Nelson Literary Agency November Newsletter

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November 2009

IN THIS ISSUE:

In the News

Agent Insider

New Releases

Read A Good Book Lately?


	It just seems like authors have to do an awful lot to publish successfully these days. Not only do you have to write a great novel or work of nonfiction, you have to be an active participant in the promotion as well. Talk about exhausting! Like it or not, it is the reality now so time to buck up and embrace it. With that in mind, I’d like to offer a small bit of advice. Most authors don't necessarily think about creating a weekly or bi-monthly report of their own promotion done for a recent release and sending it to their in-house publicist on a regular basis. If you haven't thought to do so, maybe you should. It's a great way of having open communication with your publisher in a way that's undemanding but keeps your name and efforts in the forefront. It also gives your publicist handy things to say about you in the next sales meeting. And although it might not happen immediately, it paves the way for your publisher to step up and even potentially pay for things in the future. Now that's a reward worth reaping. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Best, Kristin Nelson Agent

As the end of the year nears, major awards are being announced. We are thrilled to be able to share news of a Publishers Weekly Top 100 Book of 2009! Also, three of our established authors have hot sales to celebrate this month. There’s no slow down in excitement around here!

SOLD:

FICTION: Author of Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet, Jamie Ford's sophomore effort Whispers Of A Thunder God, again to Jane von Mehren at Random House, in a major deal.

FICTION: WOMEN'S/ROMANCE Courtney Milan's next two historical romances, to Tara Parsons at HQN, with Margo Lipschultz editing, in a good deal.

FICTION: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Author of Magic Lost, Trouble Found, Lisa Shearin’s next two in the Raine Benares series, again to Anne Sowards at Ace.

Publishers Weekly has announced its Best Books of 2009. We are very excited to share the news that Gail Carriger’s debut novel SOULLESS was honored as a Top 100 Best Book in the mass market category! Congratulations Gail!

Here’s the blurb that was posted with the honor:

“Soulless Gail Carriger (Orbit) Carriger combines Victorian romance, supernatural creatures, steampunk sensibilities and a healthy dose of the bizarre in her hilarious debut.”
--Publishers Weekly

From the back cover of SOULLESS:

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Or will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

At the beginning of October, Jamie Ford’s bestselling novel HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET was released in trade paperback. This stunning debut novel originally hit the shelves in January 2009 with outstanding results–including 9 weeks on the New York Times Hardcover Bestseller List as well as landing on the USA Today Bestseller List and the Publishers Weekly Bestseller List.

This month’s big news for Jamie (and Jamie’s numerous fans) is that every week since release, the paperback edition of HOTEL has appeared on the New York Times Paperback Bestseller List! Congratulations Jamie — you deserve every success!

From the back cover of HOTEL:

In 1986, Henry Lee joins a crowd outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has discovered the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps during World War II. As the owner opens a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American girl from his childhood in the 1940s. Henry and Keiko forged a bond of friendship–and innocent love–that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors. After Keiko and her family were evacuated to the internment camps, she and Henry could only hope that their promise to each other would be kept. Now, forty years later, Henry searches the hotel’s basement for the Okabe family’s belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot even begin to measure. His search will take him on a journey to revisit the sacrifices he has made for family, for love, for country.

Sarah Rees Brennan’s debut young adult novel THE DEMON’S LEXICON has been nominated for the Ireland/UK 2010 CILIP Carnegie Medal. This award is special in that the CILIP Carnegie Children’s Book Awards are chosen by librarians themselves — the people who are on the front lines working directly with books and children. Judges don’t come much tougher than that!

From the coverflap of DEMON'S LEXICON:

Nick Ryves knows that demons are real.

Nick and his brother Alan have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered and their mother driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick’s mother stole–a charm that keeps her alive–and they want it badly enough to kill again.

Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to them for help. The boy wears a demon’s mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase, and when Alan also gets marked by a demon Nick is desperate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.

Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians’ circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.

This is the Demon’s Lexicon. Turn the page.

Hank Philippi Ryan’s third novel in the sensational Charlotte McNally series came out at the beginning of September. Since then, we’ve been amassing great reviews and exciting pieces of publicity. Here are two big announcements we’re excited to share:

AIR TIME hit the September Bestseller List for the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association! Congratulations Hank — this is really exciting! Of course, what makes it even better is that FACE TIME (the second book in the McNally series) also hit coming in at #9! Way to dominate that list!

Then, in October, the Sun Sentinel had this to say about AIR TIME:

“Hank Phillippi Ryan brings a sense of realism and behind-the-scenes look at electronic journalism, honed from her years as an award-winning television journalist. Ryan has won 26 Emmys and 10 Edward R. Murrow Awards for her journalism and an Agatha for her mystery series. Ryan keeps the energetic story tightly coiled, smoothly weaving in the serious plot points while also giving "Air Time" a light touch.”
--Oline Cogdill Sun Sentinel

From the back cover of AIR TIME:

When savvy TV reporter Charlotte McNally enters the glamorous world of high fashion, she soon discovers that when the purses are fake — the danger is real. And no one can be trusted!

