Literary agent profile: James Schiavone

This week, The View From Here is pleased to profile James Schiavone of the Schiavone Literary Agency, Inc. James tells us about his agency and what sets him apart from others in his field. Welcome, James.

As an agent I have an out-of-the-ordinary background. Most agents come from a background within the publishing industry. I segued from academia into agenting. After taking an early retirement incentive from the City University of New York (the nation's third largest) and having been designated Professor Emeritus of Developmental Skills, I opened my agency in 1996. It was a natural change to make considering the relationships between academia and publishing. It presented me with a welcome challenge and proved to be a successful move. Many agents never sell a book that hits the New York Times best seller list, but I did after only a few years in the industry. Richard Pelzer's compelling memoir A Brother's Journey was sold to Warner books (now Grand Central) for six figures. Within two weeks it hit the Times list and was number one on the London Times best seller list.


Another successful book was from Michael G. Santos (a Federal inmate) titled Inside: Life Behind Bars in America (St. Martin's Press). The book has become required reading in many criminal justice programs in universities throughout the country.

The agency is well positioned into the 21st Century. The corporation has become a family run organization as both my daughter and grand nephew (with locations in NY City) work with me in offering representation. Though I am a retired professor, the younger agents will carry the business forward. We are all fully active in seeking representation from America's finest authors.
We are focused on high quality projects rather than quantity. Although we receive many thousands of queries annually, we only select a few to represent. Editors know that work submitted from us has fulfilled extraordinary criteria in our highly selective process.

We anticipate enormous success with a forthcoming debut novel by South African author Gareth Crocker. Finding Jack (St Martin's Press) releases in February, 2011, and is a heart-warming story of a noble dog, a blond Labrador, who has served well in Vietnam having saved lives, only to be declared "excess military equipment" to be left behind. Jack's handler is devastated and this forms the premise of an unforgettable story.


Published authors are always welcome to make submissions. Also, we are constantly on the lookout for rare projects (both fiction and nonfiction) from new exceptionally talented authors The fastest and most efficient method of submission to our agency is a one page query letter via email (no attachments - we do not open them). Authors should note that we do not consider previously published work in any format.

We specialize in celebrity memoirs and are open to a wide range of fiction and nonfiction. We maintain a Web page at Publishers Market Place and keep it up to date regarding submission requirements. We also have a Blog related to our agency activities.

To learn more about this agency visit:
www.publishersmarketplace.com


Or check out the blog:
www.schiavoneliteraryagencyinc.blogspot

Literary agent profile: Gaby Naher

This week, The View From Here is delighted to profile Australian literary agent Gaby Naher.  Gaby tells us something about her background in publishing and about The Naher Agency.  While this profile focuses primarily on her role as an agent, Gaby is also a highly respected author and The View From Here lists her publications at the end of the article.  Welcome, Gaby.

I founded The Naher Agency a little more than two years ago, but nonetheless represent ‘godfather of Australian crime (fiction)’, Peter Corris, who has published more than fifty books. I represent established novelists such as Linda Jaivin, Gillian Mears, Mandy Sayer and Dominic Smith, as well as newcomers like Clint Caward and Tess Evans. Bettina Arndt, one of Australia’s most highly regarded sex therapists, keeps me busy closing deals on her behalf across the globe.

After doing a BA in Communications here in Sydney and dreaming of becoming a writer, I moved to London, determined to get a job in publishing. My first publishing job – back in 1989 – was in the Chatto & Windus publicity department. In those days the formidable Australian, Carmen Callill, was at the helm and the company was publishing the likes of Angela Carter and Toni Morrison. From Chatto I moved across Bedford Square to Hodder & Stoughton and the role of publicist for the Dalai Lama’s autobiography, Freedom In Exile; not long before the book had been published the Dalai Lama been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the British media was hungry for access to him. From Hodder & Stoughton I moved to the very different world of the independent Serpent’s Tail that celebrated its fifth birthday during my stay.

In 1993, I did my first stint in a literary agency, working in-house reading manuscripts for Jill Hickson here in Sydney. Although I knew I was off to New York to work for Serpent’s Tail there, I’d had a taste of what I found to be a very interesting fruit. Somewhere along the way I worked for Waterstone’s in Hampstead. When I next washed up in Sydney there was a job for me with Hickson Associates in which I could use the editorial skills I’d acquired in my own writing, in conjunction with my publicity skills. The agency represented luminaries such as Thea Astley, Rob Drewe, Richard Flanagan and Alex Miller, as well as a number of the authors who I am now proud to represent today.

