Proving Connections Exist

Exhibit #1: Nathan Bransford, agent extraordinaire and classy gentleman (he seriously did not participate in the Agents of Twitterville's #queryfail yesterday, which was a hilarious but humiliating romp for the said query writers), has risen to the challenge of penning a positive week's worth of blogs posts. Yesterday he wrote The Ten Commandments for the Happy Writer, which is a thoroughly pithy & enjoyable read. I loved commandment eight, however, that instructs writers to "park your jealousy at the door." That topic, in itself, is worthy of an entire series of posts, but it's not where I'm headed today.

Exhibit #2: Anthony Pacheco, Hack Writer, the one of the sly wit and diabolical humor who deftly amuses and informs the blogosphere, is also a classy gentleman. Case in point: He writes, and I quote, "You will not find any negative (non-recommendation) book reviews here. That would, as unpublished writer, be a mistake and also a bit arrogant on my part, eh?" (This is, of course, not a snarky comment regarding my Hated Book Give-Away project whatsoever.) Pacheco seems to make it standard procedure to uplift and promote others whom he admires. There is no jealousy, no angst, no toddler temper tantrums from the Hack. Just happy kudos. And, that is an admirable practice.

Exhibit #3: On Wednesday, Pacheco blogs in his usual punchy manner about running across Gary Corby, fellow writer who has a book coming out next fall. Then he tweets about it, sending me and others to flood his blog post and Corby's website, in that order. Corby has an phenomonal landing-an-agent story that you simpy cannot miss. I laughed my way through it, then read the entire thing over again to the hubby. It was that good. You've got to read it for yourself. (And, congrats to Corby on all accounts! I'm looking forward to the book's release!)

Exhibit #4: Friday morning eases in, snow blanketing the world once more, and I'm still thinking about Gary Corby. I go back to his site, read his latest post about Aristophanes, and enjoy that as well. Then I start thinking about the connections -- fine, dewy spiderwebs spun of thought and word -- that invisibly touch our lives, then spring out into the world, brushing past others, looping us all together in a delicate and sometimes fragile cadre of writerly folk. And that makes me smile, which in turn makes me a happy writer.

Exhibit #5: You. What are the connections you've experienced? How do you know you're connected -- and what do you do to maintain or improve your connections? Or is it all in my head, something I've created in order to prolong my faith in humanity? You tell me :)

Book Roast: Taking Reservations

When some of the biggest names in the publishing world blog, writers not only listen, drool, and work fiendishly on their query letters, but they also peek at the Net World that the Agent/Editor/Scotch Drinker in question links to. At least this one does.

Among others, Bransford and Moonrat have given a shout out to Book Roast. Not only does the site review books and then invite authors on board to answer questions, but they give away free copies of the books. So it's like a free promotional for authors AND a sneak peek preview for readers.

This would have been posted much earlier, but I got lost reading some of the excerpts posted on the site. My only complaints are that I'm not seeing a deadline for entering each contest (By nosing around, I think you have to actually comment on the day of the author visit) and the fact that November & December seem a bit skimpy. But then, holidays are demanding.

And authors? They're taking reservations. Jump in and get roasted.

Agent Blogger: the Swivet

Slogging through blogs and randomly pulling out gems is hard work. That's why it's nice if someone else does it for you. Thanks to Nathan Bransford for pointing his readers in the direction of agent Colleen Lindsay who maintains a succint & informative site.

An agent with FinePrint Literary Management, Ms. Lindsay has posted her submission guidelines, currently seeking list, and tips for earnest writers in an organized and witty fashion on The Swivet.

The good news? While she represents a vast array of genres, Ms. Lindsay loves S/F and fantasy, especially the kind that breaks through the more common tropes of the genre. So, explore her site, mull over her advice, and start submitting your work!

Nathan Bransford: Literary Agent for Curtis Brown, Ltd

Previously this week, I mentioned Nathan Bransford as a blogging agent that anyone interested in publishing a novel should check out. I was serious. I've decided to post some of his gems, but I recommend that you seek his site out yourself.

Five Gems from Nathan Bransford:
1. August is a traditionally slow month in publishing, though he notes that it doesn't seem particularly slow this year. I had no idea that a particular time of the year was considered slow.

2. Quotes and blurbs from authors, editors, or clients are met with healthy skepticism, so don't bother soliciting them. On the other hand, if one of these respected individuals personally contacts him to refer your work, he'll definitely look at the manuscript.

3. He has a great post on the vital intersection of plot and character. The discussion of conflict, both external and internal, resonates. If the first and final images of your character aren't radically different, nothing happened during the course of your novel.

4. Query letter do's and don'ts. An interesting post on 1) copycat trends, 2) ripped from headlines trends, and 3) "simultaneous thought" trends is on the same page.

5. Nathan does a fascinating query critique of three brave authors who submitted theirs for public dissection. This is the open window into how one agent thinks. Valuable.

Find a Literary Agent

Book finished? Revised four times? (Why is it that every time I talk with a "serious" writer they tell me, "I'm on my fourth revision"? Is four the magic number? Am I missing something? Have I lost out simply because I didn't do the requisite four?!) Have you toiled over your synopsis? Have you executed a finely turned query letter? Well, then, it's time to look for a literary agent. Good luck.

Actually, this post is not about finding the right literary agent. In fact, I think it's best to start with what this is not about.

• It's not a list of agents. You can find that anywhere. Try Guide to Literary Agents, either online or in book format.
• It's not a matching service. Zirdland is currently testing one, however, if that floats your boat.
• It's not a get-rich-quick scheme. But I do have a large tract of undeveloped land to sell if you're interested.

There is a ton of information out there about each of those items. (Read my previous posts, if you're bored. Truly.)

What I've discovered, however, is that there are literary agents out there blogging who are phenomonal writers in their own rights. Treasure troves of information, inspiration, and motivation, they provide real tips in a timely fashion. So, my advice is to find a literary agent who "speaks" to you; who blogs on topics near and dear to your heart; who is honest about the work and the glory. You don't even have to query her. You just have to listen.

My contribution to the blogging agent list: Nathan Bransford. I'm not only impressed with his prolific blogging, but also with his uncanny ability to blog on topics I'm currently needing. Or even on topics I didn't know I needed but found great use for. Check him out.

Are there agents you subscribe to? Do you find yourself checking one agent blog in particular simply because there's always a gem nested there? Have you ever queried an agent that you found via blog? Let me know if you've found the perfect agent blogger; I'm always looking to expand my horizons.