If you’ve ever wanted a critique from an established editor or literary agent, then here is your chance. You can bid on hundreds of auctions for a good cause.

Here’s a list of what they have:

For Writers	69
Agent Evaluations	42
Author Critiques	63
Conferences & Contests	7
Editor Evaluations	47
Networking Opportunities (Meetings & Consultations)	9
Services (design, promo, & more!)

Please go here and BID! Good luck!

Social media can be an aspiring authors best friend. If you know how to use it – it can be helpful in attracting literary agents, publishers, and readers to your work. But, with all the available outlets out there, it’s hard to know where to concentrate. In this course, we’re going to get down and dirty with what’s working, how much time to invest, what to do, and especially, what not to do. This course is designed for aspiring authors as well as published authors looking to connect with a larger audience.

Here’s a short breakdown of what you can expect to learn during our 4 sessions:

Twitter:

•             How to build your following

•             What to tweet and how often

•             What to avoid

•             What to write in your profile

•             Tools/Tricks

Facebook:

•             How to build a fan page

•             What to write

•             What to avoid

•             The “Like” button

•             Ways to attract traffic

Goodreads

•             How to build a following

•             Creating a winning profile

•             Free/Available Tools for Authors

•             Contests & Groups

•             Paid Advertizing – Does it work?

Personal Blogs/Websites

•             What to blog

•             What NOT to blog

•             Links, Buttons, & more

•             “About” section

•             How to attract traffic

COST: $25.00

For more information including registration, go HERE

So, apparently, there’s a game going around among writers right now. It’s called the Lucky 7 Game, and it’s sort of like a tag. I usually don’t do these, but it’s fun, and an excuse to give you guys an excerpt.

If you’re tagged by another author, you have to:

1. Go to page 7 or 77 of your current manuscript.

2. Go down to the seventh line and copy the 7 sentences that follow that.

3. Then, after pasting those, tag 7 other authors.

I was tagged by the Chloe Jacobs (author of the upcoming YA Retelling, Greta and the Goblin King)

Anyway, this is from my current YA paranormal romance project, Glimmer.

“The fact you’re alive is a pretty good indication I’m not trying to kill you.”

He pulled up the bottom of his shirt and wiped the black blood off his cheek. The curve of his hip was exposed and I forced myself to look away. I needed to focus, not drool over some guy who was obviously dangerous.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Rowan.”

“Are you part of the air court?”

And there you have it! Just a little taste of what I’m working on at the moment.

Now it’s time for TAG! So I choose . . .

1. Courtney Koschel

2. Melissa West

3. Rachel Harris

4. Tara Fuller

5. Allison Pang

6. Gretchen McNeil

7. Kelley York

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your role with Entangled Publishing ?

First of all, thank you for having me! I’m always thrilled to represent Entangled and spread the word out about the amazing things we’re doing.

A little about me.I’m an agented YA author in love with all things dark and romantic. After editing professionally in the technical and legal sectors for a few years, I shifted over to fiction and haven’t looked back. Prior to taking the Managing Editor spot at Entangled, I freelance-edited YA manuscripts while working as the Acquisitions Editor for an adult paranormal/fantasy publisher. I now spend my days wrangling Entangled’s publishing schedule, sifting through slush, formatting books, making covers, and editing. Lots and lots of editing.

2 How would you describe the Entangled publishing philosophy ?

In two words, agile and exclusive . We publish only the most compelling stories written by the most intriguing voices. Freshness is key. We also strive to provide readers with what they want, not what NY tells them they should be reading.

This is all made possible by our business model, which allows us more flexibility than traditional publishers without compromising quality, all the while enabling us to pay some of the highest royalty rates in the industry. Everyone from the copyeditor to the editorial director is paid a percentage of sales, so we’re all invested in the success of each book, and to delivering a quality product. If our entire team can’t get behind your book, it won’t make it onto our list.

3 What are some of your favorite books that you’ve read this year?

Honestly, the phenomenal stories that come through our slush pile top my Best of 2011 list. There’s nothing better than sifting through the slush and finding hidden gems. It’s like having my own bookstore in my inbox.LOL And, of course, we’ve bought nearly all my faves, so you guys will get to read them soon!

