Guide to Literary Agents - Platform

6 Tips on How to Build a Platform and Sell Books

Chuck — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:00:34 GMT

For nonfiction writers, the most significant development of the past decade has been the insistence by the publishers that authors have national platforms. For fiction writers, authors’ platforms matter less. However, it never hurts for a fiction writer to be charismatic, articulate, a vigorous promoter, and media savvy. Children’s book writers and illustrators also benefit from being willing to travel, visit bookstores, network with educators, and promote.

This column excerpted from
Author 101: Bestselling Secrets From Top Agents

Agents gravitate to writers with visibility and “reach” because publishers are convinced they will generate more book sales. With that in mind, here are some basic ways to build a platform:

GIVE TALKS AROUND THE COUNTRY

Start locally by approaching civic, community, and religious organizations. Develop a series of talks for your church or the rotary club and then move up to larger groups and venues. Ask everyone you know to help find bookings. Speak often and work your way up. Make your initial mistakes locally and build a devoted fanbase close to home.
Hone your craft by taking speaking, voice, or acting lessons. Or you could hire a professional media coach. Then practice, practice, practice.
Ask your audiences and your friends to critique your performances and to give you their suggestions. Ruthlessly critique yourself.

GAIN MEDIA PRESENCE

Inform members of the media about your appearance(s) and invite them to attend as your guest.
Maintain a file of press clippings about you and your presentations that you can use to get more media coverage.
Write a regularly published column, newsletter or blog. Again, start small and then try to build your exposure.

MAKE USE OF THE INTERNET

Starting and leading an online community can position you as an expert. Expand your following, and stay informed of problems, issues and developments in your field.

FIND PARTNERS

Compile a names list. Create a list of individuals who would be interested in buying your book. At your appearances or on your website, offer free giveaways to people who pass on their contact information or sign up for a newsletter.

PLATFORM ALTERNATIVE #1: JOIN FORCES

When some agents receive submissions that they like from writers who don’t have platforms, they try to pair them with people who do. Pairing seems to work best when authors are matched before the actual writing begins. They can plan the book together, divide responsibilities, and decide how they will work.

PLATFORM ALTERNATIVE #2: PLUG INTO AN ESTABLISHED BOOK SERIES

Good examples are the Dummies, Chicken Soup, Everything and Streetwise series of books. With a series like this, the brand and reputation are what sells, and are more important than the writer's platform.

Want more on this topic?

Footnotes: 6 articles on building a platform.
Buy Christina Katz's book on platform, Get Known Before the Book Deal.
Platform and the debut of your book.
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: Kelly Mortimer of Mortimer Literary Agency

Chuck — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:59:59 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 Kelly Mortimer of Mortimer Literary Agency. The founder and president of the Christian Media Association, she has received the 2008 American Christian Fiction Writers “Agent of the Year” award as well as a spot in 2008’s Top Five on the Publisher’s Marketplace list of “Top 100 Dealmakers” in the romance category. She also has a Web site for writers called Perils of Publishing and a Yahoo group that follows her agency.

She is seeking: contemporary romance, contemporary inspirational romance, mainstream fiction, paranormal, comedy, thrillers/suspense, young adult, and has eclectic tastes in nonfiction. She is not looking for: chick lit, middle-grade, children’s books, picture books, cozy mysteries, erotica or romantica, fantasy, novellas, poetry, sci-fi, or historical westerns.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

KM: I was a writer, and my editing partner kept buggin’ me. She thought I’d make a great agent. Then I got a nudge from The Big Dude Upstairs. Actually, He whomped on my head for nine months, and I finally said, “If You insist…”

GLA: You have described yourself as “the Extreme Agent” and “the un-agent,” and the tagline on your agency website is: “Diabolically Diligent. Maniacally Moral. Defiantly Different.” Can you tell us what you mean? What sets you apart from other agents—other than your masterful use of alliteration?

KM: I’m extreme because I’m fearless. Inside, I’m on fire. There’s no one I won’t walk up and talk to, no risk I won’t take if the reward can be great, and nothing I see as impossible. I’m the un-agent, as I haven’t forgotten the client hires me and I work for the client; it isn’t the other way around.
     My three-sentence tagline explains who I am. By diligent, I mean I answer e-mails and calls right away. When a client sends me work, I edit it and send it out right away. My clients get a monthly report showing them where their work is, and how many times I’ve followed up. When I can’t get to something in a timely fashion, I explain and apologize. Moral means what I do has to be moral as well as legal. I’d rather hack off my arm than cheat someone. Defiantly different means I’m vocal about my views, and my views aren't always the popular ones. What makes me different? Many things, I think.
     1) I only sign pre-published writers (I hate the term “unpublished”), or those not pubbed at a traditional house in the last three years. That doesn't mean I’m looking for newbie writers—I can only mentor so many. I sign writers who are just shy of ready—or are ready, but can’t get a break.
     2) I keep a short list of around 15 active clients.
     3) I’m not in this for the money. When I sign a client, I don’t worry about how soon I can get them published and collect my commission. I make sure their best work goes out, even if it takes longer to make it cleaner.

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

KM: The last two books I sold were for a writer who’s been with me since July ’07, Kelly Ann Riley. I told her to keep writing, and I’d keep editing/submitting, and if we hung in there, we’d get published. She won RWA’s Golden Heart Award in 2009, and I later sold that manuscript, titled Firestorm, to Steeple Hill Love Inspired for their romantic suspense line. I also got her a deal with another publisher, Guideposts, to write for their mystery series. So, now she has contracts with two houses.

GLA: You won American Christian Fiction Writers “Agent of the Year” award in 2008, and you represent several inspirational writers. Would you say you specialize in Christian literature? As well, what draws you to it?

KM: I’m a Jesus-lovin’ woman. Big time. I also have a heart for Jewish people. God draws me to certain writers, and God brings certain writers to me. I think the manuscripts some inspirational writers write are harder to sell. They may need more help than secular writers. I wanna help those who need it most. I wanna give back. In the first half of my life, I charged up a huge debt there was no way I could pay. (Dropped outta high school, ran away from home, and was a drug addict). Then Jesus comes along and says, “Hey, Kel—walk away. I’ve already paid that debt for you. You can still make something of yourself. I want you to help a truckload of people. I’ll give you what you need to succeed. Trust Me.” I trusted Him. No rehab, no AA, no patches required. I’m one stubborn broad. I never fail, because I don’t quit until I succeed. I have God in my corner. By the time I hit my 30s [long gone now…bummer], I’d earned multiple degrees with honors and changed my life. I have a goal for my second half: when I get to Heaven, I want God to say, “Ya done good, Kel. It ain’t about how you started the race, it’s about how you finished it.”

GLA: Inspirational and secular romance can be polar opposites in terms of subject matter, yet one of the areas you seek is contemporary inspirational romance. Can you help define for writers what this is and give a few examples of what you’re looking for here?

KM: People have a misconception that romance novels are all about sex. They aren't; they’re about romance. Secular romances and inspirational romances have a lot of things in common: they deal with emotional attraction, they have characters who fall in love, and they always have a happy ending. There are also differences. Secular romances build more sexual tension and describe the “hot-and-bothered” stuff to different degrees while inspirational romances concentrate on the emotional reasons men and women fall in love—they don't address physical attraction. The characters need marriage to “seal the deal,” and writers haveta close the door on the love scenes. To me, that doesn't detract from the romance; it adds mystery to it. So, if you're writin’ romance for the secular market, I want the love scenes as fiery as possible—short of erotica, which is a sub-genre I don’t rep—and if you write inspirational romance, I want writing that’s squeaky-clean when it comes to sex, although there are exceptions.

GLA: Concerning your interest in young adult literature, what are you looking for right now and not getting?

KM: I’m lovin’ all kinds of young adult right now. I don’t need historical/classic fantasy YA; I have enough irons in the fire there. I’d love to see contemporary stuff: paranormal, suspense, comedy, drama. I like third-person point of view better than first. I get a lot of first-person submissions.

GLA: If a new writer asked you how to build his platform, what would you suggest?

KM: Pray. Okay, more than that. Here are some things editors look for in a platform:

A great hook. An interesting hook holds some weight. Find an angle that’ll perk an editor’s interest.
A national radio or TV appearance pumps the jam. No, it isn’t impossible to get on a show. Believe it or not, producers need to fill tons of TV minutes and are always hunting for interesting guests for their shows.
Get something published. Submit articles to magazines and newspapers. You can start with local publications, and then expand. Writing credits show someone thought enough of your work to publish it.
Have a strong presence in online communities like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, ShoutLife, etc. If you have thousands of “fans” or “friends” and a ton of people are following your tweets, they are all potential buyers of your book.
Ask high-profile authors to endorse your work and sing your praises. [No, publishers won’t consider your mother high profile.]
If you don’t know any such authors, start networking. It’s never too early to meet people who can help you in the future. Hook up with a local writers’ group and attend the meetings. Remember this mantra: Contacts, contacts, contacts = Contracts, contracts, contracts.
Create a blog and drive traffic to it. You need a mountain of hits. [We’re talkin’ Everest, here.] Write on interesting topics. Also, ask well-known writers, agents, and editors to guest blog, and then promote the heck out of it. E-mail everyone you know [and ask them to e-mail everyone they know]. Post announcements on every loop that will let you do so.
Plan a blog tour. It’s like a book signing tour, except you “tour” prominent writers’ blogs.
Be willing to place a Facebook ad. One of my clients did and doubled her sales.
Put up an eye-catching website, and give people a reason to come back. (Excerpts, articles, contests, etc.)

GLA: You have eclectic tastes when it comes to nonfiction; however, you specify that, when dealing with nonfiction book proposals, you prefer conservative writers with purpose and platform (though you also specify you believe everyone deserves representation). Can you talk to us a little more about that?

KM: I list an extensive amount of nonfiction topics because I have an extensive list of interests. When it comes to politics, I prefer conservative topics. I like purpose and platform, meaning I favor proposals that have a higher purpose—possibly to teach, inform, or help others—but, I also like interesting topics, whether they have a purpose or not. I need proposals with a strong platform because editors require one. For areas other than politics, proposals don’t need to have a conservative point of view.

GLA: How hands-on are you in terms of editing? How much input do you expect to have with your clients’ work?

KM: I do what I call “triple-threat editing.” When I sign a new client, I give their manuscript/proposal a content, line, and proof edit. My purpose is to sell my clients’ work, not edit it; yet, the cleaner the manuscript, the better the chance I have to sell it.

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

KM: I have a schedule on my website.

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

KM: “Rise, and rise again; until lambs become lions.” [From Ridley Scott’s 2010 film starring Russell Crowe: Robin Hood.]

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?

Interview with Steve Laube, agent who seeks Christian works.

Tips from Cecil Murphey, author of 90 Minutes in Heaven.

Interview with Rachelle Gardner, agent who seeks Christian works.

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 Michael Larsen on Starting Your Career (Part 2)

Chuck — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:37:39 GMT

Anne Lamott begins a chapter of her wonderful book Bird by Bird like this: There’s an old New Yorker cartoon of two men sitting on a couch at a busy cocktail party, having a quiet talk. One man has a beard and looks like a writer. The other seems like a normal person. The writer type is saying to the other: “We’re still pretty far apart. I’m looking for a six-figure advance, and they’re refusing to read the manuscript.” If you find yourself pretty far apart from publishers, perhaps you need to consider using the following building blocks to construct your career as a successful author. (This is Part II of this guest column. Part I is here.)

Michael Larsen and his wife Elizabeth Pomada
founded Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents in
San Francisco. They are AAR members
and have sold books to more than 100
publishers. Michael is the author or co-author
of How to Write a Book Proposal and
Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. He runs
a new agent blog, as well. To see the
nonfiction topics he seeks, click here.

7. Build communities: You can’t get your books right or make them succeed by yourself. Get the help you need by helping people and asking them to help you.

8. Develop your craft as a marketer:

Build your platform: your continuing visibility, online and off, with the readers for your books.
Build the communities you need to succeed.
Test-market your work: Maximize the value of your book by proving it will sell before trying to get it published.

9. Promote your work: Whether Random House publishes your books or you do, you will be the person most responsible for promoting them. Regard promotion as an essential part of your mission to spread your message.

