GLA Quick Subscribe
Updates from Guide to Literary Agents
Get the GLA Newsletter!
Search Blog Categories:
Search Monthly Archives:
Guide to Literary Agents RSS Subscription Ad
May/June2013 Issue
May/June Issue
Writer's Digest Magazine
Preview the Issue
Buy It Here
Give a Gift SubscriptionSave 58%!
Free Writing Downloads
WDU Promo
Ad
Google Ad
Guide to Literary Agents Blogroll
Blogroll
- 2nd Draft Critique Service
Before you send out your work, have it edited by an established pro! - Agency Gatekeeper
A literary agent shares secrets. - Agent in the Middle
Agent Lori Perkins blogs and tells all - Ashley Grayson Agent Blog
From the Ashley Grayson Literary Agency - Ask the Agent
Literary agent Andy Ross in Oakland runs an agency blog. - Association of Authors' Representatives
- Barbara Doyen's Articles Page
Agent Barbara Doyen shares her knowledge. - Barry Goldblatt Literary
A blog from the whole agency. - BookEnds Agent Blog
Agents from Bookends Literary blog - Brenda BowenAgent Brenda Bowen's "Bunny Eat Bunny" kids writing blog.
- Cameron McClureCameron, with the Donald Maass Lit Agency, runs her "Book Cannibal" blog.
- Caren Johnson Literary Agency
The official CJLA blog - Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market Blog
This blog, run by Alice Pope, is a must-read for anyone writing in the juvenile market - Chip MacGregor's Agent Blog
A Christian agent speaks - Chuck's conference speaking schedule
See where Chuck will be presenting and when! - Colleen Lindsay's Agent Blog
A new agent at FinePrint Literary blogs - DHS Literary Blog
David Hale Smith's "Literary Show and Tell" blog. - Diana Fox's Agent Blog
A literary agent talks publishing - Dystel & Goderich Agent Blog
- Eddie Schneider
An agent from JABberwocky Literary blogs. - Elaine English Literary Agency Blog
A blog from the whole agency. - F+W Bookstore
Buy Guide to Literary Agents and a bunch of other great WD Books. - FinePrint Literary Management Blog
A blog from the whole agency. - Folio Literary Management's Blog
All the agents chime in on this new blog - Fresh Books Blog
An agency blog. - Full Circle Literary's Blog
Agents from Full Circle Literary in California blog - Girl Meets Book
Agent Jamie Brenner of Artists & Artisans blogs. - Greenhouse Literary Blog
Agent Sarah Davies shares her thoughts and wisdom - Hartline Literary Blog
A blog from the whole agency. - Janet Reid
Agent Janet Reid of FinePrint Literary gives her two cents on anything and everything - Jennifer Jackson's Agent Blog
An agent with the Donald Maass Literary Agency blogs - Jenny Bent's Blog
From the founder of The Bent Agency. - Jill Corcoran
A kids agent at the Herman Agency blogs. - Joshua Bilmes Agent Blog
JABberwocky Literary Agency - Kathleen Ortiz Agent Blog
Kathleen with Lowenstein Associates - Kelly Mortimer
Agent Kelly Mortimer's "Perils of Publishing" blog. - Ken Atchity
The president of AEI, a script and literary management co., blogs. - Kid Lit
A blog by kids agent Mary Kole of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency - Kimberly Cameron & Associates
A blog from the whole agency. - Knight Agency Blog
Exactly what it sounds like - Laurie McLean's Agent Blog
The "Agent Savant" blog - Lit Soup (Jenny Rappaport's Agent Blog)
An agent at the L. Perkins Agency blogs - Lucienne Diver's Agent Blog
A blog on "Authorial, Agently and Personal Ramblings." - Lyons Literary Agent Blog
Agent Jonathan Lyons blogs - MFA Confidential Blog
This new WD blog features Kate Monahan and all things about getting an MFA - Michael Larsen's Blog
Agent Michael Larsen of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents blogs about publishing and nonfiction writing. - Miss Snark
No longer active, but this blog by anonymous agent Miss Snark still has oodles of priceless info in its archives - Nathan Bransford
A popular blog from an agent at Curtis Brown in San Francisco - Nephele Tempest's Agent Blog
An agent with the Knight Agency blogs - Poetic Asides
A poetry blog from the editor of Writer's Market - Promptly (Prompts Blog)
WD's own blog of writing prompts, run by magazine staffer Zac Petit - Pub Rants
Kristin Nelson's Agent Blog - Publishers Marketplace
- Query Shark
