Hi Writers,
Sorry for the lame headline. I’m putting the October issue of Writer’s Digest to bed and my clever headline writing capacity is shot.

But I wanted to share some of the notes I kept during my recent trip to New York to accompany our annual competitions winners to meet agents (see posts below).

Many thanks to the agents who guided us including:
• Annelise Robey
• Mollie Glick
• Peter Rubie
• Stephany Evans
• Jennie Dunham
• Michelle Brower
• Donald Maass

So here, in no particular order of importance is random stuff overheard from New York agents:

• The term “book club novel” is hot; consider using in lieu of “literary” fiction; “crossover appeal” is another good catchphrase.

• Make sure your synopsis is concise; stick to the main plotline and characters.

• Know what the core conflict/ turning point of your story is.

• Practice your “elevator pitch.” Be able to verbally sum up your novel in less than two minutes.

•  It takes a long time and a lot of effort to find the right agent because you want to find an agent who shares your vision for your writing career. This is one of the most important relationships of your life.

• Many newer/ younger agents are coming into the field with strong editing background and expect to do a lot of editing.

• Never mass e-mail agents; take the time to get to know the other authors they represent and if you’re a good fit.

• Get some publishing credits however you can before you pitch a novel, this sends a signal to everyone that you are a publishable writer.


For everything else you always wanted to know about literary agents but were afraid to ask, go seek the keeper of literary agent wisdom Chuck Sambuchino, editor of Guide to Literary Agents. 

Keep Writing,
Maria

Let me know if you have any questions, comments or clarifications and I will attempt to once again decipher my own handwriting. 

Hi Writers,
I'm psyched about an upcoming conference we're co-sponsoring especially for thriller writers: Thriller Fest 2008. It's July 9-12 in New York.

Sandra Brown is the Thriller Master this year and will be delivering a keynote speech. I'm getting the chance to interview Brown, as well as Brad Thor, M.J. Rose, David Baldacci and more, and we'll be offering free videos of those interviews soon.

We'll also be making available a series of pay-per-view video downloads of many of the craft workshops and sessions. They'll be available on our website next month. I'll be sure to let you know when they're up.

I'm also reporting live from the show on this blog, so stay tuned. And if you're at Thrillerfest, please be sure to say hi.

Keep Writing,
Maria

Hi Writers,
I’m reporting live from New York City, where I’m accompanying our annual competitions winners Alegra Clarke and Mary Feuer.

So Alegra and Mary and me are making the rounds to meet literary agents. This is part of their prize for winning our annual competition for the past two years. I was so happy to meet these two great ladies, really I couldn’t imagine this happening to two nicer, more deserving, talented writers.

Even though she won the contest in 2006, Mary has been tied up as a screenwriter on location in Hawaii for the TV series “Dante’s Cove.” Mary’s working on a novel length work stemming from the great “House on Fire” she won our competition with two years ago.

Alegra, who won our competition in the memoir category for her “Salamander Prayer” has completed a novel since she found out she won our competition less than a year ago, and she’s already working with a L.A. based screenplay agent Joel Gotler on the screen rights.

We have two days of meetings with literary agents lined up. Yesterday we met with Annelise Robey of the Jane Rotrosen Agency and Mollie Glick of the Jean V. Naggar Agency.

Both Annelise and Mollie were so enthusiastic and positive about the prospect of finding new talent, the meetings were really delightful; I got quite a charge from it.

A lot came out of these meetings and I learned quite a lot about the current state of the market. I don’t have time for a full report but here’s a bit of what each had to say.

Annelise Robey says literary fiction is selling, especially if it’s accessible, not overly intellectual and has crossover appeal.

Mollie Glick had each writer give her “elevator pitch.” She told Mary if you have a choice between writing the book as a series of linked short stories and a novel, definitely go with the novel as short story collections, even linked short stories, are incredibly difficult to sell.

We have four more meetings lined up today so I have to run, but I’ll report back tomorrow, with visual aids!

Keep Writing,
Maria

Hi Writers,     
I’m a big fan of blogs, after all, haven’t they essentially leveled the playing field for writers? You don’t need money, connections or a publishing contract to have a blog, what's not to love.

But since it is a medium that’s so freely available, many would-be writer/ bloggers make the mistake of thinking they can or should publish their every mundane thought.

True, you can. But it’s a terrible idea to think that you should. A good blog can be gold for a writer, but a bad one can be a concrete block strapped to your leg.

And for whatever reason, a lot of otherwise fine writers have an annoying tendency to start their blogs badly. I see the same 3 mistakes popping up over and over again with blogs, all 3 typically found in the lead. If you don’t have a good lead, forget it, they’re not going to read it and they’re probably not coming back.

3 ACTS OF BAD BLOGGING

• Advance Warning of Boredom
e.g. "This is kind of boring but blah, blah, blah..." (I’m already asleep)

• Making Excuses
e.g. "Well, um, I’m sorry I haven’t written in weeks..." (you lost me at “um”)

• Announcing a B*tch Session
e.g. "You wanna know what really bugs me...? (whine, whine to infinity … I've already clicked outta here)

Please feel free to add to my worst of list, but no naming names please. Full disclosure: I’m sure I’ve committed many acts of bad blogging right here on "The Writer’s Perspective." Hey, like you, I’m always trying to get better. That’s one of the reasons we blog isn't it?

Keep Writing,
Maria 

Hi Writers,
I've included a handy link in the left navigation to our 2008 101 Best Websites for Writers.

We've been running this list annually for 10 years now, and we're quite proud to be able to spotlight these great resources. As you can imagine, weeding through the thousands of nominations we receive each year is a difficult, time-consuming process. Our online managing editor, Brian A. Klems took on this monumental task once again this year, and he put together yet another phenomenal list.

Of course, when we publish this list each year, we inevitably get questions about how we choose because it's become quite competitive. So to help out, here are 3 things you should know if you want to get your website in the running for our 2009 list:

1. The website must be nominated (you can nominate your own website or another favorite website by submitting to writersdigest@fwpubs.com.) We collect nominations throughout the year, and publish the list in our June issue (June deadlines hit in early January).

2. Although some of the websites we choose do have paid elements, it's essential that there's a substantial amount of free content of value to writers.

3. We judge our advertisers websites no differently than we would any other nominated website; the criteria are the same.

If you have any questions or comments about our 101 Best Websites for Writers, please post them here. Brian and I will be happy to answer.

Keep Writing,
Maria