Dwyer & O'Grady, Inc., a literary agency that represents juvenile writers and illustrators, recently sent out a reminder that they have moved all offices to Florida. Evidently, they had different locations around the country at different points (and were most recently in New Hampshire), but now do all business at the address below.

Also note that the agency is still closed to unsolicited queries/submissions and has been for some time. The only real reason you would need to use their new address below is if you, per chance, were lucky enough to meet an agent at a writers conference and they OK'd you sending some work to them.

Dwyer & O'Grady, Inc.
Agents for Writers & Illustrators of Children's Books
725 Third Street
P.O. Box 790
Cedar Key, FL 32625-0790
(352)543-9307
(603)-375-5373 - fax
www.dwyerogrady.com

Literary Agent Kristin Nelson of Nelson Literary Agency has recently posted several blog posts regarding how to craft a pitch - i.e., how to sum up your story in a query letter.

Some writers find composing the query and pitch extremely frustrating, even to the point where they would rather write another novel than a query letter. If this is you, do not miss these posts. (If you happen to come upon this post many months after I've written it, just go to her blog home page and look to the right where she has a category of "Blog Pitch" posts.) Here's an example of what she's talking about:

"When writing your pitch paragraph, all you need to do is examine the first 20 or 50 pages of your manuscript. Then zero in on the main catalyst that starts the story forward—the main conflict from which all else in the novel evolves. It’s the catalyst kernel of your story that forms your pitch.
      Don’t worry, I’ll show you some examples over the next couple of days but what you need to remember is that your pitch paragraph needs to read like the back cover copy of a novel. Notice that when you read the back cover of a book, it just gives a hint or a teaser of the story and that it also usually focuses on a crucial early event in the novel. That gets the ball rolling."

2008 Article Excerpt:

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.

The Zack Company, Inc., a literary agency, is actively seeking clients. In the past, the agency has stopped accepting queries at different times (because of slush pile overflow, most likely).

As far as I can tell, the agency is looking for all kinds of nonfiction, and some fiction. Regardless, this seems like a great opportunity.

The agency's Web site has an incredibly detailed "What We Want" page detailing what to send and how to send it.

Since I've highlighted Fineprint Literary Management lately, I wanted to share something great I found on agent Janet Reid's blog today.

It's called "The Top 8 Things Telling Me I Don't Have to Take Your Cover Letter Seriously," and it's hilarious, as usual.

To see the full post, click here.

Here's a snippet:

1. Start your query with a description of what the cover will look like.
2.Put (c) year on the title page. Even better is (c) five years ago.
3. Put "do not duplicate under penalty of criminal prosecution" on the title page...

I just received an e-mail from Literary and Creative Artists (based in DC) saying that their address was not up to date. A recent check into the database revealed that the address was indeed updated, but perhaps older versions of Guide to Literary Agents had an outdated address.

Take note of the current address:

Literary and Creative Artists, Inc.
3543 Albemarle Street, NW
Washington, DC 20008

Post Update: It appears that this valuable link below is now off limits to non-members of Verla Kay's site. The good news is it should be very easy to become a member of her site and forum, so sign up.

Jennifer Laughran, a reader for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency in California, just wrote a long post on Verla Kay's chat board regarding her possible jump into the agenting business.

It seems that Jennifer is trying to become a full-fledged agent, and needs clients to do so. She focuses on middle-grade and young adult work, and tells all about what she doesn't want to receive, as well. She mentions that she is only interested in queries/etc. that have not been turned down by Andrea Brown agents previously.

This seems like a golden opportunity for writers, so check out the full post!

"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 Sha-Shana Crichton of Crichton & Associates, a Maryland-based agency. Sha-Shana is well versed in legal issues such as copyright law and intellectual property.

She is seeking: writers of fiction and nonfiction works, including materials with African, African-American, Caribbean and Latin American themes. Crichton & Associates, Inc. is currently seeking nonfiction by expert authors, contemporary fiction, commercial fiction, chick-lit, and romance novels (contemporary, inspirational, African-American and multicultural).

GLA: What's a recent thing you've sold?

SSC: A recent nonfiction sales is Professor W. Sherman Rogers’ Black Economic Inequality In America: The Role of Entrepreneurship. Recent fiction sales include Candace Haven's paranormal chick-lit books, and romance novels by Pamela Yaye. 

GLA: You said recently that you're actively seeking women's fiction. What are things you look for in a women's fiction story/manuscript?

SSC: I look for a great voice with an equally great hook, and stories that not only grab my attention but keep me wanting to finish reading them. I love well-researched stories that evoke the emotions; stories that make you laugh, cry, and otherwise take you into the world of the characters. I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult.

GLA: What needs to be there for you to keep reading?

SSC: I love character-driven stories. For me to keep on reading, the characters have to be well developed, believable and multidimensional. It is important to me that the author does his or her research and writes accurate stories. I tend not to finish reading stories with inaccuracies because I think the author does not care about me, the reader. 

GLA: Let's say that a writer makes a book deal directly with a publisher, but wants to have someone look over the contract before signing. Is it better to hire a lawyer to review the contract, or contact an agent and bring up the possibility of signing with them pre-deal?

SSC: It depends on the needs and the goals of the author. Generally, in addition to negotiating the deal, a literary agent provides career guidance, markets and monitors the author’s subsidiary rights, and monitors the publisher’s actions to ensure that, among other things, the author is paid on time, the royalty statements are correct, and the publisher otherwise complies with the contract. 

GLA: You're very knowledgeable in topics such as copyright law and intellectual property. What one tip can you pass along concerning how writers can protect their work?

SSC: Be very careful how you share your story with various "critique partners." It is always best to know and develop a relationship of trust with your critique partners before sharing your work with them. 

GLA: What's the number one problem you see in unsolicited novel queries?

SSC: Queries that tell me how great the author is but do not tell me what the story is.

GLA: Let's say you meet a writer at a conference, hear their pitch, then request to see sample pages. The writer then goes home, takes another look at his work, and decides it's not edited well enough to submit. Six months later, the writer has another project - a second different project. Can he send you pages from that manuscript or should he query you again?

SSC: I would prefer that he or she sends me another query. The writer should note that we met before.

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 2011 Guide to Literary Agents today!

This past weekend saw me present at the Midwest Literary Festival. Like last year, the conference featured a wide array of authors, editors and agents from the Chicagoland area as well as from all over the country.

Agent Gary Heidt (left) and I concentrating during a jazz jam at the Midwest Literary Festival presenter dinner.