Janet Reid's blog where she dissects query letters - Questions and Quandaries Blog
WD staffer Brian A. Klems answers questions of all kinds - Rachelle Gardner
A blog by an agent who specializes in Christian Writing - Romantic Reads
Dorchester editor Leah Hultenschmidt blogs romance. - Sara Crowe's Blog
An agent from Harvey Klinger blogs. - Scott Eagan's Agent Blog
The great Greyhaus agent blogs away. - Script Notes
A WD scriptwriting blog from Chad Gervich, TV producer - Steve Laube's Agent Blog
A Christian agent and former editor talks the biz. - Suzie Townsend
A new assistant agent at FinePrint Literary blogs. - Terry Burns's Blog
An agent with Hartline Literary blogs. - Terry Whalin's Blog
"The Writing Life," as told by a former editor and agent. - The Buried Editor
A blog dedicated to juvenile writing (YA, middle grade, picture books) run by an editor at CBAY Books and Blooming Tree Press - The Gail Ross Literary Agency
The agency blog. - The Inside Pitch Screenwriting Blog
A Hollywood Executive Talks About Screenwriting - The New Literary Agents
A few new literary agents share advice. - The Rejecter (Anonymous Agent)
- The Shatzkin Files
- The Sound and the Furry
WD contributor Nancy Parish talks writing. - There Are No Rules
Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest Books, talks about publishing trends and has interviews online - Tracy Marchini
An agent from Curtis Brown, Ltd. blogs - United States Copyright Office
- Upstart Crow Blog
A blog from the whole agency at Upstart Crow Literary. - Waxman Literary Agency
A blog from the whole agency. - Wendy Sherman Associates Blog
Multiple agents blog. - Writer Beware
A site dedicated to protecting writers from scams of all kinds - including unscrupulous agents - Writer Unboxed
Primarily devoted to genre fiction, this site features plenty of interviews with industry pros - Writer's Digest magazine
This big hub has tons of online articles from past issues of WD. Check out the revamped new site! - Writer's Digest University (Writers Online Workshops)
Online writing courses are taught by WD staffers and contributors - Writer's Market
This pay site is our online database of listings (magazines, book publishers, agents, and everything else). It has more than 6,000 listings. - Writing-World
A huge writing website and resource writers should check out. - Wylie Merrick Agency's Blog
- Zack Company Blog
Agent Andrew Zack blogs.
- 2nd Draft Critique Service
Website of the Week
Guide to Literary Agents
Children’s Writing
Agent John Cusick Teaches “Writing and Selling Sci-Fi & Fantasy for Kids and Teens” — New Webinar on Aug. 9, 2012
Fantasy, dystopian and science fiction are very hot genres right now in the teen lit market. With the success of series like Harry Potter (fantasy), Twilight (urban fantasy) and The Hunger Games (dystopian), it’s easy to see why. Because so many writers are trying their hands at these hot categories, we’ve enlisted writing pro John Cusick — who is both a literary agent and published kidlit novelist himself — to teach “Writing and Selling Sci-Fi & Fantasy for Kids and Teens,” a brand-new webinar on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012. All attendees will get a personalized critique of their work. Read more
Agent Mary Kole is Teaching a Picture Book Intensive on Sept. 6, 2012 (Includes Full Critique For Attendees!)
Literary agent Mary Kole has run webinars for us for years, and she is our most in-demand presenter and critique expert. Her webinar on Thursday, September 6, 2012 is called “Picture Book Craft Intensive” (and includes a critique of your book!). Since Mary has sold many picture books (lots of debuts) in the past three years, she knows her stuff. Keep reading to learn more. Read more
Literary Agent Holly Root Teaches “Writing the Breakout Teen Novel” — New Webinar, June 21, 2012 (With Critique!)
If you’ve never heard literary agent Holly Root speak, you are in for a treat. Holly is a literary agent with The Waxman Agency and frequently presents at writers conferences nationwide. One of her favorite topics to speak on is getting your children’s novel published. That’s why we’re pumped to have her teach the new webinar, “Writing the Breakout Teen Novel,” on June 21, 2012.
