Agents of the Literary Kind, Part 1: What is an Agent?

What is an Agent?

When I worked as a reference librarian, a question like this deserved at least three questions from me to make sure I understood what the person in front of me needed to know.  I might respond with:

"Is that an agent like a 007 spy or a travel guide or an IRS worker?"  OR
"There are a lot of different agents. Tell me a little more about what you're thinking."

Response: "I'm writing a book, and I want to know if I need an agent."

Me (in Librarian mode, already switching mental gears to Literary Agent) : "And is the book non-fiction or fiction?"

Response: "Fiction."

Me (my patron seems a bit shy, so one more question will do it.): "Is it genre fiction, like mystery or romance, or something more general?

Response: "See, it's a Western, but there's an alien invasion..."

And finally the flood gates open, and I've got a solid idea of what resources will best help. As we're walking to the correct shelf in the library or while I'm doing a search in the online resources, the writer continues to share the story enthusiastically, sharing information along the way.

What is a Literary Agent?

• A gatekeeper who matches authors and books to editors at publishing houses. This means building strong professional relationships and networking with people throughout the publishing industry.
• A specialist in an area of book publishing - non-fiction, children's books, genre fiction (like mystery, fantasy, romance, etc.), literary prose, memoirs. Name it, and there are agents who specialize in that type of book. 
• A solid editor and critique giver to help the writer produce a manuscript with the best chance of selling in the marketplace. 
• An author's business partner who is paid on commission to sell the author's work. The author and agent are literal partners - the author provides a product to sell and the agent sells it.
• A cheerleader, a soother, a pusher or a hands-off kind of person. Whatever the author needs to produce quality writing on a regular basis, keeping both agent and author in the money.
• A career and strategy guide. Together, the agent and author create a business and writing plan so the author can create the best writing life for success and the agent can promote and sell the work on a schedule that fits the author's rhythm and style.
• A savvy contract negotiator, dealing with all the pesky details of a publishing contract, who knows about copyrights and licensing rights, senses when and how to push for that 3-book deal, and always balances the author's long- and short-term goals. 

I'm in awe. I certainly wouldn't want the job, but I know that I do need an agent. 

Why? See Part 2 of this series on Agents of the Literary Kind.

Have a great day!

Writing Process Blog Tour - July Edition

Back in March, I hopped into the flow of a Monday Blog Tour answering an invitation from Ariella Moon and her post The Writing Process.  The Writing Process Blog Tour asks four questions of each writer who joins in, and today it's time for an update. At the end of my post you'll find the next "tagged" author. Advantage to you? You can follow this Tuesday Blog backwards and forwards to meet a lot of authors and learn about how this mystery called writing works. 

My thanks to Cindy K. Green for the invitation to "hop in".  Check out her answers to the Four Questions and learn more about her writing process. 

My Writing Process

What am I working on?

I'm finishing the final installment of SHADOW LOVE, a Regency historical romance. Bethany Hathaway tries to deal with the London Season, the fact that her mother accidentally shot a peer, and holding the peer's persistent and attractive brother, Alexander Grayson, at arm's length. The book is being published in installments, chapter by chapter. When the book is complete, it will be re-issued as an entire work. Serial publication is a new concept in romance, although it's popular in science fiction and fantasy.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?
My contemporary novels have been described as "delightful slices of life" and "uplifting", and my writing as "eloquent".  These novels feature a librarian in some way, in honor of my training and second profession. In all of my writing, I add the touch of the Spirit by exploring life's options. For many of us, the choice that lies before us is not between Good and Bad, but between Good and Best. There are plenty of things we can do, judged as Good by society, our parents, our church, our peers. But what is Best for us? What will match our talents and joy to the world's needs? I like exploring that kind of choice through my writing.

Why do I write what I write?

I write sweet romance (little descriptive sex or violence) because I like the tension that builds between people who are caught in social or life situations that keep them apart without the complicating layer of physical love. Elinor's pulsing emotions under the surface in Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" are what I want to reproduce. Other than that, I write what I write when a subject, a character, a scene or a setting grabs me and won't let go. Elsewhere in this blog, you can read how that happened for each of my books.

