January 2010 Blog Posts (52)

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Agent Naomi Hackenberg Actively Seeking YA!

Naomi Hackenberg of the Elaine English Literary Agency is currently looking to build her own list and is seeking young adult fiction projects. Her fiction tastes include any and all novels with strong writing, stand-out narrative voices and compelling characters.



See all the other agents looking for YA at AGENT INSIDER, and match your manuscript with the right one!…

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Added by Jessica Milar on January 30, 2010 at 10:10pm — No Comments

Are You Writing A Trilogy? - See what agent Jessica Faust has to say...

Agent Jessica Faust of Bookends has advice for writers working on trilogies.

She also answers the question "How do you query a trilogy?"

An excerpt:

"If you are writing a series, trilogy, or any other form of linked books, my recommendation is..."

Get the link to the Bookends blogsite here: http://yalitchat.ning.com/group/agentinsider

Added by Jessica Milar on January 30, 2010 at 7:30pm — No Comments


Staff Didn't Make it to SCBWI NY? Have No Fear!

The Official SCBWI NY Blog is Here! ALICE POPE leads SCBWI's "TEAM BLOG" for up-to-the minute conference countdowns and LIVE BLOGGING from the conference floor!

Click here to follow!

Added by Georgia McBride on January 30, 2010 at 11:25am — No Comments

15 things about me

This is being copied and paste from my most resent blogpost

http://xjaeva.blogspot.com/2010/01/15-things-about-me.html



I was just thinking about some of the things that have happened in my life. Some of them could probably have their own blogpost. Maybe most of these are only interesting to me.







1. When I was 14 I wrote a full length novel, called "When the stars fell". I actually… Continue

Added by Jeannette on January 28, 2010 at 1:21pm — No Comments

10 Questions About the Query Process Answered!

Chuck Sambuchino of The Guide to Literary Agents Editor's Blog gives his answers to these questions:









1. Can you re-query an agent after she/he rejects you?



You can, though I’d say you have about a 50/50 shot of getting your work read. Some agents seem to be more than open to reviewing a work if it’s been overhauled or undergone serious edits. Other agents, meanwhile, believe that a no is a no—period. So, in other words, you really… Continue

Added by Jessica Milar on January 27, 2010 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Revolution in publishing?

I don't know about you, but I'm incredibly excited for the Apple press conference today that will unveil the new Apple tablet, unicorn, iSlate, etc. Whatever it will actually be called, I really want one.



But more than that, I want to hear what Steve Jobs is planning for the publishing industry as a whole. As Apple did with revolutionizing the music industry with the release of iTunes, some are predicting they will do the same for publishing using a variation of the iTunes format for… Continue

Added by Michelle Witte on January 27, 2010 at 9:16am — No Comments


Staff The YA Decade (From Amazon)

The YA Decade by Heidi on January 24, 2010

No other genre (except maybe graphic novels) has grown and changed as much during the last decade as young adult fiction. Inspired by Harry Potter (and probably a little bit by Lemony Snicket and Artemis Fowl), a whole generation of voracious readers emerged, and a whole new group of writers came up with stories to keep them reading well into their teens.

Over the past few years, we've seen a lot of YA controversies: Is the drinking in… Continue

Added by Georgia McBride on January 25, 2010 at 1:22pm — 2 Comments

New Agent Seeking YA Clients!!

YALITCHAT members, this agent is building his client list, and he’s on the lookout for new writers!

Chris Richman of Upstart Crow gives his Wish List of Projects here:
 http://yalitchat.ning.com/group/agentinsider

Added by Jessica Milar on January 25, 2010 at 1:04pm — No Comments

Pitch Contest at CJLA

When: January 29, 2010 from 7pm until 9:30pm



Where: CJLA website-forums



We always get excited about the start of new year here at CJLA because it means we have more time to dive into reading queries and manuscripts. To kick of the new year with a bang, CJLA is holding an online pitch fest. That means you'll get a chance to pitch your books to either Caren or Elana and receive feedback on your pitch/ book. We'll be requesting the most intriguing ones.



This will… Continue

Added by tehawesomersace--Justina Ireland on January 22, 2010 at 4:44pm — 7 Comments


Staff The Reality of Being on Submission

Often we hear about the amazing stories of authors who had 8 agents clamoring for them and went out on submission only to get a 3 book deal in a week. Those stories are wonderful and exciting, but they create a false expectation, thus setting us up for insecurity and stress when it doesn't happen to us. No matter how great our writing is, it may take some time for it to find the right home.



That's why I love yesterday's blog from YA writer Kiersten White on the reality of being on… Continue

Added by Jessica Capelle on January 21, 2010 at 3:03pm — 5 Comments

Is deliquency caused by books?

Should a child (12-17 yrs.old) be allowed to read ANY book (regardless of questionable content)?



Consider the fact that we limit movie theater attendance by using an "R" rating. How is a book different?