If I had to pick something outside of my inbox, I’d have to go with Barry Lyga’s BOY TOY, Beth Revis’ ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, Stephanie Perkins’ ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, and Ally Condie’s MATCHED.

4 What are the primary mistakes you see writers make in query process?

There are two huge ones that I see daily.

#1 – Not following the submission guidelines. Seriously. I do NOT open unsolicited attachments. If you send one, expect a form rejection unless we’ve been friends for years, in which case, I *might* ask you to try again

#2 – The query letter itself. You have less than one page to tell me the following:
■ who your characters are
■ why I should care about them/what makes them unique
■ what will happen if your characters fail (the stakes)

That’s it. Your bio means nothing to me unless you’ve been published elsewhere, so feel free to skimp there in favor of telling me more about the book. I highly encourage everyone to research what a query letter looks like BEFORE sending your manuscript out into the world. Agents and editors are conditioned to expect certain information to be conveyed a certain way. If we can’t figure out your query letter, we’re less likely to look at your sample pages.

5 Can you tell us about your particular young adult tastes?

I love edgy contemporary, gritty thrillers, stark dystopian, and dark paranormal/fantasy. Strong romantic elements are a must. Voice is everything to me, so if you have a killer voice, I want to see your manuscript!

On the flipside, I’m tired of the hot-paranormal-boy-falls-for-plain-human-girl storylines. My acquisitions have all turned that trope on its head, and readers are loving it. I also think love triangles need to be handled correctly and add something fresh to the genre, if they’re used at all. I’ve acquired two books with love triangles. Both are different than anything I’ve read.

6 Can you each tell us some of your most wanted submissions?

YA thrillers are hot right now! I’d love to see some of those. I haven’t seen near enough contemporary YA in general, though, and would love to see a lot more. I’d personally love a contemporary where the hero and heroine go from being longtime friends/enemies to more.

7 Can you tell us about Entangled’s young adult line?

Definitely! I’m extremely excited about our burgeoning young adult and new adult lines, which currently feature everything from reluctant necromancers to hot aliens to serial killers. I’m a HUGE dystopian fan, so needless to say, I’m thrilled about the two series we’ll be releasing in 2012. And wait until you guys read the dark, sexy fairytale retelling I’m working on for next Fall. *evil grin* I’d read all of these books over and over again if I had time, they’re that good.

8 What kind of posts will readers and writers find on your blog? 

Entangled is all over the place. Check out our books on the website

( http://www.entangledpublishing.com ), chat with our authors on the blog ( http://www.entangledinromance.com ), follow us on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/#!/entangledpub), and friend us on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/EntangledPublishing ).

I’ll admit to being the world’s lamest blogger when it comes to sticking to a schedule on my personal blog, but I like to do what I call Craft Quickies ( http://www.heatherhowland.com/category/craft-quickie/ ) and have an ongoing series called YA vs. Adult ( http://www.heatherhowland.com/category/ya-vs-adult/ ). I’m always open to suggestions, so if anyone has something they’d like an editor’s perspective on, hit me up through the contact form on my page! ( http://www.heatherhowland.com/contact/ )

Twitter ( http://twitter.com/#!/HeatherHowland ) is the best way to keep in touch with me, but I can also be found on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heather-Howland/157108790971324 ) from time to time.

Award-winning young adult author Heather Howland began editing in the legal, industrial, and technical sectors eight years ago while working as a Production Manager. She has since honed her fiction editing skills as a freelancer and as the former acquisitions editor of a small publisher. A portrait photographer in a former life, Heather’s eye for art lends itself to simplistic, NY-style book covers. She holds a BS in creative writing and psychology, which she channels into her love of dark, romantic fiction.

Congratulations! You’ve finally completed your novel and now you’re ready to submit your future best seller to publishers. However, most publishing houses won’t consider your work until you’re represented by a literally agent. So, you research and narrow down a list of your favorites and write your query letter. All that’s left now is for the offers for representation to come pouring in. Alas, if only it were that simple.

The truth is, getting published is a difficult process. Statistically, only 1 out of every 100 query letters submitted to an agent gets a positive response. That means, 99% of everything they receive is rejected. So, the odds are not in your favor, especially considering that most agents get over a thousand new queries each month.

