Erica Verrillo's Blog, page 65

2 New Literary Agents Seeking Writers

Here are two new agents seeking clients. Maximilian Ximenez (L. Perkins Agency)is actively pursuing clients for both fiction and nonfiction works. In fiction, he is acquiring science fiction, fantasy, horror, and thrillers, particularly cyberpunk and neo-noir as well as books with a uniquely deconstructive bent. For nonfiction, Maximilian is seeking popular science, true crime, and books pertaining to arts and trends in developing fields and cultures. Hannah Fergesen (KT Literary) is looking for young adult and middle-grade, as well as some select adult fiction.

Note: You can find dozens of new and established agents seeking clients here: Agents Seeking Clients
_________________________________ Maximilian Ximenez of L. Perkins Agency

About Maximilian: Maximilian Ximenez grew up within the New York publishing industry. Prior to joining the L. Perkins Agency, he worked at Blizzard Entertainment, creators of the popular Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo video game franchises. He is a strong believer in publishing and narrative as a central pillar of franchise and transmedia development.

What he is seeking: Maximilian is actively pursuing clients for both fiction and nonfiction works. In fiction, he is acquiring science fiction, fantasy, horror, and thrillers, particularly cyberpunk and neo-noir as well as books with a uniquely deconstructive bent. For nonfiction, Maximilian is seeking popular science, true crime, and books pertaining to arts and trends in developing fields and cultures.

How to submit: For submissions, please send an email to maximilian [at] lperkinsagency.com with your bio, a brief synopsis, and the first five pages of your book or novel in the body.
________________________________ Hannah Fergesen of KT Literary

About Hannah: Before settling in New York City, Hannah worked and went to school in Denver, where she obtained her degree in Writing for Film and Television. Opportunities in New York presented themselves before she could run off to LA, and she course-corrected her career toward publishing, a dream of hers since childhood. After stints as a remote intern for a well-known agent, a bookseller at the famous Books of Wonder, an intern at Soho Press, a literary assistant at Trident Media Group, and a freelance editor working with well-known authors, Hannah joined KT Literary in 2016. Hannah is a proud geek and TV junkie, with an all-consuming love for Doctor Who, Harry Potter, and anything created by Joss Whedon.

What she is seeking: I’m looking for young adult and middle-grade, as well as some select adult fiction.

In young adult and middle-grade, I’m looking for speculative and contemporary stories, running the gamut from fantasy, mystery, horror, and magical realism to family-oriented dramas, historical fiction, and stories dealing with contemporary issues, such as mental health or addiction. I’m also very interested in finding a good, twisty mystery or suspense. If it’s historical or has a speculative bent, even better. I am into contemporaries with light science fiction elements, as well as pure science fiction with politics and an edge, or a bold reimagining of another time. I’d love to see historical fiction in both young adult and middle-grade.

In adult, I want weird and/or lyrical fantasies and speculative mysteries. I’d also love something with a good twist, like DARK PLACES by Gillian Flynn (GONE GIRL less so, but the idea is the same).

How to submit: Send queries to hannahquery@ktliterary.com. The subject line of your email should include the word “Query” along with the title of your manuscript. Queries should not contain attachments. If we like your query, we’ll ask for the first five chapters and a complete synopsis. For our purposes, the synopsis should include the full plot of the book, including the conclusion.

29th Free ���Dear Lucky Agent��� Contest: Historical Fiction

Chuck Sambuccino, the editor of the Guide to Literary Agents, is running another "Dear Lucky Agent" contest. (There are two this month.) These contests allow writers to submit one page of their manuscript to be judged by an agent. The genre for this contest is historical fiction. There is no entry fee.

Winners of the contest have a more than good chance of getting representation. It's good to enter contests, not just because you may win one, but because they force you to write short summaries and synopses, and to polish your first few pages until they shine. These are usually the only pages an agent will see before making a decision.

The contest deadline is December 31, 2016. CLICK HERE for more details.

For hundreds of free contests organized by month see: FREE CONTESTS.
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From the GLA blog:

Welcome to the 29th (free!) “Dear Lucky Agent” Contest on the GLA blog. This is a FREE recurring online contest with agent judges and super-cool prizes. Here’s the deal: With every contest, the details are essentially the same, but the niche itself changes—meaning each contest is focused around a specific category or two. If you’re writing historical fiction, then this 29th contest is for you! The contest is live through end of day, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016. The contest is judged by agent Elise Erickson of the Harold Ober Agency.

