Get a Literary Agent: The Complete Guide to Securing Representation for Your Work (27 page)
Read Get a Literary Agent: The Complete Guide to Securing Representation for Your Work Online
Authors: Chuck Sambuchino
CREATIVE NONFICTION.
See
narrative nonfiction
.
CRIME FICTION.
An umbrella term used to classify stories where crime, police, private investigators, and police detectives are central to the plot.
DYSTOPIAN FICTION.
Stories set in a bleak future where living conditions are harsh, usually because of an oppressive government or a change in world living conditions, such as from a nuclear disaster. Examples include The Hunger Games series and the Divergent series.
EROTICA.
A form of literature dealing with the sexual aspects of love. Erotic content will typically include explicit descriptions of sexual acts.
FAMILY SAGA.
A story that chronicles the lives of a family or a number of related or interconnected families over a period of time.
FANTASY.
Stories set in invented worlds or in a legendary, mythic past that rely on outright invention or magic for conflict and setting. Examples include the Harry Potter series and
The Lord of the Rings
.
GENRE FICTION.
An umbrella term that encompasses any of the so-called major genre categories of fiction, such as thriller, mystery, horror, romance, science fiction, and fantasy. If an agent explains she seeks genre fiction, it can be assumed she accepts all of the genre categories, but writers should still do their research, as sometimes agents may have a particular passion for one genre and not for another.
GRAPHIC NOVEL.
A mix of novel and comics. A graphic novel contains comic-like drawings and captions—and can choose to deal with both everyday issues and more adventurous elements such as superheroes.
HISTORICAL FICTION.
A story set in a recognizable period of history. In addition to telling the stories of ordinary people’s lives, historical fiction may involve political or social events of the time.
HORROR.
A story that aims to evoke some combination of fear, fascination, and revulsion in its readers—either through supernatural or psychological circumstances.
HOW-TO.
A category of nonfiction book that offers the reader a description of how something can be accomplished. It includes both information and advice.
INSPIRATIONAL FICTION.
An umbrella term that refers to stories and books with religious (usually Christian) content. Inspirational books can be overtly Christian in nature, or they can have simpler, subtler religious themes. Amish fiction is sometimes lumped into this category.
LGBT (LESBIAN/GAY/BISEXUAL/TRANSGENDER).
These are stories where an openly LGBT character is central to the story, oftentimes the main character—though his or her sexuality may or may not be the main issue in the story. In recent years,
Q
has sometimes been added to the initials: LGBTQ—with the final letter meaning “questioning” and/or “queer.”
LITERARY FICTION.
A book in which style and technique are often as important as subject matter. In literary fiction, character is typically more important than plot, and the writer’s voice and skill with words are both very essential. Literary fiction is a term often applied to novels that do not fall within a recognizable category such as romance or mystery.
MAGICAL REALISM.
Stories set in our normal, realistic world that feature some element of magic that affects the plot. In film, Woody Allen’s
Midnight in Paris
serves as an example. Stephen King’s novel
The Green Mile
also fits this category.
MAINSTREAM FICTION.
Sometimes called “book club fiction” by industry insiders, this term usually refers to nongenre stories that have mass appeal and transcend literary fiction readers.
MEMOIR.
A first-person, true-life tale told by the author. Generally the term
memoir
is used for most life stories, whereas celebrities and politicians use
autobiography
. Memoir is typically the sole category of nonfiction that is treated like fiction in terms of submissions—in that the book should be complete before the writer queries agents.
MIDDLE-GRADE (MG).
Books for children aged eight through twelve. These books are usually 20,000 to 55,000 words in length and deal with children getting involved in adventures or unusual situations. Because of the readers’ ages, these titles typically avoid hot-button issues such as sex, drugs, alcohol, and abuse. Examples include the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
MISERY MEMOIR.
An unofficial term used for memoirs that deal with loss, death, and tragedy. Agents often get stories like these, but few get published because most are written as catharsis for the writer rather than enjoyment for the reader.
MULTICULTURAL FICTION.
