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 Write for yourself, not to be published or for monetary gain.”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.

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.

Jeffrey Moores Gives the Scoop on Query Hooks…and More

During last week’s Tuesday night chat, literary consultant and editor (and also former literary agent), Jeffrey Moores dropped the bomb. Agents are sick and tired of the query letter hook–avoid it at all costs. Here’s the 411 straight from the chat:

Yvonnetherese asked: How do you feel about starting the query letter with a hook sentence vs. genre, word count, etc. up front?

Jeffrey Moores replied: AVOID THE HOOK! It’s annoying. An agent instead wants simple reality: I am seeking representation for my YA novel about vampires and teenage werewolves. Put what you want up front. Be very simple.

I asked: Do many agents feel this way, Jeff?

He replied: As far as I know, all of them do. It’s very tiresome to read, over and over again, things like: “Imagine yourself in a world where…” An agent isn’t like a normal reader. They’ve got a lot more analytical wheels turning, and are more interested in your book’s place within the market and your ability to write. The actual details of your plot are only as important as your ability to frame your book within the query letter.

Well, I tell you, after cleaning all the grey matter  that had splattered all over the chat room walls during the chat, I went away and thought about what Jeffrey had said. I decided I needed a bit more info on the topic and so the next night (he did two chats for us over on AQ.) I asked for a bit of clarification. Here’s the scoop:

My question: Jeffrey, in regards to your surprising advice in regards to queries (“AVOID THE HOOK”) I got to wondering, how do YOU define a hook? Could you give us some specifics in terms of what to avoid?

Jeffrey Moores: I think that the typical “hook”, wherein a writer tries to hook an agent with a taste of the plot right away, often comes across as false and forced. Such as: “Imagine a town where nothing quite feels like it should…”

Instead, agents want to hear something like this: “My novel is a comedy-of-manners that skewers the reality of a strange town whose inhabitants seem to have no clue about the rest of the world…” or something similar. This is a more abstracted and contextualized description of your novel, and is more effective than assuming that an agent is sitting at her desk waiting to be entertained the same way she is when she’s picking a novel off of a book shelf at home.

It is still VERY IMPORTANT to “hook” an agent, but it is MORE IMPORTANT to do this through concise and effective presentation of your book’s specific themes and its place in the market, rather than drafting a sort of plot description or synopsis. Often, writers go on and on after their “hook” but fail to mention anywhere in the query WHAT TYPE OF BOOK THEY’VE WRITTEN. novel, YA, fantasy, mainstream, etc.

*******

He also mentioned to be confident in your proposal when writing nonfiction. The more confident you are, the more likely it will get picked up. As well, fiction writers should step out when writing their queries and “approach the query in a more nonfiction way”. That means, make your fiction query more about where your story fits into the market, who its audience is–that sort of thing. Which makes sense. It is a business letter. He also mentions to compare your letter to other books that are similar. Just make sure it is selling well! He provided pointers on how to pick the selling well books to compare yours to:

Very simply — go to your local bookstore and browse. Notice which books have prominent placement in the stores (front tables, end caps, facing OUT on the shelves, rather than their binding facing out). Publishers have paid for these privileges and it means that they’ve invested extra money in hopes that these books will sell well. Or, it means the book has already begun to sell well so they are pushing it further. Also, check out Amazon’s book rankings, reviews, and blurbs by other authors for that book — if five well-known authors have blurbed a given book, it’s safe to assume is better-known than a book with a blurb by only one lesser-known writer.

Both chats with Jeffrey where informative with lots of great tidbits you won’t find elsewhere. If you missed the chats, you can read the transcripts over on AgentQuery.