Pub Rants

Category: NLA Authors

Huge Congrats to Simone Elkeles—NYT Bestseller!

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Just an amazing day

What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? MY STUPID MOUTH by John Mayer

Squee! Simone Elkeles’s RULES OF ATTRACTION has just hit the NYT bestseller list—coming in at #3 after Hunger Games and Catching Fire.

We are speechless but just thrilled. Simone, you so deserve this. You are one of the hardest working authors I know and you paid your dues for this NYT list hit as Rules is your sixth novel. Even more sweet given the fact that Rules is the sequel to Perfect Chemistry—a novel that we had trouble selling originally.

Oh, and Happy Birthday Simone. Isn’t this the best gift ever?

And this may sound like an odd reaction but I think I might just want to lay my head down on my desk and cry. When I started my agency in 2002, never in a million years did I dream of this kind of success. This the fourth NLA author to appear on the New York Times bestseller list and the seventh novel to hit.

I feel emotional and very very blessed.

Bologna Children’s Book Fair Pics (Take 3)

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: All I can think about is getting another 9 hours of sleep. . .

What’s playing on the iPod right now? Nothing at the moment

Last of the Bologna Pics! Enjoy. I’ll get back to topics soon—once I’ve fully recovered.


Gelato! The only way to take a break during the Bologna Book Fair! Here Ally Carter and I indulge with Tim for Brilliance Audio and Marisa from Bolinda Audio Down Under.

Ally and Sarah Rees take a moment to pose during the NLA dinner. It was definitely the best restaurant I went to while in the city. The name cannot be revealed or Agent Barry will hunt me down…
Probably the coolest part of the trip was going to a signing outside of the Fair set up by Ally’s Italian publisher De Agostini.. Here we are standing in front of Kinder College outside the city. The school was gorgeous–an old monastery that overlooked the Bologna Valley and city centre.

Ally Carter takes some questions from a very enthusiastic audience. And language was not a barrier. These Italian kids knew their English! They had also read I’d Tell You I Love You before our arrival and had lots of questions.

Ally with the whole crew!

Ally’s Italian publisher also had her pop by BoLibri–the book festival that was going on in downtown Bologna at the same time as the fair. It’s a way to allow the public to interact more with all the events going on at the fair. Here she sits on an Alice in Wonderland type chair to sign book copies.

A couple of kids participating in a reading nearby recognized Ally and raced over to get their books signed. Almost famous!

Ally wasn’t the only author at the BoLibri festival. Here she is with author Kristin Cashore (Graceling). As for me, I’m predisposed to like Kristin as she spells her name correctly. Grin. Not 15 minutes later we got to watch Ms. Cashore’s prowess with a sword. Good thing BoLibri didn’t make Ally do something similar like rappel over a wall to demonstrate a Gallagher Girl move. Watching Kristin, it looked like hard work!

Bologna Children’s Book Fair—Day One

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: A rainy start to the day.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? KIM THE WAITRESS by Material Issue

Well, I do foresee a few problems with blogging this week but I will try my best. I will be spending the majority of my time in the Agents Centre and it does not have wifi. Yes, you read that correctly. Nor can I plug my computer in for the internet. It just doesn’t have it.

And the hotel’s definition of “high speed” internet greatly differs from mine. Working on my network is physically painful it’s so slow. I’ve also looked around for an internet café and geographically they are not handy. So we’ll muddle long as best as possible. In good news, the vino rosso is lovely and the formaggio even more so.

So this morning I’ll be heading over to the Fairgrounds around 11 a.m. to visit the Agents Centre and have my table assigned. I spent 2 weeks trying to figure out when they would send me my table number. At London, you get your assignment when you registered. Finally an agent friend took pity on me and mentioned that the table doesn’t get assigned until the fair begins. Aha. Seems a little inconvenient for the people trying to meet with me but when in Bologna….

Today is the SCBWI Bologna Symposium. I’m participating in a first pages agent panel. This is the workshop where the conference volunteer reads the first page of a variety of submissions and the agents then comment on it.

Hey, writers wanting to be gluttons for punishment is international! Grin. Seriously though, just remember that no matter how an agent responds to your pages today, this is not the make or break moment of your career. The greatest thing about writing is that you can grow and mature in your ability.

Since the fair hasn’t actually begun, I have very little to report but I do have two fun pics to share:

From a bookstore on Via dell’Indipendenza, the Italian bestseller, which is currently sitting at #7 on the list, IL GUSTO PROIBITO DELLO ZENZERO:

The Forbidden Taste of Ginger. Look familiar? Yes, it’s the Italian version of Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet.

And four ladies take a Venetian Gondola by storm. I must say Antonio looks distinctly unimpressed.


