Looking back through the 2006 edition of Guide to Literary Agents, I reread a great interview with agent Jeff Kleinman, previously of Graybill & English. A few years ago, Jeff acted as one of the founders of Folio Literary Management, LLC.

I've pasted some of that interview here below:

GLA: There are many qualities a writer must possess in order to be a successfully published author. What quality do you find most important?

JK: Besides wonderful writing and storytelling abilities, I really hope to find authors that realize all of us—the agent, editor, marketing folk, copyeditors, etc.—are all on the writer's side. We all want to create a good book, and we all want to find the next book we can fall head-over-heels-in-love with. It's that helpfulness, that willingness, that "Sure, I'll go the extra mile," that can really make a difference.

GLA: If an agent is interested in a manuscript, he'll sometimes ask for an exclusive read. What does an exclusive read mean for both the agent and the writer? Under what circumstances might an agent request an exclusive read?

JK: Agents assume, in this marketplace, the writer has simulatenously queried an unknown number of agents. That said, when some agents want to read your project, they want to be able to read it and know they're the only person reading it ... So, the first agent will ask for an exclusive read.
      I think an exclusive's a fine thing, if that's what the agent needs, but the writer needs to be aware he's giving something up by giving that agent an exclsuive read—so, the agent should provide something in exchange, perhaps the assurance he will read it quickly. Think of it like a bargain: "I (the writer) am giving you (the agent) a certain time with my manuscript, and you won't have to worry about someone else competing for it. In exchange, you agree to read it quickly because other agents are also interested in reading it. What's "quickly"? It depends on the agent. I think, though, about two months for a novel and about three weeks for a proposal is fair.

GLA: What's the biggest mistake a writer can make when he submits to you?

JK: The biggest mistake is not acting professionally enough. Writers need to keep in mind as soon as they enter the publishing business that they need to treat it as a business. Treat it as a job interview. Handle your interview like a professional: be courteous, concise, helpful and provide the kind of information the guy on the other side of the desk needs to have. Desperation rarely works; your potential boss might run the other way. Discourtesy (i.e., writing" Dear Agent" or "Dear Sir/Madam") may make it seem you haven't bothered to do your homework.

        Jeff Kleinman represents both fiction and nonfiction. To see his detailed submissions pages, click here.

Want more on this subject?

• See all agent interviews here.
• Word Count Guidelines for Novels and Children's Books.
  
• Check out agent Don Maass's popular book, The Fire in Fiction.  
• 20 Tips on Writing a Query Letter
  
• How Money Works: Book Royalties, Advances and Flat Fees.
  
• What are the BEST writers' conferences in the country?
  
• Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.
  
• Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.
• Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!

The Management Company, a California-based agency focusing on film and TV scripts, recently changed their submission guidelines. Here are their new guidelines:

How to contact: Submit by e-mail only (tmco@mail.com), with the e-mail subject line reading "Writer Query Letter." Have a clear, one-sentence log line in bold type and include 2-4 short paragraphs summarizing the story (i.e., what would be on the back of a DVD).

This agency will contact writers by phone for more information, but only if interested. Queries that do not follow these guidelines may not be read. This agency is actively seeking "studio-quality, high-end action scripts with great characters, as well as really good comedies." No horror please.

Address queries to Tom Klassan, The Management Co.

Leather Bound Words, a newer agency based in St. Louis that focused on nonfiction books, has closed, according to its Web site.

See the Web site to see the closure notice.

While Guide to Literary Agents is best known for its large and detailed list of literary agencies, every edition has plenty of informational articles and interviews designed to help writers perfect their craft and contact agents wisely. The 2008 edition is no different, with more than 80 pages of articles addressing numerous writing and publishing topics.

It's been in the works for a while now, but it now seems to be official.

Two great midsize literary agencies in Manhattan - Imprint Agency and the Peter Rubie Literary Agency - have merged into FinePrint Literary Management.

The new Web site is up. Both agencies are part of the Association of Authors' Representatives. Make submission changes if necessary.

Imprint Agency consists of:
      Stephany Evans
      Gary Heidt
      Meredith Hays
      Janet Reid, formerly of JetReid Literary

Peter Rubie Literary Agency consists of:   
      Peter Rubie
      June Clark
      Amy Tipton

The GLA Blog has a special treat this week—an interview with Nick Eliopulos, editor for Random House Children's Books. He fits right in with our recent focus on agents and editors for children's writing, which includes picture books, young adult and middle grade works.

Associate Editor at Random House Books for Young Readers (an imprint of Random House Children's Books), Nick Eliopulos started out at the University Press of Florida, where a college internship led to a full-time job as an acquisitions assistant. Eventually, he moved to New York and subsisted on freelance for a few months before landing at Random House.   

