New Client: Caitlin Rantala

I’m delighted to share a new author that I have recently begun to represent: Caitlin Rantala.

She wrote a imaginative YA Fantasy, SIREN, that caught my eye. Here’s a bit about the book! I call it THE VOICE meets SNOW WHITE.

Eastland is inhabited by sirens – people with mesmerizing voices worn proudly around their necks in small colorful glass vials. Once a Kingdom full of magic, Eastland is slowly losing itself. The only thing spectacular anyone has left is their song. The better one’s voice, the better one’s social standing in the Kingdom. In fact, even the Queen of Eastland is chosen on her vocals during a ceremony called The Choosing.

Sawyer Sweetin is a nobody in Eastland, but she has a rare gifted talent, one that could easily steal the crown if the whole kingdom were to hear her. Tired of being ignored, Sawyer is determined to win the hearts of her homeland, finally being allowed to come into her own and return the kingdom back to its magic origins. But Sawyer has yet to learn that sometimes the things you want in life, don’t always come to you in the way that you’d hoped.

Agents and authors have more in common than you might think…

I know you writers think that agents have a pretty great gig. And we do! We do it because we love finding emerging writers and developing their career while sharing their work with the world. However, there are parts of our job that not all writers are aware of and I share some here:

• We get rejected too! We manage the careers for multiple clients and if you think getting passes from editors for your book is tough think about us: we love all our clients’ books and get passes for the majority of them until we find a home.
• If you think writing a query letter is difficult, we write pitch letters for all our clients’ projects. We do our research, tailor them to each editor, carefully proofread and re-read to make sure we nailed the hook, and send them out with nerves just like you do as writers.
• Like non fiction writers sending proposals to agents, agents write proposals for our clients to send to editors. Now it varies how much we assist in this process, but often I’ve written 85% of client proposals to get them up to industry standards. If you think all that research is tough, we do the exact same thing: overview, author bio, your market, a marketing plan, comparative titles, and sample material.

New Client: Margaux Rathbun B.S., N.T.P.

No stranger to blogging and social media, my new client Margaux Rathbun B.S., N.T.P is a media nutritionist, nutritional therapy practitioner, writer for Shape.com, blogger for FitPerez.com and columnist for Nature & Health.

Margaux’s love affair with nutrition started in 2006 after she began experiencing health problems due to a poor diet and an unhealthy lifestyle.  Fed up with not feeling like her “authentic self”, Margaux began researching how foods and their nutrients could have a healing effect on her body. She began incorporating fruits, vegetables, and organic meats into her diet that contained the nutrients needed to relieve her symptoms.  Within a month of this diet change, Margaux was on the fast track to optimal wellness. This passion for nutrition led to Margaux becoming certified as a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner through the Nutritional Therapy Association (NTA). She launched her successful website, Authentic Self Wellness, in 2009 as a way to share her nutritional knowledge, recipes, and wellness inspiration with the world.

Find her site here, her Twitter here and like her on Facebook.

What does an agent do, exactly?

I recently had a prospective client ask: what does an agent do? And a had client ask: what does an agent do after the book is sold? These are great questions because those new to the business side of book don’t know the details, and many focus on the first half of the process when querying and are a new writer that they want to know more about the second half of what we do.

So here is the list I compiled and I share with you:

• Assist in project development consultation (future book ideas, directions for writers’ careers etc.)
• Edit clients’ projects to the best of our ability
• The pursuit of finding an editor and publisher for your projects
• The pursuit of sub rights: translation, film, audio, serial – we work with The Gotham Group for film rights and The Taryn Fagerness Agency for sub rights
• Contract negotiation

What Does a Typical Day Look Like for an Agent?

Everyone says that there is never a ‘typical day’ in their job, but this is also true for being a literary agent. Days are varied, which is part of the fun, challenge, and excitement. For those interested I made a list of what I did one day late last week so you can get an idea:

Boot up my computer, download emails, check Twitter and industry blogs.

Respond to emails in order of importance: my clients’ editors, clients with pending projects, and so forth.

Start to edit client’s manuscript, but emails coming in invariably make me put it down and pick it up in the evening when things are quiet.

Pick up a requested manuscript that I began last night, but didn’t finish.

Respond to an email regarding an offer for a client and subsequent negotiations.

Take a quick look at new requested projects coming in. Saw something that immediately made me make notes for a blog post.

Agency Year in Review

The P.S. Literary Agency had a fantastic year. Below are some of the highlights and I leave you with what’s coming up for us in 2012.

Book releases

• The year began with the release of Gail Vaz-Oxlade’s NEVER TOO LATE. It became a Canadian bestseller. Gail was on the non-fiction bestsellers list in January appearing at #1 (NEVER TOO LATE), #6 (EASY MONEY), and #7 (DEBT-FREE FOREVER).
• Release of French-Canadian edition of DEBT-FREE FOREVER.
• Release of THE 10-POUND SHRED by Tommy Europe.
• Release of THE HAPPINESS EQUATION by Nick Powdthavee in the US.
• Release of ENDANGERED by Pamela Beason from Berkley.
• Release of BLACKJACK SECRETS by Jay Moore from Skyhorse Publishing.

Deals

• Sold English-language rights in India to Gail Vaz-Oxlade’s DEBT-FREE FOREVER.
• Sold Gail’s next book, MONEY RULES, to HarperCollins Canada.
• Sold English-language rights in India to Tommy Europe’s THE 10-POUND SHRED.
• Sold Japanese rights to Nick Powdthavee’s THE HAPPINESS EQUATION.
• Sold German rights to Pamela Beason’s first three titles, beginning with ENDANGERED, in the Summer Westin mystery series, to Egmont, at auction.
• Sold GUNSHIP ACE by journalist and author Al Venter to Casemate Publishers.

Events

• We attended BookExpo America in May.
• The P.S Literary Agency attended the International Festival of Authors in Toronto. I wrote a blog post outlining the international publishing perspective from these sessions and meetings.

Agents get nervous too…

If you think the querying process makes you nervous, don’t forget that agents get nervous too!

When we offer representation on something we love and it’s out with other agents…

When we submit our client’s projects to editors…

When we await client revisions in hopes that they get them spot on…

Agents have an emotional reaction to their client’s work. That’s what keeps us working hard! I’m on pins and needles today in fact…