Wendy Sherman Associates - Agency Blog

Why Attend Conferences?

2010-11-09T14:32:00.004-05:00

Giving up a weekend to travel and spend time hearing pitches and
critiquing writing samples never seemed like a good use of time, and in truth I’d rather be home on my couch reading a full manuscript of something I’m sure I can sell.

But I’m ready to revise that view after spending a lovely and productive weekend in Myrtle Beach at the South Carolina Writers Workshop. I met many new writers and was impressed with the dedication and passion the attendees brought to the conference. Publishing is a mysterious world to those on the outside (and sometimes even to those of us on the inside) and hopefully my workshops shed valuable light on the art of writing memoir and the journey of finding an agent and getting published.

A big bonus was getting to meet the other faculty members-many of whom I had never before met, and I was thrilled to spend time with the lovely and talented Therese Fowler (see photo) who, in spite of our frequent phone calls and emails I rarely get to see. I loved our sunrise run on the beach each morning and the crazy martinis (pomegranate and lime juice?) were the perfect way to finish the days.

So I guess the answer to my question here is that it’s good to get out of the New York publishing cocoon. I have several excellent projects that I scored at the conference and am very happy for the time spent with new friends.

Until the next time…
-WS

Witches are Real

2010-10-29T11:29:00.001-04:00

With Halloween right around the corner, thoughts often turn to fright-night characters such as goblins, witches, and ghosts. But far from dwelling in the realm of fairy tale and folklore, what if some of these spooky specters were real? That’s what Minnesota author Mary Sharratt found out when she moved to the Pendle region of Lancashire, England.

Pendle Hill is steeped in its legends of the Lancashire witches. In 1612, in one of the most meticulously documented trials in English history, seven women and two men from Pendle Forest were hanged as witches. Sharratt’s novel, DAUGHTERS OF THE WITCHING HILL (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010) interweaves well-researched historical details with a beautifully imagined story of strong women, family love, and betrayal in what the San Francisco Chronicle called “a fresh approach with witches who believe in their own power and yet, in many ways, are still innocent. Sharratt’s readers—like the magistrate who took the women’s confessions—are likely to be spellbound.”

“The wild, brooding landscape of Pendle Hill, my adopted home, gave birth to my new novel, DAUGHTERS OF THE WITCHING HILL, which tells the true story of Elizabeth Southerns, cunning woman, more commonly known by her nickname, Mother Demdike,” says Sharratt. “As I sought to uncover the bones of her story, I was drawn into a lost world of mystery and magic. Every stereotype I’d held of historical witches and cunning folk was dashed to pieces. Mother Demdike became a true presence, a shining light in my life.”

DAUGHTERS OF THE WITCHING HILL is now available in hardcover. The paperback will be released in January 2011. Click here to view Mary's website.

Click here to view the video.

NYTimes Bestseller and Powerful, Inspiring Memoir

2010-09-27T10:08:00.006-04:00

Congratulations to Ambassador Nancy Brinker and Joni Rodgers on the NYTimes Bestselling book Promise Me: How A Sisters Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer.

Click here to watch this clip of Nancy discussing the book and her reasons for founding Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Back to School and Back to Work

2010-09-08T12:20:00.003-04:00

Coming back to work this year, feels like coming back to school after summer. Lots of excitement for what's to come in the year ahead. That's what it felt like today in the office. After several sleepy weeks with New York resembling a hot, humid ghost town, everything and everyone was a-buzz with possibilities. Phone calls from editors looking for the next big book. Authors checking in to say hello. Everyone back in the office after a long weekend at the beach. What a wonderful feeling of energy, optimism and excitement. So for some it's about new notebooks, new teachers and new outfits And for some of us it's about new authors, new manuscripts, new books and...new outfits.

We have two BIG launches this month including Changing Shoes by Tina Sloan. Many of you will be familiar with her starring role as Nurse Lillian Raines on Guiding Light. Tina's book will publish next week and her one-woman show by the same name will premier in New York (it is sold out here but the show will soon be traveling around the country on September 20). If you want to see a fabulous book trailer click here.

And big congratulations to Joan Frances Turner on her spectacular debut novel Dust which has published this week and is off to a tremendous start.

All good things ahead...Happy Fall!
-WS

Running a half marathon is harder than it looks...

2010-08-10T16:14:00.005-04:00

I am many things: An improvisational cook, a skydiver, a bungee jumper, a hang-glider, a cliff-jumper, a cave explorer, a New Yorker, a reader, a dreamer, a critic, a coffee-lover, a person who can count to ten in four languages and, of course, an agent.

I am not, however, a runner.

But when my best friend and former college roommate, Katie, told me she signed up for an upcoming half marathon in Napa to raise money for Crohn’s Disease research (an often debilitating gastrointestinal disease from which Katie herself suffers), I couldn’t let her do it alone.

