Saturday, February 27, 2016

Established Agents Looking for Writers

By Erica Verrillo

7 Established Agents Looking for Writers

Here are seven agents seeking clients. Most of these are established agents who have recently changed agencies. All have experience in the publishing industry. They are seeking an eclectic mix, from upmarket literary to children’s books, memoir to fantasy, and from thrillers to health and wellness.

Be sure to read the agency’s full guidelines before submitting.

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Reiko Davis of DeFiore and Company

About Reiko: Before joining DeFiore in early 2016, Reiko Davis was an associate agent at Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency for four years.

She grew up in Kansas City, received her BA in Comparative Literature and Art History from Brown University, and is a graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course.

What she is looking for: Reiko’s interests are varied, but she is particularly drawn to adult literary and upmarket fiction, narrative nonfiction, and young adult and middle grade fiction. Above all, she wants to discover books that surprise and move her with their irresistible characters and language.

She loves a strong narrative voice; smart, funny heroines; narrowly located settings (especially towns in the South and Midwest); family sagas; darkly suspenseful novels; and stories of remarkable friendships or that explore the often perilous terrain of human relationships. For children’s books, she is actively looking for young adult and middle grade fiction — whether it be contemporary, historical, fantasy, or simply a story with a timeless quality and vibrant characters. For nonfiction, she is most interested in cultural, social, and literary history; fascinating tours through niche subjects; narrative science; psychology; guides on creativity; and memoir.

How to submit: Please query her at reiko@defliterary.com with “Query” in the subject line as well as the following: A brief description of your book, and a brief, relevant bio. For fiction, please include the first chapter of your book pasted in the body of your email. No attachments, please.

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Molly O’Neill of Waxman Leavell Literary Agency

About Molly: Prior to becoming an agent, Molly spent thirteen years working in various roles inside the children’s publishing industry: as an Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books, where she acquired Veronica Roth’s YA juggernaut Divergent series, among many other fantastic projects; as Head of Editorial at Storybird, a publishing/tech start-up; and in School & Library Marketing at both HarperCollins and Clarion Books.

What she is seeking: She is actively seeking middle grade and YA fiction and picture book author/illustrators, and — more selectively — narrative nonfiction (including children’s/YA/MG, pop science/pop culture, and lifestyle/food/travel/cookbook projects by authors with well-established platforms). In all categories, she is drawn to character-driven explorations of universal human stories, truths, and experiences; plots driven by a compelling “what-if”; a vivid sense of place and/or world-building; narratives about creativity, community, and the intersections of unexpectedly-connected topics; groundbreaking themes, formats, and voices; masterful, original writing; and stories that will surprise and delight readers. She does NOT represent: adult fiction (of any genre), poetry chapbooks, screenplays, or erotica.

How to submit: To submit a project, please send a query letter ONLY via email to one of the addresses below. Do not send attachments, though for fiction you may include 5–10 pages of your manuscript in the body of your email. Send your submission to: mollysubmit@waxmanleavell.com

Stacia Decker of Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency

About Stacia: Stacia Decker has been agenting since 2009. Previously, she worked at the Donald Maass Literary Agency and, as an editor, at Harcourt and Otto Penzler Books. She began her career as an intern and then editorial assistant at Farrar, Straus & Giroux after earning an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University and an AB in Government and English from Georgetown University.

What she is looking for: She represents high-concept literary and speculative fiction, commercial thrillers, crime/mystery fiction, and sci-fi fantasy. She is partial to strong voices, fast-paced plotting, and near-future or cross-genre elements.

How to submit: Send a query letter to: mail@dclagency.com. Please do not send attachments.

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Jennifer Udden of Barry Goldblatt Literary

About Jennifer: Jennifer Udden was born in Houston, TX, and spent many of her formative years hiding books under tables while she was meant to be paying attention to something else. She has a BA from Mount Holyoke College, and graduated in 2008 with a major in Politics, a minor in Chinese, and honors thesis work on anxiety in British detective fiction of the early 20th century. She has worked in fundraising for an off-Broadway theater company and joined the publishing industry in 2010 at the Donald Maass Literary Agency. She is the co-host of the podcast Shipping & Handling (shippingandhandlingpodcast.com) with Bridget Smith of Dunham Literary, Inc.