"Children deprived of words become school dropouts; dropouts deprived of hope behave delinquently. Amateur censors blame delinquency on reading immoral books and magazines, when in fact, the inability to read anything is the basic trouble."

— Peter S.… Continue

Added by Margo Kelly on January 21, 2010 at 10:14am — 1 Comment

Book Giveaway! Autographed BLOOD PROMISE by Richelle Mead!

***CLOSED***


At SISTERS IN SCRIBE I'm giving away one hardcover copy of



Vampire Academy book 4

Blood Promise!









This book is new, never been opened past the title page and...drum roll...It is AUTOGRAPHED!

That thing at the top of the middle pic is a shadow. Don't worry--book is mint. To read an excerpt from the book go to RichelleMead.com



TO ENTER:…

Continue

Added by LJ Boldyrev on January 21, 2010 at 8:30am — 2 Comments


Staff Query Letter Writing Fact and Fiction by Sellingbooks.com

http://www.sellingbooks.com/query-letter-writing-fact-and-fiction



Query Letter Writing Fact and Fiction

by Robert L. Bacon



Fact: Query Letter Writing is an Art Form.



Make no mistake about it, writing queries that produce results is a craft.



Fact: A Query Should Not be Written Like a Synopsis.



I devoted an entire article to this, yet writers who have read… Continue

Added by LM Preston on January 21, 2010 at 8:00am — No Comments

LOL Queries by Jessica Faust of Bookends, LLC

Oh those things that makes us laugh, and luckily there are many. . . .



Like the persistent querier who wisely changed email addresses and created aliases, but labeled the query “Query47,” and that was at last count.



The query that suggested I “Kindly refrain from Self-delusion on Your part about arrogance on My Part & We’ll get along Just Famously.”



(This one really more of a sad sigh than an lol): The author who admitted she’s not very far into the story,… Continue

Added by Jessica Milar on January 19, 2010 at 1:40pm — No Comments


Staff When An Editor Falls In Love With A Story (Dream Scenario)

From MacKids Blog Posted Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 8:00AM

By Executive Editor, Nancy Mercado



It’s been said before, but as an editor, sometimes you are reading a manuscript looking for a reason to say no. By far the best part of the job, however, is when a manuscript comes along and beckons you. It says, read a little bit more, come along with me, for I have a story to tell you. And that’s how I felt when reading Birthmarked (then called The Baby Quota) for the first time. I… Continue

Added by Georgia McBride on January 19, 2010 at 8:57am — 2 Comments

Agent Rachelle Gardner Explains Why Authors Need Agents

Why do authors, collectively, need agents (plural)? How does the existence of agents in this business help all authors?



You, as an individual author, may or may not require the services of an individual agent. But whether or not you realize it, whenever you deal with a publisher, you're benefitting from the collective work of agents over the years.



For the last few decades, agents have been on the front lines when it comes to advocating for authors in their relationships… Continue

Added by Jessica Milar on January 15, 2010 at 6:53pm — No Comments

Avoiding Scams by Literary Agent Jessica Faust of BookEnds

Literary Agent Jessica Faust on Avoiding Scams, this one is on a former editor who apparently took the money and didn't deliver:



A Writer asked Jessica this:



At an SCBWI monitoring workshop, we met an editor from a large publishing house. She requested and eventually read our YA/MG full manuscript. She requested revisions, which we completed and submitted. The manuscript was then “under consideration” for almost a year. (I still do not understand what that means!)… Continue

Added by Jessica Milar on January 15, 2010 at 4:30pm — No Comments


Staff New Submission Policy At Macmillan Kids Group

As of January 1, the children’s companies that are part of the Macmillan Kids’ group are no longer accepting unsolicited submissions. Materials will not be read or returned. The companies that will no longer be accepting unsolicited submissions are:



Henry Holt and Company Books for Young Readers

Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers

Roaring Brook Press

First Second

Feiwel and Friends



The new policy includes query letters. If… Continue

Added by Georgia McBride on January 15, 2010 at 10:02am — 1 Comment


Staff The Death Of The Slush Pile

Even in the Web era, getting in the door is tougher than ever

By KATHERINE ROSMAN from wsj.com

In 1991, a book editor at Random House pulled from the heaps of unsolicited manuscripts a novel about a murder that roils a Baltimore suburb. Written by a first-time author and mother-to-be named Mary Cahill, "Carpool" was published to fanfare. Ms. Cahill was interviewed on the "Today" show. "Carpool" was a best seller.



That was the last time Random House, the largest… Continue

Added by Georgia McBride on January 15, 2010 at 9:55am — 1 Comment

Glossary of Terms Every Writer Should Know

Do you know the definition of a Simultaneous Submission?
The difference between a synopsis, a pitch and a query?

Fear not, AGENT INSIDER will have them listed as a quick reference guide for all.
If you'd like to see a term listed, post it over at AGENT INSIDER

http://yalitchat.ning.com/group/agentinsider/forum/topics/glossary-of-terms-every-writer

Added by Jessica Milar on January 14, 2010 at 11:43pm — 1 Comment

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