{"id":519,"date":"2014-03-13T21:57:33","date_gmt":"2014-03-14T01:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stevenparlato.com\/?p=519"},"modified":"2021-07-17T18:08:59","modified_gmt":"2021-07-17T22:08:59","slug":"victoria-everybody-everybody-victoria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stevenparlato.com\/?p=519","title":{"rendered":"Victoria, everybody. Everybody, Victoria."},"content":{"rendered":"

Post first appeared March 11, 2014 on Uncommon YA<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Today, I have the distinct pleasure of introducing a woman who was truly instrumental in bringing THE NAMESAKE<\/em><\/a> to print. As an agent\u2019s assistant, she first recognized the potential in my darkly realistic YA, requesting my full manuscript back in 2008. After I signed \u2013 and eventually broke \u2013 with that first agent, I tracked Victoria down in 2011, in her new agent role at Gelfman Schneider Literary Agency. Happily, she remembered my work, took me on as a client, and offered excellent advice to help shape the novel. After a year of hard work, patience, and assuring her sometimes-hopeless client it would happen, she sold my debut YA to Jacquelyn Mitchard at Merit Press<\/a>. With her persistence, good humor and insightful editorial eye (I believe it\u2019s the left one) she is an incredible partner. Here she is, folks, my uber-agent, Victoria Marini<\/a>! <\/p>\n

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Introduce yourself with a focus on the agent role. How did you get into the business?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m Victoria! I\u2019ve been an agent here at GSLA \/ ICM<\/a> for about three and a half years. I represent adult, young adult and middle grade fiction. I started as an intern at a film and television rights agency. I read manuscripts and evaluated whether or not they would be good books and movies. I was much better and more interested in the book part, so moved over to literary agencies.<\/p>\n

What are three adjectives you\u2019d use to describe your style as an agent?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Collaborative, editorial, firm.<\/p>\n

Compare your agent self to a type of food or a piece of furniture or clothing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think I\u2019m a sturdy pair of boots. They may not be so fancy on the outside, but when you have things to do and places to go, sometimes the boots get you further than the Louboutins. <\/p>\n

Can you read solely for pleasure, or has your job made reading something that automatically feels like work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I still can and often do read for pleasure. It\u2019s a necessity.<\/p>\n

What are your literary guilty pleasures and\/or (flip side), are there books you know you should like, but just don\u2019t?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t rep. romance, but I will devour a Nora Roberts novel. And I didn\u2019t like DIVERGENT<\/em> very much at all. <\/p>\n

Regarding queries, what\u2019s a surefire way to get you interested?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pitch me something I have not seen before in a clear, engaging way.<\/p>\n

Is there something writers do in a query or sample that’s a deal breaker for you? What makes you go \u201cNext!\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

How much time do you have here? When a query begins \u201cDear Agent.\u201d I expect to get multiple submissions, but if someone doesn\u2019t query me with my name, I\u2019m concerned they didn\u2019t actually research what sort of agent I am and\/or the genres I represent. Queries that open with rhetoric i.e. \u201cImagine a world where\u2026\u201d or \u201cWhat if you\u2026\u201d You should be able to pique interest without gimmicks, and I worry that you might be a writer who uses rhetorical questions to advance the plot of your novel. I\u2019m not going to like that.<\/p>\n

Do you have advice for writers looking to land an agent?<\/strong><\/p>\n

None that isn\u2019t out there already, so I guess just \u201cdo your research.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best way for a writer to maintain a healthy relationship with his or her agent?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I can only speak for myself, but I think communication \u2013 as in any relationship \u2013 is essential. I can\u2019t fulfill your expectations if I don\u2019t know what you want. And reciprocally, you will be unhappy with me \u2013 or with any agent, I think \u2013 if you are not willing to listen. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s your toughest agent duty? Or how do you remain positive in the face of rejection, particularly when you really believe in a manuscript?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to deliver bad news. It\u2019s hard to get very close, but not make it. It\u2019s extremely difficult to lose potential clients to other agents and then watch work I loved sell. I allow myself a set wallowing time depending on the situation, and then I just keep on trucking. I remember that my successes and failures are not in relation to another person\u2019s. I am grateful for the sales I\u2019ve made and the wonderful clients I have. I try to use competition to my advantage and channel it into working hard. I try to be grateful and gracious. I share drinks with friends. <\/p>\n

What brings you the most joy or satisfaction?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Selling books, man. Delivering that good news to an author\u2026there\u2019s nothing better. Personally, I find joy and satisfaction in laughter, stories and storytelling of all arts and manners, animals, nap time, music, learning, good food, and pleasant company. <\/p>\n

What are a couple recent or upcoming works that have you really excited?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Corey Ann Haydu<\/a>\u2019s LIFE BY COMMITTEE<\/em> is coming out soon, and everyone will lose their minds it\u2019s so wonderful. I\u2019m very excited about Karen Akins\u2019 LOOP<\/em><\/a> coming out in the fall, and Andrea Hannah<\/a>\u2019s OF SCARS AND STARDUST<\/em>. I\u2019ve some adult material that I\u2019m thrilled about, but I can\u2019t share it yet, so check back with me! I represent a packaging company called CAKE Literary<\/a> and they\u2019re turning out incredible stories. I sold their debut, now called TINY PRETTY THINGS<\/em> to HarperCollins back in October, and I can\u2019t wait for people to see that. And a large number of clients have sent me the first half of works in progress that I am desperately excited for! They\u2019re going to be aaaamazing<\/em>. (Ahem, Mr. Parlato<\/a>\u2026still waiting on that second half!)<\/p>\n

Thanks, Victoria, for taking the time to \u201cchat,\u201d and thanks to Uncommon YA for giving me the chance to sing Victoria\u2019s praises. Now I\u2019d better get back to work on that second half!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Post first appeared March 11, 2014 on Uncommon YA. Today, I have the distinct pleasure of introducing a woman who was truly instrumental in bringing THE NAMESAKE to print. As an agent\u2019s assistant, she first recognized the potential in my darkly realistic YA, requesting my full manuscript back in 2008. After I signed \u2013 and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/stevenparlato.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/stevenparlato.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/stevenparlato.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stevenparlato.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stevenparlato.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=519"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/stevenparlato.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":747,"href":"http:\/\/stevenparlato.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/519\/revisions\/747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/stevenparlato.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stevenparlato.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stevenparlato.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}