Guide to Literary Agents - Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Reminder: Newer agents/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.

Josh Getzler of Writers House

21 W. 26th Street, New York NY 10010. Email: jgetzler@writershouse.com. www.writershouse.com Seeking new and unagented writers. Prior to becoming a junior agent, Mr. Getzler have had 15 years in the business (not all publishing). Currently handles: 75% fiction, 25% nonfiction. Nonfiction areas of fiction: Biography, Business/Investing/Finance, Music, Religious, Cookbooks, History, Sports. Fiction areas of fiction: General fiction, Mystery, Historical novels (esp. mysteries), Thrillers, Noir, Children's. Does not want to receive: picture books.

How to contact: E-mail only with query with five or so pages. Synopsis not necessary. Actively seeking: Foreign and historical thrillers. Recent sales: Devil's Thrill by Gerald Elias (Minotaur, Fall 2009).

This new agent tip
provided by GLA blogger
extraordinaire Kristen Howe.

New Agency Alerts

7/30/2008 1:53:28 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Agency Profile: Ashley Grayson Literary Agency
Posted by Chuck

Ashley Grayson Literary Agency

1342 18th St., San Pedro CA 90732. Fax: (310)514-1148. E-mail: graysonagent@earthlink.net. Member Agents: Ashley Grayson (fantasy, mystery, thrillers, young adult); Carolyn Grayson (chick lit, mystery, children's, nonfiction, women's fiction, romance, thrillers); Denise Dumars (mind/body/spirit, women's fiction, dark fantasy/horror); Lois Winston (women's fiction, chick lit, mystery). Prefers established writers, mostly referrals. Established: 1976. Member of AAR. Represents 100 clients. 5% of clients are new/unpublished writers.

Specializes in: "We prefer to work with published (traditional print), established authors. We will give first consideration to authors who come recommended to us by our clients or other publishing professionals. We accept a very small number of new, previously unpublished authors." Currently Handles: 20% Nonfiction Books; 50% Novels; 30% Juvenile Books. Nonfiction areas of interest: Business/Economics; Computers/Electronic; History; Popular Culture; Science/Technology; Self-Help/Personal Improvement; Sports; True Crime/Investigative; mind/body/spirit; health; lifestyle. Fiction areas of interest: Fantasy, Juvenile, Multicultural, Mystery/Suspense, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Women's, chick lit.

How to Contact: As of 2008, the agency was only open to fiction authors with publishing credits (no self-published). For nonfiction, only writers with great platforms will be considered. Accepts e-mail queries. Recent Sales: Ball Don't Lie, by Matt de la Pena (Delacorte); Heaven, by Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart (Warner Books); I Wish I Never Met You, by Denise Wheatley (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster). Other Clients Represented: Isaac Adamson, John Barnes, Andrew Fox, Barb and J.C. Hendee, Geoffrey Landis, Bruce Coville, J.B. Cheaney, David Lubar and Christopher Pike. Terms: Agent receives 15% commission on domestic sales; 20% commission on foreign sales.

Agency Profile

7/30/2008 1:42:37 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Do You Send a Query or a Proposal or Both?
Posted by Chuck

Q. I have completed my nonfiction book proposal and am ready to begin contacting agents. In the 2008 Guide to Literary Agents, I notice that the preferred method is to send agents a query letter. Does the agent require the proposal too, or is the proposal used to send to publishers? Can I send agents the proposal and a cover letter? I'm just wondering how best to proceed, and appreciate any insight you might have.
- Jane

A. Every agent is different in terms of what they want, so there is no preferred method, so to speak. Most will probably tell you to send the proposal right away. Some will want to see a strong query letter, and then ask for the proposal if they're intrigued by the query. Much more often than not, they will say exactly what they want on their website. If they do NOT (and you've really looked everywhere), then I advise just sending the proposal. Most agents can size up a proposal in about two minutes. After that, they will either be interested and read the whole thing, or they will send a form rejection your way.
And to address another point here, the proposal is indeed sent to publishers by the agent, but an agent will go over it with a fine-tooth comb for a while to make sure it's perfect.

