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May/June2013 Issue
May/June Issue

Writer's Digest Magazine
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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
How To Find A Literary Agent
How I Got My Agent: Tiffany Hawk

“How I Got My Agent” is a recurring feature on the Guide to Literary Agents Blog, with this installment featuring Tiffany Hawk, author of LOVE ME ANYWAY. These columns are great ways for you to learn how to find a literary agent. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings.
GIVEAWAY: Tiffany is excited to give away a free copy of her novel to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; 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
The 9 Ingredients of Character Development

1. Communication style: How does your character talk? Does she favor certain words or phrases that make her distinct and interesting? What about the sound of her voice? Much of our personality comes through our speech, so think about the way your character is going to talk. Her style of communication should be distinctive and unique.
GIVEAWAY: Tom is excited to give away a free copy of his novel to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; 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: KarenLange won.) Read more
How I Got My Agent: Tessa Harris

“How I Got My Agent” is a recurring feature on the Guide to Literary Agents Blog, with this installment featuring Tessa Harris, author of THE DEAD SHALL NOT REST, whose literary agent is Melissa Jeglinski of The Knight Agency. These columns are great ways for you to learn how to find a literary agent. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings. Read more
How I Got My Agent: Dennis Mahoney

“How I Got My Agent” is a recurring feature on the Guide to Literary Agents Blog, with this installment featuring Dennis Mahoney, author of the 2013 literary novel FELLOW MORTALS. These columns are great ways for you to learn how to find a literary agent. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings with literary agents. Read more
How I Got My Agent: Lynne Raimondo

“How I Got My Agent” is a recurring feature on the Guide to Literary Agents Blog, with this installment featuring Lynne Raimondo, author of DANTE’S WOOD. These columns are great ways for you to learn how to find a literary agent. 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.
GIVEAWAY: Lynne is excited to give away a free copy of her novel to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; 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: lanieww won.) Read more
How I Got My Agent: Cecy Robson

“How I Got My Agent” is a recurring feature on the Guide to Literary Agents Blog, with this installment featuring Cecy Robson, author of SEALED WITH A CURSE: A WEIRD GIRLS NOVEL. These columns are great ways for you to learn how to find a literary agent. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings. Read more
How I Got My Agent: Nicole Steinhaus

“How I Got My Agent” is a recurring feature on the Guide to Literary Agents Blog. This installment is with young adult writer Nicole Steinhaus.
“… Fast forward a year, two more manuscripts, three SCBWI events, an embarrassing amount of research on agents and writing craft, and I was ready to query manuscript number three. But I wasn’t about to make the same mistakes as before. This time I queried only a few agents at a time, revised based on their feedback and queried again. This process continued for seven months before deciding the manuscript needed a complete genre overhaul. I rewrote the story from scratch, mutating it from a contemporary to a dark suspense. Just before I was ready to query again, I came across Bree Ogden’s blog where she stated she was especially interested in darker plots…” Read more
How I Got My Agent: Melissa Guion

“How I Got My Agent” is a recurring feature on the Guide to Literary Agents Blog, with this installment featuring Melissa Guion, author of the fun picture book BABY PENGUINS EVERYWHERE. These columns are great ways for you to learn how to find a literary agent. Some tales are of long roads and many setbacks, while others are of good luck and quick signings. Read more
How I Got My Agent: Coreene Callahan

“How I Got My Agent” is a recurring feature on the Guide to Literary Agents Blog, with this installment featuring Coreene Callahan, author of several books, including the newly released KNIGHT AWAKENED. These columns are great ways for you to learn how to find a literary agent.
TAKING MY TIME WITH THE PITCH: I met my literary agent in a karaoke bar over a tequila shot. She was celebrating the signing of a book contract with one of her authors, and I got swept into the group. An unusual way to begin a professional relationship, I know, but…hey. I’ve always been the kind of person who opens the door when opportunity comes knocking. But here’s the thing… Read more
7 Things I’ve Learned So Far, by Noelle Sterne

1. After all the time, send-outs, get-backs, and hard work, the ecstasy of acceptance is fabulous and tear-filled. Let yourself scream, cry, feel the nervous soaring rise in your chest. If you can share it with someone, all the better.
GIVEAWAY: Noelle is excited to give away a free copy of her book to a random commenter. Comment within 2 weeks; 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: leeannniazi won.) Read more
The 2013 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market Is Out — And Here Are 6 Darn Good Reasons to Buy It (and Naturally I’m Giving Away Books!)