WHY YOU SHOULD GET EXCITED

After a previous “Dear Lucky Agent” contest, the agent judge, Tamar Rydzinski (The Laura Dail Literary Agency), signed one of the three contest winners. After Tamar signed the writer, she went on to sell two of that writer’s books! How cool! These contests can’t be missed if you have an eligible submission.

HOW TO SUBMIT

E-mail entries to dearluckyagent29@gmail.com. Please paste all text. The only time to include attachments are when you have to attach images to show your social-media sharing (more info that below).

MEET YOUR (AWESOME) AGENT JUDGE!

Elise Erickson of Harold Ober Associates graduated from St. Olaf College and the NYU Summer Publishing Institute in 2014, and spent several months interning at Penguin’s New American Library imprint, Folio Literary Management, and Susanna Lea Associates before taking on her current position at Harold Ober Associates. She grew up in both Florida and Minnesota, but is quickly learning to love city life in NYC. Elise is passionate about the role and responsibility of the literary agent, especially being an advocate for authors. In addition to working with books, she currently assists in selling Harold Ober’s TV, film, and subsidiary rights, and is actively building a client list of her own.

WHAT TO SUBMIT (AND OUR SOCIAL MEDIA REQUIREMENTS)

The first 150-300 words (i.e., your first double-spaced page) of your unpublished, completed historical fiction. You must include a contact e-mail address with your entry and use your real name. Also note your city of residence (i.e. — the city & state you live in, not your full address). Submit the title of the work and a logline (one-sentence description of the work) with each entry. Self-published memoirs are not eligible.

Please note:  To be eligible to submit, you must mention this contest twice through any any social-media. Please provide a social-media link or Twitter handle or screenshot or blog post URL, etc., with your official e-mailed entry so the judge and I can verify eligibility. Some previous entrants could not be considered because they skipped this step! In short, simply spread the word twice through any means and give us a way to verify you did; a TinyURL for this link/contest for you to easily use is http://tinyurl.com/zodcsgo

An easy way to notify me of your sharing is to include my Twitter handle @chucksambuchino at the end of your mention(s) if using Twitter. If we’re friends on FB, tag me in the mention. If you are going to just use Twitter as your 2 entries, please wait one day between mentions to spread out the notices, instead of simply tweeting twice back to back. Thanks. (Please note that simply tweeting me does not count. You have to include the contest URL with your mention; that’s the point. And if you use Twitter, put my handle @chucksambuchino at the middle or the end, not at the very beginning of the tweet, or else the tweet will be invisible to others.)

Here is a sample TWEET you can use (feel free to tweak): New FREE contest for writers of Historical Fiction http://tinyurl.com/zodcsgo Judged by agent @EliseShaull, via @chucksambuchino

2 New Literary Agents Seeking Clients NOW

Here are two new agents seeking clients. Serene Hakim (Ayesha Pande Literary) is actively seeking young adult (all genres but in particular: science fiction and fantasy with a unique hook, realistic YA with diverse characters), upmarket women's fiction, and anything that gives voice to those whose voices are underrepresented and/or marginalized. Elizabeth Copps (Maria Carvainis Agency) represents a wide range of genres from MG and YA, to adult contemporary + literary fiction, mystery, psychological thriller, women’s fiction, historical fiction, horror, and select nonfiction projects.

Note: For a list of dozens of new and established agents actively seeking clients see: Agents Seeking Clients
Serene Hakim of Ayesha Pande Literary

Prior to joining Ayesha Pande Literary, Serene Hakim worked at Laura Gross Literary Agency in Boston. She has also interned at David Godine Publisher and Chase Literary Agency. Serene holds an M.A. in French to English translation from NYU and a B.A. in French and Women’s Studies from the University of Kansas.

What she is seeking: Serene is actively seeking young adult (all genres but in particular: science fiction and fantasy with a unique hook, realistic YA with diverse characters), upmarket women's fiction, and anything that gives voice to those whose voices are underrepresented and/or marginalized. Stories dealing with the Middle East and the variety of immigrant experiences out there will definitely catch her eye. Intriguing female characters are also a huge plus. For nonfiction, she is seeking humorous and fascinating memoirs, and is particularly interested in LGBTQ and feminist issues.

