Posts Tagged ‘Agents’

Weronika Janczuk, agent with D4EO Literary Agency

Weronika Janczuk, agent with D4EO Literary Agency, has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

As a literary agent at D4EO Literary Agency, Weronika represents a broad range of commercial fiction and non-fiction. She accepted the position after a wide array of experience in the industry, including work with acquisitions editor Brian Farrey at Flux and, in different capacities, with other literary agents.

In addition to agent, she is also a writer and student. Most recently a Midwesterner, Weronika now lives in NYC and, when she isn’t reading submissions, she enjoys ’80s music, witty novels, funky art, and time spent with good people.

Weronika will also teach this class:

Class: The Act(ion) Dilemma

Some of the largest problems for fiction writers to fix in their manuscripts are related to structure—plot and pacing—even though thousands of resources exist that draw on lessons from screenwriting and many bestselling and/or genre-defining novels.

Why is it, then, that writers face so many difficult challenges in putting together the puzzle of their novel? It takes a lot of practice to get it right.

This class will briefly break down possible novel “templates,” including the three-act structure, the eight-point story arc, and others, to help writers, first, write to a formula that guarantees conflict and action and, two, break genre boundaries and rules after these basics are learned. In addition, a variety of easy-to-apply techniques can guarantee increased success in plotting and rewriting for both the writer that outlines and the writer that “pantses.”

You can find Weronika’s website here: Weronika Janczuk Website

Dawn Frederick, literary agent and owner at Red Sofa Literary

Dawn Frederick, literary agent and owner at Red Sofa Literary, has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

Red Sofa Literary was established by Dawn Frederick in 2008.  Dawn brings a broad knowledge of the book business to the table—with over 10 years of experience as a bookseller in the independent, chain, and specialty stores; an editor for a YA publisher, a published nonfiction author, and her experience as an Associate Literary Agent at Sebastian Literary Agency from 2002 – 2007. She carries a B.S. in Human Ecology, and a M.S. in Information Sciences from an ALA accredited institution.

“Not only do I know what people like to read and are currently  reading;  I also have the experience of  working one-on-one with authors, book distribution centers, and literary organizations.”

Previous books sold include: I Love Rock & Roll (Except When I Hate It) by Brian Boone (Perigee), The Secrets of Skinny Chicks by Karen Bridson (McGraw-Hill), Finding Betty Crocker by Susan Marks (Simon & Schuster), Train to Nowhere by Colleen Bradford-Krantz (Ice Cube Press), and No Mercy: Roller Derby Life on the Flat-Track by Jules Doyle (Schiffer Publilshing).

Dawn is looking for nonfiction, and will be doing one-on-one consultations, a panel, and teaching a class during the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Kate McKean, agent with Howard Morhaim Literary Agency

Agent Kate McKean, with Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, Inc., has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

A native Southerner, Kate earned her Master’s degree in Fiction Writing from the University of Southern Mississippi before starting her career as a literary agent.

Her interests lie in literary fiction, contemporary women’s fiction, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, mystery, young adult and middle grade fiction, narrative non-fiction, sports related books, food writing, pop culture, and craft.

She is not accepting any epic fantasy, science fiction, or children’s picture books.

Jenny Bent, founding agent of The Bent Agency

Agent Jenny Bent, with her own The Bent Agency, has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

In a career spanning 15 years, I have made a practice of making bestsellers — either by spotting new talent or developing careers for multi-published authors.

My list is varied and includes commercial fiction and nonfiction, literary fiction and memoir. All the books I represent speak to the heart in some way: they are linked by genuine emotion, inspiration and great writing and story-telling.

I was born in New York City but grew up in Harrisonburg Virginia in a house full of books where I spent many lazy afternoons reading in a sunny window seat. I went on to England to get a BA/MA with first class honors from Cambridge University.

After graduation I worked in magazines, bookselling and agenting, most recently at Trident Media Group, before founding THE BENT AGENCY in 2009. I now live in Brooklyn in an apartment full of books and while there are not quite so many lazy reading afternoons, I manage to fit one in now and then.

Jim McCarthy of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management

Agent Jim McCarthy, with Dystel & Goderich Literary Management, has confirmed he will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

Jim McCarthy interned for DGLM while studying urban design at New York University. Upon graduating, Jim realized he would much rather continue working with books than make the jump (as he had originally intended) to the field of city planning.

As an avid fiction reader, his interests encompass both literary and commercial works. He is particularly interested in literary women’s fiction, underrepresented voices, mysteries, romance, paranormal fiction, and anything unusual or unexpected.  In addition to fiction he is also interested in narrative nonfiction, humor, memoir, paranormal nonfiction, and anything related to architecture, planning, or real estate.

