Guide to Literary Agents

1. Platform is the first thing he looks for when evaluating a nonfiction book proposal. On the subject of platform, Ted advises that nonfiction writers should "assume they are self-publishing." By that, he means that you should not count on any help from the publisher in selling the book. They will distribute it, yes, but once it hits the shelves, you have to make sure it gets off the shelves. If you expect no backing from the publisher to do this, you are, essentially, self-publishing in a way, and will make sure that you have a platform.
On this topic, he added that writers will sometimes come along and say "If my book gets published, I'll be famous!" Then Ted quips back, "No, if you get famous, they'll publish your book!"

2. You must submit one or a few sample chapters with a nonfiction book proposal. Concerning what chapter(s) to submit, do not submit the introduction if you are only submitting one sample chapter. Instead submit the actual Chapter 1, not merely the introduction itself.

3. When comparing your book to other titles in the marketplace, he advises two things. First of all, use the term "comparable titles" rather than "competitive titles." Second, try to prove how your book is like the Olympic rings. Show all these different rings exist - all these different types of books. But no book can link them together like yours!

4. He said he rarely asks for an exclusive look at a book proposal, but on the rare occasions that he does, he asks for no more than one week. That timeframe, he says, is more than enough for any agent to be exclusively reviewing a proposal.

Guest Columns | Nonfiction | Platform | Writers' Conferences

Saturday, May 30, 2009 2:19:16 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Friday, May 29, 2009

Page 2 News: A Smattering of Info
Posted by Chuck

Here are some news bits
that are cool but didn't
necessitate their own post:

Come to the Wyoming Writers' Conference!
I'll be teaching and meeting with writers this weekend (June 5-7) at this conference, held in the scenic Mountain West. Check this website to learn all the details. Literary agent Meredith Kaffel will be there taking pitches and the location seems like an amazing place to relax and recharge your writing batteries.

I'm Teaching a Webinar on Writing for Magazines
Actually, I'm co-instructing it with Writer's Digest Editor Jessica Strawser. And together, we shall tackle the ins and outs of how to start your writing career in the freelance world. We're so far ahead of schedule telling you about this that there isn't even a link yet. But what you can do is check back periodically on the WD Webinars page here and see if it's listed yet. It will be on Thursday, July 9, and you can access our presentation from anywhere. You will be invited to submit a query letter and we will critique 15 of these at random during the live event. We will also take questions!

Pitch Fest
On June 13-14, the Great American Pitch Fest will be going down in Los Angeles. If you've got a TV or screenplay idea, this will be the Mecca of people who want to hear what you've got. Best of all, WD contributing blogger Chad Gervich will be there teaching. See his blog post here about the whole thing.

Screenwriting and Script Agents | Webinars | Writers' Conferences

Friday, May 29, 2009 3:56:18 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Thursday, May 28, 2009

My Adventures in New York 2009 ...
Posted by Chuck

I just got back from our own writers' conference in New York. And wow. Everything was a blur. I was running here. Running there. Doing that. Answering questions and phone calls. Holy wow.

I got in on Tuesday afternoon and visited a literary agency to meet some agents in person.

An actual NYC agent slush pile.
The real deal.

On Tuesday night I got to see a little bit of Brooklyn. Fellow WD staffer Zac Petit and I visited Brooklyn and had drinks at the Clover Club. That was fun because we suddenly decided to have an impromptu photo shoot with Zac's awesome camera, and we used the bar's many candles to light ourselves in different ways. It was very high school, which is probably why it was so much fun. Employees eventually asked us to stop.

Fun with candles in Brooklyn! Never
underestimate the sheer entertainment
of a camera and lighting equipment.

Wednesday was the conference itself. We had about 410 attendees. I got to sit on an editor panel first thing in the morning, and then the agents arrived for the "Ask the Agents" panel. Participating were Janet Reid of FinePrint Literary Agency, Barbara Poelle of Irene Goodman Literary, Ted Weinstein of the Ted Weinstein Literary Agency, and Michelle Andelman of Lynn C. Franklin Associates. You can see them all pictured from left to right in this lo-res cell phone picture I took.

The agent panel had the whole place roaring. The agents were cracking jokes while answering questions.

Following lunch, I was supposed to give a 50-minute presentation on helping writers prepare for the monster Pitch Slam to follow. That is, I WAS, until agent Janet Reid told me ever so bluntly, that she "could do it much better" than me. So we agreed to split the session in half. I took the first half and give some tips. Janet took the second half and listened to sample pitches then gave feedback on what worked and what didn't. It all went smoothly.

