Agent Mollie Glick Seeks Adult Fiction Submissions Now
If you read my blog, you know that, once a week, I post a New Agent Alert about a new/newer agent seeking submissions now. But every now and again, an established agent comes to me to put out a call for submissions. Such call-outs are exciting opportunities for writers, because these are agents who have a long track record of sales. Today I want you to meet Mollie Glick, agent at Foundry Literary + Media, who is putting out a call for quality adult fiction submissions [mostly mainstream and literary]. Read below to learn more.
You've been an agent coming up on ten years now. Briefly, how is your role as agenting changing and evolving? How can such changes and evolution prepare a writer for working with you?
Back in the day, an agent's job was to sell a book, while the editors edited and the publicists got attention for the book. Now I feel like it's essential for the agent to remain active all through the process, from developing a book, to selling it, to acting as a consultant and an author's "bad cop" all through the process.Then starting all over again, developing the author's next book. Some of my authors, like Jonathan Evison (WEST OF HERE); Jennifer Miller (THE YEAR OF THE GADFLY) and Sarah McCoy (THE BAKER'S DAUGHTER), are on their third and fourth books, and it's such a pleasure playing fairy godmother to a career, helping authors get where they need to go!
Tell us about a book you repped that came out recently.
One of the happiest stories of this past year was Carol Rifka Brunt's TELL THE WOLVES I'M HOME. When we went out with it, a few editors who admired it shied away from offering because it was an adult book with a young protagonist, but at the end of the day we got a good offer from Dial… And it became the little book that could! The paperback was both a Target and Costco pick this summer, it hit the NYT Bestseller list, and it was optioned by Sam Raimi. I think it really strikes a chord because it's such a distinct voice. That's something I'm always looking for, along with a speculative premise, and a page turning plot. I'm also very proud of Rhonda Riley's THE ENCHANTED LIFE OF ADAM HOPE which was published by Ecco this year, Elizabeth Black's THE DROWNING HOUSE which was published by Nan A Talese, Daniel O'Malley's THE ROOK, which was Little, Brown, and Kimberly Rae Miller's memoir, COMING CLEAN, which hit the Wall Street Journal list.
You reached out to me because you want to spread the word. Evidently you're looking for more writer-clients of adult fiction. But that is a big realm. Take your time and explain exactly what you're looking for in terms of queries and submissions right now.
I get submitted a lot of high concept YA projects because I've made some big deals for Gennifer Albin (CREWEL); Rebbeca Serle (WHEN YOU WERE MINE and GONDAL) and Josephine Angelini (STARCROSSED and CRUCIBLE) and I'm always open to great YA, but what I'm really dying to see more of right now is adult fiction that straddles the literary/commercial line.
I love books that introduce readers to a full realized world, or a voice they can't forget. Some of my favorite books that I've read recently include Hugh Howey's WOOL; Maria Semple's WHERE DID YOU GO BERNADETTE; Marissa Pessl's NIGHT FILM; Erin Morgenstern's THE NIGHT CIRCUS; Lev Grossman's THE MAGICIANS; Gillian Flynn's GONE GIRL; and Ann Leary's THE GOOD HOUSE. And my holy grail for adult fiction remains THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE.
Favorite movie?
Oooh— I'm a total movie buff, so that's a tough question. I love speculative concepts in film too, like GROUNDHOG'S DAY; DEFENDING YOUR LIFE; ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND; HAPPY ACCIDENTS and PRIMER. I'm a big Chris Nolan geek— I'd love to find the book equivalent of INCEPTION. RUSHMORE is hard to beat, in terms of unique world and voice, although I find some of Wes Anderson's other movies a bit too precious and not plot driven enough. And THE COLOR PURPLE and BEACHES both had a huge impact on me as a kid. We have a joke in the office that "you cry, you buy…" but it's true. I want the books I'm working on to make me laugh, or cry, or give me whiplash with a great plot twist. And does TV count here? Because GAME OF THRONES is pretty damn cinematic.
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