2014 – Meet Kathleen Zakhar, associate agent at Harold Ober Associates!

by Tammy Burke

reposted from http://glvwgwritersconference.blogspot.com/2014/03/meet-kathleen-zakhar-associate-agent-at.html on 3/17/2014

Hi Kathleen,

What a delight having you join us at this year’s conference! And what an intriguing combination of things you have dabbled in. I was wondering if I could ask about missile engineering? It’s not something you see everyday in a bio. 🙂

Kathleen Zakhar: Thank you, I’m very much looking forward to the conference! I suppose I do have a bit of a colorful background. I had a job working metrics and program management on the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle, which take down satellites with kinetic energy alone, no traditional warhead needed. While I’ve always loved science and math and really enjoyed the job, I think I’m probably better suited to reading science fiction instead.

It has to be pretty exciting working with such a respectable agency that’s been around over 100 years and have represented legends such as Jack London and H.G. Wells. Can I ask what’s one of the best things you like being part of Harold Ober Associates?

Kathleen Zakhar: While we’ve only been around about 85 years, I am definitely lucky to work at such a legacy agency where these names, and others like F. Scott Fitzgerald, J.D. Salinger, Richard Adams, James M. Cain stand on our shelves. In addition, I work on some of the film/TV deals we do in the office, so I’m looking forward to the miniseries reboot of Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby and the movie adaptation of The Giver by Lois Lowry. And, it goes without saying that the 14-year-old me would have loved the big wall of Tamora Pierce novels!

What do you find most rewarding as an agent? What do you find most challenging?

Kathleen Zakhar: Agenting provides me with the opportunity to pursue passion projects. There’s no marketing team, publicity department, or approval board to shoot down the books I want to represent. The challenges I face as an agent are constantly honing my list of editorial contacts so that I may draw up the perfect submission list in order to find the right home for a book.

Having a degree in Creative Writing (along with a degree in Finance) I was wondering what you enjoy writing most. How old were you when the “writing bug” first bit you?

Kathleen Zakhar: I’ve always enjoyed searching for the perfect word that captures exactly what I’m trying to make a reader feel. I had parents who encouraged creativity, so I must have penned dozens of short stories as a child which turned into the requisite embarrassingly angsty teenage poetry. It was in college that I realized I preferred editing and helping others to achieve their best work. Working in publishing, I can combine my background in business with my passion for the written word.

I understand you originally hale from Tucson Arizona. I was curious if you have ever been to TusCon (a SF, Fantasy and Horror convention) particularly since one of the things you are looking for are Science Fiction manuscripts. Also, out of curiosity what’s your favorite SF story?

Kathleen Zakhar: No, I haven’t actually attended TusCon. But if you ever find yourself in the southwest, I highly recommend the Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention and the Tucson Festival of Books, a wonderful convention that brings hundreds of authors and readers together.

As for my favorite SF story, it’s so hard to choose. Classics aside, I am particularly obsessed with Dan Simmons’ Hyperion Cantos. It has everything I love in a great SF story: beautiful worldbuilding, a unique premise, and, most importantly, a diverse cast of characters that I cared about. More recent favorites include The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, John Scalzi’s Redshirts, and the science fiction and fairy tale blend that is The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.

In your bio it says you like “all things YA.” In your opinion, how has YA grown, what makes it so “hot” and where do you see it going?

Kathleen Zakhar: It wasn’t so long ago that shelves dedicated to YA fiction didn’t even exist. Young adult fiction is being embraced more and more by a much wider demographic, where a significant portion of the readers are adults. There’s an energy, or perhaps a certain amount of recklessness, that accompanies being a teenager that I think readers really admire, regardless of whether that’s a contemporary or a high fantasy novel. Coming-of-age tales will never go out of style, despite whatever “trend” seems to be happening. It all comes down to good literature. Regardless of age, nobody likes to feel static, and I think reading YA embraces that feeling that anything is possible.

Do you recall a favorite book when you were a teen? Is it still a favorite? What are your favorite books now?

Kathleen Zakhar: When I was a teen I read both YA and adult fiction, so my favorites from that time period range from Jane Austen – Mr. Darcy was just one of many literary crushes – to Heinlein to Harry Potter. I recall that Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, and The Claidi Journals by Tanith Lee were among my favorites when I was younger.

Today, I’m a huge fangirl for Neil Gaiman and Stephen King. I probably reread The Dark Tower series once a year. Lev Grossman’s The Magicians is an absolutely brilliant novel that my friends are probably sick of me recommending. Living in NYC, I absolutely depend on audiobooks, so I’ve enjoyed Jake Gyllenhaal reading The Great Gatsby and the ensemble reading of Ellen Kushner’s Riverside series.

Could you give some examples on quirky and adventurous middle grade novels you have recently enjoyed?

Kathleen Zakhar: The Wildwood Chronicles by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis is a great example of quirky middle grade novels with a precocious protagonist and a captivating story. Another middle grade novel I like is Caroline Lawrence’s P.K. Pinkerton and the Deadly Desperados, a western with a high-functioning autistic narrator. I see a lot of middle grade queries that I believe underestimate their reader and what middle grade readers face at that age, so I am always happy to see it proved otherwise.

Are there certain things when reading a manuscript that are apt to “spark” your interest? And what pet peeves do you have?

Kathleen Zakhar: One thing I definitely want is to be swept into a story within the first few pages. I was recently reading Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood and found myself truly admiring her first couple sentences: “Our mother was a witch, too, but she hid it better. I miss her.” Right away the author is creating a tone, while also presenting background information without being heavy-handed. There’s a lot packed into those 14 words!

Along those lines, if there’s any info dumping or the exposition is wonky, I’m going to have a hard time. Beginning with elaborate battle sequences and lengthy prologues can also be tricky, because I’m not yet invested in the characters or the world. Starting with too much or too little dialogue is also a pet peeve of mine.

And one last question…if you could share three pieces of advice of what to do or what not to do when pitching a book, what would they be?