How to Submit: To submit a query, please use the query form on the Ayesha Pande Literary website: www.pandeliterary.com/queries. Elizabeth Copps of Maria Carvainis Agency

About Elizabeth: I migrated from Florida to start my career with Maria Carvainis Agency as an intern in 2010. In 2011 I signed on with the agency as a full-time assistant, and two years later I was promoted to Associate Agent. For me, the very best books are timeless, thought provoking, and discussion spurring. I want to see characters who burst off the page and elicit some sort of emotional response in their readers. There are only so many settings and themes to expound on, but every single person is different which means there are limitless combinations of character traits a writer can play with. That’s pretty amazing. The King said it best regarding what it means to create a complex character: “Bad writing usually arises from a stubborn refusal to tell stories about what people actually do―to face the fact, let us say, that murderers sometimes help old ladies cross the street.”

What she is Seeking: I represent a wide range of genres from MG and YA, to adult contemporary + literary fiction, mystery, psychological thriller, women’s fiction, historical fiction, horror, and select nonfiction projects. I’m an equal fan of hilarious stories as well as dark, gritty and sinister reads.

How to Submit: Please send a query letter, a synopsis of the work, first 5-10 pages, and note of any writing credentials. Please email queries to mca@mariacarvainisagency.com. All attachments must be either Word documents or PDF files.

28th Free ���Dear Lucky Agent��� Contest: Memoir

Chuck Sambuccino, the editor of the Guide to Literary Agents, is running another "Dear Lucky Agent" contest. (There are two this month.) These contests allow writers to submit one page of their manuscript to be judged by an agent. The genre for this contest is memoir. There is no entry fee.

Winners of the contest have a more than good chance of getting representation. It's good to enter contests, not just because you may win one, but because they force you to write short summaries and synopses, and to polish your first few pages until they shine. These are usually the only pages an agent will see before making a decision.

The contest deadline is December 31, 2016. CLICK HERE for more details.

For hundreds of free contests organized by month see: FREE CONTESTS.

For a huge list of agents looking for memoirs see: Mega-List of Agents Looking for Memoirs (and other Nonfiction)
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From the GLA Website:

Welcome to the 28th (free!) “Dear Lucky Agent” Contest on the GLA blog. This is a FREE recurring online contest with agent judges and super-cool prizes. Here’s the deal: With every contest, the details are essentially the same, but the niche itself changes—meaning each contest is focused around a specific category or two. If you’re writing a memoir, then this 28th contest is for you! The contest is live through end of day, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016. The contest is judged by agent Jennifer Wills of the The Seymour Agency.

WHY YOU SHOULD GET EXCITED

After a previous “Dear Lucky Agent” contest, the agent judge, Tamar Rydzinski (The Laura Dail Literary Agency), signed one of the three contest winners. After Tamar signed the writer, she went on to sell two of that writer’s books! How cool! These contests can’t be missed if you have an eligible submission.

HOW TO SUBMIT

E-mail entries to dearluckyagent28@gmail.com. Please paste all text. The only time to include attachments are when you have to attach images to show your social-media sharing (more info that below).

MEET YOUR (AWESOME) AGENT JUDGE!

Jennifer Wills has five years of experience in some of the publishing industry’s leading literary agencies. She worked with publishers around the world as an assistant in Trident Media Group’s huge foreign rights department, and with domestic publishers as an assistant at Writers House (where, incidentally, she began her career as an intern). She joined The Seymour Agency in April 2016, where she has quickly moved up the ranks to associate agent. Jennifer has always loved helping fledgling authors become New York Times bestsellers and she’s ready to be a relentless champion for her own clients’ work.

Jennifer is interested in a wide range of subjects and genres, and is actively looking to find some excellent memoir clients.

WHAT TO SUBMIT (AND OUR SOCIAL MEDIA REQUIREMENTS)

The first 150-300 words (i.e., your first double-spaced page) of your unpublished, completed memoir. You must include a contact e-mail address with your entry and use your real name. Also note your city of residence (i.e. — the city & state you live in, not your full address). Submit the title of the work and a logline (one-sentence description of the work) with each entry. Self-published memoirs are not eligible.

