The "No Form Rejection Contest" is Now CLOSED!

Thanks to all who participated!

Stay tuned MONDAY for the SYNOPSIS contest details and check back on TUESDAY for the No Form Rejection Contest stats! Again, no queries will be posted on this blog - just some general stats, like how many entries Joanna received, how many she requested material from, etc.

Enjoy the weekend!

~K

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Reasons you won't get a response in the contest

Just a quick note before the contest begins on why you won't get a response and some other last-minute notes:

• Your e-mail requires verification: If you have an e-mail that requires her to fill out a form of some sort or click on a link to "confirm" she's real, then she's not going to do so. She's treating this as a real query process, and if that were to happen on a normal day where she reads queries, she, along with all other agents, can't take the time to do so.
• You submitted before noon EST or after 1 p.m. EST: She doesn't have a cap on how many queries she'll read of the ones received in that hour, so I suggest play it safe and just send starting at 12:05 p.m. EST. Just my suggestion.
• There's no confirmation: As far as I know, she won't be sending confirmation e-mails to verify she received your entry. Again, she's treating this as a regular query process and doesn't do confirmation e-mails on a day-by-day basis. So please do not e-mail her to ask if she received your submission. If you don't hear back on Monday by 5 p.m. EST (as she listed as the response time), then assume she did not read it / get it for one of the reasons listed here.

Good luck everyone!

~K

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Tired of Form Rejections?

*****The contest is now CLOSED! Please do not e-mail anymore submissions. Thanks to all who participated, and stay tuned for a Tuesday update!******



Tired of form rejections? Want to know why your query didn't land you with a partial request? Want to query an awesome agent?

Check it out guys! The lovely Joanna Stampfel-Volpe of Nancy Coffey Literary and Media Representation is my first guest blogger and has one amazing opportunity for you!

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Hey guys!

So I don't know if being snowed in AGAIN has just gotten to me or what, but I had this crazy idea for a contest....

What the Contest is:

Many writers want to know what an agent is really thinking when they pass on a query, right? You want the truth...but can you handle the truth? Well this weekend I will respond to the queries I receive in complete honesty. You may see something as simple as "Not bad, but just not for me." or "I don't represent academic non-fiction." OR you may see something like "I stopped reading when you mentioned that the mailman was a vampire space zombie who has come to deliver a message of PAIN. Because come on...seriously?"

So, if you want the truth, query me tomorrow. Read on for the rules.

Rules:

• The contest will be open for only ONE HOUR.
• Queries must be submitted to LiteraryNancy2(at)gmail(dot)com between the hours of noon EST and 1pm EST tomorrow. As in Saturday, Feb 27. Any queries submitted before or after those times will not be qualified to enter and considered only as a regular query.
• All queries entered must have this in the subject line: QUERY CONTEST - Yes, I can handle the truth
• If it does not have this in the subject line, it will be considered a regular query only.
• Queries must be in the body of the email. NO attachments!
• Queries must be one-page length long, size 12 font. That's ONE PAGE ONLY!
• No manuscript pages attached or included at all.

I will respond to all queries entered in the contest by Monday at 5pm EST.

Looking forward to it! But are YOU?

JSV

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So that's it guys! Short notice, but I'm sure word will spread quickly. Just be sure to submit entries between the time listed (one-hour block, only!) - not a minute earlier or later! For information on genres she reps, check out her Publisher's Marketplace page.

Good luck! I'll see if I can sucker her into a recap on Tuesday ;-)

~K

EDIT:
You guys had some fabulous questions within the 34 seconds this thing was posted, lol. Here are the answers:

• Yes, if you've already been rejected you may resubmit your query. Jo will read (if submitted in the correct time frame) and let you know why it's been rejected. Don't say "You already rejected me..." Treat it like you've never queried her before.
• Your queries will NOT be posted on this or any other blog. Jo will reply to you via your e-mail, only. The only stats I'll post is how many entries she received, what % she rejected and if she requested any.
• You must treat this as an actual query process, which means you need to have a complete manuscript. Seriously - you wouldn't want to miss out on a partial/full request from Jo just because you queried and didn't have a completed manuscript, right?