New York Times bestselling author, Bruce Coville told me during an interview that the secret to his success is “bone-headed obstinance”. He means that most writers don’t have instant success. Most of the time, it takes years and hundreds of rejections before you get to the promise land and the majority of us will quit well before that ever happens. You have to develop very thick skin and you have to keep moving forward regardless of the odds or the rejections. You also have to accept that you may need help developing your craft.

With that in mind, I have created a list of tools that can help you through your journey. Starting off, these are the books that were recommended by bestsellers, Bruce Coville and Alyson Noel. Most you can find at your local library.

STORY by Robert McKee

SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder

ON WRITING by Stephen King

SPILLING INK by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter

I’m a big supporter of writing critique groups. http://www.meetup.com is a great website that will help you find a group in your area. These groups are free. Another online group for young adult genre authors is http://www.yalitchat.ning.com They have a $30 annual membership fee, but it’s well worth it. They have groups setup to help you with your query, synopsis, and the first five pages of your manuscript. Some of their members have received representation after joining this online community.

Unless you have a degree in literature or communications, I strongly recommend taking an online writing course or a noncredit course at your local community college to beef up your basic skills. Poor writing is the quickest way to a rejection letter.

Lastly, if you’re struggling to finish your novel or just feeling bad about yourself then I recommend reading: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. He’s a screenwriter and really puts everything in perspective in a humorous way.

Good Luck to everyone!

So you have written a Young Adult Fantasy novel! What do you do next? You might want to consider submitting it to an agent. This is a good next step. Stacey has put together a valuable list of agents for you to consider. Are you ready to take the next big step?

After you’ve completed your novel, finding an agent can be one of the most difficult parts of the publishing process. First, there are literally thousands of agents out there and not all of them are great. Second, not all of them are interested in the fantasy genre. Third, not all of them are looking for new clients. So, we have compiled a list of who we consider to be the best. These are agents who have great reputations, represent fantasy authors, and are currently accepting unsolicited queries. We’ve even included their guidelines to make it just a little bit easier for you. Here is our top 10 List of Agents that represent both Young Adult and Fantasy. Good luck!

Curtis Brown LTD Attn: Ms. Ginger Clark Ten Astor Place New York, NY 10003 gc@cbltd.com Submit: Query Only

Writer’s House Attn: Mr. Daniel Lazar 21 West 26th Street New York, NY 10010 dlazar@writershouse.com Submit: Query & 1st 5 Pages

Andrea Brown Literary Agency Attn: Ms. Laura Rennert lauraqueries@gmail.com Email Only – No Address Provided Submit: Query & 1st 10 Pages

Nelson Literary Agency Attn: Ms. Kristin Nelson 1732 Wazee Street, Suite 207 Denver, CO 80202 query@nelsonagency.com Submit: One Page Query Only

Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency Attn: Query Department 548 Broadway, #5E New York, NY 10012 agent@ethanellenberg.comSubmit: Synopsis & 1st 50 Pages

Trident Media Group, LLC Attn: Mr. John Silbersack 41 Madison Ave, Floor 36 New York, NY 10010 jsilbersack@tridentmediagroup.comSubmit: Query, Paragraph about yourself & Plot Synopsis

Donald Maass Literary Agency Attn: Ms. Jennifer Jackson 121 West 27th Street Suite 801 New York, NY 10001 info@maassagency.com Submit: Query, Synopsis & 1st 5 Pages

The Bent Agency Attn: Ms. Susan Hawk Email Only – No Address Provided kidsqueries@thebentagency.comSubmit: Query & 1st 10 Pages

Kate Epstein Literary Agency Attn: Ms. Kate Epstein The Epstein Literary Agency P.O. Box 392 Randolph, MA 02368 Kate@Epsteinliterary.com Submit: Query and 1st 3 Pages

For some, writing your query letter will be the most frustrating part of your pitch process. Just the idea of summing up your massive story into four paragraphs can be mind-numbing. However, no matter how much we complain or curse the person who came up with idea; we still must complete the assignment at hand. To help ease your mental strain, we’ve come up with a query structure to get you through it.