What she is looking for: Speculative fiction of all stripes, especially innovative science fiction or fantasy that explores worlds we haven’t seen before; contemporary/erotic/LGBT/ paranormal/ historical romance; contemporary or speculative YA; select mysteries, thrillers, and urban fantasies. Please, do not send to Jen: any middle-grade, chapter, or picture books; nonfiction.

How to submit: E-mail queries should include the word “query” in the subject line. To query Jen Udden, e-mail queries can be sent toquery.judden@gmail.com. Your email query should include the following within the body of the email: your query letter, a synopsis of the book, and the first five pages of your manuscript. We will not open or respond to any e-mails that have attachments. If we like the sound of your work, we will request more material from you. Our response time is four weeks on queries, six to eight weeks on full manuscripts. If you haven’t heard from us within that time, feel free to check in via email.

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Miriam Altshuler of DeFiore and Company

About Miriam: Miriam Altshuler began her career at Russell & Volkening, where she worked with such writers as Anne Tyler, Eudora Welty, Joseph Campbell, and Bernard Malamud. In 1994 she established her own agency, which she ran for twenty-one years until she joined DeFiore and Company in early 2016.

What she is seeking: In fiction, she is most interested in family sagas, historical novels, and stories that offer a new twist or retelling of some kind. She does not work with adult romance, sci fi, or fantasy. In nonfiction, she loves memoir, narrative nonfiction, and self-help (as long as it is not too prescriptive). She particularly responds to books that have an important cultural, social, or psychological focus.

How to submit: Please send an email to her atquerymiriam@defliterary.com with “Query” in the subject line. Include the following: A brief description of your book, and a brief, relevant bio. For fiction, please include the first chapter of your book pasted in the body of your email. She also really wants to know what you feel the heart of your book is, in one or two sentences. No attachments, please.

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Maggie Riggs of Riggs Agency

About Maggie: The Riggs Agency was founded in 2015 by Maggie Riggs, a veteran of the NYC publishing industry. Maggie has worked as an editor at Viking, an associate agent at The Friedrich Agency, and as an independent editor with NY Book Editors.

What she is seeking: The agency specializes in literary fiction. She takes on select non-fiction projects including narrative nonfiction, essays, memoir, and food writing. She is particularly interested in works from fiction writers of color, and diverse voices of all kinds.

How to submit: Please send your query letter, bio, and the first ten pages of your manuscript in the body of your email to submissions@riggslit.com. Do not send your full manuscript, or any other materials, as an attachment to your email unless requested.

Eric Myers of Dystel & Goderich

About Eric: Eric Myers joined Dystel and Goderich Literary Management in 2015 after thirteen years at The Spieler Agency. A graduate of UCLA and the Sorbonne, Eric entered publishing as a journalist and author. His books include Screen Deco: A Celebration of High Style in Hollywood, Forties Screen Style: A Celebration of High Pastiche in Hollywood, and Uncle Mame: The Life of Patrick Dennis, all published by St. Martin’s Press. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine and Arts and Leisure sections, as well as Time Out, Variety, Opera News, and Art and Auction.

What he is seeking: As an agent, Eric has a strong affinity for young adult and middle grade fiction, as well as adult nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, biography, psychology, health and wellness, mind/body/spirit, and pop culture. He also loves a good thriller, and is open to memoir from authors with strong platforms.

How to submit: E-query emyers [at] dystel.com. “We prefer email queries, as most do nowadays, so please make sure your cover letter is in the body of the email. Synopses, outlines or sample chapters (say, one chapter or the first 25 pages of your manuscript) should either be included below the cover letter or attached as a separate document. We won’t open attachments if they come with a blank email, by the way. Please do double space your samples for reading that’s easy on the eyes! We will respond to most query letters within a six to eight week period. If you don’t hear from us within that time frame, chances are we did not receive yours. Feel free to resend it.”

Originally published at publishedtodeath.blogspot.com on February 23, 2016.

Erica Verrillo has published five books. She blogs about the publishing world, posts useful tips on how to get an agent, lists agents who are looking for clients as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers, explains how to market and promote your work, how to build your online platform, how to get reviews, how to self-publish, and how to keep your spirits up on Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity.