Stories and novels in which many or all of the central characters are minorities—African Americans, Hispanic, Jewish, First Peoples, or other. Sometimes called “ethnic fiction,” multicultural fiction usually deals with a protagonist caught between two conflicting ways of life: mainstream American culture and ethnic heritage.
MYSTERY.
A form of narration in which one or more elements remain unknown or unexplained until the end of the story. Subgenres include amateur sleuth, caper, cozy, heist, malice domestic, police procedural, and others.
NARRATIVE NONFICTION.
Nonfiction stories that employ techniques used by novelists, such as character arc, the three-act structure, scenes, dialogue, and more. Examples:
Into the Wild, The Right Stuff, Seabiscuit
. While some agents will want to see a completed manuscript in a submission, most agents will instead request a nonfiction book proposal and sample chapters.
NEW ADULT FICTION.
A newer genre of fiction featuring protagonists aged eighteen to twenty-six who grapple with the first major challenges of adulthood and maturity. This age range for protagonists used to be something of a “no man’s land” for novels—too old for young adult fiction and too young for adult fiction. The category term came about as a means to classify these stories.
PARANORMAL FICTION.
Stories that focus on invented dark elements that present danger in our world. This genre is very close to paranormal romance and urban fantasy. Examples include
Dracula
by Bram Stoker and the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris.
PARANORMAL ROMANCE.
See
urban fantasy
and
paranormal fiction
.
PICTURE BOOK.
A type of book aimed at children aged three to eight that tells the story partially or entirely with artwork. Agents interested in selling to publishers of these books often handle both artists and writers.
POPULAR FICTION.
See
genre fiction
.
REGIONAL FICTION.
A book that’s faithful to a particular geographic region and its people, and features their behavior, customs, speech, and history. Southern fiction is an example of a regional category.
ROMANCE.
Stories that focus on a growing romantic love between two people and conclude with a happy ending. The story is told from the viewpoint of the heroine, and the relationship defines the central arc of the story. Subgenres include regency, historical, single-title, and more.
SCIENCE FICTION.
Literature involving elements of science and technology as a basis for conflict or as the setting for a story. Examples include
Ender’s Game
by Orson Scott Card and
Dune
by Frank Herbert. Subgenres include cyberpunk, space operas, dystopian, and others.
TEXTBOOK.
Books used in school classrooms at the elementary, high school, or college level.
THRILLER.
Stories intended to arouse feelings of excitement, danger, action, and suspense. Works in this genre are highly sensational, usually focusing on illegal activities, international espionage, sex, and violence. Subgenres include techno-thrillers, legal thrillers, medical thrillers, military thrillers, and more.
TWEEN.
A category of books that straddles the line between middle-grade fiction and young adult fiction. Though agents confirm this category’s existence and some publishers specifically look for tween material, many bookstores lack a bookshelf for tween, and that is likely why the category remains small and somewhat under the radar.
UPMARKET FICTION.
This term usually refers to women’s fiction stories that have the ability to attract book club readers and even cross over to men. Examples include
The Help
by Kathryn Stockett and
My Sister’s Keeper
by Jodi Picoult.
URBAN FANTASY.
Stories set on Earth in a normal reality—but involving some kind of supernatural or fantastical element that enters the storyline, such as vampires or magician characters. (Many urban fantasy stories are called “paranormal romance” even though the two are technically different because some urban fantasy stories do not have a romantic element.) An example of this category is the Twilight series.
URBAN FICTION.
Stories that focus on life in the inner city—usually featuring African American characters. Examples include
The Coldest Winter Ever
by Sister Souljah and
Flyy Girl
by Omar Tyree.
WESTERN.
Stories set in the American West that center on classic characters and actions such as cowboys, ranching, gunfights, sprawling land, horses, Native Americans, and more. Though the genre term is usually associated with stories of the “Old West” that take place in the nineteenth century (
Lonesome Dove
), Western fiction can also cross with other genres.
Brokeback Mountain
could be considered a Western romance, the film
Near Dark
is an example of Western horror, and the comic book
Cowboys & Aliens
is Western science fiction.
WOMEN’S FICTION.
