The Tara Tracks

In the coming weeks, I’ll be interviewing agented authors, authors who just sold their first book, authors with books on the shelves and even those who have scored a spot on the best seller list. My focus will be on YA (young adult) authors, but some of the interviews will include those who write MG (middle grade) and chapter books/PB (picture books) as well. This will be a great chance to read about the experiences of your peers and get a sneak peek at what’s down the road.

I’ve already got some great interviews lined up, so feel free to bookmark or subscribe to this blog!

Also, stay tuned for an upcoming interview with my fabulous agent, Jennifer Laughran at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. In the future, I hope to interview more industry professionals.

Every author has their own road to publication. We might stop at the same gas stations, but our experience is as unique as we are. Cars break down, road construction gets in the way–sometimes there’s a blizzard. But every once in a while, we reach our destination in record time. However, selling that first book is just the beginning of the adventure. And that elusive destination is just the first of many.

There are many different routes to selling that first book. It can be done with or without a tour guide aka an agent.

The agented route:

A good agent knows how to get around the traffic snarls. They probably know some nifty short cuts that will save some gas mileage too. Basically? An agent can save you time and money (i.e. negotiating that contract to get you a better deal). At least–that’s the plan.

So, choose that tour guide carefully. You’re better off going solo than with a bad guide.

1. Researching your route and finding a reputable tour guide isn’t difficult. Google is your friend. So are sites like Agent Query, Query Tracker, Predators and Editors, and more.

2. Keep in mind. These tour guides are picky about who they travel with–as you (the author) should be too. Think about it. You’ll be spending an undetermined length of time in a car with them. At the very least, you should love to belt out the same tunes!

In any event, finding an agent is a series of interviews and bumps in its own right. But it’s only the first of many hurdles. My interviews will focus on life after finding that perfect tour guide/agent.

The route without a guide…

Sometimes authors decide to brave the road solo. And if they do their research, it’s certainly possible to reach their destination without too many bumps. That being said, I’d love to interview some published authors who made the trip without an agent.

Are you interested in being interviewed?

Note: I’m only interviewing authors who write children’s books at this time (Picture books through young adult).

If any of the categories below describe you, I’d love to pick your brain.

1. You’ve scored an agent, but haven’t sold your book yet.

2. You’ve scored an agent and recently sold your first book.

3. All of the above, and your book is going to hit the shelves soon.

4. You’ve sold your book/s to a reputable publisher without an agent.

5. Your books are sitting on shelves, waiting to be plucked by eager readers.

6. You are an agent, editor, bookseller or industry professional who is willing to offer some insight for budding authors!

Please drop me a line and leave the following information: Your name, agent’s name (if applicable), book info (genre, title, and synopsis), publishing date and info (if applicable) and website or blog if you have one.

Tags: children's authors, interview information, literary agents, publication, road trip

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 9:02 pm and is filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.