Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Literary Agents Currently Seeking Young Adult Writers

2 New Agents Seeking Submissions NOW
Click on any name below to see the full mini-profile on the GLA Blog (with submission instructions). Good luck querying!

1. Anna Worrall of The Gernert Company

She is seeking: smart women's literary and commercial fiction, psychological thrillers, and narrative nonfiction.

2. Tracy Marchini of BookEnds

She is seeking: picture book, middle grade and young adult manuscripts across most genres, including contemporary, mysteries, thrillers, magical realism, historical fiction, and non-fiction. For picture book fiction, she's particularly interested in manuscripts that are laugh out loud funny or deliciously dark. For middle grade and young adult, she's interested in underdogs, strong female characters and/or unreliable narrators. She believes that it's important for readers of all backgrounds to see themselves reflected in the media they consume, and is looking to bring that diversity to her list.
17 Literary Agents Seeking Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy NOW

Sometimes it's difficult to pinpoint which agents are open to submissions at any given time. So with that in mind, I'm creating some new vertical lists of agents seeking queries right now, as of summer 2016. This list is for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. All the agents listed below personally confirmed to me as of August 2016 that they are actively seeking YA Science Fiction and Fantasy (speculative) submissions NOW. Some gave personal notes about their tastes while some did not. Good luck querying!

Notes: 1) This list is specifically for young adult sci-fi and fantasy. (Another list in this newsletter is for adult fantasy.) Unless an agent says otherwise, they are open to both young adult science fiction and fantasy, not just one or the other.

1.  Kaylee Davis (Dee Mura Literary)

Notes: She seeks particularly epic, contemporary, near-future, and diverse. She has a special interest in locked-room mysteries, psychological, multiple POVs, lesser-explored settings, and unusual retellings.

How to Submit: Send queries to query [@] deemuraliterary.com. Put your name and the project title in the subject. Include a synopsis and the first 25 pages of your ms in the body of the email.

2. Renee Nyen (KT Literary)

Notes: "I love non-traditional family structures (thinking specifically LGBTQIA+ here), and I'm always fascinated by deeply religious families. I'd like to find a YA fantasy/sci-fi with a transgender main character."

How to Submit: Please submit a query letter with the first three pages of your manuscript pasted in the email to queries [@] ktliterary.com.When querying Renee, do not query Hannah Fergeson, also on this list.

See all 17 agents listed here.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Hello readers!

Happy September!

I've been so busy. I've fallen behind on my posts.

Today I have an interesting article for you to read. It is from ScriptMag. The article is about forming an antagonist everyone will love and hate at the same time. Click below to read more.

Understanding Antagonists
imageplaceholderJeanne Veillette Bowerman
Online Editor
ScriptMag.com

This week's screenwriting tip is from Kay Loveridge on crawling into the mind of the antagonist.

Don't miss Kathy Berardi's webinar on Thursday,September 8th on The Craft of Writing Great Villains. You do not have to attend the live event to get a recording of the presentation.


Upcoming Screenwriting Webinars: At the live webinar, you may interact with the presenter and also get access to the recorded, on-demand edition for your video library. You do not have to attend the live event to get a recording of the presentation.

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by Kayley Loveridge

I love a good 'bad guy.'

I also love a good 'bad woman.'

If a film or screenplay makes me loath but love, then empathise but hate the antagonist - all in one sitting - then a massive bravo to that screenwriter from yours truly (insert standing ovation here).

The antagonist is arguably the most complex and fascinating (and definitely my personal favourite) character in fiction, and as a story analyst, it always makes me fist pump the sky in my mind when I come across that rare gem in a script. What you'll be pleased to know, is that not every screenwriter with agents or huge credits in Hollywood are completely exempt from writing the odd 'flat' antagonist, so how can you plump him/her up and deliver a full-bodied and exciting character?

The key is in his psychology. Who is the antagonist and why does he do the things he does? As the writer, you are responsible for giving soul and consciousness to your characters, and when you allow for your characters to become three dimensional, sentient beings, they become decision makers for themselves and this is what ultimately drives the plot forward.

"If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

For every action the antagonist takes in opposition to their protagonist, there must be a motivation, a reason behind their choices. These could stem from...

Read more on the mind of the antagonist...