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Synop-what?

A lot of people ask "why in the world do I need a synopsis, and how the heck do I write one?"

I can't speak for everyone, but in my experience a synopsis is requested to show the agent you have a clear, thought out plan for the entire manuscript, start to finish. I can actually tell, based on the synopsis, when someone has sent me a manuscript that isn't finished, because certain parts are clearer and more concise than others. In short, you should have a completed manuscript before querying and this helps us know you've done so. Sometimes if I'm reading the sample pages and I feel the writing is strong but the storyline is a little slow, I'll take a look at the synopsis to see what the overall feel is. Does it look like there's too much fluff? Does anything exciting happen? Is the overall plot all over the place? Does the writer have a grasp on what the climatic scene is or did they just leave it out completely? (believe it or not, this does happen)

There are so many ways to write a synopsis, so I can't really sit here and say "tada! Here's the fool-proof formula." So what I will do is break it down by length and then give you some bullet points that should be followed.

Different agents ask for different lengths of synopses. These are the two basic ones I've seen requested:

One to Two pages: Grab a book you like and read the back cover copy (or the inside flaps if it's a hard cover - whichever). Use that as a guide, except be sure to tack on the ending. Don't waste time on minor characters, sub plots, etc. One pagers are tricky, but it can be done, regardless of how long/short your book is.

Three to Five pages: I really think these are more difficult, because most people put in too much fluff and not enough about the main plot. But this is your chance to show us how your characters go through their journey, how they accomplish their tasks/obstacles in the storyline, what they do to get themselves out of the situation, etc as opposed to just a brief overview. It's important to really include the beginning, middle and end of your manuscript.

Whether you start with an outline, a chapter-by-chapter description and then shorten it, or just wing it - there's so many ways to do it - choose a method you feel comfortable with. I've known authors who even write main characters on sticky notes and major plot points on sticky notes and then place them all out on a table. Then they go and take out what they think is fluff. Everyone has a method that works for them - trick is figuring out which method works for you.

Tips to follow, regardless of length:

• Be sure to hit only the major points: major characters, major plot points, the hook, and definitely the ending.
• Be sure to double space, unless otherwise asked. Also ensure that it's Times New Roman, size 12 font (again, unless otherwise asked).
  
• Even if your manuscript is in first person, do not write your synopsis in first person. It should be in third person. It's like a query - first person is creepy and weird.
  
• Don't end the synopsis with "..." I see this so many times, and I think what most writers fail to understand is that you are supposed to reveal the ending in the synopsis. That's why an agent asks for it.
• Don't give just a paragraph teaser. That's the information that goes in your query.
• Don't give a chapter-by-chapter breakdown. If an agent wanted that, they would ask for it by name.
• Don't give a shortened version of the manuscript. I've received this before, which is why I'm now specific with my "3-5 page synopsis" request. The whole "here's 10 pages" doesn't work for me.
  
• What do you do if a synopsis is requested but the agent doesn't specify the length? I'd shoot for two or three pages - definitely not five. You can also check out sites like Query Tracker and Absolute Write and see if people have posted how long their synopses were when they sent them.
  

Bottom Line: Embrace the synopsis. You may not love it, but it's a fact of life in the publishing world. When you're published (I like to be optimistic and say "when"), you're agent will ask for a synopsis of book 2, whether it's the second book in a series or the next stand-alone book you write. We need that information to give to editors in case they ask for it, and guess what - we're not writing it for you.

Stay tuned for Monday's contest announcement!

~K

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Contest Announcement

Hello all!

As promised, here's some info for my March contest. I won't reveal details of how to enter, but I will say that the post with those details will be posted Monday March 1, 2010.

So why am I writing this post?

Because I want all participants to know what the prize is AHEAD of time so you can prepare. Because I'll choose and post winners by Friday March 5th and they'll have to e-mail me their stuff by Monday March 8th.

Prize?

SYNOPSIS CRITIQUE!

There will be only TWO winners.

