agents

All posts tagged agents

Shopping For An Agent

Posted by george on October 12, 2010
Posted in: Writing. Tagged: , , , . 5 comments

In recent days I’ve been on the prowl for an agent.  I’ve finished up a children’s Picture Book manuscript and I’m about done polishing and revamping the thing.  Who would have thought that a manuscript with a mere 750 words could be so much work!?

I thought I had a grip on finding an agent.  There are a few sites that hook up authors with agents and I’ve spent some time on my favorite site that is all about writing for children.  What I’ve found is that sometimes it is worse to have too much information as opposed to too little.

It’s important to get this part of the getting published process right.  Screw up when picking an agent and chances are you will live to regret it.  I have enough regrets already, thank-you-very-much.  The bin is full.  So, while I am chomping at the bit to get the MSS out there, I’m not going to rush it off to the first agent that seems to fit.

Part of my search included Google, of course.  The good thing about this is that you can certainly find some sites with agents that you can peruse.  The bad news is that anyone can show up on a Google search.  I will say that I did find a couple of likely suspects that I will follow up on.  I also found some stinkers.

One of the things that I’ve discovered in my search for an agent is that there are still a LOT of agencies that do the traditional snail mail/SASE wait 12 weeks method.  Really?  I’m sorry but it’s 2010, I’m American and I demand instant gratification.  Hehe.  Okay, just kidding (kinda).  If that is what it takes then I’m all about doing it, but honestly if I’m weighing submitting to one or another agent I’ll go with the one who only accepts email queries with a “If you don’t hear from us in four weeks, it’s best that you move on”.

What I’m learning is that the market for children’s books is interesting.  It’s not like adult books where the only slots are non-fiction or fiction, and if it is fiction what genre.  Geez, with books for children there are picture books and young adult, chapter books aimed at specific ages or grades, and on top of that there is the whole non-fiction/fiction, genre thing.  When searching for an agent it takes a bit of digging to get at the information about what kind of work a particular agent is interested in seeing.  Many of the profiles I viewed stated that they represented all manner of works for children.  As I read down further into the profiles I would find that they were particularly interested in YA sports stories with an environmentally friendly, multi-cultural slant.  Wha?  Next!

I guess anything worthwhile is not necessarily easy.  That’s okay because I’ve got a completed manuscript, a pocket full of enthusiasm and the drive to get this done.

Of course if you happen to be an agent and are reading this post, feel free to get in touch. :-)

AgentQuery Site Review

Posted by george on August 21, 2009
Posted in: Writing. Tagged: , , . 5 comments

queryheadWhen I first started this blog on writing, I knew that one of the resources I would need was a way for writers to connect to agents.  I came across AgentQuery early on and it has been my source exclusively for agent queries.  If you are a writer with a book, or even a writer with an idea for a book then you need to go spend some time over at AgentQuery.  I promise you will be inspired to move forward in the writing or publishing process.

Your first visit there may leave you feeling a little overwhelmed.  That’s okay, you’ll get over it.  Yes, there is a lot of information but the site navigation is so easy a caveman could do it (My apologies to any insurance companies that come to mind).

If you are specifically ready to find an agent, it is all right there for you on the left side-bar.  Enter a keyword and/or the genre for fiction or non-fiction and hit enter.  Voila!  A list comes up with dozens of agents.  I searched for “memoir” and had more pages then I could possibly review.

It’s great!  You get all of the contact information about the agent, including the agency, contact email, whether or not they are accepting submissions and if they want them via email or snail. Quite a few of them also have helpful submission forms that prompt you to enter all of the information about your project.

Here’s a screenshot for one of the listings:

queryshotIf you are paying attention to the information on this initial page, you will be able to see the specific genres that the agent represents as well as the appropriate contact information.  You can see at the bottom of the entry that the agent does accept queries.

Another cool thing about the site is the featured community called AQ Connect.  If you are a writer/author I highly encourage you to sign up.  AQ connect is an on line community that allows writers, agents, publishers and editors to connect.  Setting up a profile takes about ten minutes and once in place you have the ability to message folks that interest you and they have the ability to message you as well.

There are on line chat rooms and discussion groups and you can even set up your own discussion groups.

I know a lot of you are thinking that you already have enough discussion groups to monitor thank-you-very-much but I think if you are going to put effort into social networking, why not throw that effort in the direction of the writing industry?

The bottom line here is that if you are ready to take your writing to the next level and move one step closer to being published, then overcome your fear and seek out AgentQuery.  It’s a great resource and I think you’ll be impressed.

E-book review: Get an Agent Guide

Posted by george on March 6, 2009
Posted in: Writing. Tagged: , , , . 9 comments

100 E-Friendly Agents Open to New Writers

I am completely stoked to start off our new E-book review Fridays with this E-book from Maria Schneider over at Editor Unleashed.

From her “about” page:

Maria Schneider is a freelance writer and editor with a unique take on writing and the publishing industry.

As the former editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she’s interviewed countless authors, agents and editors and edited the work of prominent authors including Alice Hoffman, Jodi Picoult and Ridley Pearson.

She’s now dedicating herself to being an independent voice and helping other writers through what she’s learned—and continues to learn—about writing and publishing. On Editor Unleashed, you’ll find creativity starters, publishing news & views and visits with agents and authors, so look around and come back often.

First things first

Get an Agent Guide – 100 E-Friendly Agents open to New Writers can be downloaded here

The Review

When I received this e-book to review, I suspected I was in for a treat.  I had been following Maria on Twitter for a while and I found her style engaging and her expertise spot-on.  I opened the .pdf file and here is what I found:

    • Maria gets right down to it.  Page 3 and I’m looking at the agents.  I like that.  I’ve seen so many e-books that fluff for the first twenty pages or so and I’m wondering if I’ll ever get to the heart of the material.
    • The front matter includes some succinct and to the point tips for querying the agents listed
    • There is a simple “How To Use This Guide” to help make certain you get all that you can from the information presented.

The listings

Each of the listings includes:

    • The Agent’s name
    • Agency name
    • The website hyperlink
    • The email address (If an email address is not listed, it’s because there is a submission form directly on the Agency website.
    • The genres accepted

In general

I found this e-book to be thoughtfully laid out and easy to navigate.  The font style and size made for an easy read and the information on each page was manageable.

While I did not click on every hyperlink, all of the ones I did check were working as expected.

Per the Editor Unleashed “Get an Agent” page, the listings were updated/checked as early as two weeks ago.

Finally

Ok, here is my chance to gush a bit.  First, I have to say that I love the concept of this book.  Finding reputable agents who are web savvy and are also accepting new writers would take hundreds of hours of research.  For myself, just having the listings has inspired and lit a fire.

Long time readers of Tumblemoose know that the Writer’s Market book has always been one of my strongest recommendations.  At about 29 bucks, I still recommend it for the valuable market information it contains.  With that said, it is NOT the best place to try and find representation for your work.  It is possible that listings are out of date even well before the publish date.  Agents can move around, emails change, etc…

My point here is that the listings in Get an Agent are current and Maria has done all of the leg work for you.

Recommendation: Yes. At a mere $14.95 it is a true e-book bargain.

Head on over to this page right now and order it up