Now that I’m returning to the link soup model (see my previous post about writer links for the whole sordid confession) I might as well go ahead and pump out some links to literary agent stuff I have found interesting recently.
In keeping with the new style — and until you tell me it makes you bat-crazy — these links will use the bullet method to avoid that ugly dotted underline hyperlink marker.
Oh, we have a big ol’ bunch o’ literary agent links this week, my friends.
FYI: Jessica at BookEnds will not consider representing you for an up-front payment in lieu of or in addition to a commission, and she probably won’t click a link to a video query, but she will answer a lot of questions about submitting a partial.
At Dystel & Goderich, Jane explains how the submission process works, Miriam throws in her two cents about thrillers, and Jessica dismisses a few misconceptions about publishing.
Nathan Bransford dives into hard-sell query letter subject lines, answers ten questions about self-publishing, and points out the literary impact of one of my favorite cognitive biases: the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
Janet Reid reminds us to be careful with queries and death threats, while Nathan Henrion wonders if fiction writers can mimic musical artists.
Finally, the Rejectionist discusses recent demonic rejections, while Rachelle Gardner discusses freelance editors and how long the process takes from submission to hitting the shelves.
As one of my regular agent blog reads once stated, lack of a query response is the same as a form rejection. So, as I absorb this advice and rack up my next round of queries, let’s check out some more good advice from our favorite literary agents.
Yes, I scour the best literary agent blogs for goodies so you don’t have to! You can thank me by clickerating that RSS feed button. Gently! It’s made of pixels.
Jessica at BookEnds explains why bad queries are great news for good query writers, lets us in on her query pet peeves, gives us some idea of the business rhythm at BookEnds, and tells us to go ahead and send a thank-you note after a rejection. And, no, she will not rep your 2000-page book.
Over at Dystel & Goderich, Miriam discusses the good and bad of Facebook, Stacey offers some sobering advice about picking a genre (and more!), Jessica navigates the fine line between too much and not enough info in a query letter, Lauren confesses her unrepentant bibliophilia (“teetering piles” of books? me too!), and Jane tells us what negotiating looks like.
Janet Reid clarifies when she does and does not want to hear from you, Jennifer Jackson explains that your query may have been eaten by the grue (and also explains a li’l something about genre), and Kristin Nelson answers boatloads of reader questions. “How many boatloads?” you ask, noting anxiously that there was no hyperlink in that last clause. One, two, three boatloads!
Finally, Nathan Bransford tells us how to write and format a query. He also picks Moby-Dick as his “desert island book,” winning instant kudos from yours truly. Although a giant pop-up book on sailing with a styrofoam dust sleeve might be a wiser choice…
[Also: how do I decide what to bold in these link lists? Well, if there’s a site or firm name, I bold that. Otherwise I bold the blog writer’s name.]
We are back around into the lit agent arc of my new link soup cycle. (Those of you who missed the big three-way split … psht! There’s an RSS button in the sidebar now. No excuse!)
Have fun; and if you know of a fantastic lit agent writing a blog I’m missing, let me know!
Jessica at BookEnds tells us how to submit a partial, and how to find agents and publishers. She also published an updated version of her publishing dictionary, which reminds me that I have to keep mine updated.
Jennifer Jackson responds to reader questions about queries that don’t follow her agency’s guidelines, Kristin Nelson rants about the agency commission model for ebooks, and Rachelle Gardner says, “Let’s Hear It For Old Fashioned Books!”
Finally, Lucienne Diver wraps up her Debut Week series of guest blogs (which I featured in my last writer link soup) with an agent’s perspective.
Enjoy!
I haven’t posted links to literary agent blogs for a while — in fact, not since I separated them from the author and publisher links — so this will be my first solely agentish link soup!
So, let me introduce my new “literary agent icon,” a detail from Literary Pursuits of a Young Lady by Alexei Harlamov. The idea was to represent someone who might say, “I would like to read for a living when I grow up.” On to the links!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Here’s a big ol’ heart-shaped sampler of writing and publishing links. Okay, okay … you’re very creative, so imagine that it’s heart-shaped! And delicious.
My loves, you can resume your diet on President’s Day. For now, indulge yourselves!
Joe and Lydia Sharp at The Sharp Angle answer the question “How do you know when to start and end a scene/chapter?” while Jessica at BookEnds responds to a writer who asks why agents keep telling her that her books are not the genre she insists they are.
Over at Dystel & Goderich, the other (but equally awesome) Jessica asks her readers how much they allow bad reviews to affect their reading decisions, while D&G’s Lauren ponders the future of browseable, brick and mortar bookstores.
