Questions? Come One, Come All!

Literary agent Mary Kole of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency will be answering questions for all us writers this coming Monday (April 12th) over on AgentQuery Connect. She’s a savvy agent who loves young adult and middle grade books. AND her agency is ranked numero uno in terms of sales for these kinds of books. So, if you are a writer who has questions about these categories, she’s your gal, and AQC is the place to be. If you aren’t into writing those kinds of books, but are curious about the world of publishing and what the future may hold… Ms. Kole can help you out there too! Or, if your questions are more basic, such as, what do agents really want in a query letter, that works too.

You may have also heard of Ms. Kole due to her awesome-McAwesomeVille blog, Kidlit.com, which simply rocks. I think I’ve mentioned it a time or two….

Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind opportunity to have your burning writerly questions answered by an industry pro. Go over to AQC and become a member if you aren’t already (it’s completely free) and ask away in the dedicated Ms. Kole group. (Lurking is also allowed….)

Enjoy!

P.S. If you enter a dialogue with Ms. Brown (i.e. ask a question over on AQC) this can, in some cases, work as a jumping off point in a future query to her. (You know, make it a bit more personalized to help you stand out in the massive pile of queries she gets on a daily basis.) For example, “Dear Ms. Kole: Last week I enjoyed reading all your replies to my fellow AgentQueryConnect members. You had mentioned that you are looking for novels that X, Y, and Z in response to my question about what is hot in middle grade novels right now. I believe my story BEST THING EVER fits what you are looking for.” Etc., etc….

All Your Burning Writerly Questions Answered

Every month agent Jennifer Laughran (Andrea Brown Literary) over on her blog Jennifer Represents creates an open thread where aspiring writers can drop their questions and she will reply to them. It’s great! In fact, in reading the first ten or so comments/questions and her replies, I ended up with answers to many of the questions people have been asking over in the discussion boards on AgentQueryConnect.com. Nice.

So, if you have a few moments on your hands and are lookin’ to git yurself edu-ma-cated, pop over to Jennifer’s open thread. (And if you have a burning question for Ms. Laughran, scadoodle over to her blog at the beginning of February–she might just do another open thread.)

P.S. Scary fun fact: Ms. Laughran interned for THREE years in the business before becoming an agent. Wow! Talk about dedication to the field.

Online Chat With Literary Agent Kevan Lyon Tonight!

That’s right, AgentQuery.com is holding another literary agent chat and it is tonight!

Our agent guest is Kevan Lyon of the West coast agency Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. Kevan has twenty plus years in the publishing business, many of them in retail and distribution, making her a force to contend with when it comes to figuring out which books will sell and how to market them.

Curious about what Kevan is seeking in her submission pile?:

“Kevan Lyon works primarily with women’s fiction, with an emphasis on commercial women’s fiction and all genres of romantic fiction and young adult. Her particular interest is historical fiction of all types. She is also interested in non-fiction representing authors in the areas of memoir, pets, environment, parenting and current events.” As well, “Her authors in women’s fiction span a broad range of genres from more literary, commercial projects to all genres of romance including historical, contemporary, suspense and paranormal. With non-fiction projects she looks for topics that she is passionate about or that speak to issues of particular concern to women and families.” –From her AQ cafe chat area bio.

Join us tonight at 8PM Eastern! I will be serving as moderator so feel free to ask me chat related questions in the comment area. As well, there are more details posted in Kevan’s Chat thread on AQ Connect about the chat’s ins and outs as well as some handy timezone gadget links for those (like me) who find themselves in other timezones. The chat will be held in the AgentQuery Connect chat area and is free for all members. (Membership is free, but you do have to sign in to participate). The chat starts at 8PM Eastern and will last for one hour. If you have a question you’d like to ask Kevan, here’s your chance!

See you there.

“Write because you must, because it is your passion. Write for yourself, not to be published or for monetary gain.” Kevan Lyon.

A Writers Chit-Chat…Tonight!

