Conferences

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The Agent’s Role in Today’s Digital Book World

January 14, 2011 in Events, Publishing | 16 comments

It’s a flummoxing time in publishing right now. Most publishers, editors, developers, marketers, and creators freely admit that the digital book world is the Wild West. We don’t quite know what to expect, but most of us are hitching up and riding for the horizon.

Literary agents are among those forging new trails. Some spectators (and even some colleagues) are now wondering whether there is a place or even a need for these middlemen of publishing in the digital future. As an agent, I want to say yes, of course, and, self-interest aside, I do think there are new and exciting opportunities for both authors and agents in this changing landscape.

At the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, we’re working on concrete strategies for apps and ebooks every day. Since we’re a sales leader dealing almost exclusively in children’s books—a sector where app and game opportunities are growing rapidly—we’re seeing a lot of the changes firsthand.

My thought is this: There will always be people who want to produce writing or art and see it be made available to readers/viewers/players. There are creators and their content, and then there are the people bringing that content to market. The agent’s role will still be necessary to act as intermediary between the two parties, whether working to create an app, a film, a licensed t-shirt, or a printed book.

In fact, I’ll argue that, as publishers embrace different content delivery systems and processes, agents will take on more packaging responsibilities: editorial work, marketing consultation, design, etc. Whether we’re presenting a book to editors or an app proposal to a digital publisher, we will have had a more active hand in its reaching “market ready” status.

That’s not to say that editors, marketing staff, sales teams, and all the other hardworking people of traditional publishing will be obsolete. But already, as we saw from James Frey’s latest venture, publishers are relying more heavily on “camera ready” packaged work. It makes good business sense (as long as you don’t use Frey’s contract) to invest in a developed product ready to go to market.

My colleague Laura Rennert has recently been exploring digital options for her clients, some of whom include high-profile children’s bestsellers like Ellen Hopkins, Maggie Stiefvater, and Jay Asher. “We have to figure out digital parameters as we did with book rights parameters,” she says. “What rights we hold, what rights we cede; what royalties, revenue share, and subrights splits should be. This is the time of start-ups. We have to figure out what media or dimension a book’s content should occupy.”

Jim McCarthy of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management agrees: “The role of the agent, fundamentally, is to act as an author’s advocate and to serve as a bit of a sieve between aspiring writers and content producers. People will still be writing. And they will still want to connect with readers and make money off of what they write.” Traditional roles, in other words, are relevant no matter the medium.

Blogosphere favorite, former agent, CNET staffer, and author Nathan Bransford sees a segmented agenting community in his digital crystal ball. Agents, he thinks, will be broken up into those that have blockbuster clients and those who don’t. Agents-to-the-stars will deal primarily with major publishers and do business as usual, while others will act more like managers, consultants, and publicists to help smaller authors navigate small presses and self-publishing.

“As long as the polarization between blockbusters and everyone else continues,” Bransford says, “it’s going to be hard for agents to make money unless one of their clients should take off. There’s still a need for authors to be able to draw upon experts who can help them get a leg up and reach their readers, and smaller agents may fill that niche.” In Bransford’s view, then, it’s possible for agents to exist, but they’ll work and earn their keep in new ways. “It seems like it’s a time ripe for experimentation with new agenting models,” he concludes.

For now, I say we delve into new venues for our existing properties and experiment. We should negotiate contracts with the shifting new digital parameters in mind, hold digital rights, insert renegotiation clauses for digital deal points, monitor ebook sales, and collaborate with print publishers as they devise digital strategies for our clients’ existing books. Several of my colleagues are now developing standalone digital book or app ideas and approaching the new crop of digital publishers and developers.

In fact, I’ll argue that agents should start treating their clients’ business like a tech start-up. As a Silicon Valley ex-pat (and a former product manager for a Facebook app development venture that recently sold to Google), I feel lucky to know the ins and outs of the dot com sector from experience. The key there is relentless development, speed, novelty (Twitter, anyone?), and the willingness (and often capital) to delve into new ideas.

For clients rapidly expanding into digital, I predict that no-advance/higher-royalty sales and experiments that require start-up costs will be much more prevalent in the next two years. Agents will also have to keep a hard eye on tech and industry developments, learn the basics of the gadgets, understand tech and programming capabilities, explore what makes a good app (a good starting place is School Library Journal’s “Planet App: Kids’ book apps are everywhere.”), and be at the forefront of brainstorming digital strategy with clients who want to play in the app arena, including developing new properties to pursue. The revenue-sharing model for the agent/client relationship might also change, especially on the digital front and for properties developed mutually.