10. Be passionate about your books: You want all of the people you meet to be as passionate about your work as you are. You are the well from which they will draw.

11. Make Mistakes: Jame Joyce said that “Mistakes are the portals of discovery.” As long as you learn from your mistakes, you will make fewer of them. Eliminate failure as an option, and success is inevitable.

12. Staying committed to your writing and your career: No one will know or care as much about your books as you do. So you must be relentless but professional about writing and promoting them, and about building your presence in the industry and in your field.

13. Put your life in the service of your readers: The better you serve them, the more they’ll help you achieve your goals. If you want people to keep buying your books, establish and maintain a relationship with them. You have more ways to do that than ever.

(This is part two on Michael's thoughts for writers and their career. More coming soon. Part I is here.)

Want more on this subject?

How royalties and advances (money) work.

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

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

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

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

Creating the Breakout Blog: A Platform Guide for the Pre-Published Writer

Chuck — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:51:52 GMT

I love Donald Maass. Not in a creepy, stalkerish way of course. Just in a the-man-is-brilliant sort of way. Not only is he a top agent, he's written several books on how to write well. One of my favorites by him is Writing the Breakout Novel. In it, he looks at what it takes to catapult writing into something that doesn't just stand out but breakout to become a best-seller. His targeted breakdown of what makes a novel a success is excellent. And it got me thinking: Could the same qualifiers apply to blogging?

Guest blogger Angela Ackerman is a kidlit writer
represented by Jill Corcoran of the Herman Agency.
Her blog, The Bookshelf Muse, is home to several
Descriptive Thesaurus Collections for writers,
including an Emotion Thesaurus, which lists the
physical actions for over 40 different emotions.

Let's face it—there are a bazillion blogs out there targeting writers, and why? Writers need a platform; we need to get our name out there and building an audience for our work for when we do have a book in hand. So what does a Breakout Blog need?

A BREAKOUT PREMISE

Unless you're famous or well connected, you need a premise that will help you stand apart from every other writer's blog. This means one thing really—knowing who your audience is, and what they want. Just like the book business, you should be looking at what's out there and working, and what isn't. Where are the gaps in the writer’s blog market? Find a new idea, slant or need. Be original or creative (but hopefully both).

A SENSE OF TIME AND PLACE

Blog posts should be unified by context. Create an environment that your audience will want to return to time and time again. Not only should it be easy on the eyes, it should contain resources (links to writing aids and industry professionals) and have regular postings. Put up a Follower sign-up widget and a RSS feed, minimize the flashy sidebar stuff and don’t over-spam readers with ads.

PROVIDING GOOD CHARACTER

Show your personality in posts! Humor and wit always stands out. Your posts should contain good advice and information, but also a piece of who you are as well. And when you’re discussing the industry, be professional. Blasting editor or agent X for daring to reject you will not win friends or influence people. And guess what? They read blogs, too.

PLOTS, SUBPLOTS AND VIEWPOINTS

Variety is the spice of life, right? Well, it’s also key in keeping a following strong. Offer posts that look at different viewpoints of your unified theme. Explore topics that haven't been done to death or find a new angle on familiar ones. Shake things up by offering contests, guest posts and relevant linking. Soften posts with pictures, humor, 'Top 5/10' lists and ask questions that invite discussion and participation. Be aware of the pacing—long, cumbersome posts can be a turn-off.

HOW TO BREAK OUT: 5 WAYS

     1. Build a following by being seen. Link your blog in the signature of forum posts and be active in writing communities. Give your knowledge to others freely when it is wanted and you will learn and grow as a writer in return.

     2. Embrace social media. Twitter, Facebook and other social & sharing sites are all opportunities to let people know what you're up to.

     3. Reach out to other blogs and bloggers. If you comment, they will come. And don’t forget to acknowledge those who do stop by and comment.

     4. Ask for (and give) links. Contest promotion and cross-linking in sidebars and posts can be a quick route into getting traffic to your blog.

     5. Enjoy what you do. If blogging feels like a job, reading it will become a job, too. Have fun with it!

Writing the Breakout Novel

Want more on this subject?

Literary agents talk blogging, Twitter, and more.

How to create a simple writer blog.

So you've set up a blog - now what?

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

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

Footnotes: 6 Articles on Building a Platform

Chuck — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:57:24 GMT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Want more on this topic?

Footnotes: 5 Articles on Writing First Pages.
Buy Christina Katz's book on platform, Get Known Before the Book Deal.
Footnotes: 8 Articles on Revising Your Work.
Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.
Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.
Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Author Platform and the Debut of Your Book

Chuck — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:54:22 GMT

A writer who has ever done any research on her intended occupation has heard the term author platform. Author platform describes all the ways in which you can gain visibility among readers. It refers to your web presence, public speaking and classes taught, media contacts or previous publishing credits such as articles written for magazines, newspapers or websites as well as your networking skills. Your platform is the difference between a reader passing your book up or her giving it a chance by flipping the cover open to read the inside flap.

Guest blog by Lindsey Edwards, writer
of paranormal, fantasy and historical
romance. See her website here.

Going about establishing a platform is different for writers of fiction and nonfiction books. For one, nonfiction authors need to create a trustworthy name for themselves before seeking representation or publication, whereas fiction authors need to focus their efforts more on reaching the masses once they’ve signed a book deal with a publishing house.

NONFICTION PLATFORM TIPS

Create a name for yourself. Before an agent will agree to represent your book, you first need to create a name for yourself. For nonfiction, it’s very important to have testimonials to back you when trying to sell a piece of work you claim to be intimately knowledgeable of.

Target your readers and cater to them. A book is never going to be met with unanimous approval. Meet with your audience by speaking at colleges, libraries, businesses or with whomever else your book could find a home. Even online classes, advertised to the right audience, can bring in potential readers.

Join professional organizations—where you can participate in events and meet with other experts in your field who could later endorse your book.

Write articles—for websites, magazines or newspapers on your topic.

Volunteer. Many friendships or offers are achieved through shared interest and goodwill.

Don’t forget the power of the Internet. Blogs and websites, networking sites and forums are all ways to identify yourself with readers as an expert in your field.

FICTION PLATFORM TIPS

With fiction, agents are more interested in previous publishing credits, but once you sign on the dotted line with a publishing house and have a release date it’s very important to do your share of publicizing yourself and your novel.

Get in touch with the publicity department of your publishing house to see what they will do to help spread the word and strategize a plan offering up ideas of your own. Publishing houses only reserve so much money toward authors, and even fewer dollars are spent on publicizing new novels so you may want to consider putting some of your advance towards the exposure of your novel, it will be well worth it on your next advance if you do this right.

Create a professional looking website with information on yourself, links to any networking sites, a list of your appearances, a guestbook to sign, and perhaps if you have any to share, information on coming attractions.

Obtain a blurb from a well-known author who writes books similar to yours, endorsing your novel.

Locate all the influential book reviewers and make sure they receive an ARC (advanced reading copy) of your novel.

Generate good word of mouth. Now more than ever, word of mouth is done over the Internet. Good news for you because it broadens your circle of readers to those who may tweet to their friends (a Twitter term) good tidings of your book.

Market yourself online so people start to become familiar with your name. When you have a release date for your novel you can do a blog tour where you visit several blogs that compliment the type of book you are marketing and do interviews.

Giveaways. Set aside a few books from the ARCs you receive and use them to create a stir by hosting a giveaway for a signed copy of your book.

Video tape yourself reading an enticing summary or scene excerpt from your book and post it on your networking sites, YouTube and even websites or blogs of friends.

Radio, newspaper and television interviews can help spread the word about a book signing. Remember to have a freebie to hand out to your readers like a bumper sticker, bookmark, postcard, magnet or what have you with your name and the name of your book, along with your web address for further exposure.

Ask for reviews. One more tip for authors of either type of book is to ask anyone who’s said they loved your book to write a review of it on Amazon or on the Barnes & Noble website.

To see how well you’ve done at getting the word out about yourself and your book, sign up for alerts on the search of your name or book. Go to google.com/alerts. Good luck!

Want more on this topic?

What is an author platform?

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!

What is an Author Platform?

Chuck — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 06:48:34 GMT

I've talked about platform before on the blog but it's always a nice refresher to get a different perspective and a reminder of 1) what it is, and 2) why it's important. To do that, I'm turning to a book I'm reading right now: Christina Katz's Get Known Before the Book Deal. Enjoy an excerpt below.

What is Platform?

The world platform simply describes all the ways you are visible and appealing to your future, potential or actual readership. Platform development is important not only for authors; it's also crucial for aspiring and soon-to-be authors. Your platform includes your Web presence, any public speaking you do, the classes you teach, the media contacts you've established, the articles you've published, and any other means you currently have for making your name and your future books known to a viable readership.

Your platform communicates your expertise to others concisely, quickly, and decisively with clarity, confidence and ease. How visible are you? How much influence do you have? How many people know and trust you? If others recognize your expertise on a given topic or a specific audience or both, then that is the measure of your platform success.

Three Key Questions

Here are three simple questions I always ask workshop partiocipants about platform. The answers will help clarify where you want to be that all-important one year from now.

      1. Who are you known as in the world as a writer now?
      2. How do others see you now?
      3. Who would you like to be known as in one year?

It's important not to exaggerate these descriptions. If you're not sure, ask some people who know! Be realistic, and set a reasonable goal for the one-year time frame. Don't try to go from completely unknown to bestseller. That's very unlikely, especially if you don't have a book deal yet. But perhaps from completely unknown to well known in your city, region or state is reasonable.

Want more on this topic?

Footnotes: 6 articles on building a platform.
Buy Christina Katz's book on platform, Get Known Before the Book Deal.
Platform and the debut of your book.
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: Dorian Karchmar of WME (William Morris Endeavor) Entertainment

Chuck — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:40:52 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 Agent Advice: Dorian Karchmar of WME (William Morris Endeavor) Entertainment. Dorian has been a literary agent for over a decade.

She is looking for: "She represents bestselling and award winning literary and quality mainstream fiction and narrative nonfiction (memoir, biography, history), cookbooks and general upmarket nonfiction."

GLA: How did you become an agent?

DK: I started agenting in 1999 when I came back to New York after completing my MFA in nonfiction at the University of Iowa.

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

DK: Russian Winter, a debut historical novel by Daphne Kalotay, to HarperCollins; subsequently, we have sold it in 14 countries.

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

DK: More phenomenal historical fiction—I get a lot in, but not a lot that’s as good as it needs to be—that, and a beautifully-written, very scary ghost story for grown-ups.

GLA: Can you tell us a little bit more about the kinds of short story projects you seek?

DK: I am not actively seeking short stories, as collections are nearly impossible to sell. The culture has moved away from stories to the point where they are nearly an endangered species from a financial perspective. That said, I do still take occasional leaps with collections, in which case I tend to be drawn to linked collections and collections that illuminate a place or culture that is unexpected or in some way deeply unfamiliar. (I would love to find something set in North Korea, written by an “insider.”)

GLA: I read online that you seek "offbeat/quirky" fiction. Can you give us 2-3 examples of books you've repped that fall into this category so that writers can get a better sense of what you mean here?

DK: That definition of what I’m looking for has probably caused me more trouble than almost anything else I’ve put out there, so I’m happy to have the opportunity to clarify. I love to be transported when I read, and what I’m seeking are stories and voices that I don’t feel I’ve read before. I’m not looking for the deliberately experimental, nor am I looking for much in the way of overtly comic novels (though I do love to laugh, I like the laughter to be only one part of what a book makes me feel—I’m not a big fan of satire, per se).
        I represented an extraordinary memoir last year called The House at Sugar Beach by New York Times reporter Helene Cooper, which was a New York Times bestseller. It’s the story of her growing up in Liberia and of her return there as an adult to try to find the foster sister she left behind when Helene’s family—a political royalty—was forced to flee the country in the way of the coup in 1980 when Helene was 13. That’s a story unlike any I had read before—something only this author could have written—and it completely transported me both emotionally and intellectually, to places I had never imagined. To me, that is very exciting.
        Last year, HarperCollins published a debut novel I represented called The Seamstress by Frances De Pontes Peebles, a young Brazilian-American writer. It is an epic set in Brazil in the 1930s, telling the story of two poor sisters who are separated as teenagers: one is kidnapped by a group of roving bandits and goes on to become their eventual leader; the other sister marries into a political dynasty in the capital of Recife. It’s a sprawling, deeply colorful story, and it felt both beautifully old-fashioned and refreshingly original to me in its settings and the intertwining of the political, the natural world, and the emotional pull between these sisters who are separated for over a decade. This wasn’t a book you would look at and necessarily think of as “quirky,” but, again, it could not have been written by anyone other than Frances, and I think it was an absolute triumph of historical fiction that used impeccable research without ever falling prey to it.

