STATUS: I’m totally laughing.
What’s playing on the iPod right now? A WHITER SHADE OF PALE by Annie Lennox
Sometimes I just can’t help but want to know how a rumor gets started. I’m particularly delighted with the one that I had passed on Stephenie Meyer’s TWILIGHT (titled as something else? FORKS?) when it was in query form or on submission.
Folks, TWILIGHT was sold by an agent friend of mine back in December of 2003—long before I started representing anything in the children or young adult world as that didn’t happen until early of 2005.
There wouldn’t have been any reason for Ms. Meyer to send me a query (and we certainly didn’t see sample pages) of this project as I didn’t represent young adult at the time.
That would also have been pretty darn early in my career (as I opened my own agency doors in August 2002). I had just sold my first project as my own agent in February of 2003, so I can’t imagine I was on too many radars back in those early days.
(Which I remember so fondly as we only received 10 to 15 email queries a day rather than the 80 to 100 we get now…).
I’m absolutely tickled by this rumor, and only Ms. Meyer could say for sure whether my agency was on her agent list or not, but sorry, from the knowledge I have, it’s not true.
Tags: young adult
Kristin,
I’ve got a question and I don’t know where else, so I’ll post it here.
In the chick-lit comfort-literature genre, a fellow writer has a good novel started. The situation: 38-year-old woman and teenage son mourn father who died about a year ago. They are in a seaside town running a B&B. She is ambivalent about a new romance, teen has a girl friend, etc.
I maintain that agent probably get 500 queries a year with this basic situation, and he needs something with more hook to it.
Can you comment on queries in various genres that fall into the category of “many many of the same-old”?
Thanks.
Congrats on taking the high road and not starting the 2nd-degree rumor: that Ms. Meyer DID query you and you DID pass but not without offering substantial constructive criticism which she took, to great effect, immediately before traitorously turning to another agency.
I love me some good conspiracy theory. 🙂
The good thing is that this is a positive rumor, connecting Stephanie Meyer to you, which might bring more quality YA submissions your way!
Kristin, what percentage of those 80 to 100 queries A DAY that you receive now are ones that are deleted on site for being poor? (Poor form, poorly written, poor plot, etc.)
I’m glad you’re delighted, at least. I’d be quite amused if I were in your situation.
(As for the FORKS thing, that was her working title for TWILIGHT. I believe she and her agent went back and forth quite a bit before settling on that title, if I remember correctly from her website or Twilight Lexicon or wherever I read that.)
Would you accept a story like that now?
*Thinks her story is too Dark for Miss Nelson over there but loves her blog and agency ANYWAY*
Rumors are much more fun than reality, though… 🙂
Good thing it’s just a rumor. I imagine it would fall into the “Regret” category otherwise…
😉
I heard you also passed on “Gatsby: the Decline and Fall of an American Success.” by Frank S. K. Fitzgerald.
Just because you weren’t around in 1925 is no excuse for that kind of short sightedness! 8)
Does that mean the one about you and Brad Pitt isn’t true, either? -)
I’m with the first person! I have no idea where to post this. (This is my second day on here)
I do have a question, as Y.A. is my target audience and this is in the Y.A. section. I’m a newbie, and I was wondering if there is a safe,no stealing, site that I can go to for a critique group? If so, where is if? I need someone, that I don’t know to read what I have written and give me some constructive feedback before I send out my MS.
Is there any way that you can help me?
Tasha
How’s the e-query reading going? Are you up to date yet? Just itchin’ to know….
Whether you rejected Twilight or not is actually irrelevant. You’re still the best out there–as far as I’m concerned….
natasha:
Agents aren’t the people to ask about critique groups. You should try Verla Kay’s Message Board.
http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php
It’s a friendly place. Good luck. 🙂
Natasha,
The Compuserve Books and Writers’ Forum has a very good workshop for critiquing. Not sure of the exact name anymore. Diana Gabaldon has a section there. She probably has a link to it or there’s a link to it on my blog.
They have a kid’s lit section also, which is excellent.
Emily and Julie-
Thank you both for your helpful information. I will be sure to check out both of those sites when I get back (I’m off to go camping).
I really appreciate that advice!
Natasha