In addition to my work in the publishing industry, I always made time to write. In the mid-nineties my first novel was published in Australia, Britain and Germany and this was followed some five years later by a second. When Hickson Associates was bought by Curtis Brown Australia, I decided to step out of the publishing industry and ‘just write’. While this gave me time to immerse myself in bigger non-fiction projects that involved research and travel, I nonetheless hankered to once again be an insider in the industry that I found endlessly engaging.

I would never have dreamed of selling my own books direct to publishers, even though I had the necessary skills. Writers need agents because they cannot, themselves, claim that their new novel is monumental, for instance, and that it deserves more than a token advance. What’s more, writers need to know that they have a ready, willing and keen reader who has a vested interest in their work. As I write I am watching the offers come in for a novel by a prize-winning author; it’s nerve-wracking enough for an agent to live through this, but for a writer to be at the coal-face would be intolerable.

The Naher Agency offers editorial input to its clients, passion, international experience and the perspective of a director who has worked in many different roles in the industry, including as an author. I know what it’s like to sit alone in a room with a novel for years, and then send it out into the world with infinite hope. I also genuinely enjoy all aspects of the business: the reading and editing; the pitching; the wheeling and dealing; and even negotiating the finer points of the contract. I’ve made a commitment to myself to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair in person each year so my agency, and therefore my clients, will have consistent international exposure.

My books remain open, although naturally my capacity to take on new clients – both published and unpublished authors – has diminished as my list has grown. I aim to keep my door open well into the future; I thrive on the discovery of the new every bit as much as I enjoy working with my well-published clients.

Exciting moments for me since opening this business most definitely include welcoming former clients into my own agency after my nine-year absence. I read a draft of Mandy Sayer’s Love in the Years of Lunacy some five years ago as a friend, and then had the satisfaction of selling that novel last year here in Australia, and to German publisher Limes Verlag in a pre-emptive bid. Today I’m negotiating a deal for Gillian Mears’ Foal’s Bread, which I’ve been waiting to read since 1999!

Literary fiction is my great passion and I am always on the lookout for the elusive ‘cross-over’ novel. That is the literary novel that has the capacity to travel far and wide, to appeal to mainstream readers every bit as much as the readers of Proust. I want to be moved by a novel, to be shocked by it, and to be given the chance to repeatedly see the world through the eyes of others. I am also partial to narrative non-fiction.

Contact details:

The Naher Agency

Books by Gaby Naher:

Professional Writers of Prescott

This week, The View From Here travelled to Arizona, where we met up with the Professional Writers of Prescott. To learn about this group, we spoke with Leslie Hoy, who has been a member for approximately ten years and is currently the group's PR Chair.


When and how did the Professional Writers of Prescott begin and how has it evolved?

PWP was started around 1990 by a small group of Prescott, Arizona writers. The founding members were published writers, mostly in the romance genre, and wanted to support each other in this small town in rural Arizona. Over the last 20 years Prescott has grown to a population of about 40,000 people and PWP now has over 100 members. Our members range in age from 16 to over 90 years old. We write in every genre imaginable. Some of us have traditionally published books and/or have published in journals and magazines. Many members have self-published books. Some members have just gotten started as writers and others have written for many, many years.

What are the aims of the group?

To learn and to teach the craft of writing. To network with other writers. To share our experiences. To enjoy the company of other people who are passionate about writing.

What sort of experience is a monthly meeting?

We meet in a meeting room at our public library. Most of our meetings begin with a discussion at 6 p.m. We have a different topic each month. We arrange our chairs in a big circle. The size of the group can vary from 15 to 30 people. At 7 p.m. we break for a short business meeting and we arrange the chairs in rows facing the speaker. The size of the group grows from around 30 to 50 people, depending on the topic. We publicize our meetings and invite the public, so sometimes we do get a lot of visitors who aren't necessarily writers. Our speakers might be local writers or they can come from other parts of Arizona, or once in a while, from our neighbor California. The speaker usually talks for about 45 minutes and then answers questions from the audience. If the speaker is an author with a book to sell, we allow time for signing and selling books. Sometimes, we have a two-hour workshop from 6 - 8 p.m. and once or twice a year we have "member readings," when our members read from their work. In December, we have a holiday party when members can bring their spouses or partners.

We try to create a welcoming atmosphere at our meetings. We have a "greeting" table at the entrance to the room where we can greet each person who attends and explain our group to new people. We have a "free stuff" table where members bring books and magazines they no longer want. If people at the meeting don't take the free stuff, we donate it to the Friends of the Library, who sell it to raise money for the library. We also have a place for members to display their own books, so they can purchase them from each other.

What are the benefits for writers of joining the Professional Writers of Prescott or similar groups elsewhere?