Hey, are you a writer? Do you want to chat with other writers about writing, life, while enjoying some virtual eggnog and rum?

You do? Excellent. Join me tonight on AgentQuery.com in the open chatroom. I’ll be bringing eggnog and rum, a few munchies, and we’ll be discussing backstory and show vs. tell for about an hour and a half. (Or until people get too tired and sneak off to bed.)

Who: You and other writers.

What: We will discuss backstory and showing vs. telling. I can also guarantee that there will be general schmoozing and goofball antics to keep you entertained.

Where: In the open chat room on AgentQuery.com.

When: At 9:30 pm Eastern. On the left coast, that would be 6:30 pm. Tonight. (It’s okay to drop in late. We’ll save you some eggnog.)

Why: Because sometimes writing can be lonely and there is nothing like a real-time discussion to figure things out, share advice and tips and general support.

How: You will need to be an AQ member (that’s free) and log in and follow this chat room link. Once inside the chat room, click in your text box and begin typing. To send a message, hit ‘enter’ on your keyboard. Or, you can lurk, too. We don’t mind. BigBlackCat has agreed to create and post some of the transcripts from the chat on AQ by tomorrow, so if you miss out, you can check those out (you don’t need to be a member to view those). There is more discussion about the chat here.

I’ll be serving as tonight’s moderator. So, if you have any questions, let me know!

Overview of Online Chat With Scott Edelstein

Last night, AgentQuery Connect hosted Scott Edelstein of HelpingWriters.com. Scott is a former literary agent, editor, columnist, writing instructor, writer, and much, much more. He currently is working as a writing and publishing consultant and spends his free time giving AQ members a good ol’ well-timed kick in the pants. If you want to get your own head a little friendly shake, check out the transcripts.

Here are some highlights and teasers:

“Every book is different. So is the list of best publishers. So are the things necessary to sell and promote it.” And “Getting published is a dance, not a science.”

He distinguishes between self-publishing and vanity presses for the writer considering going it alone.

He’ll teach you how to talk like an insider and think small while thinking big.

He’ll help you decide when to use an agent and when to go straight to a publisher.

He also sheds light on what agents and editors are truly thinking when they send out rejections and says, “They’re not taking their own words that seriously.” As well, he insists that when querying/pitching to keep it simple and uncomplicated or you’ll make the editor or agent’s head explode. (And yes, he is serious. Head exploding isn’t just for writers, anymore.)

If you’ve queried less than 100-120 agents, then honey, you haven’t truly tried.

“Don’t let categories define your book. Call it whatever the agent reps that you can get away with.”

He answers whether query letters and pitch letters differ.

And finally, whatever you do, don’t end your pitch with, “I look forward to hearing from you.”

Fantastic advice. Check it out, it’ll be time well-spent.

Upcoming Chat With Scott Edstein

Scott Edelstein, publishing world guru, of HelpingWriters.com is joining us at AgentQuery Connect for a chat tonight, Tuesday October 20th, at 8p.m. Eastern.

Scott has worked as a professional writer, literary agent, editor, journalist, freelancer, ghostwriter, columnist, writing instructor, and has finally donned the title of publishing/writing consultant. Scott will be discussing: “tips for assessing your own writing, creating a professional book proposal (especially for non-fiction), and how to conduct proper market research for your proposal or novel. He will also be on-hand to answer your questions about everything related to the business side of publishing such as contract negotiation, how to comparing publishers and literary agents, and what it’s really like to sell your book to a commercial publisher..” (AQ Crew over at AQ) and much, much more.

If you have any questions about publishing and writing, drop in and join the chat. It is free, as always and sure to be informative. If you can’t make the chat, the transcripts will be available on the AgentQuery Connect site by Wednesday morning. (You need to be a member of AQ to join this chat, but the membership is free and painless.)

Please join us!

