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The List of Our Latest SHALLA Q&A's

2006-01-04T11:39:00.000-08:00

Got questions for Editors and Literary Agents? Like to ask best-selling authors questions? JOIN US

Meet top Editors, Agents, Publishers, etc.Write Chick Lit? Write Hen Lit? Paranormals? Fantasy? Futuristic? Write Screenplays? YA? Romance? WELCOME

Like to read our latest SHALLA Q&A?

For transcripts, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShalladeGuzman/
and go to the Message #'s

Q&A with Kristen Bailey, editor and publisher for Bravado Publishing Message #'s 1626-1669

Q&A with Bev Rosenbaum, a former fiction editor & author of the chick lit novels Message #'s 1670-1730

Seminar with Media Coach Susan Harrow "Get Booked on Oprah" Message #'s 1328-1363

Seminar with Bluemoon Communications publicist Theresa Meyers Messages #'s 1270-1294

Q&A with Producer and former HBO Dev Consultant Taylor Van Arsdale Messages #’s 1024-1054

Q&A with Manus and Associates Literary Agent Stephanie Lee Message #'s 908-962

Q&A with Writers House Literary Agent Daniel Lazar Message #'s 787-812

Q&A with Firebrand Literary Agent Nadia Cornier Message #'s 1134-1180

Q&A with author Lauren Baratz-Logsted Message #'s 738-757

Q&A with E-Publisher Linden Bay Romance Messages #’s 489-511

Q&A with Wylie Merrick and Associates Literary Agent Robert Brown Message #'s 1067-1091

Q&A with Larsen-Pomada Literary Agent Elizabeth Pomada Message #’s 595-625

For a List of SHALLA CHATS

SHALLA CHATS with Executive Editor Paula Eykelhof on “New Harlequin Imprint Calls for EPIC ROMANCE”

SHALLA CHATS with Natasha Panza on Chick Lit for Tor/Forge

Read more: http://www.shalladeguzman.com/

TRANSCRIPT: Our Q&A with Literary Agent Daniel Lazar

2005-09-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

8
Who's Daniel Lazar?

Daniel Lazar is an agent at Writers House, a New York literary agency that represents such authors as Nora Roberts, Ken Follett, Stephen Hawking, Neil Gaiman, and Christopher Paolini.

During his time at the agency, Dan has served as assistant to Writers House chairman Albert Zuckerman. He is now building his own client list of literary and commercial fiction, women's fiction, gay and lesbian, young adult and narrative non-fiction authors.

I've been with Writers House for 3 years now and am eagerly building my own client list.

I'm a great fan of superb, distinct commercial and literary fiction, smart women's fiction, gay & lesbian and YA fiction. I'd also love to see lively, fun narrative non-fiction -- memoirs, pop-culture or even those quirky little gift books that will make me snort and smile.

If you think I'll laugh out loud and/or miss my subway stop reading your pages, I'd love to hear from you.

I can be reached by regular mail or email -- no attachments unless I request your work. Send a concise query letter (feel free to throw in 3-5 sample pages) with SASE.

My response time is one minute to several weeks.And please, dear writers, don't send your manuscript double sealed in bubble wrap. It's paper, not anthrax.Daniel LazarWriters House 21 West 26th StreetNew York, NY 10010

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P.S.Daniel Lazar was recently mentioned in Nadia Cornier's Blog
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QUESTION: book on auction

Hi Dan, I'd like to ask you how some writers get their books on auction (and thus seem to get big bucks)?

Would you, as the agent, decide to take the book on auction? Or the writer? Are there particular type of books that usually go on auction? (Literary? Commercial? Mystery?)

Some agents, I'm told, send books out and say "I'm closing this submission on this date, and will be conducting an auction. Have your bids in by 10 am." Something like that.

Well, to my mind, that's lovely! But I've never done it. Because how am I supposed to know something I send out is going to get 10 bites or no bites?

An auction is what happens when an agent sends out a project and multiple publishers come in with bids. How and why that happens just depends on the project and the luck of the submission draw.

An agent conducts how the auction is held (it can be done with highest - lowest bids, or with best bids) but in general it takes an agent far more powerful or just plain brash than myself to "set up" an auction without knowing if editors will even be able to come to the table!

Best, Dan

Question: your perfect client?

I would like to ask you, what would your "perfect" client be like? Would you choose someone who has a great manuscript but has a bad attitude/you don't get along with? Or would you prefer someone you can work with but maybe has an "okay" manuscript you need to help edit? Anything else you would like your client to have/be?

Hi, Friendly clients are certainly nice. They're understanding, they're patient, they're receptive to feedback. But they're not a requirement.

I'm not doing this to make friends; it's my job. Although I do have to say, I've been very lucky that the people I work with are mostly a great bunch. So I take on projects that excite me, and the client (good, bad,whatever) comes with.

If the client has an attitude, or is impatient-- well, I'm an adult, and I deal with it, the same way you all deal with obnoxious co-workers. If it becomes too much of a problem, then I can always let them go.