Note from Janet: "What I said was 'let's give them some actual practice and examples, oh fearless leader!' Smoothly? Chuck, I shrieked, fainted, cursed and carried on. Smooth is the last thing that ever describes moi. You on the other hand ARE full of awesome."
Janet even posted about this whole pitch event and was in awe of those brave enough to face her in front of hundreds.

After that, people started to line up and flooded in the rooms to pitch 68 agents. Considering the insane logistics of this whole thing, it all went very well. I have to give mad props to all the WD staffers who helped run these crazy rooms. And also I should thank all the attendees, especially those kind souls who stopped to tell me how much they enjoy my blog/newsletter. You guys are the best.

Following the whole shebang, I had dinner with some agents and editors at Dos Caminos in Midtown (50th and 3rd) and it was soooo good. A great way to end the night!

Above is the big group of
agents and editors who
hung out at Dos Caminos. Below
you can see Writer's Digest
staffer Zac Petit and I hanging out
late when the restaurant offered
us all free champagne.

Pitching | Writers' Conferences

Thursday, May 28, 2009 10:50:45 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [5]

Monday, May 25, 2009

The Writer's Digest Writers' Conference is Almost Here!
Posted by Chuck

It's Memorial Day, and I am in the office scrambling to get all kinds of little things done before leaving tomorrow for the Big Apple. Our one-day writers' conference extravaganza is happening this Wednesday, May 27, just before BookExpo America, and it is looking like a huge awesome event. 70 agents and editors will be there taking pitches. Insanity.

Anyway, I hope to be blogging during the conference like last year. I will do my best! Thanks. If you will be in attendance, I will see you there!

Writers' Conferences

Monday, May 25, 2009 12:46:10 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

You Must Edit Before You Submit to Literary Agents
Posted by Chuck

One question I get a lot during conference seminars is "How do I know when my work is done and ready to send out?" Obviously, there is no magic answer for this, but the question itself touches on something very important: self-editing. Writers know they have to write the book, and they know they have to submit it to agents - but what happens in the middle there? How much editing do you do and what's the best way to do it?

All this brings me to a nice post on The Kill Zone website, a site where successful thriller and mystery writers talk writing. Michelle Gagnon had this to say in a Q&A.

Q) At what point do you seek formal
feedback, rather than just cranking it out?

A) I don't show my work to anyone until I've
completed two drafts. And then I send it
to my "Beta readers," 5-7 people whose
opinion I trust. What I've discovered, however,
is that they'll all like different aspects of the
story, and they'll all criticize different aspects.
I always take that feedback with a grain of
salt. If more than one person is saying the
same thing, I know it's time to go back and
figure out where I went wrong.

I like this answer because it addresses two very big things that any writer can take away. First, she mentions "beta readers." This is the payoff of joining writers' groups and networking and posting on message boards. You make writer friends. And if you don't like these new friends or value their opinions, then you look for other new friends, and so forth and so on. When you have a small core group of writer friends that you trust, they will be your first test readers who will give you advice. Personally, right now, I just finished Draft No. 2 of my middle grade novel and went to the local SCBWI group, asking if people had time to read and critique my manuscript. In exchange, I offered to read whatever they wanted either now or later (as a raincheck). That's beta readers.

Second, Michelle brings up the "Where there's smoke, there's fire" concept - meaning that if two people have the same issue with something in your book, you need to make some changes. I totally agree with this.

Monday, May 25, 2009 12:39:10 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [5]

Saturday, May 23, 2009

How I Got My Agent: Lisa Janice Cohen
Posted by Chuck

"How I Got My Agent" is a new recurring feature on the GLA blog. I find it fascinating to see the exact road people took that landed them with a rep. Seeing the things people did right vs. what they did wrong (highs and the lows) can help other scribes who are on the same journey.

If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk specifics.

This installment of "How I
Got My Agent" is by
Lisa Janice Cohen, author
of both YA and adult novels.

