Guide to Literary Agents - Tuesday, July 08, 2008

1. I asked superagent Janet Reid of FinePrint Literary Management (who runs the QueryShark blog) to write an article for the 2010 Guide to Literary Agents book and she found my suggested topics to be "boorrring!" So she opened a thread on her blog asking for topic suggestions. To see the suggestions and even weigh in, do so here.

2. After I presented at the Agents & Editors writers' conference in Austin recently, one writer in the crowd did a real nice write-up of the conference on Writer Unboxed, an awesome site. He details his experiences from the whole conference and even mentions our smart aleck back-and-forths during one of my sessions.

3. Speaking of presentations, a cool writer in the crowd at my latest presentation (in Virginia at Smith Mountain Lake) blogged about my presentation and posted a photo here. Her name is Becky and she runs the Peevish Pen blog.

4. Greenhouse Literary, a relatively new agency, has a blog I didn't know about. Check out agent Sarah Davies's words of wisdom.

5. Evatopia, a script and literary management agency in LA, has recently changed its address to: 8447 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 401, Beverly Hills, CA 90211.

6. And lastly, I received a copy of the new 2009 Guide to Literary Agents in my hands today. Exciting. It won't be in stores for another two weeks, but you can order it on Amazon at any time. The new book has updated information, new agency listings, and plenty of writers conferences.

7. And super-lastly, did anyone see Hancock? Man, it was bad! How do you screw that up? You got the world's most bankable star and a great concept, and you just blow it. I said it before: The Dark Knight is the must-see film of 2008 and the buzzstorm on that movie is in high gear. I remember that someone commented before and said Indy Jones IV was the must-see flick.
      Yeah ... OK.
      You chill with your aliens. I'll watch The Joker and Two-Face.

Random Updates | Writers' Conferences

7/8/2008 12:26:14 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Saturday, July 05, 2008

Agent Advice: Elizabeth Pomada of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents
Posted by Chuck

"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 Elizabeth Pomada of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents in San Francisco. Michael Larsen and Laurie McLean round out the agency, which was established in 1972. A member of the Association of Authors Representatives, Elizabeth Pomada cofounded the San Francisco Writers Conference and Writing for Change. She and Michael Larsen are frequently welcomed as presenters at writers’ conferences and literary events across the country.

GLA: Michael Larsen has written three guidebooks for writers, which give his professional advice and views on the publishing industry. You’ve written a travel book, and the two of you collaborated on a series about architecture. You're in the public eye. You were "transparent" before the term was coined to describe revealing an insider's perspective of a business.

EP: I'm afraid that we are just too transparent. If you read our Web site and also our listings in Writer's Digest Books and even Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents, strangers would pretty much know who we are and what we like. I'm pretty out there about wanting to do nothing more than read good books on the beach or in the pool. And now that we've started the San Francisco Writing for Change Conference—dedicated to nonfiction writers who want to change the world, one book at a time—the world knows that Michael really does want to save the world.

GLA: Is the Internet changing the way you operate?

EP: The Internet is certainly changing the way we do business. The phone doesn't always ring off the hook all day—and we sometimes worry about that. But then we open e-mail and see about 150 messages on our main address, Larsenpoma@aol.com; about 20 on our personal address; one on our "Painted Ladies" address; and 15 on the conference address, so we know people are reaching out. Also, we use e-mail to send manuscripts, so UPS and postage costs are down (amazing) and things are faster and easier to send, although it's still difficult to get answers. I still don't like to read queries online and end up printing out and reading and then answering, which takes up more time than it did before, but Michael does like to edit proposals online.

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

EP: Writers may contact us by writing a three-paragraph e-mail letter: the hook, the book, and the cook. Hook us to the idea; tell a bit about the book and a bit about the author.

GLA: Do you want to receive queries from writers who reside in countries other than the U.S.?

EP: We regularly receive queries from all over the world and don't mind, but they still have to be well written.