From left, author Sarah Rees Brennan, her friend Natasha, and me. Ally Carter snapped the pic. I have other great shots but guess who forgot to bring the cord for her camera so I could download the pictures off of it….

Tweetalicious

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: I’m finally caught up. I don’t know what to do with myself.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? MARGARITAVILLE by Jimmy Buffet

I’m having performance anxiety. How can I possibly follow the last two wonderful blog entries?

I need to make a video or something. Speaking of, if you couldn’t get enough of the cover design for BLAMELESS, Orbit Art Director Lauren Panepinto gives an interview here. There is even a glimpse of an earlier version of the cover for SOULLESS. I find that just fascinating and thought my blog readers might think so as well.

Alex, Orbit Publicist, emailed to say that the link was all over twitter including a tweet from Guy Kawasaki. Yes, that Guy from Apple. I think my clients might be too cool for me… Grin.

Let’s hope some of these folks will buy the book….

Also getting amazing feedback from Simone’s book trailer for RULES OF ATTRACTION. I’m hoping that is tweetalicious as well. (Hey, maybe I can get a new word into Urban Dictionary.) It’s gotten a thumbs-up from my 16-year old niece and as all of you might not know, she rules the universe.

If it looks like I’m stalling in writing this entry, you’d be right. I’m floundering around for a good topic today. I haven’t got anything new to relay in terms of contracts and electronic book royalties. For one of my contracts in play, we may be reaching a record on how long it’s taken for a publisher to come to terms with us on language regarding this issue. We are at 6 months. Oi! I so feel for my client. Luckily she realizes how important all this is and so is being really terrific and patient about it. But yuck, 6 months and we’ve been pushing. It’s not like I’m sleeping on the job here….

I’m also getting ready for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. I’ll be flying out next Thursday to Italy. I’ll be giving you the scoop from the floor while there. So in the meantime, maybe it’s time for a few questions. We did this in December and it was fun. I thought maybe I’d entertain some every couple of months so let’s see if you have some good ones for me.

Please no questions easily answered via our website or have been discussed ad nauseam on this blog.

Taking The Book Trailer To A New Level—Guest Blogger Simone Elkeles

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Second cool thing that happened yesterday but couldn’t share until today. Grin.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE by New Radicals

I have to say this is a video intensive week but it’s not fair if my blog readers don’t get to see it first so here you go.

For Simone’s new book, she really wanted to do a book trailer that looked like a movie trailer. Considering how many teens loved her first novel PERFECT CHEMISTRY, I have a feeling that they are going to love the trailer for RULES OF ATTRACTION. My only regret? That I wasn’t in LA with Simone for the filming. Be still my Mrs. Robinson’s heart.

Kidding.

From Simone:
I’m no stranger to quirky book trailers. I’ve produced parody rap videos as book trailers for some of my previous books, but for the sequel to my bestselling novel Perfect Chemistry I wanted to do something totally different. I wanted my book trailer to look exactly like a real movie trailer – with actors acting out snippets of scenes from my book.

I called Pete Jones, a friend and writer/director whose screenplay Hall Pass is currently being filmed with Owen Wilson and Bill Murray and being directed by the Farrelly Brothers. I told Pete I wanted him to direct a “movie trailer/book trailer” and he said he’d do it. Pete hooked me up with producer Pat Peach with Spotlight Films in California, who did an amazing job of auditioning actors and scouting locations (among other things – the guy seriously is amazing). Each audition was emailed to me, so I was a part of the audition process even though I live in Chicago. After hiring actor Giancarlo Vidrio to play the lead high school bad boy Carlos Fuentes (I knew my fans would LOVE him) and Catesby Bernstein to play the lead heroine Kiara Westford, I still needed to find “my Alex.” It was a cameo role for the hero to Perfect Chemistry and Carlos’s brother. I knew I couldn’t settle for anyone less than “perfect.” My fans are obsessed with my Latino hero Alejandro “Alex” Fuentes. They get tattoos with Alex’s name because they’re so obsessed. I knew I couldn’t let my fans down…I needed to give my readers an Alex Fuentes that fed the fantasy of who Alex is in the book.

As I was watching the auditions and the filming date grew closer, I told Pat Peach that nobody who’d auditioned filled the bill to play Alex. He said if I could have any actor in the world to play Alex, who would it be? That was easy – Alexander F. Rodriguez from Katy Perry’s Hot N Cold music video. Talk about perfection! Both Pete and Pat told me it was a long shot. I got Alexander’s email address and emailed him. To make a long story short, I told him I couldn’t imagine anyone else making my character Alex come alive for the book trailer.

