Publishing Pulse 3/6/09

New Agents on QueryTracker:

Carrie Howland - Donadio & Olson, Inc.

Alanna Ramirez - Trident Media Group, LLC

Brendan Deneen - FinePrint Literary Management

Literary Agents:

The Web site Editor Unleashed, which is run by former WD editor Maria Schneider, is hosting a live forum chat with agent Michael Bourret of the Dystel & Goderich Literary Agency.

The chat goes down from 1-2 p.m., on Wednesday, March 11. Visit the EU Web site here. If you're writing juvenile fiction and have a question that no one can seem to answer, this is a perfect place to ask it!

Michael's interests: "a wide range of books, from middle grade and young adult fiction, to arts and entertainment, to serious nonfiction. He is a politics and news junkie, as well as a connoisseur of fine wine and reality television."

Colleen Lindsay started the first Query Fail on twitter. It was fun to watch all the tweets come through from the various agents, publishers, and authors. Check out her post on it here (oh, and see all those people on twitter? Baaaa...).

Fun Things To Win:

We all know that as important to writing is reading. I think I spend more money on books than anything else in my entertainment budget. So what's better than reading books? Reading FREE books. I'm sure there are scads of contests scattered across the Internet. My addiction is so severe that I usually rely on a handful of blogs to keep me in the loop.

Win a signed copy of Charles de Lint's THE MYSTERY OF GRACE. I totally entered.

Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of TANTALIZE and ETERNAL, runs one of the best blogs on the planet. She lists giveaways, author interviews, and much more almost every day. Click here to enter to win NEVER TRUST A DEAD MAN by Vivian Vande Velde (say that three times fast!).

Enter to win ETERNAL by Cynthia Leitich Smith, who also gives a great interview. In fact, this blog (In Bed With Books) has tons of giveaways, so check it out.

Other Interesting Tidbits:

1. Blogging is a fun way to "get yourself out there." Heather did a post this week on using Google Reader to follow the blogs you like. Do you want to become one of those people other people follow? (If you can follow that sentence, you deserve some sort of prize.) If you do, you need to blog. Not sure what to blog about?

Well, a couple of us QTBloggers have started doing a Work in Progress Wednesday. Mine from this week is here. Archetype posted here. The real inspiration came from Kate Karyus Quinn on her blog. If you're a blogger/writer wondering what you can post about (believe me, I've been there), try posting a Work in Progress Wednesday! There's nothing like giving a report, receiving positive comments and encouragement, and just the sheer thrill of blogging, of course. If you like, post your blog address in the comments. I'm always looking for new blogs to follow and read. (I've tried clicking on the tiny heads in our sidebar, but some of you have more than one blog!)

2. There is something in the works for Monday that I think you're going to love. Last Monday, we opened up the blog in our first Open Mic Monday. If you didn't get a chance to ask a question, please do! We want this blog to be for you. Lady Glamis asked a question about showing vs. telling. And the five of us have been cooking up something special to answer her question...don't miss it!

3. One last thing: You may have noticed our sweet, new graphics telling you a little more about the QTBloggers. We did an introductory post when we first took over the blog, but our readership has grown so much since then. So now, at the end of each post, you can see us and read a little bit about us. We'd like to get to know you too! Leave us a comment with a little tidbit about yourself. What genre do you write? Where are you in the querying stage? How long have you been writing? Who is your favorite author? Or maybe you're a random-fact person like me and just want to pontificate on the awesomeness of say, ginger ale. Go for it! We'd love to hear from you.

Open Mic Monday and QueryTracker.net Feature of the Week

New Monthly Blog Feature : Open Mic Monday! 

The first Monday of each month (That's today!), the QueryTracker Blog Team will take questions about writing and the journey to publication.  If you have any question you want answered, even if it is something subjective that solicits an opinion answer, throw it at us.  We will research and compile our answers to be posted the following Monday, the second Monday of the month.  

Please post your questions in the comments of this post or email your questions to one of us by using the email addresses on the right side of this blog.  If your question is urgent, like about a full submission that has to be sent out immediately, state that, and we will contact you personally with the answer so you don't have to wait until the next Monday's post.  

We appreciate our blog readers and want to thank you for joining us.  Our subscribership keeps growing and we are grateful for your support.  

And now, for our weekly QueryTracker featured feature:

The QueryTracker Forum

One of my favorite QueryTracker.net features is the QueryTracker Forum.  To access it, select the "FORUM" button on top right of he QueryTracker Home Page.  