“I hope you’re not doing this just for me,” she said.
“I’m doing it for myself,” I said. (Lie).
“Good.”
“I want to get healthy.” (Half-lie).
“You have to get up at 7am Saturday mornings for training.”
“I don’t mind.” (lie so huge I even surprised myself). “But I am also doing it because I’ve seen how sick you can get and I want to support you. (The only truth). We’ll do it together.”

And I promised myself that throughout the training, I wasn’t going to complain. I didn’t complain when I had to wake up at 6am on Saturday mornings, or on the long taxi rides up to Central Park for running practice (yes, in NYC you take taxis to places in order to run), or even when our practice mileage went from 2 to 4 to 8 to 10 miles plus Harlem Hill.

On the day of the race we crossed the starting line at sunrise. Armed with a pocket Powerbar, I huffed my way through beautiful vineyards, up and down rolling hills and past red barns. In the end, it was an amazing experience, and that’s really why I did it. Writers, agents, editors—we’re all “experience addicts.” Every time I read a manuscript I’m looking to try on a new experience to satisfy my curiosity. In this case, I found out what it would be to call myself a runner. Though next time, I might just read a book about running….
-KP

A Good Book, Chilled Wine and Very Yummy Food...

2010-08-03T13:26:00.007-04:00

I was honored to be invited to attend my neighborhood book club this month to discuss Lunch in Paris, a memoir by Elizabeth Bard (www.elizabethbard.com). My friend Eileen happened to notice that I was thanked in the acknowledgments (who knew anyone actually read the acknowledgements) and thought it would be fun to have me join in. Twelve smart women gathered on a breezy summer evening at the beach for French wine and home made goodies right out of the book, like stuffed zucchini flowers, tabbouleh, melon in port, and mini almond cakes. What could be bad about that? It felt a bit like getting together to hear your friends talk about your children. Again, what could be bad about that? Interesting to hear how everyone felt about different aspects of Elizabeth’s life story and about the recipes. The comparisons to Eat, Pray, Love and other books make for lively conversation. It was also fun to share some of the behind-the-scenes stories like how I first met Elizabeth and what's gone on in her life since the book came out earlier this year, including the sale of the film rights and how all that happens. The whole night was totally fun, prideful, and, I must admit, strangely narcissistic.

At the end of the evening I offered a quick pitch on some other WSA books. I came prepared with some books (everyone loves a little swag, right?) and am thrilled that Brigid Pasulka's (www.BrigidPasulka.com)stunning debut novel A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True was chosen for next month's selection. Happy reading...
-Wendy

You Can't Go Home Again

2010-04-20T17:53:00.004-04:00

by Mary Sharratt

Thomas Wolfe’s iconic novel You Can’t Go Home Again explores the difficulty of returning to one’s childhood home after experiencing the freedom and sophistication of the wider world.

After the eruption of an Icelandic volcano last week, Wolfe’s words have taken on a completely new meaning as countless travelers find themselves stranded. I am one among many.

On April 3, I set off on my book tour to launch my new novel, Daughters of the Witching Hill. Flying from my adopted home in Lancashire, Northern England, I had a wonderful time doing book events in Boston and Salem before flying on to Minnesota, my childhood home, where I happily reunited with family and friends, old and new, between readings and interviews.

On Sunday April 18, my planned departure date, I was ready to go home to my husband and my pony. However, it was not to be. My flight was canceled due to air traffic restrictions over Europe. The earliest I can fly back to England is Monday, April 26.

Meanwhile I wait in limbo, hoping to book some more author events so I can at least make my extra time here useful. And I’m busily writing posts for my ongoing Virtual Blog Tour.
You truly can’t go home again . . . until flight restrictions are eased and they have a free seat available.

Suggested links:

Click here to purchase book

Blog tour

English author Mary Sharratt has longer book tour, thanks to Iceland ash

A Glorious Weekend

2010-04-12T15:22:00.002-04:00

I had the honor of attending the PEN/Hemingway awards at the JFK Library Boston last weekend with Brigid Pasulka , winner of this year's prize for her debut novel A Long Long Time Ago and Essentially True. I was filled with pride and thrilled to be reacquainted with old publishing friends, and meet many new ones including this year's judges Gail Tsukiyama , Michael Lowenthal and Julia Glass. Dorothy Allison's keynote address was characteristically amusing and who wouldn't be impressed (as I was) to meet Patrick Hemingway, who presented the award.

Being part of this weekend-long festivity was heartwarming (I admit to actually tearing up during Brigid's acceptance speech) and inspiring and an experience I will never forget. At a time when it is increasingly difficult to draw attention to new writers, I hope this award will introduce Brigid's amazing first novel to the large audience it so richly deserves.

(photographs courtesy of the JFK Library)

A Proud Day for the Agency!