Nonfiction

7/30/2008 1:27:35 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Interning With an Agency
Posted by Chuck

I am in the southwest part of Virginia right now where you recently did a speaking engagement, though I didn't go since I did not know about it, and I really want to get into the publishing business. However, I have made an obligation to stay here with a friend of mine for a year or so. I'm having trouble finding a job at a bookstore (or really anywhere), despite having run a book review site for over a year now (myspace.com/bookchicclub), and so am thinking about branching out a bit. Anyway, my question is, do you know of any agents, particularly those who deal with YA/MG manuscripts, who are in the southwest part of Virginia? It's hard to find them on agentquery.com since most people are looking for genre-specific agents rather than location-specific agents. I would love to be able to help them out and work under them for a while.
        - James

A. There are two parts to my answer.
     First, like I've said before on the blog, you don't need to work with an agent that's near you in terms of proximity. That makes no difference.
       But I think you're also asking about it because you want to intern and learn some things about the business, correct? I admire your goal here, as working at an agency will help you learn a lot. But I know of no agencies in SW Virginia (let alone children-centric ones), so the problem remains. You can work for an agency from a distance, though. You would be reading a lot of submissions and queries and picking out the best ones to send to the agents for their perusal. It's a long-distance business internship. An arrangement like that is quite common, but you have to find a good agency to hook up with, have a solid agreement with them as to your role, and then have an ultimate goal in mind so you're just not plodding through a slush pile for the rest of your life.

7/30/2008 1:21:23 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [2]

Monday, July 28, 2008

Exclusive Submissions: Treading Carefully
Posted by Chuck

Q. I have been sending out multiple submissions for the past few months on my completed manuscript. I received and granted a one-month request for reading exclusivity to an agent. The next day, I receive a request from
another house. What is the best way to proceed with the second request?
I am not sure if I should tell the second agent to wait 30 days or just stall and send the manuscript to the agent in 30 days. What is the etiquette for this situation?
        - Dave

A. First of all, congrats on getting multiple requests for the full ms.
       Now, on to your question. The best etiquette is to simply be honest. Reply to Agent #2 (by e-mail, hopefully), saying how excited you are about their request for the full text, but you regretfully have to inform them that it is in the middle of an exclusive read. Ask them if you can send it to them in a few weeks when the exclusive period ends, providing Agent #1 has ultimately said no to the project. The quicker you can do this and reply, the more professional it seems.
       If Agent #1 says no and Agent #2 hasn't answered your question, I advise sending it anyway. They wanted to see it, and they may have not replied because they were momentarily frustrated that you couldn't immediately send it. But, still, they did want to see it, so send the requested ms over to Agent #2 ASAP.

7/28/2008 10:57:21 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Calling Debut Childen's Authors!
Posted by Chuck

This message passed on from Alice Pope, editor extraordinaire of Children's & Illustrator's Market.

"With the 2009 CWIM out the door and in the stores, I'm officially starting my search for first-time authors and illustrators to feature in 'First Books' in the 2010 edition of CWIM.
If you have a debut book coming out in the near future and woud like to be interviewed for 'First Books,' I want to hear from you. But there are some rules—and you must visit my blog to read them.
(And remember, if I don't choose your for 'First Books,' you could be a Debut Author of the Month featured in this newsletter and on my blog.)"

Children's Writing | Contests

7/28/2008 10:45:21 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Friday, July 25, 2008

Agent Advice: Lilly Ghahremani of Full Circle Literary
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 Lilly Ghahremani of Full Circle Literary in San Diego. Lilly handles some fiction, but her passions are nonfiction, children's works, and the occasional graphic novel.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

LG: I joined a law firm/literary agent straight out of law school, so I quickly learned the art of finessing a publishing deal, protecting authors' rights, and understanding what the market responded to. I met Stefanie, then a fellow agent at the company, and upon realizing our shared vision for a young, energetic agency, we joined forces to launch Full Circle in 2004.