I had a lot of people ask for posts on how to write a synopsis (guess what tomorrow's post is??) and for help with them. So I figured, why not? I'll offer up two critiques. I won't edit for grammar and stuff - definitely not a line by line critique like with the query critiques (maybe sometime in the future but the entry instructions for this will be crazy easy so I feel it doesn't justify a line-by-line). But I can promise to call you out on areas that confuse me, sound dull, may lose me, where I stopped reading and why.

So, if you plan on entering and you don't have a synopsis and should have one....get crackin'!

**edit: synopsis critique open to synopses ONLY 5 pages or fewer. None of this 10 page synopsis stuff...just an FYI :)

~K

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Lovers and Friends - Oh, wait. Can't say that...

"Lovers" will get me a 17+ rating.....I think...

So today I read a query about two 13 yr old lovers torn apart by war. I wasn't sure about the term "lovers" to describe two 13 yr olds - I mean, come on. They're 13. I Tweeted about it and got plenty of "EWW" responses, but as one Twitter follower (@KristaAshe) said, "I'd be suprised they had the depth at that age to consider themselves 'lovers' rather than 'hook ups' or 'hitting it.'"

Then @KD_Miller stated, "I'm a little late on this, but I absolutely buy the idea. Why not? Emotions are so concentrated at that age...I think it's possible for that to be the right word, depending on the characters. Your average 13 yo, maybe not. But written . .. with an eye to beauty and magic and tragedy, sure. I don't automatically assume "lover" means sex."

Someone brought up the question of "Which time period?" I don't think it matters which time period the manuscript takes place. We, as a society, have been accustomed to certain things, one which entails the fact that a child having a marriage, let alone a lover, at the age of 13 is inappropriate. While I won't say it can "never" work, I will say that (as @EditorStet put it), there is a certain "ick" factor to it.

Yea, it worked for Shakespeare, but again that was another time. Plus as so many Twitter followers pointed out, Juliet was a bit...immature (I'm really not going to delve into that).

Between Tweeted responses of "they're too young to have sex" to "but they love each other! Why not?" I think the bottom line is how one interprets the word "lover."

Chew on that....

Interpreting words brings me to the next point: Everyone interprets everything differently based on their own education, upbringing, beliefs and even how they read things (raise your hand if you're guilty of skimming through some pages in a book to get to a certain point, flip back, and realize you totally missed or misinterpreted a particular situation). Author Kirsten Hubbard wrote an interesting post on Why the Word 'Edgy" Has Lost Its Meaning . In it, she discusses how 'edgy' can range based on "what you've seen. Who you know. What you've experienced in real life. But most of all, it's relative to what you've already read." Like Kirsten says, if you jump from Meg Cabot to Melissa Marr, you might find Ms. Marr to be edgy. However if you go from Marr to Ellen Hopkins, you're gonna find Marr to be pretty tame.

Bottom line, per Kirsten: It doesn't mean we should stop pushing boundaries. We should. Just come up with a different way to describe it, since so many people take "edgy" to mean different things.

Chew on that, too...

In light of all the "what's appropriate" talk, I then ran into this link: Common Sense? The Message is Being Lost. So Barnes & Noble has teamed up with a group called Common Sense Media, whose goal is to "improve the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology."

AKA - they see something "inappropriate" and slap a rating on it.

I won't go into the long information rant, because I think the link provides one heck of a good overview; however, I will ask your thoughts on this: Do you think these new ratings on BN.com will affect authors' book sales?


Three random thoughts....somehow connected, though not exactly...but it was more interesting for me than writing about the Google Book Settlement lecture I attended last night :)

~K

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Slight Changes

I've edited some items on the blog to make it more user friendly.

~ Tabs: I edited the tabs at the top so they link to places with more information. "FAQs" leads to
my post with information about what I'm looking for in manuscripts; "Agency" leads to
Lowenstein Associates' Web site; "Pub Mktpl" leads to our Publisher's Marketplace page; "Find
Me" leads to a list of conferences and/or workshops I'll be attending.