There are key questions your query must answer for a perspective agent or publisher. It’s best to answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper before you get started.

• Who is the story about?
• What happens to this character?
• What decisions does this character have to make?
• What are the consequences of those decisions?

Once you’ve answered those questions, then it’s time to start writing the query. The first paragraph is considered the creative portion. This section should be limited to 100-250 words. This is where you get the agent or publisher excited about your story, so take time to answer all the above questions. Also, don’t forget to include your genre, title, and approximate word count in this paragraph.

The second paragraph is considered your bio. This is not where you talk about your life or your love of writing. This is limited to relevant information like your publishing experience, writing awards, or organizational memberships for which you belong. If you have no experience, please do not say that here. List only the credentials or educational background that makes you uniquely qualified to write the story.

The third paragraph is where you tell this particular agent why you feel they are the best person to represent your story. Do not for any reason submit a project to dozens of agents at once. That’s the easiest way to the rejection pile. Also, go to the agents’ website and see what genres they are looking for. I read an agent’s blog recently that said that more than 30% of the queries that he rejects are because he does not represent the genre for which the story is written. That simply means that agents want you to pay attention. Don’t go blindly into the process. Research and find out which agents represent stories like yours.

The final section of your query should include your contact information. It also wouldn’t hurt to be respectful and thank the agent or publisher for taking the time to consider your work. Remember, you are basically requesting a writing job from this agent or publisher; so treat this document as a cover letter or resume. Always be professional.

After your query is complete, read it again and make sure it answers the following questions:

• Have I conveyed the concept clearly so the agent understands exactly what my story is about?
• Have I used compelling language that suits the tone of my story?
• Is my query entertaining?

If you’ve honestly answered ‘yes’ to all those questions then you’re ready to submit. Good luck!

Sara Sciuto is a recent graduate of University of California San Diego, Sara also completed literature coursework at NYU. Before joining Full Circle, she gained valuable experience working on film and foreign rights with the Taryn Fagerness Agency. Sara is actively building her list with a focus on middle grade and young adult, in particular, dystopian, science fiction, fantasy, and unique paranormal. She also enjoys contemporary stories with a strong, authentic voice (but no chick-lit, please). She has a particular soft spot for anything in the Deep South (sweet contemporary to dark paranormal), gritty contemporary, utilitarian dystopias or dystopian thrillers, anything with international locales or period settings (think flappers or “Mad Men”), and anything with artistic themes. Sara is also looking for standout picture books, especially those with a quirky or humorous narrative. She’s also considering select nonfiction in the areas of craft, design, how-to, lifestyle, and pop culture.

Currently, she is NOT considering any adult fiction (all genres).

Her great passions in life are travel and good food – and good books, of course, but that goes without saying! While she’s always cultivating new obsessions, her latest are photography and sailing.

Interview

1. What is the best part of being a literary agent?

Getting a first peak at what amazing new ideas writers are coming up with! Everyday I’m in awe of the creativity and ingenuity of new authors, and it’s so exciting to go through submissions and see what fresh and exciting projects I’ll find that are just begging for an audience. It never gets old!

2. How would you summarize your personal agenting philosophy? What do you expect from an agent-author relationship?

Most importantly, I only take on projects that I absolutely love. At FCL, we’re a very hands on agency and work collaboratively to get manuscripts in their best possible shape before submitting to editors. It’s not uncommon for me to go through a couple rounds of revisions with a new or potential client, so I expect authors to understand that any project is a work in progress and be receptive to constructive feedback. That said, it’s not good for an author to be too amenable; I don’t want an author to just plug in my suggestions—they might be symptomatic of a more general problem, they might necessitate additional changes in the book, etc—rather, they should treat revision notes more as inspiration for big picture reconceptualizing, with the goal of coming back with an overall stronger work.

3. What are the primary mistakes you see writers make in query process?

Not following our submission guidelines (e.g. not including first 10 pages in email body, sending genres we don’t represent, etc.)! Before submitting to any agency authors should always visit their website to view current submission guidelines, which vary agency to agency. My latest query pet peeve is a lengthy letter that describes the themes of the book, why they’re writing it, and/or explains the marketplace/readership/strategy without actually telling me what it’s about! The query letter’s primary function should be to give me a brief description of the project so I can decide if this is generally something I would or wouldn’t be interested in, and if it is, move straight on to the meat of the query—sample pages.