Kathleen Zakhar:
1) I know it’s been said a hundred thousand times, but make sure your query letter is perfect. It’s the first and perhaps only impression an agent will have of you, so why not make it the best it can be? That means no “Dear Mr./Ms. Agent” introductions (do you want me to reply “Dear Author”?), no spelling errors, and a concise and gripping representation of you and your work.

2) Be in tune with your readers. Classics ≠ comp titles. Do your research on what’s out there (including other media like TV and movies) so that you can answer any questions about how and why your book is different and appealing with alacrity.

3) Don’t jump the gun and start suggesting actors for a film adaptation, discussing media tie-ins, or weighing in on which imprints might be perfect for the book. There’s a cart, and there’s a horse, and they go in a certain order.

Thank you Kathleen for taking time out for the interview. We really look forward to seeing you!

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An associate agent at Harold Ober Associates, Kathleen Zakhar is actively building her client list. She graduated from the University of Arizona with a dual-degree in Creative Writing and Finance, and dabbled in journalism, real estate, and missile engineering before coming to Harold Ober Associates. She put in her time as an intern at Jill Grinberg Literary Management, Foundry Literary + Media, and McIntosh & Otis. Having grown up in the deserts of Tucson, she now lives in Brooklyn with her med school husband and a tiny potted cactus. You’ll find Kathleen on Twitter at @kzakhar and Harold Ober Associates at @harold_ober.

Looking for: I love all things YA and am also looking for adult science fiction, fantasy in all its varieties, historical fiction, and horror novels. I am also interested in representing quirky and adventurous middle grade novels. I’m not opposed to picture books, but I’m extremely selective.

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Tammy Burke, GLVWG member, 2011 conference chair and past president, has published around 400 newspaper and regional magazine articles. She has interviewed state and local government officials, business and community leaders, everyday folk and celebrities, in addition to helping write scripts for over a dozen television commercials and writing various business communications. Currently, she is in the revision stage for her first YA fantasy adventure book, the first in an intended series. When not writing, she works in the social service field and is a fencing marshal in the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA).

2014 – Meet Agent David Forrer from Inkwell Management!

by Tammy Burke

reposted from http://glvwgwritersconference.blogspot.com/2014/03/by-tammy-burke-hi-david-it-is-delight.html on 3/12/2014

Hi David,

It is a delight to have you join this year’s GLVWG “Write Stuff” Conference. The breadth of experience you bring…working as an assistance at Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency, a small boutique agency to becoming an agent for one of the world’s leading literary agencies…is sure to be a wonderful boon for our conferees. Welcome!

I am wondering…did you always know you wanted to be an agent or was this a decision you made later…perhaps as you were working on your Master’s Degree in Creative Writing?

David Forrer: In 1996, I was accepted into the creative writing program at Boston University. I had written some short stories but I had no idea how anything got published. The more ambitious writers in my workshops were already “querying agents” – I didn’t know what that meant until the head of the department suggested I read manuscripts for a former student of his who had just opened her own agency on Newberry Street. Well, I quickly realized that reading other people’s work was more satisfying than creating my own. When I finished at BU, I went through the job listings in Publishers Weekly and got an interview for an assistant’s position with an agent in Manhattan. I took Amtrak to Penn Station – it was my first time in New York. I’ve lived here now for 17 years and I’ve worked as an agent the entire time.

Out of curiosity, was crime fiction something you enjoyed reading as a kid? What would you say some of your favorite stories were growing up? Also, do you ever get time to read just for enjoyment only? If yes, what do you like to read?

David Forrer: My life has always been full of books. My mom was a school librarian and as a kid I used to make my own books by stapling pages together, drawing (awful) cover art and writing stories that were heavily derived from the authors I admired. Most of the reading I did as a child was classic young adult but I remember I had a book about the famous racehorse Man O’War that I read obsessively, over and over again – I wish I could remember why because that knowledge would be valuable to me today as publishing professional!

My relationship with crime fiction really started when I was representing books on behalf of some UK agents. Val McDermid, Mo Hayder, Mark Billingham, John Harvey, Peter Temple, Minette Walters are some of the major crime writers who I’ve been privileged to work with through their primary agents and publishers overseas.

I think it’s important to read for enjoyment – there’s a lot of rejection and disappointment in this business, but the pleasure of reading is what first drew me to publishing, and a really good book always inspires me. I recently read Adam Johnson’s THE ORPHAN MASTER’S SON and I was like, How did he do that? That came out of his imagination!! When I’m reading a manuscript that I really love I start to imagine the thrill of sharing it with other readers as a finished book and having them feel the same way I do. Also I need to know what’s working in the market. I once read a whole bunch of books by Debbie Macomber during my Christmas break because I wanted to understand the appeal. She writes great contemporary romances – and I really enjoyed them!

Do you work on your own writing?

David Forrer: No, I think really successful writers are compulsive about it, and as much as I wanted to be “a writer” I never actually felt an overwhelming urge to sit in front of a blank page and fill it with words. To quote my favorite Kristen Wiig skit from SNL, “that’s a major red flag!”

Could you tell us what type of historical fiction really “grabs” you? Also, what exactly do you mean by popular history?

David Forrer: For ANY work of fiction to really grab me it has to have a great story and great characters, particularly a protagonist that you can root for. An historical novel that illuminates a way of life on an intimate, human scale (GIRL WITH A PEARL EARING) can be just as absorbing as one that’s written on a larger canvas (WOLF HALL). Also, if something sparks my interest in historical events – SHADOW OF THE WIND probably isn’t considered “historical fiction” but reading that book made me want to learn more about the Spanish Civil War.

You asked about “popular history.” I represent a writer named Vicki Leon who is a self-styled “historical detective” and she publishes very accessible portraits of life in ancient Greece and Rome that are meant to inform and entertain. That’s what I mean by popular history. One of her books explores career choices in the ancient world. The working title was HELP WANTED: ORGY PLANNER but her publisher made her change it to WORKING IX TO V. I still think that was a mistake!

It must have been an exciting time during the “birth” of Inkwell Management (the 2004 merger of Arthur Pine Associates, Carlisle & Company, and Witherspoon Associates). What has been some of your best experiences about the merger and/or agenting at such a prestigious agency? What would you say has been the most challenging?

