Literary Agents

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Get a Fiction Makeover for National Novel Writing Month!

A Contest Sponsored by The Marshall Plan® In celebration of National Novel Writing Month (November 2010), Evan Marshall and Martha Jewett, leading literary agents and authors of The Marshall Plan® Novel Writing Software and The Marshall Plan® for Novel Writing ebook, are sponsoring a contest for aspiring novelists. Send them a proposal for your novel for a chance [...]

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How to Turn Off an Agent

A lot has been written about the proper way to approach a literary agent. Equally helpful, I think, are some guidelines on how not to approach an agent. Do any of the following and you’ll be sure to turn an agent right off. Educate him about publishing. Why do some writers feel compelled to begin [...]

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Agent Secrets

In the old days, writers in search of an agent usually began by consulting printed directories—often at public libraries because the directories were so expensive. Not so anymore. Now, thanks to the Internet and some helpful sites, you can conduct an intelligent search on your computer. Begin with three sites that offer detailed information on literary [...]

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Putting Myself Out of Business

A Special Report All we hear nowadays is that publishers won’t look at unagented material anymore; the legendary slush pile is dead. But it’s not true! Even if you don’t have an agent (and these days it’s harder than ever to get one), if your novel is completed you can start submitting right now. A [...]

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What Literary Agents Look For

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Like other literary agents, I hear from thousands of writers each year, and accept only a tiny fraction of them for representation. What makes these few desirable as clients? What does an agent look for in a writer? Someone who’s: Original. You’d think it would go without saying that writers should strive to develop fresh [...]

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Get Your Novel Published – The Submission Campaign

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Your novel is completed and all of your auxiliary materials—query letter, synopsis, short synopsis, cover letter—are ready. Now what do you do? You don’t start sending things out helter-skelter, hoping something with hit the target. You take a thoughtful, intelligent, businesslike approach to submission. You plan a campaign. A Multi-tiered Approach I always recommend a [...]

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Five Reasons Why Literary Agents Reject Manuscripts Out of Hand

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Literary agents read a lot of manuscripts. At my agency, we ask to see an average of two or three a week. That means we need a way to quickly weed out the rejects, so we’ll have time to read the rest. Like other agents, I look for certain signs that tell me right away [...]

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