Monday, January 21, 2013

Call For Questions

Beginning soon (how soon? Veeeery soon!) on the blog will be a new interview series.

How new? (veeeeery new!) And different too.

How different? (veeeery... okay, it will be recognizable as an interview, so not that different).

Have you ever been into an interview or remember those get-to-know-you days in Elementary school where you had to pull a random question out of a hat and answer it? "If you were a cereal, what would you be and why?" "If you could only wear one color for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?" "Superman swoops down into your path, what would you say to him?"

I'm talking RANDOM here, people.

 
Nope, more random than that.
 
Keep going...
 
Okay, I'm creeped out.

 I'll give you a hint, my new blog series involves agents.

Yes, agents.

The real kind.

And I want to know what you would ask an agent (no, I'm not giving you names, this is general, or heck, think specific and apply it to all agents). Anything from vanilla pudding random, to Alan Rickman giving me nightmares random.

I'll take all your questions and put them in a Santa hat... no a Joker hat... no a bowl. Yes, a bowl is safe. I will put your questions in a bowl and randomly choose one or two or three or four for the agent and we'll learn some very interesting things about the agent. 

I guess we need plenty of the vanilla pudding questions.

Your task now is: What would you ask an agent?

Happy randoming!

23 comments:

Jaime Morrow said...

I've read that including a prologue in your MS is kind of frowned upon. So my question is this: Do agents consider prologues to be a turn-off? (I'm speaking specifically about YA sci-fi and fantasy stories.)

Josephine Carr said...

As 30 year veteran of mainstream publishing, now bringing out my backlist and new novels under my own banner, and having received a topnotch KIRKUS review, is there any way to secure an agent to handle the film/TV rights?

Anonymous said...

If you were in a band, what would it be called?

Anonymous said...

If you know that your finished MS has a direct and fortuitous tie-in to a major motion picture that's coming out in a year, how to you alert agents to this fact without sounding like a jerk? I know the time frame is too short, but I'd like to try my best to capitalize on such a great opportunity.
thanks!

Laura Hughes, MittensMorgul said...

If you found yourself in Middle Earth and needed to pick somewhere to settle down, which town or city would you head toward first, and why?

Michelle Ristuccia said...

What are your pet peeves, things that might cause you to turn down a manuscript from the get go?

Brian W. Taylor said...

Which character from a book would you consider to be your literary crush?

Boxers, or briefs?

If you had to choose one genre to read for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?

If you could choose one author to write the story of your dreams, who would it be, and what story would they write for you?

This is fun. Thanks, Vickie!

Unknown said...

Baseball players get to each come to the plate with their own special fight song playing. If you were going to bat for your client, what would your song be?

SC Author said...

What is the difference between epic and high fantasy? Meaning, what would a boo set in a totally different world (with magic) be called? (Not including an 'epic' quest.)

SC Author said...

Who is your favorite writer/What is your favorite book?

SC Author said...

Asparagus or broccoli? (I'm having too much fun with this.)

Anonymous said...

If you could only represent one more book in your lifetime, what type of story would you wish for?

Mark Murata said...

On my blog, I post excerpts from my works in progress, maybe a few paragraphs at a time. If these excerpts all added together represent 2% to 3% of the final work, would an agent or an editor have a problem with this? In other words, do short excerpts take away from first publishing rights?

Carrie Patel said...

1. What novel that you've read and loved do you wish you could represent?

2. Have you ever regretted passing on a manuscript?

This looks like a great series!

Robert Polk said...

Which musical instrument(s) do/would you play?

Brian Taylor said...

Which literary character's closet would you most like to raid?

What one character trait makes you roll your eyes and stop reading?

If you were ice-cream, what flavor would you be, and why?

Anonymous said...

I have a second book set in a world I created that I'd like to query. The first in the world is with a reputable small publisher who contract on a one book basis (and don't ask for rights of first refusal for subsequent books, and don't retain rights to the characters). Any suggestions on how/if I could query this story? The first book in the world is due to come out late 2013, and there are overlapping characters.

I ask because there are people who have gone with one publisher and for valid reasons are looking to shop other books set in the same world somewhere else. If the world/characters are the authors free and clear, how would you handle this?

Thanks, I look forward to seeing the new changes and fun stuff you're coming up with!

Unknown said...

You have to pick out a different color balloon for six of your closest friends. Quick, what six colors do you choose?

What is the comfort food you are most embarrassed to confess you eat?

Congratulations! You get to pick the name of the next big 'boy band'! What's it going to be?

french sojourn said...

I love working with voice in a story. Do you think an accent is a problem for a main ( Maine ) character?

Robert Polk said...

Top bunk or bottom bunk?

Kitty_Sutton said...

What I would ask is: I have a quick question about agents. I am already published by a really good small publisher that I don’t want to change. I write Native American historical fiction mysteries based on heavily researched, almost unknown events that have gone unnoticed and have almost been forgotten. My series is Mysteries from the Trail of Tears, the books are Wheezer and the Painted Frog and Wheezer and the Shy Coyote. I am working on a third now. The books can be classified as YA and also adult historical fiction. I give lectures locally on the aftermath of the Trail of Tears as well. My question is, what benefit can an agent give to someone like me? I would like to do more speaking engagements and I would want to explore film opportunities, but is that enough to attract a good agent? Or is there more an agent can do for me that I am not aware of? Thanks Kitty Sutton

Carrie-Anne said...

What do you see as the defining difference between YA historical and adult historical that happens to have younger main characters? Is true historical fiction an oxymoron when combined with the current classification of YA?

Do you see long historical sagas coming back into vogue, or should we stick to indie and e-publishing in the meantime?

Do you see third-person omniscient (done properly, not in an old-fashioned, obnoxious, giving away the ending, God mode) coming back into fashion?

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