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

LG: This week I'm selling renown hypnotherapist Debra Berndt's Let Love In (calling all single girls!) to Wiley. Other recent sales in the past couple of weeks include Baby Sing and Sign by Penny Warner to Three Rivers

GLA: Online, your fiction "wants" say "multicultural, literary or by referral only." What does this mean exactly? Does this mean any adult fiction not multicultural or literary can only be submitted through a referral?

LG: Yes. We have really done quite well within nonfiction and children's, so that's our main focus for new clients. As avid fiction readers ourselves, we are open to representing fiction and certainly do on occasion, but we prefer that it fall within our pronounced interests. There are so many fantastic agents out there aggressively representing fiction, so we've tried to outline what 's likely to get strong consideration with us.

GLA: You just attended the Writers League of Texas Agents & Editors conference. Besides writers being too nervous, what is the most common mistake(s) you see writers making during an in-person pitch?

LG: That's a great question, Chuck, thanks for asking! I think the mistake of the pitch is to read. You have 5, or possibly 15 minutes with an agent. This is their chance to see you as a person. Many of us (at the very least I can say this is true for myself) feel it's important to connect not just with the work, but with the author. Your work will speak for itself once we have a chance to sit down and read it - take this time to make eye contact with us, show us why you'd be easy and wonderful to work with, show us your passion for your project. And to qualm the nervousness, remember that, no matter how agents behave, without writers we have no job!

GLA: What are you looking for right now and not getting? For example - an adventure novel set in Iran. A nonfiction book proposal about massage therapy...

LG: I am very interested in doing more books that will preserve our environment and that introduce readers to "green" issues in a non-cliche way. I'm also interested in hip crafting books. I would love to do some children's, YA, or middle-grade books about the middle east. Multicultural books are appearing about a variety of ethnicities, but I'm not seeing them about Middle Easterners as much as I'd hoped. I'm also interested in pop culture, always and forever!

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?

LG: I seem to differ with my colleagues on the likeability of an author. I came to publishing from law because I don't want to work for a client just because they're a client or they pay me. I wanted to work for clients because I believe in them and their work and because we have an energetic partnership. I feel that one of the benefits of running my own company is the opportunity to handpick who I work with, and I make use of that privilege regularly. In other words, I'm not a Diva Management Firm. I take the author and book as a full package!

GLA: You look for multicultural fiction, and books set in the Middle East are of special interest. Concering these submissions you see, what are the most common places where writers go wrong? What makes you stop reading a multicultural fiction submission?

LG: The biggest mistake I've seen is people who want to write about the Middle East because they think it's a hot topic, but then not educating themselves enough about it. For example, one woman submitted a project to me that just briefly mentioned a heavy dresser that the character's parents had brought over during the Revolution. Well that caught my eye, because people who left Iran during the Revolution did so under duress, traveling over mountains by car or animal, or leaving all their worldly possessions and hopping on one of the last flights out of Tehran. This is a fact that cursory research would have uncovered.
        Another common mistake is folks who present genre fiction to me. Even if a genre novel takes place in the Middle East, my interest in those doesn't surpass my need to stay within what we can sell well for you!

GLA: I know your co-agent, Stefanie, reps kids books, but do you as well?

LG: Yes, I do. And readers may not know this, but Stefanie and I work together on all the projects at Full Circle - many agencies have one agent designated to a project, but we pool our resources to give authors the strongest footing going forward. Even if I acquire a project for us, they will benefit from Stefanie's superior years in the children's book industry.

GLA: What are you looking for in a graphic novel? What are the elements of a perfect GN query?