1. Camaraderie and friendship
2. A place to get answers to questions about all aspects of writing and publishing
3. Monthly speakers on topics of interest to writers
4. A monthly newsletter by email or mail
5. A GoogleGroup where members can exchange info and ask questions
6. A member news listserv where we share members' successes
7. Small critique groups apart from our monthly meetings
8. A Web site with links to members' own pages

How does someone go about becoming a member?

People can print an application from our Web site, pick one up at our meetings, or pick one up at the library. Dues are $15 per year with the newsletter by email, or $20 with a hardcopy newsletter by mail.

What do you see as some of the key successes of the group?

Our growth in membership and our longevity as a group show that we are filling a purpose in our community. I think the diversity of our membership in age and interests is one of our major successes. Our members feel that their writing is valued and they have a place to share their own successes.

Could you say anything about the development and value of the website to the group?

A former member started our Web site several years ago. We have been incredibly lucky that a current member is now our awesome Webmaster. We pay her a small stipend, but she puts in far more hours than we pay her for. I'm not really sure how many of our current members use our Web site. I think its greatest importance has been in attracting new members. New members keep our group vital and help fill leadership roles.

What advice would you offer to someone wanting to set up a similar group elsewhere?

Find two or three people to meet. Notify local bookstores and libraries that you are meeting and give them a simple flyer to post. Send notices of your meetings to any local media that will include them on event calendars. To attract other writers that you don't know, it's important to meet in a public place, such as a library or bookstore. When the group grows to eight or ten people, you can start inviting speakers, if you'd like to. I'd be happy to correspond with anyone trying to start a group. You can contact me at pr@prescottwriters.com.

To learn more about this group: http://www.prescottwriters.com/

Press release: Melbourne Writers Festival 2010

Featuring in excess of 300 international and Australian authors, the Melbourne Writers Festival 2010 will be taking place from 27th August to 5th September at Federation Square, Melbourne.
 

With over 300 events, including author readings, panel discussions with authors, film screenings, a craft fair, master-classes, literary food events, kids’ activities ... international, national and local writers come together to share ideas and their passion for the written word.  This year, the 10 day festival will host acclaimed and popular authors, social and cultural commentators, philosophers, crime writers, poets, screenwriters and historians.

Eight Writers: Eight Ways To Be Human is the theme of the key note address which will officially open the fetival at the Melbourne Town Hall and will feature Barry Dickins, Norman Doidge, Jostein Gaarder, Fiona McGregor, Cate Kennedy, Alex Miller, Nadifa Mohamed and Brenda Walker.

For the emerging writer there's a program of seminars which covers the whole gamut from blogging to writing a nail-biting crime novel to starting your own publishing outfit.

The Atrium at Federation Square will be the festival hub – a great place for people to sit, chat, eat, drink and relax between sessions. The festival bookshop and box-office will also be located in the festival hub.

For more details, including the full program:  www.mwf.com.au/2010

Melbourne (Australia) was named the second UNESCO City of Literature in 2008.

 

The Luke Bitmead Bursary for New Writers 2010 and A Tale of Two Halves competition

The Luke Bitmead Bursary for New Writers is open to applications until 31st August, 2010.

As noted on the Legend Press website: "The award was set up shortly after Luke’s death in 2006 by his family to support and encourage the work of fledgling novel writers, with the top prize being a publishing contract with Legend Press, as well as a cheque for £2500."

* Submissions from writers will be accepted between 13th May 2010 and 31st August 2010, with the winner being announced in the week of 27th October 2010.
* Only adult fiction is eligble for this bursary, no children's books or non-fiction.
* The judging panel will consist of Luke’s mother and sister, Legend Press and best-selling authors Zoe Jenny and Sam Mills. 
* Entrants must be age 16 or over. There is no upper age restriction for entry but all submissions must be from first-time, non-published authors – particularly those who are talented but whose personal or financial circumstances are making it especially hard for them to focus on writing as a career. 
* Novels must be already completed before entry. Unfinished manuscripts will not be accepted. Please submit 3-4 sample chapters initially by email to bitmeadbursary@legendpress.co.uk  along with a personal statement outlining why you would particularly benefit from the bursary. This will form a key part of the judging process.

Previous recipients of the Luke Bitmead Bursary include:
Andrew Blackman (2008) with On the Holloway Road;
Ruth Dugdall (2009) with The Woman Before Me.

Luke Bitmead is the author of White Summer and co-author (with Catherine Richards) of Heading South.

Further details:
For all enquiries and to send submissions please email bitmeadbursary@legendpress.co.uk
You can find out more about Luke and the Memorial Fund at www.lukebitmead.com

A Tale of Two Halves competition

In other news from Legend Press, the deadline for the A Tale of Two Halves competition, in which writers complete the second half of a novel begun by PaperBooks' author Gary Davison (Fat Tuesday, Streakers) has been extended until 24th December, 2010.  Further details: here.