they did remember! After I sent in the revised manuscript, Josh Adams, Tracey’s husband, called a couple of weeks later to offer representation. I now feel like I can concentrate on becoming a better, stronger storyteller while they handle the rest. Adams Literary has, in just a few short months, taken my career in new and exciting directions. I thank my lucky stars that Tracey was presenting that day, and that Josh became my (fantastic! thorough! ever-patient!) agent.

As a final note, I say writers should know it’s never too late to follow up on interest. If someone likes your story, they will remember it. They will remember you. This is not to say that you should query an unfinished project. But if circumstances prevent you from following up immediately on a request, that doesn’t mean you should chuck that relationship. Finding someone who loves your story as much as you do is a treasure.

How I Got My Agent: Jess Haines

Chuck — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:12:18 GMT

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

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

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

For years, I worked writing technical instructions, scripts for internal instructional videos and company policy for a private business. Though the subject matter of my day job is pretty dry and often filled with legalese, I always wanted to write fantasy, sci-fi and horror.

Once I decided to write for professional publication, I knew I had some hard work ahead of me. First thing on the agenda: Write a book! I came up with an idea, put it down on paper, and by June 2008, I had a completed urban fantasy novel ready to go. So—what to do with it?

STARTING OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT

Embarking on a venture to our good friend Google, I searched for literary agents. I sent off a query to the first one that came up. I was a little disheartened by his rejection (which was actually worded very kindly), but I kept going, poking around here and there, sending off a few more queries. At the time, I didn't realize that you should only query agents who rep your particular genre nor was I aware that things like scam agencies exist. Unwisely, I followed a link to a (scam) agency that came up on my next search. Of course, they accepted me, and I just about flipped my gourd when they said, “Yes! We want to represent you!” Meanwhile, I racked up three or four more rejections from other, reputable agencies.

After the initial "Holy #%^!, I have an agent!" wore off and they recommended a paid critique through a branch of their own agency, I got suspicious and started checking them out. Much to my horror, I discovered they were on a list of scam agencies and immediately cancelled my agreement with them. Okay. Big mistake there. Brush-With-Death-of-Potential-Future-Career averted, I took a step back to see what I could do to get a real agent and not be such a ditz about this process.

On the bright side, my encounter with the scam agency had me take a look at the benefits of getting a critique done. I invested in a professional critique through The Visions Group (www.thevisionsgroup.net). This was one of the best moves I made throughout the entire process as it helped me to tighten up and focus the novel. Jean Heller also gave me some invaluable advice on what to do, and what not to do to locate and land an agent.

FINDING ELLEN

Bolstered by this, I stopped querying and went through the manuscript again, taking time to clean it up. While I did that, I perused more blogs of agents and editors: yours, Nathan Bransford's, BookEnds, Query Shark, etc. I read over the recommendations and tips from various industry newsletters and organizations. I studied up on what to do, how to format the query, what to include, what not to include, etc, and continued my search for representation around the end of August 2008.

Ahoy! What's this? An article from the Writer's Digest newsletter about 28 agents who are looking for writers? Impeccable timing!

[Note from Chuck: I put together this article and it comes out every year. The 2008/2009 list is no longer online because some of the info is outdated after about six months. The 2010 list is forthcoming. It will probably be online around December 2010.]

I looked over the list of 28 agents and contacted Ellen Pepus (www.signaturelit.com) with an e-mail query. While I waited for a response, I got going on a second novel. Ellen replied a few weeks later requesting a partial. (Insert happy dance here.) Shortly after that, she asked for the full manuscript. (Insert happy dance here.) In November 2008, she offered representation and sent me her contract. (Insert girlish screams of delight followed by happy dance here.) I’m very, very happy I persisted in my search for an agent, as Ellen just closed a three-book deal with Kensington Press for me!

Jess was spotlighted in the Sept./Oct. 2010
issue of WD. If you don't have a sub to
Writer's Digest, what are you waiting for?
Get one now!

Want more on this topic?

Read Jess Haines's column on writing a book series.

Author Suzanne Young on: How to Write a Series.

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

Word Count Guidelines for Novels and Children's Books.

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

Agent Advice: Jennifer Weltz of Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency

Chuck — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:01:38 GMT

"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 Jennifer Weltz of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.

Seeking and submissions: To contact her, send an e-query with no attachments to jweltz@jvnla.com. Your query should include a short description of the work and yourself. She specializes in compelling historicals and thrillers that stand out from the crowd as well as women's fiction with a taste of the unusual and an emotional tug. She also works with middle grade and picture books where she looks for a voice that you can't resist to get to know.

Jennifer Weltz

GLA: How did you become an agent?

JW: It seemed like a good idea at the time and I do love to read a good book!

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

JW: Today the answer is By Accident by Susan Kelley - a beautifully written novel about the dramatic shifts that random accidents can render on a family; tomorrow my answer will be a middle grade historical novel about two sisters ... but I can't tell you anything more until we officially accept.

GLA: Talk to us about historical fiction. Do you seek any category? Historical romance? Historical thriller?

JW: I love romance, thriller and just a wonderful story about a great figure in history that we didn't know or know well enough. I love to learn something new and to plunge into a world and live there for a few days. If it's a thriller, it had better be tight on the facts and the resolution, because I'm pretty good at figuring it out and I am a sucker for a wonderful romance but never downplay the importance of anticipation. Check out The Last Queen by CW Gortner to see the kind of historical writing I tend to love. Also Pope Joan by Donna Cross.

GLA: You say you seek "women's fiction with a taste of the unusual and an emotional tug." To give us more perspective on this, can you give us an example (or two) of a women's fiction book you repped and what about it grabbed your attention?

JW: A wonderful example is The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb. This is a present day ghost story with a bit of a mystery and a great love story. One thing I have realized is that I love stories that verge on the fairy tale in their tone but give us a twist we didn't expect. I love to be surprised and also have a bit of a dark sense of humor. I am also a great fan of our books The Last Bridge by Terri Coyne, La Cucina by Lily Prior and Affinity by Sarah Waters.

GLA: You rep mid-grade works and picture books, but not young adult?

JW: Jessica Regel in our office has a great eye for YA's and so I leave it up to her. I do go for YA's if they are more the fun or fantastical. Angst is not my forte.

GLA: A lot of people write picture books but most of them never get published? Where are writers going wrong?

JW: Picture books are actually the hardest market to break into right now. I find myself turning down many books that have nothing wrong with them because I know there is no way I can sell them in this market.
        1. Unless you are an artist, do not send illustrations with your book.
        2. Most picture books that are selling these days have a character you can't resist with a great twist.
        3. Quiet pretty stories are not selling right now.
        4. It's all in the voice
        5. see 4

GLA: Specifically with picture books, are you looking for text-heavy work? Minimal text?

JW: Minimal. A picture book is like a poem. Every word must justify it's existence. No rhymes though please!

GLA: What, in your mind, differentiates a thriller from mystery or suspense?

JW: Great question and one I asked myself when I started agenting 14 years ago. Commonly, in the thriller, our main protagonist is directly involved in the danger and is directly affected by the outcome (they might go to jail or die if they don't resolve) whereas in a mystery the main character is solving a crime that was done to someone else. They might be in peril but the crime originates with another character.

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

JW: I pray a lot when tackling the slush pile. I'm looking for something I have never seen with writing that grabs me from the first page and a character that comes to life from the moment I meet him/her. The voice, the originality of the story and a story that takes me out of the world and life I am living (i.e., don't send me a thriller around swine flu!).

GLA: In your opinion, how is the economic climate affecting writers' chances of getting published? Are you seeing smaller advances? Fewer buys?

JW: Yes, yes, yes. A writer needs to be prepared to be in it for the long haul and to give it everything they have got to succeed. And they need an agent who is passionate about their career and their writing. You don't want me unless I am excited!

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

JW: Thriller Fest in June.

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

JW: Make sure to tell me what your book is about front and center when sending me a query, especially if it is fiction. I'll read about the other stuff later but only if the story grabs me. One last thing - I read every query with great hope and desire to find something wonderful that I can love because first and foremost I am a reader!

Want more on this subject?

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

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.

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: Lisa Janice Cohen

Chuck — Sun, 24 May 2009 02:18:30 GMT

"How I Got My Agent" is a new recurring feature on the GLA blog. I find it fascinating to see the exact road people took that landed them with a rep. Seeing the things people did right vs. what they did wrong (highs and the lows) can help other scribes who are on the same journey.

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

This installment of "How I
Got My Agent" is by
Lisa Janice Cohen, author
of both YA and adult novels.

EARLY ATTEMPTS & THREE BOOKS

I completed my first novel in the summer of 2005 and, with only a minimal understanding of the process of publication, began to search for an agent. Between August 2005 and August 2006, I sent out queries to 50 agents who represented fantasy novels, who had profiles on agentquery.com, and were considered legitimate by Preditors and Editors. (At least I knew enough to not get scammed in those early attempts.) Those attempts garnered one request for a partial, many form rejections, and the rest never responded.
      As I was racking up the rejections, I was also hard at work writing novel No. 2, a near-future thriller. Figuring I had given the fantasy novel its best shot, I began to query the thriller. I sent out 42 queries. This query received a handful of personal rejections, and the odd assortment of form rejections and non-responders.
      By that time, I had completed novel No. 3, a YA urban fantasy called House of Many Doors. I knew my writing was stronger and I was better able to see what was not working in my first and second novels. I started querying the YA novel in March of 2007, almost by accident (as I was still actively querying the thriller). A writer friend of mine contacted me asking me if she could pass my info on to a poet friend of hers who was also a literary agent.
         The agent was interested on the basis of my teaser and asked for a partial, then the full ms. She requested edits, which I thought were all excellent suggestions and I was over the moon, assuming that I had finally figured it out and was about to get an agent. Months passed and she finally called me to let me know she did not feel the manuscript was commercially viable without massive rewriting and that she was going to pass. I was devastated and confused.
      But I continued to query novel No. 3, sending queries to an additional 28 likely agents. One of those agents was Nephele Tempest of The Knight Agency.

SUCCESS WITH NEPHELE

I initially queried Nephele in September of 2007, as part of her Back to School query contest on her blog. There had been an announcement of this contest and a link to her blog through Forward Motion for Writers (fmwriters.com). Nephele blogged that she was specifically looking for YA urban fantasy and, lo and behold, I had a completed manuscript in that genre (novel. No. 3).
      She liked my query and asked for sample pages within 24 hours. About a month later (October 2007), she requested the full ms. After not hearing back from her for four months, I sent a polite status check e-mail and Nephele was quick to respond that she was swamped and current clients needed to be her priority. About every 3 months, I would correspond with her, asking for a status update.
      In the meanwhile, I had the good fortune to be asked to submit the manuscript to an editor at a YA imprint of one of the NY publishing houses. (This was through a personal connection - the editor's fiancee worked with my husband.) While the editor loved the story, she felt it was ultimately not right for her imprint. But, she sent me wonderfully detailed editorial notes on her impressions. Those notes translated into a further revision of the manuscript. After completing the revisions in the fall of 2008, I e-mailed Nephele wondering if could I send her the revised manuscript. As she hadn't yet read the original, she agreed. Within a few weeks, she had read the revised manuscript and offered me representation.
      So while it took from September of 2007 to January of 2009 from query to acceptance with an agent, the process actually began in August of 2005 when I sent my first unsuccessful query for my first novel. Since then, I have finished a total of 4 novels, and am on track to finish novel number five this summer.

Are There Any Guys in SCBWI?

Chuck — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:08:53 GMT

I've done a lot of nonfiction writing, but I am a newbie to the children's writing world and am trying to get involved and learn things and make friends, etc. All this lead me to my first regional SCBWI meeting. There were 18 people, and only one dude - me.

Are there any guys in SCBWI? I'm used to being outnumbered in the whole writing/publishing world, but not by 17 to 1.

Agent Advice: Kate McKean of Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, Inc.

Chuck — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:43:46 GMT

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

This installment features Kate McKean of Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, Inc. A native Southerner, Kate earned her Master's degree in Fiction Writing from the University of Southern Mississippi before starting her career as a literary agent.

She is seeking: Her interests lie in literary fiction, contemporary women's fiction, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, mystery, young adult and middle grade fiction, narrative nonfiction, sports related books, food writing, pop culture, and craft. She prefers email queries and can be reached at kmckean@morhaimliterary.com. She is not accepting any epic fantasy, science fiction, or children's picture books.

Kate McKean

GLA: Briefly, how did you become an agent?

KM: I've always loved writing and books, but I'm also a very outgoing person. As an agent, I get the best of both worlds--the creative aspect of helping my clients craft great novels and proposals, and the social aspect of networking with potential clients and editors. There are editors, teachers, writers, and salesmen in my family. Being an agent is like all of those professions put together.

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

KM: Most recently, I've sold audio rights for some agency clients, which is always fun, but the last book I sold was the sequel to the New York Times bestselling I Can Has Cheezburger called How to Take Over Teh Wurld.

GLA: To me, at least, it seems like a lot of fiction stories that writers are pitching at conferences are about middle-aged women who break out of their unsatisfying life to live a life of adventure and/or excitement. As someone who looks for contemporary women's fiction, do you see a lot of these queries? And if so, what advice can you give writers on standing out from the crowd?

KM: I see a TON of novels like these, and haven't signed up any of them. The advice I would give to writers working on this subject would be to focus less on the WHY the characters are changing their lives and more on WHAT they're doing to change their lives. The emotional reasons behind these stories are familiar to readers, but what they do with it can be new, different, and interesting. Bottom line, though, writing trumps all. A well-written novel with this subject matter would catch my eye.

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

KM: I'm looking for a novel to fall in love with. I'm looking for excellent writing, with a plot that keeps me turning pages. I'm looking for the diamond in the rough. I know that that's not a helpful answer to writers looking to query me, but I find that if there's a certain topic I'm looking for, I know how to go out and find it. I'm now just looking for that serendipitous connection of a great story and impeccable writing---just like every other agent and editor on the planet.

GLA: It says you seek paranormal romance, but nothing about any other type of romance. What attracts you to this specific subgenre?

KM: I'm a finicky genre reader, especially in fantasy. I don't want to learn a new language when I read a book, or have to create a completely new universe in my imagination, but I do want to escape my mundane existence. I particularly like that paranormal romance is equal parts a new and interesting, but takes place in a setting that I'm usually familiar with (you know, with the same laws of gravity and such). In the end, I'm a sucker for a romantic story, so paranormal romance satisfies both those cravings for me as a reader.

GLA: No agent has ever really talked about urban fantasy before. If someone asked you for your "Three Tips if Writing and Submitting an Urban Fantasy," what would you tell them?

KM: Frankly, those tips would be just about the same for a writer writing in any genre.
        1. Give me characters I can care about.
        2. Give those characters something to DO.
        3. Be aware of the genre, so you know if you're treading the same path as other authors.

GLA: People say fantasy books tend to be longer than most books and don't abide by normal word counts. Is this true with urban fantasy?

KM: Any story that requires the author to create a new world different from our own is going to need some extra pages to flesh that out. As long as this is done in a way that keeps the plot going and keeps the reader turning pages, the final word count doesn't really matter to me. But yes, fantasy does tend to be a little longer.

GLA: You seek young adult works. You don’t want picture books. Do you accept middle grade?

KM: Yes, I will consider MG.

GLA: You seek sports-related books. Can this be anything? Coaching? Memoir? Weird statistics? Anything?

KM: I'm a huge college football fan and I'm making it my mission to prove to the publishing world that football fans will buy books. (Whether or not I'm tilting at windmills here is another matter.) But I am interested in all sports, and all topics. I have one client writing a memoir as told through baseball cards, and another working on ideas about the NFL in it's early years. Practical nonfiction on sports topics is harder, because the writer needs a major platform to sell books.

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

KM: I'll be in Denver at the Romancing the Rockies conference May 1-2, 2009.

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

KM: I believe that all writers who hope to be published should remind themselves daily that they're writing for their readers, not for themselves. Writing is definitely a personally gratifying experience and can have wonderful therapeutic and self-esteem building results--but if your reader isn't compelled to turn the page because of something the writer is *trying* to do with the narration or theme, then what good does it do? One of my writing professors used to say: "Mean less." To me, that means don't set out for your book to be *about* something, especially an abstraction (love, trauma, homesickness). Just find some characters in your imagination. Make them do something. Make the reader care about what they do.