Please note:  To be eligible to submit, you must mention this contest twice through any any social-media. Please provide a social-media link or Twitter handle or screenshot or blog post URL, etc., with your official e-mailed entry so the judge and I can verify eligibility. Some previous entrants could not be considered because they skipped this step! In short, simply spread the word twice through any means and give us a way to verify you did; a TinyURL for this link/contest for you to easily use is http://tinyurl.com/j4d3kqz

An easy way to notify me of your sharing is to include my Twitter handle @chucksambuchino at the end of your mention(s) if using Twitter. If we’re friends on FB, tag me in the mention. If you are going to just use Twitter as your 2 entries, please wait one day between mentions to spread out the notices, instead of simply tweeting twice back to back. Thanks. (Please note that simply tweeting me does not count. You have to include the contest URL with your mention; that’s the point. And if you use Twitter, put my handle @chucksambuchino at the middle or the end, not at the very beginning of the tweet, or else the tweet will be invisible to others.)

Here is a sample TWEET you can use (feel free to tweak): New FREE contest for writers of Memoir http://tinyurl.com/j4d3kqz Judged by agent @WillsWork4Books, via @chucksambuchino

Should You Go to A Pitch Conference?

There are many varieties of writing conferences, ranging from writing retreats, workshops where you write and get critiques, and master classes in which you meet with a single author to large annual meetings for writers' organizations, and practical conferences where you present your project to editors and agents. These are known as pitch conferences.

If you have a completed manuscript, a pitch conference will suit your needs perfectly. These conferences not only offer you a chance to pitch your work to an agent or editor, they include workshops that teach you how to pitch. There is no better way to meet an agent, so if you can go to one of these conferences, I highly recommend it.

You can find a comprehensive list of writing conferences HERE as well as links to help you find conferences in your area.

Helpful articles:

The Literary Agent Pitch: Dream Or Nightmare?
This is a wonderful article about how to approach a pitch session with an agent.

Rant: Pitch sessions are the spawn of Satan
Literary agent, Janet Reid, reminds us that literary agents are human.

4 Questions Agents Ask Writers at Pitch Sessions
Be prepared! Agents ask questions!

What's Your Book About? How to Make a Pitch
Step-by-step instructions for how to make a pitch.

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Upcoming pitch conference

(Even if you don't plan on going, read the website. It will give you a good idea of what a pitch conference is like.)

New York Pitch Conference 

When: Dec 8 - 11, 2016

Where: New York City 

The New York Pitch Conference and writers workshop is held four times a year and features publishing house editors from major houses such as Penguin, Random House, St. Martins, Harper Collins, Tor and Del Rey, Kensington Books and many more who are looking for new novels in a variety of genres, as well as narrative non-fiction. The event focuses on the art of the novel pitch as the best method not only for communicating your work, but for having you and your work taken seriously by industry professionals. 

See a full list of faculty members with bios HERE.

Fees: The registration fee until December 5 is $795.00, and $895.00 after that date. This fee covers all conference pitch sessions and workshops. Registration form is HERE.

27th Free ���Dear Lucky Agent��� Contest: Women���s Fiction

Jacquelyn Bischak: Woman Reading By The Window Chuck Sambuccino, the editor of the Guide to Literary Agents, is running another "Dear Lucky Agent" contest. These contests allow writers to submit one page of their manuscript to be judged by an agent. The genre for this contest is women's fiction. There is no entry fee.

Winners of the contest have a more than good chance of getting representation. It's good to enter contests, not just because you may win one, but because they force you to write short summaries and synopses, and to polish your first few pages until they shine. These are usually the only pages an agent will see before making a decision. (Sometimes they only read a paragraph.)

The contest deadline is Tuesday, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2016. CLICK HERE for more details.

For hundreds of free contests organized by month see: FREE CONTESTS.
_____________________

From the GLA blog: 

Welcome to the 27th (free!) “Dear Lucky Agent” Contest on the GLA blog. This is a FREE recurring online contest with agent judges and super-cool prizes. Here’s the deal: With every contest, the details are essentially the same, but the niche itself changes—meaning each contest is focused around a specific category or two. If you’re writing a women’s fiction novel, then this 27th contest is for you! The contest is live through end of day, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2016. The contest is judged by agent Irene Goodman of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency.

