michelle brower agent interview

Jack Reacher is a great example. report a missed issue; contact us. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Kaya Oakes I find books in different ways, by different avenues.". I think that's a great choice for many of them. It's actually the author who is the brand. Michelle Brower has spent over fifteen years as an agent, first at Wendy Sherman Associates and most recently as a partner at Aevitas Creative Management. Michelle: It's critical for an author to create a relationship with their readers by having more than one piece of material. 2007-2023 QueryTracker. Humor, Music, and Pop Culture. In this Part III of the series from my interview with literary agents Jeff Kleinman and Michelle Brower of Folio Literary Management; they continue to shed light on the industry by discussing what compels them to sign an author and how willing they are to edit. The novel is author Erika Swyler's second, following her much-lauded 2015 debut, The Book of Speculation. It depends on how strong a character is. Alex Brunkhorst Arts and Culture. Danya works as a literary agent for one reason: she loves books. Founder and Creative Director of PathBinder Publishing and Land and Seascape Photographer, "If a book has 250 reviews with 4 and 5 stars, and 70,000 in sales, this author has a lot of promise." It worked in terms of pacing and plot, and it had a really interesting concept. Fiction/Mainstream K. Cox Food and Cookbooks. Michelle: We are not here to be mean to them. Your submission has been received! Im less interested in historical fiction, short story collections, YA, and memoir, but will of course consider these genres for particularly compelling and dynamic work. Simply enter your first name and email address in the form to the right and get instant access. So rock me with your crime fiction and suspense, your genre bending reads, and your love stories. In our weekly series of craft essays, some of the best and brightest minds in contemporary literature explore their craft in compact form, articulating their thoughts about creative obsessions and curiosities in a working notebook of lessons about the art of writing. Author: Elia Anie. Karissa Chen Andrew Roe Believe me, we notice. She co-founded Trellis Literary Management in 2021 in order to better serve and support her authors and create an agency with a lasting positive impact in the world of publishing. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Hazel Gaynor May 2, 2008. Michelle: I have two . Also on my #mswl, I want some really good commercial fiction. Reviews are important because they affect visibility in the Amazon system. "I just gave her my feedback about things I thought were interesting, working or not working. Her authors have received recognition from MacDowell, the Whiting Awards, the Rona Jaffe Foundation, the Steinbeck Fellow Program, the Sewanee Writers Conference as well as from many other organizations. That's when it works. When not wrangling words, she spends time with her family, mostly trying to pry the cat's head out of the dog's mouth, and helps lead The Clothing Connection, a small Salem-based nonprofit dedicated to getting clothes to kids who need them. Wake up to the day's most important news. The 34th installment in this series is with agent Michelle Brower (Folio Literary) and her author, Michele Young-Stone, for the . News and updates to get a top literary agent, publisher, and book deal. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Michelles favorite non-client authors (if your work is similar, feel free to get in touch! She co-founded Trellis Literary Management in 2021 in order to better serve and support her authors and create an agency with a lasting positive impact in the world of publishing. I am fortunate to be working with Michelle Brower, formerly of Folio Literary Management but now at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth. The one thing that made me sign her was that the quality of her novel really drew me in. The original title was Little Twitch. Q: How important is it for an author to have more than one book? Poets & Writers Live is an initiative developed in response to interviews and discussions with writers from all over the country. This literary agent profile is part of a series from ourLiterary Agents Listof the most searched literary agents online. What inspired you to write it? Rickey Fayne If Brower likes something, she tells the author, and asks if they have a book in the works. Always verify agent's information before sending your query, and review the agent's website(s) for more up-to-date information. Tara Conklin Michelle: It definitely depends on genre because an author would need more romance sales to actually impress an editor in that market; whereas in women's fiction, historical fiction, or literary fiction, an author doesn't need quite as many sales. Michelle Brower Literary Agent is honored to work with authors who have received a variety of accolades, including: National Book Award finalists, NY Times Bestsellers, and Read with Jenna, Target, and Barnes and Noble book club selections. She reads science-fiction crossovers. The House Girl by Tara Conklin (William Morrow), Perfect Birds by Michele Young-Stone (Simon & Schuster), The Crows of Kusaka Town by JP Romney (Farrar, Straus Childrens), Helen of Sparta by Amalia Carosella (Amazon Publishing), Trails of the Earth by Mary Mann Hamilton (Little, Brown), The Homing Pigeons by Alex Brunkhorst (Mira), The Atomic Weight of Love by Elizabeth Church (Algonquin), The Home Place by Carrie LaSeur (William Morrow), Things Half In Shadow by Alan