Want more on this subject?

Kate contributed one of the examples in the "Successful Queries" series.

If you're interested in the Howard Morhaim agency, I previously interviewed agent Brandi Bowles.

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

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

If you're into the categories of paranormal or urban fantasy, check out The Encyclopedia or Werewolves, Vampires and Other Monsters.

New Agency Alert: The McVeigh Agency

Chuck — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:38:28 GMT

The McVeigh Agency

Update: For an awesome Q&A with
Mark McVeigh, see Alice Pope's
CWIM blog here.

Former editor Mark McVeigh has recently opened his own literary agency. Here's some more info:

Adult writing areas of interest: "fiction of all kinds, nonfiction (especially) biographies and history), memoir, photo books on fashion, art, architecture, and more, graphic novels." Juvenile areas of interest: "picture books that are character driven, funny, and with a totally kid-centric hook; chapter books, middle-grade books for both boys and girls, especially manuscripts that have series potential; young adult of all sorts, from comic to angst-y, from envelope-pushing, issue-based to swooningly romantic; graphic novels; unusual or very topical nonfiction."

For both adult and children's: "Illustrators with an arresting look and a versatile style who are capable of illustrating picture books, covers, and interoir art. Photographers with the skill to handle both commercial and more literary projects." And also: "Books with particular appeal to children and adults of color. This country is based on the idea of a melting pot, and I want my clients and their books to reflect that. No matter what color you are, I want to represent books that resonate with you and your world. Writers shape the books they write, but these books shape the people who read them: I’m totally aware of this and committed to growing the list of successful authors and illustrators of color."

How to contact: Unsolicited queries should go to mark@themcveighagency.com. No snail mail queries.

Is It Young Adult or Middle Grade?

Chuck — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:30:46 GMT

Q. My 96,000-word manuscript features a 12 yr old and 11 yrs old protagonist, the themes are dark. Have been looking around and am unsure -- YA or mid-grade? Help!
        - Marco

A. I think I can help. I just finished my first middle grade novel and, for a good while, I thought it was a young adult work. But then I did a lot of research to try and distinguish between the two juvenile categories.
       First of all, your word count is way, way off. It's so off that an agent will see the word count and stop reading your query. MG novels run 20,000-40,000 words, while YA is 40,000-65,000 words.
       The ages of your characters looks like it is MG. Protagonists there are usually 12-13. Someone once told me that readers like to enjoy a story where the protagonist is older, and in a situation they will soon be in. So for MG, where the readers are 9-12, they want to read about 13-year-olds, etc. For YA, where the readers are 11-14, they want to read about 16-year-olds or above.
        As far as "dark themes" go, I can't help you because I haven't read the book. Dark themes are OK in MG, but avoid sex and drug use. It sounds to me like you still don't know what your book is, and need to do some more research (and then make lots of cuts!).

Update: Here is a comment from a writer - "The field of middle-grade fiction encompasses more than Magic Tree House-style chapter books. It's not uncommon for MG novels to run 60,000 to 100,000 words (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Artemis Fowl, to name a few popular examples)."

A. To me, these examples you list seem like big exceptions to the rule, and that word count mentioned seems pretty far off. So - I consulted Michelle Andelman, an agent wise to all things children's.
       Michelle said that fantasy submissions are an exception to the rule and new writers can get away with a submission that maxs out at about 65,000 words, but a bigger word count is troublesome. However, that said, the 20,000-40,000 word count general range is still correct and should be followed if you want to give yourself your best shot with agents and editors.
       There are always exceptions to every guideline in writing, but if you count on being the exception to the rule, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

Blogging Agent: Jill Corcoran of Herman Agency, Inc.

Chuck — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:21:23 GMT

Kind of a double notification here. Jill Corcoran is an associate agent at Herman Agency, Inc., who is 1) looking for submissions (children's stuff), and 2) blogging about her adventures and passing on advice to writers.

She is seeking middle grade and young adult. See her blog here, where she discusses things such as changes in the publishing world, how she evaluates a submission, and where to go to soak up advice on query writing.

How to submit: Please e-mail a query plus the first 10 pages of your manuscript to Jill@HermanAgencyInc.com.

Agent Advice: Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Literary

Chuck — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:54:01 GMT

"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 Christine Witthohn of Book Cents Literary Agency, LLC.

She is seeking: Fiction areas of interest: Single Title Romance (Contemporary, Romantic Comedy, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense), Women's Lit (must have a strong hook), Young Adult, Mainstream Mystery/Suspense, Medical or Legal Fiction (something that hasn't been done before), Literary Fiction. Nonfiction areas of interest: We are looking for very specific NF. Women's Issues/Experiences, Fun/Quirky Topics (particularly those of interest to women), Cookbooks (fun, ethnic, etc.), Health, Gardening (herbs, plants, flowers, etc.), Books with a "Save The Planet" theme, Entertaining, Reference, How-To Books. Not interested in: Category Romance, Erotica, Inspirational, Historical, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror/Dark Thrillers, Memoirs, Short stories/Novellas, Poetry, Screenplays.Christine is looking for romance and other genre, as well as kids works.

Christine Witthohn

GLA: How did you become an agent?

CW: I decided I wanted to do something I enjoyed, yet something challenging. I had always been a book worm and loved to read, and had experience as a fierce negotiator (coming from a family of eight kids) so becoming a literary agent was a natural fit for me. I started by offering myself up as slave labor (all expenses on my own dime) to many literary agencies, only to get the doors slammed in my face! This only made me more determined.
        Four years later, after monthly trips of traveling back and forth to NY to meet with publishing pros, developing and nurturing important industry contacts, taking classes and attending legal/contract workshops on both coasts, and attending a numerous conferences … I finally opened my agency’s doors in 2006.

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

CW: Kathryne Kennedy’s Talismans of Elfhame, her new historical paranormal romance series, to Deb Werksman at Sourcebooks, at auction, in a three-book deal.

GLA: Concerning children's writing, you seek "tween." Do you mean middle grade or true tween?

CW: Middle grade. I am finding that interest in middle grade is really starting to pick up. Many of the editors I talk to are looking for wholesome, character-driven tween stories (for example: a boy and his dog/a girl and her horse). Don’t get me wrong, editors are still looking for great YA (young adult), but don’t overlook middle grade.
        As for marketing middle grade and tween, that can be a little tricky. It can also depend on the subject matter and bookstore. Sometimes I see tween in the teen section of book stores and sometimes it will be displayed in the children’s section.

GLA: In YA and teen, what are some page 1 cliches you come across? What do you see too much of at the beginning of a juvenile ms?

CW: The most common problem I see is a story that’s been told a million times before, without any new twists to make it unique enough to stand out. Same plot, same situations, same set up = the same ole story. For example: abusive parents/kid’s a rebel; family member(s) killed tragically/kid’s a loner; divorced parents/kid acts out.
        Another problem I often see is when the protagonist/main characters don’t have an age- appropriate voice. For example: if your main character is 14, let him talk like a 14-year-old.
        And lastly, being unable to “connect” with the main character(s). For example: characters are too whiny or bratty. Character shows no emotion/angst.

GLA: Speaking of which, what do you come across too much of in romance concerning the hook or on page 1?

CW: 1) Too much backstory in the set up. 2) The hook/heroine’s situation isn’t unique enough to stand out. 3) The story doesn’t grab you from the beginning to make me (or any reader, for that matter) want to keep reading. 4) The writer has a really good plot idea, but the execution falls short.

GLA: You seek romance, but are you looking for single-title or series or ... ?

CW: I rep single title romance (unless a current client writes category, too).
I look for contemporary (esp. with humor), paranormal (no werewolves or shapeshifters, please), and love mystery/suspense.

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

CW: Something so entertaining and well written, I can’t put the story down!
If you are a writer and have a story like that… please drop everything and send it to me, along with a synopsis! (cw@bookcentsliteraryagency.com)
        What do I pray for? For Judith Ann (a junior agent) to come and tell me she’s already read through the whole pile! No, seriously… to find a jewel of a story.

GLA: Let's say someone came up to you and said, "I have this story about a woman but I don't if it's women's fiction or literary fiction." What would you say to them to help them decide?

CW: Great question! I won’t take the easy way out and say, “I know it when I see it.” The difference is often subjective, but women’s fiction really focuses more on the voice/narrative and the plot, whereas, literary fiction has more emotional depth and focuses more on style.
        I would ask the person to tell me a little bit more about their story (I need more info than “this story about a woman”). If the story sounded interesting, I’d tell them to send me a synopsis and the first chapter.

GLA: Let's stay on the topic of women's fiction because no agent has ever really delved into it. From reading good books and seeing bad submissions, what can you tell us about the dos and don't of this category? In other words, fill in this sentence, "If you're writing a women's fiction book, three things are of the highest importance ... "

CW: 1) You must have a unique plot with a great hook. 2) The story needs to be single title length (do your homework!). 3) READ - know the market you are targeting.

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

CW: Yes, and I go out of my way to be approachable and make myself available to writers. I try to participate in many festivities at most of the writers' conferences I attend and I never leave early. I encourage people to introduce themselves to me at conferences and I always make time for them when they do.
       Upcoming conferences: RT Convention (April 23-26), MWA Edgar Symposium (April 29-30), The Writer's Digest Books Conference Pitch Slam (May 28), BookExpo America (May 29-30). I will be at many more. Check my website.

GLA: Speaking of conferences, tell us a little about this conference you co-sponsor in Italy...

CW: In 2007, I was invited to the Women’s Fiction Festival (WFF) in Matera, Italy. I attended, and loved it! So much so, I became a sponsor. By far, it was the best conference I had ever been to. Believe it or not, it’s not just the shopping, food, or wine that makes this conference stand out. It’s the people! The festival is an international writers' conference. Writers have access to agents and editors from the American, British, German and Italian markets (soon to include French and Spanish). I have never been to a conference where writers have so much one-on-one access to industry professionals. This is particularly valuable to someone who is already published and wants to promote themselves in a foreign market.
        As if that isn’t enough, the municipality of Matera (a UNESCO world heritage site and popular film locale) holds its own town festival around the writers' conference so attendees can taste local foods. Booths are set up with free samples of: breads, wines, cheeses, olives, produce, and pastries. They also provide entertainment with live bands on Friday and Saturday nights. What’s not to love?

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

CW: Writing is a process - Writing IS re-writing. Hone your skills (take classes/study the craft). Believe in yourself and your work. Maintain a sense of humor. Never give up. And most important ... Keep writing!
        The very best of luck to everyone

Want more on this subject?

See examples of Successful Queries that agents liked.

Check out The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters.

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

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

Agent Advice: Meredith Kaffel of Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency

Chuck — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 03:59:09 GMT

She is seeking: "or children's books, my first love is YA. And my YA tastes run the gamut from the highly literary (especially fish out of water tales, outsider stories told teetering from the edge, high concept novels taking on themes with gravity, up-market historical fantasy and stories involving the arts in some way), to the highly commercial (teen paranormal with a twist, high school dramas and friendship sagas, anything with sass and attitude, etc). I also enjoy smart middle-grade fiction, and I will take on the occasional quirky picture book manuscript. I'm actively looking for new illustrators as well -- for both the picture book and graphic novel/comic markets. As for adult manuscripts, I'm primarily looking for narrative nonfiction (specifically books dealing with food, science, international themes, feminism, cultural trends, art and literary history, music, and general "juicy" history and biography), and the rare literary novel that steals my heart. I tend to be drawn more toward darkly wry and edgy fiction than novels brimming with sugar-and-sunshine, but my rule about taking on a project is that there are no set rules. I just have to love it." I accept both email and snail mail queries. For email, please send to meredith@sll.com, and for snail mail, to: Meredith Kaffel Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency, 65 Bleecker St., Ste. 12, New York, NY 10012. For initial queries, I prefer a query letter along with 1-3 sample chapters for fiction, or a proposal for nonfiction."

GLA: How did you become an agent?

MK: I interned for agent Sarah Burnes one summer, when I was an undergrad at Yale. I watched the rhythm of her day, the intimate author and editor contact, the invigorating daily flurry, and thought "that's what I want to do." After that, I kept interning in publishing until I graduated, and then, after a brief stint as a writer's assistant, I joined the Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency.

GLA: You have a Sterling e-mail, but you're not technically with Sterling, is that right?

MK: Good question. Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency (CSLA) is an affiliate of Sterling Lord Literistic (SLL). Charlotte owns her own agency, but we're a sister company of SLL – a boutique agency within the larger agency. It’s really a best of both worlds situation: the intimacy of a small agency, complete with the wonderful SLL extended family.

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

MK: A hilarious, quirky middle grade novel called Flirt Club by Cathleen Daly. It went to Neal Porter at Roaring Brook exclusively, because I wanted Neal's gorgeous aesthetic on this book. Thankfully, he loved it as much as I did.

GLA: You look for a lot of children's stuff. Specifically, with "fish out of water" stories - do you gravitate toward multicultural tales? Or can it simply be "poor kid gets sent to a rich boarding school" story?

MK: Charlotte and I both are very interested in multicultural tales, yes. But I'm also interested in any character who feels like an outsider, a misfit, anyone struggling to figure out who he or she is or how to exist outside his or her comfort zone.

GLA: Does "tween" exist as a category? If you got a query for a tween book that clearly straddled the YA-MG line, would you take it on? Or is it too hard to market because it's neither one nor the other?

MK: Tween does exist, and various publishers even have specific tween imprints in place. As for queries, the same standard holds true for me in terms of tween as it does with YA or MG: if the voice is authentic, then I'm probably interested. However, I do look more at plot with tween novels: right now, it's not enough just to have a great tween voice -- the storyline also needs to be unique enough to stand out in the marketplace.

GLA: What's more common? Seeing a juvenile ms that talks down the audience, or one that's a little too purple-prose and over their heads?

MK: Well, typically I'd say the former. But since CSLA is the agency of Lemony Snicket, we also see a lot of queries attempting to mimic Snicket's highly idiosyncratic voice – which sometimes unfortunately results in the latter!

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

MK: Things I cross my fingers for:
      1) High-concept YA novels - especially something as brave as Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why.
      2) YA and adult novels that make me laugh out loud (either light comedy or something really dark and twisted, something that's 'I can't believe I'm allowing myself to laugh at this, I should be arrested' funny)
      3) Science for the trade market, pop sociology, books regarding cultural trends, counterculture histories, books which weave food and/or travel in as a theme, books about escape, about things lost and found, music histories for the trade market, compelling biographies of undersung women in history
      4) Books about the renaissance (fiction or non, and especially YA novels set in the renaissance)
      5) Teen paranormals that subvert and reinvent the genre and aren’t just vampire knockoffs

GLA: Following up on that last question, you seek plenty of narrative nonfiction in a whole host of subjects? Which of these categories, in your opinion, is really under-mined, so to speak? Which category is wide open and hasn't been fully explored yet?

MK: CSLA has long represented works of African-American history, but I think this category remains under-mined. Less crucially, I'd also love to see a book on the internet's effect on radio from a cultural standpoint, having become a recent NPR pod-cast fanatic…!

GLA: Since you seek narrative nonfiction, do you want a book proposal, a full completed manuscript, or both when pitching you?

MK: A really bang-up proposal with a sample chapter or two is often enough for me when it comes to narrative nonfiction -- at least in terms of taking someone on. Though if you’re not submitting many chapters, your proposal should be in the same voice as your book would be – it should leap off the page in the same way and should not be dull just because it’s a proposal!

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

MK: Indeed, I'll be attending the Wyoming Writers, Inc. conference this year in June 2009, and also the Surrey International Writers’ Conference in October 2009.

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

MK: Try to educate yourself in terms of the current state of the publishing industry, and be ready and excited to help market and promote your own book as much as possible. To this point, having an already-established Web presence helps immensely – in finding an agent and ultimately a publisher.

Want more on this topic?

See examples of Successful Queries that agents liked.

Check out The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters.

