Here’s a little about Elana Roth:
Elana is graduate of Barnard College and the Jewish Theological Seminary, and is nearly at her 10 year mark in New York City. She started her career at Nickelodeon Magazine, researching wacky and even gross stories. Most recently, she just finished a 5 year stint as an editor at Parachute Publishing, where she worked on R.L. Stine’s Rotten School and many other series for kids of all ages. She has recently joined Firebrand Literary and if you’re interested in querying her, please follow their guidelines.
And now for the Q&A!!!!
From Wanda- What are some titles or types of YA books that you admire as a reader and would love to deal with as an agent?
Oh, how many can I name? First, Sarah Dessen. The Truth About Forever had me so hooked, I couldn’t put it down. Then, Markus Zusak. The Book Thief affected me really deeply, and I hope I could have caught it in spite of its serious setting. Otherwise, I love Carolyn Mackler’s humor and voice, and Gabrielle Zevin’s clever concepts. I’d love to work with clients with talents like that.
Jenny asks- Hi! Asking on behalf of a VERY frustrated friend on a loop whose agent told her to give up the ghost on her MS after 13 rejections–she said either go to major rewrites or start something else. Of course we all advised her to start something else, but how many rejections do you consider reasonable before giving up on shopping a novel?
I know of an author on another writing online site whose agent stuck it out with her book for over 30 rejections before landing a publisher for her (and the book ultimately was nominated for a Quill Award).
Thanks!
The number of rejections it takes before giving up is a very relative answer. It all depends on the genre and age level. For a children’s book, it’s a much more limited field—especially if you write for a sub-set of that. There just aren’t as many publishers to send things to, so theoretically you can exhaust your options in 15 submissions depending on the book. But for an adult book, you have more choices. I know of books, both at our agency and others, that have been rejected 20 times and the agent is still coming up with another round of 10 people to send it to. But in terms of your friend, it almost sounds like a question of trusting her agent. If she does trust her agent, and the agent really doesn’t have anywhere else to send it…yeah, it’s probably time to move on to the next project.
Lisa wants to know:
What is the secret identity of Miss Snark?
Me! Kidding. I have no idea. Sadly, it doesn’t come with the information packet you receive when you become an agent. I’ve heard rumblings online, but your guess is as good as mine.
Should a writer send the revised story to the agent, after it had been rejected, even if the agent didn’t ask for the re-written article?
Thanks. Meera
No. People try to come up with conditions where this might be okay: there’s a new agent at the agency who hasn’t seen it…it’s so completely different from the last time it was submitted…and on and on. But agents reject books for myriad reasons—everything from the basic concept itself to the writing style to poor execution. Most of the time you don’t get to find out why yours was rejected. But a rejection isn’t an invitation to send the same project again—unless the agent specifically tells you it is. If I think something could be better with more work, I’ll write the author a personal note to say they are welcome to resubmit if they revise. But barring that, I don’t want to be re-queried on projects I haven’t asked for. This is just one of those areas where unless you’ve gotten personal feedback, it’s best to accept the rejection for what it is.
Emily says- Here’s my question: what, in your opinion, is the best way to begin a novel: dialogue, description of setting or character etc, or description of an action?
Also a really subjective answer! The truth is that it doesn’t matter. A good first sentence will both grab a reader and set the tone for the entire book all at once. Personally, I prefer a description or an action rather than dialogue, but I’m not too picky.
Emily has another question if you have time:
Hi again! oops, sorry, I know I’m not supposed to ask another question but maybe if you get a lot of others like the one I just asked, could you ask this one instead? Thanks a lot!
Ms. Roth: What kind of story/ genres are you just dying to find clients in? Alternatively, what do you think is the hardest sell right now?
Not to crib too much from my own post on Verla Kay, but here’s what I am looking for: “For young adult, I’m looking for high-concept hooks that don’t scrimp on strong characters. Self-aware narrators, biting wit, or a dark or quirky sense of humor are always winners, and a believable male voice would be a bonus. When done right, I love stories set in a dystopian future and anything that has a fresh (and funny) take on family set-ups will catch my eye. Coming-of-age stories are also wonderful, but just note that the bar is set very high.