Stories that center on a woman’s emotional journey and do not lend themselves to any of the popular genres. Examples include
A Summer All Her Own
by Roseanne Keller and
Beautiful Day
by Elin Hilderbrand. When women’s fiction has breakout potential, as well as the ability to attract male readers, it may be labeled “upmarket fiction.”
YOUNG ADULT FICTION.
The general classification of books written for ages twelve to eighteen. They run 40,000 to 90,000 words and include category novels: adventure, sports, paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, multicultural, mysteries, romance, etc. Young adult books typically feature a protagonist aged sixteen to eighteen and can address mature topics that real teens face.
GENRE INSIGHTS, TIPS, AND DEFINITIONS
ON WRITER MISTAKES IN YOUNG ADULT AND JUVENILE FICTION
“Bad children’s writers don’t think very highly of children—in a picture book, they go for cute instead of clever. In middle-grade fiction, they overexplain or dramatize a character’s emotions so the reader is sure to ‘get it.’ And in young adult, they assume edgy only means sex and drugs, not the tightrope of teenagers’ emotional lives.”
—Quinlan Lee (formerly of Adams Literary)
“I’ve seen a lot of young adult novels lately set in the 1980s or 1990s that don’t need to be; I think it is because this is when the writers remember being teenagers. However, it is important to remember that the 1990s are historical fiction to today’s readers, and if the story can work at all set in the present, it probably should be.”
—Lauren MacLeod (The Strothman Agency)
“For those young adult projects written in first person, watch that your characters aren’t too ‘voice-y’ and don’t go off on stream-of-consciousness tangents that slow the pace. Also, be sure your word count and the ages of your characters are appropriate for the genre (young adult readers read up in age). Avoid one-dimensional storytelling; employ subplots.”
—Elizabeth Kracht (Kimberley Cameron & Associates)
“So many writers think picture books need to
rhyme
. There are some editors who won’t even look at books in rhyme and a lot more who are extremely wary of them, so it limits an agent on where [that type of book] can go and the likelihood of it selling. It’s also particularly hard to execute perfectly. Aside from rhyming, I see way too many picture books about a family pet or bedtime.”
—Kelly Sonnack (Andrea Brown Literary Agency)
“I would say this: Nothing is taboo if it’s done well. Each scene needs to matter in a novel. I’ve read a number of ‘edgy’ young adult books where writers seem to add scenes just for shock value and it doesn’t work with the flow of the rest of the novel. ‘Taboo’ subjects need to have a purpose in the progression of the novel—and of course, need to be well written! If it does, then yes, I would say nothing is taboo. Taboo topics do, however, affect whether the school and library market will pick up the book—and this can have an effect on whether a publisher feels they can sell enough copies.”
—Jessica Regel (Foundry Literary + Media)
“In high fantasy, an entire world is created; it doesn’t take place in what we recognize as the world as we currently know it. It usually has magic or magical creatures of some sort, though there are some exceptions. Urban fantasy takes place in what is recognizably our world and has vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, etc. The stories involve characters that are human, or were once human, but have evolved into something else.”
—Tamar Rydzinski (Laura Dail Literary Agency)
“Urban fantasy vs. paranormal romance is always a fine line. I think urban fantasy lingers a tad longer on the wider plot, and paranormal romance lingers a tad longer on the chemistry between the two main characters.”
—Robin Rue (Writers House)
“There is a lot of overlap in these two genres, but at its core, paranormal romance cannot exist without a romance. Urban fantasy can.”
—Sarah LaPolla (Bradford Literary Agency)
“The way I see it, a pure mystery is where the crime has already happened and the protagonist must solve it. In a thriller, the protagonist is often waiting for the crime to occur or working to prevent it. Mysteries can be more introspective, with a focus on the protagonist’s mental powers of deduction, where thrillers are known for more action and physicality. In mysteries, a key element of the plot is hidden from the reader, such as (most traditionally) who the villain is. In a thriller, you often know who the villain is fairly early on, and the plot is centered around a game of cat and mouse.”