I will say, however, that sometimes a bad attitude in a query letter will turn me off. Even if it's a great letter, but the writer says something like, "I'm sending this out in early July, and expect to hear back no later than Aug 1, or this submission is considered null"-- stuff like that. And yes, that happens! In that case, I'm like,"well lookatchu, Miss Thang!" and I'll probably just pass. Cuz if the client is that pushy while on submission, who needs that kind of headache if I sign them?

- Dan

Question: online classes?

I'd like to ask you if you have any online classes? I saw your name at either Gotham Writers or Barnes and Noble University as faculty.

Yes, I teach a Gotham Writers Workshop class about getting published and writing a great query letter. It's a fun class, not a lot of pressure -- you get to read lectures, post questions on whatever you'd like, and submit two query letters for me (or the current teacher) to critique.

I'm not quite sure how signing-up works. I'm sure you can do it from the Workshop's website, http://www.writingclasses.com/

- Dan

QUESTION: Mechanics

In another group I'm a member of -- we're in the midst of a heated discussion about dialogue tags -- when to use them and when not to use them. I've always been under the impression that in general; dialogue tags should be confined to using he/she 'said,' 'thought' or 'asked,' and then only when it's not completely clear who's speaking, or when there's more than two> speakers in the same conversation.

Another writer in the same group told us her work was rejected by an editor because she adhered to the above mentioned school of thought. I couldn't believe it. Now, is there a general rule on this aspect or is it more or less up to the editor or publisher to whom you're submitting?

I'm not a copyeditor, so this is just my own opinion - but I'm used to seeing dialogue tags on anything that's spoken aloud. Whether it's said, asked, shouted, whatever. If it's out loud, it gets quotes. If it's thought, it's usually in italics.

Or just without quotes and the context is clear. But no quotes. That's just what I'm used to seeing.

Hope that helps, Dan

Question: commercial vs. literary fiction

My question is, how would you define commercial fiction as opposed to literary fiction?

Would chick lit be commercial fiction? Would multi- cultural be literary fiction?

Boy this one's a doozy.

I'm not a huge fan of classifying books in this way, and let me tell you - if you want to see my boss's head explode, ask him this question on a bad day. This is one of those topics that is kinda, sorta, basically nonsense, but that everyone gets in a big tiff about.

There are a few answers I can give.

1) It's like porn. You know it when you see it.

2) It's arrogant of me to even try and define literary vs. commercial, since only time will tell what is truly considered by society as high art vs. commerce.

There are many novelists hailed as the greatest thing of their day... who you've never heard of, because time just passed them by. And there are some books we're still reading today that, when they were published, who would have known? (Hello, "Valley of the Dolls"?)

3) It's essentially a marketing strategy.

A literary novel is a novel publishers are forced to throw out on the market and hope, pray, hope and pray some more, that reviewers notice it, hail it, and create buzz to carry the book that way.

A commerical novel -- even one with literary merits of pitch perfect beautiful prose and heart breaking sentences that make you read them twice, three times, more, just to appreciate the beauty of their construction -- is any novel that publishers can market by using some element outside the book itself to draw attention for the book. A good example of this is the recent success of PREP.

Prep initially started out as a "literary" novel -- a quiet coming of age story that the editor fell in love with, and that I would assume the publisher didn't have grandiose New York Times list expectations for. They threw it out there with a great package, true, but the reviewers caught on to it. Fell in love with it. Praised it to the sky.

(And all of this happened very quickly, which is another important aspect of a successful literary debut -- the synergy of many great reviews, all at the same time.)

And once the book starting selling really well, then the whole background outside the book, that of the author's history at prep school, and the big question, "is it autobiographical, is it not, did she... , didn't she..." all of that helped drive books sales.

Essentially, PREP becomes commercial because its sales are being driven by something outside of the actual novel. I hope that helps.

What's important is for writers not to get wrapped up in labels, and just sit down to write.

- Dan

QUESTION: getting movie deals

I'd also like to ask about how getting a movie deal works? Would you, as agent, have to take the manuscript to (movie) producers or are producers the ones who would contact you (if they hear you sold a manuscript to a publishing house)?

I suppose, I'm figuring, I like money. I like to write too. It seems getting my manuscript in auction and getting a movie deal brings in the money.

My bottom line is, do you have any tips on, how I can get my manuscript up to par for the auctioning table and get it right for a movie deal? (Do you know of any books I can check out with this info?)

What type of book is making the most money now?

There's no easy formula for creating a manuscript that goes to auction at the publisher's side and gets optioned on the film side for a gazillion dollars.

If there was, hell, I wouldn't be here -- I'd be on my yacht in sunny, sunny Italy!

In general, the way it works (with book manuscripts) is that you get an agent who sells the book to a publisher.

Usually, that agent has a network of co-agents in LA they work with.

Here at Writers House, we work with agents at UTA, CAA, Brillstein-Grey, ICM, Gotham, etc etc.

We know these agents the way we know the editors, so we'll try to get on who will appreciate the project -- and who we trust knows the right producers who will be eager to read it.