Jim was raised just outside of NYC and currently lives in Brooklyn.

When we began planning the 2011 DFWcon back in the fall of 2009 (yes, it really does take that long when you grow as fast as we have, and you have to find a new venue), I wanted to replace agent/editor pitch sessions with consultations, no finished manuscript required.

But at the 2010 conference in April, we pulled the agents together as an impromptu advice panel, and they said in very clear and unanimous terms: No.

Their reasoning is abundantly clear if you think about writing as a business. Why do agents and editors come to writing conferences? As much fun as most of them seem to have hanging out with writers, they’re not doing it for laughs. They’re doing it to make money.

If you talk to them about a project they think they can sell, but you don’t have a finished manuscript to hand them, then they’ve got nothing to take to the bank. You’ve let them down. Were you an agent or acquisitions editor, would you like that? Not likely. (Note that nonfiction works a bit differently — you can get away with only a partial in that case. But with fiction, a finished manuscript is required by most agents and editors.)

Jason Myers, 2011 DFWcon co-director

The co-director for 2011 DFWcon, Jason Myers (who is in charge of acquiring agents and editors for the conference), wrote a good blog about this a few months ago. I recommend taking a look at it: Don’t Waste Their Time.

Meanwhile, we’re still putting together our list of agents and editors for 2011 DFWcon. We’ve got promises to attend from many, but we’re waiting for them to provide bio information and manuscript requirements before we post them to our site and announce them. As you can imagine, they’re busy and it takes a while to collect and verify all that updated information. Please bear with us.

Alex Glass, with the Trident Media Group

Agent Alex Glass, with the Trident Media Group, has confirmed he will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio

Alex Glass came to Trident as Chairman Robert Gottlieb’s assistant in 2001 and was promoted to literary agent shortly thereafter. He has a BA in political science from Johns Hopkins and an MFA in creative writing from American University, and has worked in the literature program at the National Endowment for the Arts and in the marketing department of the Putnam Berkley Publishing Group.

Alex’s clients include national best selling author Chad Kultgen (The Average American Male), international bestselling author Matt Bondurant (The Third Translation and The Wettest County in the World), Edgar Award-winning author Katherine Marsh (The Night Tourist), New York Times bestselling novelist and memoirist Da Chen, NFL legend Mark Bavaro (Rough and Tumble), the estate of Newbery Award-winner Ellen Raskin (The Westing Game), and High Times magazine (The Official High Times Potsmokers Handbook). Upcoming books of note for 2009 include Erick Setiawan’s debut literary fantasy Of Bees and Mist, Courtney Sheinmel’s middle grade novel Positively, Maggie Estep’s new novel Alice Fantastic, crime novelist Dennis Tafoya’s debut Dope Thief, award-winning mystery writer Brian M. Wiprud’s Feelers, Chad Kultgen’s The Lie, and Katherine Marsh’s The Twilight Prisoner.

Alex’s books have been sold to the movies, television, and to foreign publishers around the world. He is currently looking for debut literary fiction, crime fiction and literary thrillers, middle grade and young adult fiction, and pop culture, humor, and narrative nonfiction.

Jennifer Laughran, with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Agent Jennifer Laughran, with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, has confirmed she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference.

Bio (from the Andrea Brown website)

Jennifer began her career in agenting after working as a long-time children’s bookseller and buyer. She is also the founder of the extremely popular YA event series “Not Your Mother’s Book Club.”

She joined Andrea Brown Literary Agency in 2007. Always on the lookout for sparkling YA and middle grade fiction with unusual and unforgettable characters and vivid settings, she is drawn to all kinds of books, whether realistic comedies or richly imagined magical adventures. However, the common thread in her favorite stories is an offbeat world-view. Jennifer adores simplicity, but she is not interested in the conventional, predictable, mechanical, gimmicky or ordinary. Jennifer loves funny books, thrilling books, romantic books, books that make her cry, and all-around un-put-downable books… and her true favorites are all of the above.