—Cameron McClure (Donald Maass Literary Agency)
“I would say that crime fiction is less about the whodunit than about the protagonist’s dilemma in a criminal milieu. The protagonist may not have all the information—so there is a mystery in that he is trying to find something out—but the story is really about how he solves his problems, which are often as much about his lifestyle as about the particular crime that spurs the plot. For instance, in Ray Banks’s brilliant
Saturday’s Child
, Cal Innes is forced by a local mob boss to find a former employee and the money he stole, but in many ways the story is about Cal trying to find a place for himself and form an adult life within a socioeconomic stratum that offers very few options.”
—Stacia Decker (Donald Maass Literary Agency)
“Good horror isn’t just about scares. It’s about dark emotions: where they come from and how you deal with them. It can be hopeful; we see the protagonist fighting against this hell and it reminds us to be strong. It should be provoking, not that it shocks but that it makes readers think. Horror is more versatile than people sometimes give it credit for.”
—Sara D’Emic (formerly of Talcott Notch Literary Services)
“Travel and adventure narrative nonfiction is the type of book that takes you away to another place. It is often a memoir but also can be a journalistic story of a particular event or even a collection of essays. The key here is that it tells an interesting and engaging story. It is also very important these days that the story is fresh and new—you’d be surprised at how many people have had the exact same experience with the rickshaw in Bangkok that you had. Some successful examples of this genre are Jon Krakauer’s
Into Thin Air
, Elizabeth Gilbert’s
Eat, Pray, Love
, and most things by Paul Theroux and Bill Bryson.”
—Abigail Koons (The Park Literary Group)
“In a nutshell: Early Readers = Frog and Toad and Elephant and Piggie. Chapter books = Judy Moody and Ivy and Bean. Think of the stages of development in this order: picture books lead to early readers, which lead to chapter books, which lead to middle-grade [books], which lead to young adult [books].”
—Jen Rofé (Andrea Brown Literary Agency)
“Early readers are for young kids just beginning to learn to read and are more heavily illustrated. Their language is restricted to basic words and concepts that help kids ages four to six learn to read. An example would be The Berenstain Bears. Chapter books are for intermediate readers ages seven to ten. Chapter books are for kids that are not quite ready for Harry Potter, but
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
isn’t going to hold their attention either. Chapter books have illustrations but are primarily about the prose, and they have a bit more narrative complexity. Early readers can be indistinguishable from picture books and often have color illustrations on every page, whereas chapter books usually (though there are plenty of exceptions) have only black-and-white line illustrations sporadically interspersed. Early readers aren’t usually more than 1,000 words, whereas chapter books are usually over 10,000 words. Both types of books are targeted at the school and library markets, so there are a lot of considerations when it comes to the vocabulary you should use. I would recommend doing a lot of research before attempting to write either sort of book.”
—Evan Gregory (Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency)
“A middle-grade book is generally intended for eight-to-twelve-year-olds, and the protagonist should be in that age range as well. YA is geared toward ages thirteen and up, although sometimes a YA book is classified as younger or older YA. Obviously subject matter must be appropriate for the intended age group, but equally as important is the voice. Too often the voice strikes me as too old or too young for the character’s age. If the protagonist is an eleven-year-old boy, then the reader must feel like an eleven-year-old boy is speaking to them. An authentic voice makes the reader want to accompany that boy on his journey, whatever it may be.”
—Ann Behar (Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency)
“The book crosses the line into erotica when the sexual journey is more important than the romantic journey—and that is not a bad thing, just a different market.”
—Michelle Johnson (Inklings Literary Agency)
“To me, erotic romance is primarily between a couple (or sometimes a threesome) that will have a happily ever after. At its heart, it’s the story of people finding their soulmates and exploring the connection via sex. Straight-up erotica doesn’t have to end in a committed coupling. The focus (to me, and I’m sure others’ [tastes] will vary) is more on the voyage of self-discovery … a character or characters learning what it is that makes him or her happy and comfortable and finding the courage to accept whatever might be revealed.”
