How to use this Page

Again I don’t have time to work on a separate post for todays blog, so here is a slide with some of answers to a question I asked in the Agent Survey I conducted with 18 agents in the industry. No, I can’t share who said what.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Sean McCarthy left the Sheldon Fogelman Agency at the end of last year to start his own agency. There are two opportunities to get your foot in the door with an agent. You should consider querying one of them.

Janine Le joined the agency after graduating from Bucknell Unversity with honors in English (Creative Writing) and completing NYU’s program at its Summer Publishing Institute. She enjoys working with the agency’s clients as an assistant agent and as the agency’s foreign rights manager. Janine has licensed translation rights in over 20 languages and has represented the agency and its clients annually at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Janine is building her list of clients and is open to picture books through YA. She is most drawn to stories with a strong emotional core that influence the way readers view the world, themselves, and the people around them. She is also fond of complex characters and relationships, unique cultural perspectives, and stories with a touch of humor, romance, or both.

Without realizing it, Amy Stern spent most of her life preparing to be a literary agent. After receiving degrees in creative writing and English at Bryn Mawr College, she earned masters degrees in children’s literature and library science at Simmons College, while working as a librarian and a bookseller. In addition to her job as Assistant Agent at the agency, Amy has mentored writing students at Simmons’s Center for the Study of Children’s Literature, and taught a graduate course there on science fiction and fantasy in children’s and young adult lit. Her favorite novel topics include summer camp, giftedness, mental health issues, queerness, and reality television, but more than anything, she likes sympathetic characters in a good story. She often stays up all night reading the newest YA novels while claiming it’s “for work.”

SUBMISSIONS POLICY

Sheldon Fogelman Agency, Inc. specializes in children’s books of all genres, from picture books through young adult literature. The agency represents both authors and illustrators.

We always welcome submissions, and look forward to adding new people to our client list each year. However, we receive thousands of submissions each year, and are very selective in offering representation. We consider each submission carefully, and do our best to respond quickly; however, please be aware that it takes time to read and consider each manuscript. It may take us up to six weeks to consider an initial query, and if we request more work, the process can take even longer. Please note that we do not charge a reading fee.

If you are interested in submitting, please adhere to the following guidelines:

• Send a single page cover letter that includes a brief synopsis of your work, your publication history, and how you were referred to us, if at all. (If you are querying electronically, please paste the body of this cover letter into the email.) If you are querying several other agencies simultaneously, we ask that you mention this in your query letter.
• If you are a novelist, you may include the first three (3) chapters of the work and a synopsis. Please do not submit the entire work or include chapters from more than one work unless specifically requested.
• If you are a picture book writer, you may include two (2) manuscripts. Please do not submit any additional manuscripts unless specifically requested. If you are not an illustrator, it is not necessary to include images in your submission.
• If you are an illustrator, please include information regarding website portfolio links, if applicable. Otherwise, send a limited sampling of copies of your work. Please do not send original artwork under any circumstance. We do not take responsibility for damage or loss of any original artwork that may be erroneously sent to us.
• If you would like to send your work to a specific agent, address your query to that agent. Otherwise, simply put your work to the attention of the submissions coordinator. Please note, however, that a submission to one agent in our office is considered a submission to all.
• If you are submitting by mail, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope with all submissions. Please be sure to include an envelope of sufficient size with proper postage to accommodate any work you would like returned; mail submissions without an appropriate SASE may not be replied to, and due to space constraints, your work may be disposed of. All hard copy submissions should be sent to the following address:
   

Sheldon Fogelman Agency
10 East 40th Street, Suite 3205
New York, NY 10016

• If additional work is requested following the cover letter, we prefer exclusive consideration of the requested work for at least one (1) month.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Each fall I put on a Writer’s Retreat in Avalon, NJ. The nice thing about this retreat is that it consists of a small group of advanced children’s writers with two children’s publishing agents, plus everyone receives:

1. A full manuscript critique from one of the agents

2. A full manuscript group critique

3. A 30-50 page critique with the other agent

4. A first page session with agents,

5. Additional fun group activities, plus lots of time with the agents.

I have two available spots, if you are interested.

There are Two Retreat Sessions – Each with two groups of five -  All agents are interested in MG and YA. Here are the main details.

Place: An upscale house with 8 bedrooms, 7.5 baths, heated pool, and elevator in Avalon, NJ

Cost: $795 – $910 according to room. Cost includes room, food, and critiques.

First Session Dates: Arriving noon on September 21st – departing by 10 am on September 24th.

Agent Carly Watters from PS Literary

Carly is actively looking for new Middle Grade and Young Adult clients. She is a hands-on agent that develops proposals and manuscripts with attention to detail and the relevant markets. PSLA’s mission is to manage authors’ literary brands for their entire career.

Never without a book on hand she reads across categories which is reflected in the genres she represents and is actively seeking new authors in including women’s fiction, commercial fiction, literary thrillers, upmarket non fiction, and all genres of YA. Carly is drawn to emotional, well-paced narratives, with a great voice and characters that readers can get invested in.

She has sold 5 books 2-YA(both two book deals), 1-MG(two book deal), and 2-nonfiction in the past year. They were all very nice deals. Visit http://www.carlywatters.com for a more extensive list of books sold.

Agent Sarah LaPolla from Bradford Literary

Sarah represents YA and adult fiction. On the adult side, she is looking for literary fiction, science fiction, magical realism, dark/psychological mystery, and upmarket commercial and/or women’s fiction. For YA, she is interested in contemporary/realistic fiction that doesn’t shy away from the darker side of adolescence. YA sci-fi, horror, mystery, and magical realism are also welcome; and she would love to find a modern Judy Blume for the MG market. No matter what genre, Sarah is drawn to layered/strong characters, engaging narrators, and a story that’s impossible to put down.

Sarah has sold 4 books in the last six month 3 YA and 1 MG, which was a two book deal

Second Session Dates: Arriving noon on September 25th – departing by September 28th by 10 am.

Agent Ammi-Joan Paquette from Erin Murphy Literary

Amy specializes in children’s publishing. She has sold 12 MG’s and 4 YA’s and numerous picture books in the last year.

She also is a published author and her new book, PETEY AND PRU AND THE HULLABALOO was on the Kirkus Review 2014 Nominated books.

Agent Heather Alexander from Pippin Properties

Heather who was an editor at Dial just started with Holly McGhee at Pippin Properties and of course is looking for clients.

Heather is looking for new talent from a broad range of children’s book authors and illustrators, from picture books through young adult, including graphic novels. She’s most interested in unique characters, strong voices, and quirky humor.

Each year I open a few spots to new writers. If you are interested in joining us, please email me if you want one of the open spots. I will need to know what you will submit – MG, YA, NA, genre such as sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, romance, thrillers, mystery, etc. The first five pages and a synopsis (if you have not written a synopsis, then just write something up about the story).

Please email me with a little blurb about you, two pages and a synopsis, plus what you are writing. Example: MG Contemporary Time travel book – 40,000 words – 160 pages. If you are interested in joining the group. Click here to see pictures from last year: http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/recap-of-avalon-writers-retreat/

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

kt literary is a full-service literary agency operating out of Highlands Ranch, in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, where every major publishing house is merely an email or phone call away. We believe in the power of new technology to connect writers to readers, and authors to editors. We bring over a decade of experience in the New York publishing scene, an extensive list of contacts, and a lifetime love of reading to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Renee Nyen: Several years in the editorial department at Random House’s Colorado division provided Renee with the opportunity to work with bestselling and debut authors alike. After leaving Random House, she came to KT Literary in early 2013. Drawing on her editorial experience, she loves digging into manuscripts and helping the author shape the best story possible. Though this is great for her profession, it tends to frustrate people watching movies with her. You can follow her on twitter @Renee_Nyen.

She is interested in: Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction. “I’m always interested in YA historical fiction, mystery, sci-fi, and thrillers, but genre is not as important to me as strong prose and compelling characters.”

Submission Guidelines: Please submit a query letter with the first three pages of your manuscript pasted in the email to queries (at) ktliterary.com.

With a penchant for depressing hipster music and an abiding love for a good adventure story, Renee is always looking for book recommendations. Even if that means creeping on people reading in public. Which she does frequently.

She makes her home in Colorado with her husband, their young daughter, and their hygienically-challenged basset hound.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Stop back next Friday to read the four first pages that agent Quinlan Lee at Adams Literary will critique this coming week.

Quinlan is a published author of numerous books for young readers and more than 15 years of business and project management expertise. She has been a part of the Adams Literary team since 2008, representing clients in all genres from picture books to YA. She enjoys meeting others who share her love of children’s literature and is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and a founding board member of the Charlotte Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association (WNBA).

You can meet her at the New Jersey SCBWI June Conference this year.

Quinlan graduated from Tulane Univeristy and has lived all over the United States—from the mountains of Western Colorado to the Garden District of New Orleans to downtown Chicago—and for the past eleven years she’s been raising her family in Charlotte with her husband, Steve. She has three children who keep her busy with book clubs, homework and identifying creatures in the creek behind their home.

In other news:

At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Alyson Heller has been promoted to editor at Aladdin. In addition, Krista Vossen has been promoted to art director, while Michael McCartney moves up to associate art director and Karina Granda has been promoted to designer.

At Macmillan, Jill Freshney has been promoted to the new position of senior executive managing editor at Macmillan Children’s.

Liesa Abrams has been promoted to associate editorial director,  Aladdin and Simon Pulse.

At Putnam, Liz Stein has been promoted to associate editor.