David Forrer: I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of InkWell. We work very collaboratively – I share clients with Kim Witherspoon (David Vann, Carol Cassella and Kaui Hart Hemmings) and Michael Carlisle (Elin Hilderbrand), and I spend a lot of time in Richard Pines’ office strategizing and talking about what I’m working on. Every day is a “moment” but the best experiences always involve witnessing a writer’s success. At the New York premiere of the film adaptation of THE DESCENDANTS, I was remembering the phone call with Kaui when said she was planning to expand her short story “The Minor Wars” into a novel, and it blew my mind that here we were with George Clooney and Alexander Payne bringing her imagination to life on the screen. At the other end of the scale, I was recently working with a first-time author who was absolutely thrilled to get rejection letters from publishers – it meant that someone was actually reading his book! It reminded me that the whole point of writing is simply to make a connection with one reader – of course, you do that a million times and it’s called a bestseller. (By the way, we did get an offer and the book is publishing this summer.)

The biggest challenge is obviously all the rejection but I’m an eternal optimist so I keep putting one foot in front of the other – there’s always some happy payoff or a nice surprise right around the corner.

If at some point today your dream submission “fell from the sky and landed in your hands,” what would it look like?

David Forrer: It would be fresh and innovative and if the ending made me cry that would be a bonus. And it wouldn’t have any typos on the first fifty pages.

And last question, what three pieces of advice would you be most apt to share with would-be authors?

David Forrer: Write a book you’d want to read but also know who your audience is.

Don’t expect to make a living from your writing. Some writers do, eventually, but most writers need another source of income to give them the security to write.

There is rejection at every level of the business, whether you are a writer, an agent, a publisher or a bookseller. Don’t take it personally!

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David Forrer began his career in publishing in 1997 after receiving a Masters in Creative Writing (fiction) from Boston University. He has been an agent with InkWell Management since it was created in 2004.

His areas of interest and representation range from literary, commercial, historical and crime fiction to suspense/thriller, humorous non-fiction and popular history.
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Tammy Burke, GLVWG member, 2011 conference chair and past president, has published around 400 newspaper and regional magazine articles. She has interviewed state and local government officials, business and community leaders, everyday folk and celebrities, in addition to helping write scripts for over a dozen television commercials and writing various business communications. Currently, she is in the revision stage for her first YA fantasy adventure book, the first in an intended series. When not writing, she works in the social service field and is a fencing marshal in the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA).

2014 – Meet Sarah LaPolla, associate agent from the Bradford Literary Agency

by Tammy Burke

reposted from http://glvwgwritersconference.blogspot.com/2014/03/meet-sarah-lapolla-associate-agent-from.html on 3/3/2014

Hi Sarah,
How delightful we have the good fortune of having you back at the GLVWG “Write Stuff” Conference! I believe last time you were out I was the co-conference chair for Kathryn Craft and James N. Frey was our keynote. How are you?

Sarah LaPolla: Thanks so much for having me back! I’ve been doing very well since the last time I was at Write Stuff. A lot of changes – in a good way. I’ve been continuing working primarily with YA fiction, but I sold my first adult urban fantasy and my first middle grade last year. The biggest change has been my new agency, Bradford Literary Agency.

What are you liking best about the move?

Sarah LaPolla: The agency move was a huge decision I made last year, but I know it was the right one. I had been working in foreign rights, primarily, at Curtis Brown, and it was an area of publishing I loved. But, I wanted to focus on domestic rights and build a client list of my own, which I was able to begin doing at Curtis Brown. The experiences at working both places have been quite different. I think what I’ve enjoyed most about the move is that I’ve been able to make my list more diverse and have the time to focus more on what “type” of agent I want to be. Do I want to be totally specialized in a few areas or do I want to expand based on my tastes? Do I want to give in to trends or work on more timeless genres? These are questions I’ve been asking myself since I switched agencies, but I don’t know if that has anything to do with the agency specifically. It’s more that I’m growing as an agent, and Bradford just happens to be the new home to guide me during this new phase of my career. It’s pretty exciting! Plus, Laura Bradford and Natalie Lakosil are amazing women, and I am so proud I get to join their team!

Based on other interviews, I know you originally wanted to be an editor. What made you decide to be an agent? On that line, what is the most favorite part of your day (as an agent)? What do you find most challenging? And do agents really work 12-16 hours a day?

Sarah LaPolla: It’s true; back in my youth I dreamed of being an editor. I knew I wanted to be on “the other side” of publishing even while I was studying creative writing in college. I carried that with me to my MFA program, which I entered, again, because I wanted to be a better writer and editor, but without any real drive to be a (capital W) Writer. When I got to New York, I almost immediately starting applying to editorial assistant positions, and the HR departments at various Big 6 publishers were nice enough to humor little 22-year-old me. I spent over a year getting rejected until I remembered most people do unpaid internships first. That’s how I fell into agenting. I didn’t really know what an agent did. They weren’t something we learned about in creative writing classes, and Twitter wasn’t a thing yet. But, I knew they meant “publishing!” so I interned at a small agency that represented books I didn’t read, then I interned for an agent who represented books I loved. By the time I was actually qualified for a paying job, I knew I wanted to stay with agenting, and lo and behold, Curtis Brown, Ltd. needed a foreign rights assistant. So here I am!

My favorite part about being an agent is finding that manuscript that reminds me why I wanted to work with books in the first place. I like being reminded that I can help others read this manuscript that no one else has read before. Another nice thing about agenting in the post-digital era is that agents have taken on a very editorial role, so I still get to use those creative skills I love using. But, yes, it is true we work 12-16 hour days. I’m never not working. Whether it’s emailing editors and clients, making submission lists, reading clients’ manuscripts, editing, reading queries, reading requested manuscripts, doing conferences, or just thinking about what I want to find next – my job is never technically “over.” I try to create boundaries. I check my email all the time, but I don’t make it a habit to send emails after 8:00 or on weekends. Queries, however, are pretty much exclusively answered on nights and weekends. But I try to get to them during work hours as often as I can so I can have what the kids call “a life.”