Finn (Gallery), The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor (William Morrow), Bourbon Empire: Whiskey and the Story of America by Reid Mitenbuler (Viking). Michelle Brower, Aevitas Creative Management New York, USA . Julia Wertz Q&A With Literary Agents Jeff Kleinman and Michelle Brower (Part II of III). Scroll below to learn more and see how you can submit your book to Michelle Brower for representation. Peruse paid listings of writing contests, conferences, workshops, editing services, calls for submissions, and more. Q: How many book sales does it take to impress an agent? Childrens/Chapter Book J. Agee Now available: The Poets & Writers Guide to Publicity and Promotion, The Poets & Writers Guide to the Book Deal, The Poets & Writers Guide to Literary Agents, The Poets & Writers Guide to MFA Programs, and The Poets & Writers Guide to Writing Contests. When we asked what Poets & Writers could do to support their writing practice, time and again writers expressed a desire for a more tangible connection to other writers. "One of my intern tasks is keeping an eye out for writers who seem promising," Brower told Spine. I love these anyway and since life is a locked room at the moment, I'd like the opportunity to think about murder. Dominica Phetteplace View the profiles of people named Michelle Brower. Aline Ohanesian DO NOT QUERY THIS AGENT AT THIS TIME: Michelle is not currently accepting unsolicited submissions. Themes of parents/children and the passage of time more than usual, I think, given changes in my personal life. Ill be in touch with information about my new book, event appearances, and more. Having Mark on your side is incredibly valuable." If you need to flag this entry as abusive. Michelle Brower has spent over fifteen years as an agent, first at Wendy Sherman Associates and most recently as a partner at Aevitas Creative Management. We're not out to say no to authors, we actually want to say yes. I'm hungry for a book where I gnaw on the sentences and wander around the house sniffling with emotions for a few hours afterward. Please use the submission form via theagencys website. If the intern likes something, they tell Brower. Business and Politics. Beginning to End is a new series from Spine following a book idea from acquisition to bookshelf. I think both of those scenarios can work. Every week a new publishing professional shares advice, anecdotes, insights, and new ways of thinking about writing and the business of books. A reader can know Jack Reacher, but they might not know Lee Child is the author. Home Literary Agents List Most Searched Book Agents Michelle Brower Literary Agent Book Agents List. Join Facebook to connect with Michelle Brower and others you may know. Co-founder of Trellis Literary Management. David Heska Wanbli Weiden Jacquira Diaz As a reader, Im naturally attracted to literary fiction with particularly propulsive storylines. Our agents and staff share a vision for new growth in literature. . Feb 2 SLL is hiring! This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. The sixth installment in this series is with agent Michelle Brower ( Folio Literary Management, formerly of Wendy Sherman Associates) and her author Scott Browne, for his novel, Breathers. Jeff: Michelle is right because readers who like an author's Book X would also be interested in Book Y. I had an author who wrote three books, and the first two were stand-alone. Having connections is better than a platform because, honestly, when one of my authors recommends a friend who's in their writing group, I pay attention, even if they're not always for me. If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. Her novel is literary women's fiction, and we are in the process of selling it now. View the complete profile for Michelle Brower Literary Agentand every other book agent in ourDirectory of Literary Agents. ): Maggie Shipstead, Lily King, Louise Erdrich, Deesha Philyaw, Kiley Reid, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Kazuo Ishiguro, Yaa Gyasi, Celeste Ng, Jennifer Egan, Shirley Jackson, Ann Patchett, Sarah Waters. Id like to see more underrepresented writers published in all of these spaces, particularly in the crime sector. Catherine Nichols If you're an Indie author looking for an agent, take note! Part of HuffPost News. . In our next Beginning to End we'll talk with Swyler and Beresford about the editing process. View the complete profile for Michelle Brower Literary Agentand every other book agent in our, Author Success Story: Nonfiction/Narrative Nonfiction, Literary Agents List Most Searched Book Agents, [Click here to see all Mark Malatesta reviews]. Fiction/Mystery B. Harper Trying to get your work published can feel like wandering in a maze. Big ideas wanted! Christopher Buehlman Bring the literary world to your doorat half the newsstand price. I was able to speak with literary agents from top agencies such as Janklow & Nesbit, Trident Media, Anderson Lit, and Folio. So, although we are willing to work with people, we want to work with people who are ready to be worked with. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Founder and Creative Director of PathBinder Publishing and Land and Seascape Photographer. And just like that, it's 2020! All Rights Reserved. Sign up to get The Time Is Now, as well as a weekly book recommendation for guidance and inspiration, delivered to your inbox. Michelle Brower will be closed to queries until May 8th, 2023. Often she'll reach out to a writer and they're not ready with a manuscript. Soon, Swyler signed on with Brower, and the book sold. New York, NY 10010. Michele Young-Stone I would want to hear from them when they are ready to show something.". Michelle Brower has spent over fifteen years as an agent, first at Wendy Sherman Associates and most recently as a partner at Aevitas Creative Management. Kirstin Chen Q:If you had one message for Indie authors, what would it be? It's important for self-publishers to work at increasing reviews and hopefully having them snowball into more reviews and sales. We just don't know how to find that specific audience. Grounded, character driven, exquisitely written. The stigma of bringing your undead son home to . It's interesting. She reads commercial fiction in its many iterations, from mysteries to histories to horror. Michelle Brower Literary Agent began her agenting career at Wendy Sherman Associates, and was with the agency for 15 years, after graduating from New York University with a MA in American and British Literature. Copyright Poets & Writers 2023. Facebook gives people the power. Nonfiction/Business D. Hamme Michael Poore [Click here to see all Mark Malatesta reviews], Fiction/General J. Jago Anissa Gray Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. Jeff: I have been known to sit down with an author, develop the concept with characters and an outline, and then they send me three chapters at a time. Jessica George Mansion Street Literary Management. Ads in Poets & Writers Magazine and on pw.org are the best ways to reach a readership of serious poets and literary prose writers. I want it rich and dark and deep, definitely not a cozy, but maybe a cozy dressed up for a really special occasion. Whether you are an author on book tour or the curator of a reading series, the Literary Events Calendar can help you find your audience. April Wolfe In this Part III of the series from my interview with literary agents Jeff Kleinman and Michelle Brower of Folio Literary Management; they continue to shed light on the industry by discussing what compels them to sign an author and how willing they are to edit. She did: The Book of Speculation. Nonfiction/Diversity S. Peer Alternatively, if a book has 200 reviews and only 10,000 sales, it's going to be so much more challenging to present them and say, "You should invest money in this author.". Those could have halo effects. A good place to start is Writers Beware, a watch group that helps inform and protect authors from shady practices. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to this website. #mswl and as always, underrepresented voices. Here's my #mswl for the year: obv, your transcendent literary works. Jeff KleinmanPhoto Credit: Folio Literary Management. Narrative Nonfiction D. Cohen This week we are presenting the insights of our agents on querying and the publishing business in general. Cari Scribner . Editors Note: The title of this novel has been renamed Light from Other Stars since the original publication of this article. Available in print and digital editions, Poets & Writers Magazine is a must-have for writers who are serious about their craft. Memoir. So, I had to really, really fight for her to choose me. Michelle Brower has spent over fifteen years as an agent, first at Wendy Sherman Associates and most recently as a partner at Aevitas Creative Management. Childrens/YA L. Moe. She reached out to Swyler. SUBRIGHTS MANAGEMENT. What are the qualities of a new voice? Unlikely friendships, unexpected kindnesses, tragedy that turns into hope. . Find a home for your poems, stories, essays, and reviews by researching the publications vetted by our editorial staff. Nonfiction/Self-Help A. Goddard Prior to joining Aevitas as a partner, she was the Senior Vice President at Folio Literary Management. More author comments available to members. Im interested in true crime that feels attuned to todays cultural conversations, as well as upmarket literary fiction you can read in one gulp. This agent is seeking the following genres: Fantasy, Magical Realism, Young Adult, Literary, Patrick (Admin), Profile Update: Closed to queries. 1. In all of these areas, she is looking to support underrepresented voices. Get answers to this, and many more agent questions at QueryTracker. Our series of subject-based handbooks (PDF format; $4.99 each) provide information and advice from authors, literary agents, editors, and publishers. Michelle Brower Photo Credit: Folio Literary Management. Also included is information about more than fifty MA and PhD programs. #mswl Books about class- crossing class divisions, ambition, glitter with an equal amount of depth, Edith Wharton-esque. Erika Sanchez Michelle is honored to work with books that have received a variety of accolades, including NY Times Bestsellers, National Book Award finalists, and Read with Jenna, Target, and Barnes and Noble book club selections. For our first "season," we're honing in on Light from Other Stars, about a young astronaut hopeful and an invention that alters time. She's the founder of the Salem Longform Writers' Group, and serves on the Salem Literary Festival committee. Michelle Brower Literary Agent is a book agent with Trellis Literary Management with offices in New York City. Erin Crosby-Eckstine But, about halfway through it disintegrated. Read select articles from the award-winning magazine and consult the most comprehensive listing of literary grants and awards, deadlines, and prizewinners available in print. Part of HuffPost News. Brower emphasized that all interactions are not so fluid. Elise Hooper The other example, which is a very different way of going about landing an agent, occurred while I was working with an author who published her first novel with a major publisher 