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

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

New Agent Alerts: Stacia Decker and Danielle Chiotti of Firebrand Literary

Chuck — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:13:37 GMT

Editor's Note: Firebrand Literary closed in July 2009. Three agents from Firebrand Literary have broken off to form a new agency: Upstart Crow Literary. It will be headed up by Michael Stearns, who was formerly a prolific children's book editor. Also onboard are agents Chris Richman and Danielle Chiotti. Between the three of them, they handle adult fiction, lots of kids fiction, and some nonfiction, too. Stacia moved on to Donald Maass Literary.

-----

I got word last week about two new agents at Firebrand Literary, but had to kind of sit on it until the official announcement came this morning. Both of these agents will be attending the Writer's Digest conference on May 27 in NYC and taking pitches from writers. Both have backgrounds in editing, and you can learn more about Stacia and Danielle's backgrounds on the Firebrand Web site.

New Agent: Stacia Decker

To see an updated post on Stacia (now at Donald Maass Literary), click here.

New Agent: Danielle Chiotti

Danielle specializes in a variety of trade fiction and nonfiction books. For nonfiction: narrative nonfiction, memoir, self-help, relationships, humor, current events, women’s issues, and cooking. For fiction: commercial women’s fiction and multicultural fiction (with a slightly “literary” edge), romance, paranormal romance, and young adult fiction for girls.

To contact them personally, it's (firstname)@firebrandliterary.com. However - note that these new agents do not take queries over e-mail but rather through an online submission form on the Firebrand Web site.

Firebrand is another one of those agencies that is still relatively new in the grand scheme of things, but has quickly turned itself into an up-and-coming powerhouse of an agency.

Check Out Interviews With Two Agents: ICM's Tina Wexler, and Curtis Brown's Ginger Clark

Chuck — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:20:41 GMT

I came across Gretchen McNeil's Seanchai blog recently, and saw it had posted two recent interviews with top-notch agents.

Click here to read an interview with Tina Wexler of ICM.

Click here to read an interview with Ginger Clark of Curtis Brown.

Ginger Clark Tina Wexler

A little more info:

GINGER CLARK represents science fiction, fantasy, paranormal romance, paranormal chick lit, literary horror, and young adult and middle grade fiction.

TINA WEXLER specializes in middle grade and YA fiction, with particular interest in adventure stories with boy appeal, contemporary coming of age stories, tall tales, and mysteries. On the adult side, she is looking for narrative nonfiction (religion, memoir, pop culture) and up-market women's fiction.

(By the way, both Tina and Ginger will be at Writer's Digest's own conference in New York on May 27, 2009, if you're thinking about pitching either of them.)

Want more on this subject?

What Should You Write in the "Bio Paragraph" of a Query Letter.

Why Your Manuscript Can Get Rejected, by Hallie Ephron.

Word Count Guidelines for Novels and Children's Books.

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: Joanna Stampfel-Volpe of Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation

Chuck — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 18:32:41 GMT

She is seeking: Joanna is looking for genre fiction, children's works, and some nonfiction areas. She accepts hard copy or e-mail queries - e-mail address: LiteraryNancy2@gmail.com. Send snail mail queries to 240 West 35th Street, Suite 500, New York, NY 10001. Joanna's interests: "chap books to upper YA (non-fiction, contemporary, humor, historical and fantasy *fantasy/sci-fi needs to really stand out, unique), romance (historical, paranormal, contemporary), fantasy (women's, urban, steampunk, unique), up-market fiction (dark, literary, horror, dark comedies, speculative fic), narrative non-fiction (pop culture, environmental, foodie)." She is NOT interested in "cozies, cookbooks, academic nonfiction, epic fantasy for adults, hi-science fiction, poetry, collections/short stories, screenplays."

GLA: How did you become an agent?

JSV: I started at a small publisher on Long Island, Blue Marlin Publications. I was basically a part-time publisher’s assistant and loved it—I got to do everything! From attending BEA to editing to publicity. It was a great way to start in publishing. At the time, I was taking a publishing course with Peter Rubie of FinePrint Literary Management. Five months later, I was working for both FinePrint and Nancy Coffey, then eventually I got to sign a few clients as a junior agent, made some sales and I started in January of this year as a full-time agent with Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation. I’ve had some great mentors along the way.

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

JSV: The most recent book I sold was in December: Bloomsbury Children’s, Ghost Watcher trilogy.

GLA: What are you looking for right now and not getting? When you read the slush pile, what are you praying that you find?

JSV: I am looking for good historical fiction with female protagonists, strong YA told in verse, and humorous middle grade. I am always praying to find a dark read for boys/young guys that’s Stand By Me meets a modern Catcher in the Rye … I’ve come close with a few, but so far, no perfect fit!

GLA: In my agent interviews, I haven’t really gotten much advice from agents on writing children’s nonfiction. Can you give us some 101 tips?

JSV: You can write about almost anything when it comes to children’s nonfiction, even if it’s been done before. But you need to come at the subject from a different angle. If there is already a book on tomatoes and how they grow, then try writing about tomatoes from a cultural angle. There are a ton of books on slavery, but not many on slaves in Haiti during the Haitian Revolution (is there even one? There’s an idea—someone take it and query me!). Another thing to always consider is your audience. Kids already have textbooks at school, so you shouldn’t write your book like one. Come at the subject in a way that kids can relate to and find interesting. Humor is always a useful tool in nonfiction for kids.

GLA: It seems like a lot of juvenile nonfiction is series stuff. “The 50 States.” “Historical Figures.” Should writers try to add to an already-existing series or should they come up with an original one-shot idea?

JSV: Adding to a series is a great way to get started as a writer of nonfiction, especially for unagented writers (depending on the publishing house, of course). But it can’t hurt to research the market and try to come up with an idea of your own. Every publishing house is on the lookout for good nonfiction for kids. Another great way to build your resume is to write articles for kid’s magazines like Highlights, Ranger Rick, Muse, Ask, Boys Quest, Boys Life, Jack and Jill, Discovery Girl, Pockets, Spider, etc, or even writing pieces up for educational workbooks. If you have a lot of experience writing nonfiction for kids, an agent or editor will know that you know how to reach that audience.

GLA: You give a speech on the “dreaded synopsis.” In your mind, what do you think the three most common mistakes a writer makes when composing a synopsis?

JSV: 1) Including too many characters. 2) Including too many subplots. 3) Making them too long! I usually ask writers to submit a two-page synopsis, but I’d prefer even one page.

GLA: I point writers to Query Shark to let them see query examples and critiques. Do you know recommend any books or websites for seeing and evaluating synopses?

JSV: I actually don’t know of many—which is why I chose it as my workshop topic for a number of upcoming conferences. Lisa Gardner has a very detailed layout though, I’m pretty sure it’s on her website.

GLA: Let’s say you sit down to read an adult fiction partial – the first 50 pages. Where are writers going wrong? What do you hate to see in a ms early in the story?

JSV: Too much backstory. A lot of writers feel the need to tell us all about their protagonist right up front, so we know them like they do. I’d rather be shown who the hero/heroine is throughout the piece. Voice tells me more about a character than any description paragraph.

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

JSV: Yes I will!
      NETWO’s Writers Roundup (Camp Shiloh, TX) 4/24-4/25/09
      CTRWA’s Connecticut Fiction Fest (Meriden, CT) 5/2/09
      LIRW Luncheon (Jericho, NY) 6/12/09
      In Your Write Mind, Writing Popular Fiction (Seton Hill University, PA) 6/25-6/28/09
      Midwest Writers Workshop (Ball State University, IN) 7/23-7/25/09
      South Carolina Writer’s Workshop Conference (Myrtle Beach, SC) 10/23-10/25/09
      Oh … and of course, the Writer's Digst 2009 BEA Pitch Slam!

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

JSV: Don’t try to find out what the next “hot thing” is. Just write what comes to you. Trends or no trends, agents and editors are just looking for solid writing.

Want more on this subject?

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

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.

Examine great high concept hooks for children's books.

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

The WD Writing Conference in New York! (and Other WD News and Opportunities, Too)

Chuck — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:44:37 GMT

Every year, Writer's Digest Books puts on an awesome one-day writers' conference in conjunction with BookExpo America. This year's BookExpo event is in Manhattan in late May, and our writers' conference is on Wednesday, May 27.

Well have I got some good news for writers. The numbers of literary agents who will be in attendance taking pitches from writers just keeps getting bigger. We are at about 60 agents right now and that number will certainly grow by a few. We'll basically just keep signing up agents until representatives from the Jacob Javits Center in NYC stop us because of fire codes. (Only half joking.)

Below you will find the list of attending agents who will be taking pitches at the conference. Here are the details: The slam is the finale of our event on Wednesday, May 27, at the Jacob Javits Center in Midtown, NYC. The slam goes from 3 to 5 p.m., and pitches last three minutes total. You get to pitch as many agents as you can in that time. I don't care what category/genre of fiction or nonfiction you're writing, we have multiple agents attending who are looking for what you write. Memoir? Check. Children's stuff. Check. How-to business? Check. Romance bordering on erotica? Check. Everything in between? Check.

Prior to the slam, the day is chock full of presentations and panels with authors, agents and editors.

For space purposes, we can't fit the complete agent bios on this blog post; however, you can see everything these agents accept and "want" on the official conference BEA page right here. That link will also show you who is presenting at the conference itself.

Literary agents (and some editors)
in attendance at the 2009
Writer's Digest Books Writers' Conference:

EMMANUELLE ALSPAUGH (Judith Ehrlich Literary)
MICHELLE ANDELMAN (Lynn C. Franklin Associates)
BERNADETTE BAKER-BAUGHMAN (Baker's Mark Literary)
MICHAEL BOURRET (Dystel & Goderich Literary Management)
JAMIE BRENNER (Artists and Artisans)
REGINA BROOKS (Serendipity Literary)
ANDREA BROWN (Andrea Brown Literary)
SHEREE BYKOFSKY (Sheree Bykofsky Associates)
DEBBIE CARTER (Muse Literary Management)
JENNIFER CAYEA (Avenue A Literary)
DANIELLE CHIOTTI (Firebrand Literary)
ADAM CHROMY (Artists and Artisans)
VIVIAN CHUM (Prospect Agency)
GINGER CLARK (Curtis Brown, Ltd.)
GREG DANIEL (Daniel Literary Group)
STACIA DECKER (Firebrand Literary)
RACHEL DOWNES (Caren Johnson Literary)
VERNA DREISBACH (Dreisbach Literary Management)
JENNIE DUNHAM (Dunham Literary)
STEPHANY EVANS (FinePrint Literary Management)
SORCHE FAIRBANK (Fairbank Literary Representation)
MOLLIE GLICK (Foundry Literary + Media)
GARY HEIDT (Signature Literary)
BLAIR HEWES (Dunham Literary)
LEAH HULTENSCHMIDT (editor, Dorchester Publishing)
CAREN JOHNSON (Caren Johnson Literary)
ABIGAIL KOONS (Park Literary)
MIRIAM KRISS (Irene Goodman Literary)
MICHAEL LARSEN (Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents)
MEG LEDER (editor, Penguin imprint, Perigee)
SANDY LU (L. Perkins Associates)
DONALD MAASS (Donald Maass Literary Agency)
ALEXANDRA H. MACHINIST (Linda Chester and Associates Literary Agency)
MICHAEL MANCILLA (Greystone Literary Agency)
SHARLENE MARTIN (Martin Literary Management)
JEFFERY McGRAW (The August Agency)
COURTNEY MILLER_CALLIHAN (Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc.)
JUDITH ANN MIRAMONTEZ (Book Cents Literary Agency)
ROBIN MIZELL (Robin Mizell Literary Representation)
CHRIS MOREHOUSE (Dunham Literary)
ELLEN PEPUS (Signature Literary)
LORI PERKINS (L. Perkins Agency)
BARBARA POELLE (Irene Goodman Literary)
ELIZABETH POMADA (Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents)
ALANNA RAMIREZ (Trident Media Group)
JENNY RAPPAPORT (The Rappaport Agency)
JESSICA REGEL (Jean V. Naggar Literary)
JANET REID (FinePrint Literary Management)
CHRIS RICHMAN (Firebrand Literary)
JANET ROSEN (Sheree Bykofsky Associates)
RITA ROSENKRANZ (Rita Rosenkranz Literary)
ELANA ROTH (Caren Johnson Literary Agency)
KATHARINE SANDS (Sarah Jane Freymann Literary)
ALISON SCHWARTZ (ICM)
JESSICA SINSHEIMER (Sarah Jane Freymann Literary)
MICHAEL STEARNS (Firebrand Literary)
NICOLE STEEN (Elyse Cheney Literary)
GRETCHEN STELTER (Baker's Mark Literary)
JOANNA STAMPFEL-VOLPE (Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation)
UWE STENDER (TriadaUS Literary Agency)
KARI STUART (ICM)
BROOKE WARNER (editor, Seal Press)
CHERRY WEINER (Cherry Weiner Literary)
TED WEINSTEIN (Ted Weinstein Literary)
JENNIFER WELTZ (Jean V. Naggar Literary)
TINA WEXLER (ICM)
JOHN WILLIG (Literary Services, Inc.)
TOM WILLKINS (Jeff Herman Agency)
CHRISTINE WITTHOHN (Book Cents Literary Agency)

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

AND OTHER WD NEWS

1. SOCIAL NETWORKING WEBINAR
        Wondering how to become an established author in an online world? Writer’s Digest is here to prepare you to take advantage of all the new online tools (like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), while also showing you the essentials of creating a website that gets noticed. We’re offering an online, interactive presentation that teaches you how to:
        - Easily build a website or blog in an afternoon or weekend. (It’s much easier than you think.)
        - Use social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn. These sites are changing the way authors and publishers can market, promote, and connect.
       - Find success examples of writers using the Internet and examine why their strategies work.
        The online event is on March 31 at 1:30 p.m. EST. All you need is a computer with Internet access. Seats are limited, so register today! [Link to registration page]

2. FREE ARTICLE ON CHOOSING A CRITIQUE GROUP
       See it online here courtesy of Writer's Digest.

New Children's Agency: Rodeen Literary Management

Chuck — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:33:50 GMT

Paul Rodeen recently left his position at Sterling Lord Literistic to establish his own agency focusing on children's writing. Here are the details.

3501 N. Southport #497, Chicago, IL 60657. http://rodeenliterary.com/

Interested In: Children's work and illustrators, middle grade, picture books and young adult. Contact: Paul Rodeen.

How to submit: Send submissions electronically to submissions@rodeenliterary.com. Guidelines: " Unsolicited submissions are accepted, however, we do not accept unsolicited hardcopy submissions.
Cover letters with contact information should be included. Lengthy pieces and large files should not be sent initially, fifty pages from a novel or a longer work of nonfiction will suffice. Electronic portfolios from illustrators are accepted. Picture book texts and picture book dummies are accepted. Graphic novels and comic books are accepted. We do not require exclusive looks at manuscripts. Response time will vary depending on schedules and submission volume."

Tips: "If you are an aspiring writer, experienced author, illustrator or educational author of children's books, picture books, middle age books or young adult novels, then please contact us to discuss representation."

Want more on this topic?

Interview: Kids agent Joe Monti of Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

Agent Advice: Kelly Sonnack of The Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Chuck — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 20:00:05 GMT

"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 Kelly Sonnack of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Kelly recently joined the ABLA after leaving the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency.

She is seeking: all types of children's literature (picture books, middle grade, young adult, and graphic novels). In picture books and middle grade fiction, Kelly looks for a good sense of humor, stories that stretch a young reader's imagination, and an authentic voice. In young adult, she appreciates literary voices and character-driven stories with heart. In non-fiction for children, she enjoys projects that inspire and stimulate the minds of our younger generations. At this time, Kelly is not accepting unsolicited submissions in adult fiction or adult nonfiction."

Kelly Sonnack

GLA: How did you become an agent?

KS: My career in publishing actually started in academic publishing. Before I knew it, I was the editor of Soil, Plant, and Insect Science textbooks and while I worked with fantastic and brilliant authors, trade literature has always been my passion (with children’s literature my real dream). I found out about an entry-level job at the Dijkstra Agency and while it was entry-level (and meant a huge pay cut), I could see that there were a lot of opportunities I could take advantage of. I started agenting my own books within my first year there and haven’t looked back!

