Pub Rants

STATUS: Yep, it’s late and I’m still working. I’m trying desperately to finish getting caught up. I have two clients who have waited longer than they should have to get feedback from me so I’m pulling some late nighters. My goal is to finish both by Friday—but I’ll probably need the long weekend. Incentive though. If I finish before, I might just take a mini-holiday.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? GOODBYE STRANGER by Supertramp

Now that I started ranting, you might not get me to stop.

Here’s another technology connection I think few writers realized.

Because technology advanced enough to make communication pretty seamless (mobile phones, internet, email, FedEx next day), a lot of agents realized that New York was no longer an anchor that had to exist. They could do this job from just about anywhere as long as they had the publishing contacts, a solid reputation, and used technology to their advantage.

And what a lot of writers also don’t realize is that a lot of editors started thinking this way. I can name 20 editors, off the top of my head, who don’t work mainly out of the New York office. They work remotely or only come into the office two days a week and it wouldn’t surprise me if that number is growing.

But back to the agents. Many decided to leave town and even some of the bigger houses have agents who don’t work in the New York office. Regardless of what you think of Friedman’s book, you can’t deny the argument that the world of publishing is getting flatter in many ways he defines in his book.

So Agents moved. Set up shop in California, Colorado (did you know that there are three fairly well- known agents living and working in the Denver area now and one of the most well-known agencies for the Christian market is in Colorado Springs?), Texas, Georgia, Florida, and I can’t even begin to list all the other states that have reputable agents with solid reputations. It’s not quite every state in the nation but a good portion are represented.

And we got tired of shipping full manuscripts—even with the relatively cheap rates of UPS.

So we started pushing. With each submission and for each editor, we would start asking whether we could send that manuscript electronically. Until it became common place. Now it’s the assumptive standard and if a hard copy is desired, it has to be specially requested.

Now obviously the New York agents started asking for this stuff too (because why wouldn’t they) but the big push came from those of us doing the biz outside the New York box—where we had to actively look for processes that made our lives and our jobs easier.

And it all starts with embracing technology that makes new possibilities available in this job.

Not to mention the savings to the clients because here’s another juicy secret that most writers don’t realize. Editors are very much like agents. Even if the full manuscript is sent, it’s very unlikely that editors will read it in its entirety if it’s not right for them. Most editors know within 50 pages whether a project can work for their list or meshes with their taste. Chances are good they are doing a quick read on screen or simply printing out 50 pages for the train and that enables them to come to a decision.

(And yes, some editors do end up reading the full before coming to a decision so yes, that does happen still.)

Those are some important first 50 pages. Sorry. It’s probably something more that y’all will start obsessing about.

STATUS: It’s a Monday? Need I say more? I have to say I’m known for my reliability, responsiveness, and general punctuality. Can I just say that I completely missed an appointment today? And now I feel such incredible guilt for wasting another person’s valuable time. I’d like to blame it on the fact that my computer reminder didn’t ping but alas, I’m still responsible despite the failsafe (that wasn’t so reliable today).

What song is playing on the iPod right now? BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY by Queen

I have to say that just recently, I got a completely original interview question. That in itself is worth blogging about because unfortunately, new questions rarely happen. Almost all interviews I’ve participated in tend to revolve around the “how does a writer get an agent” variety.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand the need for that since that seems to be one of the more pressing questions writers have and it makes sense for a writing publication to ask an agent that question.

But this interviewer is thinking outside of the box and now that she has asked this great question, I’m rather surprised that no one has asked me before.

She noticed that on my website, I state that “technology is meant to be used” and what do I mean by that.

Quite simply, I mean that as agents, we need to constantly evolve and use technology that’s available to us. So many folks are mired in what I call “the old ways” (this is how I’ve always done it) and if you want to succeed, you can’t be afraid of change and the technological tools that will allow you to do your job more quickly and easier.

Two examples:

Example #1: Accepting email queries.