2010-03-10T11:48:00.011-05:00

Congratulations to Brigid Pasulka, who has been awarded the 2010 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for a distinguished first book of fiction for A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).

It is with extra special pride that we applaud Brigid and are thrilled to see her amazing novel receive such a distinguished honor.

Click here to view the full press release!

Click here to read the article from the Chicago Tribune

Happy New Year!

2010-01-27T14:40:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! We hope this finds our readers well rested from a holiday break! We spent our time off catching up on reading and it seems like we received an unusually high volume of memoir submissions. This left us wondering, why is memoir so popular? Is it the transparency of the world we live in today? Is it our collective obsession with celebrity love lives that lends itself to curiosity about how ordinary people overcome extraordinary obstacles? As we caught up on emails sent over the break, we mused; is it the "me" generation's fascination with telling its own individual stories? Or maybe it is just the sheer voyeurism born out of the social networking era. Perhaps we are all just craving the story of the person behind the Facebook page or the Tweet. If Facebook is looking into other peoples' windows, is it possible that memoir is taking it a step further by sitting in other peoples' living rooms?

So what makes a good memoir? Well, we think it's a work that braids a fantastic, original voice and an unforgettable experience. A well-written memoir immerses us in a world so vivid, a place so unusual, and a plot so well-crafted that we are happy to sit in that living room for as long as it takes to truly experience the story. And what a treat when we find that magical combination!

Just about the highest praise for memoir is that is "reads like fiction" (but isn't!) because, in essence, the basic principles of all stories are the same. The unusual plot twists, the rich characters and the meaningful endings all leave us with the same sense of looking at the world through someone else's eyes. So we challenge you to embrace the voracious voyeurism that permeates our new world in 2010 and we dare you to satisfy us, dazzle us with your prose and invite us to sit on your couch with you as we all look out our windows towards a New Year.

-Wendy and Kim

Please Make Me Cry!

2009-09-15T15:28:00.002-04:00

I've been working on a lot of thrillers and mysteries lately, which can be a great thing- recently I've been privy to taxidermy-obsessed serial killers, zombies who become abnormally strong, and drug busts in the beautiful but dangerous city of Charleston, SC. But now it's time for a good cry- that's right, I'm asking specifically for some beautiful, heartbreaking, upmarket women's fiction.

I love anything to do with animals, heartbreaking family secrets, food, lost loves, and destiny. I prefer it when everything ends up happily, but things were lost along the way. I need a hook that gets me interested in the first place, and characters that I will gladly give up my weekend to spend time with them. Unusual is good; I'm a big fan of The Time Traveler's Wife and Dogs of Babel.

So send on the good stuff- no need to include a hankie, I'll be providing my own!

-Michelle Brower

Top Ten Tips for Writers' Conferences

2009-09-01T16:04:00.007-04:00

As many of you know, it's been a whirlwind summer of writers' conferences (which means a lot of airplanes, airport hotels, and very necessary 3 pm cookie breaks) for me, and I met a lot of authors and would-be authors in the month of August. A lot. In fact, I met so many that I thought I'd do a post about the ins and outs of conferences- why go to one? What do you do there as an author? More importantly, what don't you do there? So without further ado, here's another Top Ten post.

1) Go to get feedback on your work in a workshop or instructional setting. Sometimes writer's forget that the first and most important step in starting a writing career is actually, you know, writing. If you're a genre or commercial writer, find out how your work fits the field you're writing in, find out if anyone is bored, find out the pages where your reader just couldn't put the manuscript down. If you are a literary author, find a conference with a great group of faculty who can offer a nuanced reading and challenge you to do better.

2) Go to meet other writers.
I know most writers tend to write alone in some cramped closet in a deep dark basement somewhere and rarely ever emerge to see the sun, but a conference is a great place to meet others of your kind. You can share writer's block stories, bounce ideas around, talk about the process. And when you go home, thanks to the magic of the internet, you just might have a ready-made critique circle to share your work with.

3) Go to learn about the publishing process. Let's face it, sometimes publishing can seem a little mysterious and unfathomable. At conferences, there's often a wide range of publishing personae there: agents of all shapes and sizes, editors from major houses, small publishers, magazine editors, etc. We almost always do some kind of panel, and this is your chance to ask educated questions about how publishing works. Ever wonder who decides what cover a book gets and why? How debut authors get blurbs? How do books get into the front of the book store (hint: publishers have to pay for it)? Here's your chance.

4) DON'T expect to get a major book deal and be whisked directly from the conference to Hollywood with a newly fat bank account.
It's perfectly true that some people do sit down with an editor or an agent at a conference and something good comes of it down the line. But to be honest, it's really rare. One-in-a million rare. Sighting an ivory-billed woodpecker rare. The thing that helps the most? Having an amazing book that you've worked on until it's perfect.

