AgentQuery Connect Moves

If you haven’t heard the news, the ‘connect’ part of AgentQuery has moved to a new location! (The connect part is where all the aspiring writers hang out and talk writing. It’s also where we have online chats with agents and authors from time to time.)

Here’s the new link: www.agentqueryconnect.com

The old site www.agentquery.com with that wonderful literary agent database is still there at its old address, it’s just the discussion boards that have moved.

If you have been thinking of joining us, but haven’t, now’s the time!

Check it Out: If God Was One of Us (A Writer)

Over on AgentQuery Connect, Robb Grindstaff (wonderful, talent, and humourous Robb–who is definitely going to make it as a published novelist) has posted a little scenario of what it might look like if God were a writer trying to get published. It’s a fun little something to make you laugh on a lovely Sunday morning. Here’s the link.

Enjoy!

Book Discussion: The Road

The Road by Cormac McCarthy has been getting a lot of tongue wagging time over on the Agent Query Connect area lately, so I have suggested that anyone wanting to discuss this novel to join in the discussion thread on March 22nd.

Have you read it?

Do you want to read it?

Join us! It’s free and fun.

It is definitely a book that will get people talking.

A little bit about the book: Set in post apocalyptic U.S.A, a father and son walk towards the coast where they hope to find people, food and sunshine. The countryside is dangerous, burned, freezing, dark, and dead. They slug through weeks of hunger, illness, bandits and close calls as they struggle to reach their destination.

And yes, it is a bit dark and depressing, however the story pulls you forward despite discrepancies (such as thunder storms when it is ‘cold enough to crack rocks’). There is something chilling, yet compelling.

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!

Online Chat With Literary Agent Michelle Brower

That was a fantastic chat over on Agent Query with literary agent Michelle Brower. It was nice, homey and cozy. As chat moderator there wasn’t any juggling cats, turtles or even anything flaming last night. Just straight forward good ol’ information about queries, genres, young writers, older writers, killer titles and so much more. Yeah, you missed it. But yes, you can check out the transcripts right here.

Half the scoop: Yes, you need to polish your writing before getting it out there. Generally the setting can distinguish the genre, but many some twists on a story such as a story set in elfland, NOT being about elves would be good. (The ideas are endless when you think like that! Wahoo!) Some titles rock more than others and yes, a killer title can help set your query apart. Yes, Michelle likes the one sentence hook, but definitely the story hook to be obvious in your query. There was so much great info, you need to read the transcripts yourself. It won’t take long and I promise you will learn a lot.

And did you know that landing an agent and getting the book sold and printed can be compared to having a baby? I kid you not. (Another reason to check out the transcript–I wouldn’t want to spoil the reason for the comparison for you. It surprised me. It might surprise you too.)

Michelle Brower, literary agent with Wendy Sherman Associates.

(A big thanks to Michelle for spending time with us over on AQ.)

Michelle is also blogging over at her agency website. Go check it out.

Michelle Brower is Coming to Chat on AQ

Agent Query‘s literary agent guest for May is Michelle Brower of Wendy Sherman and Associates in New York. Michelle will be chatting to Agent Query’s members tomorrow night (May 12th) at 9 pm Eastern.

A bit about Michelle:

Michelle Brower has been with Wendy Sherman Associates since 2004, and has also previously worked with Joelle Delbourgo Associates. She enjoys working directly with emerging writers and is interested in representing literary and commercial fiction, memoir, pop culture, humor, crafting, graphic novels, popular science and narrative non-fiction. Books that capture elements of the strange and wonderful will always pique her interest, and she also looks for those that offer a unique perspective of the world. She has a MA in Literature from New York University. (From the Wendy Sherman and Associates website.)

She will also be attending the following conferences this year: Thrillerfest, New York, NY ( July 10)
Sewanee Writer’s Conference, Sewanee, TN ( July 18-20).

Join me (I’ll be chat moderator) over on AQ tomorrow night to chat with Michelle. It’s sure to be an educationally good time.