For middle-grade, I gravitate to similar traits as the YA in terms of voice and hook. I’d love to see a new approach to a middle-grade mystery, and I also like boy-oriented humor and adventure. Again, strong voices and multi-layered storytelling are the key.
I’ll also consider chapter books, picture books, YA paranormal, YA urban fantasy and YA mysteries. But I will be quite selective about the fantasy I do take on, and won’t be making it the bulk of my list, so it will have to be something original with believable characters in unique situations that I can fall in love with. Same goes for vampires.
Additionally, I do a select amount of adult books–mainly high-end commercial fiction, with a literary crossover–so if you write for both audiences that’s not a problem for me. And I’m forever on the lookout for good, modern, honest, not-watered-down Jewish fiction (think Shalom Auslander or Nathan Englander). If you can do it for YA, even better.”
As far as what’s hard to sell…short stories are notoriously hard to sell. Also, picture books are incredibly tough right now. The market is oversaturated. Traditional picture books aren’t all that interesting—there are a million out there. The project has to stand out. The same goes for pretty much everything else right now. The more “done” something is, the harder to sell.
Hi,
I submitted a PB to an editor who responded in 2 short weeks and wrote a kind, personal letter stating that he enjoyed the story, but just couldn’t see it in his line. The publishing company he represented assured authors that their books would be evaluated for every line in the publishing house, yet this editor didn’t indicate whether he’d sent the story on to the other editors (and it’s doubtful he did, because there simply wouldn’t have been time for that in two weeks). Should I resubmit to the same company, but a different editor, or just forget that publishing house? Could I use his encouraging letter to help find an agent, or do agents even represent PB authors? Help!
Rita
Like I said above, picture books are rough territory. Since I’m not familiar with the submissions policies of individual houses, and having also worked on the editorial side myself, I would give the editor the benefit of the doubt that he was thinking about your project for the company. We’re pretty good about sharing things that we think someone else would love. It’s tough for individual authors to submit directly to editors since you’re a step removed. I would suggest trying to find an agent for your book, since they’ll have a better handle on getting it to the person they know is looking for it. But just be aware of what the picture book market looks like right now both for agents and for editors.
Sue wants to know – Your agency lists that they accept picture book submissions, specifically sent to Ted Malawer. What picture books has he sold? That would give us a better idea both what your agency is looking for and what they’ve already got. Do you rep picture books?
We’re on a picture book roll. Yes, Ted and I do represent picture books. As far as Ted’s deals, you’re welcome to check them out for yourself on Publishers Marketplace to see what he’s sold. Just know that we are both being very selective about them, since they are really hard to sell and if they do, they don’t sell for very much. Personally, I’m only taking on picture books that I feel really stand out, and that almost certainly means I’m only considering books that already come illustrated.
Megin asks- Before submitting to an agent, it helps to know what books they love. Can you give us the names of 5 writers you would love to represent?
This is a really similar question to the first one, so let me just give you a list of books I loved (you’ll see this list on Firebrand’s site soon). Some are recent reads, some are long-standing favorites. You may recognize some of these from earlier in the Q&A. Sorry it’s longer than 5:
Kids and YA:
Holes (Louis Sachar)
The Phantom Tollbooth (Norton Juster)
The Missing Piece (Shel Silverstein)
The Truth About Forever (Sarah Dessen)
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (Gabrielle Zevin)
The Saints of Augustine (P.E. Ryan)
The Earth, My Butt and other Big, Round Things (Carolyn Mackler)
Grown-ups:
Beware of God (Shalom Auslander)
A Long Way Down (Nick Hornby)
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (Michael Chabon)
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Mark Haddon)
Then We Came to the End (Joshua Ferris)
The World Without Us (Alan Weisman)
The Brief History of the Dead (Kevin Brockmeier)
The Time Traveler’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
Hi, Ms. Roth,
I’m trying to decide between pursuing an agency that specializes in the juvenile market or going for an agent with broader interests. I’m wondering what the advantages are for a children’s or YA writer at Firebrand when there are agencies out there who specialize in the juvenile market?