At Random House Children’s Books, Sharon Burkle and Lora Grisafi have both been promoted to associate art director, while Krister Engstrom moves up to senior designer.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Nikki Terpilowski of Holloway Literary

About Nikki: Nikki has degrees in English and International Relations and is a member of Romance Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. Some of her favorite writers include: Barbara Erskine, Diana Gabaldon, Cherry Adair, Karen Marie Moning, Steve Berry, Brad Thor, Daniel Silva, Vince Flynn, Tom Clancy, Isabel Allende, Jewell Parker Rhodes and Tananarive Due. Readers can follow her at @HollowayLit and @AWomanReading, and read her blog at AWomanReading.wordpress.com. See the agency website here.

She is seeking: women’s fiction, southern fiction, multicultural literary fiction, upmarket African-American fiction, steam funk, romance (all kinds except category), military and espionage thrillers, historical fiction, nonfiction with a strong platform and academic assessments of popular culture. Additionally, Nikki seeks graphic novels, Manga, YA, MG and children’s picture books.

Nikki is especially interested in time travel, reincarnation, mythology, ancient civilizations, magical and animist realism, Japan, American history (especially hidden African-American history, interesting women in history, as well as the antebellum period, and the Civil and Revolutionary wars), the military (all branches, but especially the U.S. Marine Corp, Army and all Special Forces), espionage, martial arts, narrative nonfiction about food and beverage (especially organic food, wine and coffee), travel or expat life, international relations and foreign policy,and prescriptive nonfiction on spirituality, parenting, health and well-being.

Here is the Agencies Submission Wish List: You can click the links to read more.

• Women’s Fiction and Romance with Erotic Themes
• Folklore, Fairy Tales and Mythology
• Biography and Memoir
• YA and Adult Speculative Fiction
• Historical Women’s Fiction
• Romance
• Southern Fiction
• Fantasy and Science Fiction
• Japan and Japanese Culture
• African-American Literary Fiction
• Women’s Fiction From the African Diaspora
• Time Travel
• Non-fiction for Military Spouses
• Picture Books and Middle Grade Fiction for Military Children
• Travel
• Historical Non-fiction
• Spirituality
• Food and Beverage
• Military, Espionage and Political Thrillers

We are accepting submissions.

Send us your query and the first fifteen pages of your novel  in the body of your email, or attach your non-fiction proposal as a PDF and email to the attention of:  Submissions Editor, at submissions @ holloway literary agency . com.  In the subject header, write:  Query: (insert your title/genre). You can expect a response to your query in one to two weeks. For nonfiction: send a proposal (and if relevant, link to related blog). Include a brief bio and social media links.

Please note, we do not represent previously published material.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Another wonderful illustration from Barbara DiLorenzo sent this in for our enjoyment. Barbara graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (1998 BFA in Illustration) and was featured on Illustrator Saturday April 14th 2012. Click here to see her artwork and interview.

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At Penguin Random House Audio, Louise Quayle returns to the company, as senior acquisitions editor. Catherine Bucaria was promoted to assistant acquisitions editor, and Emily Parliman was hired as assistant acquisitions editor a few weeks ago, reporting to Rebecca Waugh.

At Simon & Schuster Children’s, Emma Ledbetter has been promoted to associate editor, Atheneum Books, while Dani Young moves up to associate editor, S&S Books for Young Readers/Atheneum/McElderry Books.

Former publishing director at Walker Children’s Emily Easton is joining Crown Children’s as executive editor on May 19, reporting to Phoebe Yeh.

At Crown, Julian Pavia has been promoted to senior editor, while Christine Kopprasch moves up to editor.

Sari Feldman, executive director for the Cuyahoga County Public Library, has been named ALA President.

Brittney Ross has been promoted to associate editor for Hudson Street Press/Viking/Plume.

Krestyna Lypen has joined Algonquin Young Readers in the newly created position of associate editor. She was most recently associate editor of children’s books for Workman Publishing.

At Chronicle Books, Sarah Golski has been promoted to managing editor of the lifestyle group.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

After nine years at The Aaron Priest Agency where she was an agent and the Foreign Rights Director for Aaron Priest, Nicole James joined Chalberg & Sussman in December 2013, as a full time agent. As the foreign rights director at Aaron Priest, Nicole sold and managed international and New York Times bestselling authors worldwide, including David Baldacci, Robert Crais, and Philip Caputo, while also managing the foreign rights to the agency’s 35-year backlist. As for her own authors, Nicole represents a diverse list of commercial and literary adult and young adult fiction as well as non-fiction, clients include Nick Burd, author of THE VAST FIELDS OF ORDINARY (Dial Books for Young Readers, Penguin), winner of The American Library Association’s 2010 Stonewall Book Award and Ben Coes and his New York Times bestselling thriller series featuring Dewey Andreas (St. Martin’s Press). Nicole also represents a strong list of works in translation including, international bestselling thriller author Jorgen Brekke (Minotaur); literary sensation, Johan Harstad, author of the adult novel BUZZ ALDRIN, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU IN ALL THE CONFUSION? (Seven Stories Press) chosen as a best novel of 2013 by Kirkus Reviews, and Harstad’s young adult novel 172 HOURS ON THE MOON (Little, Brown for Young Readers) winner of Norway’s prestigious Brage Prize, among others.

Nicole would love to learn about novels that are celebrated in other countries but are unknown here in the U.S. She is equally interested in weighty literary fiction as she is in more commercial and plot driven fiction. To be a bit more specific, she loves to represent action packed thrillers with great heroes. She is eager to find a female driven thriller, a fantastic beach read for women – such as a love story or a family drama, or a smart and thoughtfully written young adult series. On the non-fiction side, Nicole would love to discover any of the following: a book about weddings (“how-to” or memoir) or a hip and intelligent “self-help” book. Otherwise she will take a look at anything that calls to her: whether it be a compelling story, intriguing characters, or a timely issue.

Nicole actively supports every angle of a client’s project by exploiting all applicable rights whether it be foreign, audio, film or digital–including enhanced e-books and apps. She feels strongly that in this brutally competitive marketplace an agent’s job must exceed contract negotiations and career guidance, an agent must play an intergral part in the creation of the book’s marketing, publicity, and ultimately the growth of its sales.

Nicole’s Specific interests: Young adult fiction, non-fiction (narrative, how-to, political, and pop-culture), and literary and commercial fiction (specifically dealing with social and cultural issues). Nicole is also on the look-out for a female driven thriller and a smart and thoughtfully written young adult series.

GENRES & SPECIALTIES
General fiction Mystery Suspense/thriller Juvenile fiction Lifestyle		Memoir Self-help Parenting Works in translation Gay & Lesbian

To query Nicole use this email address: [email protected] To query by regular mail, please address your letter to Nicole at the address below and include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

We will respond only if we are interested in requesting your material.

Submission Guidelines

Submissions

Our submission policy is as follows:

Please submit a one page query letter via e-mail.

The query letter should describe your work as well as your background. Please do not send attachments. However a first chapter pasted into the body of an e-mail query is acceptable.

Due to the number of queries they receive, they are not able to respond to everyone. She will get back to you if interested.

Contact Information

115 West 29th St, Third Floor
New York, NY 10001
917.261.7550

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

CALL For: Mother’s Day and May Illustrations- 500 pixels wide

Below are the results for the four first pages critiqued by agent Samantha Bremekamp from Corvisiero Literary Agency for April.

1. Next Friday on May 9th, editor Jenna Porcius from Bloomsbury will critique 4 more.
2. On May 16th Agent Marie Lamba from Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency will critique 4 more. You have until May 8th to submit a first page for Marie. Her critiques will post on May 16th.
3. QUINLAN LEE, Agent, Adams Literary GUEST CRITIQUER will end MAY 2014 with her four critiques posted on May 30th. Deadline to submit: May 22nd.

Here’s the Results:

HALF A HAND SHORT by Johanna Bilbo (young YA)  

Chapter One — What Royalty Wants

He was my joy; he was my mission. When my yearling colt, Pippin, made a clean, high leap over his gate, he landed in a year of trouble for both of us. For the sake of my father, and to spite our king, I had to find us a way out.

I’d whistled for Pip from the lane beside his field. He raced to greet me, jumping wide across a tumbling brook. His dappled coppery coat gleamed in the late spring sun; his red-gold tail streamed like the banner of a king riding into battle. Yesterday, he’d slowed to a stop and pranced, feathery mane tossing as he waited for me to let myself through the gate. This time, he sailed over it with room to spare, and trotted down the lane to meet me.

My stepfather screeched. “Gillian, get that devilish animal out of here.”

“Impressive,” another voice said. “Your dowry, Gillian? I would stake gold on that leap.”

Those were the two men who wished to control my fate, just as a decree by our king would decide the fate of my horse. Or so they thought—but not if I could help it!

This was the second time I’d given my heart to a horse or pony. The Lady Elizabeth had taken my first love, Cinder, when I was twelve. Now, two years later, I would not let my Pippin be subject to the whims of her father, King Henry the Eighth of England.

I, Gillian, was the daughter of Sir William Goodway, a knight who’d been in the service of King Henry. Father was as good a horseman as his monarch; I, his only child, had been sure of myself in the saddle for as long as I could remember.

On a clear September day two years before Pippin’s fateful leap, I was being considered as a companion to Lady Elizabeth, Henry’s younger daughter. I had trotted across the grounds of an old palace on my childhood pony, Cinder. He was a fine gray gelding, and I adored him. I did not then suspect that royal whims about horses would knock my life a-kilter.

