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I'm glad to be home at last. I must have spent at least 14 hours sleeping yesterday, recovering from the trip and preparing for the trip. Thank goodness for being home.

I did make lots of great contacts with authors, agents, & editors. However, I only know for sure of one with a blog. That would be the editor for the Guide to Literary Agents, a companion book to the Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market that I've mentioned before. Although unlike the CWIM which is exclusively children, GLA does all agents. This surprised me since I had always thought it was an adult market-geared publication. But, no, it turns out that it deals with children agents. In fact, if you click on the Children's Writing link, it'll take you to alerts & news specifically concerning children's agents. I suppose that's why there's not a specific alert there about how I am the coolest children's editor ever. I suppose since I'm not an agent, it's understandable. I suppose. Actually, there's a very nice picture on the blog of me and my boss. And yes, I do believe the word "cool" and my name are used in the same sentence. Not in relation to one another, but in the same sentence. It's sweet.

On a more serious note, I would like to talk about agents. I don't mention them much because by and large, I work with unagented authors. However, I like agents. There have been several occasions, especially on the business side (read here contracts) when I would have welcomed the buffer that an agent provides. So, do not hesitate to consider submitting to agents when you are ready to be published. Us small press folk are as willing to work with them as the big guys. But of course, when submitting, remember to be as professional as possible. Research the agent to see what they want to see and what they've published. Blogs and books like the one above are exactly the way to go about doing just that. Then send proper query letters and properly formatted manuscripts. And don't be too daunted by the possibility of rejection. Agents receive just as many if not more manuscripts than an editor, so the possibility is always there. But stay optimistic. And remember, if the agent wants to charge you a reading fee or a flat fee for representing you, than they are probably not a legitimate, accredited AAR sanctioned agency.