I have many friends who just can’t get on board with this because they still love, for various reasons, the paper format. Perhaps it’s easier on the eyes to read or perhaps they think writers take more care with the writing of the letter if they will go to the length of paying $0.39 for the stamp or whatever.

I know many of my agent friends will hate me for this but I can’t help but think that’s just unnecessary old school.

If you’re an agent looking to build a client list, then it’s a numbers game and the faster you can get to a good project, the more likely you’ll be to land it. I know I’ve taken on many a good client because I was timely in my response via email.

I’m using technology to my advantage.

In fact, I’ve taken on one client in my career who couldn’t use email and wasn’t interested in learning.

Never again. My clients also need to be technologically savvy because that’s how I operate.

Example #2. Tablet PC, baby!

At Book Expo 2003, there was a technology center in a lovely space right in the middle of the exhibition.

And there were two people, besides me, there looking at the future of publishing. I kid you not. There was very little foot traffic flowing through.

But it was there I first saw demonstrated and got to play with a Tablet PC. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this technology, it’s a computer that I can actually handwrite on with a computer stylus and my notes are saved—either in my incredibly indecipherable and cramped handwriting or in the method I prefer, my handwriting translated pretty darn accurately into a different color typewritten text in track changes in Microsoft Word.

The minute I saw it, I had to have it. The dang thing cost a fortune in 2003 but I bought it and trust me, I’ve never looked back.

My clients electronically send me their manuscripts and I can edit (electronically by hand) while sitting on my couch. Quick turn around (providing, that is, six of my clients haven’t all delivered their full manuscripts all in the same week, which never fails to happen). Changes easily tracked in track changes. Clients can accept or reject anything I’ve pointed out.

Revisions are done in a flash and boom, the project is out to the editor, electronically of course, in record time.

In fact, one of my clients was so used to this method, she was stunned when she received her line edit from her new editor in the mail and on the paper manuscript. She even kindly requested (because time was of the essence and the deadlines were tight—by publisher decree not hers—if the editor could speed up the process by doing it electronically). But that’s a whole other story. My author ended up hiring a person, literally, to type in the handwritten comments into her document so she could revise more quickly.

And now I’m looking into a couple of other very interesting technological mediums and how they can apply to what I do at my agency and how they can benefit my clients.

And trust me folks, I’m no tech whiz but I’m willing to keep learning because in my mind, technology is meant to be used and my agency will be the better for it because of that mindset.

STATUS: It’s Friday! Rockies against the Padres tonight at Coors field. I cannot watch baseball on TV but get me to the field and I’m crazy about the game. I also love Baseball movies. Always have. There’s something about the metaphor of the game. All time favorite: BULL DURHAM (of course). Actually, I love all sports movies. Okay, not all but almost all. It has to be a really bad movie for me to diss it. I have very lax standards where sports films are concerned.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? TWISTIN’ THE NIGHT AWAY by Sam Cooke

I have to admit, I kind of stole this brilliant idea from Rachel Vater so go check out the original master but since Sara was in the office today working on queries…

It was time to for her to weigh in.

So, from Sara:

Here are some queries that got the dreaded, “No Thank You” today:

1)I saw four queries about adults who recently found out they were adopted. This seems to be a hot topic right now, and it is emotionally compelling. Unfortunately, it is also very common. Typically, the protagonist goes looking for his/her birth mother, and the plot revolves around this search. The successful query in this genre will have to be masterfully written to break out from the “too generic” brand.

2)There were many queries from writers who had not researched the genres that we represent (this is typical, but still sad – many were even good). I sent “nos” to multiple writers of children’s picture books, anthologies of poems, thrillers, medical mysteries, etc. *sigh*

3)Science Fiction and Fantasy writers were busy today – many good queries came through. There is one recurring theme that I keep seeing in this genre which is a bit of a turn off (and often results in the big “No”). I see many queries in which the hero or heroine has just come to realize that they are the secret savior either of this world or for a world they never knew existed. In these queries, the character doesn’t know about their hidden talent/power/prophecy until they find out it is their job to save the world. There is no reason this story couldn’t work, but I certainly see it a lot, and it takes exceptional writing to overcome my bias of it as a generic story.