Literary Consultant Chat: Victims Needed

Agent Query has a chat coming up tomorrow night (Tuesday April 28, 9pm Eastern) with literary consultant, Jeffrey Moores. And as an added bonus, there is a second chat on Wednesday night (9pm Eastern, April 29). It is for the second chat that we need our victims. Oops. I mean, volunteers.

About Tuesday night’s chat: It will be a regular publishing industry chat with Jeff who will fill member’s brains with useful industry insider tidbits not normally found while sitting at one’s writing chair. How can I make such a bold claim? Well, let me tell you a bit about Jeff. Recently he began his own business as an editor and literary consultant (that means he helps people who need writing help/advice–read more on his website) after leaving his job as a literary agent at Dunow, Carlson and Lerner in New York. Yes, a former literary agent and student of literature is going to deliver the goods! That’s how I can make such bold claims.

Now, Wednesday night we’re throwing AQ chat tradition to the wind…and we need victims. I mean volunteers. See, Jeff has very graciously offered to do a live critique on 5 first paragraphs whether they be from someone’s query or manuscript. What you need to do is jump over to AQ (finish reading this first) and check out this thread where I explain everything. If you aren’t a member of AQ, become one. It’s free. Really. No strings attached. Okay, I lied. The community will make you a better writer–not a bad ‘string’, eh? Once you are a member, bravely toss your name in the hat. On Wednesday, I will have the sorting hat pick a few sacrificial lambs for Wednesday’s chat. We need a variety, so come one, come all. And if the hat doesn’t pick you, no worries, you can still join in the chat and learn a ton. So come on, put down the remote, get in your writing chair and help out your writing career.

As usual, I will be there moderating the chat, so come out and join us! It is sure to be a blast.

Legit Literary Agents and Scammers: Tools to Separate the Two

Seeing as I use the searchable Agent Query database whenever I decide to query a project, I spend little time worrying about ‘fake’ agents or scammers. However, scammers hooking unsuspecting writers happens everyday and it is worth gaining some tools on how to identify the ‘bad guys’.

Over on Pub Rants, blog by agent Kristen Nelson, she discusses scammers and the handy websites Writer Beware and Preditors and Editors. She made a call to those of us with blogs to mention that scammers are indeed out there in case we have newbies checking out our sites. (It’s nice to know someone is looking out for us, isn’t it?)

Basically, an agent should never ask for money. (Check out the excellent article by Victoria Strauss for more tips on how to spot a scammer.) Agents get paid when you get paid. That means, you pay them NOTHING until they have made a book deal with a legitimate publisher. Now, some agencies do ask for a small fee to cover office expenses. However those fees should not be asked for upfront. Generally, they are taken off your cut of the book deal and should be mentioned in the contract you sign when you land your agent. And yes, it is common for agents to ask for 15% of what you make on book deals as their cut and 20% from foreign deals. It may seem like a lot at first glance, but agents work very hard for that money and in fact, often you wouldn’t even earn that 15% if you were dealing without an agent. Fact: agents almost always get a better deal for writers than writers do for themselves. Look at that, your agent just paid for him or herself AND you have more time to write and less worries. Awesome!

(If you are new to the game and aren’t sure what sort of things to expect from an agent, check out agent Rachelle Gardner’s list of things to expect of an agent and a couple things not to expect. They are worth checking out. As well, agent Ethan Ellenberg has an excellent article on how to pick a good agent.)

Back to scammers. If you are looking for an agent, you can also check to see if they are a member of AAR (Association of Authors’ Representatives) as those agents HAVE to act within the association’s code of conduct. That is NOT to say that if an agent is not a member that they are going to scam you. No, AAR is just another way to help you sort through your pile of potential agents. As well, check out Agent Query for a good agent. Check writer boards like Absolute Write Water Cooler and of course, the already mentioned Preditors and Editors and Writer Beware. You can also check out books on literary agents at your local bookstore like this one or this one.

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