WHY YOU SHOULD GET EXCITED

After a previous “Dear Lucky Agent” contest, the agent judge, Tamar Rydzinski (The Laura Dail Literary Agency), signed one of the three contest winners. After Tamar signed the writer, she went on to sell two of that writer’s books! How cool! These contests can’t be missed if you have an eligible submission.

HOW TO SUBMIT

E-mail entries to dearluckyagent27@gmail.com. Please paste all text. The only time to include attachments are when you have to attach images to show your social-media sharing (more info that below).

MEET YOUR (AWESOME) AGENT JUDGE!

Irene Goodman has been a leading member of the publishing community for over 30 years. She has sold more than 1,500 books and counting. Her clients are regulars on the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Bookscan bestseller lists. She began her career as the assistant to the agent who represented Stephen King, and established her own agency shortly after that. Her fiction list includes upmarket women’s fiction, middle grade, young adult, thrillers, historical fiction, and mysteries. Her nonfiction list includes pop culture, Jewish interest, science, self-help, Francophilia, and lifestyle.

Irene has written columns and articles for a number of writers’ publications, and is also a frequent speaker at writers conferences, including keynoting at the Historical Novelists Society and Novelists Ink., and workshops at the San Francisco Writers Conference, the Surrey International Writers Conference, the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference, SEAK, the South Carolina Writers Workshop, Malice Domestic, and many regional events. Originally from the Midwest and still trying to lose the accent, Irene has a B.A. and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan. She and her husband divide their time between New York and the Berkshires, and have two grown children.

WHAT TO SUBMIT (AND OUR SOCIAL MEDIA REQUIREMENTS)

The first 150-300 words (i.e., your first double-spaced page) of your unpublished, completed women’s fiction novel. You must include a contact e-mail address with your entry and use your real name. Also note your city of residence (i.e. — the city you live in, not your full address). Submit the title of the work and a logline (one-sentence description of the work) with each entry. Self-published novels are not eligible.

Please note:  To be eligible to submit, you must mention this contest twice through any any social-media. Please provide a social-media link or Twitter handle or screenshot or blog post URL, etc., with your official e-mailed entry so the judge and I can verify eligibility. Some previous entrants could not be considered because they skipped this step! In short, simply spread the word twice through any means and give us a way to verify you did; a TinyURL for this link/contest for you to easily use is http://tinyurl.com/jje3qaw

An easy way to notify me of your sharing is to include my Twitter handle @chucksambuchino at the end of your mention(s) if using Twitter. If we’re friends on FB, tag me in the mention. If you are going to just use Twitter as your 2 entries, please wait one day between mentions to spread out the notices, instead of simply tweeting twice back to back. Thanks. (Please note that simply tweeting me does not count. You have to include the contest URL with your mention; that’s the point. And if you use Twitter, put my handle @chucksambuchino at the middle or the end, not at the very beginning of the tweet, or else the tweet will be invisible to others.)

Here is a sample TWEET you can use (feel free to tweak): New FREE contest for writers 
of Women’s Fiction http://tinyurl.com/jje3qaw Judged by agent @igagency, via @chucksambuchino

2 New Literary Agents Seeking Clients NOW

Here are two new agents actively building their client lists.

Melissa Nasson (Rubin Pfeffer Content) is interested in middle-grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction. She is also accepting picture book queries. She is open to all genres, but has a special love for fantasy and science fiction.

Janna Bonikowski (The Knight Agency) is seeking women's fiction, romance, historical fiction, literary/commercial fiction, young adult, and suspense.

Note: You can find dozens of new and established literary agents seeking clients here: Agents Seeking Clients

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Melissa Nasson of Rubin Pfeffer Content

Melissa Nasson has spent her life living in and around Boston, attending college at Boston University (Go Terriers!). While studying at Boston University School of Law, she realized that becoming a literary agent would combine her passion for books with her legal background, and she began interning at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth, and later at East-West Literary Agency and Rubin Pfeffer Content. After taking the bar exam in 2012, Melissa worked as a foreign rights intern at Perseus Books Group before starting as contracts director at Beacon Press. Now, she continues her work at Beacon Press while actively building her list as an associate agent at Rubin Pfeffer Content. Melissa loves dogs, craft beer, making pickles, tending to her tiny vegetable garden, and her pet tortoise, Norton.