So could you give us a quick backstage look regarding what it’s like to be an agent? Maybe two or three things most writers probably don’t know.

Sarah LaPolla:
1) We don’t just read all day. We like saying we get paid to read for a living because it’s kind of true, but that’s not actually reality. I rarely-to-never read during business hours. My nights and weekends are devoted to reading, and that includes client work, requested material from potential clients, and queries. Our clients and the work we do on their behalf are our first priority. If you’re wondering why your query is being answered at 3AM on a Saturday or why it’s taking us a month to read three chapters, that’s why.

2) Agents edit, but we don’t have to. To be clear, most agents are editorial and will work with their clients on revisions (sometimes more than one) before submitting a project to editors. The current market has practically demanded that manuscripts be as retail-ready as possible even before editors consider them. But, at the end of the day, agents pitch manuscripts and editors edit them. When we edit, we’re putting in hours (if not months) of free labor that is not a required part of our job description. Please remember that before complaining that an agent isn’t “editorial enough.”

3) No one wants to reject you! Agents have this reputation of being “gatekeepers” who burn our slush piles, but the truth is that most of our clients started in our query folder and we continue to find people we love in the slush pile. We don’t dread opening new queries. We hope we’re going to find something amazing. We look for reasons to request a project, not to reject it.

I enjoy your Glass Cases blog and I’m sort of hesitant to admit I could really relate to “Aren’t Real Writers supposed to put writing ahead of everything else?” from your post “On Being a Real Writer.” Out of curiosity, how is your writing panning out in 2014 so far?

Sarah LaPolla: Thanks for asking! I felt pretty good about my own writing toward the end of last year, but I haven’t had much time to myself in 2014 yet. Like I said in my blog post, I don’t put writing ahead of everything else. There are things I do put writing ahead of, but my career isn’t one of them. Even if I do ever finish a novel I think is worth querying, I could never give up being an agent. My clients are too important to me.

Could you tell us what your favorite book was when you were a kid? Is it still your favorite? Do you think it influenced what you look for now?

Sarah LaPolla: As a kid, I’d have to say the Fear Street Saga by R.L. Stine. I was a big Fear Street kid, but the Saga trilogy were my favorites. Yet, I can’t say with confidence that those books influenced what I look for now. It helped shaped my love of reading and books in general, though. As a teen, my favorite book was The Perks of Being a Wallflower and it remains the most important book I’ve read (on a personal level). That book has absolutely shaped my taste in literature, specifically with character types and overall themes in YA.

If your dream submission landed on your desk this moment, what would it look like? Would there be anything that would make you walk away from it? What would you say is the most important part if a submission is not quite perfect but caught your attention?

Sarah LaPolla: The thing is, I have no idea what my dream submission looks like because it doesn’t exist. I won’t know what I fall in love with until I read it. I know what genres and styles I’m drawn to and what I’m usually not a fan of. Beyond that, I just want something that surprises me. Something with depth. Something that matters. Something I can’t stop reading.

The most important of a submission is showing an agent that it stands out in the market, no matter what the genre is. Nothing is perfect and everything needs revision. Agents are good at seeing potential, no matter how slight. If we see something worth working on, we’ll keep reading.

What would you like to see more of? What would you like to see less of?

Sarah LaPolla: I’d like to see more originality. While most premises have been done before, writers still need to bring something new to their genre. Otherwise, why do we need that book to be published? With a lot of queries I receive, I end up thinking, “this seems fine, but I can re-read 4 or 5 books that are just like it instead.” I want to see fewer manuscripts that are already in bookstores and more of what I didn’t even know I wanted.

And finally, what three pieces of advice would you give to writers looking for representation? And looking to pitch?

Sarah LaPolla: Have patience and understand that rejections are not personal. Querying and pitching are about telling an agent what your book is about and who you are as a writer, and they’re about finding the right agent for your work. Don’t waste your time getting mad at the ones who weren’t enthusiastic about your projects. Appreciate feedback when it’s given, but don’t expect it, and don’t feel obligated to revise based on one agent’s advice unless you agree those changes will make your book stronger. You’re not just pitching your books to us; we’re pitching our vision for your books to you. A rejection just means we didn’t have a vision for you, but that doesn’t mean another agent won’t have one. It’s about being a good match on both sides.

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Sarah LaPolla joined Bradford Literary Agency in May 2013. Prior to joining Bradford Lit, Sarah worked for five years in the foreign rights department at Curtis Brown, Ltd., and became an associate agent there in 2010. She received her MFA in Creative Writing (Nonfiction) from The New School in 2008 and has a B.A. in Creative Writing from Ithaca College. She runs a writing-focused blog called Glass Cases (http://glasscasesblog.blogspot.com/) and tweets about writing, publishing, and pop culture at @sarahlapolla.

What she’s looking for:
Sarah represents YA and adult fiction. On the adult side, she is looking for literary fiction, science fiction, magical realism, dark/psychological mystery, and upmarket commercial and/or women’s fiction. For YA, she is interested in contemporary/realistic fiction that doesn’t shy away from the darker side of adolescence. YA sci-fi, horror, mystery, and magical realism are also welcome; and she would love to find a modern Judy Blume for the MG market. No matter what genre, Sarah is drawn to layered/strong characters, engaging narrators, and a story that’s impossible to put down.

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Tammy Burke, GLVWG member, 2011 conference chair and past president, has published around 400 newspaper and regional magazine articles. She has interviewed state and local government officials, business and community leaders, everyday folk and celebrities, in addition to helping write scripts for over a dozen television commercials and writing various business communications. Currently, she is in the revision stage for her first YA fantasy adventure book, the first in an intended series. When not writing, she works in the social service field and is a fencing marshal in the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA).

