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Here are two new literary agents looking for clients. DongWon Song (Howard Morhaim Literary) is seeking science fiction and fantasy – especially epic fantasy or high fantasy. He is also interested in books about food, science, and pop culture. Laura Mamelok (Susanna Lea Associates) is looking for literary fiction, high-end commercial fiction, women’s fiction, literary crime/thrillers, and young adult fiction with crossover appeal. In nonfiction, she is looking for narrative nonfiction, current affairs/journalism, memoir, and humor. Laura Mamelok of Susanna Lea Associates NO LONGER AN AGENT About Laura : Laura Mamelok is a literary agent at Susanna Lea Associates , where she also sells foreign rights. SLA, which has offices in New York, London, and Paris, represents a range of fiction and nonfiction, both commercial and literary. Laura is French-American and has lived in both Paris and New York. She obtained her BA in comparative literature at Barnard College and her MA in comparative l...

The Amazon Wars are back! (You knew they weren't over.) In this most recent skirmish, authors, agents, and booksellers have banded together to call for a Dept of Justice investigation into Amazon's monopolistic tactics. In a recent ruling against Apple , even the judges expressed some doubts as to whether they were looking at the right target. "Would it not matter that all those people got together to defeat a monopolist? It’s like the mice that got together to put a bell on a cat,” U.S. Circuit Judge Dennis Jacobs told the Justice Department’s lawyer, Malcolm Stewart. Apple is hardly a mouse. It has its own antitrust suit to deal with over iTunes. Nevertheless, Jacobs does have a point. When Apple began its efforts to undermine Amazon, Amazon controlled 93% of the ebook market. That figure has since fallen, but because Amazon is secretive about its market share, nobody really knows how much it controls. The truth is that the market rests in the hands of very few companies...

Drifter Memory: In 2007 I was in and out of Albuquerque for a theatre commission. In my last month-long stint I was placed in Motel 6 run by an Indian woman who gave me a book on Buddhism because she said I looked angry. She put me in a room next to a guy who kept his door open and liked to yell at passerby's. The first time I passed by his door the only thing he said to me 'hello' before continuing to cuss out the world. From my side glanced view while carrying my luggage I could tell he was a middle-aged white guy with some assortment of tattoos who may or may not have had some disability with his leg. The next morning I asked the manager what was with that guy in the room next to me and she said 'oh we think he's mentally ill. He drinks all day and threatens people, but he pays the bills so we don't know what to do.' I wondered why she put me right next door to him, but shrugged it off. At night I would hear the tinkle of the bottles in his room and him s...

There are several interesting writing contests this month. Of special note is Library Journal's self-published book award. Library Journal is a prestigious publication, read by librarians all over the country, so if you have self-published in Romance, Mystery, Science Fiction, or Fantasy, do consider entering. In another interesting competition, Brigantine Media is offering an advance of $2000 and a publishing contract for a manuscript of any genre. (Take a look at their contract HERE. ) (And if you win, don't sign it until it has been reviewed by a lawyer. Their out-of-print clause needs modification.) Good luck! ___________________ Page Street Cookbook Contest . Submit your idea for a great cookbook, and you could get published!  Genre : Cookbook.  Prize : Publishing contract.  Deadline : August 1, 2015. Boardman Tasker Prize .  Restrictions : Books published between 1st August 2014 and 31st October 2015 in the UK.  Genre : Books with mountain, not nece...

Summer is in full swing, but soon it will come to an end. This is a good time to slow down, take stock, and prepare for the mad dash of Fall. Fortunately, there are a few good conferences that will allow you to do just that. There are several good conferences this coming month focusing on the craft of writing, which is timely. August is the "dead month" for agents and editors - a time when they catch up on their old queries, and take a break from receiving new ones. (See: When Not to Contact and Agent: What Writers Should Do During the Dead Month .) Whether you decide to retreat with other writers, or simply head out to the garden shed, this is a good month for writers to stop a spell, and ruminate. _______________________ Writing Short Nonfiction: Picture Books and Articles . Aug 2 - 6, 2015, Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Sponsored by Highlights Foundation. Workshop faculty: Debra Hess, Deborah Heiligman, Barbara Kerley. Two one-on-one critique sessions with a member of the facul...

Updated 1/30/22 Here are two literary agents looking for clients. Amanda Annis (Trident Media) is seeking general-interest and upmarket nonfiction, spirituality and wellness, and literary fiction. Peter Knapp of Park & Fine Literary & Media is looking for middle grade and young adult fiction across all genres, and he's also seeking smart, high-concept adult fiction. ALWAYS check the agency website before submitting. Agents may switch agencies or close their lists and submission requirements may change. If these agents do not suit your needs, you can find a comprehensive list of new and established agents seeking clients here:  Agents Seeking Clients . _____________________ Amanda Annis of Trident Media About Amanda : Amanda Annis joined Trident Media Group from Penguin Random House where she worked as an editor. Previously, she had been a bookseller, ghostwriter, assistant, and volunteer, happily taking on many roles within the publishing industry. Her breadth of...

If you had to name the world's largest publisher, without looking at the list below, you'd probably say Penguin/Random House. You would be correct if you were thinking of trade publishing. But Pearson, which publishes educational material, always wins the top slot. Thompson Reuters, a multi-media and information company geared toward business, is again number two. What is interesting about this year's line-up is that two Chinese publishers made it into the top ten. China is a huge market, and it is largely closed. (There aren't many translation services that will translate a book into Chinese, and even then there are roadblocks. If you are thinking about translating your book, my recommendation would be to pick French and Spanish. BabelCube will do it for free.) Without further ado... The World's 57 Largest Book Publishers, 2015 From Publishers Weekly Rank 2015 Rank 2014 Publishing Group or Division Parent Company Parent Country 2014 Revenue in $M 2013 Revenue in $...

This is a letter my fellow citizen-fans. It is time to wake up. The NBA Finals are over and draft is coming on Thursday. While the league has begun planning next season, this is a time for reflection for fans to consider and choose again before the fall rolls around. Let’s use this moment for some socially sober thoughts about where we put our time and money. It’s time to recognize that –no matter our home team’s record- we are all losing as citizens. Both cities that were represented in the NBA Finals are economically devastated communities who have been allowed to pour their civic pride into their privately owned sports team. Their base of support comes from the ‘citizen-fan’ who has more commitment to sports than voting. The irony is that these professional sports teams are now owned by the same capitalist oligarchs responsible for blighting the cities who pour their frustrations into consumer support for privately owned sports teams. Psychologically it’s an Orwellian trick of savag...

Updated 1/28/22 What is a virtual book tour? A  virtual book tour (aka blog tour) consists of lining up a series of bloggers to review your upcoming book (and/or conduct author interviews) during a time frame that corresponds to the release of your title. It is, as the name suggests, the internet version of an old-fashioned, in-the-flesh book tour. Purpose of a virtual book tour The purpose of a blog tour is to generate interest in your book. (This is called buzz.) That interest should pay off in sales, but it won't if you don't capitalize on it with other promotional tools such as giveaways, well-placed author interviews, and, of course, promotion of your blog tour on Twitter, Facebook, and on your own blog and website. Building an audience takes time, energy and planning. A blog tour is just a part of your promotional plan. How effective is a virtual book tour? That depends entirely on where reviews, spotlights, and interviews are posted. Highly trafficked sites will be more ...