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Author
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Comment
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RBrunea
Registered User
(11/28/06 6:05 am)
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Suggestions for YA book publication?
I wrote a book a couple of years ago that I haven't found time to try to market much - real life interferes so with what you'd really like to do. This is not just a hobby. I've been studying, going to conferences and selling magazine stories for years, so I have reason to believe the story is of good quality.
I'm wondering if anyone has a particular suggestion for a good agent
or publisher that might be suitable for a 220 page YA historical/fantasy
novel. It's set around 1900 in a tiny fishing village on the island
of Hoy, Orkney. It's really a coming of age theme, and the fantasy
is light - no dragons or quests, just a mysterious mute woman who
turns out to be a selkie who ran away (swam away?) from her abusive
partner, the Bad Guy in the story. Of course, there's a romance
- two, in fact - and issues of grief and trust that the main character,
Gwennie, has to deal with. I know I'm biased, but I like reading
it now, two years later. I can forget I wrote it and just enjoy
the story. If you'd like to reply privately, my email is brunea
at netsync.net. Thank you!
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Writerpatrick
Registered User
(11/28/06 7:43 am)
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Agents and Publishers
www.agentquery.com
www.ralan.com
I would also suggest critiquecircle.com
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Rosemary Lake
Registered User
(11/28/06 2:21 pm)
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Re: Agents and Publishers
fmwriters.com - a big complicated site with lots of resources if you look or ask
Also, many agents now have blogs at LiveJournal and elsewhere.
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aka Greensleeves
Registered User
(11/28/06 6:10 pm)
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Re: Agents and Publishers
One terrific resource for YA writers is the Society for Children's Book Writers & Illustrators: www.scbwi.org. This is an organization with paid membership, but they offer a lot of resources, especially for unpublished writers, including national and regional events, a newsletter, and a thriving discussion board.
Another great discussion board is Verla Kay's bulletin board:
www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php
This board is free, and has a slightly greater percentage of publishing
writers who post more frequently. One nice thing about Verla's board
is that there is a lot of information about particular editors and
agents, including a longrunning study of response times, as well
as a "who's seeking what" thread.
Have you been attending conferences focused on children's writing
(as opposed to more general writing conferences that tend to focus
more on the adult market)? Many acquiring editors are active speakers
on the conference scene. I met both my agent *and* my editor through
children's writing conferences; one through SCBWI, one put on by
my local group, Juvenile
Writers of Kansas City. If you're serious about YA, you might
change your conference focus to SCBWI or other children's writing
events.
I kind of think, though, that the best way to find an editor is to research backward from the books you love. Before I ever started submitting, I started to see a pattern emerge on my own bookshelf, and I knew who published the sort of things I wrote. From there it was a fairly simple matter to track down the names of editors at those houses. My editor is the editor of a series of books I read and greatly admired. When I found an interview with her where she mentioned her favorite childhood book--my favorite childhood book!--I knew I'd likely found a good match. I then arranged to attend a conference where she critiqued my novel manuscript... and the rest is history.
~Elizabeth
www.elizabethcbunce.com
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RBrunea
Registered User
(11/29/06 6:02 am)
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Re: Agents and Publishers
Thank you all! I don't feel quite so lost in the proverbial forest now.
Blessings,
Rhonda
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