5) If you're pitching, have a book and be a writer.
It's surprising to me how many people pay for an individual pitch session, sit down, start telling me about their unfinished novel, and get really disappointed when they find out they have to complete it before it can be sold. All debut authors (with rare exceptions in certain genres) have to have one full novel that we can sell on the basis of its merits. Non-fiction books need complete proposals. It sure would be great if you could sell an idea, but you can't. Also, once a man sat down across from me and started telling me about the novel he had "written" by dictating to his secretary. He had the verbatim transcripts, and he was hoping I would "iron them out" for him. Needless to say, I did not have a good impression of his writing abilities.

6) DON'T be a pushy pitcher.
I've been pitched in the bathroom. On the treadmill. In an elevator. While trying to eat. Once, in the airport when the conference was over. Now, agents are at these conferences for a reason- we do want to hear what prospective authors want to say, and in fact we are looking for good new material. But think about when you would bothered by talking about work, and don't pitch to us then. If you didn't get a chance for any face time with the agent of your choice at a conference, it is perfectly acceptable to send an email afterward with a "sorry I missed you at BLANK conference" and a query. Just think, then I won't have to remember you as the person pitching their comic novel while I'm in line for the ladies' room!

7) Agents and editors are people too.
For the most part, we are nice people who are doing this job because we love books and reading. Don't be overly obsequious, and don't be overly rude. We are not trying to crush your dreams, nor are we magical beings. Honestly represent yourself and your work with confidence, and we promise to treat you with respect. We realize that you have worked very hard on your book, but we can't take on everything, and any rejections are not a wholesale rejection of you.

8) DON'T be shy.
Conferences are a great place to just talk to other people about what's going on in the publishing world. It's very important for authors to be in touch with contemporary writing. Who are the hot authors now? What's working/not working in commercial fiction? What topics have recently been buzzing in non-fiction, and which already have 5 new books about them? Who is a good publicist to use, how do you start a blog? Take advantage of the collective wisdom of your peers.

9) DON'T bring paper manuscripts to hand out to agents or editors.
We have small suitcases. We are probably not going to read your full manuscript right after meet you. Wait, and follow up after the conference according to agent or editor preference.

10) Come prepared.
Know what agents and editors will be at the conference, and research what they represent and edit. Have questions at the ready for panels and round tables. Read some of the work written by the authors on the faculty, and know what to expect from different types of events. If you do your homework on a particular conference and the people attending it, you'll have a great time!

-Michelle Brower

Kindling Around

2009-07-27T17:52:00.002-04:00

I finally got a Kindle, and I must admit I am completely addicted. My teenage daughter asked if it wasn't a bit like a member of PETA wearing a fur coat. Well, no. Technology is not the enemy.

I will surely never stop buying and reading bound, paper books. I cannot imagine reading in bed with my Kindle. And I kind of hate that people can't see what I'm reading on the subway (great advertising, don't you think?). I will always love the feel of the pages and the intimacy of carrying around a real book. But on Day 1 of my "Life with Kindle" I discovered how easy it is to read manuscripts wherever I am (at home, commuting, etc). I checked the sales ranking of my clients new books (something I usually beg them not to do) and did a bit of comp title research on Amazon while stuck in traffic (and no, I was not driving!) for an interesting new non-fiction project I'm thinking of representing. And this is only Day 1. My only dilemma so far...what color Kindle cover should I get? I'm thinking pink.

-Wendy Sherman

Summertime is the time for...Writers' Conferences!

2009-07-07T10:45:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again, when the publishing business slows to a crawl, everyone heads out for vacation, and I travel here there and everywhere to attend some spectacular writers' conferences. Here's what's ahead on the schedule for this year:

Thrillerfest
New York, NY
Thursday, July 9th

Sewanee
Sewanee, TN
July 19th-21st

Pacific Northwest
Seattle, WA
July 30th- Aug 2nd

If you're in the area for any of these and want to mingle with fellow writers, editors, and agents, please do check them out.

-Michelle Brower

The Kindle is coming, the Kindle is coming!

2009-06-25T12:05:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I may be late to this party, but our office is finally making the leap to Kindles and mine has just arrived via the kindly UPS man. And I'm not ashamed to admit that it's love at first sight.

As any publishing industry professional will tell you, up until the advent of eReaders and Kindles, we all had a permanent crick in our necks from carrying around a tote filled with manuscripts and proposals. I don't know how many times multiple manuscripts were delivered on the same day, and I had to let one sit because it couldn't fit in my "to read" bag. Now I can load this tiny thing up with all my manuscripts and take them wherever I'm headed (hopefully, the beach) and toggle through at will.

But, I have a confession to make: I don't think the Kindle can shake my love of actual, physical books. I just put in an order for some titles from my local indie bookstore, and there is something thrilling and unreplaceable about going in and chatting with the owner and leaving with some good old paper in my hands. So maybe this is the happy medium- manuscripts and quick emergency reads on the Kindle, and "forever" books at home on my shelf.