4. With fiction partials, what makes you stop reading and start skimming—or stop reading altogether?

If you’ve already won me over with your description in the query letter, than here I’m looking for execution. Sometimes it’s subjective—Is it executed in a way that I feel best suites the concept? Is the author voice just not jiving with my personal tastes? Or I may love the author’s sensibility but there may be too many technical errors (e.g. bad dialogue mechanics, lots of telling versus showing) which tells me this author may need more time developing her craft.

5. Your agency profile says that you’re interested in young adult, what specific subgenres do you lean toward?

For YA, I’m especially looking for contemporary, science fiction, and fantasy. I’m not big on teen chick-lit and tend to go more for gritty or quirky narratives. I’d be thrilled to see an edgy contemporary, stories set in exotic locales, period fiction (circa “Mad Men” or “Boardwalk Empire” would be fantastic!), a really well done novel in verse, or anything with artistic themes. (See #6 for my fantasy preferences).

6. Your agency profile also says you’re interested in dystopian, urban, and paranormal fantasy, is there any other subgenre of fantasy that you would consider?

Yes, ALL! Though, it’s usually tough to win me over with high fantasy. I’m also being really selective with paranormal—if it doesn’t have a truly unique concept, I likely won’t be interested. I’ll really go nuts for a good dystopian thriller, anything with steampunk elements, a utilitarian dystopia, or a dark paranormal (especially if it’s set in the Deep South). Please note that I’m currently not considering any adult fiction, fantasy or otherwise.

7. Will you be at any upcoming writers conferences where people can meet/pitch you?

Yes! I will be on faculty at the following: SCBWI OC Editor’s Day, Cal State Fullerton, Oct. 1 Avondale Writer’s Conference, Avondale, AZ, Oct. 29

8. What’s your opinion on social media for writers looking for representation?

Social media can be an excellent marketing tool for new authors. Establishing a direct dialogue with your readers is a great way to familiarize them with your brand and build enthusiasm for future books. That said, don’t just do it because you think you have to—if you’re not able/willing to provide regular and interesting content than hold off on creating a social media presence. If you ARE able and willing, absolutely, go for it!

9. Where is the best place for someone to contact you?

Via our regular submissions route, by email at submissions(at)fullcircleliterary(dot)com. Please see our website (http://www.fullcircleliterary.com/index.htm) before querying to view full submissions guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on the kinds of projects I’m looking for, my conference schedule, etc, visit my website/blog at http://sarasciuto.tumblr.com/ You can also follow my tweets at @sarasciuto

10. Best piece(s) of advice we haven’t discussed?

Write what you love! You’ll produce your best work that way—if you write for yourself and not for the marketplace. You’ve heard it before, “don’t write to the trends”, but really, don’t do it. It makes it difficult for your project to stand out and places yet another hurdle before you to overcome (on the already tough enough road to publication!). And don’t give up!

Tamar Rydzinski worked at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates prior to joining the Laura Dail Literary Agency. She graduated from Yeshiva University in 2003 with a major in literature and a minor in business. Tamar is not interested in prescriptive/practical non-fiction, humor, coffee table books or children’s books (meaning anything younger than YA). She is interested in everything else that is well-written and has great characters, including graphic novels. A fantastic query letter is essential – “you need to make me want to read your book, and be excited to read it,” she says, “with those first couple of paragraphs.”

Interview

1. What is the best part of being a literary agent?

Oh wow! What a question. The best part, to me, is getting to work on books I love (and you’re going to read the word, “love” a lot in this answer). I’ve yet to represent a book that I don’t truly love and I count myself very lucky for that. When I submit a book to editors, I get ridiculously excited. And when I sell an amazing book and I know that the rest of the world is going to get a chance to experience it too, well, I just love that feeling. And, truth be told, I get a little thrill out of negotiating, too; I was a business minor in college.