~ Smart Publishing Pros: Links to people in the industry who, I think, are pretty awesome when
it comes to giving advice to writers.

I'll be updating both whenever the time calls for it, but in the meantime if there's something here you'd like to see that isn't posted, let me know and I'll take a look!

~K

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Where to Find Me (Conferences, Workshops, Etc)

I'm linking this post to the tab up top that says "Find Me" and will update regularly as more events come up.

- Backspace Writers Conference 2010 ~ May 27, 28, 29 2010

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What Am I Looking For?

I realized I haven't really posted anything on what I'm looking for, and since it has been slightly modified recently, I thought I'd post information (it's in third person, because it's what will be appearing on a few other sites later this week):

Kathleen Ortiz began her career in publishing at a Florida magazine as editorial assistant and writer for their young adult section before moving on to a news service as online editor for their features/art & entertainment section. She interned with Nancy Coffey Literary and Media Representation and the Caren Johnson Literary Agency before joining Lowenstein Associates as an assistant. She eventually moved on to Foreign Rights Manager and Associate Agent.

She’s currently building her list and is seeking everything from children’s books (chapter, middle grade and young adult in a variety of genres, including contemporary, paranormal, sci-fi, historical, you name it) to non-fiction (young adult, only). While she enjoys everything from light-hearted and humorous to dark and edgy, she’d love to find an amazing romance from a male point of view or a steampunk with fantastic world building. She’s not interested in picture books, adult fiction, screenplays, or poetry.

To query Kathleen, please visit www.LowensteinAssociates.com and follow the submission guidelines by either submitting your information via the form electronically or by sending your materials via USPS. For more information on what she’s looking for or to see what’s she’s up to, you may visit her on Twitter @KOrtizzle or on her blog: kortizzle.blogspot.com



If you're interested in a more detailed version, there's another post here. But for purposes of keeping it short and sweet, this is the official bio :)

Stay tuned next week for information on the next contest! :)

~ K

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Partial Stats

A lot of people have asked "Why do agents stop after the first 5, 10, 15 pages? Why can't they just read the whole thing?"

Following yesterday's post, today I had some time to read some partials. I won't give specifics, because I believe in preserving the identity of writers who submit to me; however, I will try to give a general idea of why I do/don't request fulls. Maybe there will be a recurring trend or maybe it'll be very different. Note that when I ask for a partial, I usually ask for a synopsis (to show me you know where you're story is going) and the first 30 pages. If it's non-fiction, I request a proposal, which must include chapter outlines, platform, sample chapters, marketing, etc, which is standard for anyone who wants non-fiction.


Partials (Before I started reading, there were 16 partials and a full sitting in my "To Read" folder.)

1. YA Urban Fantasy: frequent change in tense ("she said" vs "she says") and really choppy with both sentences and plot. Overall difficult to follow with the stop/go. Pass.

2. Non-Fiction (NF): Pop culture: really well written. Awesome platform. Will do some research tonight to see what's out there similar to it. In the meantime forwarded to boss (she does NF).

3. YA Urban Fantasy: great writing and character development, but it was 30 pages of back story. There wasn't a strong connection between characters because there was so much back story. But I did give the author specific notes since I love the story line and do hope they'll consider them and resubmit.**

4. YA Contemporary: Cute concept but it sounds like an adult trying to be a teen. Readers will call it out in a heartbeat. Pass

5. YA Sci-fi: Cool concept but there's too much telling and not enough showing. Plot was difficult to follow, as well. Pass.

6. YA: Based on a really cool legend that I've never heard of (Googled and alas - it does exist). Awesome writing. Awesome plot. Requested full.

7. NF: Science: Strong platform. Strong writing. Unique topic. Forwarded to the boss (she does the NF). I think she's going to like it.


Random Facts

**Do you use a form rejection on partials? Yes and no. I do have a form rejection but I also try to insert one sentence that gives some insight as to why I passed. Not all agents do this (I say that so you don't think to always expect it), and yea it's definitely time consuming (which is why I don't give more than a sentence), but I do like to give insight when I can. You wouldn't believe that some people write back with "why can't you give me more information?" and at that point it's just a slap in the face. But I try not to let it ruin it for the rest of you because like I said, I like to help when I can.