-Michelle Brower

Top Ten Querying Mistakes

2009-06-02T10:19:00.004-04:00

I recently did a query workshop with Jason Ashlock of Moveable Type and Colleen Lindsay of FinePrint for the Backspace Conference, and it was our job to read author queries and ring a bell when we would have stopped reading. Out of all the queries we workshopped (I'd say we got to at least 30), there was only one that we actually got all the way through. We kept seeing the same problems over and over, so here's a redux of our top ten query red flags:

1) Never, ever, ever say you have a "fiction novel". All novels are fiction. For that matter, never say you have a "non-fiction novel" either.

2) Don't include a mock up of what you think your cover will look like. It won't look like that in the end anyway, and some of them are- to be kind -not very good looking.

3) Don't tell agents how you have been writing all your life, since you could first hold a crayon, and that's why we should take you on. This is not an important piece of your bio.

4) Don't pitch a trilogy. Trilogies are pretty outdated, and most publishers are not going to buy a trilogy when you don't already have a strong sales history. Pitch the first book, which should be able to stand on its own, and say you would like to continue on in a series instead.

5) Word count! Nearly all of the queries I looked at in the workshop were clocking in at or above 120,000 words. That is almost always too long, and makes me think you haven't edited enough. I think an appropriate length for most adult commercial fiction is between 75,000 and 100,000, and YA is between 60,00 and 80,000. Literary fiction usually is harder to pin down; it just has to be super special.

6) Don't call your work literary fiction if it isn't. Sometimes, it's hard to categorize what you're working on, but literary fiction is its own special animal. It's about the language, the craft, and more than just the reading experience. Usually, if you're writing literary fiction, you've got some great journal credits, like Glimmertrain or Tin House, or have studied in an MFA program. Those things aren't necessary, but don't jump to label your work literary if it's just hard to describe.

7) Know your audience. I often see things listed as "mainstream fiction" or "family saga" or "general fiction" and these are very broad terms that don't really tell me much. If you were to go into the bookstore, where would your book be shelved? Who is the person who is most likely to read it?

8) Don't mention that your book has been professionally edited or copy-edited. In fact, why get it professionally edited? Frankly, I want to see what your writing is like on your own. Work shopping is absolutely great, but if I see something professionally edited by someone you've hired, I don't get a good sense of how good or not good you actually are.

9) Don't use a weird font or paper with a picture of a pen in an inkwell on it. This is a business letter, just be straightforward.

10) Tell us what happens in the book. We always see query letters where "something tragic happens". We need to know what that something is! Don't worry about giving away the story, we need to know this information at some point and it's probably your hook. Don't hide the hook!

And here's a bonus 11th don't: Don't start with a rhetorical question.

Now, get out there and spiff up those queries!

-Michelle Brower

What Works

2009-04-27T12:13:00.002-04:00

You've been working on your book for years. You've got a great agent. You landed a great publishing deal. It's time for the big launch!

But when it comes to promotion and publicity today, what works? Short of the obvious answers (Oprah or a rave front page review in the NY Times Book Review, or People Magazine), there isn't an obvious answer anymore. With hundreds of television and radio stations, countless blog and internet sites, and precious few print sources as well, the old rules just don't apply. It used to be that an appearance on morning television or a few great reviews were enough to drive sales, but that just doesn't hold true anymore. Authors can get attention in all of these traditional venues, and we don't always see a corresponding spike in sales. It's a land of plenty out there, and the media is over saturated with authors and celebrities and everyone promoting everything 24/7; it's not surprising that it takes more to impact the public's decision to buy a book.

You can land on the Today Show (along with 4 or 5 other authors each and every day). You can blog until you're blue in the face, you can travel the country in the hope of gathering even a small crowd at bookstores. But at the end of the long day it's rarely one event that makes the difference (not that it isn't a coup to get that one big thing) and no one can predict what will work for your book. So you need to use everything in your arsenal and then some. You need to try to get the attention of everyone and anyone that will listen, and you need to know that it's worth the exhaustion and frustration you feel when you throw a proverbial party and no one seems to come. Stick with it. Believe in it. And in time-maybe more time than you and your publisher planned- you will hopefully find your readers. Then it's time to find some more! The new reality is that it is up to you, the writer, to be your own best publicist and find the way that works in this chaotic and challenging marketplace. You need to master the new frontier- with Facebook, Twitter, blogging on your own website (*ahem*) and engaging in discussions on other people's blogs, book trailers, and other ways of connecting directly with your readers. It's hard work, and I know it can feel like a thankless and endless task. It often feels like you are in it out there alone. But it's work that has to be done and you simply can't afford to sit back and wait for a miracle.

