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Author Archives: Chuck Sambuchino
Agent Jon Sternfeld On: Breaking Through the Slush
Quite honestly, on days where I have the time (and the energy and the optimism) to go through the slush, I just want something that stands out among the hundreds of email queries. (And I mean ‘stands out’ for the right reasons – fresh, professional, original – the annoying overly-casual queries get deleted pretty fast).
One downside of the digital revolution in publishing is that even more amateur writers are giving it a shot because it literally takes minutes to submit to an agent. As I have said ad nauseam to my colleagues, because everyone knows the alphabet, just about everyone thinks they can write. You don’t see so many people trying to be welders without the skill for it. Read more
How I Got My Agent: Carson Morton
“How I Got My Agent” is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings. If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we’ll talk specifics.
Carson Morton is the author of Stealing Mona Lisa, a debut that the New York Journal of Books called a “well-crafted, beautifully written, and engaging mystery.” Read more
My Adventures in … Hampton Roads
This past weekend, I was on the faculty of the Hampton Roads Writers Conference in Virginia Beach, VA. Sadly, it rained the whole time and I did not get to see the beach. Happily, the conference was fun and I met some really nice people. The hotel also had unlimited delicious cookies and I indulged in quite a few to say the least. (I may or may not weight 10 pounds more than when I arrived.) Read more
How to Find Your Story and Craft a Pitch in 10 Easy Steps (and You Can Even Do It Drunk!)
How many of us have labored away earnestly in our younger and more profound days a a story, only to realize … there’s just no story there. If you want to save yourself years of heartache and get a jump start on your synopsis and query at the same time, I offer you my time-tested (okay, I’ve done it three times) personal trick: The Party Anecdote. Here’s how you play.
GIVEAWAY: Rebecca is excited to give away a free copy of her book to a random commenter. Comment within one week; you MUST leave your e-mail in the comment somewhere or else we will not be able to contact you; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. UPDATE: JoeBear won. Read more
7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Heather McCorkle
This is a recurring column I’m calling “7 Things I’ve Learned So Far,” where writers at any stage of their career can talk about seven things they’ve learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning. This installment is from YA writer Heather McCorkle.
GIVEAWAY: Heather is excited to give away a free copy of her book to a random commenter. Comment within one week; you MUST leave your e-mail in the comment somewhere or else we will not be able to contact you; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail; international winners will receive an e-book. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. (Update: Dawn won.) Read more
New Literary Agent Alert: Barbara Scott of Wordserve Literary
Reminder: Newer agents are golden opportunities for new writers because they’re likely building their client list; however, always make sure your work is as perfect as it can be before submitting, and only query agencies that are a great fit for your work. Otherwise, you’re just wasting time and postage.
She is seeking: Adult Fiction: Full-length fiction, 65,000 to 100,000 words. General market or Christian market. Genres: Women’s, Romance, Suspense/Thriller, Mystery, Romantic Suspense, Historical, Family Saga, Amish, Political Thrillers, Mainstream, Supernatural/Speculative, including End Times. Short contemporary and historical fiction, 40,000 to 65,000 words. Christian market. Genres: Romance, Historical, Romantic Suspense. Will accept queries for Barbour, Steeple Hill Love Inspired, Summerside Love Finds You, and Avon Inspire. Kids: Middle grade and YA books, and more. Read more
5 Tricks Animal Writers Should Know
We only have to walk around the neighborhood, watch TV commercials, or open our e-mail inbox to see that animals continue to fascinate people. Writing about animals can be as fun as playing with them. Here are some things to keep in mind when telling animal stories.
1. Respect what animals mean to your audience. Often, we can love animals in a pure way, free of the complications human relationships pose. When we write about animals, we might want to take off our shoes because we’re on sacred ground.
GIVEAWAY: Patti is excited to give away a free copy of her book to a random commenter. Comment within one week; you MUST leave your e-mail in the comment somewhere or else we will not be able to contact you; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. (Update: Jodi won.) Read more
Conference Spotlight: The South Carolina Writers Workshop (Oct. 21-23, 2011) Has 11 Agents Taking Pitches
What’s better than being on the South Carolina beach in October? Being on the South Carolina beach in October pitching agents who seek new clients — that’s what. If this sounds appealing, I highly suggest you check out the 2011 South Carolina Writers Workshop, held Oct. 21-23 in Myrtle Beach, SC. Eleven agents will be there. I’ve presented at the workshop before and loved the event. Keep reading to learn more. Read more
How I Got My Agent: Jeff Ryan
Jeff Ryan is the author of Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America, (Portfolio, August 2011), the story of how Nintendo rose to fame in America, with plot twists and face-offs worthy of a video game.