She is seeking: Melissa is seeking middle-grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction. She is also accepting picture book queries. She is open to all genres, but has a special love for fantasy and science fiction. She enjoys unexpected settings and loves a good romantic angle. For nonfiction, she'd love to see manuscripts that bring to light untold stories from history, particularly featuring individuals from marginalized groups. Above all, she wants to see strong, polished writing, fully developed and multifaceted characters, and fresh concepts. Tip: Melissa is not a good fit for bathroom humor.

How to submit: Please e-mail a query letter and the first 50 pages of your manuscript as a Word doc or PDF to melissa [@] rpcontent.com.
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Janna Bonikowski of The Knight Agency

Janna Bonikowski joined the Knight Agency with several years of experience as both an independent editor and a freelance editor for Lyrical Press/Kensington. Though her Bachelor’s degree focused on business and economics, her passion for books made a career in publishing inevitable.

Raised on a steady supply of books including everything from Little House on the Prairie to Trixie Belden to Anne of Green Gables, Janna has since moved on, expanding her reading diet to multiple genres: romance, women’s fiction, literary/commercial fiction, suspense, young adult, and historical fiction. With such a wide range of literary loves, she manically adds to her to-be-read pile every new-release Tuesday, supporting the economy one book purchase at a time.

She is Seeking: Women’s fiction, romance, historical fiction, literary/commercial fiction, young adult, suspense.

How to Submit: Submissions should be sent to submissions@knightagency.net and addressed to Janna. A one-page query and the first five pages of the manuscript should be included in the body of the email.

What a Trump Presidency Means for Writers

Quote from Washington Post Since last week's election, dozens of articles have appeared speculating what a Trump presidency could mean for any number of sectors - the economy, social security, healthcare, technology and the Internet, reproductive rights, foreign relations, and so on.

With the exception of Wall Street, which is already showing its jubilation over the deregulation of financial institutions, most of these articles have ranged from a cautious "we don't really know" to glum. 

How this presidency will affect writers has not been discussed at any great length. However, there are signs that do not bode well.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Trump has essentially declared war on freedom of speech, opening up the possibility of  lawsuits directed at journalists who are critical of his administration (Washington Post). This is not just a violation of First Amendment rights, it is a green light to the potential abuse of power. In a recent article, The Authors Guild issued a strong warning:

 "there is a risk that Trump’s veto power as president could endanger a pending federal free speech bill—the SPEAK FREE Act—from becoming law. This pending legislation, based on similar laws in more than half of our states, would allow federal courts to dismiss unfounded lawsuits filed solely to punish people for speaking out. It just so happens these types of lawsuits (know as “strategic lawsuits against public participation,” or SLAPP suits)—and the threat of them—have been a favorite Trump tactic."

As president, Trump would attempt to overturn Supreme Court decisions protecting journalists from harassment lawsuits initiated by public figures. The first of these dates back to the Court’s unanimous 1964 decision in The New York Times v. Sullivan, which allowed free reporting of the Civil Rights movement. Not coincidentally, Trump named the New York Times as one of the newspapers he would sue.

COPYRIGHT

Trump's stance on copyright has not been formalized, but given the Trump campaign's unauthorized use of copyrighted images, and the lawsuits resulting from his breach of copyright law, it would not be a stretch to conclude that reforming copyright law will not be high on Trump's list of priorities. 

NET NEUTRALITY

Perhaps the most profound blow to writers would come with the elimination of net neutrality. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, net neutrality guarantees equal access to the Internet without favoring some sources over others. If Trump has his way, Internet content would be filtered, and businesses would be able to pay for being prioritized. In short, the net would be reduced to an advertising platform for the wealthiest corporations. That leaves writers hoping to build an online presence in the lurch.

WHAT TO DO?

1) WRITE. As writers we have an advantage over people who are not used to expressing themselves in print. The pen, in our hands, is mightier than the sword. We can write articles, communicate with our representatives and the media, and reach the public in ways that are effective and articulate. Above all, DO NOT SHUT UP! Self-censorship is the worst kind of censorship. Speak your mind, honestly and frankly, and without apology.

2) JOIN ORGANIZATIONS THAT DEFEND WRITERS. PEN America and the National Coalition Against Censorship are two long-standing organizations that defend writers and the First Amendment right to free speech. The Authors Guild, which is dedicated to defending the legal rights of authors, particularly regarding copyright, has also stated it will protect authors during the Trump presidency.