So what works? No one thing alone, and everything all at once. If you get that perfect storm of events, the publishing Gods decide to smile upon you. And I hope that they do!

Guest Blog: Therese Fowler on her second novel REUNION

2009-03-30T14:06:00.004-04:00

My second novel, Reunion, went on sale this week. It is, as they say, out now wherever books are sold. It looks gorgeous, early reviews are great, it has co-op placement in the major chains; all is well.

I know I sound calm now, but you should've seen me thirteen months ago when I was a debuting novelist, something akin to a nervous parent sending her firstborn to full-day kindergarten. that novel, Souvenir, was like a precocious child: capable, attractive, and thought to be a little above-average-- due to its having sold at auction and also to some nine or ten foreign publishers. Even before its release here in the U.S., I'd achieved my long-held dream of being able to write full time. All that remained to be seen was how well my first baby would be received.

I knew (and you aspiring novelists should take note) that first novels- even those that get lots of pre-publication "buzz" and amazing publisher support- rarely draw enough publicity to become best sellers. So-called Women's Fiction, which is what I write, has a particularly tough time of it despite its popularity and demand. I didn't expect Oprah to call, I didn't expect major media interest, and I didn't expect a glitzy book tour attended by eager throngs like the ones I've seen for Nicholas Sparks. In fact, I didn't expect anything; I hoped that the book's intended readers would find the book and love it, and tell their friends. I hoped to get a good start at what I hope will be a long and enjoyable career.

The letters from readers started arriving in my inbox almost as soon as the book went on sale. Lovely, heartfelt notes of congratulations and gratitude- gratitude!- sometimes written in the wee hours when that reader had just finished the book. One such reader emailed via cell phone so that she didn't have to wait for her computer to boot up! People were buying copies to share with their mothers, their daughters, their sisters, their aunts. They were passing their copies around to their office mates, they were promoting it to their book groups. They wrote to say they'd been inspired to make long-overdue changes in their lives. A few said they'd stolen their library copy and would happily pay the fine.

I was in new-novelist heaven.

Some might say that getting onto the NYT Best Seller List is new-novelist heaven, and I don't dispute that. But that's a different sort of goal, and not, in my opinion, the one that should motivate writers to sit at their keyboards every day. As I once read on a highly successful author's website (and darned if I can recall whose, it was years ago), first and foremost writers must "remember the reader!" Please your readers, and you'll have done 90% of what it takes to reach that other worthy goal- albeit over time rather than as a first-at-bat home run, but in a lot of ways that's the better route.

Thirteen months ago I was a newbie; now I'm a little more seasoned, a little more secure, a lot more knowledgeable, and no less thrilled to be doing what I love most. The work doesn't get any easier. The insecurities don't go away. I do keep my eye on the NYT list, and would love to see my name there one day. There is nothing, though, more fulfilling than hearing from a satisfied reader- except perhaps knowing that I get the chance to satisfy them again this time next year.
-Therese Fowler

Literary Agent Trivia Extravaganza!

2009-03-24T11:47:00.006-04:00

Last night was the Literary Trivia Showdown, a fundraiser for Slice Magazine, and agents, editors, and authors went head-to-head in a nerdy competition. I was lucky enough to be on the agent team, and while we didn't win the whole show (the authors won by a pretty clear lead) it was incredibly fun and we raised a whole lot of money for Slice. Who knew that Truman Capote could only write lying down? Not me, but Jonathan Lethem and Chip Kidd sure did. Over a hundred people turned out, and there was an all-star roster that included some great editors (from Grand Central, Penguin, Ballantine, FSG), agents (from WSA, Endeavor, Harvey Klinger, Sterling Lord, Folio). The author team was a knock-out: in addition to Jonathan Lethem and Chip Kidd, they had AJ Jacobs, Darin Strauss, and Susan Jane Gilman.

Slice is a great magazine, and the editors, Celia and Maria, put together a great event. Please check them out here! http://slicemagazine.org/index.php
-Michelle Brower

Guest Blog: S.G. Browne on his first novel, BREATHERS: A ZOMBIE'S LAMENT

2009-03-04T11:27:00.006-05:00

It's the day before the official release of my debut novel, Breathers: A Zombie's Lament, and I'm sitting in my apartment in San Francisco feeling a bit like a character in a movie whose dreams are about to come true and who can't quite wrap his mind around it.

I look over at my bookshelf, where I have a framed quote from Henry David Thoreau, a gift I received years ago when I'd first embarked upon this journey that has taken most of the past two decades:

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you have imagined.

So here I am, on the cusp of those dreams, quoting David Byrne in my head and wondering:

"Well, how did I get here?"

It's a bit of a paradox, really. When I wrote my first short story back in 1990, I never thought it would take so long to reach this point. And yet everything has happened so quickly.