The movie option is then mostly in that co-agents hands to direct, since that industry is their area of expertise.

Sometimes, though, I'm unable to secure an interested film agent. In which case, I can make a few submissions directly to producers to see if they'll bite. Or, once I announce the deal on Publishers Marketplace, I'll usually get inquiries directly from producers so I can send them the manuscript and wait to hear back. (Often enough, in Hollywood, they just take it and respond only if they're interested.)

Or sometimes, if it's a really "hot" commerical property, we can try and get a hot option on a manuscript on the film side -- use that buzz as leverage on the book side to get a bigger, faster deal.

So it really all depends on the book itself, and also an agent's ability to network and use her/his contacts effectively.

What's making money now?

Harry Potter, The Da Vinci Code, political books, Nora Roberts... Does that mean this is what will be making money in three years, and is what you should write?

Nope.

Books are fickle, business is strange, and writing to market without an actual book deal in hand is a risky venture. Hope this helps, Dan

Question: Currently seeking?

Are most of your clients obtained via referrals and conferences? Are you currently seeking any particular genre(s)?

Any genre(s) you don't consider? And, what is the one mistake you see writers making when contactingagents?

Most of my clients so far have actually come through slush. Having watched my bosses, I suspect the longer I work, though, the more clients I'll get through referrals.

I've been to a few conferences (I'll be at the Columbus Writers Conference in August) but haven't ever taken on anyone that way - yet. I'm sure it'll happen.

The biggest mistake a writer can make (and, oh there are lots of little ones!) is writing a query letter that smacks of a general sense of... form letter.

That is obviously being sent out to everyone and anyone, and hasn't been sent to me for any special reason, even if it's actually addressed to me.

I think this usually happens when awriter constructs a query letter like a business proposal, as opposed to writing a letter of introduction that exploits what's special and unique -- the writer's actual voice.

- Dan

Question: editorial suggestions?

I'd like to know if you give your clients editorial help. Do you do line-by-line edit? If so, how do the client-agent communication work?

Do you meet with your client in person? Especially when you sign with the client, do you meet them in person first and see if you have compatible personalities?

Janet, if I fall in love with a manuscript, I'm something of a nitpicker and my clients will tell you that I'll go through multiple drafts -- yes, even line editing -- before I send it out. I (and my bosses) do a lot of editorial work on our books. Sometimes I meet clients in person if they're in NY, or making a trip to NY... but it's not a requirement for me.

An agent you can get along with via phone or email is what you need. You're not going to be"dating" after all. You need to have respect and enough chemistry towork with each other.

If you can talk about girls/boys, movies andother fun stuff outside of work, well then that's great! But it's not something I'm looking for first thing.

- Dan

Question: chick lit vs women's lit

I feel like I started writing a chick lit but it evolved into a women's lit (more literary, not as playful in tone) so, I'd like to make sure I'm making the distinctions correctly.

How would you define a woman's literature?

What kind of women's literature are you looking for?

I checked out the list of your forthcoming books on your website but cannot find them on Amazon. Do you have any books I can look at to see what you like?

What you think is funny?

And maybe a list of the books you don't like?

Cynthia, most of the books on my website are sales, so they're in production. They won't be on Amazon yet.

One of my first books is coming out soon called AND BABY MAKES TWO, by Judy Sheehan (Ballantine) and though it's listed on Amazon, I don't think there are reviews yet.

BROKEN FOR YOU is the first book I worked on (that my boss sold, I was still just an assistant) and that is the perfect example of smart women's fiction I love.

Watch me pat my own ego here-- it was a Today Show Book Club pick too, selected by Sue Mink Kiddin December. I can't praise that book enough.

In general, women's fiction vs. chick lit is a distinction that's more about marketing than it is about content.

But chick-lit is generally lighter in tone, yes.

- Dan

Question: having different agents

I have two manuscripts, a romance and a fantasy, and each one has been requested by different agents. Neither agent represents both genres. So, what happens if they both want to represent me?

I know, it's a one in a million chance, but my worry is, how to handle the situation with proper etiquette. Is it common for writers who write in different genres to have more than one agent?

Or does the agent usually make a concession for an author they've agreed to represent?

What questions should I ask either one of these agents if they chooseto represent me (fingers crossed here)?

Cathy, you should definitely be up front with both agents, telling them you plan to write in different genres. I personally feel it's ok to have two different agents if you're writing, say, practical non-fiction and also romance, or kids books and adult books, since it's not likely submissions from one agent will double up on submissions of your other at the same imprint or even on the same editors desk.

But if you're going to be writing fiction, even in two different genres... it seems to me you should find an agent who can handle all your work in that regard. If both want to take you on, and both are ok with handling only one genre, and your confident with that, well then you're golden.

However you should know there are other agents out there who will do the research, make the calls and go to bat for your books that might not be their expertise -- but because they believe inyour work.

