• See a profile of script agent Garrett Hicks of Will Entertainment.
• See an interview with script manager Ken Sherman of Ken Sherman Associates.
  
• Is there a difference between literary agents and script managers?
  
• Want a great database of script agents/managers, script contests, conferences and theaters? Buy the 2010 Screenwriter's & Playwright's Market today!
  
• Check out an interview with script manager Marc Manus.
  
• 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!

At the CNU conference this weekend, I sat in on a presentation on writing query letters by literary agent Michelle Andelman, formerly of Andrea Brown Literary Agency, now at Lynn C. Franklin Associates.  She had some great advice and I've included a lot of her tips below.

First of all, I should mention this cool point:  She said that agents not only see a lot of queries, they also write a lot of queries.  She then showed a query that she wrote to an editor, pitching a writer's project.  Very interesting!  In the query, she talked a bit about markets and readers who would find the project interest - squeezing in audience info and market thoughts in the middle of a story pitch, which is exactly what we writers must try to do.

Michelle's Query Writing Tips:

• Queries are formal communication, so treat them as such.  They are your "first foot forward," so make sure it's a good one.
• Queries must be crafted, and you will get better with them over time.  You remember that first short story you wrote back in high school or college?  If you look at it now, it's probably not as good as you remember it. Well - queries are the same way. You will get better with time and practice.
• Think ratio.  If you spend 10 years writing a book, what's the logic in spending just 10 hours on a query?  Take the time to perfect it.  Your work deserves it.
• Do give a pitch, but don't give a plot summary.
• Extract elements of your project that make it special.  Recognizing these elements is part 1.  Incorporating these elements into the query is part 2.
• Avoid gimmicks!  It can't be said enough.  Michelle mentioned a time where an author queried their agency regarding a middle grade novel where the female protagonist lived in Maine.  The gimmick?  The author sent a crate of live lobsters shipped from Maine along with the query.  Some lobsters survived; some didn't quite make the cross-country trip so well.  Disaster!
• Don't put all your eggs in one basket by querying just one agent.  If you do your research, you should have a limited list of prospective agents, but you should have several names, at least.
• Every project should be able to be boiled down to one sentence.  Try and include that first sentence in the first paragraph of your query.
• If you're writing a fun, fluffy book, then you should use fun, fluffy language in the query.

"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 Andrea Hurst, principal at Andrea Hurst & Associates Literary Management. Andrea works with both major and regional publishing houses, and her client list includes emerging new voices and New York Times bestselling authors. In addition to working in the publishing field for over 20 years, Andrea is a published author, skilled acquisition and development editor, speaker, and literary judge for writers' conferences. She enjoys working with authors who have something worthwhile to share and are driven by their enthusiasm and desire to create books that touch lives and make a difference.

She is seeking: To query her, use e-mail queries only. She is now accepting queries for Nonfiction: Prescriptive and Narrative Nonfiction, Parenting, relationships, women’s issues, Personal growth, health & wellness, diet, Business, true crime, animals, Pop culture, humor, cookbooks, gift books, Spirituality, metaphysical, science, psychology, and self-help, Home & Garden; Fiction: Adult commercial fiction, Women’s fiction.

Andrea Hurst

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

AH: Jean-Michel Cousteau and James Fraioli's Code Name: Polar Ice, with illustrator Joe St. Pierre, an interactive illustrated adventure series for children. We sold the book to Gibbs Smith, for publication in 2009.

GLA: Proposals are pretty straightforward in terms of what an author needs to include?  Are there any details or aspects that you look for but writers don't include?
 
AH: I look for a really strong marketing section with a detailed plan on how the author will help sell the book. 
 
GLA: Let's say a professional with a terrific platform contacts you and nicely says "I'm not a writer and I don't exactly know how this works, but here's who I am and here's my idea."  Is this a situation where you contact them and give guidance and tips, or do you believe that everyone should learn how to write a proposal before contacting an agent?
 
AH: If the author has an amazing platform and a great idea, we will work to help educate them on how to write a book proposal.  I also offer tips on my Web site to guide writers while working on their proposal. 

