At conferences, attendees always (always) ask about self-publishing, and they ask a lot of questions—which is why I'm titling this post "Part 1," because more will follow. These attendees, some of which have already self-published, invariably inquire about whether or not agents will consider representing an author's book even if that author has already self-published said book.

So will they? The answer's complicated, but usually leans toward "No."

First of all, if you self-publish a book, it has to sell well to get the attention of an agent. How many copies, you ask? I've heard some agents say 8,000, while others say 30,000. Let's compromise at 15,000. That's no easy task, my friends. You're selling every copy yourself, peddling your wares every day. Yes, you may get distribution in a few local bookstores, but then again, that's just a few local bookstores. 
      Also, good sales can actually be a deterrent to a publisher if your book is very regional. Let's say you self-publish a book called Oklahoma's Rodeo Champions and tour the state, selling it at small events and out of your car trunk. Maybe you sell 9,500 copies—a notable feat. Then, when you present your work to an agent or a traditional publisher, they may think that everyone who will likely buy the book has already bought the book.

Agents want to find undiscovered gems. If your book is self-published and, perhaps, some of it is available online for free, an agent will likely pass on your work. The basic thinking is: If the book was so good, why self-publish in the first place? Why not just sign with an agent and sell the book to a traditional publisher?

There are success stories concerning this. At a recent conference in Tennessee, I met motivational speaker Tama J. Kieves, author of This Time I Dance: Creating the Work You Love. Her self-published book was of much higher quality than most self-published works, and word-of-mouth praise boosted sales enough for her to sign a deal with Tarcher/Penguin-Putnam for them to publish/distribute the book. Now, she's a successful author with another book on the way. So: It can happen, but you have to sell a lot of copies, and that's extremely difficult.

More to come on agents and self-publishing...

In less than a month, I'll be at the Harriette Austin Writers' Conference in Athens, Ga. The conference has a great list of speakers and agents lined up—and one such agent is Cherry Weiner of the Cherry Weiner Literary Agency. That's why Cherry is the newest featured agent for "Agent Advice," 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.

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

CW: A very nice three-book deal—hopefully the start of an ongoing series—to HarperCollins. The overall series title is "Skinner" and it is a modern urban fantasy. The author is Marcus Pelegrimas, also known for his terrific Western books as Marcus Galloway.
    
GLA: You'll be at the Harriette Austin Writers’ Conference. When an author sits down to pitch you, what is some advice you can give them?

CW: One word: Relax. If you're relaxed, you can pitch your story a lot better than if you're in a panic, or scared of the big bad agent sitting in front of you. And I will want to know three things before getting into the story line:
      1. Is it finished? 
      2. How many words? 
      3. What is the genre?
Then give me about three sentences on the story. And, if you can, tell me what makes your book different from all the others out there of the same ilk—and don't tell me your voice because I know this—all voices are different. I want to know if you have a different hook.     
 
GLA: What subjects or genres are you actively seeking at this time?

CW: Actually, I'm not "actively seeking" any specific genre. If I talk to an author who impresses me and whose story line sounds interesting, you can be sure I'll ask for it.   I do handle all the fiction genres, and some nonfiction but not a lot. I handle very little YA and very little children's as well as no poetry.
 
GLA: Will you be speaking in Georgia?

CW: I don't speak at conferences. I do a three-minute (presentation) to give you information and help you understand publishing. Then I host a large Q&A where you ask and I will answer. I throw the whole time open to any kind and every kind of question the audience members want to ask.
 
GLA: You request that writers not cold query you, but instead meet you at a conference before querying—why?

CW: I have been in the business for 30 years now, and I am not a new agency looking for authors. I have my established ones, but leave room for new people that I meet at conferences. By talking to the author first, I get a sense of the person and if we can work together. More importantly, though, I think that an author should meet the agent that is going to handle their "baby." I do tell the authors to try and meet all the agents that are at a conference, get a sense of them as agents and people, and then decide who they would like to work with, and then contact them. 

Cherry Weiner of the Cherry Weiner Literary Agency.

Here's what's going on around the other Writer's Digest properties:

A pair of Writer's Digest Books editors have teamed up to start a great new blog for poets. The blog—"Poetic Asides"—was recently created as a joint effort between Poet's Market Editor Nancy Breen and Writer's Market Editor Robert Brewer.

On the Writer's Digest magazine Web site, several great articles are online. Make sure to check out the 2007 list of the 101 Best Web Sites for Writers, an invaluable resource.

"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 Mollie Glick, a literary agent with the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency in New York City.

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

MG: I just accepted a fabulous three-book preemptive offer from Simon & Schuster for a first-time novelist named Dorothy Hearst. Her series is called “The Wolf Chronicles” and it was pitched as a cross between The Clan of the Cave Bear and Watership Down. It's about the first wolves that became dogs and the co-evolution of dogs and humans. Another recent deal I'm really excited about was a first novel by Willa Cather Award-winner R.M. Kinder. It's a dark literary suspense novel called An Absolute Gentlemen, and it's coming out from Counterpoint this October—right around Halloween!

An Absolute Gentleman by R.M. Kinder (Counterpoint)

GLA: Your agency is a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR). A lot of agents out there are non-AAR. Plenty are reputable. Plenty aren't. How do writers go about separating the reputable from the non-reputable?

MG: If the agent you're considering isn't a member of the AAR, you'll want to check a few references of clients they've worked with, to ask them what houses they've made deals with, and to make sure their commissions are fair and that they're not charging you for reading fees.

GLA: What do you think is the most common mistake writers make when they give a short in-person pitch to an agent?

