Breaking All the Rules

This is going to be a reassuring, although perhaps confusing, post. I was reading queries tonight and someone mentioned that they were, as per my instructions from another post, querying me with a finished manuscript. And that reminded me that I had recently signed up a client who had queried me with only part of her manuscript complete. And that reminded me that I had within the last few years signed and sold two new writers based on queries that were not very strong, technically speaking, and didn't have the elements I like to see, like comp titles, but just had *something* about them that appealed to me; in one case a fun, confident voice, and in the other, good sample pages.

Now, don't misunderstand: I am not saying that you should deliberately set out to not follow instructions, as it were. But this is a confusing industry, and there's lots of conflicting information out there, and you probably have lots of on-line writer friends weighing in as well, and this is a really stressful experience anyway because you are following your dream, afterall, so I would say it's probably pretty near impossible to get everything right, for every agent, all of the time. I always compare the process to writing your college essay. When I was working on mine, far too many years ago to remember (except that I do), I had far too much input on mine, and I completely over thought the entire thing, with the result that I wrote a pretty flat, lack-luster little essay which didn't do much to tell college admissions counselors what kind of person I was. I played it safe and that hurt me in the end.

Better, I think, to be a little loosey-goosey with this stuff. If you be yourself, a little quirky, a little original, yes, you might turn somebody off. But you have a far better chance of attracting a kindred agent spirit I think, the one that loves your letter and then loves your work. Again, please don't take this as carte blanche to ignore all the advice you've ever heard when it comes to query letters. But do take it as permission to relax a little, have some fun, and yes, let your query freak flag fly.

Bent on Bestsellers and Beyond

First, forgive my long absence from here and from twitter. I'm trying to organize my time better so I can do more blogging and more tweeting going forward. I'm writing today because I'm so pleased to congratulate TBA client John Kasich, who landed on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list this past Sunday in the self help/advice/how-to category with his book Every Other Monday: Twenty Years of Life, Lunch, Faith and Friendship. Hooray! I'm thrilled for him--I've worked with John for over ten years and this is his third book and highest placement yet on the list-#7. http://everyothermonday.net/ His last book received endorsements from the likes of Elie Wiesel, Bono, and George Stephanopoulos.

I realized when I sat down to write this that John is the fourth TBA client to hit the NYT list since I opened my doors a little over a year ago. Here's a run down (and allow me to toot the TBA horn for just a moment):

Another long time client, Jacqueline Sheehan appeared on the trade paperback fiction list with her literary novel, Now and Then. Her first novel, Lost and Found, was also a NYT bestseller. http://www.jacquelinesheehan.com/

I've also represented both Julia London and Lynsay Sands for many years. Each have had multiple titles on the NYT mass market bestseller list since March.

Julia London's Highland Scandal, Summer of Two Wishes, and Courtesan's Scandal all made the list.
http://www.julialondon.com/

Lynsay Sands has had five books and one anthology on the list: Devil of the Highlands, The Immortal Hunter, The Renegade Hunter, Bitten By Cupid, Taming the Highland Bride, and The Hellion and The Highlander.
http://www.lynsaysands.net/

I'm thrilled to pieces about all of this, particularly because I've worked with all of these writers for such a long time and their talent and their drive never cease to impress and delight me.

If you're a brand new author reading this however, I don't want you to be a. confused by how different these authors seem and b. discouraged by how established/high profile they are.

First, all of these books do, as my website says, combine great story-telling with emotion and inspiration. As a child I read everything and anything I could get my hands on--from cereal boxes to Proust--and I'm still not a snob when it comes to subject matter, genre, or style. A great story is a great story in my book. If you need more specific guidelines, they are on my site.

And secondly, I continue to be committed to finding new talent. While I've worked with all of these authors for multiple years and multiple book contracts, I don't want to suggest that my list is full up. In fact, I've submitted and sold two new, unpublished clients from "slush" since I opened my doors, both in six figure deals. I've also signed up an additional four unpublished authors whose works are in various stages of editing. Every agent I know agrees that one of the greatest parts of this job is discovering a wonderful new writer and selling his or her first book.

But what are the chances of being discovered, you ask? Well, back in April, my interns and I sat down and estimated that we had received 25,000 unsolicited queries in a little over a year. Six new authors out of 25,000 might not seem like great odds. BUT you should consider the fact that a large portion of the queries we receive are either completely unsuitable (i.e. in a genre I don't represent, like science fiction), don't follow query guidelines, or contain multiple spelling, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes. Which means that if you deliver a well-written, proof-read query which follows the query guidelines, your chances are better than you think. I've asked my fabulous intern, we'll call her INTERN X, to blog on this very topic. Look for it in the next week or two.

P.S. Just kidding about the Proust.

P.P.S. Just got next week's list and Every Other Monday is #5!

Update on the internship situation

Internship update:

Okay, so if you weren't a perfect fit, I've let you know already. If you're still waiting to hear from me that means you are a maybe. This week is BEA and my schedule is tiring me out just looking at at it, so I probably won't get back to folks until next week, post Memorial Day.

Just as an aside, Hunger Games is on the vast majority of applicants favorite reads list. The adult choice would have to be Poisonwood Bible.

Also, does no one read adult fiction anymore? ;) Most people applying had far more young adult titles than adult ones, on both their favorite and recently-read lists. Of course, this comes from a woman (me) who read Elizabeth Enright's The Saturdays last night--have you read it? It's so wonderful...

We Are Full Up!

Many, many of you have sent me your info and you all look great. So great that I'm going to close the application period as of midnight tonight. Thanks to all who applied, and for those who missed it this time around, never fear: there will always be new openings in the future.