How about fulls? I always give some feedback on fulls. I won't give a huge editorial letter, but I always aim for notes of some kind.

How often do you request fulls from partials? Depends. There's no exact formula. As you can see, I had 16 partials in my inbox and the oldest one is from January 7, 2010. But since August 2009, I've considered only two people for representation. Completely depends on the story/writing.

How long does it take to get back to someone on a partial? My times completely vary. Shortest response time on a partial was less than 12 hours because I just happened to have time to read it. Longest was 8 weeks. It just depends on how things are going with clients, conferences, and time of the year. I tell everyone that it'll take 4-6 weeks and if they haven't heard from me, to please feel free to nudge.

Why did you ask one to revise and not the others? If I ask for a revision then it's because I'm confident it's a fairly easy fix. If it's something that involves voice or major plot changes, then I just can't invest that type of time to work with the author. But if I see great potential and think it's something they can fix relatively easily and quickly, I'm all over it.

What if I offer to revise and resubmit? Like other agents, no is no. If I say thanks but no thanks, then you're just going to have to trust that that's what I mean. If I want revisions, I promise I'll ask for them.

You suck. Yea, well, the line of haters is over there ::points:: (I only say this because after a rejection today, I got a "Screw you. You're missing out on a huge book. You'll be sorry." email. Which, by the way, is NOT recommended but happens more often than you can imagine. Cause I can guarantee that person will never be able to query me or this agency again.) If you can't take constructive criticism, I guarantee this is NOT the field for you.

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Query Stats

A lot of people have asked "Why do agents reject queries?" and "Why don't you request pages?"

I've seen several agents do this, so I thought I'd try it out and see how it goes. I'm taking aside a couple of hours for queries today (since I don't like to get TOO behind). I won't give specifics, because I believe in preserving the identity of writers who submit to me; however, I will try to give a general idea of why I do/don't request partials. Maybe there will be a recurring trend or maybe it'll be very different. If you want to check out what Lowenstein Associates DOES represent and what our submission guidelines are (read: NO EMAIL QUERIES - form on the web site), it might help you figure out why some were rejected.

Either way - here we go!

Queries (175 came in this weekend alone)
Right off the bat: 12 queries from this weekend that were emailed instead of submitted via online form, as required. Unfortunately, I'm not mean enough to just delete. I send a standard "see our web site for sub guidelines" reply without reading and then delete.

1- one sentence about book. I have no idea what form of fiction it is. Pass. (they also submitted the SAME query four times....trust the system. If you see "Thank you for submitting" after you hit "submit," then we got it.)

2- We don't rep romance. pass

3- Three paragraphs about the author. Nothing about the book. Pass

4- Asking if I would be interested in a fiction novel (groan). But it hasn't been written bc wants confirmation that I'm interested in the idea first. Pass

5- 350,000 words. Pass

6- memoir but no platform/credentials. nothing stands out. Pass.

7- We don't rep novellas. Pass

8- I really had no idea what the book was about. Too many plot lines. Pass.

9- Thriller that just wasn't suspenseful. Pass.

10- historical fiction: list of morals of the story as opposed to what the story is about. Pass.

11- YA - discusses list of morals. Pass

12- Non-fiction (NF): no platform/not unique topic. Pass

13- Adult Mystery: no hook. Pass.

14- You started the book but haven't finished? Fiction? Pass.

15- Really good query, but the storyline is too similar to something else. Pass.

16- Memoir: no platform. No unique story. Pass

17- NF: no platform. Not unique. Pass

18- YA: too stereotypical. Pass

19- YA: another carbon copy of something already out there. Pass

20- YA: good query, but I have a client who wrote something too similar. Pass.

