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.

Ellen Pepus Literary Agency

4200 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, #106-233, Washington DC 20016. Phone: (301)896-0185. Fax: (301)896-0185. E-mail: ellen@epliterary.com. Web site: www.epliterary.com. Contact: Ellen Pepus. New agency actively seeking clients. Prior to her current position, Ms. Pepus was employed at Graybill & English Literary Agency. She worked in foreign rights as well. Adheres to AAR canon of ethics. Represents 9 clients. 90% of clients are new/unpublished writers. Writer's Guidelines: www.epliterary.com/submission%20guidelines.html. Specializes in: fiction - both genre and literary. Narrative nonfiction is sought out, though Ms. Pepus will consider other nonfiction. Currently Handles: 30% nonfiction; 70% novels.

Nonfiction areas of interest: Animals, Anthropology/Archaeology, Art/Architecture, Biography, Parenting, Cooking/Foods, Crafts, Current Affairs, Ethnic/Cultural, Gay/Lesbian, Government, Health, History, How-to, Humor, Interior design, Language, Memoirs, Military, Money, Music, Nature, New Age, Photography, Popular Culture, Psychology, Science, Self-Help, Sociology, Translation, True Crime, Women's Issues. Fiction areas of interest: Action/Adventure, Police/Crime, Erotica, Ethnic, Family Saga, Fantasy, Feminist, Gay/Lesbian, Historical, Literary, Mainstream, Mystery, Psychic/Supernatural, Romance, Thriller, Women's. Actively seeking: Actively seeking literary and commercial fiction, narrative nonfiction. Does not want: Does not want to receive children's, young adult, poetry, short stories, screenplays, science fiction or horror.

How to Contact: Query with SASE. Submit book proposal or first 5 pages (if fiction). E-queries are preferred. No fax queries. Accepts simultaneous submissions. Responds in 2 weeks to queries; 8 weeks to mss. Returns materials only with SASE. Terms: Agent receives 15% commission on domestic sales; 20% commission on foreign sales. Offers written contract. Termination notice: 30 days. Writer's Conferences: Washington Independent Writers, Society of Southwestern Authors, North Carolina Writers Network, Southern California Writers Conference, Space Coast Writers Guild Conference.

The Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc. recently changed its mailing address. The agency is still located on the Avenue of the Americas in Manhattan, but the address is ever so slightly different:

New address:

Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc.
1270 Avenue of the Americas
Suite 2320
New York, NY 10020

Snail mail is the advised method to query this agency, which is comprised of several agents. Good luck!

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, due out this June.

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. 

      Regina Brooks is the founder of Serendipity Literary in Brooklyn. She represents a variety of fiction and nonfiction. To submit to her, visit her submissions page on her Web site.

Regina Brooks

The Harriet Wasserman Literary Agency has closed, as of Fall 2007.

Harriet was a member of the AAR and was based in the New York area. Saul Bellow was a former client of hers, and her current clients are in the process of finding new agents.

"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 Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. 

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. 

      Taryn Fagerness is an agent at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, an agency known for guiding the careers of many best-selling authors including Amy Tan, Maxine Hong Kingston, Kate White, Irvin Yalom, Eric Foner, Peter Irons, Lisa See, Anchee Min, Diane Mott Davidson, Janell Cannon and many others. The Los Angeles Times dubbed the Dijkstra Agency "the most powerful literary agency on the West Coast" and, in its 20 plus years, the agency has developed a reputation for discovering new talent and representing quality work with great commercial potential. Taryn is also the subrights manager at the agency, selling foreign rights to more than 35 countries around the world, along with film, audio and merchandising rights. She is actively building her list and specializes in general fiction, science fiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction, 'quirky' nonfiction, and nonfiction with a science or environmental angle.
      How to submit to Taryn: Please send the first 50 pages your completed novel or a nonfiction book proposal including two sample chapters to Taryn Fagerness, Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, PMB 515, 1155 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope. She does not accept e-mail submissions.

Taryn Fagerness

Altair Literary Agency, based in Washington, DC, is now closed, according to a note on the agency's Web page. The agency was a member of AAR.

I did some peeking around to see if the agents went elsewhere to other agencies but found nothing. If you have some info on this, please leave a comment.