7 Questions For: Literary Agent Brianne Johnson

From Publisher's Marketplace: “I started at Writers House as starry-eyed intern in 2007 and worked my way up to Senior Agent over several years. I LOVE what I do, and am cultivating a pretty omnivorous list. My main focus is children’s books, but I also love some select adult fiction and offbeat nonfiction-—see below for a more precise breakdown.

I’m extra-crazy-picky with taking on picture books, but I do love them and rep them. I would love a great picture book series, like a Fancy Nancy or a Knuffle Bunny—something where we could see fabulous, memorable characters encounter a variety of new circumstances. My tastes tend to run toward the funny, here—very sweet, gentle picture books are just not for me. The same goes for chapter books. I’m particularly on the lookout for humorous, entertaining chapter books that also have some kind of educational angle to them, something that could be brought into a classroom to supplement the new Common Core Standards, and ALSO something a kid would gleefully reach for, themselves.

I’m also very interested in seeing illustration work for cover design and picture books, and would love to take on a great new author/illustrator.”

Follow her on twitter: @SecretAgentBri

And now Brianne Johnson faces the 7 Questions:

 

Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books? 

The entire Harry Potter series. Everything from the well plotted mystery within each contained book, to the steadily-building, overarching conflict stretched over the entire series, to the thorough and rewarding world building, to the cozy and often whimsical execution. I just think it's marvelously done.

Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman. It goes to show that the historical genre can be just as fun, funny, and relevant as contemporary stories.

The Weetzie Bat books by Francesca Lia Block. The combination of beautiful magical realism with gritty realistic subjects, and particularly the exploration of chosen family set in a fully realized counterculture environment, just makes those books an absolute delight.
     
Can I get a bonus round?  It’s SO hard to pick just three!  I lovvvvvve Roald Dahl.  And Shel Silverstein.  And for recently-published work, I’m really into smart middle grade like Holly Goldberg Sloan’s Counting by 7’s and Lauren Wolk’s Wolf Hollow.

I know the last paragraph is cheating.  I’m not sorry! :-)

Question Six: What are your top three favorite movies and television shows?

 I actually watch almost no TV, but when I do, I like Game of Thrones, Planet Earth (I could listen to David Attenborough read the phone book) and man, did I love Stranger Things.

For movies, my favorites are Almost Famous, Forest Gump, Practical Magic, and pretty much all vintage Disney movies.  I am pretty much always singing a Disney song to myself.

Question Five: What are the qualities of your ideal client? 

Smart, talented, imaginative, professional, responsive, prolific.  A good balance of creative and business-minded.  Someone who truly loves writing.  There are so many people who just want to have written a book, and far fewer who truly enjoy the work of writing; who always want to take their writing craft to the next level.  This is a tall order, but I am truly searching for the best storytellers in the world. 

And it’s a huge plus when I love talking with them on the phone, whether it’s scheming about a future book, hashing out a tricky editorial note in a brainstorming session, or hearing about how they’re currently drafting in their dog’s dogbed, or how they are hiding in the pantry to talk to me so that their children would leave them alone, or how they’re finishing their edits while on tour with their jug band. I aim to represent authors for the longevity of their career, and I’ve repped many of my authors for years and years. So I suppose that’s all to say that warm, witty, wonderful weirdos make the best clients of all!

 

Question Four: What sort of project(s) would you most like to receive a query for?  

Right now I am probably most excited about literary debut middle grade that is unafraid to tackle enormous life-or-death themes in a modern and original way.  I especially love a unique execution, such as an epistolary novel, a story told out of order, or some other unique perspective or framing device. 

I also love a witchy book in ALL genres.  I’ll go for beach witch, goth witch, earth-loving nature witch, cut-a-witch-in-high-school witch, elbow witch (okay, I made that one up).  In any case, there are NOT enough good witch stories out there.  If you’ve got a witch story, TRY ME.

Question Three: What is your favorite thing about being an agent? What is your least favorite thing?

Knowing that I can discover, polish, and introduce exciting new talent and important stories to the world, stories that normalize difference and increase empathy and understanding, is wildly exciting to me, especially since children’s books can be so formative in a person’s life.  I have the ability to gather and amplify an incredible group of storytellers from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and work to create big-hearted and inclusive books that will hopefully help kids feel more connected, more empathetic, and more accepting of themselves and of others. 

My least favorite thing is passing along rejection in all forms, but it’s a reality of the business.

Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like)

Read.  Read.  And then read some more.  Especially if you’re writing middle grade, you have to read SO much to really understand the middle grade voice, which is a delicate and crucial thing to absolutely nail.  And read recently-published middle grade.  Childhood favorites are okay, but if you want to sell your book to a trade publisher you really have to read books that have been published within the last two years.

My other advice for writing more literary middle grade is that you should be able to distill huge and very important emotional truths contained in your work for yourself in a concise sentence.  What is your book really about?  What are you trying to say?  It’s not enough to write a good story if you want to get noticed.  Your story must not only be great in a technical sense, but it also has to make the reader feel a certain way, very powerfully.  It’s the books that not only entertain, but that aren’t afraid to ask the big questions, questions that linger in a reader’s heart and mind long after the book has been read, that truly achieve the kind of immortality that most writers seek for their work.

Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

I would have an elaborate three-course tea with Shel Silverstein aboard his ramshackle houseboat, The Evil Eye.  Talk about a witty, wonderful weirdo—his brain is delicious, and I would love to hear him talk about just about anything.  I would thank him from the bottom of my heart for his poetry, wax philosophically about The Missing Piece, and yell at him good-naturedly (and perhaps throw a scone or two) about The Giving Tree, a book I love to hate.

writershouse.com

7 Questions For: Literary Agent Alec Shane

Alec majored in English at Brown University, a degree he put to immediate use by moving to Los Angeles after graduation to become a professional stunt man. Realizing that he prefers books to breakaway glass, he moved to New York City in 2008 to pursue a career in publishing. Alec quickly found a home at Writers House Literary Agency, where he worked under Jodi Reamer and Amy Berkower on a large number of YA and Adult titles.  Alec is now aggressively building his own list. On the nonfiction side, Alec would love to see humor, biography, history (particularly military history), true crime, “guy” reads, and all things sports. In fiction: mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, historical fiction, literary fiction, and books geared toward young male readers (both YA and MG).  Not looking for: Romance (paranormal or otherwise), straight sci-fi, high fantasy, picture books, self-help, women’s fiction, food, travel memoir.
Twitter: @alecdshane

And now Alec Shane  faces the 7 Questions:

Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books?

Danny The Champion of the World by Roald Dahl, The Stand by Stephen King, Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose

                      

Question Six: What are your top three favorite movies and television shows?

Movies: Rocky, Dumb and Dumber, Braveheart

TV: The Simpsons (seasons 3-8 mainly), Sons of Anarchy, Seinfeld

Question Five: What are the qualities of your ideal client?

My ideal client is one who, if I sat down and told him/her that I would never be able to sell a single thing that s/he wrote and nobody would ever read a word of any manuscript s/he produced, I'd still get fresh projects in my inbox without fail. My ideal clients aren't writing to make money; they are writing because they have to - because they love it.

Question Four: What sort of project(s) would you most like to receive a query for?

My first love will always be horror novels, and I'd love to find a great horror story that doesn't read like an 80s slasher flick or a SyFy Channel monster movie. The best horror tweaks reality just enough to make you wonder if maybe - just maybe - this kind of thing could really happen, which scares the bejeezus out of you. I'd love to see a novel like that.

I'm also on a huge WWII and Civil War kick, so any nonfiction projects that sheds some new light on those wars are welcome.

Question Three: What is your favorite thing about being an agent? What is your least favorite thing?

I get to read for a living - what beats that? I also get to roll up my sleeves and really dig into a manuscript that, if all goes well, will be on shelves and in homes giving readers a great experience - it's really cool to see something like that through, from beginning to end, and know that not only are you helping to build an author's career, but you are helping to create something tangible that could very well one day change the world. The possibility and potential there is enough to make me excited to get out of bed every morning.

In terms of least favorite thing - this job really cuts into the amount of time I have to read for pleasure; the bulk of the reading I do is work-related, and during those brief moments when I do carve out some time just to read for fun, there's a little voice in the back of my head saying "you have over 1,000 pages of work reading to do - why are you reading this right now??!!" So it becomes harder to sit down and just enjoy a book in the hammock the way I used to.

Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like)

Writer what you want to write and what you're excited to write. Don't chase trends, don't write to sell books, don't write because you feel like you should...just write what you want to write. At the end of the day, nobody really has any idea what's going to sell and what isn't; all we can do is fall in love with great writing and a great story and try to get it out into the world. And your best chance as an author of making that happen is to write what you're passionate about.

Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

Stephen King for sure - he's pretty much the reason I'm in this business, and I have a lot of questions for that guy. But mostly, I just want to wish him Long Days and Pleasant Nights.

www.writershouse.com

7 Questions For: Literary Agent Stephen Barr

Stephen Barr is an agent with Writers House, and holy crap does he like books - unexpected memoirs with itchy voices, narrative non-fiction that tackles hard-to-tackle issues, wry and rarely paranormal YA, laugh-until-you-squirt-milk-out-of-your-nose middle grade, sweet and wacky (but still logical!) picture books from author/illustrators, and rarest of all, fiction that rewards the reader line-by-line and that gets to know (at least) one character really, really well (will brake for Geoff Dyer, Aleksandar Hemon, J.M Coetzee, Stephen King, etc.) ... he's willing to be a sucker for smart, unconventional thrillers, mysteries that bend reality, ghost stories that blow reality to hell, and literary novels that are interested in why people do the things they do and why they feel the things they feel.

Writers House was founded in 1973 with a vision for a new kind of literary agency, one that would combine a passion for managing a writer's career with an integrated understanding of how storytelling works. With this two-pronged philosophy, Writers House has played a critical role in developing the careers of hundreds of novelists and non-fiction authors. We believe in offering our clients not only our expertise in negotiating contracts, but in contributing to all phases of the editorial and publishing processes. Our goal is to maximize the value of our clients' work by providing hands-on editorial and marketing advice, as well as leading the way in branding, licensing, and selling film/TV, foreign, audio, dramatic and serial rights.

For more information, check out my friends Natalie Aguirre and Casey McCormick's wonderful blog, Literary Rambles.

And now Stephen Barr faces the 7 Questions:

Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books? 

Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey has a pretty safe spot in the top three…I remember walking through the (now dearly departed) Borders on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles with my dad, about six or seven years ago, when he picked up a copy and told me that when he was in college, Sometimes a Great Notion was the only thing his entire dorm talked about for two whole years.  Not the only book, the only thing.  Out of all the things.  Maybe I decided that I had to love it, lest I be a lousy son, but I think I would have loved it even if I’d been going through my annoying rebellious phase.  It’s gorgeous line by line, of course, but what killed me about it was the way it talked about the total possibility of loving your own totally impossible family.  

P.S. Just to be clear, I love my family.        

 

The Fantastic Mr. Fox probably gets a spot, too, since there must have been some reason I read it 150 times as a kid, beyond how totally drool-inducing the drawings of roasts and ribs and ham hocks and barrels of cider were.  No one will ever be a better, cooler dad than Mr. Fox.

I guess Sentimental Education by Flaubert rounds out the top three, if only because it helped me figure out that I wasn’t actually in love with this one girl I thought I was hopelessly in love with (for years and years and years).  Phew.            

             

Question Six: What are your top three favorite movies and television shows?

I know a couple of these probably bear some explanation, but I’m going to pretend that they don’t, and that they’re all totally obvious choices, and that you all totally agree with me.

The Fugitive

Home Alone

Habla Con Ella (Talk to Her)

Twin Peaks

The West Wing

Mad Men 

Question Five: What are the qualities of your ideal client?

 Someone who’s so good at writing that I’m not bothered by their slightly mad-scientist-y desire to take over the world (with their books).  

Question Four: What sort of project(s) would you most like to receive a query for?

 Hmmm. 

A cookbook that’s actually a novel in disguise.  Seriously! 

Question Three: What is your favorite thing about being an agent? What is your least favorite thing?

 

My favorite thing by far is being there at the slow genesis of an idea that my author and I can tell is going to be totally freaking incredible.  That and giving good news to a writer who worked his or her butt off.

My least favorite thing is that we don’t get badges like other kinds of agents.  That and giving bad news to a writer who worked his or her butt off.

Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like)

There are no shortcuts, and the long way has a much better view. 

Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

Sloane Crosley, because lunch is always a good time to ask someone to marry you.

www.writershouse.com 

7 Questions For: Literary Agent Amy Berkower

After graduating from the University of California at Santa Cruz, Amy moved back to New York to find a job in publishing. An ad in the NewYork Times led to a gal Friday position at Writers House where she has been working ever since. Amy is now a partner, and President of the company.

In 1978, Al Zuckerman, the founder of Writers House, had the insight to ask Amy to start a children's book department. Recognizing the need for kid friendly books that would appeal to the fast growing paperback original market, Berkower initially focused on series.