21- 196,000 word YA. pass

22- NF: No platform. Not unique. Pass

23 - Super high fantasy...not our thing....Pass

24- four page query for romance? pass

25- Marketing plans with planned DVD and merchandise but nothing about book? Pass

26- 185,000 women's fiction? pass

27- about 5 plots in this mystery...totally unfocused...pass

28- YA contemporary fiction: good query but doesn't seem to have strong writing. pass

29- NF: no credentials. Common topic without unique twist. pass

30- 16,000 YA. pass

31- NF: no credentials. common topic without unique twist. pass

32 - YA: 145,000 words. pass

33 - YA: Contemporary that is WAY too emo for my taste. pass

34 - YA: Paranormal romance with a topic I've never seen before? Nice! Requested sample pages.

35 - NF: no credentials. common topic. pass

36 - High fantasy. We don't rep. pass

37 - Adult mystery - good hook, good plot outline, requested pages!

38 - Thriller that isn't very thriller-esque....pass

39 - no query. just pasted pages. pass

40 - you tell me that you love the characters and the plot but don't tell me about said characters or plot? pass

41 - NF: no credentials. no unique twist. pass

42 - NF: no credentials. no unique twist. pass

43 - there's already a book like this - it's called DaVinci Code. pass

44 - NF: no credentials....no unique twist...pass

45 - 308,000 word high fantasy? pass

46 - I can't take on book 2 if you self published book 1. pass

47 - NF: interesting topic but already other books like it out there. pass

48 - Begging doesn't work....pass

49 - YA: can't take book 2 if first one was self published...pass

50 - NF: no credentials...no unique twist...pass



Random Facts

• Why do we require a submission form? Ok, yes they can be a pain; however, trust me that for our system, it works wonders. It not only helps filter queries into one folder, but it also means your query WON'T get caught in the spam folder - EVER. You get a confirmation that it was received (on our Web page), which most authors want anyway. We both win.
• Do you use a form reject? Yes. If you follow submission guidelines (read: use the form) then I will always reply. I use a form reject, because since I give each query the time it deserves (hey, if you took the time to write it, I'll respect you and read the entire thing), then I simply don't have the time to write a personal response to each query.
  
• What if I sent a query and didn't get a response? Queries typically take 2 weeks or less for me to reply. If you haven't heard by then, then it means that A) there was a freak act of nature that kept me from getting to queries (read: hospital stay, snowstorm kept me from work for the day, had to take a work-related trip, etc); my reply was caught in YOUR spam folder; OR that your email account requires me to authenticate mine somehow. I simply do NOT have time to go through and "verify" my email. If you are querying us, use an email account that doesn't require authentication. There are at least a dozen emails a week that will never receive my reply, because I get a "I don't know you - please fill out this form" response. If you're not sure if your email requires this, play it safe: Gmail rocks.
• What do you mean you rejected just because of credentials? With certain non-fiction topics, you have to have a platform. Look at it this way: if you're at Barnes and Noble staring at the "how-to" section and you see two books side-by-side titled "THIS BOOK WILL GET YOU AN AGENT: 30 days from Query to Publication." Are you going to buy the one written by Jeremy Lee Smith or the one written by Janet Reid? Probably the one written by Janet Reid since A) she's an agent and B) she has one hell of an awesome reputation. Whereas Jeremy Lee Smith (I made up that name - sorry if there's an actual agent by that name. I'm pretty sure there isn't) is just some dude that came up with an idea and wrote the book. Non-fiction, especially how-to/help books, really need a kick ass platform to sell to publishers. So if you're not an 'expert' in your field or if you can't get experts to contribute, you probably won't sell your proposal

Tomorrow - I'll do something similar with queries and hopefully a few partials....only had time for 50 queries today so we'll see how tomorrow shapes up.

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Happy Weekend!

So I'm looking over the winners' queries, and I love how unique and different each one is. None of them are horrendous yet none are perfect. It's a good mix, and I should be done with them by Monday. I won't post them here, but if they feel like sharing their feedback experience, I welcome any comments here.

I plan on updating at least twice a week, and I have an idea of what this week's topics will be; however, I'm curious. What do YOU as a reader want to see? There are so many blogs out there about "how to get published," "what to do," "what not to do," "how to flush your publishing career in three easy steps," etc that I don't want to just hop into it with the basic "this is how to query" information.