Thanks. Michael
Some agencies specialize in one market. Some agencies have an agent for every market. There’s no real advantage to being with an agency that has a specialization as long as YOUR agent handles your market. Whether to go with someone specialized or with broader interests should fit with your career goals. If you only want to write for one market, then you’re set. If you want to go beyond that market, you might want someone who supports that. In fact, this is one of the questions you should ask when talking to an agent before signing with them. You should tell them what else you want to write, and make sure it’s a good match overall.
Firebrand happens to be an agency that specializes in the juvenile market. My entire background is in children’s publishing, and both Nadia and Ted have excellent track records on this side of things. But that doesn’t mean it’s all we do. We happen to have broader interests, extending well into the adult market. So, Firebrand can certainly give a children’s and YA writer all the advantages they’d need, since we really understand the market and know the players. But we’re not limited to that.
From Jenna – Do you edit the work of your clients before sending it out? Please describe your views on this process.
Yes! I believe in working with clients to make that book as strong as it can be. It’s the editor in me, what can I say. The stronger a book is going out, the happier everyone will be down the road. The revision process also a really important part in my relationship with a client. I hope my client will trust me to guide them well both editorially and business-wise. I’m there to shed light on things you might not see because you’re too close to it. And at the end of the day, we both want publishers to see the best possible product.
Anonymous asks:
If a writer left their agent and is looking for a new one, at what point should they mention this? The query letter, or when you request a partial or full? How much do you want to know about their past situation?
And if you have time for another question, would you represent a manuscript a writer has already submitted to publishers if it weren’t too many?
I want to know right away. It’s helpful to know that someone found your writing strong enough to sign you the first time around. But also I want to know what caused the break-up. It’s important to learn from mistakes and I would hope that you’d be careful to correct that with a second agent. Honesty is incredibly important between authors and agents.
And as far as representing a book that’s already been submitted, it depends on how widely and what the responses were. I’d need to have that list in order to make a decision. But, I’d probably want to send out a different project first, and take some time to evaluate the already-subbed book to see if it’s worth salvaging.
Joëlle asks – I already have an agent, but I think this is one that comes up a lot and agents often seem to have different opinions on it. Since no one asked it, I will. If a writer submits to publishers and an offer is made on a manuscript, can the writer call you and see if you’re interested in repping them? What happens in this situation?
This happens. And I’d be happy to entertain a query like that. Knowing the book has an offer already is enticing, but I’d only take it on if I love it. The author should do a targeted search for an agent who reps their kind of book, and then write a well-crafted email explaining the situation and also giving the pitch of the book. An agent can then step in and negotiate the deal for the author.
Darcy wrote to ask: At the local fall conference I heard agents were looking for stories with “changlings,” “were-animals of anykind;” I’m working hard on one of those now. Am I a day late and a dollar short?
This is a good opportunity to give an important piece of advice: just write a good book. Trends are always shifting, but a good book will get noticed. So write the book first, and make it the best you can. Worry about the marketing later.
Paula wrote- Question for your agent interview:
Please give your best advice for a writer with a series idea. Query the first book or the whole series? How is a series query different from a manuscript query? Any other words of wisdom?
Different agents have different takes on this. As someone who’s worked on series and loves them, I would be open to a series query. But it’s important for me to see that the concept is solid enough to warrant a series in the first place. I get a lot of queries for trilogies, especially for fantasy. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if a writer actually has a story that needs telling over several books, or if they just can’t edit themselves. I think it’s best to pitch with one book, and only mention that it could be a series. Series work best when you get a great set of characters in a special setting and you can’t wait to see them again in Book 2. But Book 1 has to be amazing since that’s what I’ll be requesting first—not the whole series.
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