I’ll be the first to admit that seeing digital topics on our agency meeting agenda always seem to coincide with the flare of a tension headache. Just like the original frontier cowboys, though, we’ll all have to strap on our six-shooters and figure out just what kind of terrain lies over the western ridge of the great Print-Digital Divide.

The one thing we can’t do is pretend that things aren’t changing or that apps don’t exist. Things are and apps do, and that’s why I’ll be at Digital Book World 2011 in two weeks, to see what all this change means for this year and beyond.

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This article originally appeared on the Digital Book World website, and I will be doing a more extensive write-up of my thoughts after I attend the conference, which is January 24th through 26th. Thanks to Guy, Chuck, and the Writer’s Digest team for the opportunity!

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Belated Inspiration for 2011

January 7, 2011 in Etc., Events | 10 comments

I promise not to get all weepy and new-age-y on you — I am Tough Agent Lady! (Some of the time…) — but there’s this amazing photographer called Meg Perotti who works in the SF Bay Area and she posted a wonderful, inspiring image on her blog to ring in the New Year. (MK trivia time: I love photography. I have written for a photography trade magazine called Rangefinder. I’m better at appreciating it than doing it myself, but I am an absolute sucker for a stunning photograph, especially portraiture, which is how I fell in love with Meg Perotti’s blog in the first place!)

It’s a bit small here but if you click on it, you can blow it up, print it out, and look at it often, because that’s what I’m doing. I know that New Year’s Eve was, like, a week ago, and everyone is already over it and back to work and slogging through and waiting for the next vacation, but, dang it, there’s too much that’s good and creative and powerful about life to let it streak by unnoticed!

Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the bottom of this picture is the beeeeeeautiful city of San Francisco, which I will be visiting next week.

I got a nice month’s break from traveling in December and now it’s back to the skies. I’m flying to ALA in San Diego today for some fun, meetings, and face time with my Southern California colleagues Kelly, Jen, and Jamie. Then on Monday I’m up to San Francisco to see family and friends and to meet with my NorCal colleagues, Andrea, Laura, and Caryn.

For a belated Christmas present, I’m taking my mom to go hear Elizabeth Gilbert speak next Friday. (I think this Gilbert lady wrote a book? Something about eating? Just kidding. It’s pretty hilarious, actually: my mom just discovered EAT, PRAY, LOVE. I’m all like, “Remember that whole collective ommmmmm hovering over 2006? No? Oh well!”) Then it’s back to NYC for a whirlwind!

On January 17th, I’m doing my last Learning Annex class for now. It’ll be in the evening, somewhere in midtown Manhattan, and you can find a link to the event here. If you’ve already gone to one, this will be the same material: an overview of the children’s publishing marketplace. Come out, see me, and get your work critiqued! Next weekend is the Writer’s Digest Conference (see you at the Pitch Slam!), then Digital Book World (more on this next week), and the NY SCBWI. (I’m not speaking or giving a workshop, I’m doing the roundtable critiques on Friday, so I’ll be around all weekend, but I’m not doing any Saturday or Sunday sessions that people can show up for. You’ll just have to find me. Hint: I’ll be near the coffee…) That’s all within two weeks, folks!

Whew! It’s no wonder I’m finding so much calm, solace, and inspiration from Meg’s lovely thought for 2011! I hope you all enjoy it. See you next week with ALA updates.

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Conference Checklist

December 3, 2010 in Advice, Events | 11 comments

I’m in Big Sur today, getting ready for my beloved Big Sur conference with all of my colleagues and some amazing editor and creator guests, like Marla Frazee (!!!). In the spirit of conferences, here’s a question from Melissa:

I’d like to attend the January SCBWI conference–my first. Could you maybe post about what a first-timer should bring/be prepared for to get the most out of the experience? Let’s say the writer has a completed book (that has been beta-critiqued) but has not queried yet.

This is a good question. A lot of the things you’ll end up “bringing” to a conference are actually mental, not physical. (For more thoughts on conferences, see “Should I go to a writers conference?”) Even so, I will try to make a list of things to bring and things to leave at home. Even though I now attend conferences as a faculty member, I keep these things and more in my head and in my suitcase when I travel!