Samantha Bremekamp First Page Thoughts on Half a Hand Short:

The author uses beautiful descriptors for the horse Pippin who is easy to cherish as the main character does on introduction. The people on this first page are hard to picture as all the descriptors went to Pippin. I would love to see that use of details on what the two men who control Gillian’s fate look like as well since they play such a key role to Gillian as well as the plot of this book. If Gillian recognizes both voices, she wouldn’t need to have “another voice said” but should identify who it is so the reader knows also. The author created a strong voice in Gillian easily identifiable and someone the reader can root for as long as the main character continues to share all of the details she already knows with the reader. There is a good market for lovers of horses although it is younger than Young Adult, I see that it says, young Young Adult and I would consider working this for younger readers perhaps middle grade or tween/teen… Clearly it is a bit hard to judge on the entirety of a book based off of one page, but marketing wise for horses this is my suggestion.

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  Carol MacAllister/ Never Trust A Monkey /First Page

On the sunny island of Puerto Rico, a tall thin tree grew in the old man’s yard. A big ripe papaya hung at the very top. He spied its bright orange color.

“Um… My favorite fruit. I wonder if Grandmother will make some tasty papaya juice?”

“Just bring me the fruit,” she said.

From his home in the tall grass, a trickster monkey also spied the colorful papaya. “Um. My favorite flavor.” How can I pick it, he wondered. When I run into the old man’s yard, he chases me away with a stick.

The monkey watched the old man stretch up. He stood on his tippy-toes, but the fruit was still out of reach. He jumped as high as an old man could possibly jump. But it wasn’t high enough.

“Hm,” he sighed. “I can shake the tree and make it fall. But if I don’t catch the fruit just right, it will hit the ground and smash apart.” He thought for a moment. “Ah. I can use my ladder.”

He carried it across the yard. He leaned the ladder against the tree’s wobbly trunk and climbed up two steps. The ladder tilted sideways. The tree shook. His feet slipped from the rungs and he bumped his knee. The round fruit swayed.

“Oh, no!” he called up to the papaya. “Don’t fall.”

The monkey laughed. “I can easily climb his tree and pick the tasty fruit.” He swaggered over. “Why do you sit there like a bundle of sugar cane?”

“I fell off my ladder trying to pick that papaya. But the fruit is much too high.”

“Well,” the sly monkey said, “I can climb your tree and bring it to you.”

The old man’s face brightened at the monkey’s offer. “But what do you want in return?”

The trickster tapped a finger against his bristly chin and grinned. “I only want a small piece. Just a tiny one. Nothing more.”

Samantha Bremekamp First Page Thoughts: Never Trust a Monkey

Who doesn’t love a mischievous monkey? If this is a picture book, which I think it is and rightfully so, the author would be able to let more of the art show rather than tell with words, an example would be the monkey thinking about being chased away by the old man waving his stick. In the beginning the use of the word/sound “um” would be better exemplified with the word “mmm” which is what I believe the idea is. “Um” is often used to portray a teen who uses “um” while coming up with an excuse for why they didn’t, um, do their assignment. The “mmm” sets the tone for the monkey and the old man both wanting that delicious fruit. I already feel bad for the old man as I know how sneaky monkeys can be when it comes to fruit! I hope they become friends and share it equally and that the lesson is learned.

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SHEARLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE BARNYARD BANDIT by Kirsten Bock – PB

Detective Shearlock Holmes was TOOT-TOOT-TOOTING his tuba when the phone rang at 221 Bleater Street.

“Come to Farmer Doyle’s stables right away!”

Shearlock and his assistant Woolston hurried to the farm.

[ART: Dialogue bubbles of horses shouting: “Someone made off with our manes!” “I didn’t need a haircut!” “My neck is nippy!”]

“It seems we have a barnyard bandit on our hooves,” said Shearlock, examining the horses’ hacked hair.

“Sir,” said Woolston. “A clue.”

“That’s a polar bear hair,” cried Shearlock.

The horses rolled their eyes.

“I think that’s sheep’s wool,” whispered Woolston.

Shearlock didn’t hear. He was pointing his magnifying glass at a mound of mucky mud.

Woolston urged him on to the sheep pen.

[ART: Dialogue bubbles of sheep shouting: “Someone fled with our fleece!” “My beautiful wool coat!” “I’m freezing my lamb chops off!”]

“The barnyard bandit strikes again,” said Shearlock, inspecting the sheep’s short shave.

“Sir,” said Woolston. “Another clue.”

“Penguin feathers,” cried Shearlock.

The sheep shook their heads.

“I think those are chicken feathers,” whispered Woolston.

Shearlock didn’t hear. He was poking in the dirt with a tiny toothpick.

Woolston nudged him towards the chicken coop.

Samantha Bremekamp First Page Thoughts: Shearlock Holmes…:

I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and have been since I learned how to read. This is a very cute adaptation of the famous Sherlock and Watson entering the scene to solve the case. Animals are always a successful market for children; it is a sweet introduction for them to learn about the great detective and his partner. In my understanding of this first page, Woolston second guesses everything Shearlock points out. In the real Sherlock stories and all of those adaptations Sherlock is never wrong. If the author is portraying Woolston to be a goof and not liking to be undermined by Shearlock that could work, but if Woolston is right and Shearlock is always wrong than the dynamic doesn’t quite work based on the famous and well-known Sherlock Holmes and Watson dynamic, unless this is the one time that Watson/Woolston finally outsmarts Sherlock/Shearlock. Depending on the outcome of the story it could be a hard sell as the brand of Sherlock has been around for so long. Children will enjoy the silliness of the thrill of the chase of the barnyard bandits while collecting clues with the main characters.

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Willa’s Flying Stars / Picture Book /Jennifer Reinharz

The week the carnival came to town, Willa and her family camped out to count shooting stars. It was her favorite summer tradition.

“Tonight starts the Perseid meteor shower,” said Grandma.

“Per-see-id,” Willa said. “This year I’m big enough to stay awake all night.”

Grandma smiled. “Do you have your blanket and binoculars?”

She reached into her tool belt.

“Check.”

“Popcorn and pillows?”

“Check,” Willa said again. “Now I’m ready to watch the stars fly like fireworks!”

            Zoom. Flash. {Illus note: A shooting star flies overhead}

“One!” Willa squealed. “They go fast.”

            Zoom. Flash.

“Two! Look how high!”

            Zoom. Flash.

“Three! I want to fly with the Perseid stars!”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” Grandma said.

Willa spent the whole night thinking of something. The next morning, she tightened her tool belt and opened the big closet.

“I need to go fast,” she said.

Willa pulled the clothes off the hangers, and the hangers off the rod; except for one. She wrapped her hands around it like a steering wheel.

“Fly-EEE” she sang.

Samantha Bremekamp First Page Thoughts on Willa’s Flying Stars:

I love stories that include a child with their grandmother experiencing something out of the ordinary. This is a very sweet storyline. I always enjoy books that encourage children to use their imagination and that anything is possible. The author was able to easily bring the reader into the life of Willa bringing a bit of information like how to say Perseid without it reading like a homework assignment. The joy of children’s books is the gift of the author being able to teach without preaching with the use of few words that meld together with a solid plot-scape achieved by picture. I think the reader would be excited to see what Willa comes up with to fly with the stars using her imagination and a hanger from her closet!

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Here are the submission guidelines for submitting a First Page in May: Please “May First Page Critique” or “May First Page Picture Prompt Critique” in the subject line. Please make sure you include your name, the title of the piece, and whether it is as picture book, middle grade, or young adult, etc. at the top.

Please attach your first page submission using one inch margins and 12 point font – double spaced, no more than 23 lines to an e-mail and send it to: kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail and then also attach it in a Word document to the email.

DEADLINE: May 22nd.

RESULTS: May 30th.

Use inch margins – double space your text – 12 pt. New Times Roman font – no more than 23 lines – paste into body of the email.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

CALL FOR ILLUSTRATIONS: Still need illustrations for the month of April/May. Would love to show off your illustrations during one of my daily posts. So please submit your illustrations: To kathy (dot) temean (at) gmail (dot) com. Illustrations must be at least 500 pixels wide and include a blurb about you that I can use. 

GUEST CRITIQUER’S for APRIL 2014 – Jenna Pocius and Samantha Bremekamp

JENNA POCIUS, Assistant Editor, Bloomsbury

Jenna Pocius is an Assistant Editor at Bloomsbury who works on everything from picture books to YA. Before joining Bloomsbury, she worked for Abrams BFYR. She has edited numerous books including Dragon’s Extraordinary Egg by Debi Gliori, A Soldier’s Secret by Marissa Moss, and the upcoming Mad Scientist Academy series by Matthew McElligott. She’s most interested in YA with strong voice and emotional depth, and she is particularly interested in contemporary realistic fiction, magic realism, and well-crafted fantasy and science fiction with a contemporary voice. She’s interested in middle grade that is quirky and character-driven, particularly girl-centered stories. And she loves picture books that are poignant and sweet or humorously clever. She is also a sucker for dog stories.

Samantha Bremekamp is starting out as an agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. She started her career in publishing in 2008, and quickly realized that she preferred working directly with authors from the other side of the industry. She runs critique groups and writing groups for fun, as she also loves to write and help others to fulfill their writing ambitions. She is fully aware of how hard of an industry it really is in this day and age.

Her favorite writing is children’s, middle grade, young adult, and new adult. There is something so pure about each building block of life these book groups represent. Although there may be a difference between a three year old and a 33 year old, maybe, Samantha finds that all of life’s challenges in these age groups really show the potential for amazing growth in a character.

Samantha’s background is in English literature, communications, and Spanish. She really thinks that if a writer is confident and believes in their work, their work will show that without having to showboat to prove it via a pitch.