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

DK: I seek out assured and elegant voices—I’m a stickler for clean writing, which doesn’t mean it has to be spare, but I want writers who have made the tough decisions about what to include and what to exclude on a word level, line level, and plot level.
        I have lately been drawn to historical fiction and to fiction that has some sort of fabulous element to it—again, I’m dying for a ghost story: I’d like to be spooked out! I’m always interested in books that bring together unlikely people or pairings: something told from a unique point of view that we don’t often get to inhabit (an animal; someone with an strange and interesting job)—that’s back to the “offbeat” thing for me. I’d like to read about a Chinese washerwoman on a British naval vessel during WWI; an old gardener in the 18th century who takes it upon himself to redesign all the Queen’s gardens at some far-flung castle in France that the Queen never visits, etc.

GLA: You also rep some nonfiction areas. If you met a writer and suggested that he build his platform, only for him to ask "How do I do that?" - what would you say?

DK: Social networking via the Internet; lectures and other public appearances; building alliances with other professionals working in whatever his/her field of expertise may be.
The reality is that certain kinds of nonfiction—especially practical, advice, business, etc.—are only going to sell meaningfully if the author is already very established in his/her field and has a media presence—TV show, radio show, etc.—or a huge presence on the lecture/personal appearances circuit.

GLA: How do you prefer to be contacted by writers seeking representation? Do you want a synopsis and sample chapters right away?

DK: E-mail queries are fine. A simple, straight forward query letter laying out meaningful writing/biographical background and what the book is.

GLA: What is the number one mistake you see in queries?

DK: People querying too early—before their writing and their book has matured to the point it needs to be. Finding an agent should be the last step, not the first. If the book is truly wonderful and fully-baked, the author will be able to find an effective advocate for it. Most people querying are doing so well before their work can stand up to honest scrutiny.

GLA: Best way for people to contact you?

DK: Send a query to dkar(at)wmeentertainment.com

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

DK: Don’t give in to internal and external pressures to try to find an agent before you’ve matured as a writer. The book business is very difficult and not getting any easier; most books that are published don’t sell well, and many careers end practically before they start.
        Write a book that only you could write, and rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.
        Be more patient and more honest with yourself than you ever thought you could be.
        Find a couple of writers who you think are better than you are, ingratiate yourself with them, and start reading and workshopping each other. And ask them—beg them—to be merciless. Be humble and quiet while they give you feedback.
        Be prepared to cut, delete, throw away, put in a drawer.
        Only when you’ve got your best possible work—something that can stand up there with the best of whatever genre you’re working in—should you start looking for the right agent to represent you. If you’ve got a terrific book, you should end up with plenty of good agents from which to choose, so don’t jump at the first person who says “yes.”
        Put the good of the work before the good of your ego as much as you can.

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 topic?

Agent Elaine Spencer talks queries.

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

How to write a query letter - the three parts.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

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

Agent Advice: Byrd Leavell of Waxman Literary Agency

Chuck — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:06:08 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 Byrd Leavell of Waxman Literary Agency. Byrd began his career at Carlisle & Company and then served as an agent at InkWell Management and Venture Literary. Byrd says: "As a literary agent I believe in representing works that carve out new territory and authors who are committed to creating books that succeed in the marketplace. I specialize in working with authors who have established a following on the Internet, athletes, celebrities, journalists, and first-time writers who are bound for glory. I love narrative nonfiction that pushes the envelope and finds new audiences, talented fiction that is a blast to read, and anything written by a motivated, confident, unapologetic author with a story to tell."

He is looking for: General fiction, Mystery, Reference, Biography, Business/investing/finance, History, Health, Travel, Sports, Horror, Humor, Memoir, Pop-culture.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

BL: I graduated from UVA, attended The Radcliffe Publishing course in Boston, caught a ride to New York, and then landed a job as Michael Carlisle’s assistant. I worked at Carlisle & Company for the next four years and made the jump to handling my own clients during that period.

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

BL: I just sold a hilarious book by Justin Halpern, the writer behind Shit My Dad Says (on Twitter), to Kate Hamill at IT books. Mark my words, it is going to be on bestseller lists next Father’s day.

GLA: From what I can gather, you are pretty open as to what you accept concerning nonfiction, and there are even some novels in your repertoire. Can you help readers better understand what you are looking for in fiction vs. categories you don’t represent?

BL: With fiction, I don’t want to rule anything out; if it’s good, it’s good, but I tend to gravitate toward the end of the spectrum where smart and commercial overlap. I only sign a couple novels a year, and it’s always because something leapt out of my inbox to the point that I couldn’t stop reading it.

GLA: You look for authors who have used the Internet to creative a unique and wide platform. Can you give us some examples of how clients have done this prior to you signing them. This may help writers understand how to cultivate a fan base before approaching an agent.

BL: I do indeed. Tucker Max (I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell) was one of the first clients I signed, and as I pitched his book to publishers, he had X amount of visitors each month - a huge fan base, etc. I realized I had hit on a formula that I completely identified with and believed in.
        Since I’ve been in the industry, publishing has gone through a couple different stages as it has tried to figure out what can make the jump from the web to the bookshelves. For a while, if you had a great blog, you could land a deal. Traffic was maybe mentioned in the third paragraph of the Author Bio section. And then none of those worked. Then for a while, if you had some insane amount of traffic and a big web presence, you could land a deal. But none of those really worked either (Fark, Perez, others). Now, editors seemed to be focused on Twitter, and after that, it will be the next thing. How many people hang out with your 3-D image at their house, etc.
        The key is this: You have to have lots of fans who will actually want to buy your book, and then you have to write a book that can succeed on its own in the marketplace, without any support from those fans whatsoever. Look at Clay Travis. He has a great web presence, but the guy writes terrific books about SEC football that sell to a very receptive audience. Other authors in his position usually make the mistake of trying to do sports humor books that they think their online readership will buy, and none of them sell more than 8,000 copies.

GLA: Speaking of Tucker Max, that book is approaching one million sales and the movie is coming out – congrats. You represent memoirs. A lot of people like to write memoirs or vignettes about their own life, but most don’t get sold let alone sell a million copies. What can people learn from Tucker’s writing and his success?

BL: That Tucker is a force of nature, knew that his book was going to be huge when I first spoke to him while he was sleeping on a friend’s couch, and the level of success of IHTSBIH is a reflection of this more than anything else.
      Tucker’s book also worked because it was the first to appeal to an audience that publishing had decided would never buy books and because he is a great storyteller. No one ever gives him any credit for this, but it is the main reason his book has stayed on the list for the last two years and will hit the #1 spot for the first time next week. If you want to write a memoir, you need to create something that appeals to an audience and not just your own need to write about yourself. (For the record, if you are reading this, don’t start your query with “I am the next Tucker Max.” I will just delete it.)

GLA: I see several sports books on your list – one from a journalist, two others by sports celebrities. Are you looking for more sports submissions by journalists? Something specific perhaps?

BL: We represent some of the best sports writers in the business and are always looking for submissions from journalists.

GLA: Most common problems you see in a query letter?

BL: A general lack of professionalism. That and writing three paragraphs about the plot.

GLA: What are you praying for when you tackle the slush pile? Specifically, what are you looking for that no one seems to send?

BL: Good question. Most of my clients are actually people I have tracked down on my own. The one thing I never see, that I would love to find, is an author that has sold a large number of their self-published book, (think above 30,000) completely on their own. (I represent Once a Runner, and by the time I reached out to the author he had single-handedly sold more than 100,000 copies.)

GLA: When you get a narrative nonfiction submission, do you want to see a proposal? The whole ms?

BL: I usually just want the first couple pages pasted below the query.

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

BL: I’ll be on a panel at the Digital Book World Conference called “The New Farm System: Scouting Blogs and Self-Publishers for Commercial Books.” The event is Jan. 26-27, 2010, in NYC.

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

BL: Pass.

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

BL: Read more books. And the novel you are sending out isn’t ready yet.

Want more on this subject?

Agent interview: Jim McCarthy of Dystel & Goderich.

Agent interview: Sha-Shana Crichton of Crichton & Associates.

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!

Conference Spotlight: Writer's Digest Conference: The Business of Getting Published (Sept. 18-20)

Chuck — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:11:53 GMT

This latest conference spotlight is shining some illumination on our own upcoming WD conference, which is called "The Business of Getting Published." It's all going down in the Big Apple this September.

DETAILS

This is the first-ever conference of its kind - an event in the heart of it all examining how to market, promote and sell your work. The conference lasts three days, from Friday, Sept. 18 through Sunday, Sept. 20. The event is at the New York Marriott Marquis, in Times Square, New York City.

This unique writers' conference is designed to guide any author through the new dynamics of today's publishing world. With emphasis on platform, networking and social media, this innovative event features the industry's top forward-thinking speakers, leading sessions on topics relevant to the current and future state of the publishing world.

WHO WILL BE THERE?

Chris Brogan, social media guru, is the keynote speaker
Kassia Krozser, editor/publisher of BookSquare.com
David Mathison, whose online sales success is the new business model;
Mike Shatzkin, the industry's top publishing consultant
Seth Harwood and Scott Sigler, whose own podcasts and videocasts have made them super stars in the business
Christina Katz, author of Writer Mama and expert on author platform
and many more, plus the editors of Writer's Digest!

In addition, I myself will be moderating two panels of literary agents - one where agents discuss how they discover talent in the media and writing world; and one where agents discuss the transition from DIY publishers to traditional publishers.

A complete list of speakers and events can be found online.

WHAT ELSE?

Attendees of the event will take over the Bowery Poetry Club at 8 p.m., on Friday, Sept. 18, for the First Annual Writer’s Digest Poetry Slam. Presented by the publisher of Poet’s Market, the evening will feature three rounds of original poetry. Participants will vie to win prizes and ultimately to be chosen as the evening’s Slam Champion.

Plus, each attendee gets a 15-minute personal appointment with an editorial professional to discuss their query letter, book proposal or self-published book.

Here are some of the topics for the weekend:

Do You Have a Meaningful Marketing Platform?
Effective Marketing and Promotion for Fiction Writers
Blog Hogs, Social Twitters and Online Tools for Authors
E-Books, Kindles and the Digitalization of the Industry
Working With an Independent Editor - Do You Really Need One?

Times Square!

2010 GLA Excerpt: How to Write a Book Proposal

Chuck — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:53:24 GMT

The 2010 Guide to Literary Agents has arrived in bookstores and is available now. Needless to say, I am excited to see it in print. I mean—just look at the book. It looks like a delicious s'more. That is—a delicious s'more filled with tons of agent info and conference info and articles. I suppose that's just the marshmallow filling.

Besides finding the book in stores, you can also order it cheaper from F+W online. To help show you some of the great content inside its pages, I'm going to excerpt some articles to give writers a little taste of what articles are included to help scribes on their journey. The following excerpt below is from literary agent Cricket Freeman of The August Agency. Her article is all about How to Write a Successful Book Proposal.

REACHING THE TOP 10 PERCENT

Today’s publishing marketplace is a far cry from that romanticized in movies. Agents simply cannot sell an unknown writer’s idea for a nonfiction book. For an agent to sell a book to a major publisher, it requires the following:

    1. A fresh idea to spark interest
    2. A catchy title and concept to grab attention
    3. A distinctive author’s voice to hold that attention
    4. The expertise to back up the concept
    5. The skill to execute it
    6. The capacity to promote it
    7. The ability to present it with enough passion so editors can see the first six elements and grasp the vision.

Many people have the first element. Some have the second, third, fourth, fifth, and maybe the sixth. But a very rare few have the last. Bring all seven to the table and you’ll jump to the top 10 percent of submissions.