Things to bring (mental):

  • An open mind: Lots of people go to conferences to learn and to meet new people (and ideas!), so approach every conference with an open mind. You don’t know everything there is to know and your work isn’t perfect. That’s not an insult…that’s a good thing! With that attitude, you’ll get the most out of a conference and take your savvy and your work to the next level as a result.
  • Your social butterfly hat: Conferences are very social and you get more out of them if you’re willing to engage, meet new people, strike up conversations, and, yes, *gulp* approach faculty (at appropriate times, of course). Even if you’re naturally shy, dip a toe outside your comfort zone and you’ll meet new friends, potential critique partners, other writers on the same journey, and maybe even a business connection.
  • Your relaxation tools: Conferences are stressful and overwhelming, especially for first timers. The days are packed, the nights offer lots of socializing/writing opportunities, and you’ll probably feel like you haven’t slept in days when you get home. Bring something to help you relax and unwind (pleasure reading, a journal, your sweatpants), or something from your home routine (jogging shoes, your iPod, a movie on your computer) to help you keep your sanity.

Things to bring (physical):

  • Journal/notepad and lots of pens: Conference panels and workshops are chock-full of ideas that you’ll want to jot down and take home with you. You’ll get to do very little actual processing while you’re at the event, so take copious notes so that you can revisit them once you’re home and settled down. If audio recording is your thing, take a recorder. Just make sure it’s okay with conference organizers (it may not be) before you record any audio or video at the event. Important: Your notes and/or recordings should be for your own use only. We all work very hard on our presentations, and they’re our intellectual property, so don’t reproduce, reprint, or transcribe our words verbatim for your friends or on your blog. Writers who may see us speak in the future may feel cheated if we give a talk that they’ve read a transcript from before, but most of us only have a handful of talks that we like to give.
  • Camera: Capture the fun (and the faces of your new friends) of a conference. Make sure you have your camera, film/memory stick, and your battery charger.
  • Networking swag: Before you go to a conference, make sure you have business cards, bookmarks, or another paper form of publicity for yourself that you can give away. Even if you don’t have an agent or a book deal yet, make attractive cards to give around. Most faculty will not take cards or papers from you — we don’t need the extra thing to lose, nor do we want it weighing down our suitcase. But you will meet lots of other people at the conference, and you will be grateful to have something with your name and contact information to give out to new people. It’s a lot better than having to scribble your email address on torn-off paper corners, and attractive and customizable business cards can be had for free (or the cost of shipping) from websites like VistaPrint.
  • Art and previous books: If you are an illustrator, have postcards made of your work to hand out as well (I get postcards printed by NextDayFlyers.com for my illustration clients). If you have a portfolio, bring a copy to show to attendees and faculty (at appropriate times). If you have previously published books, do bring them as an example of your work (but not to give away, see below).
  • Travel necessities: Don’t let anything stress you out at a conference. Check and double-check all the nitty gritty stuff in your suitcase: chargers, toiletries, etc. For me, forgetting to bring my phone charger or computer cable is enough to throw me off my game, as I’m always worried about the battery status of my gadgets. By checking the “duh” stuff and making sure you have it all, you’ll take them off your mind.
  • Good clothing choices: Bring comfortable shoes. They are a must. Also, bring sweaters, cardigans, layers, and light jackets, even if you’re going to Phoenix during a heat wave. A lot of conferences are held in big hotel ballrooms and meeting rooms, and those always tend to be freezing. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve made the mistake of bringing a flimsy cardigan and shivering my way through a weekend. The temperature in the conference city is for outside, ladies and gentlemen. The inside of hotel conference centers operates on its own climate altogether!
  • Food for thought: For the bigger weekend conferences, your registration fee will usually cover meals. Sometimes these hotel catering affairs are decent. Other times…oh boy. And food choices in an unfamiliar location can be a nightmare for people with dietary requirements. (For example, some hotels will just serve pasta at every meal to vegetarians…) If you like to eat consistently and not have to worry about food while you’re away, bring some snacks from home and check ahead to see if there’s a grocery store near the hotel. When I travel, I like to go grocery shopping on the first day. Most hotels will have a mini-fridge in the room. If not, you can have one delivered for either free or a small daily fee. If you have dietary needs or just plain think hotel food is yucky, having some of your favorite food will be a great comfort.

What not to bring:

  • Your manuscript: Nobody will take your 300 page manuscript home with them, even if they like your work. Most faculty will request samples after the conference that you can then send. Don’t come with printed copies of your work, unless it is required at a workshop-type conference and the organizers have explicitly given you instructions. It will, in 99% of cases, end up leaving the hotel with you after the weekend is over.
  • Bound books: The same goes for self-published or otherwise printed books that you want to give to the faculty. If there is interest, you can always send it after the fact.
  • A book contract: If you’ve been offered a book deal, don’t bring your contract in the hopes that a faulty member will be able to look it over for you. This type of thing, again, can be discussed and arranged, if desired, at a later date.
  • Your know-it-all attitude: Nobody likes a know-it-all. Don’t be hostile, combative, or pushy with faculty or other attendees. Most people come to conferences to learn new things, and those characters who show up with the wrong attitude not only disturb this atmosphere, but they get a notorious rap with the faculty.