Janet Reid explains why the final say in your book’s title lies far beyond you, your agent, and your editor, and also pointed me toward a funny piece at the Editorial Anonymous blog about what editors can and cannot fix.
Jennifer Jackson passes on more two more “letters from the query wars” while Kristin Nelson discusses the submission reading cycles agents go through, and the end of advanced reading copies.
Nathan Bransford offered up his own link soup on Friday, including a hilarious list of awful book covers from the past.
Rachelle Gardner tells authors how to keep money in its place, asks authors whether agents should edit, and reveals what makes her say “yes” to a book: craft, story, and voice.
Editor Alan Rinzler explains how to blend backstory into your narrative, while the Editorial Ass offers query letter advice from an engineer.
And yes, blog reader, I do love you even if I don’t say except after you’ve already said it. :-/ You know how I am about expressing myself.
Not much to do this weekend, given the Snowpocalypse besieging the East Coast. I certainly will attempt to “write my ass off” but otherwise I strive to pick up where I left off posting a few writing and publishing links now and then.
So, let me start with commentary by Lydia Sharp, which I took to heart, that writing & publishing bloggers have been discussing the Amazon v. MacMillan conflict far too much. Hear, hear. I (think I) am done. And, if the links in this post seem a bit light, it’s because I’ve purposefully skipped over any possible links dealing with ebooks or their attendant rights and royalties.
Also on the subject of beginnings, agent Kristin Nelson provides some good advice on why prologues often do not work, and why action often does.
Author Kelly Morgan describes what happens when a book “clicks,” while author Jade Smith offers some advice on authenticity which I whole-heartedly endorse: Let your fictional world be itself.
Agent Nathan Bransford tells us why it’s a great time to be an author, while agent Rachelle Gardner outlines the Top Ten query mistakes, discusses book trailers, and invites guest blogger Sandra Bricker to explain how a writer finds his or her niche.
Jessica at BookEnds answers writers’ questions about novel series (a subject newly dear to my writers’ heart) and querying as a youthful writer (a subject long far from my interests) as well as addressing the professionalism displayed by readily accepting the need for revisions (on which I completely agree with her).
I would be remiss not to direct you to three entries (1, 2, 3!) in Jennifer Jackson‘s “Letters From The Query Wars,” or Alan Rinzler‘s tips from 3 top agents about how YA fiction is “red hot.”
Enjoy!
Let’s just start right off with the best news, from the perspective of prospective authors: Amazon increases royalty rates on Kindle books! As New York Times‘ Media Decoder blog points out, “Amazon’s move is also a clear bid to woo authors away from traditional publishing houses.” Things just got interesting.
Jessica at BookEnds answers “Should I revise my manuscript before sending out the next batch of queries?” and other random questions. Meanwhile Rachelle Gardner discusses email protocol and the power of word-of-mouth.
Lauren at Dystel & Goderich offers some advice on titling, while her colleague Miriam disses the sarcmark.
Kassia Krozser at Booksquare expresses her doubts about enhanced ebooks, while Alan Rinzler at The Book Deal teaches us about hooks that snag great book deals.
Finally, John Fox tells us why he doubts book reviews, while Suzannah Windsor Freeman (guest-blogging at Nathan Bransford‘s site) negotiates the struggle between Word Nerds and Grammar Rebels.
Enjoy!
Okay, so most readers won’t stumble over these links until well after Sunday brunch, but they’ll still be great for a rainy Sunday afternoon (if you’re on the East Coast) or even a Monday off. So, let’s dive right in…
There are 18 print-on-demand Espresso Book Machines worldwide, and 5 of them are in the Seattle area. Seattle Times writer/artist Gabriel Campanario provides an look into the dynamics of print-on-demand.
Rachel Gardner discusses some WordServe analysis of how online publicity efforts effect sales, and pointed my way to The Most Interesting Bookstores In The World. Nice. She also discusses why authors still need agents.
And if Rachel can’t convince you that you still need an agent, the Wall Street Journal digs into the reasons that publisher slush piles of unsolicited manuscripts are becoming a thing of the past. However, Brianna Goodspeed responds that this may not be true for everyone.
On the subject of agent slush piles, literary agent Janet Reid explains how slush still works, and what exactly slush means.
You know how good things come in threes? Well, Jessica at BookEnds tackles three topics dear to an aspiring writer’s heart: querying, submitting manuscripts, and avoiding scams. Kristin Nelson also serves up one, two, three excellent pieces on query letters.
Finally, a completely different Jessica at Dystel & Goderich points the way to a piece in A Public Space on Cairo’s up-and-coming writers, and a New Yorker article on Arabic novels in translation. Šukran jazílan!
