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FROM THE EDITOR
When asked for his one, best piece of writing advice, a colleague of mine once said, "The best writing is rewriting." Not his quote, naturally, but he was just trying to say that rewriting is a crucial step in the process, and it's no secret that's
it's hard to do. My former college professors would say, "Now now, Chuck. It's not hard. It's difficult." Well I say, "Heck with that!" It's hard. I should know. I'm thick in the middle of my second
draft of a juvenile
novel. They say that the first draft should be written with the heart, and the second with the head. The former is more fun.
Though not much fun, rewriting will indeed make your manuscript or book proposal a lot better. Unnecessary
text gets cut. Things get tighter, better, smoother. Characters glow. Transitions are shaped. That wonderful metaphor you couldn't lock down the first time around finally comes into focus.
So I'm just wondering:
Do you have any good tips on rewriting? Something you've discovered in your writing journey that you can share with others? If so, tell me. Send an e-mail to literaryagent@fwmedia.com, for possible inclusion in a future newsletter.
Until
next time, good luck agent hunting!
Chuck Sambuchino
Editor
Guide to Literary Agents
literaryagent@fwmedia.com
www.guidetoliteraryagents.com
AGENT INTERVIEW: ALANNA RAMIREZ
The latest exclusive interview on the GLA blog is with Alanna Ramirez of Trident Media Group. Alanna looks for a variety of nonfiction and also some literary fiction.
An excerpt of the interview is below. See
the entire interview here!
GLA: What are you looking for right now and not getting?
AR: As you know, I'm looking to take on nonfiction authors – memoir and narrative nonfiction. But I'm also looking for literary
fiction that
has the ability to cross over into the mainstream market. Think – The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini); Water for Elephants (Sara Gruen); The Dive From Clausen's Pier (Ann Packer); or While I Was Gone (Sue Miller). I'm also interested in novels
about quirky families that span generations ... some of my favorites include Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides); The World According to Garp (John Irving); I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb); The Corrections (Jonathan Franzen).
GLA:
Most
common problem(s) you see in a query for literary fiction?
AR: The most common problem that I see with queries for literary fiction as that the author has a hard time telling me what their book is about. The best way to pitch me is with
5 or 6 well-crafted sentences that give me the gist of the plot. Please don't forget to tell me if you've won awards or have been published in literary magazines, or anything else notable about yourself and your writing.
ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS
Do you have a question about agents or publishing? E-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and I may answer your question on the GLA blog. I can't get around to everyone, but I do my best to answer plenty of questions.
Recently,
on the GLA blog, I've addressed the following reader questions:
- Will a literary agent find your work online and sign you?
- What's the difference between creative nonfiction, narrative nonfiction and biography?
- What's the best
way to send materials to agents in attachment form?
- Is there a difference between script agents and literary agents?
- And more.
CHILDREN'S AGENT SEEKING SUBMISSIONS
I've blogged before a few times about Michelle Andelman, a literary agent with a big soft spot for good children's writing. I
interviewed her when she was with Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and then she moved to Franklin & Siegal as a literary scout.
Well now, Michelle is back to be a full-time agent, as F&S has developed a literery agency (Lynn C. Franklin Associates,
Ltd.) that works in tandem with it. That means Michelle is back on the prowl for awesome kids stuff.
What Michelle wants: Middle grade and young adult work. See
writers' guidelines here. How to contact her: Send e-queries to agency@franklinandsiegal.com. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to write "Query for Ms. Andelman: (Title)" in the subject line, either.
AGENT-CONFERENCE OPPORTUNITIES
There are plenty of opportunities for writers to meet agents face to face at writers' conferences and pitch their work. Remember: Meeting agents in person is a great way to get past the slush pile. If an agent is interested in your work and requests a sample
or book proposal, you can write "Requested Material" on your submission, making sure it gets a fair read and consideration.
Know that there are two types of conferences. There are general writers' conferences, that address a variety of subjects, and
then there are specialized conferences, which usually tend to focus on a single genre - such as western, romance, or mystery. You will find both kinds in this list below.
Truckee Meadows Community
College /
Reno Writers' Conference, March 14, Reno, NV
Attending agents: Verna Dreisbach (Dreisbach Literary); and Amberly Finarelli (Andrea Hurst Literary).
Let
Your Imagination Take Flight (New England Romance Writers),
March 27-28, Framingham, MA
Attending agents: Jessica Faust (BookEnds); Meg Ruley (Jane Rotrosen Agency); and Becca Stumpf (The Prospect Agency).
Christopher Newport University Writers'
Conference, March 27-29, Newport
News, VA
Attending agents: Katharine Sands (Sarah Jane Freymann Literary).
Oklahoma Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Spring Conference,
March 28, Tulsa, OK
Attending agents: Elana Roth (Carmen Johnson Literary); as well as several editors from publishing houses. For writers: The first 40 people to register for the conference and pay the critique fee will have 10 pages of a manuscript critiqued by one of the
editors or the agent.
Northern Colorado Writers' Conference, April 3-4, Fort Collins, CO
Attending agents: Andrea Brown (Andrea Brown Literary); Jeffery McGraw (August Agency);
Jessica Faust (BookEnds); and Jon Sternfeld
(Irene Goodman Literary).
Dreamin' in Dallas (Dallas Romance Writers), April 4, Richardson, TX
Attending agents: Barbara Poelle (Irene Goodman Literary);
Emmanuelle Alspaugh (Judith Ehrlich Literary); and Holly
Root (Waxman Agency).
Las Vegas Writers' Conference, April 17-18, Las Vegas, NV
Attending agents: Ken Sherman (Ken Sherman Associates); Mollie Glick
(Foundry Literary + Media); Lori Perkins (L. Perkins Associates);
Andrea Brown (Andrea Brown Literary); and Ellen Pepus (Ellen Pepus Literary).
Muse & The Marketplace (Grub Street Writers), April 24-25, Boston, MA
Attending agents: Sorche Fairbank (Fairbank Literary); Katharine
Fausset (Curtis Brown), Mitchell Waters (Curtis Brown), Katharine Sands (Sarah Jane Freymann Literary) and many more.
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