EARLY ATTEMPTS & THREE BOOKS

I completed my first novel in the summer of 2005 and, with only a minimal understanding of the process of publication, began to search for an agent. Between August 2005 and August 2006, I sent out queries to 50 agents who represented fantasy novels, who had profiles on agentquery.com, and were considered legitimate by Preditors and Editors. (At least I knew enough to not get scammed in those early attempts.) Those attempts garnered one request for a partial, many form rejections, and the rest never responded.
      As I was racking up the rejections, I was also hard at work writing novel No. 2, a near-future thriller. Figuring I had given the fantasy novel its best shot, I began to query the thriller. I sent out 42 queries. This query received a handful of personal rejections, and the odd assortment of form rejections and non-responders.
      By that time, I had completed novel No. 3, a YA urban fantasy called House of Many Doors. I knew my writing was stronger and I was better able to see what was not working in my first and second novels. I started querying the YA novel in March of 2007, almost by accident (as I was still actively querying the thriller). A writer friend of mine contacted me asking me if she could pass my info on to a poet friend of hers who was also a literary agent.
         The agent was interested on the basis of my teaser and asked for a partial, then the full ms. She requested edits, which I thought were all excellent suggestions and I was over the moon, assuming that I had finally figured it out and was about to get an agent. Months passed and she finally called me to let me know she did not feel the manuscript was commercially viable without massive rewriting and that she was going to pass. I was devastated and confused.
      But I continued to query novel No. 3, sending queries to an additional 28 likely agents. One of those agents was Nephele Tempest of The Knight Agency.

SUCCESS WITH NEPHELE

I initially queried Nephele in September of 2007, as part of her Back to School query contest on her blog. There had been an announcement of this contest and a link to her blog through Forward Motion for Writers (fmwriters.com). Nephele blogged that she was specifically looking for YA urban fantasy and, lo and behold, I had a completed manuscript in that genre (novel. No. 3).
      She liked my query and asked for sample pages within 24 hours. About a month later (October 2007), she requested the full ms. After not hearing back from her for four months, I sent a polite status check e-mail and Nephele was quick to respond that she was swamped and current clients needed to be her priority. About every 3 months, I would correspond with her, asking for a status update.
      In the meanwhile, I had the good fortune to be asked to submit the manuscript to an editor at a YA imprint of one of the NY publishing houses. (This was through a personal connection - the editor's fiancee worked with my husband.) While the editor loved the story, she felt it was ultimately not right for her imprint. But, she sent me wonderfully detailed editorial notes on her impressions. Those notes translated into a further revision of the manuscript. After completing the revisions in the fall of 2008, I e-mailed Nephele wondering if could I send her the revised manuscript. As she hadn't yet read the original, she agreed. Within a few weeks, she had read the revised manuscript and offered me representation.
      So while it took from September of 2007 to January of 2009 from query to acceptance with an agent, the process actually began in August of 2005 when I sent my first unsuccessful query for my first novel. Since then, I have finished a total of 4 novels, and am on track to finish novel number five this summer.

Children's Writing | How I Got My Agent Columns

Saturday, May 23, 2009 10:18:30 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [8]

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Is a Quick or Slow Response Time a Sign?
Posted by Chuck

Q. I submitted a query to an agent (with the exact info she requested from the WM site). I expected a response in 3 weeks. I got a very detailed and polite rejection e-mail 7 hours later. Should I take this as some sort of negative sign? 7 hours?

A: I'd say no because response time is a huge crap shoot anyway.
If you send your query three hours before an agent tackles some of the slush pile, you're in luck. Then again, the agent might be wrapped up in some big-money auctions and projects with so much at stake that they won't even think about reading queries for weeks. There's little rhyme or reason to it. But I do feel that no matter if you get a reply in twenty minutes or four months, that doesn't reflect on the query itself. Keep sending that baby out there.

Queries and Synopses and Proposals

Thursday, May 21, 2009 10:38:37 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

New Agent Alert: Chasya Milgrom of Dystel & Goderich
Posted by Chuck

Ms. Chasya Milgrom was recently promoted from assistant to full-fledged agent over at Dystel and Goderich.

Fiction areas of interest: literary fiction, and fiction with a splash of irony and humor. Nonfiction areas of interest: psychology, narrative nonfiction, politics, history and pop culture.

How to contact: cmilgrom@dystel.com. Enclose a cover letter, outline or brief synopsis of the work (with word count if possible), a sample chapter, and a stamped, self-addressed envelope for our response. E-mail queries are fine, but keep them brief and make sure your cover letter is in the body of the e-mail. Please be sure to query only one agent at this agency. Responds to most query letters within a six to eight week period. If you don't hear from her within that time frame, chances she did not receive yours. Feel free to resend it.