4)Depressed 40 year old women whose fat husbands are having affairs have also been plaguing me today. This topic for a query never wins any points with me. Three of these “heroines” came through the in box, and then quickly went out again. I didn’t see the possibility of an original take on the storyline. I just saw “Sally needs to re-find herself and her vitality and her 14 year old sarcastic teenager is no help.”

5)Finally, again on the SF writers (like I said, they were busy beavers today) – I noted many queries that were listed over 200,000 words (including one stunning 315,000 word behemoth). This wasn’t the ultimate breaking point for any of the queries, but I thought I would mention it. 150,000 words is about my upper limit, and after that there is a mental, “eeek” of warning.

But, here are some wonderful potentials that I sent on to Kristin to review:

1) A YA novel with a 17 year old heroine who works in a museum as an exhibition assistant. She has just gotten the go-ahead to research her favorite pirate from history (or should I saw pirate-LASS – yippeeeee, a woman pirate, just like in SIREN). Adventure on the high seas is supposed to follow – sounds exciting!!!

2) A comedy about three senile, aging psychics and the havoc they cause as their talents vie with their failing mental capacities. Ha ha! How great – crazy old psychics!!!!

3) A SF about a perfectly engineered future that is threatened by a being, posing as human, who has been elected as president. The celestial protectors of the world create a new race of beings to help fight this threat. These are the heroes/heroines of the story, and they band together to learn about their powers and to save the world. Yes, it’s a “save the world” theme, but the writing in the query was very strong, and the hook with the six super-heroes, was intriguing.

STATUS: It’s still crazy but I actually felt like I accomplished several tasks that needed to be handled. So, thumbs up.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? BARRACUDA by Heart

Right now I’m reading Thomas Freidman’s THE WORLD IS FLAT for my book club that’s meeting on Sunday.

And today I was given a living example of how truly flat the world is.

It used to be that you had to live in New York to do my job—agenting. Or you had to live in New York to be a successful publisher.

It’s really not true any longer and mainly because of the precepts outlined in Freidman’s book.

For example, I had lunch with Fred Ramey of Unbridled Books today. (A month ago he broke my heart when he passed on a literary novel of mine that I thought was perfect for his house. And I was right, sort of, because it came really, really close for him. I forgave him over lunch).

But Fred has been in this biz for many years (I’ll be nice and not say how long) and not in New York.

He and his business partner Greg Michalsen have been successfully running Unbridled Books (a publishing house dedicated to publishing novels of rich literary quality—remember those?) for several years now and they don’t even live in the same town.

Fred lives here in Denver; Greg lives in Columbia, Missouri.

And this was true even when they were the Blue Hen Imprint at Putnam several years ago.

They just hired a new web marketing manager. She’s on the East Coast.

The world is flat in the sense that the whole company doesn’t need to geographically be located in one place to succeed.

Publishing Old School—great books that might actual enter the literary canon—but done in a new school, world is flat, let’s take advantage of all technology has to offer, kind of way.

Isn’t that how revolutions happen?

So if you haven’t picked up a literary work of fiction in a while, why not mosey on over to the website and check out this great title SMALL ACTS OF SEX AND ELECTRICITY. Sample pages are on the website but alas, not the first couple of pages, which are a little shocking.

I guarantee you won’t be able to stop reading,

Some folks might call it women’s fiction. Fine. We don’t call Chuck Palahniuk men’s fiction but whatever.

It’s high octane fiction and here’s your chance to support a house that still has an Old School vision that literary fiction is worth publishing.

STATUS: It’s a Wednesday but feels like a Monday. Completely crazy. The only thing I absolutely had to do today was type up my feedback for a client. I’ve literally been on the phone since the a.m. and I’m still trying to find a moment to get this done. Hence, extremely short blog.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? I RAN by A Flock of Seagulls
(Ah, what memories of high school and new wave bands with very strange hair. Still, it’s kind of a cool classic now.)

