Book Agents
Thanks to the wonderful workings of the worldwide web, we writers have access to numerous tools, services, and pieces of advice for everything from writing to submitting to acquiring book agents. In the same respect, because of the facility and accessibility of the web, we also must be guarded, educated on, and protected from smarmy, conniving individuals attempting to pass themselves off as book agents. I have been writing since I was old enough to hold a pencil in my teeth and try writing on the walls of my mother’s beautiful home. I have been writing for a living for a lot less longer and have looked into the guiles and guises and gifts of book agents for even less time than that (primarily because I have a limited desire to publish a book that will make zillions and therefore have limited need for all that much research into book agents, publishers, and the like). But I have come across super-important, and clearly valuable information that anyone in the writing life might want to peruse or study.
FINDING AND MOVING TOWARD LEGITIMATE BOOK AGENTS
The Burry Man Writer’s Center – This is a comprehensive site with thousands of job leads as well as hundreds of links for writers seeking to find agents in most genres…from mystery to romance to fiction and more.
Author Link.com – not just a place to find agents, but a venue for talking about books, writing, and publishing.
Literary Agents Directory – As its name suggests, this site is devoted to writers who want to find agents for every genre, from nonfiction, fiction, and reference to poetry and children’s prose and in every country, from here to Holland and back.
IDENTIFYING AND AVOIDING SCURVY BOOK AGENTS
These writers and writer sites/pages include directories and/or forums defining, determining, and discussing those con artists who have scammed writers in the past and who are now caught or still out there lurking, sniffing, and hoping to pounce:
Editors Directory at Another Realm (a.k.a. Predators and Editors site).
Whispers and Warnings at Angela Hoy’s Writers Weekly
The Water Cooler at Absolute Write
The Warnings Forum at Brady Magazine
The Writer Beware Pages at SFWA’s site (http://www.sfwa.org/beware/agents.html) –SFWA also has a second reputation (besides protecting writers by forewarning them): they suspected a literary agent/pod was a fraud, and wrote a book of absolute crapola nonsense—so bad a grammarian would have instant cardiac arrest. The book was “accepted”. Look for a link on the site. You can buy the book. It is brilliant in its ulterior intent.
THE HOW-TO AND HOW NOT-TO APPROACH BOOK AGENTS SITES
The Randy Murray Literary Agency – This agency features a guide for “how to impress a literary agency.” It speaks to the Murray Agency specifically, but establishes sensible protocol for approaching book agents in general, as well.
Everyone Who's Anyone in Adult Trade Publishing, Propagandaville
and Tinseltown, Too, is a Worthless, Superfluous, Giddy, Giggly,
Chickenhearted, Money-Grubbing, Nazi Moron [go to the U.S. Literary Agents section(s) at everyonewhosanyone.com] – This is an absolutely hilarious approach, the writer getting apoplectic about rejection, decides to not only query every single agent in the United States but posts their responses and lists their contact info. Lesson? You’ll figure it out.
Book Agents related articles:
Book Club Lists
Many people are getting involved with developing book clubs. This is a fun way to get together with a group of friends to discuss books. There are several book club lists that have been developed to help clubs choose what they want to read. Some of the... Book Of The Month
Many people are getting involved in book of the month clubs. The book of the month club has been around for many years, however recently there is renewed interest in getting together with others to discuss the book of the month. Many people credit Oprah... Book Shops
I am a shopper. I like to shop for everything from apparel to gifts to groceries. My husband teases me that I am the only person that he knows that spends time browsing at the gas station. Of all the shopping and browsing I do my favorite places to go to ... Books For Dummies
Are you in one of those situations? You know the ones where you simply have no idea what you're doing. Maybe it's time to start changing the oil in your vehicle on your own, or finally start using your home computer for a variety of tasks. Hey, if you hav... Books On Line
Over the last decade the internet has exploded. You can do your grocery shopping on line, you can buy clothes on line, you can even read books on line. And while it’s a great convenience to be able to do so many things on the internet that you would once ...
more Pocket Links articles:
Birthday Gift Basket
Gift baskets have become one of the most popular ideas when it comes to gift giving. They are the perfect solution to many problems and issues that tend to come up when you find yourself searching for a unique gift. A birthday gift basket can actually be ... Computer Game Design
When I first found out that you could get a degree in computer game design, I was surprised, not to mention very pleased. You see, it had been my dream to be a computer game designer for many years, and though I had had some experience in designing comput... Vanity
It's one of the oldest issues and sins of all time. Vanity has afflicted the human race for as long as we know, or at least our documented history provides. How can we as a society steer away from it? We simply can't. It's not in our nature. As much ... Hair Loss After Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a whole body experience. After the baby is born, the mother’s body has a lot of things to do in order to return to its usual non-pregnant state. A mother who is nursing will have a longer period of readjustment than one who is not. Still, ... Airline Travel Deals
By now, most of us have surely heard stories about airplane passengers being charged extra money for pillows and blankets, the lack of refreshments on most flights, and a general increase in associated costs across the board. People tend to deal with thes... |