UNDERSTANDING EDITORS

Imagine an editor is considering two submissions by first-time writers. Both books are equally well written, suited for his house, and he’d be proud publishing either. But he only has budget for one. Reviewing one he sees a tight synopsis, a descriptive table of contents, and a short author bio. Promising. Reviewing the other he sees those things, but also a colorful author with blurbs from known writers, who knows her competition, is connected to her target market, provides several versatile outlines, plus plans for self-promotion. Valuable. A professional writer on a firm career path.

Which author would you rather be?

Or, look at it this way: Suppose you wanted to open a bakery, would you waltz into a bank, plop a box of your wonderful donuts on the banker’s desk, assuming he’ll hand over a hundred grand? Nah, you know Mr. Banker wants more than a yummy crueller; he wants facts and figures to reassure his board. Well, publishers are no different. Editors look at the big picture—past a good read. They look at things like audience, relevance, sales climate, marketing possibilities, sales history of similar books, current trends, the author’s professionalism, and, of course, potential profits.

Give more info than expected and you deliver a welcomed baker’s dozen. If you’ve fleshed out an idea and written a great book, now is the time to take command. Steer the next stage of its production, shape each section, and create a terrific submission package.

Want more on this subject?

Agent Ted Weinstein previously talked all about proposal writing.

If you're interested in The August Agency, I interviewed Cricket's co-agent, Jeffery McGraw.

Buy the 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!.

How I Got My Agent: Billy Coffey

Chuck — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 03:32:27 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 Billy Coffey,
who writes Christian nonfiction. Check out
his blog here. His blog is titled
"What I Learned Today."

Billy Coffey

TARGETING WORDSERVE

I’ve heard that signing with a literary agent is a more difficult task than signing with a publisher. I’d have to agree with that now. Then, however, things were different. That was when I had fallen for the classic illusion of a novice writer—writing a book is the hard part. Finding an agent to represent it? Simple.

That fantasy was pushed aside once reality set in. Writing a book, I found, was the easy part. Finding an agent to represent it was nearly impossible. Nearly. A year ago, I put the period after the final sentence of my manuscript, Snow Day, and submitted a query to Rachelle Gardner at WordServe Literary. I was a reader of her blog and she seemed like a perfect match for what I had written. In the meantime, I used the wait to research between 30 and 40 more agents who would possibly be interested in representing my book. That turned out to be a wise decision. Having those other potential suitors helped take the sting out of the rejection e-mail WordServe sent two weeks later.

REJECTIONLAND, THEN THE REFERRAL

I spent the next six months methodically trudging through that list of agents, querying and proposal-ing and, most of all, waiting. Quite a few asked for partials. Some wanted the entire manuscript. But all eventually passed.There really is such a thing as a good rejection, which is the equivalent of the most popular girl in school turning you down but still calling you cute. Quite a few of those no-thank-yous resembled that. But there was much less tickle than torture.

I had two things going against me. One was an economy that was persuading publishers to be very hesitant on taking a chance with an unpublished writer. The other was the fact that I didn’t have much of a platform. Many of those kind rejections offered the same piece of advice—do something. Writers can’t simply write anymore. Start a blog. Sign up for Facebook and Twitter. Put your name out there, build an audience, and submit again. So I put my manuscript in a desk drawer and forgot about finding an agent, concentrating instead on starting a blog and building an audience.

Eight months later I received an e-mail from a new reader who wanted to know if I had a book in the works and, if so, if I had an agent. I answered yes to the one and no to the other, and she suggested she could perhaps talk her agent into taking a look at my manuscript. Her agent just happened to be Rachelle Gardner.

SNOW DAY COMES FULL CIRCLE

I mentioned that Rachelle had already passed on Snow Day, but this kind new reader felt sure Rachelle would give me a personal look. I submitted to Rachelle again and held my breath. Rachelle contacted me a week later and asked for a telephone conversation. We talked about the book and the direction I wanted to take it, and she asked for the full manuscript and held my breath more.

She e-mailed again three days later. This time, she didn’t want me to call her. This time she wanted to call me. By that time I had met another friend online who had finally convinced me to sign up for Twitter. Rachelle direct messaged me there on the morning of our conversation and told me not to worry, for this was The Call.

I had never heard of The Call before, didn’t know what it meant, but I thought it sounded good. I paced the floor at work all day until my phone rang. Rachelle offered representation right away, and I could finally exhale. Breathing is important for conversation. We’ve since edited Snow Day and it is now in the hands of several interested publishers. Rachelle has been everything I could have hoped for and more in an agent. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation.

In the end I got the agent I wanted, though in a nontraditional way. But I think it’s a lesson every writer in today’s market needs to know. Authors can’t simply write anymore. They need some level of exposure and self-promotion. If I hadn’t started a blog and put time in to attract readers, I wouldn’t have an agent. Blogs and social networking can bring people to you who are willing to help you accomplish your dreams. Yes, it can seem like a risk. But one worth taking.

Want more on this subject?

See all the posted stories of writers finding agents here.

If Christian/inspiration writing is your thing, check out the agents I've interviewed who specialize in this category, including Greg Daniel and Joyce Hart.

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!

Successful Queries: Agent Jon Sternfeld and 'Children of Disappointment'

Chuck — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:30:10 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 eighth installment in this series is with agent Jon Sternfeld (Irene Goodman Literary Agency) and his author David Chura, for the narrative nonfiction book, Children of Disappointment. (The book has not yet come out.)

Agent Jon Sternfeld
of The Irene Goodman
Literary Agency

Dear Mr. Sternfeld:

Aware of your interest in social issues as well as education, I would like you to represent Children of Disappointment: Kids in Adult Lockup, an 80,000-word narrative nonfiction book. This book examines important cultural concerns while maintaining a deeply personal approach, telling the stories of kids disenfranchised by their own actions and by society's attitude towards them.

The number of kids in U.S. jails is at an historic high, having risen 35 percent since the 1990s, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. For ten years I shared that life behind bars. As a teacher at a New York county prison, I worked seven hours a day with the kids the media throws away as drug and sex-crazed "super-predators" and with the correctional officers it depicts as sadistic misfits. Children of Disappointment: Kids in Adult Lockup offers a new, more fully realized portrayal of these teens and COs, reflecting my work in the classroom and beyond, into the blocks, the high security unit, the visiting room, and the clinics. The book reveals the gripping and poignant stories of troubled kids and the adults who care for them, experiences unavailable to visitors and volunteers.

Whereas writers and reporters write about kids held in juvenile detention centers - Mark Salzman in True Notebooks and John Huber in Last Chance in Texas - I write about minors already serving time in adult lock-up, a much harsher world than that of juvenile centers. With this insider's view, Children of Disappointment: Kids in Adult Lockup shows what prison is really like, responding to many Americans' concerns and curiosity, while at the same time putting a face on the statistics academics and policymakers analyze and act on. Readers meet the 17-year-old druggie and devoted daddy; the snarling but protective Irish-Bronx CO; the wannabe hip-hop poet; the cheap warden rationing inmate toilet paper. Yet even in the grim prison setting, humor flashes into these stories' darkest corners. Children of Disappointment: Kids in Adult Lockup, with its unique yet universal perspective, mirrors society's challenging family and community problems.

Excerpts from Children of Disappointment: Kids in Adult Lockup as well as my short stories and creative nonfiction essays have appeared in various publications, including The New York Times. The editors of Fourth Genre nominated "Pin-Ups," a selection from the book, for a 2005 Pushcart Prize in narrative nonfiction.

Thank you for considering my request for representation. Below is the first chapter (seven pages) of Children of Disappointment: Kids in Adult Lockup. A complete proposal and other sample chapters are available at your request. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

David Chura

Commentary From Jon

Having to cull through something like fifty query letters a day, I’ve developed something of a system about what questions to ask myself as I scan queries (yes, scan; sadly, I can’t read every word or I’d have no time for anything else).

The questions are:
        1.) Does it interest me?
        2.) Does it appear to be well done?
        3.) Can I sell it?

Though these three questions are bouncing around my head simultaneously, I’ll take each separately so I can give writers a peak as to how this whole thing works, at last on my end.

1.) Does it interest me?
        This includes both personal taste and a sense of ‘wow’ (or ‘aha’, or ‘I haven’t seen this before.’); I feel the excitement in my bones if I feel this. Is it an original take on a topic that engages me? Is it fresh? Is the angle new and (to some extent) groundbreaking?
        I represent a mix of literary fiction and social/cultural nonfiction (mostly narrative), so if the book falls into one of these areas and answers question one affirmatively, I’ll usually ask to see more.
        David Chura’s Children of Disappointment is right in my wheelhouse; the author clearly researched the kind of narrative nonfiction that I’m looking for. This world piques my interest, both from a socio-cultural standpoint and from a dramatic standpoint. He frames his project as an original and human spin on an area that the news and the public have pigeonholed, so the angle feels new to me.

2.) Does it appear to be well done?
        A query letter gives the content of the book, but it also lets agents know if you can write, organize your thoughts/ideas, and express yourself engagingly and professionally. Writers should not just blindly dump content into their query letter and hope the agent wants to read their manuscript. The old “I’m not good at query letters” doesn’t fly with me; if the query letter is poorly done, I most likely will never get to your chapters.
        This is an extremely professional and well-written query letter. It’s structured properly, announcing at the outset what the book is and how it connects to me and then giving enough detail without going overboard with its summary (I often ignore long synopses.) The letter has enough voice to give me a sense of who the writer is and he clearly understands how to ‘position’ is book (with comparable titles) in a way that lets me know what ‘type’ it is. I can picture where it would be shelved at bookstores and can imagine myself buying it.

3.) Can I sell it?
        Really the biggest question, and the one that is often a guessing game based on experience. With non-fiction, I have to consider the promotional capabilities of the client (known as ‘a platform’), and without some expertise or connections, publishers have no chance to get word out about the book. Besides platform, there needs to be both a definable audience and interest in the topic, as well as something of a gap that needs to be filled. If there are too many comparable titles to your book, then why write another one?
        As for Children of Disappointment, it’s certainly a dark area, but there’s something marketable about the project. Writers like Jonathan Kozol and Barbara Ehrenreich have explored the underclass in compelling way and given birth to a new genre in the process. Television shows like “The Wire” and “Oz” have shown that the public has an interest in this subject matter, as long as there’s drama and a humanity behind it; since Children of Disappointment is coming from their teacher, I’m imagining it’s not going to be hard-hitting and cold, so much as eye-opening and moving.
        Luckily, the writing turned out to be novelistic and engaging – a huge reason why I ended up signing David and his project.

Want more on this subject?

See all the installments of this "Successful Queries" series 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!

2010 GLA Excerpt: Blogs, Facebook and Social Media

Chuck — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:34:11 GMT

The 2010 Guide to Literary Agents arrives in-house within one week and, needless to say, I am excited to see it in print. I mean - just look at the book. It looks like a delicious s'more. That is - a delicious s'more filled with tons of agent info and conference info and articles. I suppose that's just the marshmallow filling.

The book will be in store in mid to late August. Keep in mind that you can pre-order it now on Amazon. In the meantime, I'm going to excerpt some articles to give writers a little taste of what articles are included to help scribes on their journey. The following excerpt below is from Ron Hogan, who runs the ultra-popular Galleycat blog on Media Bistro. His article is all about blogs, Facebook and social media for writers.

THE INS & OUTS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING

"If you aren't blogging now, and you don't plan on starting any time soon, there may come a time when an agent or a publicist says to you, 'You have to get the word out about your book on the Internet—hey, you should start a blog!'
        This is the worst possible reason to start a blog.
        Remember that scene in A Christmas Story when Ralphie becomes totally absorbed in the coded message from his favorite radio show only to walk away in disgust when he finds out it's a 'crummy commercial'? That's how online readers feel, and they can usually sniff out the marketing a lot sooner. If you want to establish an online presence that will help readers to discover you when you become a published author, now is the perfect time to start."