GLA: Considering all the areas of nonfiction you look for, are there any areas where you find the volume of submissions to be mysteriously lacking?  What are you looking for and not getting?
 
AH: I would like to see more health and parenting books by professionals working in the field.  We would also like to receive some cutting-edge business books and proposals dealing with women’s issues, particularly focused on baby boomer issues such as empty nest, menopause, and starting over. 
 
GLA: You rep mostly nonfiction, but do take some fiction, including women's.  What do you look for in a submission?
 
AH: With any fiction submission, I am looking for a writer who has extensive experience in the craft and understands the requirements of the genre.  We look for authors who have taken the time to take classes from experts, read prominent books on writing fiction, or they have worked with a professional editor or critique group to polish the manuscript.  
 
GLA: You accept young adult.  Do you also take other juvenile areas such as tween, middle grade and picture books?  
 
AH: My associate, Judy Mikalonis, accepts limited middle grade, so, YA yes.  Tween yes. Limited middle grade and no picture books.  Writers querying her show know that Judy is looking for a fresh, authentic voice, amazing writing and a transformational message. A big, original hook always helps, but without the authentic voice, amazing writing and transformational message, the hook is irrelevant. YA submissions tend to be 98% unoriginal and a hook is irrelevant without the voice, the writing and the message.  
 
GLA: Best piece of advice regarding something we haven't discussed?
 
AH: I suggest that all writers take the time to learn the business of writing.  The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published is a quick and thorough way to learn the business from industry professionals.  Go to writers' conferences. Meeting agents and editors in person is an extremely valuable experience.
 
GLA: Will you be at any conferences in the future where writers can meet and pitch you?
 
AH: I will be at the Writer’s Digest Books Writers' Conference in Los Angeles in May 2008.  Check our Web site for all the conferences my associates will be at throughout the year. 

Want more on this topic?

• 5 Signs a Literary Agent is a Good Match For You.
• See examples of Successful Queries that agents liked.
• Check out The Writer's Digest Guide to Query Letters.  
• How to Write a Synopsis for a Novel.
  
• Facebook, Twitter and Literary 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!

Agent interview by
blog contributor Robin Mizell:

"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 Adam Chromy, founder of Artists and Artisans Inc. As a screenwriter, he has established connections in the film industry, and his book deals have led to one New York Times bestseller. In 2002, he established Artists and Artisans Inc., a literary management company in New York City, after spending a decade as an executive in the technology industry and then turning to screenwriting. He previously held a position with another well-known literary agency.

He is seeking: "exceptional fiction and narrative nonfiction." The many genres he accepts can be found on Publishers Marketplace.
     

Adam Chromy

GLA: What's the most recent thing you've sold? 
 
AC: I have sold some interesting projects lately, and some of the harder ones to sell are the most satisfying when you find them a home. I am very proud of two novels I have coming out this year. Novels are getting tougher to sell. World Made By Hand by James Howard Kunstler, a well known nonfiction writer in the field of urban development and peak oil, was just published by Grove/Atlantic. This book will deservedly break him out as a significant novelist. And Burial of the Dead by Michael Hogan will be brought out in August by Minotaur/Thomas Dunne Books. It’s a beautifully written literary mystery from one of my favorite authors and the nicest guy you could ever hope to meet in your life.
 
GLA: You've said you're looking for fiction or nonfiction that's unique and challenging. What specific kinds of manuscripts are you currently seeking? What topics interest you at the moment?
 
AC: I like novels that surprise me with a new world to explore or a new way at looking at a world. So, I am looking for multicultural fiction as well as unexpected takes on familiar places and themes. 
 
GLA: You're a screenwriter. Do you represent many screenwriters? Do you usually look for manuscripts that can be adapted as dramatic works?
 
AC: Selling spec scripts is very difficult, as Hollywood is more apt to acquire a property that has worked in some way in some other medium, such as a book, a magazine article, even a previous movie from which to develop a sequel, prequel or remake. We almost always suggest that the writer write a novel first, and then after we get a book deal, we can approach the issue of getting a film made. It is nice to read a book that you can see as a movie, but getting any film made is such a long shot that it is not much of a deciding factor in signing projects.
 