GIVEAWAY: Jeff is excited to give away a free copy of his book to a random commenter. Comment within one week; you MUST leave your e-mail in the comment somewhere or else we will not be able to contact you; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. (Update: Billy won.) Read more
Some Thoughts on Historical Research
When historical fiction is done right, it’s like taking a magical vacation to a different time, another land. Whether it’s Victorian London, the Australian Outback, or the American West, quality historical fiction has the ability to bring a story to life in ways nonfiction never will. But no doubt about it, if you want to write good historical fiction, you’re going to have to research.
GIVEAWAY: Michael is excited to give away a free copy of his book to a random commenter. Comment within one week; you MUST leave your e-mail in the comment somewhere or else we will not be able to contact you; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. Update: Airpig won. Read more
20 Years Ago, Nirvana’s “Nevermind” Came Out; What Album Changed Your World?
20 years ago this week, Nirvana’s Nevermind was released. The album changed me so much, and awakened me to music and emotion in such a way that I had to write something … Read more
Writing the Male Point of View
I’ve got a release coming out in September called Wasteland. It’s written in first person, male point of view. You might be thinking, But you’re a chick, how can you write male point of view? I guess we’ll find out if you think I can write the male point of view effectively after my book releases, won’t we?
GIVEAWAY: Lynn is excited to give away a free copy of her book to a random commenter. Comment within one week; you MUST leave your e-mail in the comment somewhere or else we will not be able to contact you; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail; Lynn has offered to send an ebook if the winner is international. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. (Update: Dimea won.) Read more
7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Ellen Airgood
This is a recurring column I’m calling “7 Things I’ve Learned So Far,” where writers at any stage of their career can talk about seven things they’ve learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning. This installment is from writerEllen Airgood.
1. Smile. A little before the release date, I wrote and asked my cousin Mary, a 26-year bookstore employee, if she had any advice for me about doing store events. “Make eye contact and smile,” she wrote back. I felt a sudden zoom of confidence. I knew I could do that. It was a skill I’d taught myself when I started waiting tables for a living. Her only other comment was, “Some of these authors, you’d think they were born under a rock.” So, note to self: avoid seeming as if born beneath rock. Read more
Agent Sara Megibow Shows How to Write & Sell Romance/Erotica (and Critiques Your Work!) — New Webinar, Oct. 13
Writing romance or erotica? Want to get some inside info on how to spice up your work and sell your book? Well, do we have a treat for you. Literary agent Sara Megibow (Nelson Literary), who runs some of our most popular webinars here at WD, is doing a new intensive webinar called “What’s Hot in Fiction’s Hottest Genre: How To Make Your Romance Hot Enough For An Agent” on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011. She is also giving all attendees some personal attention with a critique. Keep reading to learn more. Read more
How I Got My Agent: Amy Reed
Amy Reed is the author of the edgy YA novels BEAUTIFUL (2009) and CLEAN (2011), both published by Simon Pulse.
Amy is excited to give away a free copy of her book to a random commenter. Comment within one week; winners must live in Canada/US to receive the book by mail. You can win a blog contest even if you’ve won before. Read more
New Literary Agent Alert: Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency
She is seeking: romance, mainstream suspense, thrillers, mysteries, YA and inspirational novels are welcome. Also science fiction/fantasy novel and action/adventure.
How to contact: nicole[at]theseymouragency.com. Send a one-page query pasted in the body of an e-mail. No attachments. Paste the first five pages of your manuscript into the bottom of your e-mail. “We make a conscious effort to reply to every query we receive. If you do not receive a request for additional materials within three weeks, you should assume that we are not interested in that particular project.” Read more
7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Sarah Alderson
This is a recurring column I’m calling “7 Things I’ve Learned So Far,” where writers at any stage of their career can talk about seven things they’ve learned along their writing journey that they wish they knew at the beginning. This installment is from YA writer Sarah Alderson.