2014 – Meet Agent Monica Odom from Liza Dawson Associates!

by Tammy Burke

reposted from http://glvwgwritersconference.blogspot.com on 2/28/2014

Hi Monica,

We are delighted you will be joining us at this year’s GLVWG “Write Stuff” Conference! Looking over your information, I can’t help but think what a well-rounded and fascinating background you have. Not only a firm education (English, Publishing, Film Studies and Journalism) but a wide range of practical experiences including finance, social media, websites, community development and editorial matters along with being backed by a prestigious agency.

I understand you came to be an agent a little differently than most and, in fact, (based on an earlier interview I stumbled on) had an earlier goal to become an editor. Could you share a little of your story about how you became an agent? Was there a deciding moment?

Monica Odom: As I was about to graduate with my Bachelor’s, a professor whom I’d met with for career advice forwarded me an internship listing for a literary agency. I must admit, until that point I did not know literary agenting was a thing (and the same goes for a lot of people, I’ve realized). I just knew I wanted to work with books outside of the academic realm. I graduated, got the (unpaid) internship, and worked with them for about six months before I was referred to my current company. I started at LDA as an assistant, and imagined that I would stay there until I was able to find something in editorial at a house somewhere (mainly because that’s what I had heard was the apprenticeship process for getting into publishing). It wasn’t until a couple of years in that I began to entertain the idea of me getting more involved editorially at LDA (since I’d been hired for finance and admin, and not editorial). Since I’d done a good job of managing my other responsibilities, and since I had expressed such a passion for agenting (especially after learning a ton about the business with my hands-on position), Liza was happy to let me start accepting queries and taking on clients. The deciding moment was probably when I took The Role of the Literary Agent class with Gail Hochman during my NYU program, and heard her describing all of the things I’ve ever wanted in a career.

Out of curiosity, what was it like to intern at the MTV Networks’ Public Affairs department? Do you find similarities between a public affairs department like MTV’s and what writers should be doing regarding press and marketing media platforms?

Monica Odom: I interned at MTV in 2009 and it was my first internship (and my first in the big city!). I loved going into the Viacom/MTV building and feeling like something magical was happening behind all of those closed doors. But actually, a lot of my time there was spent doing research and building communities (and this was before businesses were on the social media bandwagon). I was also responsible for the Obama report during our weekly meetings, where I described how Obama’s new presidency was affecting young Americans. So the department was very politically minded. One of my best memories from MTV is a buzz-building marketing stunt a group of interns and I did on the Today Show. A group of us had to wear t-shirts with a cryptic message written on them, and our mission was to get on camera. We ended up meeting Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer, and got a great plug for the mystery campaign. I love this story, because it was such a cheap yet effective and organic way to build buzz, and in publishing we are always looking for affordable buzz-building!

I know as an agent you have to be reading practically all the time. Do you ever get a chance to read for just pleasure and if yes, what types of things do you read?

Monica Odom: I do get some time to read for pleasure! I’m in a book club (we call ourselves the Lovely Ladies), and we try to do a book a month. Right now we’re reading Jennifer Egan’s A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD (my selection!), and we use Google+ and Google hangout to talk about the book if we can’t all meet in person that month. I think it is super important to keep your personal tastes fresh and to keep reaffirming or challenging those tastes, being an agent. I occasionally try to sneak an extra “for pleasure” book in between book club books, but my grad school readings usually prevent me from that! Still, I consider myself very lucky for having a job that demands a lot of reading.

One of the descriptions you used for what you are seeking (and which I found quite attention-grabbing) are “writers with big ideas that push the boundaries of storytelling and its traditional forms.” Could you give us an example of this?

Monica Odom: I took the class New Fiction Formats in grad school with Jacob Lewis, who was working for Figment at the time. In the class, we discussed a bunch of different projects that were so amazing, yet so different from traditional formats. For example, a man created a fake Twitter account named @mayoremanuel, and would tweet as the mayor who was currently running for office in Chicago. He basically assumed this alter ego, and there were enough tweets to eventually put them together as a book, called The F***ing Epic Twitter Quest of @MayorEmanuel. The thing is, these tweets actually tell a story about a fictional character. I think this is so original, and so fun, and I want to be an agent who helps interesting projects like this come to market. I think I am well positioned as a younger agent to be a bit more open to new and interesting projects like this, and I’m hoping to let creative people feel more able to think outside-the-box (or outside-the-book!).

Do you think women’s fiction is growing as a genre…either in popularity or in subject matter?

Monica Odom: I do think women’s fiction is a growing genre, and I also think the topic areas that constitute women’s fiction are changing. In popularity, yes, because women are ever more a growing group with purchasing power. I also think ebooks have given women’s fiction a good push, with the boost in romance and thriller titles. A major shift that is happening lately, I think, is the backlash caused by the lack of women writers on bestseller lists. Women’s fiction is a popular genre, and women can’t always accept a book about women written by a man. I think the real shift that is happening is a growing support for women writers, writing about and for women, because that’s what many readers (many women) want to see more of. And I’m all for it!

Do you have any pet peeves regarding story? Do you have any instant likes?

Monica Odom: I’m not really crazy about romance, or female characters who are driven solely by a love interest. I’m also not into things like eating disorders or body issues, really. I’m really drawn to stories about family, especially siblings. I love magical realism (I’d love to find the next NIGHT CIRCUS) and literary fiction. I’m a sucker for a great voice, too. My first client’s MS was signed based on her high concept and her amazing voice, so that’s definitely something I am looking for.

You are open to some nonfiction such as history. Being a history buff myself I can’t help but wonder, is there a time period which you draws you the most?

Monica Odom: I’ve always been drawn to post-Civil War U.S. history. I do love WWII stuff, but it’s a bit overcrowded of a market and tough to differentiate (but I’d still take a look!). The Mad Men era is a time period that I’d love to see an MS based in. I’m also very into Civil Rights era things and African American history. And I swear I should’ve been alive during the 70s (think American Hustle), because the period from 1960-1980s fills me with wonder. Probably because I’m a 90s kid. My interest in world history would just depend on the topic area, and less so the time period.

Since you prefer authors who have strong social media platforms, would you consider anyone who is still in the learning curve of social media?