2. How would you summarize your personal agenting philosophy? What do you expect from an agent-author relationship?

My agenting philosophy is very hands-on. I usually go through quite a few rounds of editing before submitting a book to editors. And I continue to edit second and third books in a series, even if they’ve already sold, because a) I always enjoy reading my clients’ books and b) I think it’s important to have as many pairs of editorial eyes as possible on a manuscript. If your book is good, readers are unforgiving of mistakes or missteps because they’re so invested in the world you’ve created. Plus, I like to tell myself that what I think is important to my clients.

In terms of what I expect from an agent-author relationship, respect is key. I have to respect the work you’ve put into the manuscript and your opinions about every step of the process (my editorial ideas, the cover, etc.) And you have to respect me and the knowledge I have of the publishing industry, my guidance, my time–I try to get back to my clients emails immediately and read their manuscript as quickly as possible, but I have more clients than just you and they deserve my time and respect, too.I also have demands on my time outside of work.

3. What’s something coming out now/soon that you’ve represented and are excited about?

The next book coming out that I’ve represented is Nocturne by Syrie James (January, 2011). It’s a wonderful vampire romance set in the Colorado mountains. The book actually came about because Syrie James has written three great books (The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte, and most recently, Dracula, My Love) which came to the attention of the editors at Vanguard who approached us and wanted Syrie to write for them because they so admired her talent. Which I think is just a really fun story.

4. What are the primary mistakes you see writers make in query process?

I’m going to answer this with a few tips:

Check an agency’s website and follow the submission guidelines posted there.

Don’t query me with more than one book at a time–choose one, the one that you think is in the best shape and bring that one to my attention.

Make sure that my name and the name of my agency are both spelled correctly.

Make sure to give me a paragraph or two on plot and a paragraph, even if it’s short, about you. It’s OK if you’re telling me that you have no writing credentials but live alone in the woods so you’ve lots of time to reflect and write. Whatever it is, I want some clue as to who you are and more than just a clue as to what your book is.

Don’t tell me your book is the next ______. Comparable books are great, as in, readers of ____ and ____ would enjoy my book. But grandstanding and making outlandish claims is never a good idea.

Check for spelling errors! If you’re too lazy to read your query 25 times to make sure there are no mistakes, then being an author will be tough on you since you will have to go back to your manuscript numerous times, first for your agent, then for your editor, then to make sure there are no mistakes before it’s printed and spelling mistakes in your query doesn’t bode well for the process.

5. With fiction partials, what makes you stop reading and start skimming-or stop reading altogether?

I guess the two biggest things that make me stop reading are lack of authenticity and lack of pacing. To me, dialogue needs to be spot on or I lose interest in the character or characters, and if I’m not interested in the characters, the story is shot for me. And especially in fantasy/sci-fi, the world needs to be authentic and interesting, too. I want details! Without data dumping. Sound tough? It is! But when it’s done well, you’ve got me hooked. And to make things even harder, while you’re trying to give me realistic characters in a well-developed world, you’ve got to keep the pace up so that I’m not waiting for the story to start.

6. Can you tell us some of the fantasy/sci-fi subgenres that you’re drawn to?

I do love the epic fantasy, but I also love paranormal, historical retellings, steampunk. Um, actually, I’m not sure there’s a subgenre that I wouldn’t be interested in…

7. When accepting young adult, what subgenres do you lean toward?

Again, I’m really open to anything. But I would love to see a thriller, something really dark and twisted. And one thing I love about fantasy is the openness–I find that there’s little attention given to sexual or racial mores of “our world” in these other worlds and I would love to see some more of that in YA, both fantasy and not.

8. Will you be at any upcoming writers conferences where people can meet/pitch you?

I don’t have any planned right now.

9. What’s the best way to contact you?

Read through our submission guidelines here: http://www.ldlainc.com/dailsubmissions.html

10. Best piece(s) of advice we haven’t discussed?

One of the reasons that I don’t like to limit what I’m looking for too much is that you really need to write what you’re passionate about, whatever that is. And if you do that, it comes across and it helps with the authenticity that I mentioned earlier. A reader can tell when you’re writing to a specific genre that happens to be doing well at the moment and this reader, for one, doesn’t appreciate it.