LG: In a graphic novel (I have yet to take one on!), I'm looking for stylized, professional artwork, but more than that - a fresh, compelling story. My mind was opened to graphic novels after reading Marjane Satrapi's incredible Persepolis. I myself hadn't realized how emotional and powerful a graphic novel could be as a medium to tell a tale until the moment I opened that book.

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

LG: I don't have any on deck at the moment, but we try to keep an updated list on our website.

GLA: Any blogs you want to plug?

LG: Yes! Two in particular. First, ours - fullcirclelit.blogspot.com. Secondly, our author Jon Yang. He's the author of the Rough Guide to Blogging, and his insights are hilarious. To be honest, I first found him as a blogger online, and that's how we parlayed the first book deal. His YA novels, beginning with Exclusively Chloe, are forthcoming from Penguin.

GLA: Other bit of advice on something we haven't discussed?

LG: Yes! Did you know Kirkland Vodka is actually Grey Goose, produced for generic packaging? You can thank me later.

        Lilly Ghahremani is an attorney now "using her powers for good" as a literary agent with Full Circle Literary (co-founded with Stefanie Von Borstel). Lilly is interested in a wide range of nonfiction, driven by a compelling narrative voice (even if it's a how-to). She is interested in YA, and is open to reviewing chick lit or literary fiction. As a rule please know that Full Circle does not represent genre fiction (thriller, mystery, romance, suspense, horror, western, historical), poetry, or screenplays.
        A sampling of her recent sales include Raina Lee's karaoke book Hit Me with Your Best Shot (Chronicle Books), Joseph Sommerville's Rainmaking Presentations (Palgrave), and Cal Patch's Patternmaking (RH/Potter Craft). Lilly particularly enjoys books about pop culture, crafts, the rest of the world (with a soft spot for the Middle East), music and the performing arts, and topics that connect with a female readership.

Agent Advice (Agent Interviews) | Children's Writing | Graphic Novels

7/25/2008 10:20:13 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

FinePrint Literary's New Blog
Posted by Chuck

FinePrint Literary Management in New York has started a new blog: http://fineprintlit.blogspot.com/.

FinePrint is a medium-sized agency full of super-cool agents.

Hat tip on this great
info: future famous
writer Nancy Parish.

7/25/2008 9:48:27 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Talking Script/Screenplay Managers
Posted by Chuck

Q. I was wondering on how you can help me get the right agent. I've written a screenplay, which is copyedited and registered. My query letter and my synopsis seem to be very good.
       - Natalie

GLA: A-ha. You're looking for a script agent, not a literary agent. More specifically, you want a script manager. Agents in California are wheeler-dealers who generally do not take on or consider new clients. If you're trying to break in cold, query a manager. Managers work like literary agents out there. When the time comes, your manager will connect with an agent to make a deal. It stinks a bit, because you have to pay 15% to one and 10% to the other. A lot of reps out west who are open to queries from new screenwriters are managers, but may not call themselves that (they may use the word "agent").
       The new 2009 Guide to Literary Agents book doesn't list any script managers. Why, you ask? Because in less than six months, the first ever edition of Screenwriter's & Playwright's Market will be in bookstores. If you don't want to wait that long, just get a subscription to WritersMarket.com, which has the entire database.

Fortunately enough, I just interviewed script and literary manager Marc Manus, of Manus Entertainment Literary Management, who was a panelist at our writers' conference in Los Angeles in May. I interviewed him for the new SPM book, but I want to post some of his answers here because I think they'll help.

GLA: Besides a concise pitch, what are you looking for when a writer talks to you in person or contacts you via a query?

MM: Personally, I look for some sense of concept and marketing in a writer's queries - is the person hitting the commercial side of my brain? Or is the person boring me with unnecessary details about how the main character changes because of a tragedy? If the person's loglines seem to encapsulate a really good movie idea, I will usually ask to read a sample. A person's background can help, as well. I will lend weight to someone who claims to have a background in writing (journalism, advertising, etc.) or someone who has gone to film school.
        Assuming the writer makes it past the query stage and I've read a good sample from the person, it's time to meet. When I sit down (or chat via phone) with a writer, I am essentially looking for someone that I am not afraid to put in a room with executives and producers. That person should be articulate and energetic. I've actually passed on representing people who come across as lethargic or argumentative. Life is too short.

