I Finally Think I Know

April 11, 2011

the genre where my writing resides.  I was agent hunting again today and came across a blog that I thought was intelligent and thoughtful by a Michael Bourret, an agent with Dystel & Goderich.  In reading about what he was looking for on his agency’s web site he mentioned that he really was passionate about non-fiction, even though he was interested in YA (young adult fiction) so I read about what the other agents at the same company were looking for, hoping for a better match for my books.

All of this prodding and poking, revising and researching, is how I spend my days lately.  My agent is out there; he or she just doesn’t know I’m here.  One of the difficulties, at least for me, has been to describe where my writing fits.  If I can’t describe the genre, how can I identify who is looking for me.  When I came to the bio for a pretty young girl who lives in Brooklyn no less (I wonder if she ever shopped in any of my stores? That would be an interesting coincident, yes?) she mentioned she was really interested in ‘magical realism’.  Huh?  What is that I asked Wikipedia?  Bingo, I ran around the house like a crazy person.  The glove fit!

This is a quote from the long entry describing magical realism.  “Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend to create a realistic atmosphere that accesses a deeper understanding of reality.  The story explains these magical elements as normal occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the ‘real’ and the ‘fantastic’ in the same stream of thought.”

At least I think I know,

Sharon

Categories: Finding a Literary Agent.

Submissions # 6 & # 7

April 1, 2011

Protocol demands you send out a query to a literary agent and then wait for a response for whatever time they tell you it will take for them to get to your query.  Of course, some won’t respond at all; in other words, silence is not golden, it’s a kiss off.

Response time is generally from four weeks to three months, or never. If I followed the rules, I would be able to query anywhere from four to twelve agents a year. So far I’ve cheated by sending seven queries out in 2 months. You’re supposed to confess if you’ve sent out multiple inquiries. Does that mean that the target agent won’t read your submission?  I am generally law abiding and rule following, but I’m also impatient.  And, I’m old.  How much time do I have?
 
So last night, I sent out two queries, one right after the other. I did some research, so I wouldn’t pester an agent that was looking for a cookbook with my ‘speculative’ fiction. Nevertheless, Donald Maass who is a renowned teacher of the craft and has his own agency,  and Naomi Akolekar from Spencerhill Associates both received my query.  Naomi received three chapters as well.  Every agent has a different list of requirements, and woe unto you if you send too much or too little.

Sharon

Categories: The Energy Collector.