- Dan

FYI.FYI.FYI

Stephanie Kallos's BROKEN FOR YOU, said to be "in the John Irving/Anne Tyler vein," telling a moving story around a set of quirky but thoroughly authentic characters, to Lauren Wein at Grove/Atlantic, at auction, as their lead fiction title for spring 2004, by Simon Lipskar at Writers House

--the author was found by his assistant Daniel Lazar, who read a story of hers in an online literary magazine (world). Film rights are with Howard Sanders at UTA.slipskar@writershouse.com

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A Big Thanks to our Featured Literary Agent Daniel Lazar Dan, Let me just say, we love Writers House and we're so grateful you joined us today. For more on Literary Agent Daniel Lazar, please check his website:

http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/DanielLazar/

Cheers!

Shalla

http://shalladeguzman.blogspot.com/

DANIEL LAZAR and more on Broken for You

2005-08-24T05:34:00.001-07:00

Hey All -This is Dan Lazar from Writers House. Shalla invited me to join your forum for a few hours tomorrow (Wednesday July 20th), so I'll be logging in to chat. So any questions about Writers House, about my list here, or about agents and publishing in general, feel free to post and I'll respond tomorrow.

Thanks,

Dan

www.writershouse.com

http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/DanielLazar/

***

Dan mentions a couple of books in our Q&A, here's some more info on them:

Broken for You (Hardcover)by Stephanie Kallos

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"The dead, Margaret thought. They can be so loud."

So muses the protagonist of this dreamy,

powerful tale of familial warring, secrets and redemption.

When elderly Margaret Hughes discovers that she has a malignant brain tumor, she refuses treatment and decides to take a nice young tenant into her huge, lonely Seattle mansion for company.

What she gets is Wanda Schultz,

a tough-as-nails stage manager who is secretly seeking the man who left her and prone to inexplicable weeping breakdowns.

Wanda, ignorant of Margaret's illness, is intrigued by the museum-like house and its eccentric owner—so when Margaret unexpectedly invites her to a drink-champagne-and-break-the-priceless-antique-china party for two, she's delighted.

But a dark history lurks; the houseful of gorgeous antique porcelain comes from Margaret's father's WWII pilfering of European Jewish homes. Meanwhile, Wanda's father, who deserted her years ago, is on the road trying to heal, and Margaret's mother's ghost is haunting the Seattle mansion, lounging about in expensive peignoirs and criticizing her only daughter.

Wrestling to keep the dead and the ghosts of their pasts at bay,

the two women slowly build an extraordinary friendship,

and when Wanda discovers a talent for mosaics,

the past begins to quiet.

Though it takes a while to get started,

this haunting and memorable debut is reminiscent of early Atwood, peopled by lovably imperfect and eccentric characters.

From AudioFile

Fate, redemption, and hope are the forces at work in BROKEN FOR YOU.

A lonely, elderly Seattle woman living in her stately, old mansion with only ghosts and antiques for company initiates a complicated chain of events when she decides to take in a boarder.

This is just the beginning of what grows to be an ad hoc family.

The expanding collection of characters offers Anna Fields fertile ground for narrating this offbeat but engaging story.

She gives a nuanced reading (and some singing, too) that showcases her versatility with accents and complex characterizations.

See all Editorial Reviews

LAUREN BARATZ-LOGSTED

2005-08-24T05:34:00.000-07:00

SHALLA Q&A with author of BABY NEEDS A NEW PAIR OF SHOES, Lauren Baratz-Logsted

When? July 12 only at the ShalladeGuzman Writers Group.

JOIN US :)

Missed the date? Join us, search our Message Archive, it's on there :)

QUESTION: Literary Agents?

I just got a copy of your book, Thin Pink Line, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

I'm wondering if you can tell us about literary agents. For one, what should we be looking for? From your experience, do you think signing with a big agency is best ie. the bigger the better?

Or is targeting a new agent best, since he/she will probably be hungry for a new client?Is it better to get an agent in NY, since most publishers are also in NY? Or would you recommend getting a lit agent in the city closest to you? Thank you for your feedback. Hope to meet you at nationals.

Diana,

I'm afraid I won't be at Nationals - bummer! I hope this is OK with eveyone else but I'm going to link here to a guest essay I did on Book Angst 101 that should tell you nearly everything you need to know about me and agents. It's under June 29 and is called "Misadventures in (Mis)Representation)." Once you look at it, I'd be glad to answer any questions you still may have on the subject, but, in short, no, I don't think you need a NY agent nor one physically close to you, not in the age of the Internet.

http://bookangst.blogspot.com/

Oh, and thanks for buying The Thin Pink Line!

Lauren

Lauren Baratz-Logsted
http://www.laurenbaratzlogsted.com/

QUESTION: where do you think ChickLit is heading?

Congrats on your latest book! I just saw it reviewed by the AOL Book Maven. I also read your article on chick lit.

I'd like to know where do you think ChickLit is heading? Do you see it going back to the traditional Bridget Jones Diary? Or Sex and the City? When I pitch it at nationals, do you think it still sells if I say my manuscript is Sex and the City meets Threes Company? (or something like that)Do you know what editors are mostly looking for now?