For eighteen years I wrote with occasional publishing success, producing four dozen short stories and four novels, searching for an agent who believed in me, someone who could help me live the life I'd imagined. And then, in less than eighteen months after Michelle offered me representation, everything I'd dreamed about is coming together at the same time, coalescing into a surreal, celebratory nexus.

My book is being published by Broadway Books.

I quit my day job to be a full-time writer.

And the film rights to Breathers have been acquired by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

While I've had a year to prepare for the publication of Breathers and to get used to the idea of seeing something I've created in the New Fiction section next to the likes of Christopher Moore and Chuck Palahniuk, I've barely had more than a week to process the movie deal with Fox. So I still occasionally find myself walking down the street and suddenly bursting into delightful fits of laughter, not caring about the other pedestrians who give me a wide berth as they pass.

What I'm still getting used to is the idea that the parties involved in the film are excited to work with me. I thought I was the one who was supposed to be excited, the one who couldn't wait to meet them. So it's wonderful to realize that my novel has been embraced with such enthusiasm.

I also realize that I wouldn't have reached this moment if it weren't for Michelle's belief in me, for Laura Swerdloff and the fabulous team assembled at Broadway Books, and for the efforts of Sarah Self at The Gersh Agency. I’m fortunate and grateful to have everyone's support and guidance in helping me to realize my dreams.

But to be honest, I don't know if I imagined they would be this much fun.

-S.G. Browne

A Busy Year So Far...

2009-02-24T10:24:00.003-05:00

It's crazy times in publishing and in the world, but here at WSA, Inc. we are glowing in our most action-packed time ever, with 9 books being published during January and February.

Love in 90 Days was launched with a huge media tour and Dr. Diana Kirschner has been on Today, the CBS Morning Show and now
has a weekly spot (every Thursday) on Fox's Morning Show with Mike and Juliet. Jonathan Fields has been owning the blogosphere with Career Renegade. Liz Funk made a early debut on Today promoting Supergirls Speak Out. Therese Fowler's Souvenir is just out in trade paperback and looks stunning with the new cover.

William Lashner is just out with Blood and Bone, his impressive first stand-alone and a departure from his Victor Carl series. Todd Johnson's fiction debut The Sweet By and By has already received glowing words from Alice Walker and Adriana Trigiani and we just got a absolutely rave review from Southern Living.

I Saw You by Julia Wertz was featured in the NYTimes Style Section last week. Alissa Johnson is out with the second in her romance series with Tempting Fate. Adrienne Kane's memoir Cooking and Screaming is off to a great start with a featured review in PW.

Whew! I'm sure I sound like a very proud mother kvelling about her children here. What a great way to start the year.

WS

Guest Blog: Liz Funk's TODAY Show Debut

2009-02-17T11:17:00.001-05:00

Sitting in the tall white chair three feet away from Meredith Viera, I could practically hear my own heart pounding as one of the TODAY Show producers counted down, "Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one..." Despite that I was a little nervous, it was probably the most exhilarating experience of my life: on Tuesday morning at 8:19 am eastern standard time, I made my national television debut on NBC's Today Show.

A week earlier, my publicist at Simon and Schuster had sent me an email telling me that a producer from the Today Show wanted to call me to have an "exploratory" conversation about me being a guest during a segment on the pressure on girls to be perfect. I've written a book "Supergirls Speak Out: Inside the Secret Crisis of Overachieving Girls" about how the female ideal in Generation Y is more limiting and more demanding than ever before- girls want to be smart, desirable, accomplished, well-liked, and people-pleasing, but doing everything is making girls lose their sense of self and it makes them vulnerable to major mental health issues.

I had a really great hour long call with the TODAY show producer, and the next day the director of publicity for my imprint called me and told me that the TODAY Show was a go and that she'd give me more details ASAP. This meant a few things for me: practicing my talking points, making use of the box of Crest White Strips gathering dust on my dresser, perhaps getting to meet my crush Matt Lauer, and most importantly, getting to talk about my book and my hope for teen girls to be able to live healthier, happier lives on national television.

My mom and I were jazzed to have a towncar pick us up at our hotel in Manhattan on Tuesday morning and to sit in the green room in the NBC studios. I had my hair and makeup done a few feet away from Lily Allen, a very talented singer AND a Supergirl who I write about in my book.

Before I knew it, I was sitting in front of the cameras talking about my book. the segment itself was much faster and much easier than I thought it would be. Meredith Viera was so warm and nice, and because she made excellent eye contact while she asked me questions and I answered them, it felt more like a friendly conversation with an engaged and concerned mom than a news segment on a national morning show!

I feel so completely blessed to have had the opportunity to go on the TODAY Show- it's been one of my life goals since I was fifteen- and I'm so thankful for my family's support and for the amazing team behind my book who put this all together.

And in case you're curious, yes, I did get to meet Matt Lauer!