The Forum features discussion topics like:

Query Letter Review
First Five Pages Review
Synopsis Review
Publishing
Agents
Success Stories
Fiction Writing
Non-Fiction Writing
Resources for Writers
Book Talk

If you want an excellent critique of your query letter or synopsis, the QueryTracker Forum is your place. You also come into contact with other writers in different stages of the publishing process. The Forum has members ranging from newbies to published authors. I met many of my online friends on the QueryTracker forum including my co-authors on this blog.

The Forum is my favorite QueryTracker feature. If you are a writer, I can't recommend it highly enough. Get on over there and join.  

And don't forget to throw us some questions for Open Mic Monday by posting them in the comment section of this post or emailing us.  Have a great week, everyone!  

Mary

Mary Lindsey writes paranormal fiction for children and adults. Prior to attending University of Houston Law School, she received a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in Drama.

Mary can also be found on her website.

Meet The QT Blog Team!

Now that the blog layout is done and we're ready to go, you'll want to subscribe so you can get updates in your favorite blog reader.  We'll be posting several times a week, and we don't want you to miss important industry news (including agent contests and announcements), hot writing and publishing tips, a soon-to-be announced QT Blog contest, and ways to use QueryTracker.net, QueryTracker Forum, and RallyStorm to help you become a better writer, find an agent, and get published!

As the members of the new QT Blog team, we wanted to introduce ourselves!

H. L. Dyer

I am 35-years-old, married, and I work as the Clinical and Academic Director for the Hospitalist Program at a pediatric teaching hospital near Chicago. I love that I can now combine my work as a pediatrician with training future physicians.

I'm also seeking representation for my novel, The Edge of Memory. In addition to all things literary (which includes grilling my legion of test readers), I enjoy experimental cooking and composing impromptu parodies to annoy close friends and family.

Elana Johnson

I wish I could experience my first kiss again, tell the mean girl where to shove it, and have cool superpowers like reading minds and controlling fire. To fulfill my desires, I write young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Using my boring human powers, I graduated from Southern Utah University with Summa Cum Laude honors in Elementary Education with a minor in Mathematics. I started my teaching career as an upper grade music and art specialist. After a four-year stint in 3rd grade, I am currently the technology specialist.

In my world, Oreos and bacon would be the only food groups. Everyone would drive 10 over the speed limit. Winter would be eliminated as a season, and Jeff Probst would be President. As it is, I live with my husband and two kids in central Utah, get cited when I drive too fast and eat Oreos only on special occasions. I blog about what constitutes a special occasion—as well as my writerly journey toward publication—at http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/.

Carolyn Kaufman (who posts as “Archetype”)

I’m a clinical psychologist. Though I used to do therapy, I currently teach college full-time in Columbus, Ohio. A published nonfiction writer, I also run Archetype Writing: Psychology for Fiction Writers.

I enjoy working with journalists, and I’m often quoted by the media as an expert resource in psychology. I’ve appeared in magazines like Marie Claire and Seventeen, newspapers like The Boston Globe, and books like Andrea Kay’s Work’s a Bitch and Then You Make It Work.

I write science fantasy and urban fantasy, sometimes with romantic elements. I’m currently seeking representation for my novel. My nonfiction book, Nervous Breakdowns and Psychopathic Killers: The Writer’s Guide to Psychology is represented by Kate Epstein of Epstein Literary.

When I’m not writing or teaching, I can usually be found tinkering with websites, taking photographs, or torturing myself at the gym.

Mary Lindsey

I write paranormal fiction and live on the Texas Gulf Coast with my husband, three kids, two dogs, my daughter's pet rats, an Australian Bearded Dragon and dozens of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. (The roaches are long story—don't ask.)

My young adult paranormal romance, SOUL PURPOSE, is represented by the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

Prior to attending University of Houston Law School, I received a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in Drama from the University of Houston. I’ve taught drama and playwriting in a large public high school and English in a private school. Currently, I teach acting to children and teens at a private studio. I'm a member of The Writer's League of Texas, SCBWI, RWA and WH-RWA.

Suzette Saxton

I am a freelance writer with both fiction and nonfiction publishing credits, and a member of several worldwide critique groups. Prior to starting my writing career, I worked many years for a diverse range of organizations, including Waldenbooks and Marriott International. I left my earlier careers to be an at-home mom and focus on writing.

Most of my books target the very youngest of readers and often stem from time spent playing with my own children. When I’m not writing, I like to build stone walls, make faux flagstone floors, and take long walks up our little canyon to look for our resident wolverine. My prized possession is a first edition Edgar Allen Poe graced with my great great grandfather’s 1907 signature inside the front cover.