GLA: We know the textbook definition between a manager and an agent in Hollywood. That said, do you feel like contacting a manager is the best route for newer writers? Are agents just too busy?

MM: For newer writers, yes. Agents rarely have time to deal with some of their existing clients.

GLA: When a writer contacts you, how many scripts should they have up their sleeve?

MM: I recommend at least two, if not more. And a plethora of good ideas!

GLA: What are the most common problems you see in the first 5-10 pages of the specs you read?

MM: Beginnings that are uninteresting and fail to set the tone of the script. And lackluster introductions of main characters. I can't tell you how many scripts fall short on those two levels...

GLA: Any other advice or tips for newer writers on a topic we haven't covered?

MM: Yes, it's not enough to simply generate a feature or TV idea, write the script and be done with it. You have to think about the business - how it grows, where it's moving. Think about your idea as intellectual property and not just a movie or television show; platforming is important.
        And legacy. Will your idea stand the test of time? It's important to understand what moves human beings and how to effectively communicate that in your story.

Agent Advice (Agent Interviews) | Screenwriting and Script Agents

7/23/2008 10:32:15 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Monday, July 21, 2008

Do Not Query Big Score Productions
Posted by Chuck

I suppose I should have posted this a long time ago, but late is better than never...

Big Score Productions was listed in a few past editions of Guide to Literary Agents. Somewhere in the past year (well after the 2008 edition hit shelves), Big Score started charging a $50 fee before reading submitted writing.

Don't query them. I took them out of the new edition, which is now in bookstores.

Concerning bad agencies

Once in a blue moon, I receive a complaint about an agency and it usually goes something like this: "Such and such agency won't return my calls!" I log the complaint and move on, but nothing much ever happens. The policy is that after 2-3 legitimate complaints, we start snooping around and making phone calls, and take them out of the database - but we almost never get even two troubling complaints about the same agency.

But about once a year, we receive about 5-20 about one bad one that snuck its way in. Big Score is one of those. Of course, you should never pay any upfront fees just so that your work is read or considered. No way, Jose.

One way to avoid this is to get a subscription to WritersMarket.com, rather than buying any print editions. As soon as we find out about any change to any publication or agent, we update the online database and it is changed immediately. It's very convenient. Plus, the online database has more than 6,000 listings for everything - not just agents.

Concerning this post's cadence

I just finished reading Tucker Max's I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, which is a frighteningly hilarious collection of moments centered around sex, beer and the rock-and-roll lifetstyle. I am trying not to take on his strange alpha-male, short sentence cadence, though it is difficult. You ever get around that British friend or Southern friend and you find yourself taking on their patterns of speech and possibly even a bit of an accent? I'm fighting that now. Sorry if I lose the battle...

Scams

7/21/2008 4:19:57 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

On Writing Memoir and Agents...
Posted by Chuck

I spent much of these past few weeks on vacation, but now I'm finally back in the office, plugging away on projects and glancing through the brand new 2009 Guide to Literary Agents, which will be available nationwide soon.

One of the projects I've spent several nights on recently is freelance editing a memoir. To back up a bit here, let me first say something about the memoir genre in general: Everybody wants to write one, it seems. When I go to writers' conferences, there are a disproportionate amount of writers who are trying to sell memoirs (with picture books probably a close second). So I am often listening to memoir pitches and hearing about them. It is rare, though, that I get to read an unpublished one front to back like this and dive into it.