GLA: Are you currently seeking any specific kinds of manuscripts? Would you consider a graphic novel?

EP: We don't plan to accept or sell graphic novels. That's another world, and we don't wish to delve into it now. Our associate, Laurie McLean, did try for six months and found that it was simply too difficult, since it was another language, another set of editors and methods, and she has stopped. I'm still looking for wonderful historical novels, and Michael is still looking for books that can change the world.

GLA: If a writer sends you a promising query outside your specific areas of interest, will you pass it along to another agent?

EP: Michael and I do share promising queries with each other, if the initial reader isn't up to handling the project. But we do not pass queries on to other agents. We may suggest names to the writers, however.

GLA: What kinds of writing credentials or professional affiliations do you look for when you receive a query?

EP: For fiction, credentials really don't matter. But once a writer wants to enter the publishing business, then she should be a member of as many affiliations as possible for networking purposes. For example, Romance Writers of America, if she's doing romance. Mystery Writers of America, if mysteries. International Thriller Writers, if thrillers. For nonfiction, the author's platform is crucial.

GLA: Can you tell us about your latest deal?

EP: The most recent thing I've sold is Katharine Kerr's unexpected fifteenth book—and the promised last book—in the Deverry Series, The Silver Wyrm. Both it and number fourteen were unplanned, as the thirteenth was to be the last.

GLA: At which upcoming writers' conferences will you be found?

EP: We'll be attending the San Francisco Writing for Change conference in August 2008; East of Eden Writers Conference in Salinas, Calif., in September 2008; the San Francisco Writers Conference in February 2009; the Emerald Coast Writers Conference in Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., in March 2009; the Writer’s Digest Books Writers Conference in May 2009; BEA in New York City in May 2009; the Santa Barbara Writers Conference in June 2009; and the Women’s Fiction Festival in Matera, Italy. So far.

GLA: Michael Connelly and Dean Koontz drew a large audience when they spoke and signed books at BookExpo America (BEA) in Los Angeles. Can you pinpoint the qualities in these two bestselling authors that make their books so incredibly popular?

EP: Michael and I both enjoyed hearing Dean Koontz and Michael Connelly. I think the qualities that they both have are, first of all, polishing their craft. Both have written many, many books and they've worked their way up to where they are. They didn't start in the number one slot as some new writers expect to. And both have created characters that people care about, book after book.

GLA: To a writer looking for an agent, can you offer any advice about something we haven't discussed?

EP: As always, my advice to writers is to do your homework. Treat writing as a career, not a hobby. If you were going to be a lawyer or a firefighter, who would do your homework on the subject? Publishing should be treated seriously.

A long list of helpful online resources, as well as submission guidelines for writers seeking representation, can be found on the Larsen-Pomada website. Michael Larsen will soon be launching a blog in connection with Writing for Change. Watch for him and Elizabeth Pomada promoting the conference with a new video on YouTube later this month.

Elizabeth Pomada

Agent Advice (Agent Interviews)

7/5/2008 5:57:16 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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My Adventures in Smith Mountain Lake...
Posted by Chuck

Last week I got the chance to present for the Smith Mountain Lake Writers Group down in southwest Virginia (think near Roanoke). The talk drew in a decent crowd - considering the holiday so close - and attracted writers from several counties.

I'm still out of town and have been having trouble posting on the blog (sorry for the wait). Below you will find some questions that writers asked at the presentation.

Me and some of the Smith Mountain
Lake writers. To my right is group
coordinator Jim Morrison.

