Pitching an Agent: Julie Barer, Barer Literary LLC

Aileen Gallagher speaks with agent Julie Barer, who has a knack for editing and a love for small bookstores. This is a good agency for first-time authors, especially those from an MFA program. Short stories are welcome but hard to sell, but above all, no matter what you pitch, make sure it has an original voice (and that it’s not genre fiction such as sci-fi, romance, and westerns.) Submit a query by snail mail with a professional letter and no more than one sample chapter.

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion's Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook's Morin Oluwole, and bitly's Tim Devane. Register now.