Mandy Hubbard's Blog, page 13

On Why You Want an Agent....

I've had a number of people ask lately WHY a writer wants an agent, or even why I specifically want/need one if I am one.

Here's a quick and dirty list:

1) Your agent will shape your material into the best damn book possible, thus getting you the best damn deal possible. I work with ALL of my clients on revisions, and every one of them have been excited about seeing their project taken to the next level. (And yes, you'll still do even MORE revisions for your editor. So I hope you guys like rev...

Introducing Lexa...and Paper Lantern Lit!

Today I have a special guest—Lexa Hillyer. Lexa was my editor at Razorbill (and her brilliant editorial guidance is what made Prada & Prejudice what it is!) before she left to form her own company, Paper Lantern Lit. In addition to Prada & Prejudice, Lexa worked on such books as THE EXTRAORDINARY SECRETS OF APRIL, MAY AND JUNE by Robin Benway, LIPSTICK APOLOGY by Jennifer Jabaley, and the forthcoming THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff.

Lexa has an absolute passion for books and an uncanny...

On Revising: Part two!

In my previous post on revising, I discussed things from an author’s perspective—why you should be excited about revisions, and what a request means to you and your path to publication.  

 

Today, I’ll discuss things from an agent’s perspective.

 

Firstly, there are a lot of reasons I might, as an agent, request revisions. You may have an absolutely killer idea, but you took it in a direction I’m not sure works in the current marketplace. Or your book might totally hook me and I’m grinning and...

YOU WISH on Fuse No. 8!

Betsy Bird, the genius behind the blog FUSE #8 (which is part of SLJ's web presence!) , blogged about the upcoming penguin titles HERE.

Of YOU WISH, she says:

[image error]In terms of concepts, I rather liked the one behind Mandy Hubbard's You Wish.  A sixteen-year-old girl blows out her birthday candle and thinks, "I wish my birthday wishes actually came true.  Because they never freakin' do."  Next thing she knows, she gets a life size My Little Pony.  Then gumballs.  It becomes increasingly clear that h...

YOU WISH Mega-Contest Winners!!

Yay! You guys are amazing. When I promsied 20 prizes, I thought to myself, "So basically, everyone who enters gets a prize, and I'll have fourteen left over."

Thank you so much for your support of my book. There will be more contests to come, contests which include bonus entries if your widget is still up and active. 

And now to get to the part you actually care about:

MEGA WINNER: Prize includes a signed YOU WISH arc, a signed copy of Prada and Prejudice, and a mystery prize bucket filled...

MEGA CONTEST about to close!

Just two and a half hours left to enter the YOU WISH MEGA CONTEST! Contest closes at Noon today, PST.

Prizes include a YOU WISH arc, query letter critiques, ken dolls, candy, and even a 20 minute phone call with me to get all of your burning questions answered.

Good luck!



 

The Many Stages of Rejection

For your reading enjoyment, I give you: THE MANY STAGES OF REJECTION.


You get: A form rejection.

Your Response: THOSE BASTARDS! They didn't even type my name in! Obviously they don't know good material if it smacks them in the face. Which I want to do. Smack them in the face, that is. I'm totally taking the high road, though. I won't do it. I'll just imagine it.

~*~

You Get: A slightly personalized form rejection

Your Response: THOSE BASTARDS! They didn't even spell my name right! They'll know h...

A Rocking Week for Mail!

First, LOOKEY!!! EEE! Coolest thing I have ever received in the mail.  It's a bracelet! With little hand-made YOU WISH charms!!

I kind of want to wear it tommorrow, but I will save it for my first YOU WISH signing.

THANKS, Cass!! I <3 you forever.

Second, LOOKEY!! EE!!! Finished copies of AT ANY COST. Woot-Woot.



Since I didn't get any ARCs for this, it was double exciting to receive them.

All 48 of them. (!!!). Still trying to decide what to do with such a cache.

On what it means to get a revision letter

First off, I am working with several writers on revising their manuscripts, and this is not related to ANY OF THEM. So if I have asked you to revise, rest assured, this blog post is not about you.

Now that that's out of the way....


Back in late 2005, I tried out for a write-for-hire project with a major publisher. A publisher, in fact, i write for today-- just under a different imprint. A couple of weeks after I submitted my proposal, I arrived home to find a tyvek envelope on my porch. When I...

Why I love my clients, #456

One of my clients just sent me this, and I was laughing so hard I got teary-eyed.

Dear awesome agent who will sell this book,

The tragic love story of Clementine and Russ, two lonely hearts from opposite sides of the produce aisle is sure to grab everyone right in the rind.
 
In the vein of West Side Story comes the epic veggedrama, ASPARAGUS MY HEART. It is a complete set conveniently told in only 16 volumes of about 500,000 words per book.
 
Clementine, a young, innocent citrus fruit falls peel...