Q. What do you do if you're unhappy with how your literary agent is working for you?

A. Complicated question. The standard answer of "Be honest with her" is unfulfilling because you feel like she knows more than you, and she knows how to work. But still, you have to be honest and gently express concern at how things are going.
That said, have patience. As long as the agent is working on your project, then she is indeed working. If it's getting submitted to places with no luck, then examine why this is. Is this work sub-par? Does it need tweaking? What about these submissions she's sending to editors? Does she have relationships with the editors, or are these just cold submissions?
If you have decided to get out of a representation agreement with an agent, you will have to consult your contract, and check out the details (fine print). Contracts have termination clauses and you could be stuck with that agent for several weeks or months, etc. Usually this is not a problem because a reputable agent will want to cut ties with a client who wants to cut ties with them. That said, know that any previous books that you worked with the agent on - and sold - will be tied to the agent forever. For example, if your agent sold Book 1, and now you want to get out because Book 2 is going nowhere, you will always be locked in to that agent for Book 1 because she sold it. For every dollar you make now until forever, she gets 15 cents.

Q. Why is literary fiction a difficult sell?

A. Screenwriter Blake Snyder said that if you can't boil your story down to one super-intiguing sentence (a logline), then you're already in trouble. The reason that so much of what's out now in movie theaters is sequels and remakes and garbage is because it's easily marketable. People know what the story's about.
Genre fiction (also called popular fiction), such as mysteries or romance or sci-fi, has a specific framework - a specific blueprint. People enjoy mysteries because they want to solve a crime. They expect red herrings. They expect a clever villain. These things are integral parts of the mystery blueprint. Literary fiction has no blueprint! I've said before that when you don't know what your novel is genre-wise, it could very well be literary fiction. Because literary fiction has no blueprint, and the stories are often more layered and rich, that tends to make them harder to condense into one super-intriguing line. And that's why they're a hard sell. People just don't know what they're about, and they need to know if they're going to plunk down $27 for it.

Genre Writing | Writers' Conferences

7/5/2008 11:19:03 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Thursday, June 26, 2008

New Agency Alert: Straus Literary Agency
Posted by Kristen Howe

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.

Straus Literary Agency

319 Lafayette St., #220 New York, NY 10012. (646)843-9950. Fax: (646)390-3320. E-mail: jonah@strausliterary.com. Contact: Jonah Straus. New agency actively seeking clients. Prior to becoming an agent, Jonah spent 13 years in editorial, sales and marketing for publishing and book distributers in New York and San Francisco. Established: 2003. Currently handles: 50% Fiction, 50% Nonfiction.

Nonfiction areas of interest: biography, history, mind/body/spirit, travel, lifestyle, memoir, cookbooks, multicultural, current events, politics, humor. Fiction areas of interest: general fiction, historical fiction, literary fiction, multicultural fiction, mystery. How to Contact: E-mail query with synopsis, author bio and two sample chapters as attachment.

Recent sales: Above Top Secret: Uncover the Mysteries of the Digital Age by Jim Marrs (The Disinformation Company); Depression, War and Cold War: Studies in Political Economy by Robert Higgs (Oxford University Press, USA).

Note: This agency is not be confused with Robin Straus Literary, Inc.

New Agency Alerts

6/26/2008 11:27:27 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [3]

A WD Editor's Agent Notes from NYC
Posted by Chuck

Writer's Digest magazine editor Maria Schneider was recently up in New York City accompanying the grand-prize winners of the WD Annual Writing Competition. The big winners get a trip to Manhattan to meet with several agents, who they can schmooze with and pitch. How cool is that?

Maria came back with some notes (in no particular order). They are worthwhile to check out, so here are the best ones:

      • The term “book club novel” is hot; consider using in lieu of “literary” fiction; “crossover appeal” is another good catchphrase.
      • Know what the core conflict/turning point of your story is.
      • It takes a long time and a lot of effort to find the right agent because you want to find an agent who shares your vision for your writing career. This is one of the most important relationships of your life.
      • Many newer/younger agents are coming into the field with strong editing background and expect to do a lot of editing. (Chuck's note: This is, naturally, good news, but you cannot expect this. Assuming an agent will help you edit is a big no-no. If they do step in, simply be grateful.)
      • Get some publishing credits however you can before you pitch a novel; this sends a signal to everyone that you are a publishable writer.