AN OUTLET FOR YOUR INTERESTS

"You should blog for the same reason you want to write in the first place: There's something you want to say to the world, and you can't imagine not saying it. You should be writing from a position of passionate authority—that is, you should be writing about a subject into which you've fully immersed yourself and ready to share your enthusiasm with others. Once you get past the basic format—a series of posts, similar to short articles or journal entries, arranged in reverse chronological order so readers will see the most recent material first—it doesn't matter what you're writing about: A 13-year-old girl blogging about videogames can be just as passionate as a 25-year-old man sharing his favorite recipes, or a 40-year-old woman writing about the books she's reading.
        I started my Web site, Beatrice.com, back in 1995 because I was working in an independent bookstore and realized the opportunity in interviewing writers during their book tours. I posted those Q&As irregularly for years until work commitments forced me to spend less time on my personal site; that's when I started posting short commentaries about the literary world every weekday.
        You don't necessarily have to share a lot of your personal life in a blog, but you should be revealing a lot of your personality... and for those of you who are about to ask, 'How's this supposed to help me sell books?' the answer is, it's not (assuming you even have a book to sell yet). If it's about "selling" anything to other people, you are the merchandise. Your blog, along with the other social networking platforms I'll mention shortly, is a way to establish that you are an interesting person who has something to say. Once people are convinced of that, it's a lot easier to for them to believe your book (if you have one) is worth reading."

          - Excerpted from the article "The Ins and Outs of Social Networking: Blogs, Facebook and More," by Ron Hogan, in the 2010 Guide to Literary Agents.

Successful Queries: Agent Chip MacGregor and 'Mind the Gap'

Chuck — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:05:01 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 seventh installment in this series is with agent Chip MacGregor (MacGregor Literary) and his author, Roger Martin, for the inspirational nonfiction book, Mind the Gap. (At Chip's request, he has changed the name of the author in this letter, but the letter itself remains the same.)

Dear Mr. MacGregor,

I enjoyed meeting you at the Atlanta conference last weekend. As I mentioned, I have read your blog faithfully for the past couple years, and you always seem to balance insight with humor. When I heard you were going to be at the Harriett Austin conference, I knew I had to attend. As a reminder, we chatted during the cocktail party, and explored how book on ancient spiritual practices might fit with CBA publishers’ recent interest in books tapping into Christian history. Per your request, I have enclosed a synopsis and first three sample chapters of Mind The Gap, a 50,000-word completed nonfiction book that was a finalist in the Southern California Writing Competition.

Jesus said we always live out what’s in our heart, so our actions reveal our character. Our lives are run by the deeply submerged governing ideas that are often very different from the things we claim to value or believe. In other words, there is a gap between what we want to do and what we actually do. Will power alone was never meant to carry the weight of right living—it’s too puny to defeat temptation or override the compulsions of a lifetime. By spending more time with Jesus in the Gospels, we overcome a key barrier in bridging the willing-doing gap -- we move away from the Jesus we thought we knew, and teachings we thought might be burdensome, to discover the Jesus actually portrayed in the Gospels. If we can learn to “mind the gap” – to give attention to changing our core idea systems and our related emotional dispositions, then our words and actions will eventually become more like Jesus, living more naturally from the inside out.

I am a professor at Baylor University, a busy conference speaker, and the author of four other nonfiction books in CBA. My most recent title, Seeing God with New Eyes, was a finalist for the ECPA Gold Medallion.

If you would like to see the completed manuscript, I can be reached at writer@myblog.com. Thanks very much for your time and attention. I look forward to hearing from you again soon.

All the best,

Roger Martin

Commentary From Chip

OK, let’s explore this letter for a moment…

I think this letter is great. It came as an e-mail, and had the author’s name, address, phone, and email at the top AND bottom, so it was easy to find. Right near the top, he gave me context. (Can you imagine how many authors I’ve bumped into and had conversations with at conferences? Egad – I can’t be expected to remember them all. But he contacted me right away, gave me enough to jog my memory… and it didn’t hurt that he said something nice about my blog. I was glad he didn’t fawn, but everybody likes getting a compliment.)

The author (that’s not his real name) tells me fairly quickly the title, word count, and the fact that the book is complete. His title is intriguing, since I’ve lived in England and already have a context for the phrase “mind the gap.” There is a need for deeper spiritual books, and this one sounds interesting. The description he uses is fairly sound – though I’ll admit I would have liked to have seen it jazzed up just a bit.

Another thought: Roger is a university professor, and he sounds like it in his writing. There’s a formal quality to his words, and that no doubt reflects the tone of his book. I like that, since I see too many queries that are flat – why spend two years working on your book, then two minutes banging out a query? Let your query reflect your writing and voice.

I was very glad to see his credentials – that fact that he’s been a finalist for a prestigious religion-writing award certainly catches my eye. The whole thing might be a bit long, but in this case I enjoyed getting the extra information. This is a book I was quick to look at, and ended up signing the author as a client.

Want more on this subject?

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

This is the seventh sample query in this series. See all the queries here for free!

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

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

How I Got My Agent: Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

Chuck — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:32:07 GMT

This installment of "How I
Got My Agent" is by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen, who
writes nonfiction. Laurie is a
writer and blogger who created and
maintains a series of Quips and Tips blogs,
including: Quips and Tips for Achieving Your Goals,
and Quips and Tips for Couples Coping With Infertility.
She's also the Feature Writer for Psychology Suite101.

I signed with the Irene Goodman Literary Agency several months ago (I call my agent "Special Agent Jon Sternfeld") and it only took three weeks from searching to signing. Here’s how it happened – I call it my “12 Step Program.”

1. Solidified my book idea. I created a strong hook, a well-thought-out idea, and a catchy query that grabbed my agent’s attention. I’d actually submitted my idea (See Jane Soar) to several publishers before deciding I’d rather have an agent do the legwork.

2. Prepared an airtight book proposal. To learn how to write a book proposal, I scoured Elizabeth Lyon’s Nonfiction Book Proposals Anyone Can Write from head to toe. I didn’t do everything she recommended – I learned all I could, then let my creativity and instincts take over. I read a few other books about nonfiction proposals, as well.

3. Polished my proposal until it sparkled. The first agent I talked to (not Sternfeld) said he couldn't believe how unprepared and unprofessional writers can be! That made me realize how important it is to edit every sentence of my queries, proposals, and manuscripts until I have nothing left to give.

4. Did the research. I looked at the 2009 Guide to Literary Agents, explored Predators & Editors, and Googled “literary agents in America.” Ultimately, I found Sternfeld through Predators & Editors.

5. Followed agents' submission guidelines. The agent’s websites I visited had clear submission guidelines. I took them seriously, more or less.

6. Queried far and wide. Agent Janet Reid recommends querying as many agents as possible. I e-mailed 14 of the “highly recommended” ones on Preditors & Editors. I also asked a colleague for her agent’s name, she e-mailed him, he e-mailed me, we spoke later that day, and he sent me a contract a couple days later. I didn’t sign on with him – and I’ll tell you why soon…

7. Double checked my book proposal. I let it “cook” while I was researching agents. Taking a week or even a month off from a particular piece can do wonders for one's writing and editing skills! (I never take a week or month off writing in general).

8. Chilled. While I waited for editors’ responses, I wrote magazine article ideas, played around with a new book idea, and caught up on my blogs. It took Sternfeld less than a week to contact me.

9. Talked to Special Agent Sternfeld. He e-mailed and requested a phone conversation less than a week after I sent my book proposal. We talked within half an hour of his e-mail.

10. Made sure we were on the same wavelength. I was tempted to sign on with the first agent I talked to, but he suggested a significant change to my book. It didn’t light my fire, but hey – I’m open to thinking about stuff. He sent the contract and left the ball in my court … and I decided not to play with him. Sternfeld, however, was thrilled with my book proposal! “Even if you don’t sign with me,” he said, “don’t change anything. It’s great the way it is.”

11. Read and signed the contract. I signed on with Irene Goodman without a lawyer’s rubber stamp (but I did compare it to my other contract – which was five pages long. Goodman’s was one page).

12. Celebrated! Darling hubby and I opened a bottle of champagne and toasted my hard work and the future (more hard work). And the next day, I went back at work: querying magazine editors, blogging for Quips & Tips, and trying to develop new book ideas.

Want more on this subject?

See all the posted stories of writers finding agents.
Do you have a good story about how you found your agent? E-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll start a dialogue.
Check out agent Ted Weinstein's words of wisdom on nonfiction writing and book proposals.
If you're interested in her Laurie's agent, Jon Sternfeld, check out his contributed column to my blog.

Talking Nonfiction: Word Count and Promotion

Chuck — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:40:39 GMT

Here are some questions that
came in recently. Both had
to do with nonfiction.

Q. For nonfiction: Once the book is published, is the author required to keep a website going about themselves & the product? Or does agent do all promoting?

A. Great question. An agent will do little to nothing in terms of promotion because that is not their job. With luck, the publishing house will help back you with marketing and promotion, but that much more often that not does not happen. It will be your job to have an electronic platform in place to promote the work. Like agent Ted Weinstein mentioned on the blog a few weeks ago, when you are going to sell a nonfiction book, you almost have to assume that you are self-publishing it - meaning that are you already have channels in place to sell it.

Q. Is there a minimum word count for nonfiction? Can a book be too short?

A. It depends on the book. My wife just picked up that gift book called Grandma’s Dead: Breaking Bad News With Baby Animals, which is filled with pictures of cute animals and only one line of terrible news every two pages. That book has maybe 400 words total.
As a nonfiction writer myself, I know this is tough. How do we approximate word count? Should a diet book be 30,000 words or 45,000? The best thing that you can do is look over comparable books and try to judge word count by their size, average words/page, and illustration content. After that, your agent will be able to help you more.

Talking Agent Queries With Wendy Burt-Thomas

Chuck — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 01:41:33 GMT

I was fortunate enough to talk recently with "Query Queen" Wendy Burt-Thomas, who authored the new book, The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters. To learn more about Wendy or her three books, visit
www.GuideToQueryLetters.com. Below you will find some helpful Q&A with Wendy about sending queries to agents.

GLA: Regarding queries to agents, when reviewing queries that worked and queries that didn’t, what recurring aspects were you coming across in good queries and what recurring aspects were you coming across in bad queries?

WBT: First, a disclosure: I wrote all the bad queries in the book myself because I didn’t have the heart to rip apart real writers. With that said, I can tell you that they were all based on the concepts I’ve seen in bad query letters over my years as an editor and author consultant.

The recurring aspects in the bad queries are often the following:

      1. Sending queries for novels that aren’t finished
      2. Telling ("I’m a great writer! This is a great book!") instead showing (letting your writing speak for itself)
      3. Mentioning that everyone who has read it (especially your mother) loves it
      4. Talking about money, movie deals or TV shows based on your manuscript
      5. Comparing yourself to Stephen King, Nora Roberts, etc.
      6. Pitching a general query with no hook ("I’d like to send you my romance novel.")
      7. Sending a sci-fi manuscript to an agent that represents romance (i.e., choosing the wrong agent for your genre)
      8. Not mentioning why you choose that agent/agency
      9. Not offering to take the next step ("I’d be happy to send you the complete manuscript…")
      10. Including too much irrelevant information ("It took me four years to write this book.")

As one might guess, the best queries were the ones that did the opposite of anything listed above. But to be more specific, many of the recurring aspects of the good queries included:

      1. An appropriate word count for the completed novel.
      2. A request for representation.
      3. A request to send the appropriate materials as per the agency’s guidelines (proposal, first 30 pages or completed manuscript)
      4. A referral, mention of previous books the author represented, or some acknowledgement that you chose the agent on purpose
      5. An interesting, well-written hook to draw the agent’s interest
      6. A "teaser" that left the agent wanted to know how the book ends ("What will happen when her husband learns his baby is part alien?")
      7. An interesting title
      8. Published pieces and/or relevant experience ("I lived with the Amish for a year to make sure the book was accurate.")
      9. A good platform (blog, Web site, media contacts, e-newsletter subscribers, etc.)
      10. For nonfiction especially, a clear understanding of your book’s purpose, niche and market. (You can save the details for your proposal, but the query should help the agent see where the book is going and who it’s for.

GLA: What do you think is the most common reason that good writers don't get published?