The 2013 Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market is out and available in major bookstores! I’m super pumped about its release. It’s a great resource guide for writers of picture books and novels for kids (young adult, middle grade) as well as illustrators. The new 2013 edition is all updated and packed with info. Now in its 25th year, the newest edition still provides great market and submission/contact information for book publishers, international publishers, literary agents, contests, magazines, conferences and more. Click through to read 5 testimonials about the book from amazing bestselling authors like Jay Asher and Meg Cabot.
THE GIVEAWAY!!! Comment on this post and just say anything nice about any element of Writer’s Digest you enjoy — from a blog post to a class or a book or anything else. In two weeks, I will pick 2 winners randomly to win a copy of the book! It’s that easy. (UPDATE: kathyellendavis and PatriceWrites won.) Read more
My Adventures in … San Francisco 2012

I just got back from the 2012 San Francisco Writers Conference over Presidents’ Day Weekend, and the event was fantastic. The SFWC, which is co-sponsored by WD, is famous for its number of agents, editors and authors who attend. The San Fran area is rich with writing talent, and the SFWC brings in a lot of area speakers. If you live anywhere in the area, I seriously recommend checking out the event for 2013. Read more
Amazing Giveaway: A Free Pass to the 2012 San Francisco Writers Conference (Feb. 16-19, 2012) Worth $745

This is amazing news. Writer’s Digest has 1 free pass to giveaway to a random commenter for a full registration pass at the 2012 San Francisco Writers Conference (Feb. 16-19, 2012). (Wow!!) Make sure you read this entire post to see all the details of the giveaway, as there are some things you need to do to formally enter. To enter, you will need to comment on this post, and spread the news a bit via social media. (Update: Joan Swan won the pass. Congrats to Joan! Joan will be guest blogging about her travels here on my GLA Blog following the event.) Read more
More Than 60 Agents Will Be Taking Pitches at the 2012 Writer’s Digest Conference

The 2012 Writer’s Digest Conference (Jan. 20-22, 2012) is coming up fast and promises to be a blast. We have incredible presenters lined up to instruct, fun sessions to attend, and, of course the gigantic Agent Pitch Slam that features the largest gathering of literary agents (more than 60 literary agents this year!) at any writing conference in the country. Last year, we had about 55, but the conference attendance was so outstanding that we felt lines were too long for each agent. That’s why our solution this year is “more agents, more time.” Read on. Read more
My Adventures in Myrtle Beach … and Dallas

I have been traveling a lot in the past few weeks, and have recently presented at writers conferences in both South Carolina and Texas. Both were a lot of fun. I am a huge advocate of writers conferences, and I still believe they are a great opportunity to meet publishing pros, make writer friends for life, and get educated about the craft and business of writing. Read more
Live near Dallas/Fort Worth? Check Out the TWW One-Day Writing Seminar on Nov. 5, 2011
I am teaching a comprehensive one-day writing seminar in Hurst, TX on Nov. 5, 2011 — come out and learn how to find an agent and get published. Have you completed a novel, kids book, memoir, or nonfiction book idea? Are you eager to get your work published but you just don’t know how to go about it? Then, this seminar, put on by the Trinity Writers Workshop, is for you. 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
Conference Spotlight: Jackson Hole Writers Conference (June 23-26, 2011)

I’ve been to the Jackson Hole Writers Conference before, and let me tell you: It is probably the most beautiful location for any conference I’ve ever seen. The Grand Tetons, the cute little shops, all the hiking trails. The location, combined with a great faculty of agents, editors and authors, makes a compelling case as to why you should think about going to the 2011 Conference. If you were looking for a conference that doubles as a scenic vacation, this is as good as it gets. Read more
Live in the Pacific Northwest? Check out the PNWA Conference in Seattle (Aug. 4-7, 2011)

I’m very excited about my first year on the faculty at the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Writers Conference. The 2011 conference is from Aug. 4-7 in Seattle. This is a very large conference that brings in a ton of agents and editors. If you live anywhere in the area, keep reading to learn more. Read more
Conference Spotlight: PennWriters Conference in Pittsburgh, May 13-15, 2011

A large and awesome writers conference that is coming up fast is the annual PennWriters Conference. This year it’s held in Pittsburgh on May 13-15, 2011—so if you live anywhere near southwestern Pennsylvania, definitely check this event out. Read more

