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Agents

Agent Auctions Critiques of Partial Manuscripts

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In December, agent Irene Goodman will auction off 25 critiques for partial manuscripts--a chance for fledgling writers to donate to a worthy cause and polish their work for the agent search.

The auction will run from Dec. 1, 2009 and ends Dec. 15, raising money for the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the Deafness Research Foundation. Her 22-year-old son (pictured, with Goodman) suffers from Usher Syndrome, a genetic disease that causes progressive loss of hearing and sight. She explained: "when you are 22 and you are losing your sight and your hearing, you want the cure to happen NOW. All this costs a lot of money, and that's where your dollars will be spent."

Here's more about the quality of Goodman's advice: "I believe that nicey-nice doesn't really help you. Honesty does. If you can accept well-meant feedback from someone who has built a lot of best-selling careers, then this is for you. My track record in this regard astonishes me when I look at it. There are dozens of books that sold for sizable advances as a direct result of my feedback to the authors. When you are hungry for information that will really make a difference, not waste your time, and respect your goals, you need a real industry professional who has walked the walk."

24 Agents Looking for New Writers

wdlogo23.jpgAspiring writers require many tools, but a list of available agents is one of the most valuable gifts any fledgling author can receive. With that in mind, here's a birthday present for all the aspiring writers in the audience.

According to Writer's Digest, there are 1,300 practicing literary agents in the United States, making it a daunting task for any writer to connect with the right representation at the right time. To help writers out, the magazine published a list of "24 Agents Who Want Your Work."

Here are pitching guidelines from Kate McKean at Howard Morhaim Literary Agency (who recently sold "How to Take Over Teh Wurld" by icanhascheezburger), taken from the informative list: "NONFICTION INTERESTS: narrative nonfiction, sports-related books, food writing, pop culture and craft. FICTION INTERESTS: literary fiction, contemporary women's fiction, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, urban fantasy, mystery, YA and middle-grade fiction. DOES NOT WANT: epic fantasy, sci-fi or children's picture books. HOW TO CONTACT: Agent prefers e-mail queries, and generally responds in six to eight weeks. Send a query letter and three sample chapters."

Literary Agents React!

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Miriam Goderich of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management responded in their blog to the GalleyCat post yesterday entitled, Literary Agents, bah! Who needs them? by stating: "Who needs an agent? You do." In her well-respected blog she also mentioned: "every serious author needs an agent. Not just any agent, of course. You need a good agent. One who is an advocate, who is willing to fight for you and who is able to tell you when you're being unreasonable and doing your career more harm than good."

And that was not all -- emails, comments and tweets have come pouring in from agents, writers and other book publishing professionals with a resounding, "Yes, we do need agents."

Deidre Knight of the Knight Agency says, "Many agents, myself included, believe that the digital age is bringing opportunity. Yes, change is here, but why must that mean the end of printed books, editing and publishing in general?"

continued...

Literary Agents, bah! Who needs them?

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CrainsNewYork.com reports that Amazon.com wined and dined a number of prominent literary agents at their home-base in Seattle, Washington to convince the agents that they are not the "evil empire" but rather willing to work with them as the publishing industry makes its full-fledged transition into the digital revolution.

The fact that Amazon.com had to have this discussion with literary agents brings up the question, will literary agents even exist in the near future? Are literary agents even necessary nowadays when a writer can upload their manuscript to the Kindle service or Smashwords and sell their books directly to the consumer?

"There will be a need for literary agents," says Nicholas Croce of The Croce Agency, "Agents ... offer informed advice and camaraderie during the inevitable ups and downs that all writers experience. I don't think technology will ever put this human element on the extinction list."

continued...

How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal

mollieglick23.jpgToo many writers have a great nonfiction book idea but don't know how to pitch the book to an agent. A special one-day-only sale at mediabistro.com can help you write that pitch and meet an agent.

Today (October 30) only, you can get 30 percent off all multi-week courses when you sign up using promo code SAVE30 while submitting payment. You can use that discount to get book pitching ideas straight from an agent. The Nonfiction Book Proposal class is held in New York, starting November 5. This course is taught by Mollie Glick (pictured) from Foundry Literary + Media.

If your work or life schedule won't permit classroom visits, mediabistro.com will also offer a Nonfiction Book Proposal online, starting November 18. Here's more about Glick's course: There is a basic formula for nonfiction book proposals and when broken down into parts, this formula can be easy to learn. By workshop's end, you'll be armed with a fully realized proposal that you can take to agents and start selling your book."