With that in mind, here's the TODAY Show clip!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

San Diego State University Writer's Conference

2009-02-11T11:56:00.004-05:00

Well, you know something wacky is going on when it's 57 degrees and sunny in New York City and it's 65 and rainy in San Diego. The SDSU conference was a whirlwind three days of author pitches, agent panels, presentations, and the occasional relaxing lunch with editors. The quality of participants was really high, and everyone was receptive to hearing feedback, so I think participants and industry professionals alike made good connections. It's always hard to evaluate someone's work on just a pitch, but I'm hopeful that I'll see a few good requested submissions in the coming weeks. But of course not everything is all roses and sunshine- I just got back from my weekend on the West Coast and returned to the news that Collins, the non-fiction division of HarperCollins, is being folded back into the company and some amazing editors are now out of work. This isn't good news, but hopefully it's the last major announcement we will see for a while. I'll repeat the advice that I was giving to authors at the conference: in a downturn, time is a gift. People are being picky, and the industry is in flux, so be patient and edit and revise and make your book a gem. Your work ultimately speaks for you, so now's the time for it to be the absolute focus.
-Michelle Brower

Guest Blogger: Wade Rouse!

2009-01-22T17:08:00.012-05:00

We're incredibly excited to present our first guest blog from Wade Rouse, one of our amazing clients and all around wonderful guy. Recently, he came to New York to meet with his publisher about his upcoming memoir, At Least In The City Someone Would Hear Me Scream.

Dream a Little Dream

There is something surreal about standing in the awe-inspiring lobby of Random House's headquarters in Manhattan, surrounded by Godzilla-esque floor-to-ceiling bookshelves showcasing classics that have changed the world.

Craning my neck, I couldn't help but think, "Now this is the stuff in which all writers dream."

A meeting with a major publisher.

A conference room, overlooking the city, filled with your marketing team.

A lunch with your literary agent, editor and publicity director.

Unquestionable excitement for your work.

And, there was no doubt, the enthusiasm for my upcoming memoir, AT LEAST IN THE CITY SOMEONE WOULD HEAR ME SCREAM: Misadventures in Search of the Simple Life --- which chronicles my journey as the ultimate urbanite who leaves the city behind in order to move to the woods of Michigan and recreate Thoreau's Walden (to hilarious results) --- was palpable. Members of the team told me they laughed out loud --- like lunatics --- on the subway to work. Some cried.

My heart soared.

Later in my whirlwind day, I had a wonderful dinner with Wendy, who has long been the most enthusiastic supporter of my work. In many ways, we have the greatest working relationship of my life: We respect one another's talent, passion and drive, which provides the freedom and safety to do what we do best.

Yes, my visit to NYC was, in many ways, a dream trip.

And yet, despite the rush, I left more grounded than ever.

I left knowing that --- even with the best agent and best publisher --- writers must work harder than ever.

Publishing is going through a sea change. Booksellers --- of all sizes --- are fighting to stay alive. Today's authors must spend as much time branding themselves, building their profiles, selling themselves and their work, as they must writing.

A book no longer ends with the final period, or even with securing a literary agent, a signed contract, or an approved manuscript. No, in many ways, the work is just beginning.

You must be both artist and businessman. You must be creative and sales-driven. You must have a tender heart and hard exterior.

And yet, most of all, you must be a dreamer.

Because that's where it all begins, over and over, no matter what stage you are in your career, be it unpublished, up-and-coming, or bestselling: An author, alone, dreaming and writing. Writing what he cannot contain, a story that must be told in his own unique voice, in a way he knows no other person can tell it.

I remember the day years ago that I stood in front of a mail slot, not wanting to let go of the query letter to Wendy that I had spent a month drafting, after spending nearly two years writing and perfecting my first memoir, AMERICA'S BOY.

I had to force my fingers to release that letter, to release my dream, because I knew that was the only way it could come true: I believed I had the passion, the talent, the drive, but, finally, I had to believe in the dream.

Which is why, one day, you might find yourself, like me, standing in the lobby of Random House looking up at all those bookshelves, searching for the perfect spot to place the work you believe will change the world.

Although dreams are constantly in progress, you must first believe they can come true.

-Wade Rouse

A Historic Moment

2009-01-20T14:34:00.003-05:00

Today was a historic occasion for the United States, and though we love our jobs, we couldn't bear to miss out. At quarter to noon, we closed up the office, headed over to the bar across the street, ordered some champagne, and toasted our 44th President. We all teared up a little bit, and luckily Elizabeth Evans (who is an agent with Reece Halsey, and is sharing our office space) brought along some Kleenex. Barack Obama's speech was sobering and inspiring, and it's such a pleasure to have a President who knows the power of words. Now we're back for the rest of the day, in an extra good mood, thinking about what hope can really do!