Monica Odom: Of course! I’m the social media manager for our agency, and I work very closely with our authors on their social media. I’ve found that most authors have some knowledge about social media, but many have varying degrees of experience. So it’s less helpful to send out an informational packet, and more helpful to do a social media audit and to sit down and talk to the author about what terrifies them about social media. I’m a believer that agents and agencies need to be more involved nowadays than ever before with their authors’ marketing campaigns, especially since helping an author navigate and build their social media followings may help sell their book to publishers. Also, I would rather be the one, as the agent, guiding my author through the process and answering their questions, than say, a marketing person at a publishing house who may not have time for that author once the book is out for awhile. So, yes, I think everyone can use some social media help, and writers shouldn’t be discouraged if they’re not super savvy online.

And last question…. Based on your experiences, if you were to give three “pearls of wisdom” on what you should do, or better yet, what you should NOT do when giving a pitch, what would they be?

Monica Odom: My pitch pearls of wisdom are:

1) Don’t mention that your mom or your friend loved the book. It’s silly.

2) Currently, I generally do not accept queries for books that have already been self-published. I really do work closely with my clients editorially, and I think the agent is an important layer of the editorial process. By already self-publishing a book and then querying, the text is already out in the marketplace, and I’m not able to provide any editorial feedback.

3) Don’t compare yourself to some huge prolific author (yes, such as Tolkien). I understand that you’re trying to position yourself, but it suggests you’ve done little research if the only comparable author you can come up with is a legend. It’d be great if you instead listed a couple of midlist or debut authors similar to yourself who had done well and who you consider comparable to your writing.

_________________________________

Associate Agent Monica Odom joined Liza Dawson Associates in 2010. She is also the agency’s manager of finance and social media. Monica graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in English from Montclair State University, and is now a candidate for her Masters in Publishing from New York University. Prior to joining LDA, Monica interned at Joelle Delbourgo Associates, New Jersey Business Magazine, and MTV Networks’ Public Affairs department.

Interested in representing: Monica is building her client list with a focus on literary fiction, women’s fiction and voice-driven memoir, as well as a focus on nonfiction in the areas of pop culture, food and cooking, history, politics, and current affairs. Monica is looking for writers with big ideas who push the boundaries of storytelling and its traditional forms. She is especially interested in writers with strong social media platforms who have something original to say.
__________________________________

Tammy Burke, GLVWG member, 2011 conference chair and past president, has published around 400 newspaper and regional magazine articles. She has interviewed state and local government officials, business and community leaders, everyday folk and celebrities, in addition to helping write scripts for over a dozen television commercials and writing various business communications. Currently, she is in the revision stage for her first YA fantasy adventure book, the first in an intended series. When not writing, she works in the social service field and is a fencing marshal in the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA).

2014 – Meet Sally Apokedak, Associate Agent with the Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency!

by Tammy Burke
Reposted from http://glvwgwritersconference.blogspot.com on 2/18/204

Hi Sally,

We are so excited to have you as one of this year’s conference faculty! Not only do we get to benefit from your intriguing pre-conference workshop Making Your Plodding Prose Prance and Your Plot Dance and your expertise as an agent but we also get to interact with someone who has spent years helping children’s literature reach happy readers and (based on some of your blog posts) has a tongue-in-cheek whimsical sense of humor. I want to say thank you for agreeing to be interviewed.

Sally Apokedak: Well, thank you for having me. I’m happy to be here.

What an interesting childhood you must have had…staying at campgrounds, driving through Europe, living East, West, North and South in the United States and Taiwan. I’m curious, do you think moving around and adventuring with your family influenced your love of reading and the story genres you prefer?

Sally Apokedak: I come from a family of readers. That is the first reason I love to read, probably. Both of my parents read and so did all my older brothers and sisters. We didn’t have videos or video games when I was a kid. So we played outside or we read.

But, yes, my travels did have an influence on my love for reading, I think. I’ve always loved to travel and to study new cultures. And in books you can travel all over the world without spending a lot of time and money. Not quite as good as going in real life, but a nice way to learn about new people and cultures if you can’t afford to go in person.

You mentioned on your website the first book to “ravish” you was Treasure Island which then led you to a plethora of other stories. Do you remember what made you pick Treasure Island first? And what captivated you most about the story?

Sally Apokedak: A condensed version of Treasure Island is what I first fell in love with, actually. It was the summer I turned eight years old. My mother had a collection of Reader’s Digest Condensed Books, called Best Loved Books for Young Readers. She told us she’d pay us fifty dollars if we could read all 48 books over the summer. I didn’t get the fifty dollars, but I got something worth much more than money. I still have these books. They’re prominently displayed in my living room.

Treasure Island was the first one I read, and I loved it so much I forgot all about the monetary motivation. I loved the danger, I loved Jim, I loved the ship and the sea, and I loved the treasure. Who doesn’t want to find a treasure? What kid has ever lived and not wanted to find a treasure?

You mention you love children’s books–from PB to YA–with your favorite being fantasy (and a liking of dystopia and fairy tales). Do you think these types of stories convey a different message than stories targeted for adults?

Sally Apokedak: Hmm. Interesting question. I think what I love about children’s books is that they usually end with hope. I’m not sure adult books do. I have had times in my life where I’ve read only adult books, including when I was a teen, but even then I was much more of a genre reader than a literary reader. I liked mysteries and sci-fi and fantasy. And I think those books all end with hope. Adult literary books, it seems to me, often end in a confused way or with no hope offered.

I think sci-fi and fantasy for all ages, allows the author to look at real world problems in fresh and non-threatening ways. You can see human nature in fantasy, you can face danger in sci-fi, but you don’t have to worry about it being real. It can be more dangerous and still feel healthier and safer, I think.

I know these three questions you must get all the time but… What made you decide to be an agent? If your dream submission was delivered today, what would it look like? And what is your biggest no-no in a pitch session?