GLA: You recently moved to Andrea Brown Literary. What are you looking forward to about this new venture? (Did you move to the Bay area?)

KS: I’m looking forward to working with such a dynamic team of super-smart and savvy colleagues who really know the children’s market. Each member of the team has a really great and unique perspective on children’s literature so there’s a lot for us to learn from one another. (And no, I’m still in San Diego.)

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

KS: I just sold a graphic novel by James Burks, titled Gabby and Gator to Yen Press, the graphic novel division of Hachette. They’re starting to work on juvenile graphic novels, and this was one of their first acquisitions for this initiative. It’s a brilliant piece of work.
As for other notable news, during my first day at ABLA, I found out that my author Steve Watkins won the Golden Kite award for his novel Down Sand Mountain (Candlewick, 2008). His was one of my first projects and I’m thrilled that he’s receiving this honor. It’s a book that has a really special place in my heart.

GLA: You take all kinds of children’s works – young adult, middle grade, picture books, etc. What are you looking for right now and not getting? What do you pray for when tackling the slush pile?

KS: I’d love to see more well-written and clever middle grade fiction. There’s a need for it right now and I see a lot of potential in this market. I’d also love to see more memoir for kids – especially cultural memoir about growing up in different countries, identity, and living across cultures. We are a colorful world, and I’m not sure that’s reflected adequately in children’s lit quite yet.

GLA: You accept YA and MG. Specifically, do you specialize in any subgenres? Multicultural? Edgy stuff?

KS: I really don’t confine myself to one area; I enjoy having a variety. I will admit a particular soft spot for picture books but there’s only so many of those I can take on at a time. I really love literary, coming-of-age YA, as well as quirky and smart MG. I’m also particularly loving graphic novels for kids these days. We’re living in a time that is ripe for them, and it’s exciting to help shape that.

GLA: With picture books, I suspect you get a lot of submissions and most of them get rejected. Where are writers going wrong in picture book submissions?

KS: Rhyming! So many writers think picture books need to rhyme. There are some editors who won’t even look at books in rhyme, and a lot more who are extremely wary of them, so it limits an agent on where it can go and the likelihood of it selling. It’s also particularly hard to execute perfectly. Aside from rhyming, I see way too many picture books about a family pet or bedtime.

GLA: When you’re reviewing a juvenile fiction partial, what do you hate to see in Chapter 1?

KS: I hate to see a whiny character who’s in the middle of a fight with one of their parents, slamming doors, rolling eyes, and displaying all sorts of other stereotypical behavior. I hate seeing character “stats” (“Hi, I’m Brian, I’m 10 years and 35 days old with brown hair and green eyes”). I also tend to have a hard time bonding with characters who talk to the reader (“Let me tell you about the summer when I...”).

GLA: When you get a graphic novel submission, what do you like to see in the submission itself? Just the query? 10 pages?

KS: At the AB Agency, we only accept e-mail submissions, so I would want to see the query letter e-mailed to me (listing any credentials), and then the first 10 pages copied into the body of the e-mail. If there is accompanying sample art, that can be pasted into the message as well.

GLA: Do writers have to finish a graphic novel before querying you? Or can they just have a good synopsis?

KS: The text needs to be completed but the art shouldn’t be since there are sure to be future changes suggested by myself or an editor.

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

KS: Yes! I’ll be at the Charlotte Huck Children’s Festival in Redlands next week, and then I’ll also be at the Western Washington SCBWI meeting in May, Comic-Con (I’m speaking at the Project Impact event before the Con starts) in July, SCBWI National in August, the Southern California Writers meeting in Irvine in Sept, and the La Jolla Writers Conference in November. Phew!

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

KS: Know who your competition is and read and study the books your intended readers will also be reading. During difficult economic times, support your fellow writers and buy books!

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

Check out the full interview now!

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

Live Chat With Agent Michael Bourret

Chuck — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:38:11 GMT

The Web site Editor Unleashed, which is run by former WD editor Maria Schneider, is hosting a live forum chat with agent Michael Bourret of the Dystel & Goderich Literary Agency.

Michael Bourret.

The chat goes down from 1-2 p.m., on Wednesday, March 11. Visit the EU Web site here. If you're writing juvenile fiction and have a question that no one can seem to answer, this is a perfect place to ask it!

Michael's interests: "a wide range of books, from middle grade and young adult fiction, to arts and entertainment, to serious nonfiction. He is a politics and news junkie, as well as a connoisseur of fine wine and reality television."

Children's Agent Seeking Submissions!

Chuck — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:02:31 GMT

I've blogged before a few times about Michelle Andelman, a literary agent with a big soft spot for good children's writing. I interviewed her when she was with Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and then she moved to Franklin & Siegal as a literary scout.

Well now, Michelle is back in the agenting world, as a co-owner of F&S has a literery agency (Lynn C. Franklin Associates, Ltd.), as well. Michelle has joined the agency. That means she is back on the prowl for awesome kids stuff.

What Michelle wants: Middle grade and young adult work. See writers' guidelines here. How to contact her: Send e-queries to agency@franklinandsiegal.com. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to write "Query for Ms. Andelman: (Title)" in the subject line, either.

Michelle Andelman.

From Writers to Agents: A List of Dos and Don'ts!

Chuck — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:54:31 GMT

My coworker, Alice Pope, has put together a list of requested "dos and don'ts" from writers to agents. (There is also a similar post on dos and don'ts for editors.) Definitely check out the lists and let your opinions fly on the comment boards.

See Alice's CWIM blog here!

Here are some examples of requests from writers:

"Do tell us what we're doing well."
"Do tell us if you just arent excited about something we submit to you."
"Do be timely, clear and honest with your submission policies."

New Agent Alert: Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary

Chuck — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:45:07 GMT

Kristin Nelson, of Nelson Literary in Denver, has announced that her long-time assistant, Sara Megibow, is now a full acquiring agent. Sara has worked with Kristin for some time (and therefore has probably learned everything she ever needed to know about agenting), and has helped sell several books.

Below you will find Kristin's
"wants" in terms of fiction:

"Science Fiction and Fantasy = This is probably my all time favorite genre. For me, it is important to create a vivid, intense world that is incorporated seamlessly into an engaging story with complex characters. Here are some recent reads which I feel capture these qualities: Old Man's War by John Scalzi, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik.

Romance = I love super sexy, intelligent romances. My favorite authors are Sherry Thomas (I know, I know, I'm biased) and Pamela Clare (everything she's written). I'm a romantic, so about any subgenre works for me (except inspirational) as long as the writing is superior and the characters are solid.

Young Adult and Middle Grade = I have to admit, vampires and werewolves are not top on my list right now. I know it can still be done, but I am secretly on the look-out for books set in the real world (with a multicultural spin or a historical spin would be great).

Finally, that all-encompassing genre of commercial fiction. For me, just about anything goes as long as it's well written. I couldn't put down Mistress of the Art of Death by Arianne Franklin. Bring on the historicals and the multiculturals in this area too."

Sara Megibow

Around the WD Properties: 2-9-2009

Chuck — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:53:30 GMT

Here's what's going on around all the
great Writer's Digest peeps and properties.

Alice Pope, editor of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market, is hosting a webinar titled You Can Write Children's Books.

It will be held this Thursday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m. EST. There are a limited number of seats available - I recommend registering now to reserve your seat! Registration includes access to the live event as well as the archived seminar that you can re-watch whenever you'd like.

In additional to the info in the seminar itself, Alice will be offering some quick "first page" critiques. She'll look at the beginnings of more than half a dozen stories submitted by attendees from the perspective of an editor or agent who's just opened your manuscript. She'll give you a gut reaction and tell you what could make your first page stronger and compel an editor or agent to read on.

Bright Spot: Agents Still Actively Seeking Children's Stuff

Chuck — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:22:45 GMT

Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market editor Alice Pope was at the winter SCBWI conference in Manhattan this past weekend and blogged all about it.

Maybe my favorite part of everything I read on the blog was a children's agent who said that the juvenile market is still decently healthy in this economic downturn.

But ... Why is that so? How is that possible?

Simple, the agent answered. In a good economy, a parent would go to the bookstore and buy a book for themselves and a book for their child. Now that times are tough, they skip the book for themselves, but they don't want to skip the book for their cute little loved one.

That's why. It makes me want to get to work on my MG novel revisions - stat.

Around the WD Properties: 2-2-2009

Chuck — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:51:10 GMT

Happy Groundhog Day everyone!
(What a sham this day is, by the way.)
Here's what's going on around all the
great Writer's Digest peeps and properties.

"So the question is:
Does Phil ... feel lucky?"

1. Alice Pope is the mad blogger in New York these past several days. Pope, who edits Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market, has been at the SCBWI conference in Manhattan, and has blogged about everything and anything while up there. She has some posts about advice from children's agents, naturally.

2. The Feb. 6 deadline is fast approaching for WD's Red Heart Black Heart Contest, which is seeking love poems, black-hearted love poems, love letters, rejection letters (and we don’t mean the editor/agent kind), essays on love at first sight, and essays on love lost.

3. The new issue of Writer's Digest (March/April) will be out soon, and it takes a long look at self-publishing today and also the self-publishing companies who are doing business here and now. Already online is an article that features a directory of self-published companies. Check it out here.

CWIM Blog: Interview With Agent Elana Roth

Chuck — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:07:10 GMT

Elana Roth is a literary agent at the Caren Johnson Literary Agency. My awesome co-worker, Alice Pope, recently interviewed Elana over on the Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market blog. Needless to say, Elana is indeed interested in juvenile work.

In the interview, Elana details a lot of great info about herself and her style, including, but not limited to:

A dirty little secret about meeting her at conferences.
What she's always looking for but rarely gets in a submission.
Advice for new writers regarding queries.

Want more on this subject?

What Should You Write in the "Bio Paragraph" of a Query Letter.

Why Your Manuscript Can Get Rejected, by Hallie Ephron.

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

Word Count Guidelines for Novels and Children's Books.

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

Agent Advice: Courtney Miller-Callihan

Chuck — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:16:03 GMT

"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 Courtney Miller-Callihan, of Sanford J. Greenberger Associates. Courtney began her career in publishing at Random House, where she spent a number of years in subsidiary rights sales and in contracts before joining Sanford J. Greenburger Associates in 2005. Courtney holds a B.A. in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a M.A. in English from The Johns Hopkins University.

She is seeking: She looks for nonfiction projects on unusual topics, science, personal finance, business, pop culture, lifestyle books, and craft books. In addition, Courtney is seeking new voices in literary fiction, historical fiction, and women’s fiction. Solid credentials are a must. She also represents a limited number of children’s book authors and illustrators. She prefers to receive submissions via e-mail at cmiller [at] sjga [dot] com.

Courtney Miller-Callihan

GLA: How did you become an agent?

CMC: I've always loved books - everyone in this business does, which is the best thing about it. I think my interest in publishing stemmed from a stubborn desire to actually use my two degrees in English. I started at Random House, in the contracts department, in 2002, and then spent a couple of years in subsidiary rights before joining SJGA in 2005. I started taking on my own clients shortly thereafter.

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

CMC: The Twelve Days of Christmas in Georgia, illustrated by Elizabeth O. Dulemba (Sterling, fall 2010). Sterling is doing a great series of picture books about holiday traditions in different states.

GLA: You seek "unusual" nonfiction topics. Kind of like "miscellaneous"? Could you give me some examples of books out there in the market you wish you'd repped?

CMC: "Miscellaneous" is good, or "weird." I want to see proposals for books on subjects I've never really thought about or even heard of, as well as really creative takes on subjects that have already received a lot of attention. I love narrative nonfiction and investigative journalism, and anything that teaches me something new.

GLA: You seek solid credentials. Is that just for nonfiction? Or do you want some kind of a platform even when getting a fiction query?

CMC: If the query is for literary fiction, I like to see a strong record of publication - short stories in literary magazines. For more mainstream fiction, the platform doesn't matter if the writing is terrific.

GLA: Do you find that you have any weird quirks as an agent? Perhaps everyone likes a query presented in such-and-such a way, but you prefer something else?

CMC: I respond poorly to clip art, whether it's the "writerly" scroll of parchment on the letterhead or simply an attempt to add illustrations to a proposal. Better to leave it out.

GLA: Regarding the juvenile work you will accept - can you elaborate a bit? Mid grade? Picture books?

CMC: I'm feeling more drawn to middle grade and YA at present, but I've always got my eye open for really wonderful illustrators. I don't like talking animal books or picture books done in rhyming couplets.

GLA: Literary fiction, historical fiction and women's fiction are unique in that none of them fall under "pop" or "genre" fiction. What do you like to see when you sit down to read a partial?

CMC: Introduce me to a character I want to get to know. Get me invested in the story, fast. And, everyone always says this but it's true, I live for the times I get so absorbed that I almost miss my subway stop.

GLA: What are you looking for now and not getting? For example, a 18th century story set on the high seas...

CMC: I'd love to see more historical fiction with a non-Western setting. As with my taste in nonfiction, I relish the opportunity to learn something. I'd love to see more compelling, character-driven women's fiction. And I'm on the lookout for a book on homesteading - DIY, frugality, eco-conscious.

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

CMC: Nothing on the schedule at the moment (but I'd love to hear from writers' conferences looking for more agent participants/speakers!)

GLA: Best piece of advice concerning something we haven't discussed?

CMC: I can't emphasize enough the importance of making a good first impression. Agents are inundated with queries, and for me, the ones that follow my guidelines (a proposal and CV for nonfiction, a synopsis and the first three chapters for fiction), spell my name right, and maybe reference my existing clients' projects, really do stand out from the pack.

Want more on this subject?

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

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.

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

Do You Need to Find an Illustrator Before Querying an Agent?

Chuck — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:37:02 GMT

Q. Good morning! I have written a small collection of short stories designed to read to young children and I have questions about illustrations. I am wondering what the advantages are in finding your own illustrator for your work vs. letting a publisher find one for you? Do publishers often find illustrators for you? What is the common practice for beginning writers?
- Kristin

A. You do not want to find your own illustrator. Publishers and agents will do that for you. Suggesting a potential illustrator is a big no-no. Simply send in the collection query an agent (or editor) about the collection like normal.
It's actually easier than most people think. The downside to working with an illustrator is that you split the advance/royalties with them 50/50 most of the time.

Want more on this topic?

How I Got My Agent: Picture book writer Kristyn Crow.

Interview: Kids agent Mary Kole.

5 articles on writing picture books.

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

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

Joanna Stampfel Moves From FinePrint to Nancy Coffey Literary

Chuck — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:34:49 GMT

Joanna Stampfel-Volpe (just married, formerly just Stampfel) has recently moved from her junior agent position at FinePrint to a full-fledged agent position at Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation.

Joanna is looking for:

    - lower MG to upper YA (nonfiction, contemporary, historical and fantasy *fantasy/sci-fi needs to really stand out, unique)
    - romance (historical, paranormal, contemporary)
    - fantasy (women's, urban, steampunk, unique)
    - up-market fiction (dark, literary, horror, dark comedies, speculative fic)
    - narrative nonfiction (environmental, foodie)

She accepts hard copy or e-mail queries. Her snail mail address is 240 West 35th Street, Suite 500, New York, NY 10001.

Agent Stephen Barbara Moves to Foundry Literary + Media

Chuck — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:46:32 GMT

We just reported a few months ago that literary agent Mollie Glick left the Jean V. Naggar Lit Agency and headed to Foundry Literary + Media. Now, the word from Galleycat is that agent Stephen Barbara of the Donald Maass Agency is headed to Foundry, as well. Naturally, he's taking his list of authors with him.

That makes eight agents at Foundry now. It's turning into quite the little powerhouse.

Some info about Stephen:

"He represents all categories of books for young readers (from YA to middle-grade to chapter and picture books) in addition to servicing writers for the adult market. His clients include Texas Blue Bonnet finalist Lisa Graff, acclaimed middle-grade novelist Lynne Jonell (Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat), Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz, popular YA author Todd Strasser, and on the adult side Bram Stoker Award finalist Paul Tremblay (The Little Sleep) and leading fat loss expert Tom Venuto (The Body Fat Solution)."

To submit work:

Address your materials to one agent only and include the following materials in your submission. For fiction, send a query, synopsis, the first three chapters and your author bio. For nonfiction, send a query, sample chapters, a table of contents and an author bio. Send your materials to: Foundry Literary + Media
Submissions, 33 West 17th Street, PH, New York, New York 10011.

Stephen Barbara

Agent Advice: Ellen Pepus of Signature Literary (formerly the Ellen Pepus Literary Agency)

Chuck — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:48:23 GMT

She is seeking: "narrative nonfiction, including history, true crime, science, adventure, and memoir, as well as self-help, health and diet, food and cooking, travel, entertainment, popular culture, how-to and humor. She also represents a wide range of fiction, including literary, historical, mystery, women's fiction and romance, erotica, thrillers, fantasy and general commercial fiction. She does not handle science fiction, young adult, children's, short stories, poetry or screenplays."

GLA: How did you become an agent?

EP: My background is in English, writing and law, and I'd always wanted to work in publishing. My introduction to agenting was at The Graybill and English Literary Agency where I was assistant to several agents (including Jeff Kleinman and Elaine English) and sold foreign rights. When that agency disbanded in 2006, I decided to start my own agency, based in Washington DC.

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

EP: The Belly Dancer, DeAnna Cameron, Berkley 2009. Really fun historical fiction by a first-time novelist.

GLA: You say you're looking for women's fiction that transcends chick lit. Can
you expand on what you mean by this?

EP: I love themes and subjects that appeal to women - books about people, relationships, women's lives. I like the funny, lighthearted aspect of chick lit, but I'm more looking for books with more depth, that are original and unpredictable and take a few risks. I would love to find authors who can break out of the formula and still tell a great story.

GLA: You also look for "animal stories," but this seems like a subject where you may get a lot of bad submissions. True? What mistakes are people making?

EP: It's funny; animal books are sort of perennial sellers, so I thought I'd put it out there as something I was looking for - but I do get a lot of misguided submissions in this area, particularly people's "cute pet" stories. I'd like to see books that include animals as a theme or subject, but not necessarily ones about someone's weird dog or cat. Instead, I'd love to see good narrative nonfiction in the science or nature areas or even a memoir/human interest story with an unusual twist and great writing.

GLA: What are the most common problems you see in a query letter from an unknown author?

EP: The most common problems in query letters - first, mistakes in grammar, spelling, word usage, or sentence structure. Anything like that is going to put me right off. Second, not saying what the book is about right away. I am only able to spend a minute at most reading your query letter - tell me exactly what I should know immediately because I may not read all the way to the end. Third, being boring or unoriginal - writers don't seem to realize how many query letters we read in a day or a week, we've seen everything and are looking, more than anything, for our attention to be caught, to be taken by surprise. Be surprising!

GLA: What are you noticing about how the recession is affecting the publishing
world and authors' abilities to sell work?

EP: It's definitely tightened up quite a bit. I think there will still be sales but maybe fewer for a while, and publishers may be less likely to take a chance on an unknown fiction author unless the work has a very strong commercial hook, or, in nonfiction, if the author has a great platform.

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

EP: In 2009, I'll be at the Las Vegas Writers Conference in April and Washington Independent Writers Conference in June. I'll also be taking pitches at the Writer's Digest Books Writers' Conference just before BEA in May in Manhattan.

GLA: When writers pitch you in person, what do they need to do to make their
short amount of time work?

EP: I think pitching is difficult because it's impossible to judge a piece of writing based on a pitch. Having said that, I want to hear about what the book is about, what makes it interesting, why people will want to read it, what one thing will get a publisher excited about seeing it. I also usually like to have a conversation with the writer, to find out their background, why they wrote this particular book, what else they've written, etc.

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

EP: My best advice to writers is to keep practicing, to take workshops and classes, to really learn your craft. Read a lot. Notice things like story structure, character development, how scenes are put together in the books you love. These things can all be learned. I see way too many people who think they can just bang out an unoriginal, poorly crafted novel and get an agent to take it seriously.
Writing is a discipline and it requires dedication, talent, craft and - unfortunately - luck, but the luck part has a lot more to do with the first three than people think. And if you don't succeed with your first novel, write another one. Consider that first one practice. Keep going, but don't get bogged down thinking you've written a misunderstood masterpiece if every agent in the world turns you down. Assume there's something in that piece that isn't working and move on ... but keep writing.

Want more on this subject?

What Should You Write in the "Bio Paragraph" of a Query Letter.

Why Your Manuscript Can Get Rejected, by Hallie Ephron.

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

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

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

New Agent at Greenhouse Literary

Chuck — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:46:40 GMT

Greenhouse Literary, a cool newer agency started by Brit Sarah Davies, has recently snagged a new agent: Julia Churchill. Like Sarah, Julia hails from the UK . I'm not sure if Julia will be taking on American authors, but her joining Greenhouse means that Sarah will have more time to devote to American writers, so that's good news for juvenile writers.

As a refresher, Greenhouse specializes in "children’s fiction – from high-concept/character-led series aimed at the 5+ age group through middle grade to young-adult/crossover novels. We are NOT looking for picturebook texts or illustrators, non-fiction, educational or religious/inspirational work, poetry, or writing aimed at adults. If you think your work fulfils these criteria, please send a one-page query email to submissions@greenhouseliterary.com. This should include a short synopsis of your plot, a few lines about yourself and your writing ‘credentials’, as well as the first chapter or first five pages (whichever is the shorter) of your manuscript pasted into the body of the email. Sorry, but we no longer accept e-mail attachments or snail-mail submissions (we try to be as paper free as possible). If we are interested we will reply with directions on what material should be sent next, and in what format."

New Agent Alert: Amberly Finarelli of Andrea Hurst Literary

Chuck — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:21:06 GMT

Andrea Hurst Literary Management, a Sacramento-based agency run by the talented Andrea Hurst, has a new official rep, Amberly Finarelli, looking for clients. She is currently looking for new clients in the following areas:

Nonfiction:

humor/gift books
crafts
how-to (financial, house and home, health and beauty, weddings)
Relationships/advice
Self-help, psychology
Travel writing
Narrative nonfiction

Fiction:

Commercial women's fiction
Comic and cozy mysteries
Literary fiction with a focus on the arts, culture, and/or history
Contemporary young adult.

Learn more about Amberly Finarelli on the Andrea Hurst agency site. Her e-mail is amberly@andreahurst.com. Submission instructions can be found online.

Michelle Andelman Leaves Andrea Brown Literary

Chuck — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:17:15 GMT

I just got word that associate agent Michelle Andelman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency is leaving to be a literary scout with Franklin & Siegel.

Michelle was one of many agents at ABLA who focuses on children's material. We've met at a few conferences over the years.

Update: Michelle has e-mailed me to say that she is not taking any submissions right now.

Agent Michael Bourret Interview at CWIM

Chuck — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:29:13 GMT

Another editor here - the wonderful Alice Pope, editor of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market - has recently interviewed literary agent Michael Bourret of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. The whole interview is over on Alice's CWIM blog.

As you may have guessed, most of the interview questions deal with children's writing, especially his search for the next great middle grade work and YA memoir.

Michael Bourret

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

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: Joanna Stampfel

Chuck — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:11:53 GMT

UPDATE (March 2009): Joanna is now Joanna Stampfel-Volpe and she is with Nancy Coffey Literary. To see an interview with her, click on the "Agent Advice" category on the left.

-------

Joanna Stampfel is transitioning from office assistant to full-fledged powerful literary agent over at FinePrint Literary Management in NYC.

You know what that means: a new agent looking for writers.

(News of her transition was
recently announced by Colleen
Lindsay, another FinePrint agent
who's known as "The Swivet." When
you see things quoted below,
that is material from her.)

"Here's what Joanna's looking for, in her own words:

Actively seeking: Childrens: Chapter books to middle grade - covering any and all topics. If fantasy, it had better be very unique. Loves a good school story, and always looking for humorous boy reads. YA: contemporary to sci-fi and everything in between. Again, if full-out fantasy, it had better be different. Romance: historical, paranormal, multicultural. Other Adult: pop-culture, dark speculative fiction, narrative non-fiction having to do with environment, food, outdoors.

Does not want to receive: mysteries, thrillers, heavy nonfiction, self-help, how-to, hard sci-fi, hi-fantasy, memoirs, true crime, biography.

How to contact: E-queries and snail mail queries accepted. Send e-queries to [redacted]."

Beware the Children's Literary Agency

Chuck — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:30:56 GMT

Q. Hi, I have a finished manuscript that is for the age range of 7-12. Can you tell me if you are familiar with Children's Literary Agency? If so, can you tell me what you know about them? Thank you.
- Debbie

A. I am familiar with that agency and let me say unequivocally that they are not reputable. Do not submit to them unless you want to face the very probable scenario of you paying money and not seeing your book published.
Beware CLA...

All About Children's Agents

Chuck — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:01:20 GMT

Alice Pope, editor of Children's Writer's & Illustrators Market, has been in the thick of things out in Beverly Hills this past week at the SCBWI Summer Conference, where the best and the brightest involved in the juvenile writing world gather to network and learn from one another. In fact, she has been blogging about her adventures nonstop. Check out her blog homepage here.

Of particular interest is this post called All About Agents, where she listens to a panel of agents talk.

Also check out a post about Michael Bourret of Dystel & Goderich Literary. The post is great because Michael really has some time to talk about what he wants, what he's not getting in the slush pile, and what's selling.

New Agent Alert: Josh Getzler of Writers House

Chuck — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 17:53:28 GMT

Editor's note: "Josh Getzler is moving to Russell & Volkening (Nov. 2009) as an agent. He has been at Writers House for the past three years. He anticipates building his list of literary and commercial fiction, with a particular bias toward suspense and crime novels."

-----

Reminder: Newer agents/agencies 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.

Josh Getzler of Writers House

21 W. 26th Street, New York NY 10010. Email: jgetzler@writershouse.com. www.writershouse.com Seeking new and unagented writers. Prior to becoming a junior agent, Mr. Getzler have had 15 years in the business (not all publishing). Currently handles: 75% fiction, 25% nonfiction.

How to contact: E-mail only with query with five or so pages. Synopsis not necessary. Actively seeking: Foreign and historical thrillers. Recent sales: Devil's Thrill by Gerald Elias (Minotaur, Fall 2009).

This new agent tip
provided by GLA blogger
extraordinaire Kristen Howe.

Agent Advice: Lilly Ghahremani of Full Circle Literary

Chuck — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:20:13 GMT

Editor's note: Lilly contacted me in June 2010
and said she had taken a hiatus from agenting.
So don't be surprised if you query and hear
nothing back.

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

"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 Lilly Ghahremani of Full Circle Literary in San Diego. Lilly is an attorney now "using her powers for good" as a literary agent with Full Circle Literary (co-founded with Stefanie Von Borstel).

Seeking: "A wide range of nonfiction, driven by a compelling narrative voice (even if it's a how-to). She is interested in YA, and is open to reviewing chick lit or literary fiction. As a rule please know that Full Circle does not represent genre fiction (thriller, mystery, romance, suspense, horror, western, historical), poetry, or screenplays. She also takes on some graphic novels. A sampling of her recent sales include Raina Lee's karaoke book Hit Me with Your Best Shot (Chronicle Books), Joseph Sommerville's Rainmaking Presentations (Palgrave), and Cal Patch's Patternmaking (RH/Potter Craft). Lilly particularly enjoys books about pop culture, crafts, the rest of the world (with a soft spot for the Middle East), music and the performing arts, and topics that connect with a female readership."

GLA: How did you become an agent?

LG: I joined a law firm/literary agent straight out of law school, so I quickly learned the art of finessing a publishing deal, protecting authors' rights, and understanding what the market responded to. I met Stefanie, then a fellow agent at the company, and upon realizing our shared vision for a young, energetic agency, we joined forces to launch Full Circle in 2004.

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

LG: This week I'm selling renown hypnotherapist Debra Berndt's Let Love In (calling all single girls!) to Wiley. Other recent sales in the past couple of weeks include Baby Sing and Sign by Penny Warner to Three Rivers

GLA: Online, your fiction "wants" say "multicultural, literary or by referral only." What does this mean exactly? Does this mean any adult fiction not multicultural or literary can only be submitted through a referral?

LG: Yes. We have really done quite well within nonfiction and children's, so that's our main focus for new clients. As avid fiction readers ourselves, we are open to representing fiction and certainly do on occasion, but we prefer that it fall within our pronounced interests. There are so many fantastic agents out there aggressively representing fiction, so we've tried to outline what 's likely to get strong consideration with us.

GLA: You just attended the Writers League of Texas Agents & Editors conference. Besides writers being too nervous, what is the most common mistake(s) you see writers making during an in-person pitch?

LG: That's a great question, Chuck, thanks for asking! I think the mistake of the pitch is to read. You have 5, or possibly 15 minutes with an agent. This is their chance to see you as a person. Many of us (at the very least I can say this is true for myself) feel it's important to connect not just with the work, but with the author. Your work will speak for itself once we have a chance to sit down and read it - take this time to make eye contact with us, show us why you'd be easy and wonderful to work with, show us your passion for your project. And to qualm the nervousness, remember that, no matter how agents behave, without writers we have no job!

GLA: What are you looking for right now and not getting? For example - an adventure novel set in Iran. A nonfiction book proposal about massage therapy...

LG: I am very interested in doing more books that will preserve our environment and that introduce readers to "green" issues in a non-cliche way. I'm also interested in hip crafting books. I would love to do some children's, YA, or middle-grade books about the middle east. Multicultural books are appearing about a variety of ethnicities, but I'm not seeing them about Middle Easterners as much as I'd hoped. I'm also interested in pop culture, always and forever!

GLA: Do you consider yourself to have any weird quirks as an agent? In other words, have you ever been on an agent panel and heard all the other agents agree on something while you yourself thought differently?

LG: I seem to differ with my colleagues on the likeability of an author. I came to publishing from law because I don't want to work for a client just because they're a client or they pay me. I wanted to work for clients because I believe in them and their work and because we have an energetic partnership. I feel that one of the benefits of running my own company is the opportunity to handpick who I work with, and I make use of that privilege regularly. In other words, I'm not a Diva Management Firm. I take the author and book as a full package!

GLA: You look for multicultural fiction, and books set in the Middle East are of special interest. Concering these submissions you see, what are the most common places where writers go wrong? What makes you stop reading a multicultural fiction submission?

LG: The biggest mistake I've seen is people who want to write about the Middle East because they think it's a hot topic, but then not educating themselves enough about it. For example, one woman submitted a project to me that just briefly mentioned a heavy dresser that the character's parents had brought over during the Revolution. Well that caught my eye, because people who left Iran during the Revolution did so under duress, traveling over mountains by car or animal, or leaving all their worldly possessions and hopping on one of the last flights out of Tehran. This is a fact that cursory research would have uncovered.
Another common mistake is folks who present genre fiction to me. Even if a genre novel takes place in the Middle East, my interest in those doesn't surpass my need to stay within what we can sell well for you!

GLA: I know your co-agent, Stefanie, reps kids books, but do you as well?

LG: Yes, I do. And readers may not know this, but Stefanie and I work together on all the projects at Full Circle - many agencies have one agent designated to a project, but we pool our resources to give authors the strongest footing going forward. Even if I acquire a project for us, they will benefit from Stefanie's superior years in the children's book industry.

GLA: What are you looking for in a graphic novel? What are the elements of a perfect GN query?

LG: In a graphic novel (I have yet to take one on!), I'm looking for stylized, professional artwork, but more than that - a fresh, compelling story. My mind was opened to graphic novels after reading Marjane Satrapi's incredible Persepolis. I myself hadn't realized how emotional and powerful a graphic novel could be as a medium to tell a tale until the moment I opened that book.

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

LG: I don't have any on deck at the moment, but we try to keep an updated list on our website.

GLA: Any blogs you want to plug?

LG: Yes! Two in particular. First, ours - fullcirclelit.blogspot.com. Secondly, our author Jon Yang. He's the author of the Rough Guide to Blogging, and his insights are hilarious. To be honest, I first found him as a blogger online, and that's how we parlayed the first book deal. His YA novels, beginning with Exclusively Chloe, are forthcoming from Penguin.

GLA: Other bit of advice on something we haven't discussed?

LG: Yes! Did you know Kirkland Vodka is actually Grey Goose, produced for generic packaging? You can thank me later.

Want more on this subject?

What Should You Write in the "Bio Paragraph" of a Query Letter.

Why Your Manuscript Can Get Rejected, by Hallie Ephron.

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

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

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

Finding a Literary Agent For Children's/Juvenile Writing

Chuck — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:12:10 GMT

Q. I looked into getting an agent. I sent a query to the Children's Literary Agency. They responded almost immediately asking for the manuscript. Their request was so instant that it really sent red flags up for me. I began to do Google searches for the company and found a lot of negative comments about the company. Several said they request manuscripts from every query they get. One had signed a contract with the company and ended up sending several hundred dollars for a professional edit. No one had actually ever been past the editing process with the company that I found online.
        When I read the e-mail from the agent, it stated that there is no phone number where they can be contacted. When asked about their company, they said, "We are bigger than a small agency and smaller than a large agency," and they travel to New York and Florida on a regular basis. Obviously, I deleted the e-mail requesting my manuscript.
        So now, I am a little "gun shy" contacting other agents. I have looked online and found many who are excepting query letters (not very many for a children's manuscript) but I'm afraid of who will be reading the query on the other side. That is when I found your website. I was hoping you would be able to give me some in site to reputable agents for children's literature. I don't have any false hope that this will be an easy process.
        - Marci

GLA: Thanks for writing, Marci. There is a lot here to address.
       First, well done on looking out for red flags and protecting yourself. A simple Google search could have saved a lot of other people like yourself time and money. That agency you speak of is widely regarded as a scam, and they are on Writer Beware's list of the 20 worst literary agencies out there.
       Next, on to your concern that few agents rep children's manuscripts. This is both very true and very false. The fact is that a TON of agents rep juvenile fiction - it's just that most of those I speak of are looking for young adult (YA) and middle grade (MG). Both of these genres are hot in a publishing market that's cold, hence why so many agents are looking for the next big thing. That said, you are correct in saying that few agents rep picture book manuscripts and projects of a similar nature. Fewer picture books are published these days, and there is a glut of them sitting in agents' inboxes. Too many people want to write a picture book ms. If this is your goal, best of luck.
       Now, regarding how to find reputable literary agents. You have some options. Pick up a copy of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market. Not only does it have plenty of agent listings, it also has instructional articles on writing/craft, as well as other market listings for children's writers. The website I help oversee is www.writersmarket.com, and it has the whole shebang in terms of literary agent listings. It has the biggest agent database you can find anywhere - but know that it is a pay site.
       Besides that, you can always check out AgentQuery.com, a helpful free resource online that lists reputable agents. Is it as big as WritersMarket.com? No, but it's free and it's very solid. You may want to join the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). It will likely cost a fee, but you can have access to their wisdom and a list of recommended agents.
       Those are some good places to start. Some options cost money. Some don't. But what I think happened is you just got spooked. You caught a real bad agency at first because you were looking in the wrong place. Search in the right places (mentioned above) and they're all reputable. They may not reply fast, and they may say "no" much more often than "yes," but you won't have to pay any upfront fees.

New Agent Alert: Eddie Schneider of JABberwocky Literary

Kristen Howe — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:37:23 GMT

JABberwocky Literary has a new literary agent: Eddie Schneider.

Contact info:
Eddie Schneider
JABberwocky Literary
P.O. Box 4558
New York, NY 11104
(718)392-5985

Fiction areas of interest: Literary fiction, science fiction, fantasy, humor/satire, young adult. How to contact: Send a query with a SASE. No e-mails. He's seeking projects with a greater literary emphasis to his tastes than is typical of many agents who represent authors in these genres.

Tips: "I like things that are dark, that break rules, and that possess wit and humor. I like being thrust into other cultures, and similarly, I go for books that draw me into other worlds that exist on their own terms. Strong, evocative writing is a must."

Prior to his current position, he was an agent with Folio Literary. Do not send Eddie any unsolicited mss. Query him through snail mail and include a SASE.

Eddie Schneider.

Agent Michael Stearns Interviewed on CWIM Site

Chuck — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:19:01 GMT

Update 8/20/2009: Michael Stearns has left Firebrand and Firebrand has closed. Michael Stearns founded a new agency called Upstart Crow. His interview is still valid, though - check it out.

----------

My great co-worker, Alice Pope, recently posted her interview with super-editor turned Firebrand Literary rep Michael Stearns. See the entire interview on her Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market blog.

The interview has a lot of good advice from a new agent. Check it out, and way to go, Alice!

Buy the 2010 CWIM!

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

Word Count Guidelines for Novels and Children's Books.

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

Agent Advice: Michelle Brower of Folio Literary Management

Chuck — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:17:52 GMT

"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 Michelle Brower of Folio Literary Management (formerly of Wendy Sherman Associates). Michelle has been with Wendy Sherman Associates since 2004, and has also previously worked with Joelle Delbourgo Associates. She enjoys working directly with emerging writers. She has a MA in Literature from New York University.

She is seeking: literary and commercial fiction, YA, memoir, pop culture, humor, graphic novels, popular science and narrative nonfiction. Books that capture elements of the strange and wonderful will always pique her interest, and she also looks for those that offer a unique perspective of the world. Submissions to her by mail and e-mail are equally OK. Please include a SASE for snail mail response, and no attachments in an e-mail.

GLA: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you come to be an agent?

MB: I pretty much always knew that I wanted to work with books in some way, but I started out in academia rather than publishing. While I was discovering that studying literary theory was actually not keeping me involved with contemporary writing, I happened on a Craigslist post for an agency assistant position with Wendy Sherman Associates. I've been here ever since, and started representing my own clients about two years ago. Every day, I wake up and am excited to go to work- I get to read and develop the work of exciting new authors, match them up with editors, and see their books hit the shelves! Who wouldn't love that?

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

MB: Most recently, I sold Breathers: A Zombie's Lament by Scott Browne to Broadway Books - it's an amazing debut novel narrated by a loveable zombie who just wants a little respect. I love zombies and see a lot of zombie-oriented books, but this one stood out to me for the amount of heart and humor Scott was able to put into the story.

GLA: You rep both memoir and literary fiction. These are two categories where cold submissions tend to be a lot more bad than good. What do you look for? What gets you to keep reading?

MB: Memoir and fiction are both difficult categories to get editors excited about right now - they just see so much, and it's much easier for them to sign up a miss than a hit. So I, too, must be really selective. In both, I'm always looking for a really good hook or well developed concept that makes the book immediately interesting, even if I haven't read a word of the sample. Unfortunately, an extremely well written, lyrical book without a pitchable subject just won't work for me. For memoir, there really must be something unique about your life, or you have such an amazing voice that you can turn the normal into the riotously funny. Once I have something with an interesting hook, I need the material to deliver on that promise.
        In literary fiction, I often look for a track record of previous publications. If you've been published in Tin House or McSweeney's or GlimmerTrain, I want
to know. It tells me that the writer is in fact committed to their craft and building an audience out there in the journals. But if you have a good story and are a brilliant writer, I wouldn't mind if you lived in a cave in the Ozarks. For the record, I have yet to sign anyone who lives in a cave in the Ozarks.

GLA: You also rep narrative nonfiction. What gets mistaken for narrative nonfiction but is definitely not?

MB: To me, narrative nonfiction is a true story about a subject that is from the perspective of the author. Memoir and narrative nonfiction have a lot of overlap, but I see narrative nonfiction as reaching out into the world more so than memoir. For example, a client of mine is writing about her experiences farming in downtown Oakland. It's her personal tale, but she also incorporates farming history, the history of her city, and a portrait of the people around her. When I see an article that I love or read about an interesting person, I try to reach out and see if the author is interested writing a book. How-to is definitely not narrative nonfiction.

GLA: What are you looking for that you're not getting? What never seems to be in the slush pile?

MB: I would love to see more accomplished literary fiction in my slush pile - a good story with the writing to match. With most of my literary fiction, I tend to read a story I like and then find out if the author is working on anything of book length, but I have seen some lovely surprises in the slush and really welcome more. I'm always on the look out for what's being called "book club fiction"- fiction that has a central issue or story that sweeps you off your feet and gets you talking. I adore slipstream fiction that mixes elements of genre with literary execution, and want to see more of that too. Commercially, I like genre with breakout potential, a la Neal Stephenson and Neil Gaiman - something that a non-genre reader can pick up and really enjoy.
        I also am actively building my YA list, and want to see YA that doesn't necessarily have to take place over a trilogy. Trilogies are fine, but that first book has to persuade me on its own.
        Some specific wishes running through my brain right now: a literary ghost story, a book club novel that explores another culture, and a YA that I can really sit down and enjoy as an adult.

GLA: Do you feel like the economic recession is hitting the publishing industry?

MB: I have noticed a little bit more of a squeeze from publishers on what they're buying. In the past few years, it seemed a little easier to sneak an interesting but atypical project into an editor's line up. It still happens plenty, though, it's just more of an uphill battle. We're seeing the biggest impact in bookstores, where sales are slowing and independents are often shutting down. But as long as there are books out there that find their audience, I think we can be optimistic.

GLA: Do you have any strong likes or dislikes when it comes to queries?

MB: My main dislike is when the author doesn't tell me what their book is actually about. That's why the query letter is there in the first place! And if you find that you can't distill the story into a pitch, that might signify a larger problem.

GLA: What is the most common problem you see in a synopsis?

MB: Sometimes I'll see a synopsis with too much detail. Focus on the main conflicts and turning points, not the color of your protagonist's outfit (unless that is in fact a major part of the story!).

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

MB: I'll be at Thrillerfest and Sewanee this summer, both in July.

GLA: Other piece(s) of advice concerning something we haven't discussed?

MB: The writers who are dearest to my heart are those who've gone out and done a little bit of legwork by making a website/blog, belonging to organizations, publishing in magazines, podcasting, etc. Once your book is published, it takes that sort of self-promotion to make it work anyway, and it helps if you are laying the groundwork ahead of time. If I can present you to an editor as a promotional whiz, they are more likely to consider working with you.

Want more on this subject?

See all agent interviews here.

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

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.

Is there a difference between literary agents and script managers?

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

Agent Advice: Margery Walshaw of Evatopia

Chuck — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 05:05:16 GMT

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

This installment features literary agent Margery Walshaw, founder of Evatopia in Southern California. Margery is literary agent and script manager, focusing on both feature film scripts as well as juvenile fiction writing.

Margery Walshaw

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

MW: “Sahara Cassidy and the Extinction Caverns” by Kevin Emerson has been sold to Indalo Productions, who recently produced “Day Zero” starring Elijah Wood. Kevin also has a five book deal with Scholastic coming out.

GLA: You're a script manager - not an agent. Please explain the difference. If one is a newbie to the Hollywood scene, what is the advantage of having a manager?

MW: In the state of California, only agents are licensed to sell scripts. However, sales arise following an introduction made by a manager. Agents typically spend the majority of their time involved in the selling and negotiation process whereas managers will help writers perfect and edit their projects, as well as offer long-term career advice. For this reason, there is a tremendous advantage for a newcomer to work with a manager and have that person help them through the writing process to make their script more marketable.

GLA: Evatopia has multiple people working in the company. Are they all managers like you? How should people direct queries and pitches?

MW: Everyone in our organization has a strong literary background, although not all are managers. The best way to submit a query to Evatopia is via our online submission form found at www.evatopia.com under the link “For Our Consideration.”

GLA: When writers want to query you with a script, you ask them to do so through an online form, including a one-line "logline" and a synopsis. How long should the synopsis be?

MW: Although writers may submit as long of a synopsis as they desire, ideally it should get to the point fairly quickly. In a sense, this is the writer’s first test to see if they can get their point across in a concise manner that is also engaging.

GLA: What genres and categories are you looking for right now concerning film?

MW: Comedy is particularly hard to write and as a result, we find very little that stands out above the crowd. We would love to see more well written and smart comedies. We also enjoy strong character dramas that offer actors roles that are new and challenging.

GLA: Do you also represent TV writers? If so, are you looking to receive new stuff - such as original pilots, or are you looking for spec scripts of existing shows?

MW: At this time, we are only looking for features. We do introduce feature projects to television as well as film production companies.

GLA: Recently, you've branched out in the literary world more with juvenile fiction? Can you tell us why you made this transition?

MW: There are many reasons. First, the novel form has always been my first love in the literary world. At USC, I received my masters in professional writing, which focuses on novels as well as scripts. Because of my interest in novels, I have always maintained contacts and stayed abreast of developments in the publishing world. Finally, my client, Kevin Emerson, who we just optioned “Sahara Cassidy and the Extinction Caverns” on behalf of, has a five book deal with Scholastic coming out this summer for his middle grade vampire series, “Oliver Nocturne.”

GLA: Regarding this new interest in children's writing, what exactly are you looking for? Children's picture books? YA only? Tween, middle grade?

MW: YA, tween or middle grade is where my interest lies.

GLA: When you're reading a partial for a YA novel, let's say ... What things turn you off when reading a manuscript? What kills a writer's chances of getting signed with you?

MW: There’s no need to tell an agent or manager that your project is like no other they’ve ever seen. If it’s good, the writing will stand on its own. If it’s not solid writing, then there’s probably a reason why we’ve never seen something like it published. Another thing that turns me away from a sample is sloppy proofreading.

GLA: Will you be at any writers' conferences in the future where writers can meet and pitch you?

MW: I'll be at your conference [The Writer's Digest Books Writers' Conference] here in LA on May 28.

GLA: Best advice concerning a topic we haven't covered?

MW: I work with three writers who live in Europe. (I spend a lot of time in the UK working with publishers and broadcasters abroad.) What I like about their writing is that it takes me to another place and is told in a voice unique to what we typically hear in the States every day. I encourage writers to be true to their life’s experiences and tell stories that may be off the beaten track. There’s no point in copying what’s already out there.

To query Margery regarding your juvenile work, use the online form on Evatopia's Web site. For the "genre" tab online, put YA or middle grade. A synopsis is still required.

Want more on this subject?

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

See an interview with script manager Ken Sherman of Ken Sherman Associates.

Want a great database of script agents/managers, script contests, conferences and theaters? Buy the 2010 Screenwriter's & Playwright's Market today!

Check out an interview with script manager Marc Manus.

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

Post Number One: Submission info for Greenhouse Literary.

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

Agent Interview on CWIM Blog

Chuck — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:27:36 GMT

Alice Pope, editor of Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market, has posted two incredibly awesome posts in the past week regarding a new literary agency: Greenhouse Literary, a new agency with a focus on children's/juvenile writing.

Post Number Two: An interview with Sarah Davies, agency founder.

Don't miss this great opportunity to learn more about a new agency! Way to go, Alice!

Reminder: Newer agencies 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.

Want more on children's writing?

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

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

Is there a difference between literary agents and script managers?

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

New Agent at Pippin Properties

Chuck — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 18:48:09 GMT

She's not exactly brand new, but I just learned that Pippin Properties has a new(er) agent: Samantha Cosentino, who joined the agency this past year. Samantha is one of three agents at the boutique agency.

Pippin is a smaller agency that focuses on children's writing. Like the agency's other reps, Samantha is interested in picture books, middle grade and young adult work. To submit, send a one-page query to her at info@pippinproperties.

New Agency Alert: Will Entertainment

Chuck — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:31:59 GMT

Cool new alert to see. Will Entertainment is looking for children's book writers whose writing is good enough to brave both the literary and film worlds. Awesome opportunity, but your work better be up to snuff to challenge both worlds!

Important note: Garrett Hicks is a literary and script manager, meaning he is similar to an agent but not exactly an agent, per say.

Will Entertainment

1228 Romulus Drive, Glendale CA 91205. Phone: (818)389-6895. Fax: (818)246-4520. E-mail: garrett@willentertainment.com. Web site: www.willentertainment.com. Contact: Garrett Hicks. Seeking new and established writers. Prior to becoming an agent, Mr. Hicks was a development executive for Disney Animation. Established: 2003. Represents 20 clients. 30% of clients are new/unpublished writers. Specializes in: children's book authors and illustrators, especially those crossing over from film, TV and animation. Currently Handles: 30% Juvenile Books, 30% Movie Scripts, 40% TV Scripts

Script categories/genres of interest: Action/Adventure, Cartoon/Animation, Comedy, Fantasy, Juvenile, Mainstream, Romantic Comedy, Teen. How to Contact: Query with SASE and synopsis. Accepts e-mail queries. No fax queries. Accepts simultaneous submissions. Responds in 2 weeks to queries. Responds in 2 weeks to manuscripts. Does not return submissions. Actively seeking: Juvenile, picture books and young adult.

Recent Sales: Sold 2 titles in the last year. Sold 5 scripts in the last year. Hot Sour Salty Sweet, by Sherri Smith (Delacorte); Flygirl, by Sherri Smith (Putnam); Patty Dolan is Dead, by Patrick O'Connor (FP Prods/Disney); Hopeville, TV pilot by Howard Nemetz (Fox). Terms: Agent receives 15% commission on domestic sales; 15% commission on foreign sales. Offers written contract. Termination notice: 60-day.

Want more on this subject?

See an interview with script manager Ken Sherman of Ken Sherman Associates.

Want a great database of script agents/managers, script contests, conferences and theaters? Buy the 2010 Screenwriter's & Playwright's Market today!

Check out an interview with script manager Marc Manus.

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

Visit the agency's official submissions page!

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

New Info for Stimola Literary Studio

Chuck — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:29:04 GMT

Stimola Literary Studios, LLC, has a new e-mail and Web site.

The new Web site has information on submissions, clients, previous sales and everything in between. It will definitely help if you want to submit to them. According to their submission page, they handle nonfiction and fiction, adult and children's, but they do have a big interest in children's work - middle grade, young adult, graphic novels, etc.

The new submission e-mail is info@stimolaliterarystudio.com.

New Agents at Prospect Agency, LLC

Chuck — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:23:42 GMT

Finding one new agent building her client list is a nice treat. But what if you had two at the same agency? That's exactly what's happened at the Prospect Agency. Here's the down-low on these two new(er) agents. Some links at the bottom will help you submit.

      "Rachel Orr (rko@prospectagency.com) joined Prospect Agency in 2007, after eight rewarding years editing children's books for HarperCollins. She enjoys the challenge of tackling a wide variety of projects—both fiction and nonfiction—particularly picture books, beginning readers, chapter books, middle-grade/YA novels, and works of nonfiction.
      "Rachel is currently taking on new clients."

      "Becca Stumpf, (becca@prospectagency.com) junior agent, joined Prospect Agency in 2006 after working as an assistant at Writers House Literary Agency. As a reader, Becca falls hard for sentences that are beautifully crafted, for humor in unexpected places, and for characters that come to life and follow you around for a while. Becca is looking for adult and YA literary and mainstream fiction that surprises. She's also interested in select nonfiction, including narrative nonfiction, journalistic perspectives, fashion, film studies, travel, art, and informed analysis of cultural phenomena. She has a special interest in aging in America and environmental issues.
      "Becca is currently taking on new clients."

New Agency Alert: KT Literary

Chuck — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:20:02 GMT

Important notes: This agency's Web site is open, but technically their first day is Feb. 1 - so don't rush your query. Make it better and send it in a few weeks.
Also, this information below is limited because Kate Schafer has not yet responded with all info.

KT Literary

9249 S. Broadway, #200-543, Highlands Ranch CO 80129. Phone: (720)344-4728. Fax: (720)344-4728. E-mail: queries@ktliterary.com . Web> site: www.ktliterary.com/about.html. Contact: Kate Schafer. Prior to her current position, Ms. Schafer was an agent with Janklow & Nesbit. Established: 2008. Writer's Guidelines: www.ktliterary.com/submissions.html. Specializes in middle grade and YA fiction. How to Contact: Query with SASE. Submit: 2-3 sample pages. Absolutely no attachments. Paste text in e-mail body. E-mail queries only. Responds in 2 weeks to queries.

Actively seeking: Actively seeking brilliant, funny, original middle grade and young adult fiction, both literary and commercial; witty women's fiction; and pop-culture narrative nonfiction. Quirky is good. Does not want picture books. Tips: "If we like your query, we'll ask for (more)."

Thank you to blog contributor
Kristen Howe for this tip.

Agent Advice: Debbie Carter of Muse Literary Management

Chuck — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:10:11 GMT

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

This installment features literary agent Debbie Carter of Muse Literary Management. Prior to starting her own agency in 1998, she worked for a literary agent, a talent manager, and in the record business as a talent scout. She has a BA in English and music from Washington Square University College at NYU.

She is seeking: literary novels and short story collections with popular appeal, mysteries, thrillers, suspense, espionage fiction/nonfiction, children's fiction/nonfiction and literary narrative nonfiction. Other nonfiction areas of interest include music, writing, birds and gardening.

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

DC: Recent sales include a short story to The Kenyon Review by 2005 Pushcart nominee Aurelia Wills, to be published in their 2008 summer issue; and a children's folktale collection, The Adventures of Molly Whuppie, by Anne Shelby, to Univ. of North Carolina Press.

GLA: You accept short story collections and novellas. Do you feel that the stories have to be connected or can they all be individual? Are these still a tough sell to publishers either way?

DC: I am looking for writers of short fiction who have enough stories for a collection or are writing toward completing one. Most collections are by prize-winning authors and feature stories previously published in name journals and magazines. If stories are interconnected, like a novel, and the work is strong enough to compete with debut novels, the writer does not need these credentials. Aurelia Wills, a writer who sold a couple stories on her own to journals, is completing stories toward a collection, and I submitted stories to journals as she worked toward that goal. We sold one to The Kenyon Review, but major journals passed on the other stories; unfortunately, we couldn't agree on a strategy for further submissions and we parted company: I thought the stories needed to be longer and that she should revise, and she wanted to keep sending the stories out because making submissions was "a numbers game." If a writer and I don't agree editorially on content, I will usually suggest that they seek feedback in a workshop. Some follow my advice, but some don't and decide to submit to publishers on their own.
      It is a matter of a reader's taste whether or not an editor publishes a story, but if I see something wrong with a story (usually an aspect of the structure), I will ask the writer to "fix" it. It's rare for an agent or anyone for that matter to like everything by a writer, and many writers will want to sell everything they write. I try to allow room for disagreement in my relationship with writers: I offer an agency agreement that is limited to specific works. I offer an agency agreement that is limited to specific works.
      As for novellas, the content of the story should determine its length, but I didn't see any novellas by new writers on BN.com. Children's publishers are open to young adult novels of novella length, but I don't know firsthand if publishers of adult fiction are receptive to them; I haven't found one. Stewart O'Nan just published Last Night at the Lobster, a Christmas novella. If readers buy it, then publishers will know there is an audience for the short novel, and will probably consider short novels by new writers. When I receive a query for a novella, my first hunch is that the book isn't finished. I usually recommend that the writer read Building Better Plots by Robert Kernen, for its checklists in chapter 2, to see if there's something missing in their story or plot.

GLA: When you're reading a partial, what are the most common problems you see in the writing samples? What are the most common reasons you turn down a submission?

DC: I usually request the first hundred pages of a novel, and for story collections, four or five stories. I want to see if the opening chapters or stories capture me in any way, with a compelling narrator or a strong premise or situation as in The Firm or The Day of the Jackal. Many times, I turn down first submissions because they're trashy or trite, or they're about obscure or specialized topics, like Roman history. That's not to say these manuscripts won't appeal to other readers; on my Web site, I list genres that don't appeal to me. But I'll always tell writers why I'm passing and offer suggestions on where they might look for agents. Or, in the case where I like the voice or specific passages, but there isn't enough there for me to work with, I'll suggest books for further reading.

GLA: You seek narrative nonfiction. What are the key elements you look for in a narrative nonfiction submission? What elements must be there to capture you attention and distinguish it from regular nonfiction?

DC: I read narrative nonfiction as I do novels, for story and character, except they seem to mean more to me because they're true. I've placed my favorite titles on the "bookshelf" page on my site www.museliterary.com with links to excerpts.

GLA: Plenty of people want to write a memoir (and many do), but few are good. For you, what separates the best memoir from the others?

DC: The way you phrased the question is subjective. What's good depends on whether you're looking for a well-constructed story or a firsthand, often amateur, account of an experience that may provide answers to questions in your own life, as a kind of self-help read. I'm looking for well-constructed stories, and the memoirs I like, posted on my bookshelf page, are by authors or journalists who have studied writing. I evaluate them as I would a first-person narrator in a novel. Do I like this person? Some bestselling memoirs don't appeal to me because their lives are just too awful to read about, as in The Glass Castle. The narrator recalls one miserable episode in her childhood after another with no letup; she wore me out.
In a play or novel, the dramatist or author would alter the plot, selecting only significant scenes instead of telling everything about the life, and arranging them for dramatic effect; and giving readers a break from the main story with scenes with other characters. Some memoirs are on topics that don't appeal to me, such as Eat Pray Love, a spirituality title, or I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (why would I want to read about a womanizer? Again, a personal reaction) or the didactic Bill O'Reilly books; But in the memoirs I do like, the narrators appeal to me as people, and have strong plots that satisfy expectations for traditional story structure: I like coming-of-age stories like Mermaids by Patty Dann, stories that capture an aspect of American culture that has past, like The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, or stories of historical significance that are relevant today, like The Zookeeper's Wife.

GLA: Will you be at any conferences in the future where writers can meet you?

DC: Right now I'm booked for the Sand Hills Writers' Conference at Augusta State University in March. I'll also be at ThrillerFest in NYC in July.

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

DC: I would suggest they read Publishers Weekly and the New York Times Book Review. I know writers need time to write and research their projects, but I think writers would be less frustrated if they knew more about the business. Many writers approach novels or memoirs strictly from aesthetics: Is this a good book? Many of them are thoughtful and well-written, but do they know who would want to read it? Can they define their book's category as a publisher or bookseller would? Does the book speak to the concerns of their readers? Some of the stories and topics are old-fashioned, too derivative of other books, or aren't relevant to our lives today.
Readers are looking to connect with a character, and see the world in a way that is familiar and new at the same time. We constantly hear that people have less time to read, but we all have time for a compelling story that speaks to our concerns, like Harry Potter, Sophie's Choice or Carrie. Reading PW and the NYTBR will tell them what's being published by large and small companies, what's selling, and why. They don't have to force themselves to write books they don't like just to fit a trend, but they should see who is publishing books they like, and shape their own manuscripts to fit publishers' lists.

Want more on this subject?

See all agent interviews here!

What Should You Write in the "Bio Paragraph" of a Query Letter.

Why Your Manuscript Can Get Rejected, by Hallie Ephron.

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

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

Agent Advice: Regina Brooks of the Serendipity Literary Agency

Chuck — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:38:41 GMT

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

This installment features literary agent Regina Brooks of the Serendipity Literary Agency in Brooklyn. Regina is a veteran agent who handles a variety of fiction and nonfiction. She is the author of Writing Great Books for Young Adults, which came out in 2009.

She is seeking: She represents a variety of fiction and nonfiction and children's. To submit to her, visit her submissions page on her Web site.

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

RB: I've had a few really cool sales lately. I'm doing a book that will feature Black ballerinas from the Dance Theater of Harlem and will be published during their 40-year anniversary. It will feature text from three-time National Book Award finalist, Marilyn Nelson, and is called Beautiful Ballerina (Scholastic).
A cool origami book called Girligami (Watson Guptill) by Cindy Ng, whose origami has appeared in The San Francisco Museum of Modern art, the Smithsonian and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Also, a business book for women called A Purse of Your Own (S&S Touchstone/Fireside), by Deborah Owens, CEO of Owens Media Group and NPR contributor. It's a savvy guide to financial security that sticks a lacquered fingernail in the eye of the conventional wisdom that women have to act like one of the boys to succeed in high finance, and teaches women to leverage their feminine sensibilities, fashion sense, and purchasing prowess to take control of their financial lives.

GLA: You seek "young adult novels with urban flair." Can you give some good examples of this for readers? Does this subject area bridge off into young adult cyberpunk?

RB: Some examples of these type books that I've represented are First Semester by Cecil Cross, the story of African-American boy's first semester at a historically black college in Atlanta. Also The Making of Dr. True Love by Derrick Barnes, which made the ALA quick pick list last year. I would say this category doesn't bridge off into YA cyberpunk.

GLA: You represent both authors and illustrators. Do you often get queries from authors who have also illustrated their children's book? Are the illustrations usually of enough quality to include them with the submission to publishers?

RB: I do receive many queries from author/illustrators, or from authors who aren't necessarily illustrators but fail to understand that they don't have to worry about submitting illustrations. But most often I find that most illustrators are not the best at coming up with compelling story lines or can't execute the words like a well seasoned writer (or vice versa:The better writers usually are not the best illustrators).

GLA: You prefer to read materials exclusively. About how long does a typical exclusive look from you last?

RB: I actually don't mind being sent queries simultaneously; however, if I request a manuscript I will generally ask the author to give me 2 to 3 weeks to review it exclusively. If it turns out that I'm taking longer than the allotted time period, the author is free to begin submitting their work elsewhere, but it's great if they give me a heads up on that.

GLA: What's the most common mistake you see in fiction query letters? Where do writers go wrong in trying to pique your interest?

RB: Because I participate in numerous conferences throughout the year, I find that even though I request that writers mention in the query that they met me at a conference, they often forget. Also, length is an issue. Even though I accept online queries, I still want the query to come in somewhere close to one page. I think that writers often think that because it's online, I have no way of knowing that it's more than a page. Believe me, I do. Queries that are concise and compelling are he most intriguing.

GLA: Will you be at any conferences in the future where writers can meet (and pitch) you?

RB: Absolutely. The best way to find out where I'll be is to take a look at my conference schedule, which is posted on my Web site. The schedule changes often and there's a strong likelihood that I will be in your area, so check back frequently. I do more than 15 conferences a year and anticipate more over the next two years when my book comes out in June, Writing Great Books for Young Adults.

GLA: What's the best piece of advice you can give regarding a subject we haven't discussed?

RB: I know that everyone lately has been hearing so much about platform. Publishers are asking authors to have a platform when they write nonfiction. Just to shed a little light on this subject: Writers should be able to show in their proposals that they are the best person to write the book and that they have an intimate relationship with the topic and with the audience who might buy the book. Don't be intimidated if you don't have a platform for your book concept; just use the fact that you need one as a motivation to go out and get one; write an article, become a blogger, and speak about the topic in your community. The stronger your platform, the more books you'll sell. At least that's the idea that drives the publishers to request that you have one.

Want more on this topic?

See examples of Successful Queries that agents liked.

Check out The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters.

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

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

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

Agent Advice: Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Chuck — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:45:40 GMT

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

This installment features literary agent Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She represents two New York Times bestselling authors, first-time authors, and authors at every stage in between. Caryn holds an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA, and a BS from the University of Virginia, and her fifteen years of business experience prior to joining the Agency emphasized editing and writing as well as sales, negotiation and client management.

She is seeking: young adult and middle-grade fiction and non-fiction, chapter books, and picture books (fiction and non-fiction). Caryn goes deeper into specifics on her submissions page.

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

CW: One of my recent deals is a YA novel by a debut author, AP sportswriter William Konigsburg, who is one of only two openly gay sportswriters in the country. Bill's novel, Out of the Pocket (Dutton) is about a heavily recruited high school quarterback who is forced to come to terms with his sexuality during an eventful senior year. Another one of my authors, Deborah Underwood, is co-authoring a series with Whoopi Goldberg, called Sugar Plum Ballerinas (Hyperion, forthcoming).

GLA: You have an MBA and a background in business. How does your background help you (and your clients) in agenting?

CW: My business experience includes client management, sales and negotiation skills, all of which are essential to an agent. I also did extensive business writing and editing, and learned the ins and outs of contracts. Finally, I have used my business skills to develop a proprietary editor database for our agency's use, and for tracking my clients' projects. Through it all, I was always a voracious and critical reader. Despite all that dry finance reading, I even started a book club with a few business school friends, which is still going many years later!

GLA: You specialize in juvenile and children's writing. If you were speaking to someone who had written adult fiction or possibly nonfiction and now wanted to try juvenile writing, what basic advice can you give them before starting?