How does my writing process work?

I start with what grabs me, as I said above, and usually one or two scenes form in my mind.  I'll write those down. After that, I'm a planner. I create character sketches for the hero and heroine using a template that I've drawn from several sources. Those sketches are full-blown biographies, so I'm already doing research as I go. Then I start plotting. I have a couple of plot tools that I use. There's a Conflict Grid and the Book in a Month system by Victoria Lynn Schmidt that help with story line. Finally I create a plot grid using a software program called Writer's Blocks which allows me to keep scenes, settings and timeline all in sync. I write the first draft in one long gulp, usually over a month. Then after another round of research and plotting, I begin rewriting and editing, rewriting and editing, each time looking at a different piece of the novel, such as dialogue or repeated words. Then it's ready to send out to my core of first readers. Whew! Every step of this journey strengthens my writing and the story. You get to enjoy the results!

Fellow Travelers on the Blog Hop

Cindy K. Green is an award-winning author of more than 10 titles both in print and out of print. She's a fellow member of the Heart of Carolina RWA chapter here in North Carolina  A previous middle school history and English teacher, she now writes Inspirational Christian and Sweet Fiction for Adults and Young Adults. 

Next Tuesday, July 29th,  join Lynne Stringer, for your next stop on the Writing Process World Hop. Lynne has been passionate about writing all her life. She wrote her debut Young Adult sci-fi romance novel, THE HEIR, in 2010. THE HEIR is the first book in the Verindon trilogy and has now been joined by THE CROWN and THE REIGN.

Librarians Make Great Characters

It's National Library Week and time to honor the librarians in our lives. I'm a librarian, and librarians have been mentors, friends and family (both my sister and my mom). I also love to bring librarians into my romance novels and show the great diversity of careers and personalities these wonderful professionals have. Today, I'm sharing an excerpt from my novel The Master's Plan, available in paper, and launched as an e-book fro Astraea Press on July 29, 2014. 

For Caralyn Masters, an accident leaves lingering effects — she grieves for her sister, her faith is unsettled and automobiles give her the literal shakes. While hiking in the Ozarks, she shares a trail shelter with a wet and weary hiker. He’s charming. She’s attracted. Things are looking up. 

from THE MASTER'S PLAN...

Grinning, Cara retrieved Jason’s garments and gently squeezed the cloth outside the slightly opened gate, letting the water drip in the area protected by the overhanging roof. From the corner, she heard more rustling cloth.

“Kansas Jayhawks?” he said. “Are you from the University of Kansas?”

Cara glanced his way to find him staring at the plump bird emblazoned on the black sweatshirt he now wore. The overlarge yellow beak, blue feathers, and ridiculous grin marched across the material in wild abandon.

“Yes, actually. I work there.” She moved to hang the clothes carefully on the line.

“I’ve always thought,” Jason said, “that the Jayhawk was created by a student who indulged in alcohol to excess. I guess you could say he’s cute... in an obnoxious sort of way.”

Cara faced him. “Did you go to KU?”

He shook his head. “No, but I’ve got a friend who teaches there.” He reached for her rain jacket. “What do you do at the university?”

“I’m a reference librarian at the main library.”

“Ah, the noble calling of librarian.” At her skeptical glance, he chuckled. “No, I’m serious. A great librarian saved my hide a couple of times when I was working on my history degree. I have a lot of respect for what you do.”

Cara glowed inside and her lips curved up. “Thanks. People don’t always appreciate our work. The old-lady-with-the-bun image gets in the way.”

“Although you’re a lady,” he teased, “you’re definitely not old, and I don’t see a bun. I think we can safely put the cliché to rest.”

Cara blushed. His voice was light, but she could feel his eyes on her.

He was feeling less like a stranger by the minute.

*******

The Master's Plan, now available in paper and eBook formats.