Late last year Operation Awesome asked YOU, our readers, for your most
burning revision questions that you'd like to ask our panel of agents. We'll be posting them throughout the New Year's Revisions
Conference, but first here's a little more about awesome panel of
agents:
The Agents
Laura Bradford established the Bradford Literary Agency in 2001. She
considers herself an editorial-focused agent and takes a hands-on
approach to developing proposals and manuscripts with her authors for
the most appropriate markets. During her own misadventures as a writer,
Laura came to understand the importance of having a friendly but
critical eye on your side, a career strategist in your corner and a
guide who can lead you through the travails of publication.
She continues to actively build her client list and is
currently seeking work in the following genres: Romance (historical,
romantic suspense, paranormal, category, contemporary, erotic), urban
fantasy, women’s fiction, mystery, thrillers and young adult as well as
some select non-fiction.
Josh Getzler is an agent and founder of HSG Agency. He left Harcourt in 1993 to get an MBA from Columbia Business
School. After Business School, Josh spent 11 years owning and operating a
minor league baseball team (the Staten Island Yankees). He left
baseball in late 2006 and rejoined the book world on the agent side.
Josh worked at Writers House until November 2009, building a list of
novelists, YA and children’s book authors, and the occasional nonfiction
writer; then joined Russell and Volkening. Josh represents fiction and nonfiction (mostly fiction, much of which
is crime-related (mystery, thriller, creepy…)), adult and
YA/middle-grade books (though not picture books). And please don’t
send religious fiction. He is particularly into foreign and historical
thrillers and mysteries, so send your ruthless doges and impious
cardinals…and your farmhouse cozies!
Erin Harris is a literary agent at Folio Literary Management. She represents literary
fiction, book club fiction, contemporary YA, and select narrative non-fiction
titles. Some of her clients include: Times Magazine contributor and
former Newsweek correspondent Carla Power, Executive Editor of The
New Criterion David Yezzi, and the novelists Bryan Furuness and Jennifer
Laam. Erin began her career in publishing in 2008 and has worked for both
William Clark of WM Clark Associates and Irene Skolnick of the Irene Skolnick
Literary Agency. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the New School
and her BA in literature from Trinity College (Hartford, CT).
Natalie Lakosil is an agent and Laura’s assistant at the Bradford Literary
Agency. An honors graduate of the University of San Diego, California,
Natalie holds a B.A. in Literature/Writing. After nearly four years at
the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency and a brief dabble in writing author
profiles and book reviews for the San Diego Union Tribune, Natalie
joined the Bradford Agency in February of 2011. Natalie is drawn to talented, hard-working new authors with a fresh,
unique voice and hook. Her specialty is commercial fiction, with an
emphasis in children’s literature (from picture book-teen), romance
(contemporary, paranormal and historical), upmarket women’s fiction and
select nonfiction. Her interests include historical, multi-cultural,
paranormal, sci-fi/fantasy, gritty, thrilling and darker contemporary
novels, middle grade with heart, and short, quirky picture books.
Victoria Marini is
an associate literary agent with the Gelfman Schneider Literary
Agency,and
an assistant to Jane Gelfman, Deborah Schneider, and
Heather Mitchell. She began taking on clients in 2010 and is actively
building her list. She's looking for adult literary fiction, commercial
fiction, and women's fiction, plus YA (especially literary,
contemporary, heartwarming and funny, or dark, edgy, and commercial),
Middle Grade (fantasy and coming-of-age humorous), and nonfiction
(narrative non-fiction,
humorous/pop-culture non-fiction, and memoir, as well lifestyle/how-to
non-fiction).
Kathleen Rushall is an agent at Marsal Lyon. She started as an intern at the Sandra Dijkstra Agency,
and then spent almost two years at Waterside Productions. Kathleen looks
forward to garnering fresh voices, strong narratives, and whimsical
tales in all areas of young adult literature including contemporary
fiction, suspense, Southern gothic, historical fiction, and science
fiction. She is open to all genres of YA, but has a soft spot for
thrillers, horror, romance, laugh-out-loud voices, and would love to
find a dark mystery. She’s also open to New Adult queries. Kathleen is
looking for funny, character-driven, quirky picture books and all genres
of big voiced middle grade fiction. Kathleen also represents select nonfiction and is interested in
parenting, cooking, crafts, business, alternative medicine, women’s
interest, humor, pop-culture, and some how-to.
The Q&A Part Two: Querying
If you reject a query with sample pages or a submission and the
writer makes major revisions based on that reason or another agent's
recommendations, is it acceptable for the writer to follow up without a
revise/resubmit to see if you'd be interested in seeing the revised
project?
