There's no set program or course for someone to take to become an agent. You usually mentor with someone who shows you the ropes, watch their successes and frustrations (and in publishing today, there are a lot of frustrations), and then one day, you know you are a real agent - sort of like Pinocchio becoming a real boy.
Sandy Lu has been working with me for quite a while, making connections and plowing through hundreds of manuscripts, editing and shaping. From the day she got this one urban fantasy in, she told me that she was going to sell it. She loved it, and editors seemed to be getting back to her much quicker than usual.
Then last week, she closed on a nonfiction title at the beginning of the week, and turned the one-book urban fantasy offer into a three-book deal. Champagne flowed in our office. Sandy had arrived!
She's on a hot streak now. And I'm really thrilled for her. There's nothing like calling a first-time author and telling them they'll be published, especially when the two of you have worked on the book for a long time.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
New Ebook Agent at the L. Perkins Agency
Saritza Hernandez is a new agent working in my agency who will be selling ebooks exclusively. She already has offers from Ellora's Cave, Loose Id and Dream Spinner Press for some of her clients.
Below is her introduction:
Realizing that the publishing industry was transforming and moving into the digital space, I started looking for a way to help friends of mine whose writing talent was shared only among the few of us in critique groups, fan fiction sites and writing circles. For many of these authors, the idea of sending their manuscripts to large publishers was not only daunting but practically impossible as their work did not fit the print niche. For others, the idea of making a living out of a passion was (and is) a pipe dream. Many of these authors have large fan bases in their niche of the digital worlds they occupy. I started thinking of how I could help them transition from writing for fun to writing for profit and soon after I started researching ways to represent their interests to publishers in the digital market. I want to remain dedicated to helping authors gain pub credits in the digital arena while riding the wave of the digital transformation of the publishing industry.
I want to stay with erotica and erotic romance as my main categories to represent.
What I'm looking for:
Male/Male Erotic Romance
Paranormal (angels, demons, mythical beasts, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, etc.)
Historical
Steampunk
Sci-fi
BDSM-themed
Contemporary Romance
Dark, edgy thrillers
Male/Female Erotic Romance (though I prefer m/m to be honest)
Same subcategories as above
Menage where the trio gains the happily ever after
Same subcategories as above
What I'm NOT looking for:
Literary Fiction
Christian Fiction
Contemporary Romance without erotic elements
Saritza can be reached at sh@lperkinsagency.com.
Once again, please tell your friends. I think this is a really exciting opportunity for both writers and Saritza!
Below is her introduction:
Realizing that the publishing industry was transforming and moving into the digital space, I started looking for a way to help friends of mine whose writing talent was shared only among the few of us in critique groups, fan fiction sites and writing circles. For many of these authors, the idea of sending their manuscripts to large publishers was not only daunting but practically impossible as their work did not fit the print niche. For others, the idea of making a living out of a passion was (and is) a pipe dream. Many of these authors have large fan bases in their niche of the digital worlds they occupy. I started thinking of how I could help them transition from writing for fun to writing for profit and soon after I started researching ways to represent their interests to publishers in the digital market. I want to remain dedicated to helping authors gain pub credits in the digital arena while riding the wave of the digital transformation of the publishing industry.
I want to stay with erotica and erotic romance as my main categories to represent.
What I'm looking for:
Male/Male Erotic Romance
Paranormal (angels, demons, mythical beasts, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, etc.)
Historical
Steampunk
Sci-fi
BDSM-themed
Contemporary Romance
Dark, edgy thrillers
Male/Female Erotic Romance (though I prefer m/m to be honest)
Same subcategories as above
Menage where the trio gains the happily ever after
Same subcategories as above
What I'm NOT looking for:
Literary Fiction
Christian Fiction
Contemporary Romance without erotic elements
Saritza can be reached at sh@lperkinsagency.com.
Once again, please tell your friends. I think this is a really exciting opportunity for both writers and Saritza!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
My First Sale
As many of you know, Louise Fury has joined the team at camp L. Perkins Agency. I was regaling her with the torrid story of my first sale, and she said, "You must put that in your blog," so here it is for your entertainment pleasure.