From This Author:

To Purchase a Copy of the first book in my Bandita series, Bandita Bonita: Romancing Billy the Kid, Please Click Here and Go to My Website

Book II, Bandita Bonita and Billy the Kid: The Scourge of New Mexico is slated for Release this Upcoming Spring (2016).

For a little more information regarding the writing of "Bandita", please check out my other blog posts, such as this one:

How Do You Like Your Westerns? With a Little Pop Fiction? So Do I!

Established Agents Looking for Writers

By Erica Verrillo

Erica Verrillo4 days ago8 min read

7 Established Agents Looking for Writers

_________________

Reiko Davis of DeFiore and Company

About Reiko: Before joining DeFiore in early 2016, Reiko Davis was an associate agent at Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency for four years.

____________________

Molly O’Neill of Waxman Leavell Literary Agency

Stacia Decker of Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency

___________________

Jennifer Udden of Barry Goldblatt Literary

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Miriam Altshuler of DeFiore and Company

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Maggie Riggs of Riggs Agency

Eric Myers of Dystel & Goderich

Originally published at publishedtodeath.blogspot.com on February 23, 2016.

To Purchase a Copy of the first book in my Bandita series, Bandita Bonita: Romancing Billy the Kid, Please Click Here and Go to My Website

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

11 Biggest Mistakes Self-Published Authors Make: By Michelle Brown, Senior Publishing Consultant

11 Biggest Mistakes Self-Published Authors Make

Written By:

8/26/2015

Michelle Brown, Senior Publishing Consultant

(To Read Excerpts from the Upcoming Second Book in the Bandita Series, Bandita Bonita and Billy the Kid: The Scourge of New Mexico, and to Read a Little About Why I Wrote the Series, Check Out the Links at the End of the Article).

First, an explanation: I wanted to share this because even as a traditionally published author I've always found these to be excellent points and very true for us all; I often try to educate aspiring authors on these issues. I am aware that there are a lot of you who are hoping to complete a work and want to look into self - publishing, so please take a look at this article.

In 2008, I was fortunate enough to accept a position as the first ever Author Coordinator for Mill City Press. Since that time, I’ve transitioned into the sales division of the company, and have been serving as a Senior Publishing Consultant for the last 6 years. In both of those roles with the company, I’ve spoken to countless authors, and have been able to see a trend with some of the biggest mistakes and misconceptions that authors seem to have before and during their publishing process for their book.

I hope that by outlining some of these commonalities, I’ll be able to help prevent some of the pitfalls for up and coming indie and self-published authors!

1. Skipping or Skimping on Professional Editing

Editing is the single best investment you can make in your book, period. There is a reason why books that are published through a traditional publisher go through countless rounds of editing by multiple editors before the manuscript is published. To me, trying to publish and sell a book without having it edited by a professional book editor is the equivalent of trying to sell a rough diamond to someone without having a gemologist cut and polish the stone first. First impressions are everything when it comes to readers, and when a reader finds an alarming number of errors in the first ten pages of your book, the chances are pretty darn high that not only will the reader NOT be finishing your book, he or she will also be taking the opportunity to point out all those errors in an Amazon review.

Also, when it comes to editing, you get what you pay for. If you choose to have your book edited by your great aunt Mildred who used to be a high school English teacher, or find the lowest cost book editor possible on Craigslist, or decide to rely on good old spell-check in Microsoft Word, the odds are pretty darn high that your book will have a lot of typos and errors that it wouldn’t have had if you had invested in a professional book editor.

And lastly, no author can self-edit their work no matter how much talent they have. Stephen King can’t self-edit his work, JK Rowling can’t self-edit her work, and neither can you. Summation: get a professional, credible, highly recommended and vetted book editor.

2. Not Considering the Importance of Well Directed Marketing

The sales success of a book is determined by how well the book has been marketed to its target audience. You could have the best book of the century, but if (the right) people are not aware it exists, you won't sell many copies. Publishing a book on your own is just like starting a new business. You can't expect your business or your book to do well if you don't apply any marketing efforts with targeted potential customers. A self-published book with a strong sales record is most likely because the author is treating their book publishing process like a new small business. This author has probably invested a substantial amount of time and effort into marketing and promoting their books to their potential customers.