Follow Samantha on Twitter at @LiterallySmash

Samantha loves reading Children’s, MG, YA, and NA fiction. She is open to any genre within those age groups, but prefers speculative fiction, mystery, and quirky romance.

Below is the April picture prompt for anyone who would like to use it. 

The above illustration was done by Elizabeth Alba. She works in watercolor and gouche. Elizabeth was featured on Illustrator Saturday in March. Here is the link: http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2014/03/08/illustrator-saturday-elisabeth-alba/

Here are the submission guidelines for submitting a First Page in April: Please “April First Page Critique” or “April First Page Picture Prompt Critique” in the subject line. Please make sure you include your name, the title of the piece, and whether it is as picture book, middle grade, or young adult, etc. at the top.

Please attach your first page submission using one inch margins and 12 point font – double spaced, no more than 23 lines to an e-mail and send it to: kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail and then also attach it in a Word document to the email.

DEADLINE: April 24th.

RESULTS: May 2nd.

Use inch margins – double space your text – 12 pt. New Times Roman font – no more than 23 lines – paste into body of the email

You can only send in one first page each month. It can be the same first page each month or a different one, but if you sent it to me last month and it didn’t get chosen, you need to send it again using the April’s directions. Of course, it doesn’t have to be the same submission. It can be a first page from a work in process or you can use the picture prompt above.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Rebecca Podos is an agent at the Rees Literary Agency and is looking to build her client list. She is a graduate of the MFA Writing, Literature and Publishing program at Emerson College, whose fiction has appeared in literary publications such as Glimmer Train, Glyph, CAJE, Bellows American Review, Paper Darts, and SmokeLong Quarterly. She is thrilled to read the work of promising new authors, and to represent books by talented clients like Rin Chupeco, Ryan Bradford, Jen Estes, Mackenzi Lee, Jen Anckorn, Sarah Nicolas, and others.

Rebecca is primarily interested in Young Adult fiction of all kinds, including contemporary, emotionally driven stories, mystery, romance, urban and historical fantasy, horror and sci-fi. Occasionally, she considers literary and commercial adult fiction, New Adult, and narrative nonfiction.

Rebecca prefers email submissions, and unfortunately is only able to respond to those she is interested in pursuing. Submit a query letter and the first few chapters.

Rebecca’s e-mail is [email protected]

MAILING ADDRESS: 

Rees Literary Agency

14 Beacon St., Suite 710

Boston, MA  02108

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

This month everyone who submits a First Page for critique will have double the opportunity to get their page critiqued, since we have two Guest Critiquers for April.

I announced Agent SAMANTHA BREMEKAMP from the Corvisiero Literary Agency on Free Fall Friday’s post and today I want everyone to know that JENNA POCIUS from Bloomsbury has agreed to read four first pages, too.

Jenna’s information is below. Also, I have listed the Guest for May and June and a number of agents and editors who have been Guest Critiquers in the past. Why am I doing this? Well, here’s my tip:

All these editors and agents will be attending this years New Jersey SCBWI Conference at the end of June. I have provided the link to their critiques next to their name, so you can read about them and go over how they think. It might help you decide on whether you should register for the conference and it definitely will help you decide if you would like a critique with one of them if you go.

If you have already signed up for the conference, it will help you decide who you would like to make sure you meet while you are there.

Even if you can’t attend, this post will give you good information on whether any of the editor/agents are a good fit for your manuscript. Hope you find it helpful.

JENNA POCIUS, Assistant Editor, Bloomsbury – GUEST CRITIQUER APRIL 2014

Jenna Pocius is an Assistant Editor at Bloomsbury who works on everything from picture books to YA. Before joining Bloomsbury, she worked for Abrams BFYR. She has edited numerous books including Dragon’s Extraordinary Egg by Debi Gliori, A Soldier’s Secret by Marissa Moss, and the upcoming Mad Scientist Academy series by Matthew McElligott. She’s most interested in YA with strong voice and emotional depth, and she is particularly interested in contemporary realistic fiction, magic realism, and well-crafted fantasy and science fiction with a contemporary voice. She’s interested in middle grade that is quirky and character-driven, particularly girl-centered stories. And she loves picture books that are poignant and sweet or humorously clever. She is also a sucker for dog stories.

SAMANTHA BREMEKAMP, Junior Agent, Corvisiero Literary Agency – GUEST CRITIQUER APRIL 2014

Samantha Bremekamp started her career in publishing in 2008, and quickly realized that she preferred working directly with authors from the other side of the industry. She runs critique groups and writing groups for fun, as she also loves to write and help others to fulfill their writing ambitions. She is fully aware of how hard of an industry it really is in this day and age. Her favorite writing is children’s, middle grade, young adult, and new adult. There is something so pure about each building block of life these book groups represent. Although there may be a difference between a three year old and a 33 year old, maybe, Samantha finds that all of life’s challenges in these age groups really show the potential for amazing growth in a character. Samantha’s background is in English literature, communications, and Spanish. She really thinks that if a writer is confident and believes in their work, their work will show that without having to showboat to prove it via a pitch. Samantha loves reading Children’s, MG, YA, and NA fiction. She is open to any genre within those age groups, but prefers speculative fiction, mystery, and quirky romance.

QUINLAN LEE, Agent, Adams LiteraryGUEST CRITIQUER MAY 2014

Quinlan Lee is an agent and a published author of numerous books that help young readers learn to read and love reading. She has been a part of the Adams Literary team since 2008, representing clients in all genres from picture books to YA. She enjoys meeting others who share her love of children’s literature and is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and a founding board member of the Charlotte Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association (WNBA). Quinlan graduated from Tulane University and has lived all over the United States—from the mountains of Western Colorado to the Garden District of New Orleans to downtown Chicago—and for the past 14 years she’s been happily settled in North Carolina.

SARAH LaPOLLA, Literary Agent, Bradford Literary GUEST CRITIQUER JUNE 2014

Sarah LaPolla joined Bradford Literary Agency in May 2013. Prior to joining the team, Sarah worked for five years in the foreign rights department at Curtis Brown, Ltd., and became an associate agent there in 2010. She received her MFA in Creative Writing (Nonfiction) from The New School in 2008 and has a B.A. in Creative Writing from Ithaca College. Sarah represents YA and adult fiction. On the adult side, she is looking for literary fiction, science fiction, magical realism, dark/psychological mystery, and upmarket commercial and/or women’s fiction. For YA, she is interested in contemporary/realistic fiction that doesn’t shy away from the darker side of adolescence. YA sci-fi, horror, mystery, and magical realism are also welcome; and she would love to find a modern Judy Blume for the MG market. No matter what genre,
Sarah is drawn to layered/strong characters, engaging narrators, and a story that’s impossible to put down.

SUSAN DOBINICK, Assistant Editor, Farrar Straus Giroux – GUEST CRITIQUER MARCH

Susan Dobinick is an associate editor at Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers. Among other books, she has edited SPIRIT’S KEY, a middle grade magical realism novel about a girl who sees the ghost of her pet dog and solves a mystery on a small southern island, and DEAR YETI, a picture book about two little boy hikers who go searching for the mythical creature. She is looking for quirky but heartfelt picture books, design-centered picture books, heartfelt middle grade, sophisticated YA, and mysteries and ghost stories for all ages. In nonfiction, she likes books with feminist, social justice, and civil rights themes.

ALLISON MOORE, Assistant Editor, Little, Brown & Co. – GUEST CRITIQUER FEBRUARY

Allison Moore is an assistant editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. She works on a range of titles including picture books by Todd Parr, Marc Brown, Andrea and Brian Pinkney, Sujean Rim, Nancy Tafuri, Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton, and Bob Staake; leveled readers; novelty books by Sandra Magsamen and Matthew Reinhart; and novels by Jewell Parker Rhodes, Sherri Winston, and Karen Healey. Allison is particularly interested in smart picture books that can be appreciated by all ages; unique and memorable illustration styles; early readers with a strong voice; inventive novelty ideas; middle grade stories with interesting settings; and YA novels that encourage readers to consider new points of view. Before working at Little, Brown, she interned at Bloomsbury and Walker Books for Young Readers, Barefoot Books, the Kneerim & Williams literary agency, and Simon & Schuster UK; worked at a bookstore and at her hometown library; and attended the Columbia Publishing Course. Originally from Fair Lawn, NJ, Allison graduated from Boston University and now lives in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter @allisonm610.

SEAN McCARTHY, Literary Agent, Sean McCarthy Literary Agency – GUEST CRITIQUER JANUARY 2014

Sean McCarthy began his publishing career as an editorial intern at Overlook Press before moving to the Sheldon Fogelman Agency. He worked as the submissions coordinator and permissions manager before becoming a full-time literary agent. In 2013, he founded his own literary agency. He works on children’s books for all ages, and is actively looking to build his client list. His clients include Zachariah O’Hora, Hyewon Yum, Mark Fearing, Jamie Swenson, Andrea Offermann, Dasha Tolstikova, and Judith Robbins Rose. Sean graduated from Macalester College with a degree in English-Creative Writing, and is grateful that he no longer has to spend his winters in Minnesota. He is drawn to flawed, multifaceted characters with devastatingly concise writing in YA, and boy-friendly mysteries or adventures in MG. In picture books, he looks more for unforgettable characters, off-beat humor, and especially clever endings. He is not currently interested in high fantasy, message-driven stories, or query letters that pose too many questions.