Thank you for your smart questions and for spelling my name right. But now that someone here has done that, I think it's time you fine ladies dropped the Ms and just called me Lauren. :)

Regarding where ChickLit is heading, I think it is heading everywhere! I think we'll start seeing more of everything: political chicks, mystery chicks, alternative chicks, classic Bridget Jones chicks - you name it. Do I think it will always be called ChickLit? Hard to say. The conventional press ignores a lot of titles thus classified and a lot of ChickLit writers bristle under the heat of always being treated as "less than." It would be nice if, oneday, like the work of male authors Chris Moore, Christopher Buckley, Nick Hornby et al, our books were labeled comedic literature or satire.

I think your pitch sounds fine - very high concept!

Your last question is the hardest to answer. Ask an editor what they're looking for and they'll say, "Something different!" which gets frustrating because usually they balk at anything too different. Press them, and they might add, "Something great!" Sigh. I always like to say editors are looking for something the same that's different. My best advice: write what you feel passionate about writing, Cynthia.

Lauren

QUESTION: do/Don't do in my manuscript presentation?

I'd also like to ask you, from your experience, are there big tip-offs from amateur manuscripts? I just turned Pro (RWA) and I'm about to submit my manuscript. In your opinion, are there things I should make sure I do/Don't do in my manuscript presentation?For instance, can I use regular bond paper? Or do I have to use the brightest, most expensive, thicker kind?

Kylie,

I've never gone overboard with the formatting thing, figuring if a book is good enough, it's not going to stop someone from buying it if you don't have a perfect running header. That said, I use standard 8.5 x 11 in 20 lb bond paper. As far as things that scream "amateur!", copyrighting your ms is a biggie or overselling yourself in the query ("Sure to sell more copies than John Grisham AND J.K. Rowling!" If you are querying first, make sure to personalize the letters a bit so that, even if on the inside agents/editors know you must be approaching others, they'll feel you've targeted them for their specific skills and greatness.

Again, I hope this is at least a bit helpful!

Lauren

QUESTION: do you need to contact radio stations?

I'd like to ask you about your busy tour schedule. I read it on your calendar, http://www.laurenbaratzlogsted.com/Calendar/calendar.htm

I'm sorry if this sounds amateurish but I'm curious about your radio interview. As a writer, do you need to contact radio stations? Or do they contact you? I'd also like to know how you prepare for a radio interview. Do they give questions ahead of time, to make sure you have answers for them?I'm still learning and I think it's exciting that writers can be interviewed on radio and on TV.Thanks for your answer.

These are all great questions. I have contacted several radio stations on my own in the past - maybe I hear about a sister author or someone else being on etc and then I go online and look for the station/contact link, then I pitch myself: who I am, what I've written. Sometimes, the radio stations hear about me - that I give good interview :) - and they contact me. I've never been sent a list of questions in advance, but many producers have checked out my website as a reference first; I usually have at least one self-interview about the most recently published book, plus I have reading group questions for each book, plus my bio, so they have plenty to choose from. Some authors are lucky enough to have in-house publicists arrange this sort of thing; others pay money to independent publicists; I, for now, prefer to leg it alone. Hopefully, someday, TV will want me as well. :)
Lauren

QUESTION: Where did you get this specific story idea?

hi Miss Baratz-Logstead, thanks for sharing your writing experiences with us today. Your latest novel, 'A Little Change of Face' looks interesting. The idea that the protagonist's make-over going from being glamorous to dressing down sounds "fresh and new" to me. Where did you get this specific story idea? What inspires you when you write?

Nice to meet you! Btw, there's no 'a' in Logsted, but no worries: every time a friend of mine and my husband's critiques an ms for us, he inserts an 'a' and writes 'what idiot left this out'? :)

Regarding your first question: I felt that I'd read the story a million times about the woman who loses 15 or 50 pounds and life falls into place for her. I thought there must be an inversion of that story and set out to write it. I particularly like writing stories that take an old theme and then spin it to make something new.

Regarding your second question: I'm inspired by a nearly pathological desire to make other people laugh and think. That, and the voices in my head Just. Will. Not. Shut. Up.

Looking forward to spending more time with this great group!

Lauren

QUESTION: on editing manuscripts?

Good morning Ms. Baratz-Logstead, I'm glad you're anwering our questions. Thank you for that.

My question is, do you have any suggestions on editing manuscripts? I'm just finishing my manuscript now and I know I'll be polishing it. I've considered going to freelance editors but they do charge a lot, from $1 a page to about $10 a page. Do you have any suggestions? How do you edit? Do you have any book you would recommend for self-editing? Or to learn the art of editing?As for going to a critique partner, my past experience with that is, my manuscript got worse. There seems to be a great divide from being a good writer and being a good editor. From your experience, is there a way to know if your manuscript is on the right track during editing? (If editing is actually making it better or worse?)Thanks for your help.

I used to do a fair bit of freelance editing - I worked on nearly 100 books - and I agree that there's a wide variety of good and bad you get for your money.