Social media is huge right now. Make sure you’re on Twitter: @trydzinski and on Facebook (I am). Blog, if you can. Basically, build yourself as big of a social media platform as you can before your book ever comes out.

Sara has been with the Nelson Literary Agency since early 2006. Her first responsibilities included reading the query letters, sample pages and full manuscripts that were submitted for representation. In early 2009, she was promoted to Associate Literary Agent and is now actively accepting submissions of her own. From sexy romance to epic fantasy, Sara has loved reading since picking up her first copy of The Hobbit. Sara has a B.A. in Women’s Studies and a B.A. in American History from Northwestern University. She lives in sunny Boulder with her beat-boxing husband, adorable son and two fuzzy cats.

Follow Sara on twitter @SaraMegibow

Interview

1. What is the best part of being a literary agent?

The best part about being a literary agent? For me, it’s seeing art come to life. I love the art of literature and I believe each and every one of my clients is brilliant and talented. Helping to get those books on the shelves is a dream come true for everyone involved and the small role I play in that adventure is exciting and rewarding!

2. How would you summarize your personal agenting philosophy? What do you expect from an agent-author relationship?

Fundamentally, I believe that a client’s book is THEIR art. So, in terms of philosophy – I encourage my clients to write the books of their heart. Likewise, I choose clients to work with whose books I absolutely love, love, love.

From there, my “agent philosophy” is all about communication. Once a book is finished (and yes I do editorial work with my clients before we call it “finished”), I put together a submission list based on editors I think will love the work – my clients know to whom I submit, when and what the response is. My clients usually hear from me every week – with updates on submissions, offers, releases, sales numbers and ideas for marketing, publicity or promotions. Aside from talking about submissions, the two top things I encourage my clients to do is to get a professional author website together and to keep writing.

These are things that I expect of myself: answering client questions within a reasonable time, updating clients on submissions/ offers and release information, giving editorial feedback and the best possible advice on contracts, marketing and rights sales. What do I expect from my clients? To be on top of any and all personal marketing opportunities (again, having a professional author website and doing some other social networking – twitter, facebook, blogging, etc). I expect them to meet deadlines – so if we’re under contract for multiple books, then those books are submitted to the publishing house on time and in a professional manner. Also, I expect that they treat their editor (and all publishing house contacts) with 100% professionalism at all times.

3. What’s something coming out now/soon that you’ve represented and are excited about?

I’m excited about everything that I represent! That being said, I’m a fairly new agent. When a book is sold, there is usually an 18-24 month turnaround before those books hit the shelves. Here are some upcoming YA novels by my fabulous clients:

SCORE by Miranda Kenneally will be on shelves in late 2011 from Sourcebooks. SCORE is a contemporary, fun YA in which the heroine is quarterback of her high school football team and is caught in a love triangle with a rival quarterback and her favorite wide receiver.

SHOOTING NED HARTNETT by Allison Rushby will be out with Walker/ Bloomsbury in early 2012. NED is about a young woman in LA who works as a paparazzo – taking pictures of famous people for money. She hates the job and wants out, so she accepts a high paying gig only to realize that she will have to betray the only star she’s ever liked.

TIGERSEYE by Jennifer Shaw Wolf will be available in late 2012 also from Walker/ Bloomsbury. This book (yet another debut author) is about a young woman healing from a car accident that killed her boyfriend, but what she’s really hiding is the truth about their relationship.

4. What are the primary mistakes you see writers make in query process?

The number one mistake by far is querying an agent for a work in a genre that we don’t represent. We reviewed 37,000 query letters in 2009 which sounds daunting. But, please realize that one third to one half of those were for books we would never consider because of genre (self help, mysteries, screenplays, etc). If a writer sends a query for a book outside of what we represent, that writer will receive the auto “no thank you” letter from us.

Other than genre mistakes, the main mistake I see in queries is datadump or some other form of being too wordy. If the query letter is too wordy, the manuscript is typically too wordy. If the writer uses datadump to “explain” their world, their story, or their characters, then typically they’ve made the same mistake in the manuscript.

