literary agents | literary agents
Jan.19.2009
I disagreed whenever my late father used to tell me I had a real talent for writing. It’s a character defect, I’d argue.
A talent is something that leads to lucrative fulfillment and widespread affirmation. A character defect is something that impedes those things.
Those with real talent enjoy...
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Jan.06.2009
THE LITERARY LUSH LIFE
Well, according to the New York Times, it's on the wane. As Amanda ("Binky") Urban, agent for such mega-stars as Cormac McCarthy points out, some of the more lavish practices in the book world cannot be sustained by a slow-growth, low-margin industry that can’t charge...
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Dec.14.2008
We were in our cups, Megan and I. She was leaving in a week to start her MFA at Missoula on a free ride! And while I was happy for her, her lovely presence at our Wednesday evening happy hours would be missed; we usually went to the Sapphire Hotel or Colosso, popular Portland watering holes for...
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Nov.26.2008
A friend asks if I know anything about firstwriter.com. (I don't.) For a fee, it will supposedly connect you to agents most suited for your manuscript and seems to work like an old computer dating service. Does anyone have any experience with firstwriter that I can pass along to my friend? You...
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Nov.18.2008
I hear literary agents are wooing Sarah Palin. I can also hear the tut-tuts doing the rounds with a sneer. Oh dear, she will cash in on this, they will say. Sure as hell she will, as she must.
If others can capitalise on her “blonde moment” and her banality, then so can she. Forget her politics,...
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Nov.18.2008
Every wanna-be author who has dreams of being picked up and published by a traditional publishing house wants to know how to secure representation by a literary agent. Why? Because the large publishing houses won't look at manuscripts or proposals from "unagented" writers. Some mid-sized...
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Oct.05.2008
I’m off to the Society of Authors AGM tomorrow in London. I don't usually go but I thought I'd make the effort this time because they are combining the AGM with what looks like a very interesting panel session. Plus it gives me an excuse to visit London!
I’ve been a member of the SOA for almost...
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Jul.24.2008
It's been said that the odds of getting a debut novel published are about the same as winning $25,000 or more in the lottery.
I don't know if the chances are quite that slim, but ask any aspiring writer and they'll tell you it's no cake walk. Most publishers won't even look at your submission...
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Jul.04.2008
Once your agent negotiates your book contract with a publisher, the two of you enter into what will invariably be a long term professional relationship that oftentimes blossoms into a friendship. However, even if you part ways with your agent, you will potentially deal with him for many years to...
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Jun.14.2008
There are thousands of agents out there. Some are good, some are bad. Some only represent fiction, some only nonfiction. Some only look at certain genre--young adult, romance, horror, science fiction. You get the idea. You might find it a little overwhelming, separating the wheat from the chaff....
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