MEREDITH MUNDY, Executive Editor, Sterling Publishing – GUEST CRITIQUER APRIL 2013

Meredith Mundy, Executive Editor at Sterling Children’s Books, is nuts about character-centered picture books (recent projects include BROWNIE GROUNDHOG AND THE WINTRY SURPRISE by Susan
Blackaby, RUFUS GOES TO SCHOOL by Kim Griswell, PUDDLE PUG by Kim Norman, and GOODNIGHT SONGS by Margaret Wise Brown), but she is also seeking everything from funny, original board books to unforgettable middle grade novels to gripping YA fiction. (No vampires, angels, werewolves, or dystopian plots, please.) While she enjoys editing lively nonfiction, she wouldn’t be the
right editor for poetry collections or a project geared primarily toward the school and library market.

RACHEL ORR, Literary Agent, Prospect Agency – GUEST CRITIQUER FEBRUARY 2013

RACHEL ORR is celebrating her seventh year at Prospect Agency. She previously worked for eight
rewarding years at HarperCollins Children’s Books, and now uses those editorial skills to help prepare her clients’ work for submission. Her clients include a wide-range of picture-book authors, illustrators, and middle-grade/YA novelists, including A.C.E. Bauer (GIL MARSH), Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen (DUCK, DUCK, MOOSE), Cori Doerrfeld (BARNYARD BABY) and Leeza Hernandez (NEVER PLAY MUSIC RIGHT NEXT TO THE ZOO). Rachel lives in Hoboken, New Jersey, with her husband and two young children. She has no spare time—-but, if she did, she would spend it dancing, running and reading, of course.

PAULA SADLER, Assistant Editor, Random House – GUEST CRITIQUER OCTOBER 2012

Paula Sadler is an Assistant Editor at Random House Books for Young Readers. She joined the group in 2012 after three wonderful years at Putnam Children’s. At Random House, Paula currently edits the Totally True Adventures nonfiction chapter book series and the Ballpark Mysteries, as well as the middle grade Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre. At the moment, Paula is looking for narrative nonfiction writers and chapter book series with a strong hook. In middle grade, humor—whether wry or madcap, nostalgic or plucky—is the key to Paula’s heart. Her wish list includes contemporary escapades with a nerdy twist (think Origami Yoda and The Wednesday Wars), mysteries with a spunky wit (like the Enola Holmes mysteries), and epic adventures with a big heart (like How to Train Your Dragon and The True Meaning of Smekday). In books and in real life, she’s a sucker for strong friendships, pesky siblings, scrappy underdogs, colorful sidekicks, a healthy serving of trouble, and a great big dollop of mischief.

SUSAN HAWK, Literary Agent, The Bent Agency – GUEST CRITIQUER JULY 2012

Susan Hawk is a Literary Agent at The Bent Agency, representing middle grade, YA, picture books, and non-fiction for kids. Projects she represents share powerful and original writing, strong story-telling and a distinctive, sometimes off-kilter voice. In middle-grade and YA, she’s looking for unforgettable characters, rich world-building, and she’s a sucker for bittersweet; bonus points for something that makes her laugh out loud. In picture books, she’s looking particularly for author-illustrators, succinct but expressive texts, and indelible characters. Her favorite projects live at the intersection of literary and commercial. Before
agenting, she spent fifteen years in children’s book marketing at Penguin, Henry Holt and North-South Books; she also worked in Editorial at Dutton Children’s Books, and as a children’s librarian and bookseller. http://www.thebentagency.com @susanhawk

LIZA FLEISSIG, Agent, Liza Royce Agency – GUEST CRITIQUER – AUGUST 2011

Liza Fleissig, with her partner Ginger Harris-Dontzin, opened the Liza Royce Agency (LRA) in early 2011. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business with a BSE in Finance, and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law with a JD, Liza brings 20 years of litigation and negotiating experience to the field. On the children’s side of publishing, being a mother to a preschooler girl and a pre-teen boy, she is interested in everything from picture books to middle grade and young adult.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Brooks Sherman at The Bent Agency

Brooks Sherman represents picture books, fiction for young adult and middle-grade-readers, select literary and commercial adult fiction, and nonfiction in the areas of humor, pop culture, and narrative nonfiction.

Prior to joining The Bent Agency, he worked as a literary agent at FinePrint Literary Management and in the managing editorial department of Henry Holt and Company. He is a hands-on, editorial agent who delights in developing projects with his clients before bringing them to the attention of publishers.

Before starting his career in publishing, he spent several years working in the entertainment industry (in both New York and Hollywood), and two years with the Peace Corps in West Africa. Having bounced around all over the world, he is delighted to be back in Brooklyn—although he looks forward to his next Transylvanian backpacking expedition with great anticipation!

He is seeking projects that balance strong voice with gripping plot lines. Stories that make me laugh earn extra points! My interest in adult fiction runs the gamut from literary to speculative (particularly contemporary fantasy rooted in realistic settings, horror, and magical realism), as well as historical and crime fiction. On the children’s side, He’s looking for middle grade fiction of all genres (but particularly fantasy adventure and contemporary), humorous projects from author-illustrators, and young adult fiction of all types except paranormal romance. He would love to get his hands on a creepy and/or funny contemporary young adult project. 

Here are a few more detailed things that Brooks says he is looking to read.

On the MG side, I’m still looking for someone to send me this generation’s THE WITCHES. Are you my Dahl?

On the YA side, I’d love to find some projects with realistic settings and a speculative twist. (See: NOGGIN; GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE)

Still looking for a historical project set in or around the WWI era to sink my fangs into. Speculative elements encouraged!

I would love to work on some alternate history projects — MG, YA, or adult. A fantasy element (a la BARTIMAEUS) would be just dandy.

“I desperately want to find the next JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL—eerily beautiful crossover fantasy”

And of course, I’d love to get my hands on a dark adult psychological thriller, or historical or speculative thriller (a la THE ROOK).

I’m also keeping an eye out for MG stories that are either funny/contemporary or fantasy/sci-fi adventure!

I’m looking for contemporary YA fiction, in the vein of ELEANOR & PARK or ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE.

MG with sweetness and wit (not necessarily snarky).”

I’d love to see a twisted adult thriller like Gillian Flynn’s GONE GIRL or William Landay’s DEFENDING JACOB.

*******

I will be talking about Query Letters this week, so you might want to read that to make sure you are doing that to the best of your ability. Brook will still be there, so their is no need to rush something out.

To query Brooks, please review The Bent Agency’s submissions guidelines
Then email [email protected]

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

CALL FOR ILLUSTRATIONS: Still need illustrations for the month of March or Spring. Surely there are illustrators who have something to show off, so please look to see. Same as always: At least 500 pixels wide, sent to kathy (dot) temean (at) gmail (dot) com, and include a blurb about you. Thanks!

THERE ARE STILL SOME WRITERS WHO DID NOT ATTACHED THEIR FIRST PAGE SUBMISSIONS IN ADDITION TO PASTING  IT INTO THEIR EMAIL. YOU HAVE A FEW HOURS TO CORRECT THIS.

SEE INDUSTRY CHANGES UNDER THE MARCH FIRST PAGE PICTURE PROMPT.

Always thought there was a story with this picture illustrated by Mark Meyers. Mark spends his days drawing and painting pictures filled with kids, escaping circus monkeys, and everything in between. He was featured on Illustrator Saturday. Here is the link: http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2013/10/05/illustrator-saturday-mark-meyers/

INDUSTRY CHANGES:

Many of you have asked me if I knew where Danielle Smith had gone after leaving Foreword Literary. Here is the answer: Children’s book blogger and agent Danielle Smith will join boutique agency Red Fox Literary later this month. See original post about Danielle here.

At Disney-Hyperion, Lisa Yoskowitz has been promoted to senior editor, and Laura Schreiber moves up to associate editor.

Also at Disney-Hyperion, Rotem Moscovich has been promoted to senior editor. Disney Press has promoted Nachie Marsham to executive editor, Brooke Dworkin to senior editor, and Clarissa Wong rejoins to assistant editor.

Little, Brown Children’s announced a number of promotions. Connie Hsu has been promoted to senior editor, while Mary-Kate Gaudet moves up to editor. Patti Ann Harris has been promoted to executive art director, while Saho Fuji moves up to associate art director and Liz Casal moves up to senior designer.

Lucas Wittmann has joined Regan Arts as associate publisher and executive editor.

Andrea Walker will join the Random House imprint as senior editor on March 25, reporting to Susan Kamil. Most recently, she had been a senior editor at Penguin Press.

Jack W. Perry will join Highlights for Children as vp, print and ebook sales on March 31.

Susan Dobinick, Assistant Editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux is our March Guest Critiquer.

Susan wants to work on everything. Right now she is especially looking for funny middle grade girl novels. In the young adult realm, I’d like to see books that tackle big social issues but aren’t preachy. With picture books, I like short and funny; I prefer quirky stories over cuddly. Across all formats, I’m a fan of books that have depth but are accessible—so that both kids and critics will love them.

Susan assists two children’s trade imprints. She works with fiction and nonfiction, ranging from picture to young adult books. Her specialties include children’s trade publishing, picture books, chapter books, middle-grade books, young adult books, educational publishing, textbooks, and teacher editions. She holds a B.A. in English from Chicago Goucher College.

Susan is Edith Cohn’s editor for Spirits Key, which is coming out in September. Edith has a nice interview with Susan on her blog. Here is the link:

http://edithcohn.wordpress.com/interviews/interview-with-my-editor/

Here are the submission guidelines for submitting a First Page in March: Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to: kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail.

DEADLINE: March 21st.

RESULTS: March 28th.

Put “March First Page Critique” or “March First Page Picture Prompt Critique” in the subject line. Make sure you have your name on the submission, a title, and indicate the genre.

You can only send in one first page each month. It can be the same first page each month or a different one, but if you sent it to me last month and it didn’t get chosen, you need to send it again using the March directions. Of course, it doesn’t have to be the same submission. It can be a first page from a work in process or you can use the picture prompt above.