Her first sale, an interactive children's book, grew into a series called CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE consisting of over one hundred titles, and was soon followed by a succession of popular franchises: SWEET VALLEY HIGH, THE BABYSITTERS CLUB, JUNIE B JONES and CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS. Determined to apply what she learned about branding series to the marketing of individual authors, Amy developed a list that includes some of the most respected names (Sharon Creech, Laurie Anderson, Andrew Clements, Jack Gantos) in the business.

Her colleagues have built upon that foundation, growing Writers House's children's book department into one of the largest and most successful in the world. Writers House clients include a mix of mega hits ( TWILIGHT and ERAGON) and Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and National Book Award recipients such as Neil Gaiman, Ingrid Law, Grace Lin, Kadir Nelson, Susan Patron and Robin McKinley.

Amy also has a growing list of adult authors including Nora Roberts, Ken Follett, Erica Jong, Ridley Pearson and Barbara Delinsky.

And now Amy Berkower faces the 7 Questions:


Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books?

No way I can limit myself to three all time favorites. As a Lit major, I loved Howards End, Mrs. Dalloway, and One Hundred Years of Solitude.

As a child, I looked forward to the next Nancy Drew each month and was bereft when I finished Lord of the Rings, which I'm sure played a role in my representation of many popular children's book series.

As a parent, I cherish Poppy by Avi, which my son instructed me to do after I finished reading it to him, and I still smile when I think about Harry the Dirty Dog, Lyle the Crocodile and Bread and Jam For Frances.


Question Six: What are your top three favorite movies and television shows?

Mad Men because its so unpredictable, West Wing because it made me want to leave Writers House and work in the White House, and any movie by Almodovar because they are as familiar as they are foreign.


Question Five: What are the qualities of your ideal client?

My ideal client is one who understands that writing books is a craft but that publishing is a business. It's my job as an agent to help authors navigate the ups and downs of the business so that they can fully invest themselves in the development of their craft.


Question Four: What sort of project(s) would you most like to receive a query for?

I'd like to find a novel of connected stories for Young Adult or Middle Grade much like Olive Kitteredge, The Imperfectionists, and The Girls' Guide to Fishing and Hunting. I'd also like to balance my predominantly commercial adult list with some literary fiction, and I'd like to find some Latin American authors.


Question Three: What is your favorite thing about being an agent? What is your least favorite thing?

What I love most is making a good match between a book, author, publisher and editor.

What I hate most is when an editor leaves before a book is published and a book loses its in-house advocate. Sometimes an equally good editor is assigned. Other times, the book is orphaned and lots of opportunity is lost.


Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like)

Try not to fall into the trap of thinking that the publisher is the enemy. Though publishing is a tough business, and expectations are often hard to meet for every book, it is populated by people who love books and work tirelessly on their behalf. Try to remember that some of the most successful books were rejected numerous times. And don't ever tell an agent that a classroom full of kids loved the manuscript you read them last week.


Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

Jane Austen. I'd love to tell her about all the movies and novels that have been based on and inspired by her books.

www.writershouse.com

7 Questions For: Literary Agent Daniel Lazar

Daniel Lazar, the oldest of six children, is originally from Israel. He grew up in Baltimore where his mother took him and his sisters to the library every week, which undoubtedly fed his passion for books. He then moved to New York for school where he landed an internship at Writers House. The highlight of his internship was reading slush on Al Zuckerman's couch, and before long, he found himself with a full time job. He's now been with Writers House for over eight years and is always on the lookout for fiction and non-fiction that that grabs him and won't let go.

His clients include: Tiffany Baker, Oscar Bennett, Doug Brown, Pat Carlin, Joel Chasnoff, Tish Cohen, Janine Driver, Anne Fortier, Anna Hays, Denise Joyce, Martin Kihn, Evan Kuhlman, Ingrid Law, Chris Lincoln, Betty Londergan, Matt Mason, Jennifer McMahon, Theo Pauline Nestor, Matt Rothschild, Kari Anne Roy, Rachel Renee Russel, Scott Seegert, Bob Sullivan, Candy Tan, Nancy Watkins, Sarah Wendell.

And now Daniel Lazar faces the 7 Questions:


Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books?

I'm sure, like everyone who loves books, I find this question hard to answer responsibly. So I'm cheating. I'm listing a bunch of the kids titles (since it's a middle grade blog) that I see on my bookshelf right now, which I have very fond memories reading many times: THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE by Avi, THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH by Norman Juster and JUNIE B. JONES by Barbara Park, which I was still reading along with my little siblings well into high school. On that same shelf, I see some adult titles like THE SHINING by Stephen King, THE OBSERVATIONS by Jane Harris and I'm about to place THE GLASS ROOM by Simon Mawer on there too.