Two of Nick's projects will be published in 2007: Squirrelly Gray, a picture book by indie-comics superstar James Kochalka, and The Hound of Rowan, first in a middle-grade fantasy trilogy by newcomer Henry H. Neff. His comics work appears in the anthologies Stuck in the Middle (Viking, 2007) and First Kiss (Then Tell) (Bloomsbury, 2008). He has survived three consecutive winters in Manhattan.

Nick Eliopulos

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

NE: Thoughtful, literary novels with boy appeal. Newbery-caliber stuff. These books are few and far between. And if we're worried that boys don't read enough, not making books for them won't help the problem.

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

NE: I recently read The Golden Compass, and you know what? It's way too smart. The language, the premise, the roaming POV ... but it's such a wonderful book and it's obviously found an audience.

      I hope I'm never in a position where I have to turn down a submission because it's smart or challenging. I can imagine, as an editor, asking for edits to broaden the appeal: Can this concept be clearer? Does the language seem like too much here? Does the work benefit from limiting the POV? But never in the interest of talking down to the audience.

      (I'm thinking mainly of novels here, of course. If you're working with an established format, like the Random House Stepping Stones line, then it's essential that the language fit the guidelines of that format. And I think picture books have limits, as well, though mostly in terms of content.)

GLA: What is the most common reasons you and your fellow board of editors turn down a project (manuscript)?

NE: We have to think in terms of our list—where our strengths lie. But it's a fine line. We want something that is somewhat familiar, but that offers something new.

      That's really the best way to find a publisher--look at who's publishing work similar to your own. If my group is having success with fantasy novels and you submit a teen cookbook, chances are we won't have the resources to make your book a hit.

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

NE: A strong sense of character—through action and dialogue as opposed to narration.

      Much of what I read is slow to get to the actual plot. That's OK in a draft; it (will help) if there's some kind of synopsis so that I know what to expect. But voice and character should be front and center from the start.

GLA: Many YA books follow a similar formula. With that in mind, is a big part in the concept? Like writing the standard "Girl feels awkward in high school and likes boy" except "Girl turns into a werewolf at night"? Does it need a hook like that, or can you still write a good story that no big hook?

NE: Hooks help—a lot. Even once I've signed on a book, I have to pitch it to sales and marketing, who have to pitch it to retailers and librarians. If you've got a unique and memorable spin, that's half the battle won.

      But different books come with different expectations. If you've written a story about an awkward girl with not a werewolf in sight, but with a strong and believable voice—well, there's likely an audience for that book. Notice that a lot of the award-winners are quiet tales that you can't do justice in a one-line pitch.

GLA: What advice would you like to give concerning a topic we haven't addressed yet?

NE: Read! Read a lot. And not just children's books. It definitely helps to know what's out there for your target age group—but if you're up on current events or quantum physics or the cultural history of deodorant, then you have a better chance of bringing something altogether new to the table.

GLA: Does Random House Children's ever take unagented submissions?

NE: Officially we don't, but it's certainly happened before. Chances are that a blind submission will eventually be seen by somebody—but having an agent is really the way to go. For one thing, it guarantees your submission will be read. For another, it truly pays off to work with someone who knows the ins and outs of the business (and who can give you objective feedback before your work lands on an editor's desk).

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

NE: Yes—the Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature in October 2007.

Want more on children's writing?

• Examine Great High-Concept Hooks for Children's Books.
• New children's agent seeking submissions.
  
• How to write picture books for kids.
• Buy the kids writers' bible: the Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market.  
• Interview with kids agent Joe Monti of Barry Goldblatt Literary.
  
• Read a successful young adult query: "Wake" by Lisa McMann.
  
• Confused about formatting? Check out Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript.
  
• Read about What Agents Hate: Chapter 1 Pet Peeves.
• Want the most complete database of agents and what genres they're looking for? Buy the 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!

Update: As of April 2009, it looks
like this agency
is closed.

- Chuck

---------

Reminder: Newer agencies are golden opportunities for new writers because they're likely building their client list; however, always make sure your work is as perfect as it can be before submitting, and only query agencies that are a great fit for your work. Otherwise, you're just wasting time and postage.

P.O. Box 47594, 946 Lawrence Ave. E., Unit 2, Toronto ON M3C 1P0, Canada. Phone: (416)850-8767. E-mail: spiridon@rogers.com. Contact: Alethea Spiridon. Seeking new and established writers. Prior to becoming an agent, Ms. Spiridon was an editor for Harlequin Books in Toronto. Established: 2007. This agency specializes in romance and women's fiction. "I lived and breathed romance fiction for 6.5 years while an editor. I know what editors are looking for and can guide writers so they can land that much coveted first or next contract."

