Literary Agent
Valerie Lawson @litbeing
@42amer So as a published author yourself (with the book you co-wrote with fellow agent Patty Carothers, TEXTING PRINCE CHARMING) How do you find the balance between being a writer and being an agent? #okscbwichat#okscbwichat It is a difficult balance, I prioritize agenting mostly. Patty is the driver of our writing.
Literary Agent
Hi Jennifer, #okscbwichat I do have authors that write in both BUT... It is recommend that you write at least 7 books in one genre before you try to cross over. It also depends on the genre, DON'T write erotica and kid-lit!
Literary Agent
Stephanie Theban @StephanieTheban
Hi Amy. I’ve heard some say New Adult was a failed experiment. What are your thoughts. #okscbwichat#okscbwichat I'm not sure I would call it a failed experiment. But I think the industry was banking on the success of readers in their 20's and early 30's staying in the market and buying ebooks. The market has changed and moved on to audio books and podcasts
Literary Agent
#okscbwichat So I started interning and eventually became an agent. Now more than half of my clients are in kid-lit
Literary Agent
#okscbwichat @litbeing. I'm a published co-author of a YA novel. The more I learned about the industry the more I loved it I knew I want to help writers achieve their goals and make their publishing dreams come true.
Literary Agent
#okscbwichat Hello I'm Amy Brewer I'm a senior literary agent with @MetamorphLitAg. I rep a wide range of books from picture to romance.
Literary Agent
Jonathan Koelsch @jkArts
@abuckslater @ByAmyBlanchard Thanks, that’s an eye opening thought I did not expect! (I always imagined higher follower count was becoming increasingly important to publishers) #okscbwichatIt’s attractive. It’s not everything. STORY is everything. #okscbwichat
Literary Agent
Valerie Lawson @litbeing
@abuckslater What projects do you have coming out that you're really excited about? #okscbwichatOh wow you guys should prepare yourself for @jblecher’ debut OUT OF PLACE and @JanaeMarksBooks FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON, two #mg with luminous hearts. ZOE is a good example of blending with #mystery too. #okscbwichat
Literary Agent
Amy Blanchard @ByAmyBlanchard
@abuckslater How important is it for a writer to have an online presence? Will that make a difference on whether an agent/publisher passes on a manuscript? #okscbwichatNo, it should not make a difference. Online presences, social media use, etc, is different for everyone, and if an agent loves your story but passes because you have 20 followers? You dodged a bullet. #okscbwichat
Literary Agent
Valerie Lawson @litbeing
@abuckslater Talk about how you work with an new author on getting their first book ready to be submitted - what does that process look like? #okscbwichatI edit the book and we dig deeper when necessary, but I know when to step aside and bring a professional on board when the manuscript is ready. I share the submission list and rely on my clients input if they have connections too. #okscbwichat
Literary Agent
Valerie Lawson @litbeing
@abuckslater How would you describe your style of agenting? What does your working relationship look like with your authors? #okscbwichatI keep my clients in close contact during the editorial, submission and negotiation process. My job is to find the right editor, a champion for the book, who shares our vision, and I’m there to nurture that relationship and help guide the author along her career. #okscbwichat
Literary Agent
Jennifer Sneed @JenSneedWrites
@abuckslater @litbeing #okscbwichat Can you name a MG contemporary novel that has the elements you're looking for?I loved SEE YOU IN THE COSMOS by Jack Chang. It’s heartbreaking and told in such a unique way. #okscbwichat
Literary Agent
Stephanie Theban @StephanieTheban
@litbeing @abuckslater Kids are so much smarter than people think they are #okscbwichatThey know instantly if they’re being talked down to or coddled. A part of me sometimes thinks that the best children’s stories are told with no audience in mind. #okscbwichat
Literary Agent
gayesanders @gayesanders
@abuckslater What is one glaring thing you often see that immediately makes you put on the brakes in a query? #okscbwichat @litbeingFor a query, definitely run on sentences, excess of character names, an overbearing bio, my name spelled wrong...#okscbwichat
Literary Agent
Valerie Lawson @litbeing
@abuckslater What is something that STOPS you reading a manuscript? Any reds flags that will get an automatic pass from you? #okscbwichatI stop reading when I see unnatural dialogue, excessive exposition, books that don’t seem to really trust the reader. Children can spot that a mile away, and it just doesn’t make for good fiction. #okscbwichat
Literary Agent
Amy Blanchard @ByAmyBlanchard
@abuckslater Yes—picture books that rhyme. I’ve seen a lot that suggests that agents and publishers steer clear of them.Rhyming is more difficult because it needs to be SO perfect. In today’s market, PBs seem to be more experimental and meta, and editors are shying away from traditional. However, it’s always a matter of just finding the right team that loves the work as much as you do.#okscbwichat
Literary Agent
gayesanders @gayesanders
@abuckslater Do you read the query letter first, or pages first? What is most important to you in a query letter? #okscbwichat @litbeingDefinitely query letter. I’m like a catcher waiting for the pitch. The most important thing is that the query poses a question that I need the answer to. The only way to get the answer then is to read. #okscbwichat
Literary Agent
Valerie Lawson @litbeing
@abuckslater Your list is focused on MG and YA, what are you not seeing enough of in these submissions that you would like to see? #okscbwichatI would love more standalone contemporary #MG novels. Books about real kids and real life. #okscbwichat
Literary Agent
Jennifer Sneed @JenSneedWrites
@abuckslater @litbeing #okscbwichat Curious to know - are most GNs created by author/illustrators or do you find some that are author only?Right now most are author/illustrators. However I am working on projects that are text only, and a search for the right illustrator-the next member of the team-is on going. That’s to say, it varies. #okscbwichat
Literary Agent
gayesanders @gayesanders
@abuckslater What is the thing that will catch your eye first? Is there a secret ingredient that makes you keep turning the pages? #okscbwichat @litbeingA voice that’s confident, clear, unique, alive. I look for characters who I NEED to spend more time with, either because how they see the world is irresistible or their story is too engaging to ignore. #okscbwichat