New Agency Alerts

Wednesday, May 20, 2009 3:51:21 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

How I Got My Agent: Chuck Sambuchino
Posted by Chuck

I want to start a new recurring feature on the blog called "How I Got My Agent." I find it fascinating to see the exact road people took that landed them with a rep. Seeing the things people did right vs. what they did wrong (highs and the lows) can help other scribes who are on the same journey.

If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we'll talk specifics. To start off the column, I figured I'd just recount my own route. It's not a super-exciting story, but a lot of these won't be. It's just important to see different examples of how writer & rep teamed up.

Me!

AGENT? WHY GET AN AGENT?

In 2006, I was hired as an editor for Writer's Digest Books. By that time in my life, I had written tons of newspaper articles, a few dozen magazine pieces, and even had several stage play productions of my work. Things were going pretty well, but I never really thought too much about getting an agent because I didn't have any book-length works to sell. After all, you only need an agent if you have either a novel or a nonfiction book (more specifically, a book proposal) to sell.

MEETING SORCHE AT A CONFERENCE

In October 2006, I attended the Midwest Literary Festival in Aurora, IL as a panelist. (By the way, this event was cool but no longer exists, I believe.) At the festival, I moderated an agent panel. One of the participating agents, Sorche Fairbank of Fairbank Literary Representation in Boston, was asked a question regarding whether publishers came up with book ideas and then simply "found" writers to complete the project. Sorche said "yes," and also added that agents, as well, will conjure up good ideas and seek writers for projects. She then said something along the lines of, "Right now, I'm thinking about how come no one's done a book on old movie houses still in operation." This caught my interest.

It caught my interest because I was just starting on a 10-part series for Pennsylvania Magazine on historic theaters around the state. I chatted with Sorche a little bit at the writers' conference but didn't talk business. (This is something I still think is underrated - just talking to an agent like a normal human being and making a nice impression in their mind - rather than giving yet another pitch.) A week later, after the conference was finished, I e-mailed her and said, "Thanks, nice to meet you, etc." But I also said, "I'm writing this series for Pennsylvania Magazine. I'm a produced playwright and old, historic theaters is a topic that's kind of up my alley. I know it's not 'movie houses' like you mentioned, but if you were ever interested in seeing something more on this subject, please let me know. Thanks."

I stared at my inbox and phone. Nothing happened. A week went by and I pretty much forgot about the whole thing. Three months later, I checked my work voicemail and it was her. "Sounds interesting," she said. "Give me a call and we'll talk."

DEVELOPING THE FIRST PROPOSAL

On the phone, Sorche hashed out what she wanted to see in terms of a book proposal. After that, I started educating myself with lots of books on book proposals and asked writer friends for sample proposals. It took a few months to put something together and send it to her. We crossed paths again in New York in May 2007 and she had a marked-up copy of my proposal with suggested places to revise and expand. The next part took a while (nine months - probably above average), as we passed the proposal back and forth while I was making revisions and she was explaining how to better it.

By the beginning of 2008, we were just about done. Sorche and I crossed paths at another writers' conference and she had brought a contract, just like she said she would. The contract was only for a one-book agreement (meaning we would only be tied together for that one book, legally), but we had dinner and talked about what else I had in my head. She liked my other nonfiction ideas and said she was game to rep other proposals when I finished them.

And that's pretty much it! I could go on with stories of revisions and submissions to editors, but it doesn't have a whole lot to do with how her and I got linked up.

How I Got My Agent Columns

Wednesday, May 20, 2009 1:20:46 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [8]

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Will Agents Try to Scam You With Small Costs?
Posted by Chuck

Q. Any red flags to look for regarding cost reimbursements (mailings, etc.) in case they try to make money that way?

A: As a refresher for everyone, you never want to pay agents money upfront to represent you. The only money you should every pay an agent are small amounts so that they can reimburse costs for mailing and postage. Keep in mind that they are simply recouping costs, not making any money off you. Concerning how much money you will pay for mailing costs, etc., when you sign a contract with an agent, this should all be spelled out. For example: “The agent has the ability to collect up to $50 per month in mailing and postage costs as part of reimbursement. Itemized receipts available upon request.”
To answer your question about red flags, not really. It seems silly to try and scam writers out of a few dollars here and there to actually turn out a livable profit. If any agents out there are scamming writers, they are plenty of people complaining about them on the Internet - trying to warn you. Much more common would be bigger requests. A scammer agent may ask you to pay $800 upfront for editing and submission costs, but promises nothing in return.