I hope this is a good checklist to get you set for your first conference, or a reminder as you gear up for subsequent events. Speaking of conferences, I’ve updated my Events page for what I’ve set up so far in 2011!

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SCBWI Wisconsin

October 18, 2010 in Events | 30 comments

Oh wow, readers. I was really in for a treat this weekend in Wisconsin! Since some of you follow me on Twitter, you may already know that I flew from JFK to Cincinnati with none other than Vanilla Ice on my plane! This picture is blurry but it really was him. I Googled pictures of his tattoos and everything. I was never a fan and I’ve probably only heard the one song but, c’mon, what’s not to get excited about?

Once I arrived in Wisconsin (with no celebs on my second flight, alas), the trip started with a nice dinner with my client Lisa Albert (website), where we met for the first time over sushi and ravioli (a strange combination, but a very lovely meal). Since I was feeling a little travel-weary, I asked about checking into the hotel.

“Hotel?” Lisa asked. “Oh, there’s no hotel.”

What was there, then?

Ah, readers. I’m surprised and delighted to say that we spent the weekend at the Siena Retreat center (website) which is actually housed in a convent run by real, live nuns. Yes, as in, “get thee to the nunnery!” So, while the center lacked certain amenities (private bathrooms, locks on the doors, a bar, obviously), it more than made up for it with hospitality and location. We were in Racine, right off the shore of Lake Michigan, and the view was absolutely gorgeous! And where else that you’ve stayed recently do the nuns welcome you and tell you that they’re praying for you?

I got to the center late and quickly met up with the other faculty. In attendance were, from left to right,  Lisa Yoskowitz, an editor at Dutton, Deborah Wiles (website), author of many books, including the recent COUNTDOWN, out from Scholastic, Bruce Hale (website), author and storyteller extraordinaire, Loraine Joyner, the art director at Peachtree, and Greg Ferguson, an editor at Egmont USA. Here we are on the lawn in front of the lake on the last day of the conference. (Obviously, I’m on the far left.)

Also speaking but not pictured here were the fabulous authoresses E.M. Kokie (Twitter), of the upcoming PERSONAL EFFECTS, out from Candlewick in 2012, and Pat Shmatz (website), of the upcoming BLUEFISH, out from Candlewick in 2011, and others (I missed a lot of their talks because I had appointments!).

It was such a fabulous group. I gravitated to the editors and we spent the first night eating from the well-stocked snack table and drinking Wisconsin beer (the nuns didn’t care about all the booze, it’s just the convent was BYOB). I tried some cheese curds, but I have to say, they did not squeak as much as I wanted them to!

The next morning, I finally got a good look around the Siena Center. The fall colors and the lake just outside my window were gorgeous! That morning, I listened to Greg give his take on the editorial process, then heard Loraine speak about the same process on the art side. Then I did a talk on the agent search (a new talk that I wrote for the previous weekend’s Ohio conference…I always try and inject new talks into my repertoire) and the three things that separate, in my opinion, aspiring writers from published authors. (Want to know what they are? Come hear me speak or listen to me the next time I do a webinar!)

Instead of getting to run outside and frolic on the beach, I spent the afternoon in a conference room and spoke to writers about the pages I’d critiqued. I’m not complaining — there were a few really promising projects in the stack — but the lake really was calling me! After about two hours of meetings, we finally had a break. Greg, Lisa, and I went down to the beach and Mr. Ferguson taught us how to skip pebbles! The air was crisp and refreshing, there were leaves turning fiery colors, and we got to dig our toes in the sand for a bit and enjoy the cold Lake Michigan water.

The horror of horrors happened on Saturday: my fancy camera battery died! It was fully charged the last time I checked (I shoot with a Canon Rebel XSi digital SLR camera, which is appropriate since, you know, I’m a badass…) but it died right on the beach. So the pictures in this post aren’t what I wanted them to be and I don’t think I can fully convey the beauty of our little retreat center.

I can, however, convey that the nuns had an entire bookshelf of Danielle Steel books in the library. Naughty, naughty, ladies! That revelation, I think, was worth the entire trip. Kudos to Lisa for her sharp eyes in spotting that.

And I can also convey that on Saturday night I met some truly awesome writers and illustrators, some of who I think I’ll actually continue to be real life friends with for long after this weekend.

That’s really my favorite thing about conferences: the people. I never fail to make at least one friend. Sure, I love hamming it up in front of an audience, I love traveling to new places, I love speaking with writers, but I find that the wonderful human-to-human connections I make in all parts of the country are what really make all this crazy flying worth it.