Please include your name, the title of the piece, and whether it is as picture book, middle grade, or young adult, etc. at the top.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Illustrator Hans Wilhelm has a Pig that he always dresses up for the holidays. Here is Jolantha dressed up and wishing you a Happy St. Patty’s Day. She says, “I’m not Irish but I am a very lucky pig. Rub my nose and you’ll be lucky too.” Han was featured on Illustrator Saturday. http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/11/12/illustrator-saturday-hans-wilhelm/

Here is an Irish wish for you:

“As you slide down the bannister of life,
May the splinters never point the wrong way.”

Carly Watters is a literary agent with the P.S. Literary Agency. She is a hands-on agent that develops proposals and manuscripts with attention to detail and the relevant markets. PSLA’s mission is to manage authors’ literary brands for their entire career.

Never without a book on hand she reads across categories which is reflected in the genres she represents and is actively seeking new authors in including women’s fiction, commercial fiction, literary thrillers, upmarket non fiction, and all genres of YA. Carly is drawn to emotional, well-paced narratives, with a great voice and characters that readers can get invested in.

Clients include Taylor Jenkins Reid, Colin Mochrie, Jay Onrait, Julianna Scott, Danny Appleby, Paulette Lambert and more. 

Here are some of the things that interest Carly:

Carly Watters PS Literary

Coming of age stories like Age of Miracles, Arcadia or The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls. Use setting to bring story to life.

ms where character attributes aren’t black & white. Should you love or hate them?”

Love pop science/pop psychology. Experts with something innovative & exciting to say. I.e. Mary Roach, Power of Habit, Art of the Sale.

I am looking for well-paced YA & women’s fiction. Unforgettable characters. Emotional connections. Authentic dialogue.

looking for older YA. Surprise me. A like a romance, high stakes, high drama, maybe a mystery/thriller angle, something fresh.

Looking for Jodi Picoult/Elin Hilderbrand-type structure: multiple POV, teens & adults, high drama, intertwined lives.

Foreign settings I like: Ireland (beginning of Brooklyn, Toibin), Russia (Snowdrops, AD Miller), Africa (Poisonwood Bible, Kingsolver)

For fiction, we are currently seeking:

• Commercial Mainstream
• Literary (with a commercial angle)
• World Literature
• Women’s Fiction
• Mystery (Cozy, Private Eye, Police Procedural, etc.)
• Thriller (Legal, Medical, Political, etc.)
• Romance (Suspense, Contemporary, Historical, etc.)
• New Adult (early 20-something protagonists)
• Young Adult (must be high-concept/commercial)
• Middle Grade (must be high-concept/commercial)
• Picture Books (must be high-concept/commercial)

Please limit your query to one page and include the following:

• Paragraph One - Introduction: Include the title and category of your work (i.e. fiction or nonfiction and topic), an estimated word count and a brief, general introduction.
• Paragraph Two - Brief overview: This should read similar to back-cover copy.
• Paragraph Three - Writer’s bio: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background      (awards and affiliations, etc.).

Tips:

• Do not send attachments. Please use text within the body of your e-mail.
• Please do not submit a full-length manuscript/proposal unless requested.
• Always let us know if your manuscript/proposal is currently under consideration by other      agents/publishers.
• Address your query to the attention of the agent you feel is the best match for your work.
• Please do not query multiple agents at the agency simultaneously – if you receive a query rejection from one agent it means a no from the agency.

They only accept submissions via e-mail.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

CALL FOR ILLUSTRATIONS: Only one illustrator sent in something for March. Surely you have something to show off, so please look to see if you have an illustration that would go well with the month or any illustration that might go with a writing or illustrating post. Same as always: At least 500 pixels wide, sent to kathy (dot) temean (at) gmail (dot) com, and include a blurb about you. Thanks!

I am pleased to announce that Susan Dobinick, Assistant Editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux has agreed to be our Guest Critiquer for March.

Susan wants to work on everything. Right now she is especially looking for funny middle grade girl novels. In the young adult realm, I’d like to see books that tackle big social issues but aren’t preachy. With picture books, I like short and funny; I prefer quirky stories over cuddly. Across all formats, I’m a fan of books that have depth but are accessible—so that both kids and critics will love them.

Susan assists two children’s trade imprints. She works with fiction and nonfiction, ranging from picture to young adult books. Her specialties include children’s trade publishing, picture books, chapter books, middle-grade books, young adult books, educational publishing, textbooks, and teacher editions. She holds a B.A. in English from Chicago Goucher College.

Susan is Edith Cohn’s editor for Spirits Key, which is coming out in September. Edith has a nice interview with Susan on her blog. Here is the link:

http://edithcohn.wordpress.com/interviews/interview-with-my-editor/

Here are the submission guidelines for submitting a First Page in March: Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to: kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail.

DEADLINE: March 21st.

RESULTS: March 28th.

Put “March First Page Critique” or “March First Page Picture Prompt Critique” in the subject line. Make sure you have your name on the submission, a title, and indicate the genre.

You can only send in one first page each month. It can be the same first page each month or a different one, but if you sent it to me last month and it didn’t get chosen, you need to send it again using the March directions. Of course, it doesn’t have to be the same submission. It can be a first page from a work in process or you can use the picture prompt above.

Please include your name, the title of the piece, and whether it is as picture book, middle grade, or young adult, etc. at the top.

BELOW IS THE MARCH FIRST PAGE PICTURE PROMPT for anyone who would like a little inspiration to spark their first page.

Always thought there was a story with this picture illustrated by Mark Meyers. Mark spends his days drawing and painting pictures filled with kids, escaping circus monkeys, and everything in between. He was featured on Illustrator Saturday. Here is the link: http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2013/10/05/illustrator-saturday-mark-meyers/

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Cate Hart is all about guilty pleasures. She loves salted caramel mochas, Justin Timberlake, Fox’s Sleepy Hollow, and Steampunk. As a native Nashvillian, Cate’s biggest guilty pleasure is watching Nashville.

When she’s reading, Cate looks for character-driven stories, a distinguished voice, and intriguing plots. She loves characters that surprise her, like the pirate with a heart of gold, and plots that keep her guessing until the very last page.

When she’s not reading queries, Cate works with clients to build their platform, works on PR projects to help promote clients’ books, and reads manuscripts with an editorial eye.            

CATE’S SUBMISSION PREFERENCES:

Cate seeks unique stories with well-crafted plots and unforgettable characters with a strong voice. Her favorite genre is historical, whether it’s Middle Grade or YA, Adult Romance or something even spicier. The time periods she loves most are Elizabethan England, the American and French Revolutions, the Victorian Era and the Gilded Age. She loves Scottish and French History. If it’s steampunk, clockpunk, or candlepunk she wants it.

Her first love will always be YA. She will consider any genre, but is looking especially for Fantasy and Magical Realism.

For Middle Grade, she is looking for Fantasy, Adventure and Mystery with a humorous or heart-warming voice and a unique concept.

For Adult, she is only accepting Historical Romance. Cate will also consider select LGBTQ and Erotica.

For Non-Fiction, Cate will consider select histories and biographies. She is looking for secret histories and little known facts and events. She enjoys reading about the everyday heroes of the American and French Revolutions, something more beyond the tactics of war.

To Submit your work:

Cate prefers you attach your 1-2 page synopsis and the first five pages of your manuscript as a separate Word .doc. to query [at] corvisieroagency [dot] com, Put “Query Cate” and your title in the subject line. You can place the text in the body of the e-mail or include as an attachment.

The Corvisiero Literary Agency accepts electronic queries only.

• Please only submit one project at a time. If your query is rejected, you may then submit a query for another project. 
• Do not e-mail queries to any of our Agents directly unless the work has been solicited.
• A rejection from one agent is a rejection from all. Please do not query another agent unless expressly invited. 

Cate will respond to every query. You can check her website www.catehart.com for “current through” dates as well as updated wishlists. Plus at: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Jenny Bent is the founder of The Bent Agency. There is no reason why you shouldn’t try to snag an agent who has been in the industry for over 20 years. Just make sure that what you want to submit needs to be revised and polished and you feel the writing is at the top of your game, before sending a query letter.  I thought you might like to read about her and what she is looking for. The Bent Agency has seven other agents working with Jenny. You should check them out, too. 

To send Jenny requested materials, please review our submissions guidelines Then email [email protected]

Jenny Bent represents literary and commercial adult, young adult, and middle grade fiction. She also represents nonfiction in the areas of memoir, humor and select narrative nonfiction.

I was born in New York City but grew up in Harrisonburg, Virginia in a house full of books where I spent many lazy afternoons reading in a sunny window seat. I went on to England to get a BA/MA with first class honors from Cambridge University, but I began my career in publishing as an undergraduate, with jobs at Rolling Stone and Ladies Home Journal. I then worked with prominent agent Raphael Sagalyn and with Michael Cader, the force behind the website Publishers Marketplace, before establishing a successful career at several boutique agencies. In 2003 I joined Trident Media Group, where I was promoted to Vice President before leaving to found the Bent Agency in 2009. I now live in Brooklyn in an apartment full of books and while there are not quite so many lazy reading afternoons, I manage to fit one in now and then.

My list is varied and includes commercial and literary fiction as well as memoir and select humor titles.  In adult fiction, I particularly enjoy women’s fiction and crime/suspense.   I also love novels—for grown-ups or children—that have an element of magic or fantasy to them or that take me into a strange and new world, whether real or imaginary.   All of the books that I represent speak to the heart in some: they are linked by genuine emotion, inspiration and great writing and story telling. I love books that make me laugh, make me cry, or ideally do both.