3) DONATE TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT DEFEND CIVIL RIGHTS. There are many organizations in the United States dedicated to defending the civil rights of U.S. citizens and residents. Here is a list of Pro-Women, Pro-Immigrant, Pro-Earth, Anti-Bigotry Organizations that need your support. You don't have to give a lot - every little bit helps.

4) PARTICIPATE IN THE ELECTORAL PROCESS. Half of registered voters did not participate in the last election. Democracy is a "use it or lose it" form of government. No matter how discouraged you may feel - don't opt out. Do your research, understand the issues, ignore the hype, and vote.

5) ADVOCATE. Defend those who cannot defend themselves - the disabled, the undocumented, the impoverished. Sign petitions, call your representative, wave signs if you want to. This is the land of liberty, not the land of bullies, hate mongers, and pussy grabbers. Trump has done a good job of normalizing reprehensible behavior; it's up to us to stamp it out.

3 New Literary Agents Seeking Clients NOW

These three new agents are seeking clients. Rachel Crawford (Wolf Literary Services) is interested in literary and commercial fiction and YA. In nonfiction she’s interested in tech, futurism, psychology, environment, and science. Kira Watson (Emma Sweeney Agency, LLC) is particularly interested in Children’s Literature (YA & MG). Catherine Cho (Curtis Brown) is seeking debut novelists, particularly in literary and reading group fiction.

Note: For a comprehensive list of dozens of new and established agents seeking clients see: Agents Seeking Clients.
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Catherine Cho of Curtis Brown

Raised in Kentucky, Catherine studied literature at New York University. She lived in Hong Kong for several years and studied international law. After a stint in corporate law and lobbying, she worked for Folio Literary Management in New York, before moving to Curtis Brown in London.

What she is seeking: Catherine is looking to represent debut novelists, particularly in literary and reading group fiction. She’s searching for stories that transport their readers—with a strong, moving narrative and distinctive voice. She particularly enjoys stories with magical realism and speculative elements (such as Margaret Atwood and David Mitchell). Her other favorite authors include Kazuo Ishiguro, David Nicholls, Ann Patchett, Karen Russell, Elizabeth Strout, Donna Tartt, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In nonfiction, she’s searching for lifestyle titles and narrative memoirs.

She is based in the UK. Although she is open to subs from writers of any nation, she said this: “I am looking for both US / UK, but I do primarily submit to UK, so ideally something that crosses over.”

How to submit: If you would like to submit your work, please send a cover letter, synopsis, and the first three chapters by email to catherine.cho [at] curtisbrown.co.uk. You can also submit your material via Curtis Brown’s portal system. You can select the New Writing Team at www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/submissions.
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Rachel Crawford of Wolf Literary Services

Rachel Crawford is a literary agent and film rights manager at Wolf Literary Services. Hailing from sunny Brisbane, Australia, Rachel moved to New York in 2011. She worked previously at Sterling Lord Literistic and as an associate at Fletcher and Company, and has a background in rights and marketing.

What she is seeking: Rachel is looking for literary and commercial fiction and YA. She’s interested in stories that defy genre conventions and play with reader expectations, and particularly enjoys dystopian, eco-fiction, and apocalyptic narratives, as well as anything with a scientist protagonist. She’s also looking for international fiction, political fiction that explores big ideas through compelling narrative, and stories from traditionally underrepresented voices. She loves stories about women by women.

In nonfiction she’s interested in tech, futurism, psychology, environment, and science, and isn’t adverse to prescriptive nonfiction from authors with a strong professional background in their topic of choice.

How to contact: To submit a project to Rachel, please send a detailed synopsis and the first 50 pages to queries [at] wolflit.com, with “For Rachel” in the e-mail subject header.

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Kira Watson of Emma Sweeney Agency, LLC

Kira Watson graduated from Hunter College where she earned a BA in English (with a focus on Creative Writing) and a BA in Russian Language & Culture.

What she is seeking: Kira is particularly interested in Children’s Literature (YA & MG) with a strong narrative voice, well-crafted storylines, and memorable characters. Within YA & MG, Kira is actively seeking Realistic Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Magic Realism, Thriller/Mystery, Horror, Fantasy, and Historical Fiction. 