Mary Grey James Joins East/West Literary Agency

JamesMaryGrey.jpgThe East/West Literary Agency hired former Ingram Book Company lead book buyer Mary Grey James as a partner literary agent yesterday.

James (pictured, via) has spent more than 30 years in publishing, managing children's and adult titles at Ingram, working as national accounts manager at Harcourt, and serving as vice president/president elect of the Women's National Book Association. She will represent adults and children's books, with a special focus on southern writers.

Here's more from James, quoted in the release: "Joining East/West Literary Agency is a culmination of my years in the publishing world, bringing together my love of books, my desire to see talented authors and illustrators succeed, and my pleasure in working with gifted people devoted to books."

How to Break Up With an Agent

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Break ups are messy, whether you're dealing with marriage break ups or business relationships. Such is the case with an agent-writer relationship. Somehow something went awry, the writer and agent were not on the same page, the writer had unrealistic expectations or perhaps the agent simply wanted to grab the writer before anyone else did and then sat on the writer to squash the competition from their existing client (rare, but it does happen).

In either case, how would a writer separate from an agent in a way that would be amicable and not burn any bridges. The agent you may despise now, for whatever reason, may become a friend and helpful colleague in the near future.

We asked two literary agents about the best way to handle such an issue.

continued...

Why agents don't return calls: Part 3

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We last examined why it is that agents don't return phone calls. But
another question remains: What can authors do to make themselves more
pleasing to agents?

We spoke with agent Paul Cirone with the Friedrich Agency who
explained there is no excuse for an agent not to return a client's
call. "If your agent isn't calling you back, it's not the client
that has to change. I think the agent has the issue. If a writer who is signed on with an agent isn't getting their calls returned, they need to examine that relationship."

He went on to disclose, "Every client I work with I've signed on for a reason. Namely, I believe in their work. If the agent you are working with is not working with you, that's something to look at."

But what can a writer do if they feel they are being neglected? In our next report we will discuss key tips on how to turn such a situation around in your favor.

Why agents don't return calls: Part 2

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Recently, an author on Absolute Water Cooler commented, "The lack of
calls from my agent has gotten me really frustrated. It is making lose faith in the entire system of publishing my book!"

That is one of the most heard complaints from writers. But, should
writers be satisfied and just grateful that they even have an agent?
Or, do they have a legitimate cause for concern?

We talked with former agent turned manager (who will go unnamed) who told us point blank, "We don't call you back if you aren't producing, if you aren't making us enough money. We have many clients and if you simply aren't producing, you aren't going to be a priority. It's the business."

continued...

Why agents don't return calls: Part 1

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The universe is filled with questions. And each sub-universe carries
their set of questions. In the world of published (or more accurately agented writers), there seems to be one question that plagues their minds. That question is, "Why doesn't my agent return my phone calls?" To them it is akin to "What is the
purpose of life?"

Writers wait. Waiting builds frustration. Soon, enough waiting means
more frustration and it begins to build and heat up into a slow
simmer. After months and months of playing telephone tag, this simmer
explodes into a pot of hot boiling water, splashing everywhere as the
author becomes infuriated and joins other bitter writers in spreading
their discontent and frustration. Don't believe me? Check out Absolute Water Cooler, an online forum group dedicated to dissecting agents.

Why are some agents notorious for not returning calls? Are they really that busy? Or is there another, perhaps more profound reason that writers just don't know about? We posed this question to a number of literary agents and came up with some interesting responses. Stay tuned to find out.

Previously

Agents Are Grumbling: Editors Turning Into Agents

AvantGuild: This Agent's Cooking Up Plenty of Deals

Rob Weisbach Has a Posse

AvantGuild: What Can Brown Do for Writers?

AvantGuild: The Agent Who Discovered Obama

AvantGuild: A Savant's Peek Behind the Curtain

Author Defends Agents

Agent Jarred Weisfeld on Rod Blagojevich's Book Deal

Writers House Opens UK Office

Hundreds of Writers Pool Agent Complaints

Agent Kate Lee on Microblogging Books

Foundry Sells Three Books in Three Days

AvantGuild: Hast Thou Pitched the Jabberwock?