Please send me:

• Literary fiction
• Women’s fiction
• Commercial fiction, including romance
• Young adult and middle grade fiction
• Memoir
• Humor
• Suspense/crime

I’m not currently considering queries in the following genres:

• Science fiction
• Poetry
• Picture books
• Serious nonfiction
• Reference
• Sports
• Self-help/how-to

JENNY’S SPECIFIC WISH LIST THIS PAST WEEK:

1. A classic YA fantasy with at least one female lead, like the upcoming LARK RISING by @sandrajwaugh

2. In general, I love strong, feisty female characters with a purpose

3. Non-genre fiction with a paranormal, fantasy or otherworldly element to it, like DISCOVERY OF WITCHES or NIGHT CIRCUS or GHOST BRIDE

4. Historical fiction based on a famous real life person

5. Women’s fiction or YA with a strong gothic feel.

6. Here’s some of what I am looking for: stylish psychological crime/suspense with at least one female lead (not cozy mystery, thanks).

7. Women’s fiction with a strong hook or premise and lots of plot and emotion.

8. Definitely would love some YA horror.

Follow on Twitter: @jennybent

Thought you might like to see what agent Hanna Bowman said she was looking for this past week. Just remember now is not to time to start writing a story to fit this wish list, since by the time you finish, Hanna will probably be on to wanting other things. But maybe there is someone reading this post who has a manuscript written that is a perfect fit and is looking for a home. Or maybe you are working on something that fits and this will spur you on to finishing the book. Tip: Just make sure your manuscript is revised and polished before submitting. I hope this helps someone.

Hannah Bowman joined Liza Dawson Associates Literary Agency in 2011. She has a B.A. from Cornell University, summa cum laude in English and magna cum laude in  Mathematics. While a student, she spent four summers working in particle physics at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, before  eventually deciding her true interest was books. 

Hannah’s clients include:

-Pierce Brown (RED RISING trilogy, Del Rey, Feb. 2014)   -Rosamund Hodge (CRUEL BEAUTY, Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins, Jan. 2014)   -Brian Staveley (THE EMPEROR’S BLADES, Tor, Jan. 2014)   -Dianna Anderson (DAMAGED GOODS: CHRISTIAN AND FEMINIST IN THE WAR ON   WOMEN, Jericho Books, Spring 2015)

In her free time, she plays the organ.

Hannah specializes in commercial fiction, especially science fiction and fantasy, young adult fiction, women’s fiction, cozy mysteries, and romance. Hannah is also interested in nonfiction, particularly in the areas of mathematics, science and religion (especially history and sociology of Christianity).

HERE IS HANNA’S WISH LIST (This past week):

1. I’d love some great narrative nonfic about the history of science, like Bill Bryson’s A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING.

2. A Crichton-esque science thriller that really knows its science.

3. I’d love a great medieval mystery like Sharon Kay Penman’s THE QUEEN’S MAN

4. And I’m always looking for funny, lighthearted YA contemporary romance, the kind with no heavy issues.

5. I would love to find some great YA fantasy with a female protagonist — think Tamora Pierce, Sabriel,

6. I’m looking for books that play with narrative form like CODE NAME VERITY

7. I would love some great historical fantasy, or other epic fantasy for adults.

8. You know what I want? Fantasy, adult or YA, as fresh and creative as SABRIEL

9. The next Thursday Next. Smart, funny, brilliant, creative, full of literary meta-references

10. A medieval mystery series like Sharon Kay Penman’s THE QUEEN’S MAN or Sharan Newman’s DEATH COMES AS EPIPHANY.

11. YA girl-power fantasy a la Tamora Pierce with some really new, unusual worldbuilding.

12. In YA: a really funny (makes me laugh out loud funny) contemporary.

13. Funny urban fantasy like Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid books.

14. More fantasy: I want the next LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA or THE PALACE JOB. Magic and heists and cons!

15. Military fantasy that tells its battles as well as THE THOUSAND NAMES — a really great magical campaign.

16. Gorgeously-written, literary historical fantasy — something as numinous as JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR. NORRELL.

Contact Hannah at [email protected].

HANNA’S QUERY TIPS:

1. Who’s the main character, and why is he or she interesting/appealing?

2. What’s the plot, and how will it surprise me and take my breath away?

3. What’s the setting, and what interesting elements make it seem real?

4. A compelling, three-dimensional character in a well-realized setting (realistic or speculative) with a page-turning story to tell, will hook me.

Blog: http://hannahbowman.tumblr.com/

Twitter@hannahnpbowman

For further insight, Literary Rambles has an interview and links to other interviews with Hanna.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

About Lisa Rodgers: Lisa grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and graduated from California State University, Sacramento, in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a minor in German literature-in-translation, history, and culture (sadly, she doesn’t speak German, although it’s on her bucket list).

She moved to New York City in 2012 to attend NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute and joined the JABberwocky team a few months later. She’s previously worked at San Francisco/Sacramento Book Reviews and Barnes & Noble, interned at Levine Greenberg Literary Agency, and read submissions for Lightspeed Magazine.

She is seeking: science fiction, fantasy, YA and middle grade of all genres, and romance.

Below are a few (but by no means all!) of her favorite books by non-client authors, in no particular order:

BLACK SUN RISING (C.S. Friedman), SPIN STATE (Chris Moriarty), THE COMPANY (K.J. Parker), MAGIC’S PAWN (Mercedes Lackey), INNOCENT TRAITOR (Allison Weir), THE BLACK PRISM (Brent Weeks), THE WHITE DRAGON (Anne McCaffrey),  THE DUKE AND I (Julia Quinn), THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS (Rae Carson), LOST GIRLS (Ann Kelly), ASSASSIN’S APPRENTICE (Robin Hobb), HAMMERED (Elizabeth Bear), HEX HALL (Rachel Hawkins), WINTERGIRLS (Laurie Halse Anderson), THE GIVER (Lois Lowry), PERSUASION (Jane Austen), and FOREIGNER (C.J. Cherryh)

How to submit: e-mail her at querylisa [at] awfulagent [dot] com. In the body of the email, please include your query letter and the first 25 pages of your manuscript. A synopsis is also helpful, but by no means required. Please paste everything into the body of the e-mail; attachments won’t be opened.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

I am so happy to let you know that Zack Clark, Assistant Editor at Scholastic will be September’s Guest Critiquer. He edits mostly middle-grade adventure and fantasy, but also likes fast-paced, plot-driven YA novels.

Zack Clark is an Assistant Editor at Scholastic. He’s an adventure addict, having cut his editorial teeth on the GUARDIANS OF GA’HOOLE series by Kathryn Lasky. He’s also edited the ANIMORPHS relaunch, KILLER SPECIES by Michael P. Spradlin, INFESTATION by Timothy J. Bradley, and was the lead editor for the recently launched SPIRIT ANIMALS multiplatform series, editing the books and writing and editing the online game. He’s had the incredible privilege of working with such authors as Brandon Mull, Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant, Maggie Stiefvater, Garth Nix and Sean Williams, Shannon Hale, and Ben Mikaelsen. His tastes tend toward genre fiction—fantasy, sci-fi, and adventure are all good. Plot-driven narratives with clear hooks will draw him into a world, and rich, conflicted characters will keep him there.

CALL FOR ILLUSTRATIONS: Please remember to send in your illustrations for August. It is a great way to get seen and keep your name out there to get noticed. Send them to Kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail.com with August Illustrations in the subject area. Please submit .jpgs at least 500 pixels wide.

For writers who like having a picture prompt may use the above illustration by Randy Gallegoes for inspiration. Randy was featured on illustrator Saturday August 3rd. http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2013/08/03/illustrator-saturday-randy-gallegos/

WRITERS Sending in a First Page: Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Put “September First Page Critique” or “September First Page Picture Prompt Critique” in the subject line. Make sure you have your name on the submission, a title, and indicate the genre.

See Results Next Friday.

The four chosen and their critiques will be posted on September 27th.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

I am so happy to let you know that Zack Clark, Assistant Editor at Scholastic will be September’s Guest Critiquer. He edits mostly middle-grade adventure and fantasy, but also likes fast-paced, plot-driven YA novels.

Zack Clark is an Assistant Editor at Scholastic. He’s an adventure addict, having cut his editorial teeth on the GUARDIANS OF GA’HOOLE series by Kathryn Lasky. He’s also edited the ANIMORPHS relaunch, KILLER SPECIES by Michael P. Spradlin, INFESTATION by Timothy J. Bradley, and was the lead editor for the recently launched SPIRIT ANIMALS multiplatform series, editing the books and writing and editing the online game. He’s had the incredible privilege of working with such authors as Brandon Mull, Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant, Maggie Stiefvater, Garth Nix and Sean Williams, Shannon Hale, and Ben Mikaelsen. His tastes tend toward genre fiction—fantasy, sci-fi, and adventure are all good. Plot-driven narratives with clear hooks will draw him into a world, and rich, conflicted characters will keep him there.

CALL FOR ILLUSTRATIONS: Please remember to send in your illustrations for August. It is a great way to get seen and keep your name out there to get noticed. Send them to Kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail.com with August Illustrations in the subject area. Please submit .jpgs at least 500 pixels wide.

For writers who like having a picture prompt may use the above illustration by Randy Gallegoes for inspiration. Randy was featured on illustrator Saturday August 3rd. http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2013/08/03/illustrator-saturday-randy-gallegos/

WRITERS Sending in a First Page: Please attach your double spaced, 12 point font, 23 line first page to an e-mail and send it to kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com. Also cut and paste it into the body of the e-mail. Put “September First Page Critique” or “September First Page Picture Prompt Critique” in the subject line. Make sure you have your name on the submission, a title, and indicate the genre.