WBT: Poor marketing skills. I see so many writers that are either too afraid, too uniformed, or frankly, too lazy, to market their work. They think their job is done when the write "the end" but writing is only half of the process. I've always told people who took my class that there are tons of great writers in the world who will never get published. I'd rather be a good writer who eats lobster than a great writer who eats hot dogs. I make a living as a writer because I spend as much time marketing as I do writing.

GLA: What are some of the biggest misconceptions that writers have about getting a book deal?

WBT: That they'll be rich overnight, that they don't need to promote their book once it's published, that publishing houses will send them on world book tours, that people will recognize them at the airport. Still, you can make great money as an author if you're prepared to put in the effort. If it wasn't possible, there wouldn't be so many full-time writers.

GLA: What must-read books do you recommend to new writers?

WBT: Christina Katz (author of Writer Mama) has a new book out called Get Known Before the Book Deal - which is fabulous. Also, Stephen King's On Writing and David Morrell's Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing. Anything by Anne Lamott or my Dad, Steve Burt.

Want more on this topic?

Footnotes: 6 articles on building a platform.
Buy Christina Katz's book on platform, Get Known Before the Book Deal.
Platform and the debut of your book.
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!

Nonfiction Words of Wisdom from Agent Ted Weinstein

Chuck — Sat, 30 May 2009 18:19:16 GMT

On Wednesday, Ted Weinstein was one of the four literary agents who participated in our "Ask the Agents" panel at the conference. Ted, who specializes in nonfiction books, was full of wisdom on the panel. Below you can find four especially nice tidibits from him.

Four Tips on Submitting Nonfiction

By Ted Weinstein

1. Platform is the first thing he looks for when evaluating a nonfiction book proposal. On the subject of platform, Ted advises that nonfiction writers should "assume they are self-publishing." By that, he means that you should not count on any help from the publisher in selling the book. They will distribute it, yes, but once it hits the shelves, you have to make sure it gets off the shelves. If you expect no backing from the publisher to do this, you are, essentially, self-publishing in a way, and will make sure that you have a platform.
On this topic, he added that writers will sometimes come along and say "If my book gets published, I'll be famous!" Then Ted quips back, "No, if you get famous, they'll publish your book!"

2. You must submit one or a few sample chapters with a nonfiction book proposal. Concerning what chapter(s) to submit, do not submit the introduction if you are only submitting one sample chapter. Instead submit the actual Chapter 1, not merely the introduction itself.

3. When comparing your book to other titles in the marketplace, he advises two things. First of all, use the term "comparable titles" rather than "competitive titles." Second, try to prove how your book is like the Olympic rings. Show all these different rings exist - all these different types of books. But no book can link them together like yours!

4. He said he rarely asks for an exclusive look at a book proposal, but on the rare occasions that he does, he asks for no more than one week. That timeframe, he says, is more than enough for any agent to be exclusively reviewing a proposal.

Want more on this subject?

7 reasons agents stop reading your first chapter.

Should you start with plot or character?

Word count 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!

You've Got a Memoir - What Now?

Chuck — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:28:14 GMT

Q. I have a completed draft of a nonfiction book.   It is, I think, a memoir.   My question is this: who do I look for? I'm thinking that it might be in the memoir list of agents, but some might not want to deal with me.   I don't know of any stories similar to mine, nor who would jump at my story. And then part of me wonders who are the better agents -- I have no real way of knowing who is good.
        - Joseph

A. OK. First things first. Is it a memoir or a nonfiction book? If it's about your life experiences and your journey, it's memoir. You have to define it before you go much further.
       Next: Your sentence saying that you don't know who would jump at your story is worrisome. I'm assuming you're saying, "I'm not sure what type of readers would buy this book." Is this correct? If it is, then you're in a bit of trouble. Memoirs have to be well written, but I also recommend having at least a small book proposal (business proposal) that you can submit with the manuscript itself. This book proposal needs to define similar books in the marketplace, to which you compare and contrast your story. You also need to define some types of audiences (e.g., "dog lovers," "divorcees") who would buy your product. No book is wholely unique, so you need to start looking at other memoirs out there to see what's similar to your book, because there are probably several.
       Lastly, concerning which agents are "good," simply research agents who acept memoir by looking in a print or online database of agents. WritersMarket.com is one such database. Look for agents who have sold some books, and then never pay any upfront costs when dealing with them. Those are the basic and most important tips.

Agent Advice: Ted Weinstein of Ted Weinstein Literary

Chuck — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 07:21:01 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 Ted Weinstein, founder of Ted Weinstein Literary Management, based in San Francisco.

He is seeking: "narrative nonfiction, popular science, biography and history, current affairs and politics, contemporary culture, business, sports, food and cooking, health and medicine, entertainment, and quirky reference books. Please note he does not represent fiction, screenplays, short stories, poetry, or books for children or young adults."

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

TW: I represent nonfiction in many different categories and I sell new books frequently, so it's best for authors to visit my agency's website for the latest information on our deals, our clients, and their recently published books.

GLA: It seems like if someone wanted to write about cooking or politics or history, it's all been done before. That said, what stands out for you in a proposal? What are you looking for immediately to draw you into a project?

TW: There are several factors that can help a book's ultimate prospects: great writing, great platform, or great information, and ideally all three. For narrative works, the writing should be gorgeous, not just functional. For practical works, the information should be insightful, comprehensive and preferably new. And for any work of nonfiction, the author's platform is enormously important.

GLA: Online at your website, people can listen to your speech called "Book Proposal Bootcamp." To summarize, what do you detail in the speech?

TW: The "Book Proposal Bootcamp" workshop, which I teach frequently at writers' conferences and elsewhere, gives an overview of the whole process from book idea to book tour, but with a central focus on the actual proposal, which is essentially a business plan for a book. I explain all the elements of a proposal - overview, about the author, target audience, comparable titles, marketing and promotion plans, detailed table of contents, sample chapters - and try to give as much guidance (and true stories) as a 90-minute session allows.

GLA: You look for writers of nonfiction biography. Are you looking for interesting people who want to write their own autobiography, or are you looking for good writers who can write biographies of famous people? If it's the latter, how do writers secure the rights to write Mick Jagger's life story, for example?

TW: Memoir/autobiography is a thriving genre (I highly recommend the 826 Valencia Writing Centers' The Autobiographer's Handbook, which I represented), but the appeal of any particular work will come from the literary quality of the writing and the author's ability to make the story compelling to someone who hasn't previously heard of him or her. We all see too many memoirs where our reaction is either "This just isn't great writing," or "Why would a stranger care about this writer's personal story?"
For biographies, of course, the writing quality is key, as well as the fame (or infamy) of the subject and the freshness of the material or insights the author presents. Often an "authorized" biography is more interesting (we all want to read a story where the subject gets to have his or her say, too), but there is no single way to persuade a subject to cooperate. And nothing prevents an author from writing about a public personality, as long as they don't write anything libelous, of course.

GLA: Can you give me an example or two of where a journalist was working on a topic and made it into a book that you agented? How did the timeline work? Did you contact them or vice versa?

TW: Recent examples include Nena Baker, who was a reporter for the Portland Oregonian and the Arizona Republic, and whose current affairs and science book The Body Toxic just came out from Farrar, Straus & Giroux. She and I met at a writers' conference where she first pitched me a different project, but the impact of environmental chemicals had long fascinated her and seemed an important and timely topic to me. So she and I worked on a proposal, sold it, and although the whole project took several years, she had a wonderful working relationship with her editor, Denise Oswald, at FSG.
Another client, Eric Janszen, an economics analyst and writer (and former tech executive), wrote the cover story of Harper's Magazine in February 2008, "The Next Bubble," about our current economic situation. Based on that article, I contacted him and helped him develop a book proposal, and the quality of his insights and the timeliness of the topic led to a frenzied, two-day tour to meet with eight different publishers who were interested. Adrian Zackheim at Portfolio/Penguin aggressively pre-empted the book on the eve of what was going to be a big auction, and Eric is close to finishing the manuscript now, with publication of The Post Catastrophe Economy scheduled for next spring.

GLA: What are the most common things you see writers doing wrong when composing a nonfiction book proposal?

TW: Professionalism always wins. A book proposal, as I said earlier, is simply a business plan for a book. Authors who don't learn all they need to know about writing a great proposal (you know, I heard there's a good "book proposal bootcamp" audio recording available somewhere on the Web...) and then carefully take advantage of what they have learned are much less likely to succeed.

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

TW: I attend a wide range of conferences, which varies each year, and it isn't essential to meet me face-to-face to pitch me a book. Perhaps a third of my clients are referrals, another third I discovered and contacted myself, and another third I took on from blind submissions via my Web site. I read every submission I receive, and I'm always looking for that query or proposal where I can say, as in that Tom Cruise/Renee Zellweger movie, "You had me from hello."

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

TW: Write every day, get in a serious writing group for high-quality feedback, treat writing like the craft and privilege it is.

Blank Spots on the Map

Want more on this subject?

How to Write a Query Letter.

What Should You Write in the "Bio Paragraph" of a Query Letter.

Why Your Manuscript Can Get Rejected, by Hallie Ephron.

10 Hidden Gifts of Rejection Letters.

Google Alerts and Agents.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

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

Agent Advice: Jeffery McGraw of The August Agency

Chuck — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:55:06 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 Jeffery McGraw of The August Agency, LLC. Jeffery handles some fiction but specializes in nonfiction.

Jeffery McGraw

GLA: How did you become an agent?

JM: To cut a very long story short … I started out as a book buyer in Boston, moved to New York to work in soap operas for a while, and later fell - completely by accident - into book publishing at HarperCollins, working my way up the editorial ladder under the brilliant guidance and mentorship of Marjorie Braman (now Holt’s new editor-in-chief: go Marjorie!), left to explore other areas of publishing including a stint as publicity manager for Abrams, happily returned to Harper to become editor for its entertainment imprint, and later got laid off when said imprint wisely got restructured. In the months that followed, I couldn’t find a publishing job available that fit me and that I also fit in return. (You try applying for a women’s fiction editorial spot when you have tons of experience working with women’s fiction but nevertheless happen to be a guy. Damn that extra leg!)
        At that point I grew restless, but also entrepreneurial.
        Originally, I suggested to my good friend, Cricket, who had just a few years prior started her own budding literary agency, that we work together. That’s when we folded her operations into a brand new company, The August Agency, LLC. After years as an editor, becoming an agent was a natural transition for me. Finally, I could work on books for which I had enormous passion – not just titles someone else instructed me to handle. With such a liberal arts mind set, I was able to cast a very wide net and take on a diverse array of authors and projects that matched my interests.

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

JM: One of the most personally intriguing projects I’ve sold in the past year is author and political scientist Dr. Jack Godwin’s latest effort, Clintonomics: How Bill Clinton Reengineered the Reagan Revolution, due out next year from Amacom. I have been a political junkie for as long as I can remember, plus I love books that enlighten you in ways you never would be able to imagine. Jack Godwin satisfies on both levels with Clintonomics. Just when you think you know everything you could every know about someone – in this case the forty-second president of our great and storied nation – Jack makes you think again, revealing facets of a fascinating figure you never realized existed.

GLA: You have a self-declared "enormous passion for well written melodramas." Can you expound on this? Also, concerning these "melodrama" submissions you receive, where do you see writers going wrong in their writing?

JM: My maternal grandmother, Betty, instilled in me my love for melodrama, starting when she introduced me to the film version of Gone With the Wind when I was 12. Over the years, I would view that film more than 100 times and read the novel that inspired it, which, in all its glorious descriptive wonder, is an even richer experience (Mitchell puts the “scribe” in describe) – at least six times.
        Many people mistake the meaning of the word "melodrama," wrongly attributing it to overacting or extreme sentimentality. In fact, it is what the Greek defined as a combination of music (melos) and conflict (drama). That alone defines opera, a drama set to music. Watch any great Ross Hunter production – Back Street starring Susan Hayward, or Imitation of Life starring Lana Turner, for example – and you’ll find the driving force behind these soap operatic motion paintings can be found in their sweeping musical scores. Nothing appeals to our emotions more easily than music; it serves as a drug to seduce us into feeling a certain way. Loud, pulsating drum beats might signify danger, making us feel scared. A soft and sweet piano melody may soften our hearts, while screaming violins might make those same hearts soar. Combine this spellbinding phenomenon with genuine conflict and you have a magical combination. Not many literary magicians can pull this off on the written page by employing their gifts for language in the same unique fashion as the greats used music in their films, but some have, and to masterful effect: Margaret Mitchell, Fannie Hurst, Michael Cunningham, Olive Higgins Prouty, and Lloyd C. Douglas, to name a few. At their best, these authors have underscored the emotional undercurrent that drives the actions of their characters.
        As an agent, I have yet to come across an unpublished work of fiction that appeals to my emotional core in the same way Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, Cunningham’s The Hours, and Hurst’s Back Street have. If I only find one novel in my entire career that moves me as much as these and other great authors and their stories have, then the life-long search will have proved its worth. I am sure the late Harper editor Robert Jones felt that way when he first read Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto (though, for what it’s worth, I still think Pedro Almodovar should have snatched up the film rights before Bernardo Bertolucci got his hands on them).