A friend sent me this link this morning.

I made the Top Ten Blogs on Publishing & Writing!

Okay, I’ve never heard of Associated Content but you know how much I love top ten lists.

To be number 3—right up there with Miss Snark and Evil Editor. I have to admit, it kind of made my day.

And I even laughed over the description. I might be a little too sweet for some folks. He, he

Like too much sugar in your tea.

Guess they missed the shark in chick clothing.

And now if I can just get them to spell my name right…

STATUS: I took on a new client today. That always makes me happy!

What song is playing on the iPod right now? DEACON BLUES by Steely Dan

Funny how memories come out of the blue. Today I recalled a conversation I had with an editor several months ago (and undoubtedly over drinks) but I think it still holds true despite the fact that a glass of wine might have been involved. Of course, that glass of wine might be the culprit for why I’m only now remembering this…

We were specifically discussing novels in romance but I think it holds true for other genres (and feel free to cite those exceptions to the rules in the comments section because I know you will!).

She mentioned that she hates first chapter opening scenes that involve eating.

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

It’s probably the only time eating is a turn-off!

For her, it’s just impossible to make such a scene dynamic.

I have to agree.

In fact, eating scenes in general tend to lack momentum—unless the entire point of the story is somehow tied to the dinner scene. Then, I can actually see that working. This typically tends to happen more in short fiction rather than novels but I’m sure there are examples out there.

But as ways to introduce your character or show interactions, it’s do-able but hard to do really well enough to excite.

Some food for thought. Pun intended.

STATUS: It’s Monday. Need I say more? Actually, it was an okay day. There are a few ongoing fires I’m dealing with but nothing new. Thank goodness for that. I’m still concentrating on client material but my partial inbox is calling to me. I know there’s some good stuff in there I need to read soon.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? IT’S NOT UNUSUAL by Tom Jones

What I feel like doing most right now is knocking my head against my desk.

Why? There’s nothing worse than having an editor ring up and say, “What’s up babe? You got anything in the hopper for me. I’m itching to buy, buy, buy.”

Okay, the editor didn’t really say that (or call me babe) but she did email me and say, “Do you have any upcoming young adult projects for me to look at?” (Translation: Darn your YA titles are selling really hot right now–which they are–and I want a project with you.)

The Editorial Director of the imprint no less.

And this is the second email in a week’s time from two different editors.

And there is nothing worse than having to say no, I haven’t got a darn thing.

It’s not from a lack of looking at YA projects either.

This is what frustrates me with the recent sample pages I’ve reviewed. Some of them have been great concepts (and I mean good stuff) but with flat, one-dimensional characters and what feels like teen standardized dialogue rather than something authentic.

That drives me crazy. Just because it’s YA doesn’t mean the writing standards are different.

I’ve been reading some cool stuff lately. Edgy. Like Printz medalist John Green’s latest AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES. Cool concept. Top writing.

And what’s really interesting is that I do think some of the stuff I’ve looked at will get representation and potentially sell.

And that’s fine. There’s a market and audience for all types of readers.

I guess I just don’t want to be the agent to sell it.

STATUS: I’m actually doing a reading day—client stuff mostly but I did read 200 pages of a full manuscript last night and I’m going to pass. Why? Because the secondary plot ended up hijacking the story and I kept wondering where the two main protagonists had gotten to. So folks, remember that. A great subplot can really create terrific complexity and round out a novel but if the reader is more interested in the secondary characters with the subplot, Houston, we have a problem.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? WILD HORSES by U2

It’s Friday! And I thought it would be fun to round out the week with the top ten things that drive me crazy in queries. Pet Peeves. Now remember, I only accept queries via email so some of my peeves revolve around this medium.

10.Writers who CC at least 50 other agents on the email query.

Yep, that’s designed to make me feel special. Not. Also, email queries that do this tend to end up in my Spam folder.

