2015 Guide to Literary Agents

960 Pages·2014·5.32 MB·English

by  Chuck Sambuchino (Editor)

KEY TO ICONS & ABBREVIATIONS
market new to this edition
agency not currently seeking new clients Canadian
agency
agency located outside of the U.S. and Canada comment
from the editor of Guide to Literary Agents
newer agency actively seeking clients agency seeking
both new and established writers agency seeking mostly
established writers through referrals agency has a
specialized focus
tips on agency’s specializations
24th ANNUAL EDITION
2015
GUIDE TO
LITERARY AGENTS
Chuck Sambuchino, Editor
CONTENTS
From the Editor
HOW TO USE GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS
GETTING STARTED
WHAT AN AGENT DOES
ASSESSING CREDIBILITY
CONTACTING AGENTS
HOW NOT TO START YOUR BOOK
by Chuck Sambuchino
RESEARCHING AGENTS
by C. Hope Clark
CRAFTING A QUERY
by Kara Gebhart Uhl
QUERY LETTER FAQS
by Chuck Sambuchino
HOW TO WRITE A SYNOPSIS
by Chuck Sambuchino
NONFICTION BOOK PROPOSALS
by Chuck Sambuchino
PERSPECTIVES
10 REASONS AGENTS REJECT YOUR MANUSCRIPT
by Marie Lamba
8 WAYS TO WRITE A GREAT CHAPTER ONE
by Elizabeth Sims
CRAFTING A NOVEL AGENTS WILL LOVE
by Donald Maass
YOUR FUTURE AGENT’S WISH LIST
by Kimiko Nakamura
SERIES WRITING
by Karen S. Wiesner
READING WITH A WRITER’S EYE
by Tania Casselle
CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM
by Chuck Sambuchino
BLOGGING BASICS
by Robert Lee Brewer
DEBUT AUTHORS TELL ALL
by Chuck Sambuchino
GLA SUCCESS STORIES
RESOURCES
NEW AGENT SPOTLIGHTS
by Chuck Sambuchino
GLOSSARY OF INDUSTRY TERMS
MARKETS
LITERARY AGENTS
CONFERENCES
INDEXES
AGENT NAME INDEX
LITERARY AGENT SPECIALTIES INDEX
Copyright
FROM THE EDITOR
PHOTO: Al Parrish
This year marks the sixth anniversary of signing with my literary
agent, Sorche Fairbank of Fairbank Literary. And in that time, we’ve
sold five books together, and hopefully that number will only continue
to grow as time goes on. I mention this simply to illustrate what you
likely already know: Literary agents open doors and get your book
sold. They still are the key gatekeepers who have access to the biggest
and best traditional publishing houses nationwide. Remember: Getting
a rep is the biggest step to getting read.
My hope is that someday soon you, too, will celebrate a book deal
with your agent (with champagne, preferably!)—and picking up this
updated edition of Guide to Literary Agents is a key first to-do. Inside
you will not only find contact information for more than 1,000 literary
agents, but lots more. To help you get your book published, we’ve
pinpointed newer agents actively seeking clients; we’ve gone into
detail regarding how to write query letters, synopses, nonfiction book
proposals, blog posts, and more; and we’ve also examined all the
ways you should (and should not) begin your novel to get the
attention of agents. If you have a question about how to get a literary
agent, chances are it’s answered in these pages.
Please stay in touch with me through my blog
—guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog—or on Twitter
(@chucksambuchino) and continue to pass along feedback and
success stories. Until we next meet, good luck on your writing
journey. (And don’t forget to access your free webinar download at
www.writersmarket.com/gla15-webinar.)
Chuck Sambuchino
Editor, Guide to Literary Agents / Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s
Market
Author, How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack (2010); Create Your
Writer Platform (2012)
HOW TO USE GUIDE TO LITERARY
AGENTS
Searching for a literary agent can be overwhelming, whether you’ve
just finished your first book or you have several publishing credits on
your résumé. More than likely, you’re eager to start pursuing agents
and anxious to see your name on the spine of a book. But before you
go directly to the listings of agencies in this book, take time to
familiarize yourself with the way agents work and how you should
approach them. By doing so, you will be more prepared for your
search, and ultimately save yourself effort and unnecessary grief.
Read the articles
This book begins with feature articles that explain how to prepare for
representation, offer strategies for contacting agents, and provide
perspectives on the author/agent relationship. The articles are
organized into three sections appropriate for each stage of the search
process: Getting Started and Contacting Agents. You may want to
start by reading through each article, and then refer back to relevant
articles during each stage of your search.
Because there are many ways to make that initial contact with an
agent, we’ve also provided a section called Perspectives. These