The webinar comes with a critique, and that’s an excellent chance to get your work in front of Holly. As an agent, she sells a lot of books. In the last six months, for example, she’s sold Myra McEntire’s third book in the Hourglass series (young adult), the young adult debut RED buy Alison Cherry, a middle grade book called HOW TO BREAK A HEART by Kiera Stewart, a middle grade debut called RATCHET by Nancy Cavanaugh, and even more. Read more
Agent Mary Kole is Teaching a Picture Book Intensive on Jan. 12, 2011 (Includes Full Critique For Attendees!)
Literary agent Mary Kole has run several webinars for us before. They were so successful that we’re very excited to have her back for more in 2012. This webinar on Thursday, January 12, 2012 is an intensive on picture book writing (and includes a critique of your book!). Since Mary has many several picture books (lots of debuts) in the past two years, she knows her stuff. Keep reading to learn more.
All registrants are invited to submit the full manuscript of their picture book (up to 1,000 words) after the event. All submissions are guaranteed a critique by instructor Mary Kole. Read more
Literary Agent Interview: Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency
This installment features Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency. A freelance copyeditor, Dawn reviewed mysteries for years before starting Blue Ridge Literary Agency in January 2009. She lives in Lynchburg, Va., where she also facilitates a local writers’ group and is very active in her church. Although she read mysteries for fun, she handles most types of fiction and children’s fiction. She also blogs and Tweets.
She is seeking: mysteries, cozy mysteries, thrillers, urban fantasy, romance (no erotica), sci-fi, women’s, general, historical, Christian, young adult, middle-grade, and young readers. She does not seek: poetry, scripts, short stories, children’s picture books, memoirs, nonfiction, or screenplays. Read more
Successful Queries: Agent Sara Megibow and “Score”
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 53rd installment in this series is with agent Sara Megibow (Nelson Literary) for Miranda Kenneally’s YA novel, Score (which may be retitled), a story about a girl who becomes quarterback of her high school football team. The book comes out in November 2011 from Sourcebooks Fire. Read more
Footnotes: 5 Articles on the Differences Between Middle Grade and Young Adult
Footnotes is a recurring series on the GLA blog where I pick a subject and provide several interesting articles on said topic. Two of the most popular writing categories these days are … Read more
How I Got My Agent: Allan Woodrow
“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.
Allan Woodrow’s debut novel, The Rotten Adventures of Zachary Ruthless was published by HarperCollins Children’s in 2011, with additional Adventures launching every six months. His literary agent is Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary. Read more
Picture Books Aren’t Just For Kids…
Children don’t buy children’s books. And children don’t read children’s books. Parents do both of those things. If you ignore the people with the money and who are spending their time reading the book aloud, you’re ignoring 50% of your target market. And that’s not smart.
Guest column by Alex Latimer, writer & illustrator. After illustrating in his spare time as a freelancer, when he was finally ready, he spent a rainy winter creating his first children’s book: The Boy Who Cried Ninja (April 2011, Peachtree). Read more
Literary Agent Interview: Holly McGhee of Pippin Properties, Inc.
This installment features Holly McGhee of Pippin Properties, Inc. After a twelve-year career in book publishing, with positions ranging from assistant to advertising-and-promotion director to executive editor, Holly founded Pippin Properties, Inc. The author of the Dessert chapter book series as well as the upcoming Mitchell’s License (under pen name Hallie Durand), her fascination with making books began in 1991, when she was appointed Associate Publisher for Michael di Capua’s imprint at HarperCollins.
She is seeking: children’s, middle-grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction as well as the some adult projects.
Read more
What Writers Need to Do Besides Write
As writers, we tend to focus entirely on the manuscript. We sweat over it, we curse it, and we pace the floor worrying over one sentence, or even one casual phrase. Because of this obsession, we often believe that our Dream Agent, the one who is patiently sifting through the slush pile, will instantly connect with us when she spots that brilliant string of words.
Well, maybe. But it’s more likely that Ms Dream Agent will be wowed by the ancillary items in your arsenal. Sure, your writing needs to knock her socks off, but today it takes more than that.
Dom Testa is a radio host in Denver and an award-winning young adult author. The paperback of The Comet’s Curse, the first book in his sci-fi series, is available now. Read more
How I Got My Agent: Lisa and Laura Roecker
“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.
Lisa and Laura Roecker are sisters-turned-writing-partners with a love of all things young adult. Their first novel, The Liar Society (Sourcebooks Fire) was released in March 2011. Kirkus said this of the book: “The authors create lively and memorable characters and keep the action moving in their whodunit.” Read more
Creating Active Characters in YA Novels
Have you ever heard an editor or critic refer to a character as passive? Maybe, like me, you’ve found yourself frustrated by this term. What exactly does it mean, and what’s so bad about creating a passive character? Isn’t this a trait we often find in real people, especially certain teenagers, who can be prone to spending long hours watching TV or playing video games?