9. Queries with email subject lines that read, “Pity the fool who passes up this bestseller” or something of the like

Now that’s guaranteed to get me to quirk my right eyebrow in disbelief. On principle that gets an auto NO.

8. Queries that begin with “I know you don’t represent XYZ but I’m convinced that if you just took a look at this work, it would be right for you.”

Even good writing isn’t going to get me to like a book in genre I don’t care for.

7. Queries that open up with a complaint that it’s so darn hard to get an agent.

Duh.

6. Query backgrounds with color or cutesy backdrops and strange fonts.

I’m really not looking forward to bifocals. Please don’t speed up the process.

5. A query that outlines 10 full manuscript projects in excruciating detail.

Enough said. Query one work at a time.

4. My XYZ novel is 300,000 words and it’s the first in a trilogy.

Agent runs screaming.

3. You’ve rejected me before but …

Sheesh. Never highlight your unsuccess!

2. My novel would make a great Hollywood film.

Okay, how many times have I ranted about this topic? Don’t worry, I won’t get started again.

1. Queries that begin with “This novel is the next Da Vinci Code.”

Folks, my agency doesn’t represent books like the Da Vinci Code. And quit beating that poor dead horse.

Have a great weekend. Until Monday…

STATUS: Today was devoted to royalty statements. And they say an agent’s job is glamorous. Snort.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? ELSEWHERE by Sarah McLachlan

This query will be fun because it’s for my most recent sale. This project, PRIME TIME, just sold to Harlequin last week and will be coming out in June 2007.

Hank is a well known TV personality in Boston but this work is her debut novel. (If you are a Boston resident, flip on your telly to the NBC affiliate, which I think is channel 7. You can’t miss her!)

Dear Ms. Nelson:

Think that annoying SPAM clogging your computer is just so much cyber-junk? Top-notch TV reporter Charlotte McNally suspects some of it may be much more than that–in fact, she’s certain it carries secret big-money messages to a powerful inner circle of executives who possess the key to its code. Okay, hidden messages in spam might be a common plot construct but I’d never heard of it. Right off I thought this quite clever.

Turns out–as Charlotte discovers–the last outsider who deciphered the SPAM’s hidden clues now resides in the local morgue. Sinister. Was his car accident really a car accident? Charlotte’s spidey-sense for news may have put her on the trail of the biggest story of her life or the one that may end it. I love this. It’s either the career-making story or the one that will cash in her chips. Yet, there’s a fun tone to the query so it’s not like I think this is some “serious” mystery.

PRIME TIME introduces Charlotte McNally, a hip and attractive fifty-something journalist who’s facing some life-changing challenges. This doesn’t have anything to do with the query per se but it’s an interesting tidbit. We ended up making Charlie forty-something (47 to be exact) because she was single, never married, and this would go over better with the editors. Charlie’s smart, successful and devoted to Italian clothing designers–but she’s worried her news director is about to replace her with a younger model. Love this. Even though she’s won a row of Emmys for her investigative reporting, she’s convinced that unless she digs up another blockbuster in time for the next ratings book, she may be fired from the job she loves. It’s a double layer of conflict. The unexplained car accident and the fact that Charlie’s job might be on the line because our society values youth—especially in this career.

Charlie’s got too many pairs of shoes, too many graying hairs, and even a hot flash or two-but she puts her life on the line for a story, and her heart on the line for a guy. That sums it up!

PRIME TIME–approximately 95,000 words–is a mystery in a lady lit voice. This might have worked a little better at the start of the query but the nice thing is it does confirm what I was thinking the genre of this work might be. It’s an action-filled page-turner, with humor, romance and a stock market scheme so timely and innovative you’ll wonder why someone hasn’t tried it. A twist of an ending will have readers going back to the beginning to check for all the clues they missed. Hank could have deleted these two sentences. In truth, they don’t really add anything to what is a good query. The information is too general and if it’s a mystery, then I’ll assume there should be a twist ending but hey, letters don’t have to be perfect.