1. Trust your instincts. My brother taught me to trust my instincts. Actually my mother tried to drill this into me too when I was a kid, telling me a story about hitchhiking aged 18 in France, which ended with the lesson: Always listen to the voice in your head or you might get killed by a serial killer. But it’s not just relevant for hitchhiking, it’s also important for writing. Listening to your instincts (or some might call it intuition) is probably the best advice I can give. Read more
Looking for a Writing Retreat? Check Out the Ocean Park Writing Event in Maine
I’m a huge fan of writers conferences, and attend a bunch as a presenter. Rarely do I get invited to an actual writing retreat, which is something similar yet different. A retreat is a longer event with classes and such, but there’s also plenty of time to write with some actual small assignments each day–and the whole thing is typically located in a beautiful setting. There typically isn’t pitching; it’s more about writing and relaxation. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy for a getaway to recharge your writing batteries, check out the Writers Conference at Ocean Park, which is held in Ocean Park, Maine, not far from Saco or Old Orchard Beach. (I know they call it a “conference,” but trust me, it’s a retreat.) Read more
Agent Irene Goodman Explains: If You Want to Be a Writer, Be a Writer
The first thing you need to do is write. That sounds easy, but it’s not. Writing is hard. It’s isolating. Here are some time-honored tips that will always stand you in good stead:
1. Ass in Chair. I believe Nora Roberts said that, and it’s the best advice to writers that I have ever heard. If you want to be a writer, you have to sit down on a regular basis and face that blank screen. There is no other way. No excuses. Sit down and do it. Write something. Anything. Even if you throw it all out the next day, the point is that you exercised your craft. Writing is indeed a craft, one that gets better the more you do it. Read more
Literary Agent Interview: Deidre Knight of the Knight Agency
This installment features Deidre Knight of The Knight Agency. Deidre established The Knight Agency (TKA) in 1996 after working in the entertainment industry.
She is seeking: romance, nonfiction, literary fiction, young adult and middle grade lists with debut or established authors. Read more
Successful Queries: Agent Roseanne Wells and “Dumbemployed”
This series is called “Successful Queries” and I’m posting actual query letters that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting the actual query letter, we will also get to hear thoughts from the agent as to why the letter worked.
The 55th installment in this series is with agent Roseanne Wells (Marianne Strong Literary Agency) for Phil Edwards’s and Matt Kraft’s book, Dumpemployed (June 28, 2011; Running Press). Learn more at Dumbemployed.com. Read more
How I Got My Agent: David Kazzie
“How I Got My Agent” is a recurring feature on the GLA blog. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings. To see the previous installments of this column, click here. If you have a literary agent and would be interested in writing a short guest column for this GLA blog, e-mail me at literaryagent@fwmedia.com and we’ll talk specifics.
David Kazzie’s debut novel, The Jackpot, is now available as an eBook at Amazon.com, BN.com and through Smashwords.com. Read more
5 Fast Facts on Book Publicity
After serving as the editor of Guide to Literary Agents for years, I figured I knew everything about the publication process. But when I released a humor book late last year (How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack), I quickly found that while I was well versed in what happens before a book is published, I had a lot to learn about what happens after a release. Here are five facts about how the world works when it comes to publicity. Read more
Does Our Author Appearance Matter?
Ever noticed how certain children’s authors use the same photo on the back of their jacket for years? I always think, “Hey, who are you fooling? That hat is straight out of the 80s. Update it! Proudly display your aged face!” But then I think—“Huh. That could be me. Would I want to do that?” Now, I must admit that I’ve expressed a strong refusal to put any photo on the back of any of my books. The reason? I don’t take good pictures and I’m vain. If I can’t look like American’s Next Top Super Model then I don’t want to look like anything. There you have it. But perhaps I should before I get too old! Read more
Why I’m Keeping My Day Job
Spend any time around writers, and you’ll hear us joking—well, half-joking—about wanting to make enough money on our next book to quit our day job. But the truth is, I wouldn’t give up my day job even if my next book brought in six figures.
I say this having tried both sides of the writing life. For a year and a half, I opted out of the mainstream workforce, focusing solely on writing my book (and living with my parents so I could afford it). Now I’m back at nine-to-five, working as a journalist and writing on evenings and weekends. Here are five reasons why I’m a fan of working a full-time job and writing on the side: Read more