Thursday 3 November 2016

2017 Guide to Literary Agents U.S.A.

The Guide to Literary Agents 2017 is out now, including details of agents seeking queries now and details of a FREE fantasy or sci-fi contest:


 

 

Guide to Literary Agents 2017
Editor's Letter: Profiles on 4 Agents Seeking Queries NOW
PLUS NEWS OF CONFERENCES IN NV, MN, GA, MI, PA, AND WA
First things first: Are you writing an adult fantasy or science fiction novel? Because literary agent Mike Hoogland is judging a new (free) contest just for you. Top three winners get a critique from him. It's the 26th edition of my "Dear Lucky Agent" Contest and more details are below in this newsletter.

Next, you may see that my headline above says profiles on four agents, but only three new agents are profiled below. That's because the fourth agent who put out a call for subs is not a new agent at all. Abby Saul, formerly of Browne & Miller, recently formed her own literary agency (The Lark Group) and she is celebrating this new agency launch with a call for submissions. Check out her profile here. She is most interested in historical fiction, women's fiction, mysteries, and thrillers.

And like I mentioned last newsletter, I just got asked to speak at some writing events in 2017 that I'm excited about. These events include Minneapolis (Feb. 11), Atlanta (Feb. 25), Detroit (March 25), Philadelphia (April 8), Seattle (May 6), and Nashville (July 22). And as a reminder, later in 2016 I'm speaking in Missouri (this weekend! Nov. 5-6) and Las Vegas (Nov. 19). And I know it's way ahead, but WD just set dates for its huge 2017 conference in New York. The conference happens again August 18-20, 2017, and we hope to again bring you 60+ agents for our gigantic pitch slam.

Until next time, good luck writing, agent hunting, and building your writer platform!
Chuck Sambuchino
Chuck Sambuchino
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!
She is seeking : Rachel is looking for literary and commercial fiction and YA. She's interested in stories that defy genre conventions and play with reader expectations, and particularly enjoys dystopian, eco-fiction, and apocalyptic narratives, as well as anything with a scientist protagonist. She's also looking for international fiction, political fiction that explores big ideas through compelling narrative, and stories from traditionally underrepresented voices. She loves stories about women by women. In nonfiction she's interested in tech, futurism, psychology, environment, and science, and isn't adverse to prescriptive nonfiction from authors with a strong professional background in their topic of choice.
She is seeking: Kira is particularly interested in children's literature (young adult and middle grade) with a strong narrative voice, well-crafted storylines, and memorable characters. Within YA & MG, Kira is actively seeking realistic fiction, speculative fiction, magical realism, thriller/mystery, horror, fantasy, and historical fiction. Stories with folklore elements, complex villains, morally enigmatic (and very flawed) protagonists, medieval literature influences, and taboo subjects are bound to catch Kira's attention.
She is seeking : Catherine is looking to represent debut novelists, particularly in literary and reading group fiction. She's searching for stories that transport their readers-with a strong, moving narrative and distinctive voice. She particularly enjoys stories with magical realism and speculative elements (such as Margaret Atwood and David Mitchell). Her other favorite authors include Kazuo Ishiguro, David Nicholls, Ann Patchett, Karen Russell, Elizabeth Strout, Donna Tartt, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In nonfiction, she's searching for lifestyle titles and narrative memoirs. She is based in the UK. Although she is open to subs from writers of any nation, she said this: "I am looking for both US / UK, but I do primarily submit to UK, so ideally something that crosses over."
New FREE Contest for Writers of Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
Welcome to the 26th (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. If you're writing any kind of fantasy or science fiction novel (for adults), then this 26th contest is for you! The contest is live through end of day, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016. The contest is judged by agent Mike Hoogland of Dystel & Goderich.

All you have to do is submit the first double-spaced page of your completed work of adult speculative fiction.

See all info and rules on the official contest page here.
"Writing, Revising, and Pitching Your Middle-Grade Manuscript" -- Nov. 3 Webinar by Agent Maria Vicente
Middle-grade is one of the most popular and fastest growing categories in the publishing industry. For many, middle-grade novels are childhood favorites that stick with us for decades-whether these stories are realistic portrayals of life or fantastical escapes from the mundane. Middle-grade is a competitive market, and it's a difficult category to master. There are many expectations surrounding voice, character, content, and structure that go along with writing middle-grade novels. How can you make your manuscript stand out in the crowded market? And how can you catch the attention of a literary agent with your manuscript?

