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Per chance, do you have a blog that isn't getting the page views and
attention you want? Lots of writers face this very problem. Getting
people to actually read your blog isn't easy, and I'm trying to help
with my latest guest column for The Write Life called "How to Be
a Successful Blogger: Follow These Two Major Tips." The post
examines 2 easy ways you can get more people to read & share your
content -- starting with guidance on how to use Twitter to get people
over to your site. Check out the post, and comment if you have other
tips bloggers can use. I know it's frustrating to spend time on
social media and get very little interaction or response, so perhaps
this post can aid you on your journey.
And if you missed either of my big guest columns mentioned last
newsletter, they were:
1.
A roundup of 13 literary agents who seek Southern fiction
2.
A column that discusses what you should do if you're on the fence
concerning traditional publishing vs. self publishing.
And like I always mention, I'm very excited to be speaking at
different writers' conferences this year. This year, I will be in Houston, TX (Feb. 5), Birmingham, AL (Feb. 19), Atlanta, GA (Feb. 20), Florida (March 25-26), Philadelphia (April 9), and Chicago (May 14). All of these events have agents
there to meet with writers, so if you live near any of these areas,
check out the official conference websites by clicking on the links.
Until next time, good luck writing, agent hunting, and building your
writer platform!
Chuck Sambuchino
Editor, 2016 Guide to Literary
Agents
Editor, 2016
Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market
Author, How to Survive a
Garden Gnome Attack
Author, When Clowns Attack: A
Survival Guide
Author, Create Your Writer Platform
literaryagent@fwmedia.com
www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog
Twitter: @chucksambuchino
Chuck on Facebook
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2 New Agents Seeking Submissions NOW
Click on any name below to see the full mini-profile on the GLA
Blog (with submission instructions). Good luck querying!
1. Stacey Graham of Red Sofa Literary
She is seeking: Humor books, humorous memoir along the lines of
Jenny Lawson or John Cleese, dark middle grade, New Age with a
strong platform, quirky nonfiction (YA/MG and adult), history, and
horror. She is not looking for YA fiction or adult fantasy.
2. Shaun Dolan of Union Literary
He is seeking: As an agent at Union Literary, he's interested in
both muscular and lyrical literary fiction, narrative nonfiction,
memoir, pop culture, and sports narratives. He's willing and able
to dive into the trenches editorially and looks to foster new,
exciting voices.
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New Free Contest for Writers of Women's Fiction --
Judged by Agent Elizabeth Winick Rubenstein (with prizes!)
Welcome to the 21st (free!) "Dear Lucky Agent" Contest on
the GLA blog. This is a FREE recurring online contest with agent
judges and super-cool prizes. Here's the deal: With every contest,
the details are essentially the same, but the niche itself changes-meaning
each contest is focused around a specific category or two. So if
you're writing women's fiction, this 21st contest is for you! (No
genre romance or erotica.) The contest is live through end of day,
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016. The contest is judged by agent Elizabeth
Winick Rubenstein of McIntosh & Otis.
Learn all details
on the GLA Blog post.
That said, here's the gist: You turn in the first page of your
unpublished book-length completed women's fiction manuscript, and
Elizabeth judges all entries. Winners get writing prizes, including
a critique of their first 10 pages from Elizabeth. Good luck to all
who enter!
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"Land the Right Agent to Sell Your Book"
-- Jan. 28 Webinar (w/critique) by agents Jaida Temperly and
Danielle Barthel
Signing with an agent is an exciting and important step in any
author's career! But finding that perfect match can be tricky, and
it's something you'll want to feel confident in before making a
final decision. So before signing on that dotted line, there are
some key questions you'll want to ask, important research you'll
want to dive into, and pitfalls you'll want to avoid.
Literary agents Jaida Temperly and Danielle Barthel have been in
the publishing industry for over three years. Both are currently
building their lists at New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc. and
understand what information will help prospective authors weigh all
of their options before choosing an agent. It's all part of their
new 90-minute webinar, "Land
the Right Agent to Sell Your Book," on Thursday,
January 28, 2016.