MG: Being really nervous. When authors get really nervous, they tend to give full plot summaries, rather than presenting a concise one- to two-sentence elevator pitch, telling me the kind of book they're writing. Another big mistake authors make is failing to do the same research they would if they were sending a letter—making sure that the agent they're sitting with handles the kind of book they're writing.

GLA: Bottom line—what attracts you to a work?

MG: I'm drawn to originality—in voice and subject matter. When I've got a manuscript or proposal in my bag, sitting next to a great published book I'm reading and I pick up the manuscript instead of the book because I'm that drawn to it, I know I'm going to take it on.

Mollie Glick is a literary agent at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency. She focuses on literary and commercial fiction, as well as nonfiction—she's a generalist, more interested in finding fresh, unique voices and smart, original perspectives than in sticking to a prescribed genre. Very hands-on, Mollie works collaboratively with her authors to refine their manuscripts and proposals, then focusing on identifying just the right editors for the submissions. Published books Mollie wishes she had worked on are Siri Husvedt's What I Loved, Audrey Niffeneger's The Time Traveler's Wife, and Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow.

Mollie Glick of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency.

Agent extraordinaire Lori Perkins, another cool agent blogger, has passed on a cool contest for writers - specifically, mothers.

Here's the gist: A pair of professional writers are putting together a book called Dear Daughter: On the Day You Were Born ... and they're seeking contributors through a writing contest.

Mothers who wish to participate should compose a letter, 500 to 1,000 words in length, that is addressed to their daughter, discussing the day of the daughter's birth. According to the press release on Perkins' Web site, "Judges will be looking for candid, honest letters that evoke strong emotion, and offer insight and depth." The contest rules are liberal, and the term "daughters" includes stepdaughters, daughters-in-law and more.

It has a money prize and winning stories will be published. The deadline is Sept. 31. I haven't read the rules thoroughly so make sure you do. With a contest like this, it's a great opportunity, but always important to check what rights you're giving away. Best of luck!

According to her blog, Rachel Vater has moved to Folio Literary Management.

Says Rachel on her new venture: "I'm so excited and pleased to announce my new position with Folio Literary Management ... This is my dream agency ..."

For those who didn't know, Rachel - a rising star in the literary agent world - was once the editor of a little book called Guide to Literary Agents. She then lefting editing for the thrills of agenting, and was an agent at Don Maass and Associates as well as Lowenstein-Yost Associates.

Agents on the Web

This is as good a time as ever to mention that Rachel is an agent blogger. She tackles all kinds of subjects, including what goes into a good query, how to craft an effective pitch, and how to evaluate why exactly your novel may not be interesting to an agent.

Check it out.

Wouldn't ya know it ... I sent out a newsletter this morning that says "Check out the blog for this, check out the blog for that," and it's sent out just as the blog temporarily went haywire.

Not to fear - the GLA blog is back up and running. Sorry for the confusion.

Writers always ask copyright questions at writers' conferences. It's an absolute certainty. With that in mind, I figured I'd post two helpful links that will address some basics myths and realities about copyright.

First of all, if you want to purchase a copyright or get your information straight from the horse's mouth, visit the United States Copyright Office site.

Writer Beware has a great page on copyright information you should check out. The page also has links regarding copyright information in other countries besides the U.S.

Three quick copyright tips from Chuck:

1. Poor man's copyright will not help you in court. You probably know what I'm talking about - it's when you mail yourself a manuscript and don't open the envelope to prove that you created such and such a work on such and such a date. Anyway ... it doesn't take the place of a real copyright, which now costs $45, by the way.

2. Don't put the copyright symbol on your ms when you submit it to agents and editors. They know it's copyrighted, and legitimate professionals will never, ever think about stealing work. Including the symbol makes you look bad.

3. If you're concerned about protecting your work (because ideas, concepts and premises are not copyrightable and can indeed be stolen), my best advice is just to keep it to yourself. Don't post anything online. Don't write about it on the Internet. Heck, don't talk about the plot with unknown writers at writers' conferences, if you're that worried. Just write it and sell it; then you can blab all you want.

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On the Writer's Digest Editors site, wdeditors.com, I was in charge of posting news regarding cool agent blogs around the Internet. The series has now transferred to this new GLA blog. I'll continue to seek out new and old agent blogs for your enjoyment as time goes on.

With that in mind, let's look to the Bay Area, where San Francisco agent Nathan Bransford (of Curtis Brown, a very reputable and prestigious agency) has started his own blog. I just discovered the new blog a few months ago, and it’s one I recommend to all writers seeking an agent.

A lot of the blog is writer Q&A’s. The Q&A’s are sometimes very basic, but a lot of authors need just that: very basic advice on agents, publishing and submissions.

Make sure you check out his post titled “Anatomy of a Good Query Letter,” where he dissects a query and explains how and why it hooked him. He also explains his thoughts regarding trends in query letters, which, in fact, represent a national trend based on deals being made in the marketplace. (For example, he reasons that a large influx of vampire queries a few year’s back came after news that Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian had just sold - with a $2 million advance.) Another great idea is his “Portrait of a Client” posts, where he lets readers get to know a client he represents. He reveals in one such post what we already know - that one of the best ways (if the not the best way) to get an agent is through a referral.

Conference Sidenote: If you're a resident or frequent visitor of the Bay Area, think about attending the 2008 San Francisco Writers' Conference. It's a popular conference, with plenty of west coast agents attending (and yes, there are many). I, too, will be there, presenting sessions and meeting writers.

Curtis Brown literary agent Nathan Bransford.