Chat and Critique with Literary Consultant, Jeffrey Moores Tonight

Hear ye, hear ye…

We are going to make you the best darned writer this side of the Mississippi tonight. Yes, that’s right, we’ve got Jeffrey Moores (former literary agent and current literary consultant) coming to chat with us on Agent Query tonight. Not only has he agreed to spend an hour and a half with us, he has 8 passages from our charming, intelligent and good looking AQ members. He will not only juggle these flaming passages, but he will catch them in his teeth, while dazzling us with his jokes.

As we enjoy our second cup of coffee/tea/gin of the morning, he is slaving over these 8 passages. He is editing, critiquing, and writing down comments to share with us tonight. He WILL make us sparkle and shine, folks.

So, what do you have to do to have this knowledge siphoned into your juicy brain? Join us! 8pm Eastern in the AQ chat room. This is the link. Click on it. At 8pm, hit ‘join’. You may have to refresh your browser if you get there before it is open. (You also need to be a member, but that is free and only takes 30 seconds.)

Here’s the plan:

I (the moderator) will introduce Jeff and go over the chat rules, etc. I will then paste one of the eight passages into the chat, followed by Jeff’s edits, comments, etc. Then there will be a chance for comments, questions, etc.. Jeff is willing to answer specific questions in regards to that piece and his comments/edits. Then, we’ll move on to the next passage. At the end of the chat, Jeff will have a general question and answer session. This is where members can ask general questions or specific-to-them questions that don’t have to do with the critiquing of the submitted passages.

Jeff is being very generous with his time and we are very lucky to have him helping us out, giving us that inner sanctum eye and showing us what kind of edits can make our work sing.

See you there!

Please note: Only the pre-selected 8 passages will be critiqued and commented upon during this chat. If you were not selected and would like feedback on your work, please contact Jeff at www.jeffreymoores.com to set up an appointment.

Advice From Literary Agent Sara Megibow

For those of you who missed the chat with Sara Megibow of the Nelson Literary Agency last Thursday, I’ve got some of the highlights here. However, if you want it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, you can check out the transcripts here. (You must be an Agent Query member to view them. The good news is, it is free.)

A few highlights:

#1: Having troubles figuring out the genre of your story? Check out the bookstore. Figure out where it would be placed in the store and voila! As well, if your story’s most important aspect and focus is on the romance/relationship between the hero and heroine, it is likely a romance. If you aren’t sure between two genres, say urban fantasy and romance or romance and mystery…read a few books in each genre and see which yours leans towards.

#2: Did you know that some agents, when they get sample pages that they like, they go to Google to check you out? They look for a positive web presence. So don’t go bashing agents, the publishing word or discusses how hard writing is, etc. Make it professional, folks!

#3: Here are a few genres/ideas that are flying over Sara’s desk like mosquitoes in a swamp and may or may not be overdone: vampires, divorced women opening B & Bs, war survivor stories, YA where the hero speaks to the dead or has secret world-saving powers they didn’t know they had and of course, have to save the world. Now, just because these story ideas are common at the moment, it doesn’t mean she’s going to shred your query if your story is based on the above. See #4.

#4: The art of writing is very important. It is more important than the POV (character point of view the story is written from), topic, or even how fresh the story idea happens to be. Fresh, good, strong writing wins. I.e. copycat story ideas can work if the writing is fresh. Although a fresh story idea is always compelling, but it needs good writing to back it up.

#5: Don’t start your novel with one big flashback. Start where the story starts.

#6: If you have quotes in your story, you don’t need the rights to use that quote in a published work at the time of querying–the publishing house will acquire them when the time comes.

#7: Some argue that saying ‘completed’ and giving a word count is redundant when querying. However, if you are querying Sara, do say, “My completed novel X, Y and Z is 100,000 words.” She likes that. Her perfect query would start something like so: “I have a completed 100,000 word romance novel set in regency England.” And then add the pitch paragraph…etc.

For more information on Sara and the agency she works for, be sure to check out the agency website–especially if you are querying.