This new webinar, "Mastering Middle Grade: Writing, Revising, and Pitching Your Middle-Grade Manuscript," covers the most important topics to keep in mind while writing and revising middle-grade novels, as well as the process of writing a query letter that will effectively pitch your manuscript and entice literary agents. This webinar includes a live presentation, a Q&A session, a critique of your query letter and the first 1,000 words of your manuscript, and downloadable worksheets that will help you write, revise, and pitch your manuscript long after the webinar is over. It all happens at 1 p.m., EST, Thursday, Nov. 3, 2017, and lasts 90 minutes.

ABOUT THE CRITIQUE
All registrants are invited to submit your query letter and the first 1,000 words of your manuscript for critique. All submitted query letters and first 1,000 words are guaranteed a written critique by Literary Agent Maria Vicente. Maria reserves the right to request more writing from attendees by e-mail following the event, if she deems the query excellent.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
-- What the current middle grade market looks like in publishing
-- What the middle grade audience is looking for in a book
-- The appropriate word count for middle grade manuscripts of all genres
-- The common themes in middle grade stories
-- How to write in the elusive middle grade "voice"
-- How to create engaging and diverse middle grade characters
-- The importance of a high concept plot with high stakes conflict
-- What mistakes to avoid in your manuscript's opening chapter
-- What a query letter is and why you want a literary agent
-- How to craft a successful query letter for your middle grade project
-- The best resources to bookmark as you continue writing, revising, and pitching

INSTRUCTOR
Maria Vicente is an associate agent at the P.S. Literary Agency. Her publishing career began as an intern with Bree Ogden at D4EO Literary Agency, and she also interned at P.S. Literary before joining the agency as an associate agent. Her reading preferences vary across categories and genres, which is reflected in her client list. Maria holds a B.A. in English Literature from Carleton University, a B.Ed. from the University of Western Ontario, and many years of experience editing and designing literary magazines. (Sign up for the Nov. 3 webinar here.)
See a Brand New Example of a Young Adult Query That Worked and Got a Writer Her Agent
This series is called "Successful Queries" and I'm posting actual query letter examples that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting these query letter samples, we will also get to hear thoughts from the writer's literary agent as to why the letter worked.

The 75th installment in this series is with agent Jessica Watterson (Sandra Dijkstra Literary) for Emily Albright's young adult novel, THE HEIR AND THE SPARE (Jan. 2016, Merit Press). Booklist states that "Readers ... will appreciate this debut, which confidently combines royalty, romance, and mystery."

About Emily: Emily Albright is a major bookworm, a lover of romantic movies, a Netflix junkie, a wife, a mother, and an owner of one adorable (yet slightly insane) cockapoo and one very tolerant cat. Her debut young adult novel, THE HEIR AND THE SPARE, is available now from Merit Press. Her series continues with Preston's story, EVERYDAY MAGIC.

See Emily Albright's successful query here.
Get Your First 10 Pages Critiqued by a Literary Agent -- Latest Talcott Notch Boot Camp Starts Nov. 17
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 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.

Here's how it works:

On Thursday morning, November 17, you will gain online access to a special 60-minute online tutorial presented by agent and editor Paula Munier (Talcott Notch Literary). It will help you clarify what you should be looking for in your work. Then you have two days to revise your material and send it to the agency. The agency sends it back after that with individual critique feedback.