Nickel and dimed. I'm sure you got it...

Contracts and Copyrights and Money

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 9:00:26 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Why Do Agents Have to Love a Book to Take It On?
Posted by Chuck

Q. Why do agents need to "love" a book? Can't they simply recognize commercial viability without loving it, and take on a project on that basis alone?
- Anonymous

A: Absolutely. With nonfiction and commercial (genre) fiction, they can often size something up to be "easily salable" and take it on for the $. However, a lot of books don’t come off as instant bestsellers and therefore, the end payoff is unknown. And when they’re devoting months of time to a work where the end payoff is unknown, they must fall in love with it and really believe that this book needs to be published. They need to justify all that time and energy by "loving" the project.

Photo courtesy of the Footstool Players

Tuesday, May 19, 2009 8:50:08 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [0]

Monday, May 18, 2009

Agent Advice: Greg Daniel of Daniel Literary Group
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 Greg Daniel of Daniel Literary Group. Greg specializes in religious and inspirational works of both fiction and nonfiction. He also accepts nonfiction that has no religious angle. Send submissions to submissions@danielliterarygroup.com.

GLA: How did you become an agent?

GD: I’ve spent about 12 years in publishing, eight of which were at Thomas Nelson Publishers, where most recently I was VP and Associate Publisher. I’ve always known that one day I would open my own literary agency. I loved the notion of being with authors throughout their publishing careers, helping them navigate the publishing waters, and guiding them in such matters as branding and editorial direction. So in April 2007, I made the leap to agenting. I’ve never looked back. It’s been a real joy.

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

GD: Last week I sold inspirational fiction author Denise Hildreth’s next two novels to Tyndale. Denise is a wonderfully fun southern author who has had some nice success.

GLA: You say you’re open to any type of nonfiction submission, and a lot of fiction, but almost all of your recent sales have some angle of religion or inspirational to them. That said, are you still interested in queries that have no religious angle?

GD: Currently about 85% of the books I’ve sold have had some element of religion or inspiration, but I’ve also sold such nonfiction books as narrative history, pop culture, and business. I am open to nonfiction of almost any sort, that being my true specialty. I’d love to see more non-religious nonfiction. I’m extremely selective about the fiction I represent, and currently it consists primarily of inspirational fiction.

GLA: You seem to be right in the thick of inspirational and Christian publishing in what you do. Can you tell us how the Christian publishing world is changing?

GD: As Christian bookstores, especially the independents, struggle a bit and as general market stores keep increasing the size of their religion departments, it is opening up opportunities for a broader spectrum of Christian books to be published, not just the strictly evangelical books that Christian publishing used to be primarily confined to. There is a more ecumenical approach and spirit in Christian publishing these days.

GLA: Talk to me about a good platform for writing religious nonfiction. Besides being a preacher, what are other elements you’d like to see in proposals?

GD: Actually, being a preacher or pastor is not at all a prerequisite for writing religious nonfiction. I think I have only a couple authors who are pastors of some sort. Platform in religious nonfiction can be everything from pastoring a megachurch to having a wildly successful blog to being a notable scholar or thought leader. But it is important to have a platform and for that platform to be ever expanding.

GLA: What are the most common ways you see writers going wrong when they submit a query to you?

GD: Many nonfiction authors have almost no platform whatsoever. It is near impossible to publish nonfiction without a platform or recognized expertise in an area. Fiction authors err in sending manuscripts and queries that seem as if they’re first drafts - lacking the multiple drafts of rewriting that are necessary to truly hone and perfect their work.

GLA: Let’s say you sit down to read a Christian/inspirational fiction partial. What are some cliché openings that you see right there on page 1 or in chapter 1? What do you see way too much?

GD: I don’t think I see a whole lot of difference between the cliché openings of inspirational fiction and the cliché openings of every other kind of fiction. I must see 5-10 queries a day that begin their first chapter with a description of the sky or weather. Doesn’t matter what kind of fiction it is.

GLA: Will you be at any upcoming writers’ conferences where people can meet and pitch you?

GD: The next conference I’ll be speaking at is the Southern Christian Writers’ Conference.

GLA: Best piece(s) of advice we haven’t discussed?