This guest column excerpted by K.L. Going‘s book, Writing & Selling the YA Novel. Going is the author of several YA novels and is a Michael L. Printz Honor Book winner. Read more
5 Ways Writers Kid Themselves
1. I have an agent! Success is mine for the taking. For an unpublished author, snagging an agent is a definite coup. And having representation can open the door to the publishing world … But it doesn’t guarantee the opening of that door. There’s a chance that after several months (or more than a year), you’ll find yourself never having snared a book deal, and being dropped by your agent. Do yourself a favor: The minute your agent begins shopping your current manuscript, write another.
2. I found an editor who likes my book and said I could send revisions! That means he / she is about to buy it! To get personal attention from a busy editor is certainly an incredible compliment. And editors don’t say what they don’t mean. If an editor has passed on your manuscript for now, but invites you to resubmit, they really are interested in your work Read more
New Agent Alert: Kristin Miller of D4EO Literary Agency
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: Young adult and middle grade. Read more
How I Got My Agent: Barry Lyga
“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.
Barry Lyga is the author of nine books, including his newest, Goth Girl Rising (Jan. 2011), a YA book that Booklist said “has a forceful voice that will stay with readers.” His breakout book, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (2007) got a starred review from School Library Journal. Read more
How I Got My Agent: Sophia Bennett
“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.
Sophia Bennett is the author of Sequins, Secrets and Silver Linings, (Jan 2011 US release). It is her debut novel, the first book in a trilogy, and has sold to 13 countries. The other books in the series are Beads, Boys & Bangles and Sequins, Stars & Spotlights. She lives in London with her family, where she is working on her fourth book and planning her fifth. Read more
Successful Queries: Agent Steven Malk and “The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic”
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 50th installment in this series is with agent Steven Malk (Writers House) and his author, Jennifer Trafton, for the kids novel, The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic (Dec. 2010)—a book that received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was called “a funny, witty read” by The Chicago Tribune. The book is a middle grade fantasy, and illustrated by Brett Helquist. Read more
Successful Queries: Agent Catherine Drayton and “The Liar Society”
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 48th installment in this series is with agent Catherine Drayton (Inkwell Management) and her authors, Lisa and Laura Roecker, for their forthcoming YA novel, The Liar Society (Sourcebooks Fire, March 1, 2011). Read more
Agent Mary Kole is Teaching a Webinar on How to Get Your Kids/Teen Fiction Published (Feb. 3, 2011)
Several months ago, literary agent Mary Kole taught her first webinar for WD. The event was such an extraordinary success that she is coming back for round two of teaching on Thursday, … Read more
Successful Queries: Agent Mary Kole and “Wildefire”
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 47th installment in this series is with agent Mary Kole (Andrea Brown Literary) and her author, Karsten Knight, for his forthcoming paranormal YA novel, Wildefire (June 2011). Read more
New Agent Alert: Joan Slattery of Pippin Properties
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: She’s particularly interested in middle grade and young adult fiction, which harkens back to one of her most voracious and memorable years of reading: sixth grade. Read more
Agent Regina Brooks On: The Publishing Process at a Glance
1. Author writes the manuscript.
2. Author revises the manuscript.
3. Author gets critiques and implements necessary changes.
4. Author submits queries to agents. Read more
Agent Mary Kole On: Putting In the Time to Become a Good Writer
There are so many different iterations of this advice that I don’t quite know which genius began it all. I’ve heard it personally from Scott Westerfeld and Barry Lyga and Ally Carter and, hell, pretty much everyone. But the brunt of it is this: In order to get published or anywhere near publishable, you’ve got to write about a million bad words.
Mary Kole is an agent with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She also runs the KidLit blog. Read more
Agent Joanna Volpe On: Why Realistic Teen Dialogue Isn’t Necessarily a Good Thing (and a Free Book Giveaway!)
If you want to write young adult fiction, you need to listen to teens, but not listen to them. Any questions? When it comes to writing YA, everyone focuses on voice. And they’re right. Voice is so, so important to pin down. And when trying to nail down that voice, there is a ton of advice out there on realistic teen dialogue. Read more