Now Charlotte can’t tell the real from the fake as she goes undercover to bring the couture counterfeiters to justice — and in her struggle to answer an all-important, life-changing question from a certain handsome professor…

The one thing Charlotte knows for sure is that the wrong choice could be the last decision she ever makes!

Helen Stringer’s fantasy middle grade novel SPELLBINDER just received a wonderful review in Publishers Weekly. This is extra exciting because SPELLBINDER is a debut novel and it’s wonderful to see an author come out of the gate so strongly. Congratulations Helen!

“Stringer debuts with an adventurous, darkly humorous ghost story. Twelve-year-old Belladonna Johnson lives an ordinary life, except for the fact that she can see ghosts, including those of her parents, who were killed in a car accident. Other than that, they're still her same old parents (“Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were great believers in the family dinner and just because they were no longer corporeal, they saw no reason to let things slide”). That is, until they disappear, along with all the other ghosts Belladonna has gotten to know. After enlisting her classmate Steve as a sidekick, Belladonna journeys to the Land of the Dead in order to bring back the ghosts; she eventually comes to realize that the fate of the universe is at stake and it's up to her to restore the natural equilibrium of the world… Stringer's ability to build a strong sense of mystery, entwined with Western mythology, will pull readers through to the end. Those who like unusual ghost stories without the usual horror will enjoy this book.”
--Publishers Weekly

TIPS FROM THE SLUSH PILE by Sara Megibow
Happy Thanksgiving! I’ve been reading the query inbox for almost four years now. Hard to believe isn’t it? In that time, there is one trend that I can count on - the days right after any holiday tend to see a huge influx of query letter submissions. That’s exciting — it means there are tons of great projects on their way to my desk in the next two months! Really, it also means that writers are taking their holiday time to polish up their manuscripts, put together their agent list, and submit their work.

So, with that in mind, here’s my radical query letter suggestion for the month. Try preparing two or three different versions of your query letter. Maybe one has a lighter tone to it, maybe one includes more detail on the plot. Spend some time getting query letter help where you can (I tend to recommend evileditor.blogspot.com). Then, send the most compelling version to your top ten agents. If you are getting 2-3 requests for sample pages per 10 submissions, GREAT! If not, send version two of the query letter to your next ten top agents. See where I’m going with this? It’s a way to gauge what works best for your story.

Now, here’s the super secret insider tip that makes this exercise really worth it. If you’re not getting requests for sample pages from version one or version two — pull out version three and resubmit it to some of your top agents again. Resist the temptation to open your resubmission with, “I submitted this project to you a month ago, but I’ve revised my query letter and I would like to submit it again.” Simply resubmit it as if it were the first time. Trust me, with 200 query letters coming in per day, I’m not likely to remember your first query letter. Also, it’s totally professional and appropriate to approach us again if it took that extra step to perfect your craft.

Happy Holidays! If you choose to use the holiday breaks to write, then I look forward to seeing your work in 2010!

Sincerely,

Sara Megibow

WHAT’S HOT by Kristin Nelson
I’ve got four words for you. Dystopian young adult fiction. In the last 2 months, I’ve seen 4 deals on Deal Lunch for near future, dystopian YA titles--and for decent money according to those annoucements. We can also say this with certainty because Sara just offered representation for a wonderful dystopian YA submission. The author had seven agent offers, yikes, and alas we didn’t land that person as a client (much to our dismay as we loved that novel).

With the continued strength of sales for the Hunger Games Series, dystopian just might be the new vampire.

HOW TO RUIN YOUR BOYFRIEND'S REPUTATION
by Simone Elkeles

Guess who’s jetting off to the Holy Land this summer!

Yes, it’s me–Amy Nelson-Barak. I’ve volunteered for ten days of military training in Israel with my friends. The Sababa brochure said it would be a “fun” summer experience. Okay, so I didn’t sign up to prove I’m not a princess…I did it to surprise my hot Israeli boyfriend stationed at the same base.

Too bad nobody told me:

• It’s hot in the Negev desert…like, so hot your makeup melts off and you get under-boob sweat spots.
• You can’t sleep in until 11 a.m.
• You shouldn’t kill bees with your flatiron–don’t ask.
• Peeing in a hole isn’t easy (when you’re a girl)–double don’t ask.

When I find out our team leader is my boyfriend Avi, I’m totally psyched…until I learn he has to treat me like all the other recruits. Can you say OY VEY!

