Agent Interview: Marie Lamba

Please welcome my fabulous agent Marie Lamba to the blog. She joined The Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency as an associate agent in 2011 and surprised me one morning in January 2012 with THE CALL. I can’t say I was coherent, but hey, I like surprises.

Below are Marie’s submission guidelines from the JDLA website (but always check the website before submitting in case the guidelines have been updated):

I am currently looking for
Young adult and middle-grade fiction, along with general and women’s fiction and some memoir.  Books that are moving and/or hilarious are especially welcome.  I am NOT interested in picture books, science fiction, or high fantasy (though I am open to paranormal elements), category romance (though romantic elements are welcome), non-fiction, or in books that feature graphic violence.

To submit
Please email a query to marie.jdlit@gmail.com and put “Query” in the subject line of your email.

For queries regarding children’s and adult fiction, please send the first twenty pages in the body of your email, along with a one-paragraph bio and a one-paragraph synopsis.

For queries regarding a non-fiction book, please attach the entire proposal as a Word document (the proposal should include a sample chapter), along with a one-paragraph bio and a one-paragraph synopsis of your book in the body of your email.

STEPH: Welcome to the Firebirds blog, Marie!

MARIE: Thanks for having me.

STEPH: As one of your clients, I know you’re an editorial agent (which I love!). Can you explain what the revision process is usually like with your clients?

MARIE: Right when I make “the call,” I’ll be very upfront with my potential client about any adjustments I may see needs to be made before a manuscript goes out on submission.  These are typically big-picture changes like the middle sags a bit, or the main character’s love interest needs to be less perfect, or the ending needs some more development. I make sure the writer is open to changes like this, and that we are both on “the same page,” to use a literary pun.

Then, once the writer signs with me, I’ll do a read through of the manuscript tracking suggested edits along with my comments. Since I’ve also worked as an editor and I’m also a published author, I’m able to really articulate to my clients not only what may not be working, but also how things might be fixed. My authors understand that they don’t have to do exactly what I say, but that I do want them to address my concerns in some way in their revision. Sometimes it takes several passes between us and even some phone calls to nail down the final version for submission. Then it’s time to send it out and rock editor’s socks!

STEPH: Can you give us a glimpse of what your typical day as an agent consists of?

MARIE: No day is completely typical, but… Up at 6 a.m. for queries and coffee #1.  Then around 7:30 a.m. or so it’s coffee #2 as I dig through my client emails and follow up with them.  Next I will handle some longer-range stuff on my plate, such as doing interviews (like this one!), nailing down conference appearance details, or upcoming editor appointments. I usually have a client manuscript on-deck for a read-through/revision, so I’ll work on that during more quiet moments.

Plus when I’m subbing a client’s work, I’ll be researching the perfect editors, making up a tight pitch, and then I’ll be on the phone pitching.  Once I’ve made my pitch to editors, I then follow up by sending the manuscript out, plus I update my client.  In the evening and on weekends I’ll read through requested full manuscripts in my inbox.  Oh, and at some point during the week I also put together a weekly Agent Monday post for marielamba.com, and I do periodic newsletters for all of our clients filled with marketing tips. I’ve worked in P.R. and been a book promotion manager for a publisher, plus I’ve been an author in the marketing trenches myself, so I definitely have some tips to offer our clients.

STEPH: Agent life definitely sounds busy! Speaking of queries, what are some of the most common mistakes you see?

MARIE: Not following my guidelines. That’s a biggie! People send me things I say I definitely do not want, and use the wrong format to send pages, or send me no pages, or send me the full manuscript. It’s a shame – and it equals a rejection.

For those writers who do follow my guidelines and include the first 20 pages pasted in at the bottom of the query, too often those pages show their book is beginning at the wrong spot. Too many characters who are waking up, or are driving somewhere, or are in the process of moving to where the story really begins.  Also, there is way too much telling in opening pages. We don’t need to know all the background and details at the outset, we need the story to pull us in.

STEPH: I’m extremely lucky in that I was able to meet you in person while you attended a conference. Do you have any conferences or events scheduled for this upcoming year?

MARIE: I was the lucky one!  I’m adding in conferences all the time, so folks should click on my Appearances page over at marielamba.com for the most up-to-date schedule, but here are some slated ones:

September 21-22, 2013, MD/DE/WV SCBWI Fall 2013 Conference, Lucky 13 at the Bishop Claggett Center in Buckeystown, MD.

Friday, October 11th, 2013, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., YA and Middle Reader Novelists, Spend the Day with Assoc. Literary Agent Marie Lamba.  Part of the Push to Publish Conference at Rosemont College in Rosemont, PA, sponsored by Philadelphia Stories.

STEPH: Great! Do you have any advice for writers who are nervous about pitching their manuscripts at conferences?

MARIE: Don’t think of this as your one and only shot. That’s way too much pressure and will mess with your head. Just enjoy meeting that agent as a person, and think of it as sharing your idea with a fellow book lover. If you are very nervous, then definitely bring a print out of your pitch to read. Most agents will understand, and if they don’t, do you really want to work with them? If there is extra time, feel free to ask some questions of your own.

STEPH: So there’s one last question, and it’s one I have to know the answer to. Cupcakes or chocolate?

MARIE: Oh, now that’s an easy one: chocolate, of course!

STEPH: Thanks for the interview, Marie!

So writers, polish those manuscripts and queries. If you think Marie’s a good fit for your work, don’t forget to study those submission guidelines. Good luck!