See Results Next Friday.

The four chosen and their critiques will be posted on September 27th.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

About Gemma Cooper: She is a new agent at The Bent Agency, run by Jenny Bent. Find Gemma on Twitter. In her own words: “Although I’m in London now, I lived in NYC for three years and regularly visit, so I’m going to be representing authors from the UK and the US. I look forward to reading your work and really appreciate you sharing it with me. I’m lucky to represent Mo O’Hara, author of MY BIG FAT ZOMBIE GOLDFISH (Macmillan UK/Feiwel and Friends 2013) and I’d love to find other fantastic chapter books (7+ fiction) with an obvious hook and a laugh on every page. One of my all time favourite books is WHEN YOU REACH Me by Rebecca Stead. I love that it blend genres, has an amazing voice and literary feel to the writing. Anything similar would make me sit up and take notice.”

She is seeking: See below…

• I love boy voice young adult (YA) – it’s my favourite thing in YA and so hard to strike the right balance. Think John Green or Erin Jade Lange’s BUTTER.
• In YA, I’m seeing a lot of urban fantasy and am not really looking for this or paranormal romance. However, I’d love a nice juicy contemporary or issues driven YA. Think Jenny Valentine or Sara Zarr.
• A YA or MG crime novel or some sort of heist would be great. My favourite detectives are Poriot and Sherlock Holmes, and I’ve love to read something with the same feel written for younger audiences – red herrings, opulent settings and gathering everyone in a room for the reveal!
• Please send me historical fiction with a realistic narrator that almost has a diary feel to it. Think the ONCE, THEN, AFTER series by Morris Gleitzman
• I would like to see some of the paranormal elements that work so well in YA filtered down into MG or chapter books – ideally with humour.
• I’m obsessed with HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY and the TV series RED DWARF, so I’d love to see funny sci-fi stories for a younger audience. The more off the wall the better.

How to submit: Query cooperqueries (at) thebentagency.com.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Had to let you know about great agent, great author, and all around nice guy, John Cusick’s new book – CHERRY MONEY BABY.

John has agreed to let me offer a signed copy of his book as give-a-way.

Anyone that leaves a comment will get their name put in the hat one time. If you would like to collect more entries into the hat you can do the following:

1 entry everything you tweet this link (One a day).

1 entry for putting this link on facebook

1 entry for putting up this post on your blog.

2 entries if you reblog this post.

5 entries if you talk about the book on your facebook page or blog.

Please come back and leave an update on what you did by September 28th in the comment section, so I know how many times to put your name in the hat for the drawing. I will announce the winner on Sunday September 29th. Good Luck!

Here is John’s bio:

John joined The Greenhouse Literary Agency in January 2013 after several years with at The Scott Treimel NY agency, where he began as an assistant and rose to be an agent with a fast-developing client list. As well as being a YA author in his own right, John is a sought-after speaker on writing, both at writers’ conferences and via webinars. You can read his blog here: http://johnmcusick.wordpress.com/

What John is seeking: Fiction by North American authors, from Picturebooks and Middle Grade through Young Adult.  Particularly keen to see MG (and maybe YA) for boys. Fast-paced/thrilling/heart-breaking stories. Contemporary realism, historicals, speculative fiction, sci-fi and fresh fantasy, villains with vulnerabillity, bad decisions with best intentions, boldly imagined worlds, striking imagery, characters with histories, stories about siblings and about middle America.

Below is the interview I had with John:

Before we get into talking about your new book; how did your first year at Greenhouse Literary go? Anything exciting you can share with us?

It’s been absolutely amazing. Since starting with Greenhouse I’ve sold six titles and signed seven new clients, including my very first picture book author/illustrators— and the year isn’t over yet! Greenhouse provides a nurturing atmosphere for authors, very hands on, and its international reach allows us to place projects all over the world. It’s wonderful to be a part of that. I’m especially looking forward to our agency retreat in February; it’ll be a blast to spend time with clients, as well as with Sarah Davies (head of Greenhouse) and our phenomenal U.K. agent Polly Nolan. I’m told there will also be a talent show. With ukuleles.

I started writing CHERRY MONEY BABY on index cards, in Fort Green Park in Brooklyn, in August of 2010. The project changed radically from draft to draft. I started with a big baggy monster of a novel, and carved away the useless stuff until I got down to its heart: the relationship between Cherry and Ardelia. Really, this is a story about a complicated friendship. It just took me a few years to figure that out.

What was the spark that started this book?

My agent, Scott Treimel, suggested I consider a story about teen pregnancy, which set my gears turning. In the end, CHERRY isn’t about teen pregnancy really, but that was the seminal brainstorm. Then I saw A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC by Stephen Sondheim when I was in London for the London Book Fair. I was transfixed by the interweaving relationships in that show, the class interplay, and also the big move to the country halfway through. Part of CHERRY’s particular flavor owes a lot to NIGHT MUSIC.

How many revisions did you do before you were ready to submit your book?

I did three major revisions with Scott before sending the manuscript to Deb Wayshack, my fabulous editor at Candlewick with whom I worked on GIRL PARTS. Deb helped me really hone the story and find its soul. I learned so much during the editing process— about character, plot, and language— that just as we were drawing close to copyedits, I asked Deb if she’d let me try rewriting the manuscript from word one. Candlewick agreed, and ninety days later I had a new version of CHERRY that was radically different, and infinitely superior. Doing a complete rewrite was really liberating, and the result was a much stronger, deeper novel.

Did you agent Scott Treimel negotiate the contract?

He did. At the time I was an agent with Scott Treimel NY, Scott’s agency, which meant I had a unique inside glimpse into the negotiation process—which is always fascinating, but especially when it’s your book being discussed.

Do you plan on writing a sequel for this book?

I don’t think so. Cherry and Ardelia’s story feels complete to me. I don’t like to end books too neatly; I like to leave room for my characters to go on living and breathing and changing. I don’t envision a sequel to CHERRY MONEY BABY, though I do like to imagine Cherry and Ardelia getting up to…Oop, I should stop there or risk spoilers!

Have you started writing the sequel to Girl Parts?

I wrote a sequel to GIRL PARTS, actually, which is hiding somewhere on my hard drive. It’s not quite ready for public consumption yet, but maybe someday soon. I wrote it in a single month after watching an episode of DOCTOR WHO penned by Neil Gaiman. It’s a bit more sci-fi, and involves Rose’s journey back to Massachusetts. But again…spoilers…

Do you have other books in the works?

I do! I’m working on something now I’m very excited about. I won’t go into too much detail, except to say it’s BIG and, in my opinion, the best thing I’ve ever written. At least, so far.

Do you try to spend a certain amount of time writing?

I do. I try to write for at least ninety-minutes to two-hours a day, five days a week. That schedule has slackened somewhat since I first started writing in college, when it was three hours a day, every day. Real Life has a tendency to intervene, but I try to keep that writing time sacred.

Any plans to write, middle grade novels, new adult, or adult books?

I’d likely go middle grade before I wrote for adults; my brain is pretty hardwired into the m.g. and y.a. universe at the moment. In addition to writing novels, though, I do work on other literary projects. I’m in the midst of writing a comedic web series about video game developers, and also a musical or two. Lord knows when any of that will see the light of day, but I do like to experiment in different mediums.
Oh, and then there’s the super top-secret animated series idea I’ve been developing with my buddy Evan: BEAR SUB.

Do you have any tips for writers on improving their writing?

Read your stuff aloud, that’s a biggie. You’ll notice wonky sentences, run-ons, and boring bits. Reading your stuff aloud to others works even better.

Read Stephen King’s ON WRITING, read Donald Maass’s WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL. Read poetry. Write poetry! Avoid the internet.

When sitting down to write a scene, consider these things in this order:
1) What does your character want?
2) What is the most horrible thing that can happen to your character, preventing her from getting what she wants?
3) What is the most interesting way to convey the horrible thing and your character’s response? If you don’t have 1 and 2 down first, it doesn’t matter how good you are at 3: the scene will fall flat.

Any words of wisdom on finding an agent?

Send your best, most compelling, most unique work. Follow submission guidelines. Don’t labor for decades revising, perfecting, submitting one project. Move on. Write new books. Come back to the same agents with something better, something fresher. Keep at it.

What direction do you see the market going in? More or less hard covers? More or less ebooks? More or less fantasy? Paranormal? Dystopian? Horror? Humor?
I think genre fiction (with sci-fi, fantastical, or paranormal elements) will always be strong, and I think these different genres will continue to blend and recombine. The industry is less trendy than it was three years ago, so trying to be “the next” HUNGER GAMES / TWILIGHT / PERCY JACKSON won’t serve you (not that it ever did). Now is a great time for contemporary realism, stories about real characters in real situations, with terrific emotional depth.

Before you go can you tell us your likes and dislikes in novels?

A pet peeve of mine is passive or reactive protagonists. In contemporary realism, these tend to be long-suffering narrators who have endured unimaginable sorrows, and we’re meant to engage with them based purely on pity, apparently. In genre fiction, this tends to be the Reluctant Hero, who just wants to blend in, or live a normal life, but is tasked with saving the kingdom. No thanks. I love proactive heroes, take-charge, take-no-prisoners, tough protagonists. I want heroes who really want something, and who go out and get it. Flawed or virtuous, give me some fire in the belly. Those are the characters (and people) I admire most and want to read about.

Don’t miss out on reading John’s new book. I can’t wait to read it, since his last book is one of my favorites. I expect no less with this one. Thanks John for sharing your time with us.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy