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?

• Interview with agent Jeffrey McGraw (The August Agency) .
• 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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!

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 sixth installment in this series is with agent Michelle Brower (Folio Literary Management, formerly of Wendy Sherman Associates) and her author Scott Browne, for his novel, Breathers.

Dear Michelle Brower:

“I spent two days in a cage at the SPCA until my parents finally came to pick me up.  The stigma of bringing your undead son home to live with you can wreak havoc on your social status, so I can’t exactly blame my parents for not rushing out to claim me.  But one more day and I would have been donated to a research facility.”

Andy Warner is a zombie.

After reanimating from a car accident that killed his wife, Andy is resented by his parents, abandoned by his friends, and vilified by society.  Seeking comfort and camaraderie in Undead Anonymous, a support group for zombies, Andy finds kindred souls in Rita, a recent suicide who has a taste for consuming formaldehyde in cosmetic products, and Jerry, a twenty-one-year-old car crash victim with an artistic flair for Renaissance pornography.

With the help of his new friends and a rogue zombie named Ray, Andy embarks on a journey of personal freedom and self-discovery that will take him from his own casket to the SPCA to a media-driven, class-action lawsuit for the civil rights of all zombies.  And along the way, he’ll even devour a few Breathers.

Breathers is a contemporary dark comedy about life, or undeath, through the eyes of an ordinary zombie.  In addition to Breathers, I’ve written three other novels and more than four dozen short stories – a dozen of which have appeared in small press publications.  Currently, I’m working on my fifth novel, also a dark comedy, about Fate.

Enclosed is a two-page synopsis and the first chapter of Breathers, with additional sample chapters or the entire manuscript available upon request.  I appreciate your time and interest in considering my query and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
Scott G. Browne

Commentary from Michelle:

What really drew me to this query was the fact that it had exactly what I'm looking for in my commercial fiction - story and style.  Scott included a brief quote from the book that managed to capture his sense of humor as an author and his uniquely relatable main character (hard to do with someone who's recently reanimated). 

The letter quickly conveyed that this was an unusual book about zombies, and being a fan of zombie literature, I was aware that it seemed like it was taking things in a new direction.  I also appreciated how Scott conveyed the main conflict of his plot and his supporting cast of characters - we know there is an issue for Andy beyond coming back to life as a zombie, and that provides momentum for the story.

I think this is a great example of how query letters can break the rules and still stand out in the slush pile. I normally don’t like quotes as the first line, because I don’t have a context for them, but this quote both sets up the main conceit of the book AND gives me a sense of the character's voice.  This method won’t necessarily work for most fiction, but it absolutely was successful here.

The current issue of Writer's Digest magazine (Sept/Oct 08) has a piece in it that I wrote on literary agents' chapter 1 pet peeves.  For it, I basically just contacted a whole bunch of agents - new and experienced, fiction and nonfiction, Christian and not, juvenile and adult - and asked them all what they hate to see in chapter 1. 

They gave a lot of great feedback - real good practical stuff touching on cliches and pet peeves and overused beginnings.  Here is some of the responses that we put in the printed article:


"Most agents hate prologues. Just make the first chapter relevant and well written."
       - Andrea Brown, Andrea Brown Literary Agency

"Slow writing with a lot of description puts me off very quickly. I like a first chapter that moves quickly and draws me in so I'm immediately hooked."
       - Andrea Hurst, Andrea Hurst Literary Management

"Avoid any description of the weather."
       - Denise Marcil, Denise Marcil Literary Agency

"I don't like it when the main character dies at the end of Chapter 1. Why did I just spend all this time with this character?  I feel cheated."
       - Cricket Freeman, August Agency

"A cheesy hook drives me nuts. They say 'Open with a hook!' to grab the reader. That's true, but there's a fine line between an intriguing hook and one that's just silly. An example of a silly hook would be opening with a line of overtly sexual dialogue. Or opening with a hook that's just too convoluted to be truly interesting."
       - Daniel Lazar, Writers House

" 'The Weather' is always a problem - the author feels he has to set up the scene and tell us who the characters are, etc. I like starting a story in media res."
       - Elizabeth Pomada, Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents

At Killer Nashville, a trio of extremely knowledgeable publishing pros held a panel on the most common reasons why a manuscript is rejected by an agent. Below you'll find part two of this post series.

Keep in mind that the panelists were discussing why a manuscript will be rejected, not a novel synopsis or query letter. They were talking about problems within the writing.

Panelist No. 2: Donna Bagdasarian

Agent at Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc.
Formerly at William Morris
http://www.authorsontheweb.com/features/0105-literary-agent/carvainis.asp

Donna's top reasons why your manuscript can be rejected:

1. Problems with basic writing skills—grammar, syntax, defining who the protagonist is. To be successful, aspiring writers must learn how to write—well. 

 

2. Bad dialogue. Write like people speak. 

 

3. Too much plot. Writers may read a variety of books by bestselling mystery authors and then try to take plot elements from several of these books, combining those elements into one convoluted tale. Write one book, not eight books crammed into one. 

 

4. Not having the protagonist involved in the climax.

 

5. Spending too much time at the beginning of a story on a character who seems to be the protagonist, but isn't.

 

6. Supplanting quality for a gimmick. Take a moment and examine certain gimmicks, such as the following: 
      - Writing in the second person

      - Having many points of view
      - Having your book be very, very dark in nature
      - Having scenes in a backwards order

      - Hopscotch (where you can jump around anywhere and the story still makes sense)

      These gimmicks are unique, and can produce an extraordinary book, but they can only be pulled off by the most superior of writers—and most writers are not superior writers. Therefore, writers should pass on all such gimmicks and just try to tell a good story. 

 

7. Excessive and salacious material. When your manuscript is complete and a peer/editor says "It needs more violence/sex/action/dialogue," they may be right, but inserting these aspects in the book must make sense. There can’t just be violence or sex in a story simply to have it. Make it work. 

 

8. Know how much is too much. If you can cut a scene and the story still works, you must cut it. Ask of the scene: "Why is it here? What does it do to further the plot?"

 

9. Purple prose—writing where the reader is conscious that these are the author’s thoughts, not the character's. This is prose where the language is excessively flowery and/or lyrical.

Searching for some fiction writing advice? Look no further than Bob Mayer, a man with many accomplishments. Mayer has written more than 35 novels, has been on just about every bestseller list out there, and is now with his fourth literary agent.

He presented at the HAWC this past weekend; here are some of his precious nuggets of wisdom for fiction writers:

• If you're writing genre material, it's probably best to "frontload" the work, meaning you can outline heavily before delving into the work.
• Don't start your query letter with "I've just written a novel..."  The agent realizes this.
• Know the difference between lecturing the reader and entertaining. "As fiction writers, we are entertainers," he says.
• Writers often don't sell their first novel because the story is about the writer's life and problems. "First novels tend to be blood-lettings," he says, "and they're focused on you, not the reader."
• Agents look for solid characters in fiction work. To demonstrate this point, Mayer brought up the TV show, "The Closer," which is essentially just one of countless cop shows, but succeeds because of great characters.
• The protagonist must be reluctant to get involved. They should also be likeable and interesting, but also different and flawed.
• Give your work high stakes. What will happen if the protagonist fails?

Bob Mayer (right) speaking with an attendee at the HAWC.