And the Wisconsin SCBWI chapter truly has some fantastic members, and some fantastic volunteers running the show. A huge “thank you!” to Pam Beres, Judy Bryan, and all the other hard-working SCBWI members and volunteers. (Thank you, also, to Lisa for her intrepid driving, and to the Dominican sisters for having us.) There’s a great sense of savvy and community to this regional chapter, and I’m so glad I could get to know everyone better!

I’ll leave you with a beautiful picture of the beach and a little creek flowing out into Lake Michigan, just as the sun was setting. I had a truly wonderful, zany, and inspiring retreat weekend. If you ever have a chance to do an event put on by the Wisconsin chapter of the SCBWI, I wholeheartedly recommend it!

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SCBWI Central Ohio

October 11, 2010 in Client, Events | 26 comments

This weekend, I was a guest and speaker of the Central Ohio chapter of the SCBWI, on an invitation from Susan Bradley. On Friday night, after I checked in to my hotel, we went out to sushi with volunteer Laurie Miller, then Susan and I ate at Jeni’s Ice Cream, which is mind-blowing stuff.

I had a scoop of goat cheese, balsamic, and fig, a scoop of five-spice pumpkin, and I had to try the buckeye, which was peanut butter and chocolate. You can see part of their impressive menu here. I was so sad that I missed the “Pumpkin Tiramisu Parfait,” but I’d gotten sucked right in to the ice cream cases and didn’t even glance at the menu.

On Saturday morning, it was up at the crack of dawn to head over to the conference location. The local SCBWI members got a very balanced program, packed in to one 9-12 time slot. I spoke with two other guests. First was author Lisa Klein of OPHELIA, TWO GIRLS OF GETTYSBURG, LADY MACBETH’S DAUGHTER and the upcoming CATE OF THE LOST COLONY, which are all gorgeous historical YA novels. Then came Marcia James, a romance writer and self-appointed PR guru who had a lot of great tips for the writers. We spoke at the Upper Arlington Senior Center, near Columbus, which you can see below. Look at those great fall colors!

I did two talks. One was my standard kidlit market overview, which some of you have probably heard (it’s also the meat of my webinar and Learning Annex talks), and a new talk on the agent search. I got a lot of good questions from the audience. One was a gentle reminder to add the AAR (aaronline.org) to my list of agent search resources. And it’s true. The AAR lists all the agents who are members, and has an area where you can find agents based on whether they’ve joined the group.

Another good question was about agency contracts. At ABLit, we have a simple, one page agency agreement. In an upcoming post, I will talk about it and other agency agreements, and why it’s important to have a glance at a potential agent’s contract before accepting an offer of representation. Some agents don’t have contracts, which I find off-putting, and so I’ll also talk a bit more about why it’s important to have something in writing.

Lisa, who you can see here, spoke about scene-work and her talk was dynamite. We all spend a long time writing our talks and thinking about them, so I won’t crib from her presentation, but let me just say that if you ever get the chance to see it for yourself, you are one lucky writer.

I can note that she had the following to say about POV: “If your story isn’t working one way, change your point of view.” I wholeheartedly agree. It always pays to play and experiment.

She also spoke about narrators and narrative voice, and how to differentiate between your characters in dialogue. This is all really important stuff. Another favorite quote from her talk: “Good dialogue reveals character and moves the plot ahead.” She also read from her books. If I were you, I’d pick up a copy of her work. One of my favorite details is how deeply researched her writing is, but that the research never overwhelms the story.

I missed most of Marcia’s presentation because I had pitch sessions to attend, but she has a PR information packet for other writers that you can request by emailing her, so you should check out her website.

After the conference, Susan and two of the volunteers went out to lunch at the Old Bag of Nails Pub. It was an absolutely beautiful day in Ohio, clear skies and summer temperatures, even as the leaves were turning. I had a tuna melt and a beer and got ready for the next leg of my adventure.

You see, Ohio wasn’t just a business visit. I have two clients who live in the Cleveland area, Lindsay Ward (website) and Kellie DuBay Gillis (Twitter), who also happen to be fabulous friends. So they came to get me after lunch and we set off on the two and a half hour drive northeast.

On the way, I was awed by the fields and beautiful nature of Ohio. And, of course, by the rustic beauty of Grandpa’s Village and the Cheesebarn. (Me: “Pull over! Pull over! It’s the Cheesebarn!” Kellie: “Uh, okay?” Me: “I really want a picture of it!” Kellie: “…” Lindsay: “Just pull over.”)

But mostly we gossiped and talked about our lives and about writing and publishing. I’m very lucky to have these two ladies, who both work primarily in picture books, on my client list.