GLA: Your nonfiction areas are vast and varied. What are you looking for right now and not getting?

JM: I’d love to rep more psychology titles (hey, it’s therapy I can afford) … works of narrative nonfiction that take me down roads I’ve never been but am willing to travel and bring all my friends with me … economics books that appeal to the underdog in all of us (think Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed or our own author Sarah Maxwell’s The Price is Wrong) … history books that are less about the past than they are about the present and future … memoirs that are by turns honest, riveting, tongue-in-cheek, LOL-funny, witty, sardonic, and dry like a good martini should be … intriguing, highly commercial nonfiction by brilliant lawyers (unlike most people, I love the rule of law and adore the attorneys who maneuver and navigate it all, except when they try and make simple things complicated, which is probably how to define what they do best, including, but not limited to, drafting publishing agreements; notwithstanding the foregoing, I realize I digress too much) … unique studies that make you go, “Hey, why didn’t I think of that before?” such as Tom Vanderbilt’s Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (And What It Says About Us) … compelling books by intelligent writers who can turn the seemingly obvious on its head (e.g., a staunch conservative defending the right to gay marriage, or a liberal out to prove racism can serve society in a good way) … and nonfiction that appeals to both the masses and professional fields (business, medical, legal, police oriented, et al).

GLA: Because you rep so much nonfiction, you see a lot of proposals. Where do these proposals commonly fall short?

JM: There are two areas in which I find most nonfiction proposals to be delinquent. The most apparent is the concept itself. Typically, it’s been done before in some fashion or another and doesn’t stand out enough from the crowd. In the competition section, where you list those titles that are either like-minded or comparable in some way, your obligation is two-fold: First, you must prove there is a market for a book like yours, and; second, you must prove your book fills an obvious void within that market.
        The second and more common shortfall I find in proposals is that the author has little or no platform.

GLA: At a recent event, I met a writer who was also a scholar. She was writing a nonfiction book (and knew her subject inside out), but she seemed to have very little concept of platform. When you meet with someone like that - some who has superior knowledge but no marketing ideas - what are some basic helpful things you would tell them to do?

JM: Build your base. I’ve given workshops at writers’ conferences about establishing an author platform, and it all boils down to one basic concept: Develop a significant following before you go out with your nonfiction book. If you build it, they (publishers) will come. Think about that word platform. What does it mean? If you are standing on a physical platform, it gives you greater visibility. And that’s what it’s all about: visibility. How visible are you to the world? That’s what determines your level of platform. Someone with real platform is the “go to” person in their area of expertise. If a reporter from the New York Times is doing a story on what you know about most, they will want to go to you for an interview first. But if you don’t make yourself known to the world as the expert in your field, then how will the NYT know to reach out to you? RuPaul used to say, “If you don’t love yourself, how the hell else is anybody else gonna love you?” I’m not saying be egotistical. I’m just saying, know your strengths, and learn to toot your own horn. Get out there. Make as many connections as you possibly can. We live in a celebrity-driven world. Love it or hate it, either way we all have to live with it. So, celebrate what you have to offer, and if it’s genuine and enough people respond to it, then you will become a celebrity in your own right. Get out there and prove to the world that you are the be-all and end-all when it comes to what you know about most. Publishers don’t expect you to be as big as Oprah, or Martha, or the Donald, but they do expect you to be the next Oprah, or Martha, or the next Donald in your own field.

GLA: Will you be at any writers' conferences in the future where writers can meet and pitch you?

JM: Aside from the regular media trade exhibitions such as Frankfurt (international publishing), MIPCOM (international television), and the like, I will be at the Surrey International Writers' Conference this October 24-26. I’ve attended a good number of conferences, and this one is the absolute best I’ve ever experienced. I’ve come away with a wonderful client from this very conference and even sold his book. It’s the most smoothly run operation, unlike some other conferences I’ve attended. I truly wish I could say I am attending more this year, but frankly I’m not on the conference circuit as much as I would love to be. I enjoy conferences where I can get to know and have some true blue face time with writers and editors as well as fellow agents in the industry. So, if there are any conference directors out there looking for presenters, I would love to hear from you!

GLA: Best piece of advice concerning something we haven't discussed?

JM: Have no expectations in this business (or life, for that matter) and you will not be disappointed. Write for your life! Not someone else’s. If you want to be an ordinary writer, write an ordinary book; if you want to be an extraordinary writer, prepare to go the extra mile. To be a true writer, you have to do two things more than anything else: read and write. Read as much as you can. Write as much as you can. Nothing in this world is perfect, so don’t try to write perfectly. Just write, and accept it, and then polish it until it’s as good as you can get it. And, like no wine before its time, don’t jump the gun and submit your work to agents and publishers too early. Do your homework: Workshop your writing projects through writers groups and conferences, and when you’ve done as much as you can do on your own to make it as great as you can get it, research agents and editors before submitting to them. If they don’t handle what you’ve written, don’t send your work to them. If they have specific guidelines for submitting, follow those guidelines to the letter, no matter what you think may be exceptional in your case. In many cases when people submit to our agency, writers fail to include the first chapter or 1,000 words as required in our submission guidelines. How are we to know what we’re looking at if we don’t see something substantive in the form that we’ve asked to see it? You could have a great idea that’s poorly delivered, or present a lackluster premise to us that’s ultimately marvelous in its execution. If we don’t see a true sample of it, we’ll never know.
        At the end of the day, don’t take rejection personally. You will get rejected. That is a given. Publishing is not personal; it’s a business. Think of it that way. “Not right for us” usually means “Your project is not going to contribute enough to our salaries to make ends meet.” The end. That old saying, “It’s me, it’s not you” is so true. I teach a workshop called He's Just Not That Into Your Book. Finding the right agent or editor can be like searching for one's soul mate. It can take many frogs to find your prince. If an agent or editor turns you down, know that it’s primarily about his/her business needs, not you personally. Don’t be offended. Take it in stride and move on. And try to learn from your rejections. Consider how you could improve your work before submitting it elsewhere. Also, ask yourself if you're submitting to the right places. Above all else, don’t be afraid to put yourself and your work out there. Writers often can be so timid. I see it all the time. It’s like they’re so afraid no one in this world will love them or what they’ve written. Well, let's assume that's true (even though it's not). From this standpoint, what do you have to lose? If you have no expectations, then you won't be disappointed. And, if fate is kind, you just might be pleasantly surprised! You'll never know unless you try. Just jump. The net will follow.

Meeting Miss Snark - Again!

Chuck — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 06:41:35 GMT

Last year, at BEA in Manhattan, I had the wonderful experience of coming across famed agent and blogger Miss Snark during the expo. I wrote a post about it. For those who don't know, Miss Snark's original blog was a work of genius and gave infinite great advice. Her real identity is a secret.

Anyway, I ran into Miss Snark on the floor of the book trade show again this year (see picture of the floor in the post below) and we had some laughs. But it wouldn't be a true Snark conversation without a great quote from the agent master herself - and I got one. When we were on the floor walking around, we came within view of one of her clients (or perhaps it was a potential client? Not important...) The client was a very attractive woman.

"Wow," I said. "She's hot."

"Yeah, Chuck," Miss Snark said. "That's what we like to call platform."

What is a Platform?

Chuck — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:59:58 GMT

This is a complicated subject, and a lot of people could write many pages and barely scratch the surface on this. That said, here's my short version of how to define "platform."

Platform, in essence, concerns all the avenues you have to sell your work to readers who will buy it.
      Let's look at an example: You want to write a book on astronomy and eclipses. Can anybody write this book? Sure, if they become knowledgeable enough. Can anyone sell this book? No way. First of all, examine who will buy this book. Probably other people interested in astronomy and eclipses. A person with a good platform to write this work will have different avenues in place to connect with these specific people who will pay money for the book.
      Some ways to do this would be to write for science magazines and get your byline out there, to run an astronomy-oriented Web site that gets good traffic, or to have a newsletter and blog dealing with similar topics. The writer of this particular book must have these avenues in place when the book comes out, because the publisher will likely spend $0 on promotion and marketing, so the book must be easy to sell, and that's how platform comes into play.
      Other factors of platform to mention real quick include credentials and media opportunity. If you're the foremost expert on eclipses, for example, then you're likely quoted all over in the media regarding the phenomena, so you have a natural platform built in. Or - let's say you were a stripper who wanted to write a funny memoir about the experience (like Diablo Cody did). That has a lot of media potential in terms of people being interested in interviewing you, etc. Those two things can constitute platform as well.
      At the CNU conference last weekend, a writer was talking about his nonfiction book on World War II. He explained that he had become very well versed on military matters through research and was a capable writer for such a project. I told him there was little chance of selling it because of the problem I mentioned above. You don't have to just write nonfiction; you have to sell nonfiction, too. And the most effective way of doing that is to be well known and respected by the types/groups of people who will buy the specific book in question. That's a platform.

Want more on this topic?

Footnotes: 6 articles on building a platform.
Buy Christina Katz's book on platform, Get Known Before the Book Deal.
Platform and the debut of your book.
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 Interview: Andrea Hurst of Andrea Hurst Literary

Chuck — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:21:56 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 Andrea Hurst, principal at Andrea Hurst & Associates Literary Management. Andrea works with both major and regional publishing houses, and her client list includes emerging new voices and New York Times bestselling authors. In addition to working in the publishing field for over 20 years, Andrea is a published author, skilled acquisition and development editor, speaker, and literary judge for writers' conferences. She enjoys working with authors who have something worthwhile to share and are driven by their enthusiasm and desire to create books that touch lives and make a difference.

She is seeking: To query her, use e-mail queries only. She is now accepting queries for Nonfiction: Prescriptive and Narrative Nonfiction, Parenting, relationships, women’s issues, Personal growth, health & wellness, diet, Business, true crime, animals, Pop culture, humor, cookbooks, gift books, Spirituality, metaphysical, science, psychology, and self-help, Home & Garden; Fiction: Adult commercial fiction, Women’s fiction.

Andrea Hurst

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

AH: Jean-Michel Cousteau and James Fraioli's Code Name: Polar Ice, with illustrator Joe St. Pierre, an interactive illustrated adventure series for children. We sold the book to Gibbs Smith, for publication in 2009.

GLA: Proposals are pretty straightforward in terms of what an author needs to include? Are there any details or aspects that you look for but writers don't include?

AH: I look for a really strong marketing section with a detailed plan on how the author will help sell the book.

GLA: Let's say a professional with a terrific platform contacts you and nicely says "I'm not a writer and I don't exactly know how this works, but here's who I am and here's my idea." Is this a situation where you contact them and give guidance and tips, or do you believe that everyone should learn how to write a proposal before contacting an agent?

AH: If the author has an amazing platform and a great idea, we will work to help educate them on how to write a book proposal. I also offer tips on my Web site to guide writers while working on their proposal.

GLA: Considering all the areas of nonfiction you look for, are there any areas where you find the volume of submissions to be mysteriously lacking? What are you looking for and not getting?

AH: I would like to see more health and parenting books by professionals working in the field. We would also like to receive some cutting-edge business books and proposals dealing with women’s issues, particularly focused on baby boomer issues such as empty nest, menopause, and starting over.

GLA: You rep mostly nonfiction, but do take some fiction, including women's. What do you look for in a submission?