First, I'd recommend investing in a copy of Chicago Manual of Style - it's pricey but it's perfect for answering nearly any niggling question you might have: "When do I use italics v. quotes for song titles, movie titles etc?"

As far as what I do to edit myself, I am fortunate in that spelling/grammar is second nature - but please don't hate me! I do have other shortcomings, like, well, I'm short.

I always do say to be a good writer, and ultimately this extends to editing too. Read a lot and read widely; if you aspire to writing chick-lit, say, read a lot of chick-lit but read a lot of stuff. It'll help you fine tune your own inner editor as to what works and what doesn't. What makes you crazy in other people's books: Do you hate it if a character gets too political? Do you hate long passages of description? Look for similar flaws in your own writing.

Regarding critique partners, I've never worked with just one person but I have hosted regular writing groups in my own. I listen closely to what people say: sometimes it's like a lightbulb going on - "yea! this person is so right!"; sometimes, the person is asking for a lateral move, meaning a move that doesn't really change the work in your own eyes, but that will please them, so why not; sometimes, the person wants you to do something that makes you think, "AARGH! But that would ruin my book!" - in those cases, thank the person politely and do nothing. If you work with others long enough and often enough you'll develop an ear not just for hearing what's good advice v. bad, but also for hearing who's advising you from a place of generosity and whose advice might stem from jealousy.

When do you know if you've edited it enough? Most books, particularly first efforts, need a lot of work, usually several passes: maybe you need one to tighten the boring bits, another to add a subplot that will add depth by either paralleling or inverting the main storyline. I borrow my own rule of thumb from the medical community: first, do no harm; meaning, if you get to the point where you don't know if you're helping or hurting...stop!

I hope this is at least minimally helpful to you.

Lauren

QUESTION: Finding the "right" agent

I'm currently conducting an agent search after terminating my agreement with my former agent last summer (for poor communication and flagging enthusiasm on the heels of three piddly rejections). I read on another list that you recently switched agents. How common is it for authors to go through 1 or 2 or even 3 author/agent rel'ships before finding the "right" agent? What are the warning signs to watch out for that an agent might not be right for you? Do we just have to do the best research we can, then jump in and if it's not right, not be afraid to leave? Do authors ever get reputations for perhaps being difficult from switching agents too often?I've known a couple of people to go through 3 or 4 agents and still not find the perfect match. Any advice greatly appreciated as I tread these waters again!

Cindy,

I posted this earlier today, but I'll gladly repost it:

http://bookangst.blogspot.com/

If you go to the entry for June 29, it's an essay by me on my bad experiences with five agents. I'm now on Agent 6 and so far I love her. It is not uncommon for authors to switch, but I'm sure authors who do switch a lot get a certain reputation. That said, my current agent, once she'd heard just a few tales of my experiences with others, recognized the problem was with them, not me. Each time, I did the best research I could; each time, until now, I was disappointed. The best thing to do is get recs from friends. When I was interviewing agents last month, I talked to several friends rec'd, but only one ultimately rang my bell and now I'm with her.

Warning signs? Hard to say, since we're all individuals and so are they. Warning signs for me are nonresponsiveness or not responding in a reasonable time; kingmakers - Svengalis who don't want to listen to the author even when, in my case, the author was a bookseller, reviewer, editor, and sold five books for herself.

I hope this helps a bit!

Lauren

QUESTION: Pitching to Editors?

I'm glad you're lending us your expertise. My question is if I have an agent already representing my manuscript, if given the chance/situation, can I still pitch it to an Editor? (like at the RWA nationals, in case I bump into one there) Or should I let my agent take care of all the selling?

Having an agent should be a plus, not a penalty. What I mean by that is that while it would be inappropriate for you to - except under very special circumstances - send written pitches to editors on your behalf, having an agent should not cause you to forfeit opportunities. And what I mean by that is that if you meet Editor X at RWA and Agent Y isn't around, feel free to say to Editor X, "I so admire your work with The Secret Life Of The Traveling Pants Sister Club. I've written a book [insert title and one-sentence pitch here] that I think you might enjoy and which is represented by Agent Y. Shall I have Agent Y send you a copy?" If she says yes, find out if she wants it by snail or email and then get that contact info. My last agent seemed to not appreciate editor suggestions from me; my current agent is totally open to them. Finally, let me know how it goes!

Lauren

Question: rejection letters?

Hi Ms. Baratz-Logsted (I hope I spelled that right) :) It's very nice to see you on this loop.I'd like to ask, and I hope it's not too personal, how long did it take you to get your first novel published? About how many novels have you written that will probably not see the light of day? (if any)I remember when anything chick lit was super easy to sell, did that help you?I'm just trying to figure out the best way to handle rejection letters. The first one's I got did hurt the ego, at least a little, although I'm getting better. I'm curious about another writer's process from the blank page to being pubbed. Looking back, do you have any words of wisdom you can share with us?

You did indeed spell my name right - yea, you! - but I'd much prefer you and everyone else here call me Lauren. I mean, we're all friends here now, right?