In Cleveland, I stayed with Lindsay, at her beautiful apartment full of art and books, where she lives with her boyfriend. Lindsay, Kellie, and I shook off the road with a bottle of wine (which I stoppered with my faculty gift from Susan and the SCBWI: a decorative wine stopper with a genuine buckeye speared through it!) and then set out for dinner at Lola, a Michael-Symon-of-Food-Network-fame restaurant.

We had beef cheek pierogies (Kellie), ceviche (me), and some of Lindsay’s lush French onion soup to start, then scallops (Kellie), mahi mahi (me), and some really delicious duck with bacon-flavored cous cous for Lindsay. Dessert was artisan donuts dunked in hot chocolate and french toast with bacon and maple syrup ice cream (!!!). If you can’t tell, Michael Symon has a bit of a thing for pig. If this was my restaurant, I’d give it the slogan, “Eat out with your meat out.”

After that, Lindsay, her boyfriend, a few of his friends, and I headed to a bar in their neighborhood. There, I encountered an amazing local specialty: the crab race.

Now, I asked around and had several Ohioans tell me, politely, that they had no idea what the heck I was talking about when I said “crab race.” So it must not be an Ohio thing, just a delightful activity provided by this one bar.

Basically, you pick out a hermit crab with a painted shell, then the contenders huddle under a plastic dome until the jaded employee yanks it up (see the dome flying away in a blur in the picture) and then the crabs scuttle away from the center of the table (with some urging from a spray bottle). The first crab to cross the red line wins.

If you leave animal rights out of it and have a few drinks, it’s actually pretty fun. My crab came in first in the first heat, then completely choked from the pressure in the finals. He (or she) didn’t even come out of its shell, poor thing, and no amount of spray bottling would change its mind. Ah well! That’s what you get when you race things that can easily hide.

Sunday was low key. Lindsay and I went to The Root Cafe, which is a nice little indie coffee shop, then we kept up the seafood theme with a clam bake. I meant to take a picture of the final product but we were just too busy eating to bother! I love clam bakes, so I added a few of my clam bake ingredients to their usual mix.

Finally, Lindsay and I spent some time talking books and business, and then we went back to Kellie’s house for a quick visit with her adorable children. Then it was off to the airport.

I had such a fantastic time in Ohio. Not only were the SCBWI members (and behind the scenes volunteers) delightful and attentive, but it was so nice to relax and indulge in some personal time with my clients, who I count as dear friends, not just business partners. Here’s a shot of Lindsay and I on her front porch, right before we took off. This was a trip to remember, for both personal and professional reasons. Next weekend: Wisconsin!

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Talking to Agents and Editors at Conferences

September 29, 2010 in Advice | 31 comments

Reader Elizabeth wants to know the following, about approaching and talking to agents and editors at conferences. Since I’ll be doing a lot of conferences in the coming weeks (check my Events and Conferences page!), this is an issue on my mind. Read on:

As an introvert, how do I approach agents and editors at an upcoming conference? I don’t want to be rude or pushy, but I do want to take this opportunity to make connections. I know all the basic stuff, like not shoving manuscripts into people’s arms or under bathroom stalls, and I know that all regular manners apply, as well, but I would love to hear, from the other side, what agents and editors appreciate when talking to aspiring authors. What are you looking for when you go to these conferences, and how do you like to make connections? Do you want to hear pitches, or would you just like someone to introduce themselves and ask general questions? Sometimes I look at editors and agents at these conferences and worry that they are feeling hounded, and that the last thing they want is for one more person to come up and tell them about their manuscript. Can you give me some perspective?

This is a great question. I’ve talked about conferences before (do’s and don’ts and how to pitch, should I go to a conference?, conference polish syndrome), and other mentions appear throughout the blog. However, I’ve never had someone honestly ask me how I’d personally like to be approached at conferences. (This is, obviously, my take on the situation, and therefore I can’t speak for all agents and editors.) While my answer isn’t as specific as some might want, I hope it gives you some insight into how I experience conferences.

When agents and editors go to conferences, we expect to be approached. That’s why we’re there. Lovely conference organizers have flown us many miles to meet their organization’s writers. This is not our time to hide in our hotel rooms or be standoffish. Writers have come to meet with us, learn from us, tell us about their projects, and to, they hope, make an impression.

So I go to every conference expecting to talk to a lot of writers. Writers don’t need to be cautious or sensitive about that. That’s why I’m there.