Question Six: What are your top three favorite movies and television shows?

Right now, the shows I'm watching religiously are MODERN FAMILY, THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW, CHELSEA LATELY and reruns of CHEERS and FAMILY GUY. (Oops, that's 5. I watch a lot of TV!) I also recently saw TOY STORY 3 which just made me gosh-darn glad to be alive; INCEPTION, which blew my mind; and THE SECRETS IN THEIR EYES, which was a great and passionate puzzle of a story, and also some of the most interesting visuals I've seen in ages.


Question Five: What are the qualities of your ideal client?

Hmm. Tricky question! I think the most valuable client is one who constantly surprises me with every new book they write, and yet still somehow delivers something familiar in those pages that reminds me of why I fell in love in the first place. My client Tish Cohen's novels (ZOE LAMA middle grade series, and her YA novel LITTLE BLACK LIES) always do this.


Question Four: What sort of project(s) would you most like to receive a query for?

In terms of kids books, I'm really open to anything so long as the writer is excited to be sending it. From the serious (see my client Ann Leal's ALSO KNOWN AS HARPER) to the very funny and out-there (see HOW TO GROW UP AND RULE THE WORLD by Vodak The Incomprensible or BRAINS FOR LUNCH by K.A. Holt), it's all welcome. I also love graphic novels, such as my books THE POPULARITY PAPERS, DORK DIARIES and MEANWHILE-- graphic books find a wider audience more easily with kids (no surprise, kids are smarter!) so I'd love to find more talent in that world. In terms of query letters, I prefer to read a letter and the first 5 pages pasted into the email. Hardcopy or email are both fine. Email is usually a bit faster. And you can see more here: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/DanielLazar/


Question Three: What is your favorite thing about being an agent? What is your least favorite thing?

Well there's the ever-wonderful moments: getting an offer for a client, getting a wonderful review, getting great sales figures. I do have one very beloved memory: When my client Ingrid Law was touring for her debut SAVVY, I had the chance to see her doing an event in a Boston classroom. By then, I had read the book (between the various manuscript drafts, galley and finished copy) several times. And watching those kids raise their hands and asking simple questions that, my goodness, had never even occurred to me! -- that was a tremendous thrill. Seeing them discover a great book all on their own, interacting with the story and meeting those characters, just like I did (and without any of the commercial or business considerations that always have to creep into my reading) -- that is one of my most favorite things about being an agent who is lucky enough to work on kids books.

Least favorite... well, I think the hardest thing these days is when one of the major bookseller accounts just decides to "pass" on a new title. Flat out decides not to carry it at all. I understand the economics of it, and I also understand that not every book can earn that premium Front of Store table. (And in terms of indie stores, I understand space is limited; I'm talking more about the big mega stores.) But to not even have a copy in the store, even for just a few weeks, that a customer might discover? Or that a bookseller might happen upon later and decide to promote eventually on their own? Hey, where there's life, there's hope, and even in this situation it's not impossible for a book to find its audience. But I do find this circumstance incredibly demoralizing.


Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like)

Resist the temptation to finish your manuscript, raise a glass of champagne, and hit "Send." Force yourself to close the document. File it away in your computer or put it in the back of your closet under the old jeans, and don't look at it for 2 weeks minimum. As the World's Most Impatient Guy, I know how very hard this can be, but I find that some time away from a project always sheds new light on what more can be improved. Don't send that manuscript out until you're so sick of looking at it, you'd rather give away one of your children than bear the prospect of changing even a comma. My client Evan Kuhlman (THE LAST INVISBLE BOY-- a brilliant novel) once emailed me and said, "I just finished my next manuscript. I'll send it to you in 3 weeks." I found this very prudent!

And my next bit of wisdom is, keep that champagne chilled. So when some pesky agent or editor calls you and says, "Hi, so, this needs work, is that ok?" you'' resist the temptation to just hang up. You'll have a stiff drink at the ready...

Also, try to find another jumpstart to your story's adventure besides "Kid Sent to Aunt Martha for the Summer" or "Kid Moves to New School." I'm not saying this can't work; Ingrid Law's SCUMBLE is a wonderful example that works. But I am saying the competition is fierce!

Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

How about... Mark Twain! I imagine that would have been a really fun time.

www.writershouse.com