Also, it isn’t possible to market your book to every potential reader in the universe. Targeted marketing is the key; figure out your book’s audience as early as possible, and try and promote the book to your target audience as much as possible both before and after the book is released.

3. Not Becoming Educated on the Publishing Business

One of the biggest reasons why so many self-publishing companies are able to take advantage of first time authors is because most authors don’t take the time to learn the language of publishing.

For example, almost every author I talk to confuses distribution with marketing, and they’re two entirely different elements. Distribution refers to anything that pertains to the selling activity for the book. Marketing refers to promoting your book to your intended audience. If an author isn’t aware of the difference, it’s easy to think that you’re getting a much better deal with a self-publishing company than you actually are.

If you don’t understand what a service means or entails, ask the publishing representative or consultant to explain it in plain language to you. If the representative or consultant can’t explain it to you, chances are you don’t want that service (or that publisher to be helping you publish your book).

4. Rushing the Publishing Process

Publishing a book the right way is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. It’s a common misconception that writing the book is the hardest part, when in fact; there is a tremendous amount of time consuming work that goes into getting a book ready for publication and release. Yes, there are publishers out there who will promise that your book can be published within some insane time frame of 30 days or less. However, keep in mind that traditional publishers need a lead time of 1-2 years to release a book that meets their quality standards, and your book will be competing with these. The bottom line is that major concessions will need to be made to meet an expedited timeline, and that will most likely have a negative impact on the quality of the book.

If you want the fast food approach to publishing a book, that’s fine; just understand that your book is going to be more McDonalds than Le Cirque.

5. Not Taking Experienced Professional Advice

When you ask us for advice on what to do with your book, we provide responses based on the industry knowledge and experience that we’ve collected since we started publishing independent authors in 2007. Although one of the biggest benefits of self-publishing is that authors have more control over the publication of their book, it’s still in the author’s best interest to listen to any concerns or feedback that the publishing services staff provides to the author during the process.

I’ll give you a specific example; it’s well known in the industry that it’s much easier to get a book into bookstores if it’s published in a paperback instead of hardcover format. We had an author who published a fiction book with us, and one of the author’s biggest goals was to get the book into national distribution with Barnes and Noble. We strongly advised the author to publish in a paperback format instead of hardcover, or, at the very least, to consider publishing in both formats. However, the author was adamant about only publishing the book in a hardcover format and wouldn’t even consider paperback. The other critical error was when the author printed 5000 copies of the hardcover format. When the book was presented to the national fiction buyer for Barnes and Noble, they were enthusiastic about the book, but guess what? They only wanted it in paperback. We could practically hear the author’s heart sink when we broke the news to him. So, not only did the author have to eat the printing cost of 5000 hardcover copies of his book, he also had to eat the printing cost for re- publishing and re-printing the book in a paperback edition.

Long story short, when we tell you to consider doing something for your book (or not do something for the book), it’s always in your best interest to listen. Let our experience help you be more successful.

6. Not Reading the Publishing Contract

This is another example of how many self-publishing companies take advantage of first time authors. The publishing contract is a legally binding document. If it’s done correctly, it should stipulate every possible scenario of where an author can incur additional fees during their publishing process beyond their upfront cost.

Ask to read the contract for any publishing company that you’re considering using. If something in the contract doesn’t make sense to you, ask the publishing representative or consultant for clarification. If the publishing consultant can’t explain it to you, that should be a huge red flag for you. Also, if the contract is only one page long, that’s another huge red flag.

7. Not Investing Time in Your Craft

I recently read Amy Pohler’s Yes Please, and one of my favorite aspects of her book is that she constantly refers to how hard it is to write a book. She’s absolutely right. Even the most talented and gifted contemporary writers recognize the need to work on their craft on regular basis.

I love it when I hear an author tell me that they’ve attended a writing workshop, or joined a local writers group, or have a writing coach. If you take the opportunity to use any resources that are at your disposal to give you a fresh perspective on your writing, I guarantee that your work will be better because of it.

8. Assuming Children’s Books are Easy

I could literally write an entire book on why publishing a children’s book is one of the most challenging genres, especially when it comes to self-publishing.