I love almost everything about conferences and hope to do hundreds more over the course of my career. However, I don’t especially enjoy being pitched. There are two opportunities for pitching at most conferences: getting pitched during a pitch session, when the writer has signed up for an appointment with me, and getting pitched randomly, like at the dinner table or in line for the bathroom. Why do I dislike getting pitched? Because a pitch is a writer talking about an idea. All I care about is the execution…the writing (read more here about idea vs. execution). So a day of listening to pitches is a day of hearing ideas. I won’t know if I’ve found a new project or a new writer until I can see their writing and see how the execute the projects they’re talking about.

In most cases, I will request a writing sample — 10 pages and a query, our standard submission request on the ABLit website — after a pitch. Because I need to see the writing. Sometimes, I know that a project is just not for me. A high fantasy that focuses on world-building, is inspired by Tolkien, and that deals with the origins of golf, for example, won’t really be up my alley. I would politely decline to see more during the pitch. But in most cases, I will give the writer what they’re hoping to get: the request for more. That’s the first reason I dislike pitches: most writers are just focused on the request and don’t know that they’ll likely get one.

The second reason I dislike pitches? The bundle of nerves on the other side of the table. Writers freak out, thinking that their two minute pitch will make or break their career, or they act like robots who have memorized a query and are now regurgitating it. A lot of writers read from actual cue cards, their hands shaking, their eyes glued to the page and never rising to meet mine. They’re so focused on the pitch that they’ll get completely frazzled if I ask a question or interrupt them for clarification. It’s a very one-sided conversation.

So if you do get an agent or editor in front of you, relax. Impossible, I know. But once you relax, you can actually talk to the other person. Tell them about your book. Ask a question. Talk as well as listen. There’s nothing I appreciate more than a writer who is prepared yet flexible, professional yet casual. Someone who’ll talk to me as another person who loves books, not as someone desperately trying to get my approval.

On numerous occasions, I have quite literally held writers’ hands after they burst out crying from nerves. This is an extreme, but it encapsulates, to me, what’s wrong with the contrived pitching situation. So here are some tips. Don’t pitch for the sake of the request. Don’t just say your piece and then stare at us. We’re people. We’re resources, brainstormers, question-answerers, page-requesters.

How do you talk to agents and editors at conferences? Talk to us.

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How to Know When It Works

September 3, 2010 in Writing | 11 comments

The reader who asked about chapter breaks a few days ago, Dana, just sent me a follow-up email, in which she says:

Many thanks Mary! I have been taking more notice of the pacing lately, both in my own writing and in what I read, and I think scenes and chapter breaks do weigh in. What I am realizing is that, if done correctly, few readers really notice the shift in scenes or the chapter breaks. It is just when they’re awkward that they require attention.

This emphasizes one of the biggest point I can make about writing in general. You know you’ve attained successful writing when, ironically, nobody notices. That’s when I know I’m in the hands of a master, at least.

When I’m caught up in your voice sounding inauthentic, or slow pacing, or awkward dialogue tags, or in grown-up language or phrases that sound like they’re better off in a business memo, or a character acting, well, out of character, or slang that doesn’t need to be there, or clunky sentences, or too-long chapters, or one-dimensional scenes…I know that the writer is still working on their process.

And that’s okay. We’re all always working on our process. But there’s a difference between an obvious work-in-progress and writing that has a publishable quality to it. In my line of work, I’m always seeking the latter.

How can I tell? Well, I can’t exactly tell you when and why something works, without question. But I can definitely tell when something doesn’t work, and that’s, as described above, when I start to notice the writing.

I often use this analogy when I speak at conferences. Great writing is like my shiny little iPad…it’s a well-oiled, good looking, smoothly functioning machine. The aim of good writing is to be unobtrusive, to be especially perfect in moments that catch my attention, but never to catch my attention in a negative way. My iPad works perfectly, and is always impressive and dependable. The only time I will ever be upset with it or disappointed is when one of the little magical gears or cogs or motherboards inside it stops working. Then, the chip or cable or circuit will catch my attention.

So it is with writing. If it’s working, it’s fantastic, it’s easier than it looks (come on, how many of us have read Meg Cabot, for example, or another compulsively readable author, and thought, “I could totally do that and still have time for breakfast”?), and it doesn’t call attention to itself.

It’s when I notice the writing, usually, that there’s something wrong with it.

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Vacation!

September 1, 2010 in Etc., Events | 22 comments

Hey all! I’m going on vacation! Later today, I’m jetting off to Ireland and Scotland to drink Guinness, eat fish and chips, flounce around haunted castles, drink Guinness, delight in authentic brogue, and otherwise have a great time. I’ve been to Dublin before, but never to Edinburgh, so this will be an exciting trip that mixes old favorites with, I hope, new ones. I also have a client in Scotland…and we are, of course, cooking up appropriate shenanigans.