Clients include: National Public Radio’s own “children’s book ambassador” and the author of over 100 books for young readers, Daniel Pinkwater, whose latest novel is ADVENTURES OF A CAT-WHISKERED GIRL (Houghton). His wife, the talented artist Jill Pinkwater, who did the vibrant illustrations for their book BEAUTIFUL YETTA (THE YIDDISH CHICKEN) (Feiwel & Friends). Author/illustrator Calef Brown, whose whimsical drawings and poems have garnered him praise and the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller list. Illustrator and graphic novelist Matt Faulkner, who draws picture books for authors such as Laurie Halse Anderson and Judith St. George, as well as his own books and graphic novels. Series author Linda Joy Singleton whose popular YA paranormals include THE SEER series and the DEAD GIRL series, both from Flux. Jackie Dolamore, whose wonderful debut MAGIC UNDER GLASS (Bloomsbury) has been described as “Libba Bray meets Charlotte Bronte”. Edgy debut YA novelists L.K. Madigan (FLASH BURNOUT, Houghton) and Tara Kelly (HARMONIC FEEDBACK, Holt). Kate Messner, who made a splash in 2009 with her warm and wonderful family story BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z (Walker)… these are to name just a few.

Jennifer attends several conferences each year. Past conferences include Willamette, Writer’s League of Texas, NE-SCBWI, Book Passage Children’s Writers Workshop, and Big Sur Children’s Writer’s Workshop. She spends most of her free time … well, reading, what else?!

By Jeff Posey, Director of the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference

Agent Jessica Sinsheimer, with the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, has confirmed that she will attend the 2011 DFW Writers’ Conference and will take book proposals and teach at least one class.

Bio

Jessica Sinsheimer has been reading and campaigning for her favorite queries since 2004. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she went east for Sarah Lawrence College and stayed for the opportunity to read soon-to-be books for a living.

Now an Associate Agent at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, she’s developed a reputation for fighting office members to see incoming manuscripts first—and for drinking far too much tea.

Always on the lookout for new writers, she is most excited about finding literary, women’s, and Young Adult fiction, and—on the nonfiction side—psychology, parenting, self-help, cookbooks, memoirs, and works that speak to life in the twenty-first century.

Send queries to her here: Jessica Sinsheimer

Class: “It’s a Matter of Taste: How to increase the odds of an agent falling in love with your project.”

It’s more likely you’ll get hit by lightning while starring in a Broadway play than get a book deal, some say, and the economy has only made it worse. But from my own experience, and from objective data I’ve assembled, I know that 33 percent of your competition disqualifies themselves immediately—and that another 32 percent make preventable mistakes.

I’ll use pie charts, line graphs, and months of data, to help you learn how to keep yourself out of the bottom 65 percent—and how to make yourself immediately likable to an agent; how to increase the odds of your work getting pushed to the top of the reading pile—and how to increase the chances of an agent falling in love with your work.

You’ll also learn strategies agents use when submitting work to editors, and how to apply those same strategies to your own submission process.

Publishing is a very subjective industry, based on timing, intuition, taste, impressions, synchronicity and luck—but when you use the objective data to your advantage, your odds can’t help but improve.

By Jeff Posey, Director of the 2011 DFW Writers Conference

Why go to a writers’ conference?

There are many reasons, of course, all of them legitimate. But one major reason is to discuss your finished project with an agent or acquisition editor. It’s time to find out if you’ve got an idea, the writing skill, and the professional business skills to take a shot in the bigger world of publishing.

That’s what a little more than half of our past attendees have wanted from DFWcon. (The rest come for education and networking.)

Does it work? Do writers really find agents to represent them at DFWcon? Yes. And here’s proof: Three Success Stories. (Special thanks to volunteers Kyle White and Steve Manning for putting this section together.)

Do you know of any other success stories at DFWcon and other conferences? Has it happened to you? Please let us know in the comments section below.

Other news

We’ve had several agents verify their acceptance to DFWcon. Watch for upcoming blog posts to announce them (sign up for our DFWcon Blog RSS Feed so you won’t miss one, or follow @DFWcon on Twitter).

If you’re already signed up to attend 2011 DFWcon, you’re guaranteed a top spot in making your choice of agent/editor for your 10-minute sessions. If you’ve not yet signed up, don’t delay. We sold out two months in advance last year. We have a larger venue this year, with significantly more agents and editors, but we still expect demand to exceed the 450 spots available.

We’ll also be announcing news and information about speakers, teachers, and classes as they develop.

Ask a Question

Have a question? We have two question-and-answer sections: the Conference FAQ and the Agent/Editor FAQ.

If you have a question that’s not answered here, help us out by asking it in the comments section below. We’ll do our best to answer it, and add it to the appropriate FAQ.

Volunteers

Unlike many conferences our size, we are all-volunteer, all the time. Everyone who works on DFWcon has a full-time job and is dedicated to their own writing projects, as evidenced by their active association with the DFW Writers’ Workshop. As co-director for the 2010 DFWcon, and a volunteer the year before, I can attest to the hours and difficult decisions involved in staging this event.

So please bear with us as we slowly and methodically build 2011 DFWcon to be the best conference we possibly can for aspiring writers just like ourselves, and just like you.