GD: Read deeply and widely in the area you want to be a writer. It seems that so often I receive queries where not only are the authors not at a point where they should be approaching agents yet, but they also appear to not even be astute readers of the categories they’re writing in. In addition to writing, writing, and rewriting in order to be a better writer, I’m a firm believer that the more intelligently you read, the better writer you’ll become.

Want more on this subject?

See a profile of Christian agent Rachelle Gardner of Wordserve.

Read an interview with Christian agent Chip MacGregor.

Buy the memoir guide, Writing Life Stories.

Read an interview with Christian agent Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary.

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 Advice (Agent Interviews) | Christian Agents | Nonfiction

Monday, May 18, 2009 4:21:45 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [4]

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Agents and the Slushpile: 10 Reasons They Stop Reading
Posted by Chuck

My friend Kerrie Flanagan, who runs the Northern Colorado Writers' Conference (in Fort Collins) recently pointed me to a guest blog column on her site. The guest column examined a session at a recent writers' conference where four literary agents listened to a few pages from a slush pile submission. The agents would listen to a slush pile submission being read aloud and shared their reasons for what didn't work or what would make them stop reading.

Here are the top 10:

10. Overdone description that doesn’t move the story forward
9. Spoon-feeding the reader what the character is thinking
8. Having the characters address each other repeatedly by name, as in, “John, let’s go!”
7. Introducing a character with first and last name, as in, “John Smith entered the room.”
6. Beginning a story with dialogue
5. Opening with a cliché
4. Yanking the reader out of the action with backstory
3. Not giving the reader a sense of place or where the story is going
2. Characters are MIA until bottom of page 2
1. Telling instead of showing

To see all of Laura Bridgwater's guest column on The Writing Bug Web site, click here.

Thursday, May 14, 2009 12:30:12 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [4]

New Agency Alert: Doug Grad Literary Agency, Inc.
Posted by Chuck

He's probably a little bit busy in his new transition from editor to agent, but you should take note of Doug Grad, who has created the newly-formed Doug Grad Literary Agency.

Strangely enough, Doug doesn't have a whole lot of information on his Web site regarding what topics he's looking for. It seems he is interested in just about all adult fiction and nonfiction topics. If you take a good look at his recent sales, it seems like they are mostly nonfiction items.

How to contact: Query him. If he is interested, he will request the full book proposal (for nonfiction submissions), or the first 50 pages (for fiction). Send e-queries to doug.grad@dgliterary.com

New Agency Alerts | Nonfiction

Thursday, May 14, 2009 12:19:34 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [3]

Are There Any Guys in SCBWI?
Posted by Chuck

I've done a lot of nonfiction writing, but I am a newbie to the children's writing world and am trying to get involved and learn things and make friends, etc. All this lead me to my first regional SCBWI meeting. There were 18 people, and only one dude - me.

Are there any guys in SCBWI? I'm used to being outnumbered in the whole writing/publishing world, but not by 17 to 1.

Children's Writing

Thursday, May 14, 2009 12:08:53 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [13]

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Should You Mention Your Age in a Book Query?
Posted by Chuck

Q. How old do you need to be in order to publish a book? Is there a specific age limit?
- Stacia

A. There is no age limit, Stacia. Didn't S.E. Hinton write The Outsiders when she was just 15?
The bigger question here is whether you should mention your young age in the query letter (your first contact with a literary agent). I get a lot of young people who ask this. My opinion is No. The fact is: A lot of people write books or screenplays when they are young. A lot of what's written by people in high school is just not that good. Mentioning that you're 16 will probably make the agent a little wary. Besides that, age really has nothing to do with it. You have to write a great story. After that, if the agent likes your work and contacts you to talk, she will probably be happy to discover that this awesome novel was written by a youngster, because that will generate publicity when the book comes out.

The Outsiders was great and everything,
but come on, isn't it obvious that Rumble Fish
was Hinton's better book, and made
a better movie. By the way, Mickey
Rourke is the man.

Queries and Synopses and Proposals

Tuesday, May 12, 2009 10:46:33 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [1]

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

New Agency Alert: Kirsten Neuhaus Literary
Posted by Chuck

Kirsten Neuhaus, who has worked at a few agencies in recent years, has recently broke out on her own. Here are the details:

Kirsten Neuhaus Literary Agency
21 W 38th Street, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10018
646 839 6899

Seeking: Nonfiction, particularly current events, international affairs, pop cultural studies, and narratives with strong female voices, as well as up-market, commercial fiction.