Long story short: I will not be monitoring the blog, reading comments, responding to emails, or doing any of my usual deskbound stuff until the week of September 13th, and even then, you’d be wise to give me some time to catch up on all my correspondence.

I do have posts scheduled for the duration of my vacation, so the blog will carry on in my absence. However, if you are new to Kidlit.com and have never commented before, your comments will go into my moderation queue until the week of the 13th and won’t be posted on the site until I have a chance to check them out.

You can still query me and send me emails and all that good stuff, just know that I’ll be blithely ignoring them until I get back to New York.

In the meantime, don’t forget to sign up for my Writer’s Digest webinar, which is happening on Thursday, September 23rd. You can enroll by clicking here. It’s the next best thing for all of you who have been waiting to see me live…and you don’t have to leave your pajamas! If you have to miss the live event itself and can’t call in, you can always register for the webinar and have access to the recording of it for one full year.

I pledge to answer all questions posed to me, either during the seminar or later, in writing, and, as a registered student, you will get a critique of the first 500 words of MG or YA novel or the first 300 words of your picture book manuscript, depending on what you’re writing. If I get a good turnout for this webinar, Writer’s Digest will host me again, and  you know how much I love getting teaching opportunities, so tell your friends!

Speaking of Writer’s Digest, if you pick up an October issue or order one online, you’ll find a mini-profile of me in the “27 Agents Looking for New Writers” cover feature. I’m on the “annual hot list”! Hot dog!

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Upcoming Workshops and Events

August 20, 2010 in Site Stuff | 10 comments

Hey all! I booked some workshops and events this week and would love to tell you about them.

The first is an exciting new opportunity from Writers Digest! On September 23rd (time TBA), I’ll be doing a live webinar program on Writing and Publishing Children’s Books. It will work much like this webinar (click here for a link to a sample workshop…but do not buy this workshop unless you want to take it…this is not my workshop, the listing for mine is not up yet…this is just an example), and will feature information from me, structured question and answer, and the opportunity to receive critiques on your writing and queries. We’re still working the details out, but this webinar will happen online on September 23rd. Anyone with an Internet connection, anywhere in the world, can participate!

Second, for all the writers in the New York/Manhattan area, I’m doing another course with the Learning Annex! The listing isn’t up on the website yet but it will be Thursday, September 30th, in the evening. I’ll post a link as soon as the information goes up on the website. Everyone who attends the class will receive a 5-page quick consultation for a MG or YA manuscript or a quick consultation of an entire picture book manuscript, depending on what they’re writing. I’ll let you know when signups are available for the class, but you can at least put it on your calendars now for September 30th.

These two things are still in progress and you can’t register yet, but do look forward to them. I’ll keep everyone posted. The webinar is a great opportunity for those people who have always wanted to hear me speak but who don’t live in a place that I’ll be visiting in the near future.

Speaking of visits in the near future, I’ve just added some conferences to my schedule! (My Events page will reflect these changes in a few days.)

In November, I will now be at the SCBWI South Dakota event, Friday the 5th through Sunday the 7th.

In December, I will be at the Big Sur Workshop held by the Andrea Brown Agency, from Friday the 3rd through Sunday the 5th.

In January, I will be at the Writers Digest Conference from Friday the 21st to Sunday the 23rd, and I’ll also be at the SCBWI New York National Conference from Friday the 28th to Sunday the 30th.

Whew! That’s quite an upcoming schedule, but I’m really excited!

If anyone has burning writing or publishing questions, this might also be a good time to ask, as I’m always looking to stock my “post ideas” box.

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In Case You Missed It…

August 16, 2010 in Etc. | 26 comments

In case you missed it, I did my first-ever vlog for WriteOnCon, which was last week. If you haven’t gotten over there to read any of the content, do yourself a favor and block out the afternoon today. There’s so much good stuff. Also of interest might be the chat transcript from my session with agents Suzie Townsend and Joanna Stampfel-Volpe and Simon Pulse editor Anica Rissi, which you can find here (to access the chat transcript, click the play button in the screen…it will play an ad and then it will load the content and you can scroll through it).

There’s also a secret about this video. Some of my clients know it and urge me not to share. I have to admit, I’m intrigued by maintaining the mystique a while longer. Sorry, readers!

In other WriteOnCon news, the organizers had over 11,000 visitors to the website for the three-day conference. Wowza! That’s huge! To keep a good thing going, they are planning on hosting some ongoing events, contents, and chats, and I will, of course, participate more. Look out for more good WriteOnCon stuff, coming up.

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