Like I said before: I really want this to be as interactive as possible, so feedback is essential to me. What do YOU want to see here? I'll take pretty much everything into consideration, so the sky's the limit!

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Query Contest Results!

Thanks to everyone who participated, and stay tuned for the next contest, which will be announced near the end of the month! :)

Winners are as follows. I chose two from the "points" category and two from the "Tweet only" category.

And cause I'm a sucker, I did a wild card with a number generator and just counted down the posts. So that's five winners total.

Winners:
- Jessie Oliveros
- Megan Curd
- @Windica
- Angel 28140
- Wild Card: Sarah N. Fisk

Directions: If you're a winner, reply to this post in the comment section and include your handle I used above and an e-mail l so I can send you directions on when/how to send me your query. You have until Thursday February 11 at noon to post your e-mail in the comments below or else I will choose another winner in your place.

Congrats to everyone! Future contests will be range from much easier to more creative (i.e. just a simple "Yo! I've posted! Here's my entry!" to maybe a 140-character pitch). I'm planning on throwing up the PRIZE details next week and the CONTEST details the week after. I think everyone's going to like it! (You all gave some GREAT suggestions last week).

Thanks for spreading the word, and look out for more posts in the future.


~K

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My Road to Publishing

So the lovely Robin over on Twitter asked if I could discuss how social networking led to my being an agent today. So here it is...

Reading has always been my passion, and I knew that I wanted to do something publishing related. Exactly what in publishing was the question. I worked with a variety of small magazine publishers as editorial assistant, online editor, Interactive Marketer, writer, designer etc. I also worked as a professional resume/cover letter critiquer (yup), a skill that is always handy, and did some freelance web design work to help promote local bands in Florida.

When the magazine industry started to fold, I moved toward teaching and absolutely loved it. The students were amazing and I really had fun teaching English (both American and British Literature), TV Production, Yearbook, Web Design, Applied Computers, and Microcomputer Applications. On top of all that I was assistant coach for the girls' basketball team, Student Government adviser, Literary Magazine adviser, and even helped out with the swim team for a year.

Yea, I was busy. But I loved every second of it.

Eventually I knew it was time to move on and toward my goal of working within the publishing industry. So I did what *most* people do when they're at a loss: I sat down and typed in those ever-so-helpful, what-did-I-ever-do-before-it words: Google.com and I punched in something along the lines of "publishing process" or "how to get published." I figured I should know the process before applying for anything.

Out of ALL the web sites out there, this little site was the first one to pop up at the time: The Swivet. I poked around and learned so much about publishing! I never even knew agents existed - especially such honest, 'here's the good, the bad and the ugly for you' blogs written by agents. And after reading Colleen Lindsay's blog, I was linked to Janet Reid's blog, and then just kept on going. I couldn't believe there was an entire community of people who were not only so phenomenally outgoing and hilarious, but who loved to read...and read...and read!

I wanted to know more about agents and publishing and applied for jobs like crazy. But I couldn't find jobs in agenting, just with large publishers. So I decided to apply for internships, one of which I knew had to be in the same offices as Colleen and Janet - since they're basically amazing :)

Long (long) story short: I landed two internships. One with Nancy Coffey Literary and Media Representation (who share the same office with Fine Print) and one with Caren Johnson Literary Agency. I really cannot express how much I learned by interning with both agencies. Everyone from Joanna and Nancy to Suzie (who is also a former teacher, which is great since I can relate) to Caren and Elana were just so encouraging. I learned a lot. After a while, I was even more certain than ever before that this is what I wanted to do. Interning lead to experience, which helped boost up my resume, which eventually lead to my being an assistant with Lowenstein Associates. I was promoted to Foreign Rights Manager and then to Associate Agent with my own list of YA clients.