First of all, the success of any children’s book is largely dependent on how good the illustrations are, so you will need to find a fantastic illustrator, which is usually going to mean investing a substantial amount of time and money. Depending on the type of children’s book you want to print and publish, the chances are also pretty good that you’ll have to print the book with an offset printer, which means that you’ll need to print in volume, which means a hefty investment into printing costs (which are not the same as publishing costs).

Cost wise, if you want to publish a children’s picture book that is comparable to a classic one that’s on the market today through a traditional publisher, be prepared to spend at least 10-20k overall. Your chances for breaking even for cost on a children’s picture book are marginal at best. It’s an extremely competitive genre in today’s marketplace.

9. Believing Your Book is the Exception to the Rule

Many authors fundamentally understand how difficult it is to write, publish and sell a book, but they often think these norms don’t apply to them or their book. Of course it is possible. Your book just might be the exception to the rule… But chances are it’s not. Therefore, it’s in your best interest not to do something really off the wall or out of the box because readers don’t want to do a lot of work when it comes to reading books. You want to make it as simple as possible to engage your reader as early as possible, so don’t make it an impossible task to “get” your book (literally or figuratively).

10. Not Using Social Media Effectively

Is it good to connect with your readers to help build a following? Absolutely! However, it’s important to know how to do this in an appropriate and productive manner. If you use social media to connect with your readers or target audience, don’t overstep your boundaries. No one needs to hear about how nervous you are about your upcoming colonoscopy, or the weird rash that you found on your foot yesterday. Use social media to provide readers with updates on your published work, and only give personal information about your life that’s relevant to the work (i.e. if your book is about being a dog owner, talk about your dog).

Also, even the best writers sometimes get negative reviews about their book. If a reader posts a negative review about your book, don’t get discouraged, and most importantly, do NOT get defensive or attack the reader that posted the negative review. If you do feel the need to respond, (which I don’t recommend, see # 5) do so only in a gracious manner and thank the reader for taking the time to read your work and to give their feedback.

11. Assuming It’s Easy to Get into Bookstores or Major Retailers

Here’s the deal; physical retailers have a limited amount of shelf space. Therefore, any retail buyer for a brick and mortar vendor has to be extremely selective and savvy about which titles they think will have the best chance of selling. Airports are going to be a total no-go for any self-published author. The next time you visit an airport, take a look at how many books are in that small confined space that are aren’t written by major best-selling authors; my bet is that you won’t be seeing any.

But don’t despair, there IS hope. As long as you have a returns option for your book, many independent bookstores are willing to give local authors a chance if they feel the book has selling potential. Therefore, get chummy with your local bookstore and be prepared for the information that they’ll need to know about stocking your title (i.e. wholesale discount, which wholesalers they can order the book through, etc.).

Link: Share this Post -- Click here for original article

To purchase Book I; Bandita Bonita: Romancing Billy the Kid, Click Here

Excerpts from the Upcoming Second Book in the Series, Bandita Bonita and Billy the Kid: The Scourge of New Mexico:

Naughty Excerpt from Book II, the Upcoming Bandita Bonita and Billy the Kid: The Scourge of New Mexico -- You've Been Warned!!

Insight Into the writing of the Bandita Series and an Excerpt from the Upcoming Second Book In the Series, Bandita Bonita and Billy the Kid: The Scourge of New Mexico

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Established Agents Looking for Writers

7 Established Agents Looking for Writers

Established Agents Looking for Writers

7 Established Agents Looking for Writers

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

11 Biggest Mistakes Self-Published Authors Make: By Michelle Brown, Senior Publishing Consultant

11 Biggest Mistakes Self-Published Authors Make

1. Skipping or Skimping on Professional Editing

2. Not Considering the Importance of Well Directed Marketing

3. Not Becoming Educated on the Publishing Business

4. Rushing the Publishing Process

5. Not Taking Experienced Professional Advice

6. Not Reading the Publishing Contract

7. Not Investing Time in Your Craft

8. Assuming Children’s Books are Easy

9. Believing Your Book is the Exception to the Rule

10. Not Using Social Media Effectively

11. Assuming It’s Easy to Get into Bookstores or Major Retailers

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