Agents

After 28 Years, Nothing But Memories

April 4th, 2006 · 1 Comment

We cannot conceive of working the same place for 28 years — much less the challenges that arise when giving notice after said 28 years. Of course, if we ever find ourselves in that position, we’ll call Molly Friedrich, who is leaving the Aaron Priest Agency to open her place, The Friedrich Agency. Yeah, we’ll […]

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The Tale Of The Cranky Agent, Or How You Can Avoid Mistakes

March 1st, 2006 · Comments Off on The Tale Of The Cranky Agent, Or How You Can Avoid Mistakes

Once upon a time, Betsy Amster was an editor. Then one day, she looked around her office and thought, “Wait! I can be an agent. The hours will be shorter, the pay better, and no marketing meetings.” So she cleared out her desk and hung out a shingle. At least some of the preceding is […]

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Looking At Folio’s Folio

February 14th, 2006 · 1 Comment

Was it just a month ago that Folio Literary Management opened its doors? Time really does fly when you’re having fun. Scott Hoffman, Jeff Kleinman, and Paige Wheeler now boast approximately 100 clients and lots of projects. And they’re not looking to stop. In addition to lots of talent and enthusiasm, Folio is also adding […]

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The World of Publishing, February Begins Edition

February 6th, 2006 · Comments Off on The World of Publishing, February Begins Edition

And here is publishing world round-up for this week: James Freyed by agent who sez ‘trust broken’ – Kassie Evashevski of Brillstein-Grey dumped James Frey. Turns out he lied to her, too. Kate Rogers moves to Mountaineers Books as editor-in-chief. National Lampoon Plans to Yuk it Up in Print – National Lampoon, not satisfied with […]

File Under: Agents · Publishers and Editors

From Bookseller To Agent In Two Easy Steps

January 25th, 2006 · Comments Off on From Bookseller To Agent In Two Easy Steps

Julie Barer just celebrated her first anniversary as a solo agent after coming to the business the old-fashioned way: she discovered the power of hand-selling books while working in a bookstore. The principles translated to working with publishers. “At an independent bookstore, people still come in and ask booksellers for recommendations. I did a tremendous […]

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Look, Up In The Sky, It’s A Superagency!

January 9th, 2006 · Comments Off on Look, Up In The Sky, It’s A Superagency!

We don’t know where we read it first — the news was flying fast and furious this weekend — but there’s a new superagency out there. Scott Hoffman, from PMA Lit & Film, Jeff Kleinman, from Graybill & English, and Paige Wheeler, from the Creative Media Agency, have joined forces to create Folio Literary Management. […]

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This Agent Goes To New York…

January 5th, 2006 · Comments Off on This Agent Goes To New York…

A former public relations professional leaves the rainy safety of the Pacific Northwest to become a literary agent in New York. No, this is not a new television series, it’s Janet Reid’s life. After burning out in the PR business, Reid turned to agenting. Her agency, opened in 2003, features a mixed list of fiction […]

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Rejection: The Other Side of the Story

November 21st, 2005 · 1 Comment

We know writers who analyze rejections more carefully than they do their horoscopes. Every word is turned upside-down. Every comma is considered. Does the lack of a hyphen here mean she hated it? It must. Woe to the agent or editor who spills a drop of coffee on an otherwise pristine rejection. That people have […]

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And The World Adds Another Literary Agency

September 6th, 2005 · Comments Off on And The World Adds Another Literary Agency

After spending the week hiding from us (someone knew we were in a whiny mood), Jill surfaces to shares the fruits of her early morning work. Agent Nadia Cornier is leaving Creative Media Agency to form Firebrand Literary. Firebrand will represent approximately 70/fiction, 30/nf (popculture and narrative). In fiction, I’m going to focus a large […]

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Helpful Tips: How To Guarantee Rejection

August 25th, 2005 · Comments Off on Helpful Tips: How To Guarantee Rejection

Though some authors seem to know instinctively the best, most expeditious, ways to get rejected, others require a primer. For those souls, Deidre Knight and Justin Knight of The Knight Agency have put together a helpful list of things to do to ensure immediate rejection: But we’ll confine ourselves to encouraging writers with ways to […]

File Under: Agents · Tools and Craft