STAKE THAT
by Mari Mancusi

Two sisters–as different as the sun and the rain. For one, getting into the Blood Coven is to die for, but it seems destiny has something else in mind…

Rayne McDonald had it all figured out. Get turned into a vampire, become the mate of the Blood Coven leader, and live the high-life for all eternity. Too bad the head vamp took a bite out of her twin sister by mistake. Now, not only is Rayne still not a vampire, but she learns she’s a slayer instead–destined to destroy vamps gone bad.

After being recruited by a secret organization, Rayne is given her first mission: infiltrate a seedy bar downtown and expose its vampire owner, Maverick, for purposely spreading a nasty blood virus. Luckily the Blood Coven sends some help–in the form of sexy vampire Jareth. Will vampire and slayer be able to settle their differences and work together to bring down the evil Maverick? Or will they find their own hearts on the line?

THE STORY BEHIND THE SALE by Kristin Nelson
I was not the original agent for the first two books in Simone’s How To Ruin series featuring the indomitable and totally hilarious Amy, Jewish American Princess with heart. Simone was formally with the now-defunct Firebrand Agency. But I have to say, I’m so delighted to have repped the third book in the series, HOW TO RUIN YOUR BOYFRIEND’S REPUTATION.

Of course I’m probably completely biased on this but this third book is the best one yet. I can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed so hard. A chick lit-type approach in teen fiction is a hard balance. It has to be exactly the right voice or it doesn’t work and the heroine just sounds annoying and vapid. We see a lot of that and we always pass on it so if you are wondering about a title that really works with this type of voice, you might want to pick it up. Simone is just a master writer (and isn’t it nice to know that she doesn’t just do angsty romance a la PERFECT CHEMISTRY?)

In this novel, Amy, our completely likable but rather pampered heroine, signs up for a military boot camp in Israel to be close to her boyfriend Avi–only to discover that it is no summer camp. To further complicate things, how can Amy compete with gorgeous but tough Israeli girl soldiers who are more of a perfect match for Avi?

Oh, you are going to have a great time finding out. And for me, I’m just excited to read a YA in a non-American setting–that’s not set in the UK or Down Under either. I really hope you agree with me.


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	KRISTIN’S BOOK CLUB For our November meet up, my book club met at a fabulous Indian restaurant in North Denver called the Jewel of India. I have to say that we don’t meet at a restaurant often. In fact, I can think of only three other occasions in the last ten years when we did so. Book club is often about connection, not just about the title we are reading. It’s hard to have really good conversation in a public setting. But it’s good to get out every once in a while so we ate very yummy saag paneer, dal, and garlic naan (just to name a few of the tasty dishes we had) while discussing BLINK by Malcolm Gladwell. As a writer, Gladwell is one of our favorites. We did THE TIPPING POINT several years ago and had a lively discussion around that title. BLINK was much the same. The basic premise of the work is to highlight how seemingly instant decisions are not really decisions made in a blink of an eye–that our brain has been gathering data and facts over time that then coalesce into a moment that looks like a rapid decision. Of course, the point of the book is to show how we can then use that in life and on the flip side, how that type of processing can be manipulated in our culture. Very fascinating. I imagine that at some point, our book club will probably read OUTLIERS as well. For me personally, I love the disparate fields that he explores to show how blink decisions happen. All of us in my club remembered taking the required Psychology 101 class in college and the lab component that had the students participate in a variety of experiments done by Psych graduate students. Oh my, now we know what those studies were all about as Gladwell highlights a few really cool ones that show the mind at work in snap judgments. We were all especially disturbed by the word association experiment on race where the participant had to put words in one of two columns–white/bad or African-American/good. And the point of the experiment was not to monitor in which column the participant put the word but in how long it took him/her to do it. Oh, that was revealing. So all in all, we say if you haven’t picked up this nonfiction title, we’d recommend it. Our book club won’t meet again until January; it’s just too hard around the holidays. We are still voting on a possible title. Right now we are leaning toward maybe doing a sports memoir like Armstrong’s IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE. We’ve certainly done any number of memoirs over the years but never a sports memoir. Maybe it’s time. ON SARA’S NIGHTSTAND Life caught up with me a bit this month and I haven’t read anything for fun. Not reading feels a bit like going too long without being around my best friend. Needless to say, I am ready for the holiday break and a nice quiet afternoon (or two) with a cup of coffee and a good book! On my list for 2010: TUCK by Stephen Lawhead (one of my favorite authors ever!) ELANTRIS by Brandon Sanderson (a new-ish fantasy author taking the world by storm) THE HOLLOW by Jessica Verday (a hot YA novel that is getting a lot of buzz)

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	"What is the buzz here at the agency regarding Harlequin’s announcement to offer self-publishing to romance authors?" Link to this entry on Kristin’s blog. For the latest blog entry, go here.
	To learn more about Nelson Literary Agency, such as our recent sales, how to submit, and valuable writer resources, please visit our website: www.nelsonagency.com