10 years ago. Michelle: We tend to put reviews into two sections: customer reviews from Amazon or GoodReads only and "other reviews," because we know there are a lot of services out there providing reviews. Q: What compelled you to make offers to the last authors you signed? Memoir/Women L. Lehr Country: United States Established in: 2021 This agency has the following active literary agents: Michelle Brower Stephanie Delman Natalie Edwards Allison Hunter Danya Kukafka Allison Malecha Dana Murphy Mariah Stovall But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Before contacting an agent, authors should verify and assess the agent's requirements and suitability by visiting the agent's website(s), and Download our free app to find readings and author events near you; explore indie bookstores, libraries, and other places of interest to writers; and connect with the literary community in your city or town. Related: Spine Podcast, Interview with Erika Swyler. There are a lot of Indie authors who want to stay Indie. While the range of inquiries has been broad, common themes have emerged over time. Michelle BrowerPhoto Credit: Folio Literary Management. Start, renew, or give a subscription to Poets & Writers Magazine; change your address; check your account; pay your bill; Back in 2012, her intern delivered up Erika Swyler. Diane Les Becquets Michelle Brower of Aevitas represents Swyler; Bloomsbury . Find Michelle Brower online at Aevitas's "Our Team" page aevitascreative.com/agents and on Twitter @michellebrower. Zeyn Joukhadar We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. So, it's not going to be just about the author. In this Part II of my interview with literary agents Jeff Kleinman and Michelle Brower of Folio Literary Management, they open up about industry numbers that tend to grab their attention by sharing the importance of Amazon rankings, reviews, price points, and book sales. Michelle received her Masters degree in British and American Literature from New York University. She wrote a new novel and hired a freelance editor for it, and that editor contacted me and suggested I read it. Katharine and Elizabeth Corr, The Witchs Blood, the witch's kiss, the witch's tears, author, writing, process, 2021 AU Presses, Book, Jacket, and Journal Show Selections, Beginning to End - Dark Factory: Creative Collaborator, AV/VR Design of Dark Park, Charlie Athanas, Spine Podcast, Bonus Episode: Jasmin Kaur. Allison Malecha Director of Foreign Rights Literary Agent. Online, you can find her at susannabaird.com and on Twitter @SusannaBaird. Meet the agents and team members who make our work possible. Thank you! An Interview with Heather Young (fourteenwords on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Michelle Brower of Trellis Literary Management.03/06/2015. Indie Authors Seeking an Agent: Take Note! Laura Guidry Heather Young: THE LAKE CHILDREN is literary women's fiction. In the Literary Magazines database youll find editorial policies, submission guidelines, contact informationeverything you need to know before submitting your work to the publications that share your vision for your work. Molly Jean Reid Because it doesn't matter at the end of the day if a book ranks #2 on Amazon because it sold 1,000 copies in one day but it never sold anymore or very few. My list has been trending literary over the years and I'd like to bring in a little balance. Brittany Bronson The Time Is Now offers weekly writing prompts in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to help you stay committed to your writing practice throughout the year. Allison Hunter Founding Partner Literary Agent. Stay informed with reports from the world of writing contests, including news of extended deadlines, recent winners of notable awards, new contest announcements, interviews with winners, and more. I cross-reference those two numbers to calculate about how many sales a publisher would be able to reasonably expect. All rights reserved. Most of the successful self-published authors will get a new reader on their second book who will go back and read the first one. Jon Hickey Lincoln Michel Ultimately, the ranking for us is really not what we are looking at though. Vice President, Operations and Personnel; Director, ACM UK, Creative Executive, Development & Book-to-Film, Assistant to VP of Development & Book-to-Film. ", As Little Twitch neared its final form, Brower set to work seeking publishers. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Health and Psychology. She is now a founding partner of Trellis Literary Management, which was established in 2021. Dear Michelle Brower: "I spent two days in a cage at the SPCA until my parents finally came to pick me up. All Rights Reserved. Write like Elena Ferrante, with all the romance beats and a happy ending.#MSWL, Since the political atmosphere is most likely going to get me retreating to a cozy book cave any minute now, I have a request #MSWL, Wanted: literary sci fi novel. Each year the Readings & Workshops program provides support to hundreds of writers participating in literary readings and conducting writing workshops. Join thousands of other subscribers. Michelle: I have two very different examples of authors who came to me, and they are both really great in their own ways. she/her. For self-published books, I don't know that it takes an immediate platform, but what it takes is a lot of engagement, especially community engagement. "The reality is, it's a brave new world of publishing, and agents are only one part of it.". Poets & Writers lists readings, workshops, and other literary events held in cities across the country. