Agents

The Irene Goodman Agency has expanded, adding agent Miriam Kriss to the fold. The agency specializes in all aspects of women’s fiction. As always, we suggest welcoming the new employee to her job with a bouquet of queries. Because, regretfully, we cannot provide you with a link to the agency website (have we mentioned how important this is for your business?), we’ll settle for a link to their Publisher’s Marketplace listing (members only). Oh, and the mailing address is: 80 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1101, New York, NY 10011. Publisher’s Marketplace: Irene Goodman Agency

Kim Lionetti, formerly of Berkley, has joined BookEnds. Lionetti focuses on mainstream fiction, chicklit, horror, suspense, and contemporary romance. We’re sure she’s arranged her desk to her satisfaction and is awaiting your query. BookEnds LLC

This week, MediaBistro looks at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency. Combining trade fiction with children’s fiction, the agency looks for good reads that are accessible. They like literary but aren’t afraid of chicklit. As always, we recommend you read the article for the inside scoop on the agency. Pitching an Agent: The Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency (AvantGuild members only) Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency (may not work in all browsers)

Don Laventhall has left Hollywood for the book world. Okay, he kept one foot in Hollywood — Laventhall will join Harold Ober Associates as director of film rights in addition to his literary agent duties. Now for the bad news: it turns out that Harold Ober Associates forgot to finish their website. We were able to find a directory listing for them (we also discovered their legal department was alive and well and protecting clients from online copyright infringement as far back as 1998 — seriously, isn’t the Internet cool?). Harold Ober Associates Directory Listing Don Laventhall Filmography

What is it that separates New York from Hollywood? We like to think it’s the fact that we can barbecue year round. And our furrowed brows when sweaters are rolled out in August (what, we wonder every year, are we supposed to do with them?). So many differences, so few ways to bridge the gap. Or were we being defeatist until now? It turns out one soul, by the name of Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, has taken on the task of selling children’s books to Hollywood. Yes, it’s true, there is a way to bring our nation together. As always, we’d love

Authors are greedy little souls, always seeking more than they receive. Perhaps that’s why we love the MediaBistro “Pitching” series so much. Unlike the brochure-like approach most literary agency websites take, MedisBistro gets close to the agents. We find many of the responses to be candid and useful (in other words, a step beyond the standard “we’re looking for a well-written story told in a fresh way” answer). The latest installment features the Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency. By the way, they have a website. Scovil, et al, we salute you! Pitching an Agent: Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency (AvantGuild

We realize we’re particularly picky about these things — we’re also particularly picky about matching shades of red — but in this day and age, a website is your number one, primary, first, initial, predominant, most critical, etc., marketing tool This goes for authors and agents. Too often, we see them presented as an afterthought or check mark on a To Do list. We’ve been particularly hard on agents without websites (because we assume they’re looking for business, but maybe we’re lamer at econ that we suspected), with good reason, we think. For example, we stumbled across the Talcott Notch

Once we got past all of Noah Lukeman’s accomplishments and set aside our depression at what the man has achieved in very few years, we read the latest in the MediaBistro pitching series with interest. And not a little confusion. What if you think you’re very established but your neighbor thinks you’re only well established? Where does the line get drawn? And who draws it? Pitching an Agent: Lukeman Literary Management (AvantGuild members only) Lukeman Literary Management

First, we can’t begin to tell you how many visits we get every day from people searching for information about the Adams Literary Agency. Since word emerged that Tracey Adams was hanging out her own shingle, people have sought her high and low. No more — Adams Literary has a brand spanking new website. And a new employee — Karen E. Riskin will be joining the agency in June. Both agents will continue to focus on children’s book authors and illlustrators. Contact information: Adams Literary, 295 Greenwich Street, #260, New York, New York 10007. Phone: (212) 786-9140. Fax: (212) 786-9170.

We felt our recent streak of locating agency websites was a fluke. After all, we were hitting jackpots left and right. Never fear — the world has returned to normal. The Strothman Agency has gone public after flying under the radar for a while (they’ve apparently been functioning long enough to make their lack of a website puzzling). Agent Wendy Strothman and affiliate agent John Ryden specialize in narrative non-fiction, nature, science history. Some fiction, but one suspects they’re very selective there. Contact Information in Boston for a number and/or address. Update: we are shocked and surprised by how many