The year's wrapping up and the holiday season is in full swing, so this is a very slow time for writers' conferences. However, the conference start up again in early 2008, so think about signing up for one or many gatherings where you can meet agents and editors.
      Conferences allow writers to network and recharge their batteries. Some conferences this fall have invited Writer's Digest Books editors to come and speak. Here's a rundown of some autumn engagements for WDB staffers:

Space Coast Writers’ Conference, Jan. 25-26, Cocoa Beach, FL
      Editor in attendance: Chuck Sambuchino. Session topics: "Mastering the In-person Pitch" and "Playwriting." Writing and manuscript critiques available.  

San Francisco Writers’ Conference, Feb. 15-17, San Francisco, CA
      Editor in attendance: Chuck Sambuchino. Session topics: "Magazine Freelancing 101" and "Playwriting."   

CNU Writers’ Conference, March 14-15, Newport News, VA
      Editor in attendance: Chuck Sambuchino. Session topics: "Writing for Magazines" and a panel with editors and agents. Private meetings and consultations available.  

Writers at the Beach Writers’ Conference, March 14-16, Rehoboth Beach, DE
      Editor in attendance: Lauren Mosko, WD acquisitions editor and former editor of Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. Session topics: TBA.    

Foothills Writers Guild Workshop, March 28-29, Anderson, SC
      Editor in attendance: Jane Friedman, editorial director of Writer’s Digest Books and Writer’s Market annuals. Session topics: "The Times, They Are A-Changin'" (technology and the future of book publishing), "How to Find an Agent," and more. Manuscript critiques and consultations are available.
 
Come out and meet a WD Books editor!

PS. If you're interested in receiving notifications about upcoming writers' conferences, sign up for the free biweekly GLA newsletter by visiting www.guidetoliteraryagents.com. The newsletter always includes several conferences and which agents will be in attendance to meet writers.

Note from Chuck: This interview was conducted when Taryn was with Sandra Dijkstra Literary.  Taryn formed her own agency in 2009.  The information below can still help you, but know that Taryn now specializes in foreign rights and audio rights, etc.  She is not taking on new queries or clients except by referral or special request.

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"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 Taryn Fagerness Agency, LLC.

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.

Want more on this subject?

• See all agent interviews here!
  
• How to Write a Query Letter. 
• What Should You Write in the "Bio Paragraph" of a Query Letter. 
• Why Your Manuscript Can Get Rejected, by Hallie Ephron.
• 10 Hidden Gifts of Rejection Letters.
• Google Alerts and Agents.
• 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 2010 Guide to Literary Agents today!