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. For example, a lot of times they won't know the author, and they just want to read more because of the character. Childrens, Middle Grade, and Young Adult. It's really important to actually connect with a reading community, and for self-published authors that's pretty much the best and only way they can get the word out about their book. Find a writers group to join or create your own with Poets & Writers Groups. The Reading Venues database includes details about how to schedule your own reading, admission fees, audience size, parking and transit information, and more. 50,000 sales at $.99 is one thing. I fought very hard, and so I'm very, very excited about that one as well. Jake Keiser Please enable Cookies and reload the page. If you are running into one dead end after another, not sure which way to turn, Poets & Writers can demystify the process and help you reach your destinationpublication. QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? Michelle Brower is on our list of Book Agents Seattle (publishing agents in Seattle), Book Agents Washington (publishing agents in Washington),Book Agents USA (publishing agents in the United States),Fiction Book Agents (publishing agents who represent fiction authors), Young Adult Book Agents (publishing agents who represent YA books for teens),and Nonfiction Book Agents (publishing agents who represent nonfiction, not just novels). That is something any author should be thinking about as they write because in order to have a loyal fan base, you need to make a character who is strong, quirky, and interesting enough to support multiple books. Spine Authors Editor Susanna Baird grew up inhaling paperbacks in Central Massachusetts, and now lives and works in Salem. If you thought the worst a penguin could do is make you feel guilty about global warning, think again. Beginning to End is a new series from Spine following a book idea from acquisition to bookshelf. becoming familiar with ways to spot and avoid bad agents. Memoir/Family/Identity S. Foti One author I signed earlier this year came through my slush pile. Rita Chang-Eppig Brenda Peynado This series has more than 170 interviews so far . History and Narrative Nonfiction. Research newspapers, magazines, websites, and other publications that consistently publish book reviews using the Review Outlets database, which includes information about publishing schedules, submission guidelines, fees, and more. Read three decades of essays, articles, interviews, profiles, and other select content from Poets & Writers Magazine. 20 Apr 2020. For all non-submissions and press inquiries, please contact hello@trellisliterary.com. DO NOT QUERY THIS AGENT AT THIS TIME: Michelle is not currently accepting unsolicited submissions. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. I will do some #mswl tweets in the next few weeks as I figure out what I'm really in the mood for, but honestly anything of stellar quality in any genre will catch my attention. Copyright 2011-23 The Bestselling Author, LLC. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Brower doesn't believe pressuring them will yield the best result, and so she simply stays in touch. Find a home for your work by consulting our searchable databases of writing contests, literary magazines, small presses, literary agents, and more. With a writer she's already representing, such as Swyler, Brower gets involved early with a manuscript, though she keeps her touch light. Danya Kukafka, Agent, Trellis Literary Management. If a book has 250 reviews with 4 and 5 stars, and 70,000 in sales, this author has a lot of promise. Why? Whether youre pursuing the publication of your first book or your fifth, use the Small Presses database to research potential publishers, including submission guidelines, tips from the editors, contact information, and more. The job will be split between assisting the Vice President and assisting other agents as needed; more details below. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Ultimately, when presenting to a publisher, I provide a cross-section. Jason Mott Stephanie Delman Founding Partner Literary Agent . Search for jobs in education, publishing, the arts, and more within our free, frequently updated job listings for writers and poets. What began as an interview with literary agents Jeff Kleinman, Founding Partner, and Michelle Brower, Senior Vice President, of Folio Literary Management turned into enough material for a three part Q&A series on what agents really want from authors. Memoir/Mainstream E. Armstrong Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. She approaches every novelher own and her clients with a determination to elevate the technical aspects of the story, to edit thoughtfully and carefully until each book shines. Jamey Bradbury She loves the business of publishing, and she comes to both her writing and agenting careers with a sense of dedicated focus. We certainly encourage all of our authors to be on Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads and Instagram. 50,000 sales at $3.99 is another. Rebecca Romney Aevitas Creative is a full-service literary agency, home to more than thirty agents in New York, Boston, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and London, representing scores of award-winning authors, thinkers, and public figures. I offered representation and found out that there were seven other agents who also offered her representation! Get in touch. Sally Franson I haven't read a LITERARY romance that isn't Jane Austen.

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