—Lucienne Diver (The Knight Agency)
“A contemporary romance’s plot revolves around the love/romantic element, whereas women’s fiction tends to revolve around women’s issues and the growth and empowerment of the female protagonist. Women’s fiction can have romance, but it’s not the driving force of the plot.”
—Kathleen Ortiz (New Leaf Literary and Media)
“Women’s fiction novels are not simply stories with female characters, but stories that tell us the female journey. Women’s fiction is a way for women to learn and grow, and to relate to others what it is to be a woman. When I think of literary fiction, on the other hand, the emphasis is placed more on the telling of a good story instead of making the female journey the centerpiece.”
—Scott Eagan (Greyhaus Literary Agency)
“One of the worst things I see with memoir is when the writer starts from the beginning of their life to where they are now. Memoir should be only [cover an interesting period] of your life. I have been pitched memoirs that could be divided into three books! For memoir writers, choose your strongest or favorite theme and then work from exactly when it started to exactly when it ended. Do not include the before and after. I do not want to be reading a book from when you were two years old up until you are forty-three. It just doesn’t work.”
—Katie Shea Boutillier (Donald Maass Literary Agency)
“It seems like a lot of people miss the fact that the best memoirs explore universal themes. Readers need to be able to identify with what they’re reading at least a little bit. Self-absorption, navel-gazing, axe-grinding, resentment—these things do not belong in memoir.”
—Ryan Fischer-Harbage (The Fischer-Harbage Agency)
“I think everyone has a story to tell, and I understand how important and cathartic it is for people to tell their personal stories. That said, not all personal stories are ready for traditional publishers as developed. Of the memoir submissions that have come across my desk, I usually find they lack story arc or are autobiographies rather than memoir. Memoir is usually focused on a shorter period of time in one’s life and is themed. If you want to pitch memoir, research genre guidelines (including word count) and be sure you have a strong story arc in place. Can you express what themes your memoir is exploring? Is it a memoir of survival or loss? Do we see you change over the course of the memoir?”
—Elizabeth Kracht (Kimberley Cameron & Associates)
“First and foremost, you’ve got to have an interesting story. Everyone thinks that their own life story is interesting, but it rarely is. Second, even though it’s your story, there must be something about your story to which we can all relate. Third, your memoir should have a theme—it shouldn’t just be a series of stories, but it should give readers the lessons you learned along the way. Most important: You shouldn’t be afraid to put it all out there. If you’re not going to be vulnerable and reveal your innermost fears and feelings and challenges honestly, then it won’t resonate with readers. Truly great memoirs can be life changing for those who read them, and that should be your ultimate goal: How can I share my experiences with readers so that they can learn from them without having had to live through them?”
—Jennifer De Chiara (Jennifer De Chiara Literary)
“It drives me crazy that I get so many queer memoirs and coming-of-age novels where the author assumes that it’s enough to just be gay and nothing much else is going on in their stories other than this identity crisis. I don’t mean to trivialize that experience, but at the same time, many coming-out stories don’t make for a riveting read or can sustain the scope of a novel on their own. This only works if you’re writing at the level of someone like David Sedaris or Alison Smith.”
—Cameron McClure (Donald Maass Literary Agency)
“If the protagonist’s sexuality isn’t an issue in the storyline—if the protagonist just happens to be gay—I don’t think that book would be pigeonholed [as LGBTQ fiction]. But if the book is about the protagonist’s gay lifestyle, then it would be categorized as such.”
—Jennifer De Chiara (Jennifer De Chiara Literary)
“Usually when I think of literary horror, I think of writers like H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, and Shirley Jackson. Style-wise, I think what makes literary horror its own genre is the same as what makes literary fiction different from commercial fiction—heightened language, themes, concepts, etc. Only with horror, you get all the dark and gruesome elements, too. Added fun.”
—Sarah LaPolla (Bradford Literary Agency)
“I’m looking for works that cry out to be told in an illustrative medium. It shouldn’t be a book that you decided to draw because you thought it would look cool but a story with elements you felt you could
only
get across
visually
. And though it is visual, you still need all the elements you would have in a novel—a well-told story, narrative arc, character development, etc.—you can just find different ways to express them with your artwork.”