To my complete and utter shock (yes, my jaw actually dropped) Alexander emailed me back and said it sounded like fun and he was on board for the cameo role. I flew out to California for the filming, and I felt like a teenager again seeing the heroes I created come to life. To see my characters exactly how I imagined them was surreal and wonderful and crazy and…and I got so emotional when it was over and Pete Jones called “that’s a wrap!” I started crying. Of course when Pete looked over at me and saw tears running down my cheeks, he laughed and said, “Stop it, Simone. There is no crying in Hollywood.” I couldn’t help it…it’s no accident I write romance novels!

Cover Design In 2 Minutes

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: There’s a lot of cool stuff going on today but I’m only allowed to talk about one of them. See below.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? PRIDE & JOY by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

Sometimes a Publisher will put together a really cool promo for an author. And in general, I have to say that the Orbit team is one of my favorites to work with—especially publicity guru Alex. He’s the one that came up with the SOULLESS paper doll promotion. (I’m not biased or anything as he was NLA’s marketing director Lindsay Mergen’s assistant back in the day….Grin).

He, Lauren and Eric of the fab Orbit team (huge thanks!) came up with this just incredible promo—a video montage that compresses hours of labor into 2 minutes on the making of the cover for BLAMELESS—Gail Carriger’s third book in the Alexia Tarabotti Parasol Protectorate Series.

Love Orbit! Galley Cat and Huffington Post have already picked it up.

Check it out.

And for fun, here’s the ‘oops’ first draft of the cover. If you watch, you’ll learn exactly what was the mistake in draft one.

HESTER by Paula Reed At The Tattered Cover Highlands Ranch, CO

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: TGIF and an author book event. Hooray!

What’s playing on the iPod right now? Nothing At the Moment

Dashing out the door to head south to the Tattered Cover Highlands Ranch, Colorado. From downtown, I want to give myself plenty of time.

Even if you haven’t RSVP’d , you can still join in the fun tonight.

We are at the Landsdowne Arms, Library Room from 5-7:15 p.m. Then the signing will be at the Tattered Cover (right next door) at 7:30 p.m.

See you there!

State Reading Lists

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Snowing like crazy in Denver right now. What a concept. Snow in Denver. I thought that only happened on the East Coast. Grin.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? WALKING IN MEMPHIS by Marc Cohn

My authors love it when I have to eat my words. And today I had to do just that.

So let me tell you the context for today’s entry. Two years ago when I sold PERFECT CHEMISTRY by Simone Elkeles, I actually agreed with the publisher that a trade paperback edition was the perfect format. We pretty much envisioned that it would be teens shelling out their own hard-earned dollars for the novel.

After all, given the uh, rather salty language (all in Spanish!) and the rather um, shall I say realistic content of the novel, there was no way I could see state reading lists picking up this title.

For those of you who don’t know, individual states vote on reading lists that will be required (sometimes just suggested) reading for all school librarians, teachers, and students in the state. As you can imagine, this can be a huge factor for long-term sales success for any titles that land on these reading lists.

Well, given what I mentioned above, I didn’t see it happening for this novel. Well, I’m eating my words because PERFECT CHEMISTRY has been nominated for the Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Award.

Silly me. I won’t underestimate our educational system again.


A Milestone

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Some pretty great news today.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN by Cyndi Lauper

One of my agent friends is constantly chastising me for not taking a moment to celebrate when really big things happen at my agency.

For example, last week, we did a huge film deal and I barely broke stride. I have to admit, I didn’t even go out to a celebratory dinner or anything. I just kept my nose to the grindstone (in my defense, Bologna Book Fair is rapidly approaching—I have to be ready!)

But today, I really can’t just do that. Besides, I don’t want her to berate me again (and I know she’s reading this and will call me up).

Last week was big—no doubt. This week is a huge milestone for an agent and in truth, it doesn’t happen often so I really need to take a moment and acknowledge it so that’s what I’m going to do.

Today, I have two authors sitting on the New York Times Bestseller list at the same time.

Now, I’ve had one author with two books sitting on the NYT list at the same time but never two authors on at the same time.

Wow.

Great. Now I’ve just raised the bar and I’ll have to do 3 authors on the list at the same time or 2 authors with 2 different books on the list at the same time…. Naw. I’m just going to enjoy this moment.

You Are Invited!

by Kristin Nelson

STATUS: Too busy a day to even mention here.

What’s playing on the iPod right now? IF I COULD WRITE A BOOK by Harry Connick, Jr.

Thrilled to pieces that links are back on at Amazon. Not because I don’t value independent bookstores but because it’s hard not to include possible sales from the largest online bookseller.

Any author would want ALL venues available when launching a debut literary novel in this current economy.

So to celebrate, Nelson Literary Agency is throwing a pre-Tattered-Cover-Highlands-Ranch book party for Denver client Paula Reed—Friday, February 19, 2010.

Click on play to view details in the invite. RSVP and I’ll see you there.

Click to play this Smilebox slideshow: 2010 Nelson Agency Book Event
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