It took me nearly eight years to sell a book, that book being The Thin Pink Line, which was the sixth I'd written. I wrote one more after that before selling it. The Thin Pink LIne was sold, by me, to Red Dress Ink as part of a two-book deal; before it even came out, RDI offered me an additional three-book contract.

Back when I first started writing, selling chick-lit was not easy, nor was selling satire, which was what I considered my work at that time. I got letters from editors saying, "Well, I think it'sd funny...but I don't know if others will." One editor even told me, "Americans don't like to laugh." Huh? And then, when I was first shopping The Thin Pink Line, some said, "Well, but there's so much out there like that." Right. You know, all those other fake-pregnancy books. So you see how it was. It took a lot of hard work and determination to stay in the game and get where I am. I do hope that, eventually, all my orphans will get published.

Handling rejection? It's never easy, but here are a couple of things that help. 1) While shopping the first book, start writing the second so that if you get rejected, you can tell yourself, "But that's not going to be my only book," or, if your book does get picked up and they want to do a two-book deal, you've got something else to show; 2) recognize that the vast majority of writers do not sell the first thing they write - if you wanted to be a brain surgeon, would you exepect to just walk into the O.R. with no training and save the patient?; 3) read books like Rotten Rejections - once upon a time, an editor told Charlotte Bronte, in essence, "Hey, don't quit your day job"; 4) make sure you have a few good people in your life who want you to have the success you want for yourself; be proud of your accomplishments so far - Have you written a book? Yea, you! Look at how many people want to do what you've done and never get there. So, let's all say it again: Yea, you!!!

Words of wisdom: 1) write the stories you feel a passion to tell, regardless of what anyone else thinks; 2) stay alive and keep putting one foot in front of the other, because the only person who can ever take you out of the game is you.

Lauren

QUESTION: hiring a publicist?

hi Ms. Baratz-Logsted, thank you for your very helpful answers. I'm sure to check out your latest release next time I go to Borders. It looks like a fun read, even for a guy.What I'd like to ask about is publicists. Should we get one as soon as we sell our first manuscript? And what's the best way to find one? What criteria should we look at?

Andy (and everyone!),

Please call me Lauren.

For advice on publicists and other industry info, you and others here might want to check out http://www.readerville.com/ - it's a 14,000-member group of book lovers and writers; they do charge a monthly subscription of $8, but many find it well worth it for the advice, comaraderie and great conversations.

Regarding hiring a publicist, here's my experience: with my first book, since I'd heard that my publisher was going to do a lot to push it, I hired no outside help. For my second, I started to see things falling through the cracks, so right after my book came out, I hired an online publicist for $1500 who assured me he could get me buzz; as far as I could see, all he did was list/review my books on his website; any radio/interviews I got, I snagged for myself. With the recently released book, I had seriously considered hiring an independent publicist. On the rec of my in-house person, I went through a flurry of emails and several months talking to a publicist with a good reputation. I told her to draw me up two proposals: what I could get for 5K and 10K. After having told me it would take her two weeks turned into more like two months, I got a single proposal that only had dollar figures for a few items but had no bottom line. Now, I don't know about you, but I would never have someone come do major work on my home or car without a written estimate in hand and I just could not see signing with this woman, when I'd be all the time worrying if she'd hit me with a bill for 20K or whatever when we were through.

So, one of the reasins I recommend checking out http://www.readerville.com/ is that you might meet authors here who can tell you, "Oh, I hired someone really good; I'll email you off-list."

As far as timing for hiring one, I don't think you need to hire quite as early as you say, but a good publicist usually does need about 5-6 months lead time prior to pub date depending on what kind of markets you wish to pursue. Btw, Jacqueline Deval has a great book on publicity that, if memory serves correctly, is very helpful in stating what you can do for yourself and what you can expect from someone else.

Finally, I'm glad to hear you're going to buy my books, even though, as you say, you are a guy. :) If you look at all three of my books, you'll notice that each has a blurb from a prominent male author. One of my purposes in doing that is to widen my reader base. So, if anyone gives you flak about reading girlie books, you can tell them Nelson Demille, Peter Lefcourt and Christopher Moore loved them too. Oh, and you can also tell them my friend Tom, a cowboy in Montana, claims to read my pink books while ploughing his fields. :)

Best of luck with your book!

Lauren

A Huge Thanks to our Featured Author Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Lauren,I know I'm speaking for everyone when I say, well done!

Your answers are so helpful, so insightful.

We're honored to have you in our group :)

Please visit Lauren's website at: http://www.laurenbaratzlogsted.com/And don't forget to check out her latest!

TRANSCRIPT: Our Q&A with Literary Agent Stephanie Lee

2005-08-24T05:33:00.000-07:00

Hi, Gang! This is Stephanie Lee, from the West Coast office of Manus &Associates Literary Agency. I will be logging in tomorrow Wednesday,August 24th, to chat with you and answer any questions you may have about the agency, myself, and publishing in general.