Laura Bradford: Sure, I never mind that. I can always say no. Some other agents don’t
allow re-submissions so I’d recommend checking each agent’s website to
see if they expressly say anything about whether they are ok with it or
not (I actually have that answer on my website’s FAQ section).
Josh Getzler: That mostly depends on how far down the road I went with the project. A
simple resubmit after a generic query/pass typically won’t get the
author too far. If I gave specific recommendations, and had shown real
interest, and then passed, and the author comes back with a
substantially rewritten book, then it would be OK.
Erin Harris: I am open to seeing a revise/resubmit if a writer has made
significant changes to their original manuscript. Usually, though, I
will tell a writer if I’d like to see their work again post revision. If
I haven’t told you that expressly, then your project probably isn’t the
right fit for me, regardless of subsequent editing.
If you do find yourself in a revise/resubmit situation, I highly
recommend writing your target agent a concise, thoughtful note,
explaining your situation. Also, always include whatever correspondence
you’ve previously had with that agent.
Natalie Lakosil: Of course. Just not so much if they try and sneak it in again without mentioning I’ve seen it before!
Victoria Marini: I can’t speak for everyone, but sure. This doesn’t bother me.
Kathleen Rushall: I probably wouldn’t re-approach an agent with changes unless it was something he or she had requested.
The queries that hooked you from the start, do you find it is because of voice, content, or mostly both?
Laura Bradford: If we are talking about a query LETTER, then probably content. If we are
talking about an entire query submission (because I ask authors to
include a sample of the work), then probably the voice in the sample
pages.
Josh Getzler: I typically am initially hooked by the idea, reeled in by the voice, and
landed by the content. I’ll see “I have an historical mystery set in a
village in 18th century England,” and be intrigued and read on. But then
the voice has to hit me pretty much right away. If those happen, I’ll
really read on.
Erin Harris: It’s definitely both – voice and content. With queries, I’m looking for a
compelling concept that is clearly and succinctly articulated. I want
to know the genre, title, word count, and premise immediately, at a
glance.
It comes as no surprise, then, that I strongly advise
against burying these seminal details with the inclusion of a lengthy
and chatty introduction. Do not be verbose. Do not get bogged down in
every intricacy and plot detail of your manuscript.
Be professional and respectful, research the agent you are querying in advance, and be sure to follow their specific guidelines.
Natalie Lakosil: Content on query, voice on sample pages.
Victoria Marini: Both. I’m a sucker for a great idea, first, and then the voice will drive me to read the sample pages.
Kathleen Rushall: Voice is always first for me.
And for those queries that don't quite hook you (on the fence), what is it that persuades you to ask for more?
Laura Bradford: Good writing in the sample and a strong voice can certainly convince me
to give a ms a chance even if I perhaps don’t think I like the subject
matter. Curiosity can also be a strong motivator, too (what is going to
happen next?!)
Josh Getzler: Either the topic (see above for a good example), or the author’s
background. If the author is an expert in a time or topic, or works in
the field, or is previously published, or has a Ph.D (because then I
know he or she can write a long paper), I will sometimes give greater
leeway than if I’m not compelled at the opener of, say, a fantasy novel.
The farther we are from reality, the less bona fides you need, but the
less rope you get!
Erin Harris: I ask writers to attach the first ten pages of their manuscripts to
their query letters. If the writing in the sample is incredibly
engaging, but I didn’t find the style of the query letter effective, I
will still request a larger sample of the writer’s manuscript.
I’m sympathetic to the fact that some amazing writers may not quite
understand how to present their own work at this early stage in the
publishing process. Though they will need to hone this skill if they are
to become successfully published authors!
Natalie Lakosil: If the content sounds ok, but it reads really well, I’ll ask for
more. If the content and sample pages sound ok, but it’s a genre/type
I’m dying to find, I’ll read more and hope it just needs to catch its
stride.
Victoria Marini: Curiosity. I may not love it, but if I’m curious, I’ll probably ask to see more.
Kathleen Rushall: Rarely, but sometimes, if I see something I like (great voice or really
fresh hook) but it’s crowded out by other elements, I’ll request more to
see if the part I like comes to fruition later in the writing. If I can
see that the writer is capable of taking the book where I’d hoped, then
I know revisions to perfect the other parts are possible.
Do you have any advice for unagented or previously agented
published authors who are looking for an agent? Is the process different
(for instance, can the author query with a proposal), or do you still
prefer to see a completed manuscript?