CW: I would tell that person to go to their local bookstore, browse extensively and read everything that they can before they start a children's project. They need to understand the categories of children's books, as well as the differences in writing style between adult and children's writing. A great resource is Nancy Lamb's The Writer's Guide to Crafting Stories for Children.

GLA: Can you explain exactly how chapter books differ from middle grade?

CW: There is a lot of overlap between categories, so the difference between older chapter books and younger middle-grade is often just a matter of marketing. Younger chapter books are for kids who have graduated from Easy Readers and are starting to read more fluently. They usually have 8-10 short chapters, each with a cliff-hanger ending. They are often a series, like Captain Underpants or Magic Tree House, and can be lightly or heavily illustrated. I have a highly illustrated chapter book series coming out next year: Nate Evans and Paul Hindman's Humpty Dumpty Jr., Hard-Boiled Detective. It's a noir-style chapter book series, illustrated by Nate Evans and Vince Evans, in which Det. Humpty Dumpty, Jr. and his sidekick, Rat, solve crimes in "New Yolk City."
Middle-grade is for readers in the 8-12 age group. They can have a complex plot and subplot, and while often humorous, they can certainly be more serious. The vocabulary is more sophisticated than chapter books, and the emphasis is on character. The Qwikpick Adventure Society by Sam Riddleburger (Dial) is an example of a middle-grade book, in which the targeted reader is at the younger end of the spectrum. At the older end of the middle-grade spectrum is "tween." It's realistic, often contemporary, often edgier than traditional middle-grade, and deals with identity issues, school-based situations, family vs. friends, and just how hard it is to be 12. Highly illustrated books for young readers, such as The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick, is a new category of middle-grade books that are heavily illustrated.

GLA: You're looking for nonfiction for young adults, such as picture book biographies. Can you give a few good examples of this for people to read and learn from?

CW: The most important thing to me is that the nonfiction reads like fiction - that there is a "story behind the story." For example, Pamela S. Turner's George Schaller: Life in the Wild, forthcoming from FSG/Kroupa, is a biography of the great field biologist George Schaller. The book explores Dr. Schaller's career both as a scientist and as an advocate for vanishing wildlife. Appealing to children who are interested in animals, science, adventure and the outdoors, each chapter of the book will also be a "mini-biography" of the species being studied. Several of Pamela's other books study certain environments or animals and make science fun and interesting for kids.

GLA: We recently crossed paths at the La Jolla Writers Conference. When writers meet you face to face at conferences, what are some common mistakes they make with their pitch and presentation?

CW: Often, writers are extremely nervous. I don't bite! It is important that they have their pitch down cold and that they can sum up their book in a few sentences. Their pitch needs to be high-level and exciting; they need to hook me right away, and leave me wanting to know more.

GLA: If you receive a query for a YA novel where you feel the book is good but should be retooled to be a middle grade work, will you typically sign on that author and work through the process? Or will you encourage them to resend it after it's been retooled?

CW: It depends on the project. If it's something that I'm absolutely in love with, and I feel that the changes that are needed are not terribly extensive, then I will probably sign on the author. However, if the changes needed are more extensive, then I will give the author general comments, and ask to see it again after it has been revised. It's important to me to know that the client can revise.

GLA: Are there any subjects you're actively seeking right now?

CW: I'm always looking for great YA that is both commercial and literary. I would love to see more contemporary multicultural MG or YA fiction - books that deeply explore another culture, as well as books in which the ethnicity of the character is not the issue; magical realism, urban fantasy, or fantasy that is very much based in reality (no maps needed); sports fiction that has a hook other than the sport, for girls and boys; page-turning thrillers; and realistic fiction with an environmental theme. Humorous chapter books and middle-grade fiction with a great voice and unique characters are always a hit. I do not represent adult projects, so please do not query me regarding adult work.

GLA: Will you be at any conferences in the future where writers can meet you?

CW: I will be at the Big Sur Children's Writing Workshop in December 07, at the SDSU Writers' Conference in January 08, the San Francisco Writers' Conference in February 08, and the Central Coast Conference in September 08. (Editor's note: Caryn will also likely be at the Writer's Digest Books Writers' Conference in Los Angeles on May 28, 2008.)

GLA: The best piece of advice you can give concerning something we haven't talked about?

CW: Make sure that you have a polished, error-free, and complete manuscript to submit - you want to make an excellent first impression. Be sure that you know who your target audience is, and that there isn't a mismatch between your work and your intended reader. A great voice is paramount; whether first or third person, I need to fall in love with your voice. Your characters must be memorable and you need to make me root for your protagonist right from the start. Show your protagonist's journey, through the use of dialogue, the senses, actions and reactions, rather then tell through the use of narrative. Finally, a great opening is absolutely essential. You need to grab me immediately, and keep me turning the pages. If you can make me laugh out loud, cry, or keep reading late at night, you may have a winner!

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

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

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

Dwyer & O'Grady: Reminders

Chuck — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:40:40 GMT

Dwyer & O'Grady, Inc., a literary agency that represents juvenile writers and illustrators, recently sent out a reminder that they have moved all offices to Florida. Evidently, they had different locations around the country at different points (and were most recently in New Hampshire), but now do all business at the address below.

Also note that the agency is still closed to unsolicited queries/submissions and has been for some time. The only real reason you would need to use their new address below is if you, per chance, were lucky enough to meet an agent at a writers conference and they OK'd you sending some work to them.

Dwyer & O'Grady, Inc.
Agents for Writers & Illustrators of Children's Books
725 Third Street
P.O. Box 790
Cedar Key, FL 32625-0790
(352)543-9307
(603)-375-5373 - fax
www.dwyerogrady.com

Jennifer Laughran of Andrea Brown Literary Seeks Clients...

Chuck — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:08:07 GMT

Post Update: It appears that this valuable link below is now off limits to non-members of Verla Kay's site. The good news is it should be very easy to become a member of her site and forum, so sign up.

Jennifer Laughran, a reader for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency in California, just wrote a long post on Verla Kay's chat board regarding her possible jump into the agenting business.

It seems that Jennifer is trying to become a full-fledged agent, and needs clients to do so. She focuses on middle-grade and young adult work, and tells all about what she doesn't want to receive, as well. She mentions that she is only interested in queries/etc. that have not been turned down by Andrea Brown agents previously.

This seems like a golden opportunity for writers, so check out the full post!

Editor Interview: Nick Eliopulos of Random House Children's

Chuck — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 16:54:02 GMT

The GLA Blog has a special treat this week—an interview with Nick Eliopulos, editor for Random House Children's Books. He fits right in with our recent focus on agents and editors for children's writing, which includes picture books, young adult and middle grade works.

Associate Editor at Random House Books for Young Readers (an imprint of Random House Children's Books), Nick Eliopulos started out at the University Press of Florida, where a college internship led to a full-time job as an acquisitions assistant. Eventually, he moved to New York and subsisted on freelance for a few months before landing at Random House.

Two of Nick's projects will be published in 2007: Squirrelly Gray, a picture book by indie-comics superstar James Kochalka, and The Hound of Rowan, first in a middle-grade fantasy trilogy by newcomer Henry H. Neff. His comics work appears in the anthologies Stuck in the Middle (Viking, 2007) and First Kiss (Then Tell) (Bloomsbury, 2008). He has survived three consecutive winters in Manhattan.

Nick Eliopulos

GLA: What are some subjects or some styles that you don't see tackled often, and wonder why more writers are not tackling such a subject/style?

NE: Thoughtful, literary novels with boy appeal. Newbery-caliber stuff. These books are few and far between. And if we're worried that boys don't read enough, not making books for them won't help the problem.

GLA: Do you ever turn down work because it's too "smart"—meaning either the concept is too complex or the language is too advanced?

NE: I recently read The Golden Compass, and you know what? It's way too smart. The language, the premise, the roaming POV ... but it's such a wonderful book and it's obviously found an audience.

I hope I'm never in a position where I have to turn down a submission because it's smart or challenging. I can imagine, as an editor, asking for edits to broaden the appeal: Can this concept be clearer? Does the language seem like too much here? Does the work benefit from limiting the POV? But never in the interest of talking down to the audience.

(I'm thinking mainly of novels here, of course. If you're working with an established format, like the Random House Stepping Stones line, then it's essential that the language fit the guidelines of that format. And I think picture books have limits, as well, though mostly in terms of content.)

GLA: What is the most common reasons you and your fellow board of editors turn down a project (manuscript)?

NE: We have to think in terms of our list—where our strengths lie. But it's a fine line. We want something that is somewhat familiar, but that offers something new.

That's really the best way to find a publisher--look at who's publishing work similar to your own. If my group is having success with fantasy novels and you submit a teen cookbook, chances are we won't have the resources to make your book a hit.

GLA: When you sit down to read a manuscript, what do you want to see (or "feel") in the first 10-20 pages?

NE: A strong sense of character—through action and dialogue as opposed to narration.

Much of what I read is slow to get to the actual plot. That's OK in a draft; it (will help) if there's some kind of synopsis so that I know what to expect. But voice and character should be front and center from the start.

GLA: Many YA books follow a similar formula. With that in mind, is a big part in the concept? Like writing the standard "Girl feels awkward in high school and likes boy" except "Girl turns into a werewolf at night"? Does it need a hook like that, or can you still write a good story that no big hook?

NE: Hooks help—a lot. Even once I've signed on a book, I have to pitch it to sales and marketing, who have to pitch it to retailers and librarians. If you've got a unique and memorable spin, that's half the battle won.

But different books come with different expectations. If you've written a story about an awkward girl with not a werewolf in sight, but with a strong and believable voice—well, there's likely an audience for that book. Notice that a lot of the award-winners are quiet tales that you can't do justice in a one-line pitch.

GLA: What advice would you like to give concerning a topic we haven't addressed yet?

NE: Read! Read a lot. And not just children's books. It definitely helps to know what's out there for your target age group—but if you're up on current events or quantum physics or the cultural history of deodorant, then you have a better chance of bringing something altogether new to the table.

GLA: Does Random House Children's ever take unagented submissions?

NE: Officially we don't, but it's certainly happened before. Chances are that a blind submission will eventually be seen by somebody—but having an agent is really the way to go. For one thing, it guarantees your submission will be read. For another, it truly pays off to work with someone who knows the ins and outs of the business (and who can give you objective feedback before your work lands on an editor's desk).

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

NE: Yes—the Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature in October 2007.

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

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

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

Around the Properties 9/11/2007

Chuck — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:29:39 GMT

The most recent WD special publication is out: You Can Write for Children. (If you don't see it in bookstores, don't worry - it will be there soon.) The magazine is packed full of information for children's writers of all kinds - YA, middle grade and picture book writing tips.

WD's own "answer man," Brian Klems, has posted a new post on his Questions and Quandaries Blog about writing log lines for movie scripts.

The WD poetry blog, Poetic Asides, is still going strong thanks to numerous posts by both Writer's Market Editor Robert Brewer and Poet's Market Editor Nancy Breen.

On a side note, if you live in the Lexington, Ky. area, several editors from Writer's Digest will be at the Joseph Beth Booksellers tonight (Sept. 11) for a big Q&A session at 7 p.m. Stop on by!

Agent Advice: Michelle Andelman of Lynn C. Franklin Associates (formerly of Andrea Brown Literary Agency)

Chuck — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 14:59:00 GMT

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

This installment features literary agent Michelle Andelman, of Lynn C. Franklin Associates (formerly of Andrea Brown Literary), holds a BFA in Dramatic Writing and an MA in English Literature from NYU. Her publishing and film background allows her to offer clients guidance at every stage of story development.

She is seeking: all children's categories, from picture and chapter books to middle-grade and YA fiction, with an interest in fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, adventure, romance, graphic novel, and serious literary projects. She's drawn to high-concept, commercial tween and teen lit if it's edgy, gritty, and daring or all sweetness and light. Stylized but authentic voices, magical realism, Jewish themes, interesting story structure, freak and geek protagonists, identifiable quests, and fully realized storyworlds always catch her eye. Her adult categories are literary and women's fiction, narrative nonfiction, and memoir.

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

MA: I’m very proud that my most recent sales will launch the careers of two brand new writers. Debut author Jenny Meyerhoff’s chapter book, Third Grade Baby, and contemporary YA novel, Girl in Waiting, both went to Farrar, Straus & Giroux. And, Cheryl Peevyhouse’s dystopian middle grade novel, The Melancholy Chronicles of Keen and Rodder, went to Hyperion. So, unpublished writers should take heart. Editors and agents are certainly looking to nurture and invest in new talent.

GLA: You specialize in children's writing. What are some subjects or styles of writing that you rarely receive in a submission and wonder why more writers don't tackle such a subject/style?

MA: So far goes style and execution, I'd love to see more MG and YA submissions use innovative narrative strategies deliberately and well. For example: alternating voices/POVs, or a structure that plays with narrative time. Kids are sophisticated readers. Books that engage them on the level of storytelling, as well as story, could break out. So far goes subject matter, I don’t see as many stories as you’d think about multicultural families and friendships. I’d also love to see more YA submissions depict awkward, funny and real—rather than flat and glossy—teen romance.

GLA: Simply put, concerning middle grade and young adult—how should they differ? Subject matter? Length?

MA: As a disclaimer, there are exceptions to these rules, with the fantasy genre being a big one. But, typically, MG novels run between 20-40K words and feature protagonists aged 9-13. YA novels run between 40-65K and feature protagonists aged 14+. The type of relationship at the core of a project can also tell you how to characterize it: MG often revolves around a protagonist’s relationships with family and friends, while a story heavily driven by a romantic relationship is going to be YA.

GLA: What are the most common mistakes you see with new writers trying to compose a graphic novel?

MA: Graphic novels are such a fresh format. I adore DC’s Minx line, and I think YA novelist Cecil Castellucci did a wonderful job on The Plain Janes. That said, not all novelists are natural graphic novelists. You need to be a visual storyteller. You need to be able to reveal information via image and gesture, rather than dialogue. You need to be a tight, swift and sparse plotter who favors action over exposition.
Common mistakes I’ve seen: too much text, humdrum rather than spectacular illustrative opportunities, and a graphic novel that doesn’t "need" to be one.

GLA: Many people tend to try their hand at children's writing and picture books, but it's often said that writing such books is much more difficult than writers first consider. Why is this so?

MA: I suspect the common thinking goes that if a writer "knows" children, she can write for them. But a successful children’s author doesn’t simply "know" children—what makes them tick, what their internal and emotional lives are like—but she also knows children’s literature. She's an avid reader, so she's familiar with what’s age-appropriate and authentic to her category of the market. If she's writing a picture book, she’s a skilled visual storyteller and can offer up a plot, character, relationship, or emotional arc in miniature—but still, and this is the difficult part, in full.

GLA: Some publications have said that the picture book market is flat, and publishers aren't interested in new picture book ideas. Any truth to this?

MA: The first half of that statement has been true and, as a result, picture books have proven to be tougher sells in recent seasons. But, importantly and thankfully, the second half of that statement is false. Like any market, the picture book market tightens and trends, so it’s important to know some publishers now want character-driven picture books with less text, meaning lower word counts. But, they’re always interested in new ideas.

GLA: What's your best piece of advice for new writers who wish to submit children's work to agents?

MA: My best one word of advice: professionalize. A new writer who has done her homework on the children's market ahead of time, and submits to agents in a way that suggests a professional approach to a writing career, is going to stand out. Professionalizing may mean doing a few different things that make all the difference: joining a critique group that can help you polish your manuscript before you query, researching and approaching agents according to submission guidelines, crafting a query that aims to pique interest in—rather than fully explain—your project, and joining the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI).

A book sold by Michelle:
Dreaming Anastasia

Want more on children's writing?

Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.

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

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

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

Word Count Guidelines for Novels and Children's Books.

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

Agent Stephen Barbara Interviewed at Alma Fullerton's Site

Chuck — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 13:54:30 GMT

There's a good interview with literary agent Stephen Barbara of Foundry Literary + Media over at Alma Fullerton's site. (Note: When this interview took place, Stephen was still with the Donald Maass Literary Agency.)

Barbara does a lot of work with young adult and middle-grade works, and gives some good tips on what he's looking for. Check it out!

Stephen Barbara

Want more on this subject?

See all agent interviews here.

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

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.