ABOUT THE CRITIQUE
All registrants are invited to submit a 'pitch and a page', a
25-word summary and the opening first 250 words of your book. All
submitted submissions are guaranteed a written critique by literary
agent Jaida Temperly or literary agent Danielle Barthel. Jaida and
Danielle reserve the right to request more writing from attendees
by e-mail following the event if they deem the writing excellent.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
-- What questions to ask your agent before signing
-- What qualities you'll want to find in an agent
-- What NOT to ask before signing
-- How to manage your expectations
-- The pitfalls you'll want to avoid
-- The difference between signing with a Junior Agent vs. Senior
Agent
-- Where to find information on your agent / agency
-- Important resources and how to use them: AAR, PM, PW,
QueryTracker
INSTRUCTORS
Jaida Temperly, literary agent, is very excited to be
building her client list. For MG and YA titles, she's drawn to
quirky, dark stories. For adult fiction, she loves stories with
strong mystery, art history, or religious undertones. She loves
logic puzzles, anything by Wes Anderson, horticulture, and
everything related to Scotland. Danielle Barthel is looking
for upper MG, YA, adult, and nonfiction manuscripts. She'd love to
find an amazing MG epistolary, engrossing YA realistic contemporary
stories, well-crafted fantasies, and retellings of all kinds. Adult
family dramas and upmarket women's fiction are also on her wish
list. A strong romantic subplot, especially with expertly crafted
tension, is never a bad thing, and she's particularly fond of
historical romance (especially set in England). For nonfiction,
she's open to unique and poignant lifestyle and cookbooks. (Sign up for the Jan.
28 webinar here.)
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Considering Self-Publishing? You Might Want to
Do This First
Let's talk about what you should do if you
are truly on the fence concerning whether to seek traditional
publishing for your book or just self-publish it. There are
different ways to get your work published, but the biggest two
options in today's marketplace are still the following:
Traditional publishing: You sell your work to a publishing
house, like Simon & Schuster or HarperCollins. The
publisher typically pays you money up front in the deal, then
distributes the book in print and e-book forms.
Self-publishing: This method allows you to publish your
work independently, without anyone judging your work. You're in
charge of everything. A common website people do this is
through Amazon's CreateSpace.
I could talk about all the nitty-gritty elements to both
publishing options - the pros and cons, the ins and outs - but
that would take you hours to read. So instead, I'll just focus
this post on one simple question: If you're unsure what path to
take concerning these two major publishing options, what should
you do?
Which publishing method should you try first? If you are truly
on the fence concerning which path to take, you should always
try traditional publishing first - period.
I'll tell you why...
(Read the
entire column on The Write Life, and comment for your
chance to win a free book.)
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"Your First 10 Pages" -- Feb. 18 Agent
One-on-One Boot Camp (w/critique) with Talcott Notch Literary
As many writers know, agents and editors won't give your work
more than ten pages or so to make an impact. If you haven't got
them hooked by then, it's a safe bet you won't be asked for more
material. Make sure you've got the kind of opening they're looking
for! In this invaluable weekend event , you'll get to work with
an agent online to review and refine the first ten pages of your
novel. You'll learn what keeps an agent reading, what are the
most common mistakes that make them stop, and the steps you need
to take to correct them. The best part is that you'll be working
directly with an agent, who will provide feedback specific to
your work.
It's all part of the recurring popular Agent
One-on-One Boot Camp called "Your First 10 Pages."
Sign up by the end of the day, February 18, 2016. It's taught by
the agents at Talcott Notch Literary.
Here's how it works:
On Thursday morning, February 18, you will gain access to a
special 60-minute online tutorial presented by agent and editor
Paula Munier. It will help you clarify what you should be looking
for in your work. You will also be notified by email which agent
you'll be working with on Thursday. (All times noted are Eastern
Time). After listening to the presentation, you'll spend Thursday
evening revising your first ten pages as necessary, given the
guidelines provided in the presentation, and you'll email those pages
directly to Paula or one of the additional agents from Talcott
Notch Literary, including Gina Panettieri and Rachael Dugas, by
Saturday morning at 10:00 AM (ET). They will spend all day
Saturday reviewing their assigned pages and providing feedback as
to what works and what doesn't. (Sign up for the boot camp
here .) All pages with notes will be returned to participants
by 10:00 AM (ET) the next morning, Sunday February 21. You'll
work to revise your pages based on the agent's specific feedback.
From 1:00 to 4:00 PM on Sunday, February 21, Paula, Gina, and
Rachael will be available to answer questions and provide
additional feedback via the Writer's Digest University message
boards. Only registered students can access these boards. You'll
also be able to ask question of your fellow students. Feel free
to share your work and gain support from your peers. By 10:00 PM
(ET) Sunday night on February 21, you'll return your final
revised pages to your assigned agent for review. They will spend
the next week reading the revised submissions assigned to them,
and will provide a final brief one-or-two sentence critique of
your progress no later than Sunday, Feb. 28. Please note that any
one of them may ask for additional pages if the initial
submission shows serious promise, and multiple agents from
Talcott Notch have signed writers after reading their work
through a boot camp.