AH: With any fiction submission, I am looking for a writer who has extensive experience in the craft and understands the requirements of the genre. We look for authors who have taken the time to take classes from experts, read prominent books on writing fiction, or they have worked with a professional editor or critique group to polish the manuscript.

GLA: You accept young adult. Do you also take other juvenile areas such as tween, middle grade and picture books?

AH: My associate, Judy Mikalonis, accepts limited middle grade, so, YA yes. Tween yes. Limited middle grade and no picture books. Writers querying her show know that Judy is looking for a fresh, authentic voice, amazing writing and a transformational message. A big, original hook always helps, but without the authentic voice, amazing writing and transformational message, the hook is irrelevant. YA submissions tend to be 98% unoriginal and a hook is irrelevant without the voice, the writing and the message.

GLA: Best piece of advice regarding something we haven't discussed?

AH: I suggest that all writers take the time to learn the business of writing. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published is a quick and thorough way to learn the business from industry professionals. Go to writers' conferences. Meeting agents and editors in person is an extremely valuable experience.

GLA: Will you be at any conferences in the future where writers can meet and pitch you?

AH: I will be at the Writer’s Digest Books Writers' Conference in Los Angeles in May 2008. Check our Web site for all the conferences my associates will be at throughout the year.

Want more on this topic?

5 Signs a Literary Agent is a Good Match For You.

See examples of Successful Queries that agents liked.

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

How to Write a Synopsis for a Novel.

Facebook, Twitter and Literary Agents.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 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?

5 Signs a Literary Agent is a Good Match For You.

See examples of Successful Queries that agents liked.

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

How to Write a Synopsis for a Novel.

Facebook, Twitter and Literary Agents.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

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

Agent Advice: Taryn Fagerness of the Taryn Fagerness Agency, LLC

Chuck — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 15:19:45 GMT

Note from Chuck: This interview was conducted when Taryn was with Sandra Dijkstra Literary. Taryn formed her own agency in 2009. The information below can still help you, but know that Taryn now specializes in foreign rights and audio rights, etc. She is not taking on new queries or clients except by referral or special request.

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"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 Taryn Fagerness of the Taryn Fagerness Agency, LLC.

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

TF: I most recently sold a book to Simon & Schuster by an amazing woman named Roz Savage called Rowing Across the Atlantic: One Woman's Adventure from Office to Ocean. Roz rowed (yes, rowed) in a high-tech rowboat, but a rowboat nonetheless, from the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa to Antigua. She was alone at sea for 130 days, but she made it. I love this book because Roz isn’t some super athlete; she’s a regular woman who decided to drop everything and do something big, and for her that big thing was the Atlantic. This book was a joy to sell.

GLA: You were just at the La Jolla Writers' Conference and met writers who pitched their work. What are the most common things you saw writers do wrong during an in-person pitch?

TF: Two things: One, some authors didn’t seem to understand their true "hook," or most interesting aspect of their work. One writer I met spoke about his young adult fantasy novel, but it wasn’t until the end of his pitch that he mentioned how his book was inspired by Japanese folklore and myths. How cool! That is what I would have wanted to hear first, until then it sounded like just another young adult fantasy. Two: some authors over-praise their work. Some people told me how wonderful, great, amazing, funny, etc. their projects were. Coming from the author, such statements make me a bit skeptical. Of course the writer thinks his or her own work is amazing, but what is it about your work that makes it so fabulous? Why is it wonderful? I want more concrete information about an author’s work so I can really think about where the book might fit in the market.

GLA: One of your specialties is that you look for nonfiction that has to do with science, nature and the environment. What draws you to the books in these subjects that you do end up taking on?

TF: In books dealing with nature or the environment, I look for a unique perspective. There are a lot of books about global warming and the environment in the works at publishing houses right now, and so I hope to find something that stands out - something original that moves me. A book I wish I’d represented, to give you an idea of what I like, is The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. In science books, I look for weird, quirky, interesting and unique. I love neuroscience and psychology. I sold, for example, a great book called Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy Frost and Gail Steketee. It’s fascinating and somewhat bizarre.

GLA: If someone has a great idea for a nature book but lacks a good platform, should they send a proposal anyway? Or should they build up a platform and query later?

TF: It would depend on the type of nature book. If a person is writing all about trees, for example, but they’re a professional knitter (i.e., not a botanist) living in Tucson, there’s a problem. Serious, informative nonfiction books must have authors with solid, relevant platforms; it is a fact of publishing. However, I believe a person’s experience can be an excellent platform. For example, we have an author who is working on an interesting book about farming. The book is about his experience. Maybe he doesn’t have his own TV show or a newspaper column, but he does have a great story to tell. The experience and what he learned from that experience is his platform.

GLA: Describe your dream client.

TF: My dream client is someone who recognizes that writing a book is a collaborative effort. These clients trust their agents, ask the right questions, and, as we say, "do the work," meaning they make good revisions, provide useful support material, and put together, with our help, a polished project/proposal. These clients are professionals who understand we are their partners and advocates and that we work very hard on their behalf. They have realistic expectations about the publishing process.

GLA: You take some fiction. Tell us about the genres that interest you and what the book must have to keep your attention.

TF: I look for a spark, something that instantly connects to my mind and/or my heart. I’m particularly drawn to highly original concepts and voices; I like an element of the unexpected in fiction, something odd, interesting or unique. I want to learn something about our world or about myself that I never knew. Above all, I look for great writing, great story and a great ending. Some of my current favorite books (not books I’ve represented) are Life of Pi by Yan Martel, Geek Love by Katherine Dunn, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. I don’t like traditional mysteries, thrillers or romance. I don’t like most war fiction. I do like science fiction and some fantasy, and I am actually hoping to represent more sci-fi, paranormal and speculative fiction.

GLA: A lot of people want to write a memoir but few are good. What do you look for in a memoir?

TF: Memoir is such a tricky genre. Everyone has a story (when I go to writing conferences, memoir writers are usually the overwhelming majority), and, unfortunately, you are right - few are good and many are overly sentimental. I look for two main things: a unique story and great writing. Memoirs should read like novels; they should have suspense, conflict, emotion, character development, dialogue and narrative arc. On top of all that, it’s a tough question to ask about one’s own story, but authors should ask it: Why will people be interested in me?

GLA: Will you be at any upcoming conferences where authors can meet you?

TF: Yes! I will be at the San Diego State Writer’s Conference, Jan. 25-27, 2008.

Want more on this subject?

See all agent interviews here!

How to Write a Query Letter.

What Should You Write in the "Bio Paragraph" of a Query Letter.

Why Your Manuscript Can Get Rejected, by Hallie Ephron.

10 Hidden Gifts of Rejection Letters.

Google Alerts and Agents.

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

Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.

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

Agent Advice: Nancy Love of Nancy Love Literary

Chuck — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:01:35 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 Nancy Love of the Nancy Love Literary Agency. Nancy is a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives as well as the American Society of Journalists and Authors. She specializes in nonfiction.

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

NL: How Your Child Learns Best, by Judy Willis, to Sourcebooks. She's a noted neurologist and middle school teacher who tells parents how to use the latest revelations about the brain to help their children overcome the rote memorization in today's classrooms and engage in creative thinking and discovery.

GLA: The last time you updated your Guide to Literary Agents listing, you said you're closed to new fiction clients. Is this still accurate?

NL: Yes, but I am taking on new writers of adult nonfiction. Writers should send queries before submitting proposals.

GLA: Traditionally, an author queries an agent, who then contacts publishers. But are there instances where publishers contact you and say, "We have this idea for a book and we need a writer"?>

NL: Yes, that does happen sometimes. This is why I give editors my client list. That can lead to an assignment for one of the writers I represent. Or they will call looking for a writer for a particular book.

GLA: If a writer sells their first nonfiction book to a medium-sized press, what are realistic expectations in terms of an advance and possible first print run?

NL: The range is so enormous, I can't begin to guess at what a writer should expect. It depends on whether the writer has a big platform and there is an expectation of a lot of books being sold, or whether there is an auction that raises all boats, on whether there is a buyback to sweeten the advance and the print run.

GLA: What are the most common problems you see in nonfiction book proposals?

NL: The writer doesn't express succinctly and clearly what the book is about.

The writer doesn't expand adequately on what she/he can do to promote the book.
The writer doesn't understand that they need to say why their book is better and different than the competition. It is not enough to just list the competition.

GLA: You said you're actively seeking "narrative nonfiction." Can you help define this for writers?

NL: Everyone loves stories. That is what a "narrative" is. There have been many individual ways of expressing this since it all began with the New Journalism. The writer puts the reader in the story; he doesn't stand outside and report on it or interview the principals. Think The Perfect Storm or The Right Stuff.

GLA: Your definition of narrative nonfiction sounds like the definition of creative nonfiction. Are they one in the same or just very close?

NL: I think people teaching writing and journalism in colleges have thought up all these categories. I have never heard anyone give a definition of creative nonfiction and narrative nonfiction that made them sound like two different things. I don't make up these labels; I just try to sell the stuff.

GLA: Are there good or bad times of the year to query an agent?

NL: There are times when it is easier or more difficult to sell books to publishers (summer because of vacations; around the winter holidays because everyone is shopping or away). But agents are always working, except when they are taking a vacation, and it might take more time to get an answer from an agent who is on vacation.

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

NL: At this time, I don't have any dates for future conferences.

Nancy Love specializes in nonfiction and is accepting nonfiction queries for the following subjects: biography, parenting, cooking, current affairs, ethnic, politics, health, history, how-to, nature, popular culture, psychology, science, self-help, travel (no how-to), true crime, women's issues. To contact Nancy, send a snail mail query and SASE to 250 E. 65th St., New York, 10065.

Nancy says "Nonfiction authors and/or collaborators must be an authority in their subject area and have a platform.>

Building Your Platform (2008 GLA Article Excerpt)

Chuck — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:19:49 GMT

2008 GLA Article Excerpt:

Writer Christina Katz talks about how
writers can build their platform and
connect with readers. The more
readers a write can reach, the more likely
their book will sell (especially if it's nonfiction).

" ... The word 'platform' simply describes all the ways you're visible and appealing to your potential, future or actual readership. To build a platform, an author must create and maintain a Web presence without sacrificing too much regular writing time or paying a fortune in fees. Platform development is not only important to existing authors, it's also crucial for wannabe authors or soon-to-be authors.
      Before you build a Web presence, you must brand yourself ... To start, answer the following questions:
      How are your products or services distinguishable from the competition? (A book is a product, by the way.)
      How are they better than the competition? (Emphasize this.)
      How are they worse than the competition? (De-emphasize and address this.)
      What emotional need(s) do your products or services satisfy? (Do not skip this one.)
      What colors, images and front style might make sense for your identity? (These will aid with your logo design.)"

- "Almost Famous: Start Building a Platform to Garner More Attention and Respect" (page 25)

Want more on this topic?

Footnotes: 6 articles on building a platform.

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

Platform and the debut of your book.

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!

Writing a Novel? Stress Your Short Story Awards.

Chuck — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 19:48:04 GMT

If you want a literary agent to represent you and sell your novel to a large publishing house, you need to write a great query letter to that agent, first and foremost. That's old news. But there's something else you can do, too: Prove yourself as a capable fiction writer by getting short stories published or honored through contests.

When an agent reads a query, she'll look at your pitch - the one paragraph that explains what your book is about. If she hasn't thrown your query in the garbage by the time she's done reading the pitch, she will then read the next (and hopefully, final) paragraph, where you explain who you are and any writing credentials you may have. This is your golden opportunity to stress your accolades.

Think about it: If she reads your pitch and is somewhat interested, it would help if the next paragraph says,

"Three of my short stories were published in literary journals this past year, including Journal X; and one short story was awarded first prize overall in the Cool Short Story Contest in 2006."

Now she's thinking: "OK, the pitch didn't totally knock my socks off, but this is a capable writer. Maybe I should peruse the first 10 pages."

Where can you find contests? Writer's Market has a sizeable database of them. And because competitions pop up so quickly then die off just as fast, simply using Google will work. If it's a regional competition (e.g., Baltimore Area Fiction Writers present the 2007 Writing Contest), think about getting involved with the sponsoring group. Perhaps a writer in the group already has an agent and could refer you down the line.