Has the long novel made a comeback?
Today’s New York Times (November 11, 2013) reports on the recent sale of a 900-page novel, CITY ON FIRE, by Garth Risk Hallberg, for “close to $2 million.” The article headline grabbed my attention: “A Long Debut Novel Fetches About $2,200 Per Page.” The article points out several long novels that are currently enjoying strong […]
Ingredients of Successful Fiction: If Your Novel Doesn’t Sell, Consider This
From an agent’s perspective, selling fiction can be exciting, just plain fun or heartbreaking. Exciting because I can’t wait to tell editors about a story that moved me or kept me on the edge of my seat, characters I can’t forget, a setting that resonates, language that soars. Fun because fiction can be so engaging. […]
So you are a debut novelist…
I was thrilled this week to make a 2-book deal with Kensington Publishing for first time author, Kerstin March. I think this happy ending can be instructive for debut novelists, especially those writing mainstream women’s fiction or genre fiction, so I thought I’d share a little bit about how this came to be. Kerstin came […]
Learning from Rejection
Inevitably, no matter how strong or enticing a new project might be, I know that when I go out to sell, rejection is part of the process. It can be discouraging. No sooner do I contact editors, who often sound enthusiastic about considering a proposal or manuscript, then almost immediately, some “passes” stream in. As […]
When to Send Out an Agent Query
The ease of email queries, which most agencies accept, has resulted in writers sending queries to agents at all times of year and hours of the day.The assumption is (I think) that it’s OK to send out queries at odd times because we agents can read them whenever we like. The reality, for this agent […]
To Blurb or Not to Blurb? Elaine Neil Orr
Author Elaine Neil Orr (Author of A Different Sun: A Novel of Africa and Gods of Noonday: A White Girl’s African Life) offered us this guest post on blurbing, and other thoughts of generosity after your book comes out. Thank you, Elaine! Subsequent to my first book’s appearance (a memoir), I began to receive requests for […]
Do Your Homework to Land a Literary Agent
It never ceases to amaze me by 99% of the unsolicited queries we receive at the agency are doomed. Why? Because in so many cases, the writer clearly did not check our agency website and submission guidelines. And I’m assuming that if they are querying multiple literary agents (which, by the way, is OK), this […]
Query Letter Do’s and Don’ts
If you’re a writer and you have not been living under a rock, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the infamous query letter. This is the vehicle by which you will approach prospective agents and publishers.It is all-important because it will determine whether the recipient–someone you are trying to impress and engage–will respond to you and consider […]