Sally Apokedak:

1) I’ve always wanted to be an agent. What finally made me decide to do it was that my life got to the place where I could do it. My husband was a quadriplegic and I was his caregiver. He died in 2007 of colon cancer, and I moved over close to my parents so I could care for my father, who was in a wheelchair, paralyzed from a stroke. He died in 2009 and the day after his funeral, my mother fell and broke her pelvis in three places. So I moved in with her and cared for her until she died in 2012. So in 2012, I found myself with two grown kids and no more disabled people to care for. I was free to travel and I had a lot of free time to fill. I met Les Stobbe that year and asked him to teach me how to be an agent, and, happily for me, he agreed to take me on.

2) Dream submission? I have signed several clients who have sent me dream submissions. If a manuscript keeps me up reading late so I can finish, it is a dream submission. What I want is a character who needs something, who is actively seeking to gain something despite the roadblocks in his way, and who has an interesting voice. If he’s funny and self-sacrificing, and a little naïve, or honest to a fault, so much the better. And if he’s an orphan, well, then you’ve hit all my sweet spots.

3) Biggest “no no” in pitch session? I hate to list them, because sensitive writers will immediately think they’ve broken the rules and all the agents are laughing at them. I think if writers just act like they do when they meet anyone for the first time, things will be fine. Be pleasant. Be polite.

Probably the one thing that is really hard for me to deal with is a person who sits across from me and starts telling about eight or ten or twelve books she’s written. I immediately shut down. I can’t hear anything. I see the person’s lips moving but it all sounds like, “This-this-this-this-this-this-that. And this-this-this-this-this-this-that. And then there was that and that and that and that.” None of it means anything to me. It just all blurs together like food that went down in separate helpings of greens and fruits and meats, but came back up in a swirly mess. So don’t regurgitate ten projects in fifteen minutes. I simply can’t pick through that kind of mess looking for gems. My brain isn’t fast enough to handle that kind of info overload.

Think of it this way—you have fifteen minutes to make me fall in love with you and your work. Will you do that best giving me a fifteen-minute video on fast-forward that tells your whole life story? Or will you do that be telling me one story about yourself that makes me cry? Move me. Tell me one story. Make me laugh or make me cry. If you do that, I’ll ask for more. Trust that.

What a wonderful experience getting to work with Jeanne DuPrau, Ingrid Law and Shannon Hale. (I have to admit I really enjoyed the Books of Ember) How did you become involved with Kidz Book Buzz blog tour and can you share one of your favorite experiences with it?

Sally Apokedak: The Books of Ember were great!

I founded Kidz Book Buzz blog tour. I love children’s books and I wanted to promote them. The perks were getting to work with a bunch of really cool authors. Some of those authors we toured have become friends and I value that above all.

Being a present YA contributor of Novel Rocket, you advised in one of your blog posts to “take your passion and put it into a form that will sell.” What advice would give a writer who is hoping to do that?

Study the market. You don’t have to be a sellout. You don’t have to compromise. Write what you love, but put it into a package that is selling. So if you love poetry, fine. Write eight four-line poems for toddlers and sell them as a board book. Or write sixteen eight-line poems around the theme of Halloween or Summer or School or Food and sell them as a picture book for the K-3 crowd. Look at what that age group is studying in science and write poems about health. If you love books with unicorns and you can’t stand vampires, that’s fine. Write a story with unicorns. But make sure it’s a story that speaks to children today and not a story that would have spoken to children fifty years ago. If you want to write fantasy but romance is what’s selling, make your fantasy a romance. If you want to write mysteries but fantasy is selling set your mystery in a fantasy land. Take you passion and fashion it to fit the market.

I like the description of spotting the snoozing passages in manuscripts and poking them with a stick to get them moving with your pre-conference workshop Making Your Plodding Prose Prance and Your Plot Dance. I was wondering if we might, maybe, get a bigger teaser on what we’ll learn?

Sally Apokedak: I have to admit, I cringe a little every time I see that title. I’m not sure why we called it that. I think what happened is that I was offering two classes—one on making the plot dance and one on how to wake up slumbering prose. Because of the way the classes needed to be set up for the conference we combined the classes and somehow the title came out as it did.

So how’s this for a teaser: In the part of the class on prose, I’ll discuss why we shouldn’t use so many figures of speech in one title. Alliteration is great, but a little dab’ll do ya.

The part of the class that is about plot will cover plot from beginning to end. I map out a plot that works—one that is common in best-selling children’s books.

Please, if anyone reading here is coming to my workshop, bring your first chapters. We’re going to be working on them in class.

Last question…I really enjoyed reading about your calendar method of getting tasks done. What a wonderful way to not stress about the work load and still get everything done. How did this tool come about?

Sally Apokedak: Desperation. Actually, one of my clients, Lisa Fowler, sent me a lovely, fancy-schmancy appointment book for a Christmas present. I immediately began filling in the days. It was apparent right away that this was the perfect tool for relieving stress, because I didn’t have to waste energy trying to remember things. The minute a project came in, it went on the calendar and then I didn’t have to remember it or worry about it. It also made me more productive because I never had to spend time thinking about what I should work on next. At the start of the day I checked my projects and off I went. Then, at the end of the day, I moved any that I didn’t get to. I plugged them into another spot.

Again, we are looking forward to having you!

Sally Apokedak: Thanks. I’m looking forward to being there.

_________________________________________

Sally Apokedak is an associate agent with the Leslie H. Stobbe Literary Agency.

She’s been studying, reviewing, and marketing children’s books, as well as giving writing instruction for a dozen years. As the manager of the Kidz Book Buzz blog tour she was privileged to work with best-selling and award-winning authors such as Jeanne DuPrau, Ingrid Law, and Shannon Hale. She is presently the YA contributor to Novel Rocket and she teaches at general market and Christian Writers’ conferences across the country.

She is interested in children’s books from picture books to young adult (Christian or general market), nonfiction for all ages (Christian or general market), and women’s novels (Christian market). Find out more at sally-apokedak.com Submit to Sally at submissions@sally-apokedak

Looking for:
Picture Books: I’m looking for quirky, fun, characters and delightful language, with lines that roll and rhymes that rock. Conflict and growth for characters always helps.