Laura Bradford: I really, REALLY don’t like to sign an author based only on a partial
ms. I need to read something that is complete in order to feel confident
about an author’s abilities and in the case of a previously published
author I will look at a previously pubbed complete novel. The process
isn’t really different for published authors vs unpublished authors. The
published author still has to get my attention, write something I am
compelled by that I think I can sell. The published author also has to
be someone I think I can work well with. I recently signed a published
author who I knew really, REALLY well as a friend for years before she
found herself looking for a new agent. And despite the fact that I knew
HER really well and liked her very much, I still elected to read a
couple of her published manuscripts before formally offering
representation. So I even hold my friends to the same standards as any
other querying author, LOL.
Josh Getzler: Yes, I do still need to see a completed manuscript in almost every
circumstance (in fiction). Certainly if an author has books under
contract, it’s less fraught, and the chances are better. But often times
that kind of switch comes with a story, or angst, or issues, and with
the credibility of presumed quality comes a different kind of question
for me: If an author is switching agents, why? Is it a problem of
commitment? Is the author going to be difficult? I advise an
agent-switcher to be very clear and open about why he or she is making
the change. I’ll find out anyway, and it’ll be easier with full
disclosure. Most of the time, the reasons are very understandable, but
it’s very helpful for me (or any agent, really) to understand the
circumstances.
Erin Harris: If a previously published author queries me, then I need to know all
about their publishing history. My advice is for authors to be
forthright. If you aren’t honest upfront, the truth will eventually come
to light. It’s important that we’re on the same page from the outset,
so that it can be a productive professional relationship for us both.
Depending on the project – and the author – I would take a look at a
proposal or partial manuscript.
Natalie Lakosil: I still prefer a completed manuscript, but it really depends on WHO
they are published with, HOW RECENT and HOW WELL (i.e., sales #s). If
the author hasn’t had anything published in over 5 years and/or is
starting over, or if the author is only published with smaller presses
and trying to break into NY, or if the author doesn’t have fabulous
sales #s, a full is better to go out on submission with so really better
to consider upfront.
Victoria Marini: The process is still the same, for me. It might be a help if you
previously had an agent, but it might also be a hindrance. Either way,
I’m still going to read your letter, read your sample, and go from
there.
Kathleen Rushall: The process for finding an agent isn’t much different for previously
agented authors as it is for unagented authors. I’d still want to see
the full manuscript and consider all your work, goals, vision and
background.
If someone submitted something that had a lot of potential, but
you could tell it would require a lot of work at both ends, would you
take it anyway? Or pass....
Laura Bradford: Honestly, these days I’d probably pass. Earlier in my career when my
list was smaller I had more time to take on those rougher projects. As
any agent’s career develops we necessarily have to change how we make
decisions about what we take on. I am totally open to taking on work
that might not be an easy sell, the longshots, if you will but I am much
harder pressed to take on something that could be incredibly labor
intensive. And I am an editorial-focused agent so I always expect to do
some work on each ms I take on. The risk-reward ratio has to be right.
I’ll take on something that requires more work provided the potential
payoff is proportional.
Josh Getzler: I spend an enormous amount of time and effort on potential projects,
many of which don’t pan out. I’m not afraid of a lot of work. I’m at a
stage where I’m a little pickier about it than I used to be, and need to
be very certain of the potential marketability of the project, but I’m
willing to do the work if the author is. I will also more often ask for
revisions on these kinds of projects without making the offer of
representation (in the same way that more editors are making suggestions
before going to ed board and buying books). It’s not the way the writer
really wants the process to go (in either situation!), but it limits
the risk for the agent (or editor), and doesn’t get us into the
uncomfortable situation of having asked for extensive revisions based on
potential, receiving an unsuccessful revision for whatever reason, and
needing to break up before submission. But I’m very happy to roll up my
sleeves and help an author I think could eventually make it—it’s one of
the great joys of my job!
Natalie Lakosil: I would probably offer a R&R, depending on what has potential. If
the potential is in the writer, not the plot, I’d want to see the
author’s next work. But if the potential is in the plot/hook and the
author has a fabulous voice, I’d probably go for a R&R. My old boss
had a saying: focus your energy on the shortest distance between you and
a published book. I’d say that applies – I don’t have as much time as I
used to to hone talent, so I need more of a full package than I used to
to offer representation.
Victoria Marini: That depends on whether I’m confident we can both execute our respective
responsibilities. If I can identify the problems, articulate the
solutions, and feel confident the author can make the necessary changes –
Yes, I’ll take it on. If I know something is wrong, but I can’t quite
tell what or how to fix it, I have to say “no.”
Erin Harris: Yes! If I love a project, have the right vision for it, and think the
author and I make a good team, then absolutely, I sign the writer up
right away, even if the project requires a lot of work on both ends.
Thank you to all of our agents and all of our readers who submitted questions.