Ah. New York. I took this
photo at BookExpo America in 2007.

Contests

6/26/2008 10:38:39 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Querying for a Nonfiction Self-Published Book
Posted by Chuck

Q. Do agents like self-published books to be sent in with a proposal instead of a tradition set of printed chapters?

A. Agents will want a book proposal if the book is nonfiction. With a self-published book, you have to approach it much like a normal query, but there is added pressure to prove that the book needs a second incarnation and that new sales can justify this.
I just wrote a long piece on this (querying agents with a self-published book) for the October issue of Writer's Digest, which comes out in August. Keep an eye out for it.

Self-Publishing and Agents

6/26/2008 1:55:13 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Agent Advice: Julie Hill of Julie Hill & Assoc.
Posted by Chuck

"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 Julie Hill of Julie A. Hill and Assoc., LLC. Julie's specialty is nonfiction.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

JH: I was writing for periodicals. My friends, who were screenwriters and also going through the finding-an-agent process, suggested I'd be good at it. And here I am.

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

JH: Lately I've been doing a lot of contract negtotiating for other people, but I did most recently sell a title to Barricade Books that releases in October 2008, Return to Naples: My Italian Bar Mitzvah. My most well-known book of late is A Blessing in Disguise by Andrea Joy Cohen, MD, from Penguin, released January of 2008. I always have the Florida travel guides from Frommers and Dummies (by Laura Lea Miller), which get updated yearly. I'd love to do more travel guides. Cafe Life: Venice Pubs in September '08 is the third in the Cafe Life series. Two more are due out next year: Seattle and San Francisco.

GLA: What are you specifically looking for right now and not getting? For example, a great nonfiction book about massage...

JH: Really great writers for travel, travel and travel. Also memoir, self help, and advice. I am also looking for anything that is in regard to Jewish titles, such as books about the Holocaust.

GLA: Your website says you are actively seeking queries from good nonfiction authors with a platform. Can you help define what separates a decent platform from a great platform?

JH: A great platform includes an author with great name recognition through a regular writing or performance gig: a column, a show, with a large audience. Their books traditionally do better than unknown writers, though there are exceptions. Having a big web presence is also in the great platform category. If you get a million hits a month, your platform is one publishers will care about.

GLA: What happens when you get a writer with good visibility and platform, but not in the subject they want to write in? Can that still work?

JH: If they have an outside editor to work with and some viable ideas, yes.

GLA: Do you consider yourself to have any weird quirks as an agent? In other words, have you ever been on an agent panel and heard all the other agents agree on something while you yourself thought differently

JH: YES. Most agents do not handle travel guides and I love them. They seem to shun "work-for-hire" like travel guides and related content.

GLA: Do you find that writers who break into nonfiction books and prove themselves as a reliable writer are in a position to get further book assignments from publishers?

JH: Abso-friggin-lutely, especially if their platform and sales history is impressive.

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

JH: None planned at present - sorry.

GLA: Any other bit(s) of advice concerning something we haven't discussed?

JH: Know how to write a great book proposal!

Julie Hill of Julie A. Hill And Assoc., LLC is looking for nonfiction in the following subjects: Reference, Biography, History, Religious, Mind/body/spirit, Health, Travel, Lifestyle, Science.
Send all submissions via snail mail. Never send a complete ms unless requested. Send to Julie A. Hill and Assoc. LLC, 1155 Camino Del Mar, #530, Del Mar, CA. 92014.

Agent Advice (Agent Interviews) | Nonfiction

6/25/2008 3:05:02 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [4]

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Verna Dreisbach Opens Dreisbach Literary
Posted by Chuck

Literary agent Verna Dreisbach, an agent at Andrea Hurst Literary in Sacramento, is branching off to form her own literary agency: Dreisbach Literary.