Submission Guidelines: "Our preferred method for receiving queries is via email. Please send a query letter, including a bio, and approximately ten sample pages to:submissions@kirstenneuhausliterary.com."

Please Note:
    - All material must appear in the body of the e-mail.
    - She will not open any attachments.
    - She does not respond to queries via phone.

New Agency Alerts | Nonfiction

Wednesday, May 06, 2009 4:02:52 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [2]

Monday, May 04, 2009

Conference Spotlight: Wyoming Writers Annual Conference
Posted by Chuck

I need to give a shout out to the Wyoming Writers Annual Conference, a June event at which I'll be presenting. The conference looks like a scenic opportunity for writers to get to the Mountain West, breathe some fresh air, and get plenty of writing & networking done.

DETAILS

June 5-7, in Casper, WY.

It looks to be a conference of medium size, but that isn't a bad thing. Whereas bigger conferences draw more speakers and have more sessions, etc., small events have more personal time with pros and that means more attention for writers!

WHO WILL BE THERE?

For starters, two-time United States Poet Laureate Ted Kooser. He is the keynote speaker and big catch for any conference. His awards and accolades are plentiful.

There will be at least one literary agent there: Meredith Kaffel of the Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. I interviewed her recently and you can find that interview by clicking on the "Agent Advice" category link on the left hand side of this blog. About her: "She represents a mix of children’s and adult projects, nonfiction and fiction. Meredith has a strong interest in edgy commercial and literary young adult fiction, narrative nonfiction, history, human rights stories, food and travel narratives, and voice-driven memoir."

WHAT ELSE?

I will be there presenting on a whole host of topics and meeting with writers to give advice on queries and whatever else anyone wants to talk about. My presentation topics are:
        1. Everything You Need To Know About Agents
        2. What Editors Want: Professional Writing Practices
        3. Building Your Freelance Portfolio (Writing for Magazines & Newspapers)

Besides that, I know I'll be drinking a boatload of water to avoid altitude sickness - something I successfully dodged in Fort Collins before. The conference looks intimate and great. I hope to see you there! Learn everything about the conference here.

Writers' Conferences

Monday, May 04, 2009 1:14:02 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Sunday, May 03, 2009

Cover Band Soap Opera: Don't Mess With Kim, Our Sound Tech
Posted by Chuck

At my last cover band show, we had a crazy drunk guy who was pretty out of control. Unfortunately, our lead singer thought it wise to let Mr. Drunk up onstage early on to sing a few words of a song. This turned out to be a god-awful decision, because then Mr. Drunk wanted to be onstage all the time. At one point, he even came up, released some primordial roar, then flailed and hit my microphone stand, which then toppled onto my guitar effects pedal, and all of a sudden I wasn't playing with distortion any longer. The whole thing just turned in a little Mousetrap-esque nightmare.

Anyway, the most interesting part of the whole ordeal was when Mr. Drunk came too close to our PA sound system. That's when Kim, our small yet dangerous sound tech, proceeded to shove him about ten feet away with a simple flick of her arms. It was good to see her protecting our gear with such zeal, but then also humbling to know to she could destroy me at any time with her ninja skills.

This is Kim. Mess with our
sound board, and she will
scissor-kick you.

Cover Band Venting

Sunday, May 03, 2009 2:36:51 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Comments [2]

Friday, May 01, 2009

Agent Advice: Jim McCarthy of Dystel & Goderich
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 Jim McCarthy of Dystel & Goderich. Jim interned for DGLM while studying urban design at New York University.

Seeking: "literary and commercial works. He is particularly interested in literary women’s fiction, underrepresented voices, mysteries, romance, paranormal fiction, and anything unusual or unexpected. In addition to fiction he is also interested in narrative nonfiction, humor, memoir, paranormal nonfiction, and anything related to architecture, planning, or real estate." His e-mail address is jmccarthy@dystel.com. To contact him, enclose a cover letter, outline or brief synopsis of the work (with word count if possible), a sample chapter, and SASE for our response. Please type all of your correspondence and double space everything other than the cover letter. E-mail queries are fine (no attachments). Please be sure to query only one agent at this agency.

Jim McCarthy

GLA: How did you become an agent?

JM: I really stumbled into the industry. I was studying Urban Design at NYU and needed a part-time job. Stacey Glick, my now colleague, was the first person to call me back from the forty resumes I sent out. I didn't even know what a literary agent was at the time. Ten years later, I know it was a hell of a lucky break.