As many of you know, I used to be journalist. I had left a rather slimy agent for training with someone I greatly admired, but was tough as nails. I had only made one sale in my first 5 months (cover story of US Magazine, so not too bad), but she was riding me hard to deliver.
I was riveted by a story on CNN about a family who was begging the Catholic Church to exorcise them of the entity that was molesting them nightly. I turned to my journalist-husband and said, "I really want to read that book when it comes out," and he said, "You're a journalist. Go get the book." And I did. I traveled by bus to Scranton, PA, met the family and the ghost busters and the local reporter covering the story (and saw my first velvet painting in a living room), and came back with the rights all signed up.
My boss was not a horror fan, so she didn't think the book would sell. She wouldn't let me send a messenger to the publishing companies with the proposal, so I walked it there myself in heels, my feet blistering by the end of the day.
A few days later, I had 7 publishers interested in the book. The auction started at $5000 and after two days of bidding, the book sold for $110,000.
The book went on to make number 15 on the NY Times best-seller list, and was made into a made-for-TV movie with Sally Kellerman, who was nominated for an Emmy.
And the point of that story for Louise, and all my agents in training, is that you must follow your instincts on a book, and go after it if you believe in it.
As many of you know, I used to be journalist. I had left a rather slimy agent for training with someone I greatly admired, but was tough as nails. I had only made one sale in my first 5 months (cover story of US Magazine, so not too bad), but she was riding me hard to deliver.
I was riveted by a story on CNN about a family who was begging the Catholic Church to exorcise them of the entity that was molesting them nightly. I turned to my journalist-husband and said, "I really want to read that book when it comes out," and he said, "You're a journalist. Go get the book." And I did. I traveled by bus to Scranton, PA, met the family and the ghost busters and the local reporter covering the story (and saw my first velvet painting in a living room), and came back with the rights all signed up.
My boss was not a horror fan, so she didn't think the book would sell. She wouldn't let me send a messenger to the publishing companies with the proposal, so I walked it there myself in heels, my feet blistering by the end of the day.
A few days later, I had 7 publishers interested in the book. The auction started at $5000 and after two days of bidding, the book sold for $110,000.
The book went on to make number 15 on the NY Times best-seller list, and was made into a made-for-TV movie with Sally Kellerman, who was nominated for an Emmy.
And the point of that story for Louise, and all my agents in training, is that you must follow your instincts on a book, and go after it if you believe in it.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Query Letter Update
Last week, Sandy went through another 150 query letters and is now up to Dec. 30th. So, If you sent us something dated before then, we are probably not interested in seeing your work. However, if you feel we might have missed you (and things do get lost in the traffic), feel free to requery.
However, Sandy will not be doing queries this week because of a death in the family.
However, Sandy will not be doing queries this week because of a death in the family.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Virtual Writer's Conference Tomorrow
Terry Kate, this whirlwind of blogger romance information and energy, has put together this amazing Virtual Writer's Conference that starts tomorrow and runs through the weekend. For $20, you can get an entire three days worth of info and chat with industry leaders without having to dye your hair or get your nails done.
I'll be there at 1:30 with the new head of Dorchester, Leah Hultenschmidt. We'll be talking about our editorial blogging lives.
But I'll be in and out all weekend, because I love sharing what I've learned.
This evening, I was on the Twitter #askagent chat for an hour and half, before I realized I'd never deliver my latest Threesomes anthology for RR, if I didn't get back to work. I signed off with "Night folks. I have to edit a Threesomes anthology for RR" and someone said it was the best exit line they'd heard all night.
Virtual Writer's Conference info below:
March 19
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ccmFNKvtDA
http://bbpcon.blogspot.com
I'll be there at 1:30 with the new head of Dorchester, Leah Hultenschmidt. We'll be talking about our editorial blogging lives.
But I'll be in and out all weekend, because I love sharing what I've learned.
This evening, I was on the Twitter #askagent chat for an hour and half, before I realized I'd never deliver my latest Threesomes anthology for RR, if I didn't get back to work. I signed off with "Night folks. I have to edit a Threesomes anthology for RR" and someone said it was the best exit line they'd heard all night.
Virtual Writer's Conference info below:
March 19
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ccmFNKvtDA
http://bbpcon.blogspot.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)