It’s also a look from inside at the world of television news: its ambition, cynicism, tyrannical managers, clothing allowances, ratings wars, power struggles, and even a few devoted journalists. She can nix this too.

On a personal note-my 22nd year of reporting at WHDH-TV (NBC/Boston) has been a terrific one so far. I won two more Emmys for my investigative and consumer stories (that makes 23), and three more Edward R. Murrow Awards, including the one for best writing. Aha, now this will perk my interest. Hank has been in the biz for a long time. She knows this world inside and out and can bring that perspective to telling a good story.

After all my years in journalism and affiliation with Investigative Reporters and Editors, I have lots of pals in local TV and newspapers across the country, as well as at all the networks. So I figure, add those publicity and blurb resources to the millions of TV viewers who already recognize my name and we could have a ready-made marketing platform. You blog readers should know by now that agents love tidbits like this. It really helps us to fall in love with the project.
.
For experienced and savvy women who are weary of reading about chick lit chicks swilling Cosmos (not that there’s anything wrong with that), PRIME TIME is a satisfying selection for beach, book club or curling up with a cup of tea. And they’ll never look at SPAM the same way again. Hank could nix this. It doesn’t add anything. What could have been more interesting if she highlighted the dearth of titles in this genre for the “older” set.

What happens next to Charlie, her career and her future with a dishy professor? I’m currently working on the next in the series, FACE TIME, where Charlie contemplates cosmetic surgery to stave off on-the-air aging, and uncovers a series of murders in a luxury hospital. Hank’s letting me know, in a fun way, that this work is the first in a series. I like it.

You don’t say on your website whether your interest in chick-lit mysteries extends to chic but older chicks-I hope it does. True, my website doesn’t but I don’t practice age-ism. May I send you the completed manuscript? Thanks so much for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you. You sure can!

Best,
Hank (Harriet Ann) Phillippi Ryan

STATUS: Today was definitely better than yesterday but it didn’t take much to make that happen. If you are wondering what happens when a line like Bombshell folds, hop on over to my fellow agent Nephele Tempest’s blog where she goes into a little more detail about that.

What song is playing on the iPod right now? BLUE by The Jayhawks

Yesterday I pinpointed that Jennifer’s B#1 was a very different type of chick lit. Well, today’s query is for a great book that has all the “typical” chick lit elements—set in New York City, a young 20-something, an evil boss, a new job, a possible Mr. Right, and yes there’s shopping but all with a big, big, big, big magical twist.

Yep, you guessed it. What’s up next is the original query for Shanna Swendson’s ENCHANTED, INC. In fact, whether this is simply a different kind of urban fantasy or chick lit is still up for debate.

As you’ll probably notice right away from the query, the title was changed (as often happens). Ballantine published this book in May 2005. The sequel, ONCE UPON STILETTOS, hit shelves a year later (or should I say hit shelves and then immediately disappeared in non-magical ways because this book has sold very strong).

The third in the series will be released in May 2007 (so mark you calendars) and it, too, has a wonderful title DAMSEL UNDER STRESS.

And here’s the great query that started a four book series.

Dear Ms. Nelson:

I am the author of five published short contemporary romance novels, and as I prepare to make the leap into the single title world, I am seeking representation. Aha, this author has already published. Usually I prefer that the query writer include the publisher right away so I don’t have to wonder who it is but Shanna ends up including that in her last paragraph. Also, she highlights her career goal—to move to single title after a career in category. Your list of genres and sub-genres that you represent matches nicely with what I write, and your philosophy on the role of an agent (as described on your web site) matches what I’m looking for in an agent. Works for me.

