How I Signed With A Literary Agency (And You Can, Too) by Stacy Hoff

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The last few weeks have been crazy. My horse racing romance, JOCKEYING FOR YOU, won the 2017 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence for contemporary romance. Simultaneously, I signed with a literary agency. Considering my life is usually pretty boring, my head feels like it might explode.

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I had tried to find a literary agent for years. Quite unsuccessfully. It was actually easier for me to get a publisher. I met my wonderful small press publisher at a writers’ conference. I pitched to them via a pitch appointment. This same publisher will soon publish my seventh contemporary romance novel, MAD FOR YOU IN MADRID (Building Love#3) in October, 2018. Because this publisher was willing to take a chance on me, I was able to get my books published without an agent, and even managed to achieve the Gayle Wilson award. (You can see the covers for all of these books below.)

Getting published was (and still is) a dream come true. I’ve always loved writing contemporary romance. But I decided in November, 2016, to try writing something new. I drafted a science fiction romance story during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Science fiction was a heck of departure for me. Especially since this story straddled the line between a post-apocalyptic and a dystopian world. Now that I was writing different genres of romance, I again wanted to find a literary agent. I dusted off my query letter template.

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The real question was, who would be a good match for me? Who would be interested in acquiring new authors? Who had a good reputation? Who would be a true partner in my career (providing marketing advice, career advice, editorial feedback, and sit-down discussions about future books)? I plowed through a zillion websites. Although I gained good general information, I still had no idea who would be a solid candidate to pursue.

There are two Twitter hashtags that helped me sort through the overwhelming info. #MSWL (manuscript wish list) and #amquerying. #MSWL is the hashtag agents use to make special requests; a call for the manuscripts they immediately want in their inboxes. Think of #MSWL as a “hot sheet.” The other hashtag, #amquerying, is primarily used by writers and authors, although agents can tweet here as well. You’ll find news here as to writing contests, agents who are actively acquiring new authors, and helpful tips on getting published (i.e., how to write an effective query letter). #Amquerying is also a great place for writers to commiserate together while they search for an agent.

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I found through #amquerying two great links for finding new agents: https://gradstudentfreelancers.com/ and http://www.writersdigest.com. I  recommend both.

Of the two hashtags, using #MSWL was what ultimately worked for me. It was here that I saw a tweet from Eva Scalzo, Literary Agent for the Speilburg Literary Agency. I also saw several tweets about her appearing on the same #MSWL hashtag. My curiosity was peaked and I checked out her full manuscript wish list. When I saw her extended profile, I noticed that Eva and I had many things in common—the types of books we focus on, a commitment to including diverse characters, and even several places we’ve lived. Plus, Eva had a strong science background and love for romance. Sounded perfect for my new sci-fi romance novel. I checked out Eva’s Twitter feed. This gave me a full picture of Eva as not only a literary agent, but as a person. (Eva’s Twitter profile photo is directly below.)

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I not only polished up my query letter to reach out to her, I personalized it. I let her know why her profile and manuscript wish list “spoke” to me. I crossed my fingers while hitting the “send” button. And did my best to distract myself while waiting for a response. Luckily, it did not take long for me to receive the happy news that Eva wanted to read the full manuscript for my sci-fi novel. Within three months, I was signing the agency’s agreement.

Had it not been for Twitter’s #MSWL hashtag, I might have missed the opportunity to reach out to Eva Scalzo of Speilburg Literary. Twitter jumpstarted my search, and then “brought home the bacon.”

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I’m sure Eva will help my career sizzle.

By the way, for those of you who want to check out Speilburg Literary Agency, here are the web links: https://speilburgliterary.com;  Twitter link: https://twitter.com/alicespeilburg  To find Eva Scalzo on Twittter, https://twitter.com/evascalzo

About EVA SCALZO

Eva Scalzo was born in New Jersey, but has lived in Houston, Buenos Aires, San Juan, and Boston before settling down outside of Binghamton, New York. She has a B.A. in the Humanities from the University of Puerto Rico and a M.A. in Publishing and Writing from Emerson College. Since graduating in 2002, she has spent her career in scholarly publishing, working for Houghton Mifflin, Blackwell Publishing, John Wiley & Sons, and Cornell University in a variety of roles.

Eva has been reading romance since the fifth grade when she discovered the Sweet Valley High series. On inheriting her grandmother’s collection of vintage Harlequin Romances, she promptly set about filling the gaps, and her goal is to someday finish reading all the treasures. Eva is looking to represent all subgenres of Romance, with the exclusion of inspirational romance, as well as Young Adult fiction.

One last fun fact: if you’ve been reading this bio and pronouncing Eva’s name with a long E sound, you’ve been saying it wrong.

STACY’S TIP FOR WRITERS: Always do your research before signing with any agent, publisher, or any other literary professional. 

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SIGN UP FOR STACY’S NEWSLETTER! http://eepurl.com/bG0HZD

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS FOR STACY HOFF:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorStacyHoff

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/authorStacyHoff

Web: http://www.stacyhoff.com 

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JOCKEYING FOR YOU print version http://amzn.to/2eanq2o

JOCKEYING FOR YOU Kindle version http://amzn.to/2c8Hi5t

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HOTTER THAN THE CARIBBEAN – In the Caribbean, the secrets, sex, and scandals are hotter!

AMAZON LINK: http://amzn.to/2xW3WtJ

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BETTING ON LOVE IN VEGAS (BUILDING LOVE series, #1)  Love is the biggest gamble of all!

NOW AVAILABLE IN PRINT: https://www.amazon.com/Betting-Love-Vegas-Stacy-Hoff/dp/1682913422/

Kindle version: http://amzn.to/2kAgBvK

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DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC print version http://amzn.to/2cubwCf

DESIRE IN THE ARCTIC kindle version http://amzn.to/1KjfP9V

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DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES print version http://amzn.to/2dXO1zV

DESIRE IN THE EVERGLADES Kindle version http://amzn.to/1YEseie

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LAWFULLY YOURS print version http://amzn.to/2e6Ug8k

LAWFULLY YOURS Kindle version http://amzn.to/1Ky5CZm 

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