5. With fiction partials, what makes you stop reading and start skimming-or stop reading altogether?

The number one mistake in sample pages/ partials is (like in queries) datadump. “Datadump” sounds like this: “Sam sat with a cup of coffee and thought about the past year in which he had to overcome XYZ” or “Sam looked out over the plain where a spaceship was landing and that spaceship was 15 feet wide and bright green with two external ports.” These are both classic examples of “telling” instead of “showing” and to me it simply means the manuscript isn’t ready yet. The writer may need another round of revisions, or some work on the craft of telling a story, or to move on to the next book. In any event, datadump or “telling” is almost always a deal breaker for me.

A super generic concept can make my eyes glass over too – a young hero or heroine who has just discovered they have a magic power and must save the world. I see that one a lot. It can work, but the writer really needs to identify quickly what makes their story unique. Another one I see a lot of in women’s fiction – a 45 year old woman catches her husband cheating with the secretary, she leaves him and moves to Vermont to open a B&B. Again, the concept CAN work, but the writer will need to draw the reader in with some tremendous writing and with a unique hook. I hesitate to mention “generic concept” because it’s much more subjective than datadump. Still, it’s true and it’s a red flag.

6. You said that you would like to work on more fantasy and science fiction, can you elaborate more on fantasy/sci-fi subgenres that you are drawn to?

I love all fantasy and science fiction – adult, YA, MG, epic fantasy, urban fantasy, steampunk, cyberpunk, hard science fiction, space opera – you name it, I love it. I shy away from the true horror, but other than that I love everything. I have one urban fantasy client and I think he is a genius: ( www.stevewvera.com ). And I have one MG science fiction client who I also think is a genius: (anitalaydonmiller.blogspot.com).

I am particularly interested in books in which world building is effortlessly integrated with the story. Great characters are important too – I’ve seen sample pages with a really complex world but by page 30 I still don’t know the main character’s name (that’s a mistake on the writer’s part). John Scalzi’s OLD MAN’S WAR is one of my favorite books of all time, as is Transformation by Carol Berg. On the young adult side, I am a huge fan of ASH by Malinda Lo and GIRL PARTS  by John M Cusick.

I recently attended the science fiction convention in Denver (MileHi Con) to learn more about sf/f writers and where they are and what they write. I loved it!

7. When accepting MG and YA, what subgenres do you lean toward?

I’ll take anything well written and with a unique concept. That being said, I *tend* to lean toward contemporary, multicultural and/or historical. In terms of paranormal and fantasy, I also love it all (although the story really has to stand out in this very competitive market). I like sexy YA or sweet YA, I like light or literary and I like any subgenre imaginable. Basically.bring it on! If it’s well written I will love it!

My full client list as well as my personal tastes are flushed out on my publishers marketplace site: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/SaraMegibow/

8. Will you be at any upcoming writers conferences where people can meet/pitch you?

Excellent question! My schedule is usually up to date on the “News” page at http://nelsonagency.com/news.html

9. What’s the best way to contact you?

I’m on twitter: @SaraMegibow although I don’t tend to get in conversations there. For pitching me your manuscript, the best way is the traditional way – email a query letter to query@nelsonagency.com . There are sample query letters, FAQs and resources on our website to help and to answer more questions. (www.nelsonagency.com)

10. Best piece(s) of advice we haven’t discussed?

These are great questions! You haven’t left many stones unturned. Let’s see – in terms of the publishing industry, the more research a writer does, the better. And, if you don’t know where to start, our website (again, www.nelsonagency.com ) has a terrific resources page. There are lots of other great websites out there, but anything we list there I can vouch for.

Also, if you write and are interested in publishing, then you should read too. Read books in your genre – the award winners, the ones getting buzz or great reviews, and anything else that interests you or catches your eye. I keep a spreadsheet of everything I read, who the editor is and what the imprint and publishing house is. Holy cow – my list is over 300 books since I started at Nelson Agency in 2006!

Another piece of advice – network, network, network. I am super proud of my clients because they seem to really reach out to each other – to support, encourage, beta read, help promote, etc. Writing is a beautiful art, but the business of publishing is a harsh one. Having friends tell you “you’re doing great” and “good luck” and “congratulations” can be unbelievably helpful!