Posts Tagged ‘agents’
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3 Low Cost Ways To Meet Agents & Editors
August 19, 2010
These days it’s common knowledge that it’s hard to meet an Agent or an editor through an unsolicited mailing. They are more likely to pay attention to a submission coming from someone they have met in person. To that end, writers flock to conferences so they can get some face time with real live agents and editors. And that’s great. I believe writers should get out and network. But those conferences can be pricey. It’s best to combine attending conferences with a few other strategies that are easier on your wallet. Here are 3 you may find useful.
1.) Attend Author Readings
Make a point of keeping track of writers who do work similar to yours. When they’re in the vicinity go hear them read. Sometimes–not all the time–but sometimes the author’s agent and editor will be in the audience. If they aren’t, see if you can steal a few moments with the writer and ask with whom he or she works and whether they have been pleased with the experience. You can either ask for an introduction or contact the people on your own. If you’re going to do the former, first develop a rapport with the writer and stay in touch. They may not feel comfortable referring you to their agent or editor right off the bat, but in time as they get to know you and your work, an introduction may be a possibility.
2.) Attend Classes Offered by Continuing Education Groups Such As The Learning Annex
Agents and editors are in the business of looking for the next hot writer and making a name for themselves in the publishing world. That’s why you’ll often find agents and editors teaching classes related to their work at places such as The Learning Annex, which has locations in New York City, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta and Boston (http://www.learningannex.com). Recent instructors include literary agent Katharine Sands, editor Marcela Landres (formerly of Simon & Schuster) and Vickie M. Stringer, founder and CEO of Triple Crown Publications. The courses can cost as little as $30 or $40 and last about three hours so you have some time to find out if the instructor can help you or point you in the direction of someone who can.
Remember the agent or editor probably has aspiring authors handing them manuscripts all the time, so make sure you stand out from the pack. Have a killer query letter and synopsis (if your book is a novel) or book proposal (for non-fiction works) at the ready. You’ll make a great impression simply because you’re not making them lug a 500-page behemoth home in their briefcase!
3.) Look for Agents and Editors Who Have Their Own Personal Websites
When you come across the name of an agent or editor who may be appropriate for you, Google them to see if they have their own websites with email addresses that may be different from their corporate mailboxes. Some are authors themselves (like literary agent Donald Maass, author of Writing the Breakout Novel) and have books of their own to promote. Email them and, again, try to develop a rapport and get a sense of what they’re working on and what they’re looking for. It’s best to know as specifically as possible before going through the trouble of making a submission. I recently heard about a writer who submitted to an agent looking for African American authors, but in fact the agent was looking for African American authors who wrote urban romance–which was not the writer’s genre at all.
One Last Note: These ideas should get you started and I hope they’ll inspire you to try other creative routes. It does get easier because you will find that as you go to more events and tell more people what you’re doing, the more likely you will be to find the connector that will build the path between you and your future agent or editor.
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How To Edit A Rough Draft of Fiction. Writing Tips By Writer Patty
January 30, 2010
It is a great feeling to come to the end of a rough draft. Knowing that you can do it, that you have created a complete novel is something that does not get old, even after writing many novels. It does not matter how good you get at the writing process, every new rough draft will need to be edited. If you have mastered the basics such as good grammar, formatting and punctuation, some of the editing steps will easier than the others.
We can compare editing to the process of cleaving, cutting and polishing a rough diamond. Diamonds take a long time to form, and when they are mined from the earth, they are rough yet beautiful. Each stage in the process is important and important for getting the most potential out of the tough gem.
Cleaving is the part of editing that can be started right after you have typed the end. This is where you step back and take a look at the large picture. Macro editing. Do you feel satisfied with your ending at that very moment? Do you have scenes that you will need to insert to make more sense out of your ending? Do you have a character that you need to develop more or one that you need to get rid of all together?
It is best not to make any of those changes right then. The diamond cleaver turns the rough gem in his hand and makes observations, sets the diamond in a type of cement and walks away from it, letting it cool. I suggest writing your observations and to do list down in notes, backup your draft once more and then not looking at it for a minimum of thirty days.
During that waiting period, relax and celebrate, but also start working on a new project. Work on rough notes and an outline for a new book or if you do not have an idea for a new story, find writing prompts and exercises that will challenge you and possibly give you some ideas. A week before you start editing, spend some time reading advice from others on the editing process.
Once the waiting period is over, read your manuscript from front to back. You will have a fresh perspective on it, and you will be able to work on those notes that you made earlier with confidence and precision. Tweak your ending, change your beginning, remove those characters or scenes that don’t advance the plot and add those small foreshadowing details that bring depth to the story and give more meaning to the ending. When you are done, put the manuscript away again. For a day, a week or longer if you need to and come back to it, ready to do the micro editing.
Writer Patty has spent several years researching and practicing the art of good fiction writing. The author has put together a website to gather all her fiction writing tips together to share with aspiring fiction writers. You’ll find great fiction writing tips here.
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