Featured Agent of Color - Kirby Kim

Fagerness Plunges Into Foreign Territory Solo

Seth Godin Urges Agents to "Hyperspecialize"

Agent Eric Simonoff Joins William Morris Agency

AvantGuild: Two Agents, Serving the Word

Query Fail Day Debated

Agents and Editors Blog Worst Queries

Creative Artists Agency Spooks NY Literary Agents

Brendan Deneen Joins FinePrint Literary Management

AvantGuild: Professor, Bookseller, Kidlit Agent

AvantGuild: An Agent Who Seeks (and Spreads) Inspiration

"I Want To Represent Books That Actually Reach People"

AvantGuild: This Agent Keeps Pitching After Deals Are Done

Agents: Keep Your Hands Off Our Two Percent

Literary Agency Takes Two-Point Conversion to "Pay the Bills"

AvantGuild: The Agent Who Came in From the Slush Pile

Agent Stephen Barbara Moves To Foundry Literary + Media

Marlene Stringer Starts Her Own Agency

Exclusive Video: Foundry Agent on the Publishing Meltdown

Agent Peter H. McGuigan Predicts More Celebrity Books

East Coast Agents Versus West Coast Agents

AvantGuild: An Agent Opens Up the Hispanic Book Market

AgencySpy: How to Get a Book Deal in Advertising

NoHo Literary Agents Seek Like-Minded Office Mates

AvantGuild: Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Want to Hear Your Voice

AvantGuild: Liza Dawson Wants Your Gorgeous Historical Thriller

Pitching the Nonfiction Book

AvantGuild: Agents for Good News, Written Well

AvantGuild: Now This Veteran Editor's Making Pitches

AvantGuild: Alexandra Machinist Is Ready for Your Queries

AvantGuild: "An Omnivorous Appetite for Nonfiction"

Why Should We Care About Your Story?

The Easily-Overlooked Art of Agent Research

AvantGuild: Katharine Sands Wants Good Fiction Bad

Dispatches from BookAgentLand

AvantGuild: Boston's "High Priestess" of Book Deals

Literary Agent Opens Her Blog to Authors' Advice & Experience

Emmanuelle Alspaugh Changes Agencies

AvantGuild: Scribe Agency Wants to Hear You Sing

AvantGuild: Building an Agency Outside NYC

Summer Cats: Wylie Rakes It In

Summer Cats: Whoopy, Singing in the Sun

Summer Cats: Sebastian and Petunia Tackle Manuscripts

Summer Cats: Hemingway Cracks Down on Grammar

Knight Agency Hires New PR Director

AvantGuild: This Agent Wants True Nonfiction Only, Please

Ira Silverberg: Keeping it Safe to Read in America

AvantGuild: How to Catch Holly Bemiss's Eye

mediabistro.com Taps Sharlene Martin's Publishing Expertise

Schafer Leaves Janklow For True Love, Own Agency

AvantGuilders: Meet Literary Agent Nadia Cornier

Ginny Weissman Tapped as Sharlene Martin's Chicago Rep

Nesbit: Publishers May Transform Into Distributors

Wylie: "Trying to Represent Quality With Discipline"

Ira Silverberg Moves His Desk to Sterling Lord

The Pipe Dreams of the Aspiring Writer

After Much Editorial Abuse, One Agent's Polite Response

Your Call: "Project Freeze Out" Likely a Crock

If You Hated If I Did It...

Anna Stein's Greatest Week Ever?

elsewhere on mediabistro.com: Pitching Lisa Hagan

elsewhere on mediabistro.com: Meet Kate Epstein

UK Agent's Resignation Creates Literary Sh*tstorm

Scott Moyers Won't Be A Junior Jackal

Robert Barnett's Multimillion Dollar Advance Touch

Calder Picks Authors and Sticks With Them

PFD Agents Says No to Outside Sale

Gunning for the Conservative Lifestyle

Gersh Agency Forms Literary Unit

More on Abate/ICM/Endeavor Triangle Tango

Andrew Wylie Creates a Stir in France

Ed Victor Still the Man in Britain

ICM Sues to Block Abate Move to Endeavor

Endeavor Confirms Abate Hire, Book Expansion

Sloan Harris Promoted at ICM

Abate Leaves ICM for Endeavor

Christopher Little Agency Offers Prize to Student Writers

Support for Greenberg & family

Dorris Halsey dies at the age of 81

Second Life for Agents, too

Changes & Growing Pains for ICM

Elsewhere @ mediabistro.com...

New York Times gets a literary agent of its own

Bill Clegg returns to agenting with a poaching vengeance

For Clare Alexander, agenting is a personal issue

Why penalizing authors for having agents is a bad, bad idea

When agents go solo

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