My most recently completed manuscript is a 100,000 word contemporary fantasy with a chick-lit style — think Bridget Jones meets Harry Potter. Sometimes the movie reference works—as long as the book really matches the description. In this case, I loved the comparison and the book didn’t disappoint. The comparison has to make sense though. I once got a query that used ANNE OF GREEN GABLES meets THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER. Huh? I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around that one. MAGIC, SPELLS and ILLUSIONS, INC. is the story of an ordinary young woman who gets a job at a company that turns out to be essentially Magic, Inc., and who finds herself in the middle of a brewing magical war that’s really going to complicate her dating life. This is fun. Shanna incorporates the fun tone of the book in the query. Katie Chandler always thought she was ordinary, but then she learns that she’s a special kind of ordinary, so non-magical that she’s entirely immune to magic. OMG!!! How cool is this? A heroine whose super power is that she is ordinary!! I love it. So original. Great hook and right here I was sold on seeing this project. I didn’t even have to read any more of the query. I knew this book was right up my alley. She can see through any illusion, which makes her extremely valuable to her company, which is facing competition from a former employee who has no qualms about producing spells designed to harm people. Now Katie has to balance her top-secret professional life with her personal life while helping find real-world solutions to magical problems. Dating in New York was hard enough before she had magical co-workers meddling in her life and a job she can’t discuss when her date asks, “So, what do you do?” Shanna includes a bunch of fun details to highlight the conflict of this magical job for the heroine—she’s detailing the chick lit elements in her magical world.

This project is currently under consideration by Luna Books, after editor Kate Paice (from the UK office) requested it based on a conversation I had with her when the book was only in idea form. Nice. Shows that editors also like the hook. I’m hearing about chick-lit houses incorporating paranormal elements, so I believe there could be even more potential markets for this story. Shanna shows she’s market savvy and a client I would want to work with. It’s the first book in an open-ended series, and I have story ideas for at least three more books. And funny enough, we sold all those books.

I had two books published in Silhouette’s now-defunct Yours Truly line, one of which was a finalist for the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award for best Yours Truly. Prior to that, I had three books published by Avalon books. Ah, here’s the publisher info that I wish she had included in paragraph one. She probably could have combined this. I have twice won the science fiction/fantasy/horror category of the Greater Dallas Writers Association contest, but have not published yet in that genre. Nice. She’s gotten some fantasy recognition, which she includes because all her published works were in romance.

Although I have fairly good publishing industry contacts, I’m not a good negotiator and I am concerned about making sure my projects end up at the right house, with the right editor so I can build a career instead of just selling books wherever I can. Those are areas where I believe an agent would be a beneficial partner in my writing endeavors. Her goals. Not necessary but it certainly doesn’t hurt her query.

Would you like to see sample chapters of MAGIC, SPELLS AND ILLUSIONS, INC.? Yes, yes, yes!

Thank you for your consideration of my work.

Sincerely,
Shanna Swendson

And for fun, here is the back cover copy Ballantine created for the book:

DON’T MESS WITH HEXES

Katie Chandler had always heard that New York was a weird and wonderful place, but this small-town Texas gal had no idea just how weird it was until she moved to the Big Apple. Everywhere she goes, she sees something worth gawking at. It makes her feel like such a hick, and her dead-end job working for a real ogre of a boss doesn’t help. She’s afraid she’s a little too normal and ordinary to make a splash in the big city.

Then, seemingly out of the blue, Katie gets a mysterious job offer from Magic, Spells and Illusions, Inc. – a company that sells charms, spells and tricks of the trade to wizards and others in the magic community. To them, Katie’s ordinariness is an asset. Lacking any bit of magic, she can easily spot a fake spell, catch hidden clauses in customers’ contracts or detect magically disguised intruders. Suddenly, average Katie is very special, indeed, and her life is anything but normal.

She quickly learns that she only thought her previous boss was an ogre, that bad blind dates can be even worse when magic gets into the mix and that there are much, much worse places to meet men than singles bars. Then there’s Katie’s office crush on Owen, the sexy, shy, ultrapowerful (and probably unattainable) head of magical R&D. And to make matters worse, there’s an evil competitor threatening to sell black magic on the streets. Now, it’s up to Katie to pull off the impossible: save the world and—hopefully—live a little happily ever after.