My story, The Bone Setter, was published in the Summer 2008 edition of Mindflights ezine and recently re-released in their best-of-the-best Volume 3 print edition.

Our Dancin' Elvish Selves

In the spirit of the holidays (and our sometimes-wacky personalities), we wanted to include a shot of us all together...

RallyStorm Upgrade!

If you've been watching the past few days, you may have noticed that the look of the QT Blog is changing as we get ready to start bringing you articles, updates, and industry news.  Keep an eye on this spot for introductions from the new team members (including me)!

I had to sneak out here before then to remind you to check out RallyStorm if you haven't lately.  Patrick upgraded the site today (what a great Christmas gift to us all!) with a new look and lots of new features.

The community hosts plenty of fantastic forums, including many for writers.  And don't be afraid to join a forum that already exists -- it's a friendly community, and the more the merrier!

New Life For This Blog

Some of you may have noticed that I am the world's worst blogger. A group of dear friends from QueryTracker and RallyStorm have also noticed and have graciously volunteered to help. Each of them is a talented writer with plenty to say and lots of great ideas for making this blog more informative and enjoyable for everyone, so of course I jumped on the chance to have them join in. For me, their offer was a Christmas Miracle.

I'll let them introduce themselves and tell us a little about their writing and their query experiences.

Again I thank them, and wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

The QT Blog Team

H. L. Dyer

H.L. Dyer works as the Clinical and Academic Director for the Hospitalist Program at a pediatric teaching hospital near Chicago. She loves that she can now combine her work as a pediatrician with training future physicians.

Her  novel, THE EDGE OF MEMORY, is represented by Katherine Boyle of Veritas Literary Agency. In addition to all things literary (which includes grilling her legion of test readers), she enjoys experimental cooking and composing impromptu parodies to annoy close friends and family.

Mary Lindsey

Mary Lindsey writes paranormal fiction and lives on the Texas Gulf Coast with her husband, three kids, two dogs, her daughter's pet rats, an Australian Bearded Dragon and dozens of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. (The roaches are long story—don't ask.)

Mary is represented by the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Her young adult paranormal romance, SHATTERED SOULS (Philomel/Penguin), is scheduled for release Fall 2011.

Prior to attending University of Houston Law School, Mary received a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in Drama from the University of Houston. She's taught drama and playwriting in a large public high school and English in a private school. Currently, she teaches acting to children and teens at a private studio. She's a member of The Writer's League of Texas, SCBWI, RWA and WH-RWA.

Elana Johnson
Elana is the author of FROM THE QUERY TO THE CALL, an ebook that covers everything you need to know about querying and securing a literary agent. She will be speaking at a conference in April 2010, covering the topics of querying the national market and writing a killer query letter.

Elana is represented by Michelle Andelman at Lynn C. Franklin Associates.

She wishes she could experience her first kiss again, tell the mean girl where to shove it, and have cool superpowers like reading minds and controlling fire. To fulfill her desires, she writes young adult science fiction and fantasy.

She runs a personal blog on writing as well as a query critique blog.

Carolyn Kaufman

Carolyn Kaufman has a doctorate in clinical psychology and teaches college full-time in Columbus, Ohio. She is represented by Kate Epstein of the Epstein Literary Agency and her first book, THE WRITER'S GUIDE TO PSYCHOLOGY: How to Write Accurately About Psychological Disorders, Clinical Treatment and Human Behavior (Quill Driver Books) is slated for an autumn 2010 release.

In addition to her work on the QueryTracker.net Blog, she runs Archetype: Psychology for Fiction Writers, where writers will find articles about psychology tailored to their needs. They can also ask her their writing/psychology questions and read the answers on the Archetype Writing blog.

She is often quoted by the media as an expert resource and has appeared in magazines such as Marie Claire and Seventeen, newspapers like The Boston Globe and The Plain Dealer, and books like Andrea Kay’s Work’s a Bitch and then You Make It Work.

Suzette Saxton

Suzette Saxton is a stay-home mom of three children, two of them beautiful and one of them a teenager. She writes fiction for children of all ages and is represented by Suzie Townsend of FinePrint Literary Management.

You can find Suzette volunteering at the school library on Wednesdays, mentoring teen writers through the Literati Outreach program on Saturdays, and reading to her own children every day of the week. Though occasionally she can be forced to take a walk in the lovely little canyon in which she lives, at all other times you can find her writing.

The Bone Setter, her short story inspired by a dream, was published in Mindflights Magazine's ezine and later republished in their print edition. She has a special love of dark fairy tales and very old nursery rhymes. You can find Suzette on Twitter, Facebook, her personal blog, or her website.

Last updated: April 3, 2010