And there's more. Learn everything on the official sign-up page here.
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 and 2017. 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 all kinds in this list below.
ShowMe Writers Masterclass, Nov. 5-6, 2016, Columbia, MO
Attending Agents: Rebecca Bugger (Serendipity Literary). I (Chuck) will be teaching sessions on how to get published, as will other publishing professionals.
The Writers Workshop of Las Vegas, November 19, 2016, Las Vegas, NV
Attending Agents: Jill Marr (Sandra Dijkstra Literary), Paul S. Levine (Paul S. Levine Literary), Jamie Bodnar Drowley (Inklings Literary), Patricia Nelson (Marsal Lyon Literary), Annie Bomke (Annie Bomke Literary), Carlie Webber (CK Webber Associates), Jennifer March Soloway (Andrea Brown Literary), and Thao Le (Sandra Dijkstra Literary).
Minnesota Writing Conference, February 11, 2017, St. Paul, MN
Attending Agents: Laura Zats (Red Sofa Literary), Gemma Cooper (The Bent Agency), Kaylee Davis (Dee Mura Literary), Mary Cummings (Betsy Amster Literary), Jennie Goloboy (Red Sofa Literary), Abby Saul (The Lark Group), Samantha Fountain (Corvisiero Literary), Dawn Frederick (Red Sofa Literary), Lauren Kukla (editor Mighty Media Press Children's Books), Kimiko Nakamura (Dee Mura Literary), Erik Hane (Red Sofa Literary), and more.
San Francisco Writers Conference, Feb. 16-19, 2017, San Francisco, CA
Attending Agents: Peter Beren (Peter Beren Literary), Jennifer Chen Tran (Fuse Literary), Amy Cloughley (Kimberley Cameron & Assoc), Mark Gottlieb (Trident Media Group), Sarah Levitt (Zachary Shuster Harmsworth), Laurie McLean (Fuse Literary), Paula Munier (Talcott Notch), Andy Ross (Andy Ross Literary), and more.
Atlanta Writing Workshop, February 25, 2017, Atlanta, GA
Attending Agents: Cherry Weiner (Weiner Literary), Sally Apokedak (Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency), Latoya C. Smith (L. Perkins Agency), Vanessa Eccles (Golden Wheat Literary), Marisa Corvisiero (Corvisiero Literary), Janell Walden Agyeman (Marie Brown Associates), Eric Smith (P.S. Literary), Elizabeth Copps (Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc.), Elizabeth May (Kensington Publishing), Kristy Hunter (The Knight Agency), and more to be announced.
Writers Winter Escape Cruise, Feb. 26 - March 3, 2017, cruise departs Miami FL
Attending Agents: The attending agents are from The Seymour Agency and The Tobias Agency. Additional attending publishers companies include Sourcebooks, Tor/Forge, Doubleday, and Entangled Publishing.
Michigan Writers Conference, March 25, 2017, Detroit, MI
Attending Agents: Elana Roth Parker (Laura Dail Literary Agency), Paul Stevens (Donald Maass Literary). Sara Megibow (KT Literary), Jennifer Wills (The Seymour Agency), Janna Bonikowski (The Knight Agency), Kirsten Carleton (Prospect Agency), Elizabeth May (Kensington Publishing), Alice Speilburg (Speilburg Literary), Michael Caligaris (Holloway Literary Agency), Lesley Sabga (The Seymour Agency), and more to be announced.
Philadelphia Writing Workshop, April 8, 2017, Philadelphia, PA
Attending Agents: Vanessa Robins (Corvisiero Literary Agency), Damian McNicholl (Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency), Elizabeth Copps (Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc.), John Willig (Literary Services), Adriana Dominguez (Full Circle Literary), Marie Lamba (Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency), Eric Smith (P.S. Literary), Kelly Peterson (Corvisiero Literary Agency), and more to be announced.
Pennwriters Conference, May 19-21, 2017, Pittsburgh, PA
Attending Agents: Noah Ballard (Curtis Brown, Ltd.), Mark Gottlieb (Trident Media Group), Eric Myers (Dystel and Goderich Literary), Roseanne Wells (Jennifer De Chiara Literary); and possibly more to come.
Tennessee Writing Workshop, July 22, 2017, Nashville, TN
Attending Agents: Lauren MacLeod (The Strothman Agency), Elizabeth Copps (Maria Carvainis Agency, Inc.), Julie Gwinn (The Seymour Agency), Michael Caligaris (Holloway Literary Agency), Alice Speilburg (Speilburg Literary), Cate Hart (Corvisiero Literary), Laura Crockett (Triada US Literary), Lesley Sabga (The Seymour Agency), and more to be announced.
Writer's Digest Conference, August 18-20, 2017, New York, NY
Attending Agents: Last year in 2016, we had more than 60 attending agents there to take pitches and meet with writers. We hope to again bring you 60+ in 2017.







 

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