-Emma

Thanks for the answer.

Harrison

Shelley, I love vampires — I was telling the agents here to take on anything with vampires and Elvis years before sparkly bloodsuckers were a gleam in Stephenie Meyer's eye. Sure, the market is pretty crowded right now, but a good vampire yarn will always find a home — given the competition, it just has to be especially fresh and compelling right now.

Gilbert, most agents prefer MSWord documents rather than .pdfs (we find Word docs easier to manipulate especially on our Kindles and Sony readers). So, if you submit electronically, just send the Word document along unless someone specifically requests a .pdf. Unfortunately, there is a bias these days about typewritten mss. so if you can, make sure that even if submitting hard copy, you send something that looks like it was done on a computer.

My question is this: Given the current market, do you feel that Vampires are a trend that is fizzling out? Would you reject a query just because they have a vampire in it?

I have always been a fan of 'Vampire Books' such as Anne Rice. She's been around for years and has seen the trends come and go, but her career remains strong.

Any opinions on the vampire front?

Thanks so much!

I may be too late to the party, but if not, I'd love to ask a question! I have recently had an editor from one of the big houses take a look at some of my pages via a connection through a friend. She really liked what she read and said she wanted to see the manuscript on submission from an agent as soon as I obtained representation. She also gave me a list of names of agents she thought would be a good fit. BUT, since she hadn't read the entire novel, she said she didn't feel comfortable having her name tossed around as I seek representation. So…my question is this: When I query the agents on the list, is it worth saying something like, "An editor at such and such house recently read some of my work and suggested I contact you etc. etc." even if I can't actually name the editor? Or will that just make me look like a hack?
Thank you for the opportunity to ask!

Anonymous, my big bugaboo about historicals is when they're filled with anachronisms or the voice/prose style doesn't suit the period. In terms of subject matter or era, I'm open to anything and everything — from I, CLAUDIUS to THE ALIENIST, if it's well written and well plotted, I'm game. I personally like my historicals to be sprinkled with "real" figures. Whether it's Teddy Roosevelt or Savonarola, these celebrity cameos provide context and glamour.

Emma, that's a good question. We do most things by e-mail these days and are just as likely to send an e-mail saying we'd like to represent something as make a call. Of course, if we're offering representation, that e-mail will be followed by a scheduled chat so that we can answer questions and just get to know the author. So, unlike the fat and skinny college acceptance envelopes, an e-mail from us doesn't necessarily mean rejection.

When an agent requests your (full) manuscript and then responds to it, is an email always a rejection? Does this vary from agent to agent, or is there a general rule that says phone call = offer of representation, while email = the agent is going to pass? Are there exceptions or does it vary depending on whether the author is abroad, etc?

-Emma