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

JM: One of my most exciting recent sales was for a literary novel called Yield by a young writer, Lee Houck. I originally signed it on in 2006. It sold last month to Kensington. It was a long, long process, but it's a book I've always adored, and I'm thrilled that it will be seen in print. I also just sold seven new young adult titles by the outstanding (and New York Times bestselling) Richelle Mead to Razorbill.

GLA: I'm very curious. What constitutes these "underrepresented voices" you
seek?

JM: This is very open for interpretation. What I really mean is that I want to see stories that aren't being told. I think there are a lot of groups that don't necessarily see themselves represented in the literary market as much as they should: whether that means underrepresented ethnic, religious, or even geographic narratives or simply people who feel like they fall out of the mainstream, I'd love to have a look.

GLA: When you're looking at a submission for a literary novel, how much stock do you put into queries and synopses?

JM: I always want to see samples when I'm looking at literary queries. There are tons of books that I probably wouldn't be especially interested in just based on a synopsis that I ultimately end up loving. Coetzee's Disgrace is a great example. The plot didn't appeal to me, but the book was dazzling. Once I see that something is literary, I tend to skip to the sample to see if the voice grabs me.

GLA: When I think of paranormal romance, I think of vampires and more
vampires. What other things do you see would classify the fiction writing to be in this category?

JM: Well, I certainly do love my vampire romances. And zombies, succubi, werewolves, and all of those other glorious fantastical creatures. But what I'm seeing a lot of (and am really encouraged by) is that the boundaries of the subgenre are being stretched. I love fiction that is fantastical--alternate worlds, alternative realities, that sort of thing. It isn't so much about the entities you're writing about as it is the ability to create a world that feels wholly realized and entirely believable in its own right.

GLA: We met recently at the Las Vegas Writers Conference. You took a lot of pitches. What were the most common mistakes you saw writers doing concerning in-person pitches?

JM: Fear. Writers get so caught up in making sure they capture everything about their book in as short a time as possible that they get really worked up and flustered. I'm not looking for a synopsis of everything that happens in a book when I'm getting pitched. I just want to hear someone talk about why they wrote their book and what excites them about it. It should be a much more natural process than a lot of people are ready for it to be.

GLA: Concerning the mystery and romance genres, do you seek anything specific here? Do you have particular "likes" (subgenres, etc)?

JM: I'm really open to anything, but I particularly love serial killer thrillers, ghost stories, and anything hardboiled in mystery. I'd love to find my very own Chelsea Cain or Charlie Huston. On the flipside, I adore a good cozy mystery series, particularly if there is an element of humor. In terms of romance, I skew more contemporary than historical, still love a good sense of humor, and am always on the lookout for writers who pull off sexy really well (it's tougher than it sounds!).

GLA: On the same subject, what do you pray for when tackling the slush pile?
What do you keep looking for and not getting?

JM: I always used to answer this question by saying that if someone would write a novel about Elvis, vampires, and road trips, I would definitely sign it on. Happily, someone finally took me up on it! So now I'm dying to find some great big Gothic thriller or romance. A 21st Century The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is my current dream project.

GLA: I've been talking a lot about memoir on the blog recently. Is there anything you can add when talking to writers about writing and submitting memoirs, since so many people are doing so?

JM: Two bullet points I'd throw out there: first, make sure you're ready to share your story on a major scale. I've seen people write their memoirs and then pull them from consideration and, once, even from publication, when they realized that they weren't prepared to deal with the emotional effects of sharing something so intimate. It's something you really need to be sure you explore personally before you take that step. And when you do decide to write it, my second piece of advice is to find your framing mechanism. It isn't usually enough to just present a snapshot of your life. You need to find a narrative in there--something with a beginning, middle, and end. It doesn't have to be chronological, but you need to give the reader structure. I always find myself recommending three memoirs that I think do this especially well: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Strip City by Lily Burana, and the amazingly funny (and truly moving) I Am Not Myself These Days by Josh Kilmer-Purcell.

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

JM: I'll be at PNWA in Seattle from July 30-August 2, and at the South Carolina Writers Workshop conference October 23-25.

GLA: Best piece(s) of advice we haven't covered?

JM: If you think you can give up writing, then give it up. If you can't ... if you know that no matter how much stress or rejection or frustration you face, that you can never stop writing? In that case, never give up. Publishing is too hard to face if you aren't in it for the right reasons. But it's not too hard to break into if it's what you need to do.