The happening is still in motion now (and her new website isn't even up and running yet), but take note if you were considering querying her. I would hold off on any submissions to The Vern until her transition is complete. In fact, I won't even paste her new contact info just yet because your query would be wasted right now.

Verna, who is a constant traveler to writers' conferences (much like me) is still headed to a lot of places - the Willamette Writers' Conference, for example, in Portland in August.

To learn more about Vern, check out the GLA blog announcement of her arrival as an agent, and then check out Robin Mizell's interview with her.

More info coming soon...

Random Updates

6/24/2008 11:29:37 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

What To Do When They Don't Want "Unsolicited Manuscripts"
Posted by Chuck

Q. I have recently completed a manuscript for a children's book. I have looked online for publishing companies to send the manuscript. All the publishers I contacted said they do not except "unsolicited" manuscripts. I came across the Guide to Literary Agents website looking for direction. Do you have any suggestions on how to get my manuscript to the publisher for review?
        - Marci H.

A. This basic question is probably one of the most common ones out there, so I thought I would address it, even if some readers already know the answer.
       First of all, let's just define it real quick: An unsolicited manuscript is one that has not been requested. So what that means is you can't send any mss in for review that were not first requested. If you do, these submissions will not be considered.
       To get over this hurdle, you basically have two options. First, you can look for a literary agent who will represent you. The literary agent represents your work when dealing with editors and only sends it to editors she knows. Therefore, the work is now solicited.
       Second, you can query the publisher. Just send them a one-page letter (the query) asking if you can submit the entire ms or at least a sample for review. If they like your query and are intrigued by the book's concept, they will request sample chapters or perhaps the entire thing. Since they have just requested some writing, the work is now solicited.

Queries and Synopses and Proposals

6/24/2008 2:36:27 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Be Realistic. It's a Tough Market Right Now.
Posted by Chuck

Talked to agent Andrea Hurst yesterday and the conversation turned to the current state of the market. According to Andrea, things are tough out there. The publishing business is in no way immune to the recession going on and it's difficult to sell books. To paraphrase her: How good are a new author's chances when agents are having trouble selling the work of their established authors? Eek.

Agent Rachelle Gardner, who specializes in Christian work, echoed the concern, saying times are tight.

The point is: Don't get discouraged if you're having trouble finding an agent right now. It's a tough time. When you've got agents spending more time than usual trying to sell the work of their client list, that doesn't leave a whole lot of time for them to be reading queries. Just tell yourself: It's a bad time right now; this will pass.

Keep your chin up!

6/24/2008 2:26:39 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [2]

Monday, June 23, 2008

Calling All SW Virginia Writers!
Posted by Chuck

I will be presenting to the Smith Mountain Lake Writers Group the night of Wednesday, July 2. That's right - I'll be in "the jewel of the blue ridge mountains." Smith Mountain Lake is somewhat close to Roanoke (southeast of it) and not terribly far from Greensboro, N.C., if you're trying to place it on a map.

If you're in the area and have time prior to your July 4 plans, I will be presenting on "How To Get an Agent" and then I will answer any and all questions on publishing and writing that the crowd dares to ask.

According to the official agenda, I begin at 7 p.m. and will go for at least two hours. We meet at the Moneta/Smith Mountain Lake Library. Members of the Valley Chapter of the Virginia Writers Club near Roanoke are warmly invited, it seems.

Hope to see you there!

Some of Smith Mountain Lake from the air.

Writers' Conferences

6/23/2008 5:53:10 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Expert Guidance: Janet Reid
Posted by Chuck

"I cannot emphasize strongly enough how important it is to be PLAINSPOKEN in a query letter. I'll be happy if you never use more than one adjective, adverb or metaphor in a paragraph. Tell me who the characters are, what happens to them, and why I should care."

- Agent Janet Reid of FinePrint Literary Management, on her Query Shark blog.

Queries and Synopses and Proposals

6/23/2008 11:09:54 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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