About the Agents:
Gina Panettieri is President of Talcott Notch Literary
Services, and has worked as an agent for more than 20 years. Her
agency website is talcottnotch.net. Paula Munier , Senior
Literary Agent & Content Strategist at Talcott Notch
Literary, has broad experience creating and marketing exceptional
content in all formats across all markets for such media giants
as Disney, Gannett, Greenspun Media Group, and Quayside. Rachael
Dugas joined Talcott Notch Literary in 2011. During her
tenure as associate agent, Rachael has judged contests and
attended conferences in New York and beyond, working with groups
such as Writer's Digest, ASJA, YA Lit Chat, the National
Publicity Summit, and the Hampton Roads Writers.
Sign up for
the Feb. 18, 2016 boot camp here.
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Agent-Conference Opportunities
There are plenty of opportunities for writers to meet agents face
to face at writers' conferences and pitch their work in 2016.
Remember: Meeting agents in person is a great way to get past the
slush pile. If an agent is interested in your work and requests a
sample or book proposal, you can write "Requested
Material" on your submission, making sure it gets a fair
read and consideration.
Know that there are two types of conferences. There are general
writers' conferences, that address a variety of subjects, and
then there are specialized conferences, which usually tend to
focus on a single genre-such as western, romance, or mystery. You
will find both kinds in this list below.
Writing Conference of
Houston, Feb. 6, 2016, Houston, TX
Attending agents: Paul S. Levine (Paul S. Levine Literary);
Patricia Nelson (Marsal Lyon Literary); Rachel Brooks (L. Perkins
Associates); Tricia Skinner (Fuse Literary); and Eve Porinchak
(Jill Corcoran Literary).
San Francisco Writers
Conference, Feb. 11-14, 2016, San Francisco, CA
Attending agents: This large conference usually has 20-30 agents
in attendance. Check the website for the large, growing
list.
Alabama Writers Conference,
February 19, 2016, Birmingham, AL
Attending agents: Kaylee Davis (Dee Mura Literary); Julie Gwinn
(The Seymour Agency); Kurestin Armada (P.S. Literary); Veronica
Park (Corvisiero Literary); and Lauren MacLeod (Strothman
Agency).
Atlanta Writing Workshop,
February 20, 2016, Atlanta, GA
Attending agents: Penny Moore (FinePrint Literary); Kaylee Davis
(Dee Mura Literary); Julie Gwinn (The Seymour Agency); Kurestin
Armada (P.S. Literary); Pamela Harty (The Knight Agency);
Veronica Park (Corvisiero Literary); and Sally Apokedak (Leslie
H. Stobbe Literary Agency).
Tampa Writers Conference,
March 25, 2016, Tampa, FL
Attending agents: Lucienne Diver (The Knight Agency); Marlene
Stringer (Stringer Literary Agency); Nicole Resciniti (The
Seymour Agency); Saritza Hernandez (Corvisiero Literary); and
Amanda Leuck (Spencerhill Associates).
Fort Lauderdale
"Get Published" Conference, March 26, 2016,
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Attending agents: Nicole Resciniti (The Seymour Agency); Kaylee
Davis (Dee Mura Literary); Greg Aunapu (Salkind Literary);
Kurestin Armada (P.S. Literary); Kimiko Nakamura (Dee Mura
Literary); and Cricket Freeman (The August Agency).
Philadelphia Writing
Workshop, April 9, 2016, Philadelphia, PA
Attending agents: Alyssa Eisner Henkin (Trident Media Group);
Adriana Dominguez (Full Circle Literary); Marie Lamba (Jennifer
De Chiara Literary); Eric Smith (P.S. Literary); Mackenzie Brady
(New Leaf Literary); and Jordy Albert (Booker Albert Literary
Agency).
Chicago Writing Workshop,
May 14, 2016, Chicago, IL
Attending agents: Gordon Warnock (Fuse Literary)Chip MacGregor
(MacGregor Literary); Nicole Resciniti (The Seymour Agency); Adam
Chromy (Movable Type Literary); Gemma Cooper (The Bent Agency);
Marcy Posner (Folio Literary); Eric Smith (P.S. Literary); Alice
Speilburg (Speilburg Literary); Rachel Burkot (Holloway
Literary); Abby Saul (Browne & Miller Literary); Susan Hawk
(The Bent Agency), and more to be announced.
Writing Conference of
Cleveland, June 4, 2016, Cleveland, OH
Attending agents: Kimiko Nakamura (Dee Mura Literary); Moe
Ferrera (BookEnds); Mallory Brown (TriadaUS); Vicki Selvaggio
(Jennifer De Chiara Literary); Kaylee Davis (Dee Mura Literary);
and Fred Tribuzzo (The Rudy Agency).
NYC Writer's Digest
Conference, August 12-14, 2016, New York, NY
Attending agents: Our pitch slam is the centerpiece of the day,
and will always have at least 50 attending literary agents.
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