I'll do my bestto help you figure out this mysterious business, and if I don't knowthe answer, I'll just make something up :). I kid.I look forward to typing to you soon!

QUESTION

hi Ms. Lee or can I call you Stephanie?

Thanks for being here to answer questions. Mine is about writingin different POV's.

I write chick lit and it's interesting that, agents I've talked tosay "no, no, no" to having several characters, in one novel, all in first-person or a novel where one character is in first-person and the others in third. Yet, these kinds of chick lit are publishedall the time. Like in She, Myself and I, Josie Brown's True HollywoodLies, etc.

So, I'm wondering, are some agents just not aware that publishers are buying this?

Would you represent a writer who writes in different POV's? (I'm writing my protagonist in first-person and the rest, in third.) Do you have any suggestions, or any books I can look at to make sure I'm doing it right? Or would you say, don't do this and just stick

Your input, very much appreciated.

STEPHANIE

(Yes, Stephanie is fine :). I feel like I'm getting in trouble if someone calls me "Ms. Lee.")

I think we also have to chalk up this kind of question to the subjectivity of the business: some people will like multi POV's, and some people won't.

Multi POV's are a little different (especiallyfor chick-lit) and sometimes "different" can equal "bad"or "difficult to sell." When you break the rules, you have to break them well, or everything just appears broken.

Personally, I think that multiple first person POVs can be tough to fall in love with. Will all the voices be believable? Will it sound like the author is trying TOO hard to make them sound different? Will they sound too much the same? Will they each have their owncomplete character arcs? Is there going to be a point to having the different POVs? I think it can work, but again, you have to be able to pull it off extremely well.

Regarding one first person POV and the rest third person...well, honestly, I personally find that difficult to jive with. I might be a traditionalist in the sense that I like the fluidity of one kind of POV, either all 3rd, or all 1st, or all 2nd, etc.

I haven't read your manuscript, so it's hard to say really, but I have read manuscripts before with a similar structure, and I really wanted everything to be one or the other. However, another agent or editor might feel completely differently.

Subjectivity! My usual advice to writers is to write what you want to write, because that will be your best work.

But off-hand, my gut wants totell you to pick a perspective and stick to it ;). You could always send me a query and a sample so that I can give you my opinion in a more specific context, but those are my thoughts in general.

Thanks so much!

For more of our SHALLA Q&A with Literary Agent Stephanie Lee:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShalladeGuzman/

Go to Message #’s 908-962

Linden Bay Romance Q & A

2005-08-24T05:21:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! This is Barbara Perfetti of Linden Bay Romance.

My associates and I are very glad to be here to answer your questions,anything you like to ask us from the way we edit books, to contracts etc.

So, please go ahead and ask us your questions. We look forward to meeting you and reading your work!

Read our Q&A, please go to

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShalladeGuzman/

Click on Messages and go to Messages: 489 - 511

Who is our Featured Author Billie Williams?

2005-08-24T05:12:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, Wednesday, April 27 marks our very first SHALLA Q&A and we are featuring Suspense, Adventure, Action, YA author BillieWilliams.

On April 27, you can ask Billie Williams about e-publishing, her agent experiences etc.

So first off, who's Billie?

She has published in many genres from Non-fiction Books on Writing to Mystery/Suspense and Young Adult Adventure. She also writes a how to mystery column for "Sell Writing On Line," a monthly e-zine. She loves to travel, has visited nearly every state in the union. Has moved out to Colorado twice and back to Wisconsin "You can take the girl out of Wisconsin but you can't take Wisconsin out of the girl, "I guess that statement is true.

From Spelunking (cave exploring) to writing, she is always looking for adventure and a challenge.

Her early novels have dealt with a wide range of abuse, from domestic to drug and alcohol abuse, with all the problems of thedysfunctional families she has dealt with in former career areas ofher life. Her newer novels are a mix of mystery, romantic/suspenseand non-fiction how to books. Cranking up the heat, twisting andturning the labyrinth and mazes of suspense and sizzling a littleromance as well as some more how to books are in store for herreaders this year.

Her latest novels will be released in June 2005 from: Wings ePress,Inc. Skull Music, a romantic suspense; From Triskelion, Purple Haze, Romantic Suspense with Sizzle, andFrom Venus Press, Blind Date Romantic Suspense with the Sizzleturned way up. All three books touch on the paranormal in one way oranother. A series of How to on various aspects of writing that connect tothe first one, Writing Wide, will be available from FilbertPublishing this year: So You Want to Write a Mystery; So You Want To Write Compelling Characters and So You Want to Spice Up Your WritingPurple Haze, June 2005 Triskelion PublishingSkull Music, June 2005 from Wings ePress, Inc.Expect the Unexpected from Mystery Suspense AuthorFor more on Billie

Williams:

www.billiewilliams.com

http://www.billiewilliams.com

billie@billiewilliams.com

www.billieawilliams.4t.com

Thanks Lots!

Shalla:)

www.shalladeguzman.com

Read our Q&A, please go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShalladeGuzman/

Click on Messages and go to Messages: 131 - 160