Currently Handles: 25% nonfiction books, 25% novels, 25% short story collections, 25% juvenile. Nonfiction subjects of interest: Business/Economics, Child Guidance/Parenting, Cooking/Foods/Nutrition, Current Affairs, Health/Medicine, History, How-To, Juvenile nonfiction, Language/Literature/Criticism, Memoirs, Nature/Environment, Popular Culture, Self-Help/Personal Improvement, Women's Issues/Studies. Fiction subjects of interest: Action/Adventure, Confession, Erotica, Experimental, Family Saga, Fantasy, Feminist, Glitz, Historical, Humor/Satire, Juvenile, Literary, Mainstream/Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense, Picture Books, Romance, Young Adult.

How to contact: Query with SASE. Submit:Outline/Proposal, Synopsis, Author Bio, 50 pages if submitting fiction, SASE. Accepts e-mail queries. No fax queries. Accepts simultaneous submissions. Responds in 4 weeks to queries. Responds in 6 weeks to manuscripts. Returns materials only with SASE. Actively seeking: Actively seeking romance, women's fiction, young adult, middle grade, nonfiction, mysteries, literary fiction and commercial fiction.

Terms: Agent receives 15% commission on domestic sales; 20% commission on foreign sales. Offers written contract. This agency charges for office expenses, such as postage and photocopies. Tips: "Think of the agent as your first reader. Do a meticulous self-edit of your work to ensure you present your best possible writing. Observe how other books are marketed by reading tons of back cover copy and then write a blurb for your own book. If you’re struggling, you might not have a clear sense of direction for your work. You need to have a solid sense of your manuscript so you can present it seamlessly to agents (and then editors). Be clear. Be concise."

There's still plenty of time to sign up for one or many fall writers' conferences, where you can meet agents, network and recharge your batteries. Some conferences this fall have invited Writer's Digest Books editors to come and speak. Here's a rundown of some autumn engagements for WDB staffers:

      Market Books Tour: Dayton, Aug. 29, Dayton, OH. Editors in attendance: Alice Pope, editor of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market; Robert Brewer, editor of Writer's Market; and Nancy Breen, editor of Poet's Market. Topics: General publishing Q&A with the crowd.

      Market Books Tour: Lexington, Sept. 11, Lexington, KY. Editors in attendance: Chuck Sambuchino, editor of Guide to Literary Agents, Alice Pope, editor of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market; and Robert Brewer, editor of Writer's Market. Topics: General publishing Q&A with the crowd.

      Midwest Literary Festival, Oct. 5-7, Aurora, IL. Editors in attendance: Kelly Nickell, WD trade book editor; Lauren Mosko, WD trade books editor; and Chuck Sambuchino, editor of Guide to Literary Agents. Session topics: "Mastering the Query Letter," "Selecting a Literary Agent," and many more.

      La Jolla Writers' Conference, Nov. 2-4, San Diego, CA. Editor in attendance: Chuck Sambuchino. Chuck's session topics: TBA.

Come out and meet a WD Books editor!

PS. If you're interested in receiving notifications about upcoming writers' conferences, sign up for the free biweekly GLA newsletter by visiting www.guidetoliteraryagents.com. The newsletter always includes several conferences and which agents will be in attendance to meet writers.

International Transactions, the literary agency of agents Sandra and Peter Riva, just sent me a postcard saying that the agency's addresses have changed. To see their submissions guidelines, open this PDF link. The submissions e-mail is submissions@IntlTrans.com.

The New Principle Mailing Address:

I.T., Inc.
Box 97
28 Alope Way
Gila, NM 88038-0097
Phone/fax/e-mail remain the same

New NYC Office:

I.T., Inc.
Suite 9L
3 Hanover Square
New York, NY 10004
Phone/fax/e-mail remain the same

As author Bob Mayer wisely put it, writers' first books tend to be blood-lettings.

What that means is writers compose stories about their own lives (memoirs or life stories) - for catharsis, or to just tell their story because they need to tell it. Month by month, I continue to see that everyone wants to write a memoir or life story, even though such things don't sell well and are often written like a diary, not a book. (That said, agents will be hesitant to take on anything that's a tough sell.)

Just today at a book signing in Tennessee, a young writer came up and said she was writing a life story about her uncle and wanted some advice. I wanted to recommend some good memoir and life story books but couldn't think of anything off the top of my head. After we finished talking, I brought the subject up with some other writers and asked for some good recommendations. These are the three they immediately came up with:

      1. The Color of Water, by James McBride
      2. Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt
      3. Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom

Bottom line: "Personal story is dead," as agent Chip MacGregor said in a previous post. However, if you are determined to write yours, make sure you are reading excellent memoir writing. The three books above seem like a good start.

For more on personal story writing as well as when it might actually be beneficial to self-publish such a book, see this previous post.

Writer Unboxed, a cool site devoted to genre fiction writing, was kind enough to interview me recently, asking plenty of questions about the new 2008 Guide to Literary Agents.

Please check out the full interview here!