 Stories with folklore elements, complex villains, morally enigmatic (and very flawed) protagonists, medieval literature influences, and taboo subjects are bound to catch Kira’s attention.

How to Contact: “We accept only electronic queries, and ask that all queries be sent to queries@emmasweeneyagency.com. Please begin your query with a succinct (and hopefully catchy) description of your plot or proposal. Always include a brief cover letter telling us how you heard about ESA, your previous writing credits, and a few lines about yourself. We cannot open any attachments unless specifically requested, and ask that you paste the first ten (10) pages of your proposal or novel into the text of your e-mail.

26th Free ���Dear Lucky Agent��� Contest: Fantasy and Science Fiction

Every so often, Chuck Sambuccino, the editor of the Guide to Literary Agents, runs a free contest called "Dear Lucky Agent." Each contest is focused on a specific genre. These contests allow writers to submit one page of their manuscript to be judged by an agent.

Winners of the contest have a more than good chance of getting representation. It's good to enter contests, not just because you may win one, but because they force you to write short summaries and synopses, and to polish your first few pages until they shine. These are usually the only pages an agent will see before making a decision. (Sometimes they only read a paragraph.)

The contest deadline is Thursday, November 10, 2016. CLICK HERE for more details.

For hundreds of free contests organized by month see: FREE CONTESTS.
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From the website

WHY YOU SHOULD GET EXCITED

After a previous “Dear Lucky Agent” contest, the agent judge, Tamar Rydzinski (The Laura Dail Literary Agency), signed one of the three contest winners. After Tamar signed the writer, she went on to sell two of that writer’s books! How cool! These contests can’t be missed if you have an eligible submission.

HOW TO SUBMIT

E-mail entries to dearluckyagent26@gmail.com. Please paste everything. No attachments.
(This contest went live a few hours before the e-mail was created, so several people who submitted early had their work bounce back. Apologies if this was you. As of early October 26, 2017, this e-mail address is up and running and fine. Submit! Thank you. All is now well.)

MEET YOUR (AWESOME) AGENT JUDGE!

Mike Hoogland joined Dystel & Goderich after completing a foreign rights internship at Sterling Lord Literistic. Before pursuing a career in publishing, Mike studied at Colgate University and graduated with a degree in political science and the intention to work in government. He interned with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, but soon realized his interests and passions were better suited to a career in the publishing industry. After Colgate, Mike went on to gain a valuable education at the Columbia Publishing Course and discovered his passion for the agenting side of the business. He is seeking: sci-fi, fantasy, thrillers, upmarket women’s fiction, and some children’s books (picture books, MG, and YA), as well as a wide variety of narrative nonfiction, including science, history, and politics. He is particularly interested in seeing thought-provoking, realistic speculative fiction.

WHAT TO SUBMIT (AND OUR SOCIAL MEDIA REQUIREMENTS)

The first 150-250 words (i.e., your first double-spaced page) of your unpublished, completed fantasy or science fiction novel. You must include a contact e-mail address with your entry and use your real name. Also note your city of residence (i.e. — the city you live in, not your full address). Submit the title of the work and a logline (one-sentence description of the work) with each entry. Self-published novels are not eligible.

Please note:  To be eligible to submit, you must mention this contest twice through any any social-media. Please provide a social-media link or Twitter handle or screenshot or blog post URL, etc., with your official e-mailed entry so the judge and I can verify eligibility. Some previous entrants could not be considered because they skipped this step! In short, simply spread the word twice through any means and give us a way to verify you did; a TinyURL for this link/contest for you to easily use is  http://tinyurl.com/jymslez

An easy way to notify me of your sharing is to include my Twitter handle @chucksambuchino at the end of your mention(s) if using Twitter. If we’re friends on FB, tag me in the mention. If you are going to just use Twitter as your 2 entries, please wait one day between mentions to spread out the notices, instead of simply tweeting twice back to back. Thanks. (Please note that simply tweeting me does not count. You have to include the contest URL with your mention; that’s the point. And if you use Twitter, put my handle @chucksambuchino at the middle or the end, not at the very beginning of the tweet, or else the tweet will be invisible to others.)

Here is a sample TWEET you can use (feel free to tweak): New FREE contest for writers of Fantasy and Science Fictionhttp://tinyurl.com/jymslez Judged by agent @mike_hoogland, via @chucksambuchin