Editor Agent Panel
First Impressions: A View Into Editor & Agent In-Boxes
March 12, 2010
12-4 pm
Greater Plymouth Community Center
2910 Jolly Road
Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462
(Click here for a map and directions from MapQuest.)
$15 for VFRW members; $20 for non-members
Want to know what editors/agents think when they see YOUR query in their in-bin?
Submit a one-page query letter with your registration fee. VFRW cannot guarantee all queries will be discussed at the meeting, but will be provided to the panel beforehand, so the editor/agents will have the opportunity to read them and perhaps contact you after the panel if they are interested in seeing more.
For your convenience you can:
Registration will remain open until Friday, February 19, 2010. All registrations must be received by midnight EST on February 19, 2010. No queries will be accepted after that date, as they will be forwarded to the panel on the 20th.
Industry professionals attending:
LaToya Smith is an editor at Grand Central Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. She acquires romance of all kinds as well as fiction with high romantic elements.
What about a manuscript grabs your attention and makes you consider making an offer?
I look for creativity (hook), a captivating voice, and well-developed characters.
What do you look for in a synopsis? I want to get a clear idea of what the story is from beginning to end; who the major players are &how the characters feed into the plot scheme.
What makes a great editorial relationship with an author?
The author being willing to take direction and make necessary changes to make the story as strong as possible. Revisions are always necessary and it’s not realistic to think one’s story is perfect and without need for revision.
Stephany Evans is the president of Fine Print Literary Management. She likes stories with a strong and interesting female protagonist, both literary and upmarket commercial women’s fiction, including romance, mystery, contemporary, historical, paranormal and romantic suspense. Sexy and intelligent are high on her list of favorite qualities in fiction, and she loves a good giggle. Some areas she now actively looks for were big surprises – she didn’t know she liked them until a writer hooked her with a terrific query. She’d sooner pursue something marvelous outside her established core categories than something ordinary within her usual domain. As a writer seeking to hook an agent, you are just like an entrepreneur looking for venture capital. Bottom line, you seek a business partner, someone who will believe in your “product” and invest their time, energy, expertise and passion in you and your work. So keep it professional.
Danielle Poiesz is an editorial assistant at Pocket Books. She works mainly on women’s fiction, romance, and erotica titles at the moment, but her interests are a bit broader. She’d love to acquire powerful crossover YA, women’s fiction (she loves magical realism and southern lit!), literary fiction with a strong commercial elements, and memoir. But if a good query hooks her, she’s always open to projects outside of those genres, of course! For Danielle, a good query is four things—concise, clear, compelling, and complete. She wants to look up from a query with an understanding of what the book is (genre, length, etc.), what the book is about (basic plot, main characters, etc.), why the book is special (don’t be afraid to showcase your voice), and who you are as a writer. If you can do that in just a few paragraphs—and without any errors—you’ll have her attention.
Questions? Please email workshop@vfrw.com.