So fresh from editing the manuscript, I humbly offer four tips for those out there penning a memoir:

        1. Give us only the best parts. A lot happens in your life, so writers may summarize lots of information in their pages, but this approach backfires. In your quest to get it all down on paper (in a much too diary-like fashion) and leave no month un-summarized, you have "told, not shown" us everything, and we never slowed down to enjoy scenes of the best moments. Realize that you will end of leaving plenty of the cutting room floor.
        2. Ask yourself: Is your life that interesting that someone will spend $25 to read it? If you say yes, identify why. Make that the crux of your book.
       3. Establish the themes early. Is your book about redemption? Family commitment? Overcoming despair? Figure it out and have that theme tie the book together.
       4. Write it like a novel. Use cliffhangers, quotes, white space, character development, and the three-act structure. Make sure it begins quickly and hooks us in.

The good news for memoir writers is that plenty of agents want to rep your books, but the bad news is that you're fighting against lots of other writers, so make sure your writing stands apart. You must either have a tremendous story to tell, or a fantastic voice that can make an ordinary story very entertaining.

Nonfiction

7/15/2008 4:15:38 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [4]

Finding a Literary Agent For Children's/Juvenile Writing
Posted by Chuck

I looked into getting an agent. I sent a query to the Children's Literary Agency. They responded almost immediately asking for the manuscript. Their request was so instant that it really sent red flags up for me. I began to do Google searches for the company and found a lot of negative comments about the company. Several said they request manuscripts from every query they get. One had signed a contract with the company and ended up sending several hundred dollars for a professional edit. No one had actually ever been past the editing process with the company that I found online.
        When I read the e-mail from the agent, it stated that there is no phone number where they can be contacted. When asked about their company, they said, "We are bigger than a small agency and smaller than a large agency," and they travel to New York and Florida on a regular basis. Obviously, I deleted the e-mail requesting my manuscript.
        So now, I am a little "gun shy" contacting other agents. I have looked online and found many who are excepting query letters (not very many for a children's manuscript) but I'm afraid of who will be reading the query on the other side. That is when I found your website. I was hoping you would be able to give me some in site to reputable agents for children's literature. I don't have any false hope that this will be an easy process.
        - Marci

GLA: Thanks for writing, Marci. There is a lot here to address.
       First, well done on looking out for red flags and protecting yourself. A simple Google search could have saved a lot of other people like yourself time and money. That agency you speak of is widely regarded as a scam, and they are on Writer Beware's list of the 20 worst literary agencies out there.
       Next, on to your concern that few agents rep children's manuscripts. This is both very true and very false. The fact is that a TON of agents rep juvenile fiction - it's just that most of those I speak of are looking for young adult (YA) and middle grade (MG). Both of these genres are hot in a publishing market that's cold, hence why so many agents are looking for the next big thing. That said, you are correct in saying that few agents rep picture book manuscripts and projects of a similar nature. Fewer picture books are published these days, and there is a glut of them sitting in agents' inboxes. Too many people want to write a picture book ms. If this is your goal, best of luck.
       Now, regarding how to find reputable literary agents. You have some options. Pick up a copy of Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market. Not only does it have plenty of agent listings, it also has instructional articles on writing/craft, as well as other market listings for children's writers. The website I help oversee is www.writersmarket.com, and it has the whole shebang in terms of literary agent listings. It has the biggest agent database you can find anywhere - but know that it is a pay site.
       Besides that, you can always check out AgentQuery.com, a helpful free resource online that lists reputable agents. Is it as big as WritersMarket.com? No, but it's free and it's very solid. You may want to join the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). It will likely cost a fee, but you can have access to their wisdom and a list of recommended agents.
       Those are some good places to start. Some options cost money. Some don't. But what I think happened is you just got spooked. You caught a real bad agency at first because you were looking in the wrong place. Search in the right places (mentioned above) and they're all reputable. They may not reply fast, and they may say "no" much more often than "yes," but you won't have to pay any upfront fees.

Children's Writing

7/15/2008 11:12:10 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [4]

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