Middle Grade Books: I’d love some funny boy books. Boy scientists and boy geniuses are great. I love fantasies, but really want anything with a strong voice.

YA Books: Fantasy is my favorite, and if there’s romance, I love it even more. I still like dystopian, and fairy tales. I love mysteries.

Nonfiction For All Ages: I’m interested in devotional books, Christian living, science for young children, and biography. But you may try me on anything.
Adult Inspirational: I’m looking for adult books for the Christian market, particularly fantasy and romantic suspense.

Any picture books that rhyme where all the rhyming words are one or two syllables, are not going to be right for me, I’m pretty sure.

Not looking for: I am also not a huge fan of issue books and preachy stories. Supernatural books, with angels, demons, or any mix thereof, will probably not catch my fancy. I’m not salivating for werewolves, vampires, ghosts, fairies, or zombies. I’m not into dark and angsty books. I like endings that are full of hope.

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Tammy Burke, GLVWG member, 2011 conference chair and past president, has published over 300 newspaper and regional magazine articles and over 200 photographs. She has interviewed state and local government officials, business and community leaders, everyday folk and celebrities. Currently, she is in the revision stage for her first YA fantasy adventure book, the first in an intended series. When not writing, she works in the social service field and is a fencing marshal in the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA).

2013 – Interview with Emily Gref

prev posted 3/21/2014

 

by Tammy Burke

 

Emily Gref is an Associate Agent at Lowenstein Associates, as well as their foreign rights manager. Prior to Lowenstein Associates, she interned with the Donald Maass Literar Agency, Serendipity Literary Agency, Arthur A. Levine Books, Tor Books, and Penguin Young Readers.

GLVWG member Tammy Burke contacted Emily to ask her a few questions about being an agent and about the types of books she’s interested in acquiring.

Tammy: Do you recall what first prompted you to become more involved in the
craft of writing and reading? Was becoming an agent a natural
conclusion?

Emily: Like
most people in publishing, I grew up a voracious lover of books. I also
dabbled a little bit in writing, but honestly didn’t have the
discipline or attention span to see a book through to the end. But I’ve
always loved stories, and language, and how language shapes stories. I
think this is part of what compelled me to major in Linguistics at the
University of McGill (and take as many language classes as I could –
French, Latin, Polish, and Chinese, but please don’t ask me to say
anything in any of them). Linguistics is a very academic field, however,
and by the time grad school application time came around I was sick of
academia. That’s when I had my lightbulb moment: publishing books is a
job people have!

It
took about three years of interning at agencies, publishing houses
(editorial and a brief stint in online marketing) while working at
bookstores before I came to Lowenstein Associates. Agenting really
combines the best of both ends of the publishing spectrum, I think: I
get to be very editorial with my authors, but I also can “hand-sell”
manuscripts to editors whom I think would be the best fit.

Tammy: I understand you have a weak spot for fairytales. One of my all-time
favorites, I might add. What aspect do you believe stayed with you into
adulthood? Is it a childhood love or the cultural archetypical resonance
or something else?

Emily: Definitely
both a childhood love and the cultural resonance – I would especially
love to see more non-Grimm/Perrault retellings! I was one of those kids
that pored over every collection of fairy tales and folklore I could get
my hands on. I was enchanted by Grimm, Perrault, Hans Christian
Andersen, and the illustrators that brought the stories to life – Kay
Nielsen, Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rackham. I was particularly fond of the
D’Aulaire books of Greek and Norse mythology, too.

But
fairy tales and myths are really the best stories distilled to their
very basics, and I love novels that borrow heavily from the structure
you find in fairy tales: the repetition, the significance of three (or
whichever number), etc. DEATHLESS by Cat Valente is a novel based
heavily on Russian folklore that does this so beautifully. Definitely
one of my favorite reads of 2012.

Tammy:
Based on your bio, you are entertaining nonfiction in the areas of
linguistics, anthropology and history. Being a history and mythology
buff myself, (my primary is the love of ancient civilizations),  I was
wondering if you had a favorite time period and/or civilization, perhaps
something that provided a springboard to expand in that area?

Emily: My
love of history is largely informed by the books I read and loved as a
child – including the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Five
Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney, The Egypt Game by
Zilpha Keatley Snyder, and basically all of the American Girl stories
and the “Dear America” series. So my interests are pretty broad, but I
especially love periods of history that are on the brink of something
great or disastrous: the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution,
the Roaring Twenties… Historical non-fiction that I’m likely to pick up
explores little-known aspects of a time period or place, or takes a
really narrow scope (like Mark Kurlansky’s books).

Tammy: What would you say is the best part of your day being an agent? And what part would you say is your most challenging?

Emily: The
best part is, obviously, discovering new writers with amazing stories!
Or reading a client’s amazing new story. Working with authors is the
reason most of us get into this job in the first place, and it remains
the most gratifying. The most challenging, for me, is the waiting –
waiting for revisions, waiting for editors to read, waiting for meetings
to be had and offers to hopefully be made. Luckily there’s always a LOT
to do, so the time can pass pretty quickly when you’re working on
contracts, royalties, subrights, etc.

Tammy: Do you believe that an author should be social media savvy?  How social media savvy should he or she be?

Emily: Absolutely.
The more an author is engaged with their readership, the better their
chances of success. Social media is such a boon, though I understand how
it can be overwhelming. My advice to authors is to TRY out every
platform – Facebook, Twitter, blogging, Pinterest, etc. – and see what
“clicks” the best. Some authors can do it all, and some can’t. The
important thing to keep in mind is the demographics of every social
media platform – where are your readers? – and tailor to that. If you
can be really good at one or two things, that’s a lot better than being
bad at six.

Tammy: If you could give three pearls of wisdom to a would-be published author what would it be?

Emily: Be patient – with the publishing industry, and with yourself.

Be
kind – maybe you feel like writing a nasty response to an agent, or
complaining on your Facebook, but remember that publishing is an
industry of relationships, and also the internet is forever.

Be
resilient – you will be rejected. By critique groups, by agents, by
publishers. Learn what you can from the experience, brush off your
shoulders, and persevere.