Some have said that with my vast background in a variety of careers* may seem odd, but I see it as experience that has helped bring me to where I am today. Without teaching, I wouldn't be able to speak in front of a crowd of people with confidence. I probably wouldn't be as insanely organized as I am now. Without working in the magazine industry first, I wouldn't have the skills to utilize marketing and online/visual applications in a way that will help my clients promote their books and create a brand for themselves.

So there's how I landed my current position...because of social networking, more specifically blogs and Twitter :) And I really thank EVERYONE (::cough::Elana, Caren, Colleen, Suzie, Jo, and Barbara ::cough::) who have helped me get to where I am today.

*I was going to do some random facts at the end of this, but I'm saving those for an interview I think I may be doing in the upcoming weeks. So check it out then.

~K

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It's already unleased into the online world....

So for your laughing pleasure, here's a "How Not to Query" video created by the lovely Kirsten Hubbard of YA Highway. I was sucked into it (after a long round of 'all the cool agents are doing it!') and....well...sometimes you just can't NO to some people like Jo and Suz....and Michelle...and Kody and Kaitlin....

Excuse me while I dive under my bed....

:)

K

P.S. If you can't tell...I'm not big on being on camera...lol

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Contest Ideas - YOUR input

All right....this query contest is on its way (60-some comments so far! WOW!). Don't forget -- it closes on FRIDAY at 11:59 p.m. EST

I can't promise more than one contest a month, but that will be my goal :o) In the meantime, I like to work ahead and be prepared, so I have a question for you:

What types of PRIZES do YOU as a BLOG READER want to see?

Free books?

Query critiques?

5-min one-on-one session to ask Q's via chat? (I saw this somewhere and seemed like a good prize; though with Twitter so much in use, not sure how great this really is?)

Page critiques?

Sky's the limit, but try to keep them publishing-related. (Sorry Authoress, I can't bake cupcakes for EVERYONE :) ).

Note: I know a lot will say FULL MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE! But for now, I'm not going to offer that as a prize. Too time consuming right now, and it would have to be ONE HECK of a situation for me to offer that.

If you haven't noticed, I'm trying to keep this blog as interactive as possible. Feel free to throw in input, ask questions (post-related), and read what others are saying.

Suggest away, and I'll announce the next contest after the Query Contest winners have been announced on Monday!

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Query Contest

Was a little under the weather this past weekend, but since I'm heading back into work today, here are the Query Contest rules as promised :)

Prize: Query Critique! And we're not talking just some comments. We're talking "Kathleen is going to bust out the red pen and give you as MUCH feedback as possible" critique. We're starting with this and eventually when I reach more followers, I'll host more contests.

Dates: Contest begins TODAY February 2 and ends FRIDAY February 5th at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be announced February 8th by noon.

Rules: For now, please just enter in one of the two categories. I'm doing #1 because I know not everyone has a blog so I wanted to make it fair.



TWO ways to win:

1. I'll choose ONE random winner. All you have to do is RT me on Twitter: "@KOrtizzle is hosting a query contest at kortizzle.blogspot.com" That's it! Post a comment below with the URL to the Tweet.

2. Point system! Just leave a comment below with links. I'll choose TWO winners from this category. Points are as follow:
+1 posting a comment to this entry (yes. a point JUST for posting)
+ 1 if you're a NEW follower on Twitter (post your @ name)
+ 2 if you're ALREADY a Twitter follower (post your @ name)
+ 1 for posting "@KOrtizzle is hosting a query contest at kortizzle.blogspot.com" on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Any site that's NOT a blog (livejournal, blogspot, word press, etc). Please include links. You can earn one point per unique site.
+ 2 for posting to your blog in an actual blog post
+ 3 if someone says YOU referred them to the contest (include their name)
+ 3 for the person referred to the contest (include their name)
+ 5 for becoming an FOLLOWER on my blog (I have to see you in my "followers" area)



Questions? Feel free to post! Good luck!!!


***Update: Seems that all the issues are fixed. If you still can't post, let me know via Twitter. Also, feel free to update your post if you happen to score some more points somehow (i.e. if someone refers, you etc. I'll X-post this in the other contest post.
***Livejournal...thanks Amethyst ;-)

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