GLA: Do you take notice of writers who win contests or whose work appears in any particular literary journals? What kinds of writing credentials would make a favorable impression on you?
 
AC: Sure. I will take a look at sample material, if the author has gained some attention, but I still have to decide if it works for my taste.

GLA: How would you describe the prospective client with an ideal platform?
 
AC: As I mentioned before, James Howard Kunstler is a bestselling author whose previous books include The Geography of Nowhere and The Long Emergency, and he has written for Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and many other magazines. He speaks frequently, has a popular blog and has been featured in a number of magazines. He has become one of the leading voices in the peak-oil conversation and that makes his books—both fiction and nonfiction—easier to sell.

GLA: What's your favorite story about acquiring a new client?
 
AC: I have had a couple of clients talk me into signing them after I tried to pass, and then I went on to sell their books. (Note to readers: Don’t call me and try this gambit.) This only works if I call you to reject you even while feeling uncertain about it. If I e-mailed or sent a note, then it’s a definite pass and I would rather not discuss it with you.
 
GLA: How do you prefer to be contacted by writers seeking representation?
 
AC: An e-mail query is best, though I only respond if interested. Next best is a letter with SASE. I do respond either way, but postal mail is slower.
 
GLA: What's the best way for a writer to get to know your tastes, preferences, and pet peeves? Should your nickname, "Snapper," be a warning?
 
AC: “Snapper” should be a warning for anyone who calls me as though I were a friend or in business to explain how the book industry operates. My deal history—a good indication of my taste—and my submission information are on my Web site, www.artistsandartisans.com. Anyone who contacts me and is ignorant of the basic details is either lazy or arrogant and probably not going to be a success in this business, so I tend not to take them seriously.
 
GLA: What would you do if you received a promising submission that was outside your areas of interest?
 
AC: Any adult book I like and I think I can sell is in my area of interest. I do sometimes run into people with material that might work better in other media or experts that have expertise in need of a business plan different than publishing books. I will usually give them advice on where to go.
 
GLA: You've launched and managed technology companies in the past. How did that experience prepare you for this business?
 
AC: Actually, the last couple of technology companies I managed acted as agencies for technologists, so I gained experience that helps me every day to manage authors.  And the software licensing agreements I worked on are pretty similar to the publishing agreements. So in many ways, I was preparing for his career without realizing it.
 
GLA: How do you use Internet technology to facilitate your work as an agent?
 
AC: The last five years I really spent learning the publishing business and learning about the process of writing and editing. I did, however, implement a database from day one that tracks editors and their tastes, and it still works very well. But recently, my previous experience has been making more of a show in my work, as I am developing innovative Web sites and viral campaigns for my clients that leverage the latest technology. I am excited about how these two areas are coming together for me and my clients.
 
GLA: Do you read any publishing industry periodicals or blogs that might also be helpful to prospective clients?
 
AC: I read Publishers Weekly, Variety, Publishers Marketplace, and I use mediabistro’s newsfeed to keep on top of GalleyCat etc. I also read the Times and Page Six to stay on top of what’s happening.

GLA: Will you be attending any conferences or events in the future where writers can meet you?
 
AC: Sure. I attend conferences and quite enjoy them—especially meeting interesting people. I’d attend more if asked. So, if you run a conference, drop me a line.
 
GLA: Can you offer to writers any advice about something we haven't mentioned?
 
AC: Unless you have a burning desire to write, find another job. It’s a tough business to make money, or even survive, if you are not fully committed to it. And to make it as an author, you have to spend half your time writing and the other half promoting your writing. Publishers aren’t looking for you in your home as you wait to get discovered. They want to pick up a book from a writer who has been discovered in dozens of little ways—from being a popular reader at your local coffee shop, to being published in a journal, to being a popular prospect at a writers’ conference. Not too many people realistically think they can take up basketball and start playing for the Knicks. (OK, maybe the Knicks, but not a good team.) Yet people think they can just start writing and get published by a major publisher. Work hard and work your way up the ladder and you might have a chance to make it to the big time.

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!