Agent's Day-2013!!! (#AgentsDay)

Today is AGENT'S DAY everyone!!!!

What does that mean?

I started Agent's Day here on this blog last year, on the second Monday following Father's Day. Last year it was a BIG HIT! You were all so awesome and ready to give the agent-love that it pretty much went out of my control (especially on twitter-#AgentsDay)!!

I hope we have as much fun this year! 

Things to keep in mind:

This day is set up to say THANK YOU and to celebrate all the fabulous literary agents and all they do for us! 

So get ready to shout out your love and respect! You can do this here in the comments section or on twitter--make sure you use the hashtag (#AgentsDay). Also, this is for ANY agent(s) you want. This can be from agented writers to their agents or other writers who just had a great experience/feeling/situation with an agent that they'd like to share. 

PLEASE REMEMBER to be genuine and professional in your comments! 

Not only is today for you to have a chance to show your appreciation, but also a good opportunity for writers to get to know some agents a little better. Word of mouth is always great!

Now to get us started I had some volunteers sign-up to sing their own praises:


MarcyKate Connolly:

"My agent is Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media and she's a total rockstar! Her incredible enthusiasm for my book convinced me she was the best possible agent for me last summer, and working together has only proven that to be true. Her enthusiasm carried over into the submission process and somehow she managed to get the first offer on Monstrous in all of eight days. And despite her ability to wheel and deal like nobody's business, she still responds to any email I send very quickly (usually within 24 hours) and answers all of my questions, however ridiculous, with consideration and professionalism. She's basically my (young and impeccably dressed) literary fairy godmother, and I couldn't be more thrilled to work on more projects with her (and all of New Leaf, actually) in the future! :)"

Jenn Nguyen: 

"I think it’s safe to say that every writer has gone through the “OMG, my manuscript is crap. It’s never going to get published.” moment in their lives. Okay, more like ten thousand times. And I think it’s safe to say that the feeling never completely goes away. But my agent, Gina Panettieri, has been totally awesome through everything. She’s like the nicotine patch whenever I want to flip out. Not only that, but her revision ideas are so spot on and perfect that most of my characters yelled at me in my head for not thinking of it in the first place. And although it’s been hard work, I love my manuscript even more than before! Because of that (and so much more), I know that I’m in the best hands and I look forward to many years of working together in the future! Thanks, Gina!

And special shout out to Cupid for her contest as I would never have thought to query Gina in the first place! :)" 

Ilima Todd:

"My agent, Jennifer Skutelsky of Veritas Literary, rocks my world. She's a fabulous editor and her passion for my writing and stories makes me feel like a rockstar. I want to cry after every edit we do on my manuscript because I can see it blooming into something more beautiful than I ever thought possible. She listens patiently to my meltdowns and lifts me up with her faith in me, jumping up and down right along with me at the good news we receive. Her awesome South African accent doesn't hurt, either. :) Along with agent extraordinaire Katherine Boyle who helped land me an amazing deal for my debut novel, I'm wishing her a Happy Agent's Day!"

Anna-Marie McLemore:

"Taylor Martindale was one of the first people I met at my first writers conference. I wasn't pitching during that conference, so I just got to chat with her, and she made me feel so much less nervous than when I walked in! When we talked about favorite books, she mentioned a Nicaraguan author who's written some of my favorite poems. I signed with her six months later after the Writers Voice Contest. She understands and respects the cultures that are so important to me and my writing, and her notes always get me excited to dive into revisions. She also has an awesome sense of humor--I always end up laughing a lot when we chat on the phone. Thanks for being in my corner, Taylor!"

Taryn Albright:

"Molly Ker Hawn is so awesome I flew 5000 miles to meet her. While that's a bit of an oversimplification, the truth is that during my trip to Europe, she didn't hesitate to invite me to stay with her. And, of course, she went above and beyond by making sure I saw all the coolest places and things (Beadles at Burlington Arcade!). But I'm not supposed to be talking about how amazing she is as a hostess. Or how omniscient she is. (Seriously. I'm convinced she knows EVERYTHING and EVERYONE.) It's about how amazing she is as an agent. I already mentioned that she knows everything and everyone, which is super necessary to be an amazing agent. But she is also the fastest responder in the world, whether I was asking things like "SHOULD I GET AN INTERNATIONAL PHONE PLAN" or "I CAN'T DECIDE IF I SHOULD USE 'screamed' OR 'yelled' IN THIS SCENE." And even though we have an 8 hour time difference, it was never hard to get ahold of her. In fact, she has doubled as my alarm clock. Always get an agent who will double as your alarm clock. Also, she makes scones. And she got me into Game of Thrones, though I'm not sure I should thank her for that. Back to the point: Molly is knowledgeable, responsive, savvy, and genuinely caring. I pinch myself every time I remember she's my agent."

Heidi Schulz:

"I've been working with Brooks Sherman since last fall and feel even luckier now than when I first signed our contract. We have a fantastic partnership! He's smart and savvy, with both an excellent eye for business and what it takes to create a great story. He handles my neuroses with ease, even when they are not found in the usual places. More so, Brooks is one of the few people, outside my own family, that appreciates even the darker corners of my bizarre little mind. Working with him is genuinely a whole lot of fun. Cheers, Brooks! I'll raise my glass of lemonade to your not-lemonade and wish you a very Happy Agent Day!"

Amy Zhang:

"Sometimes I think that "agent" is too small a word to encompass the superhero/fairy godmother/rockstar/ninja/counselor/cheerleader/advocate phenomenon that is Emily Keyes. She puts up with my silliness and answers my emails (even when my questions are ridiculous, and they usually are) and has all the answers. She's willing to talk about anything I'm upset or uncertain or confused about, and she always takes my hyperventilating in stride. She knows the business and is fantastic at what she does. She has confidence in my writing even when I don't, and she has this crazy amount of passion for making my work shine. Emily, thank you for everything. I'm SO INCREDIBLY LUCKY to have you represent me."

Sarah Henson:

"Basically, Mandy Hubbard is awesome. Her excitement for my manuscript and her love for my story and characters completely sold me from her first email. She gave me six pages of revisions notes before even signing me and has been so incredibly patient with little newbie me. More than that, though, I want to show her some love because of how much she genuinely cares about writers--even the ones she doesn't sign. She's constantly tweeting query tips, teaching workshops, and trying to help writers make it in the business. She's fun, and laid back, and knows her stuff. I don't know how I got lucky enough to have her in my corner."

Naomi Hughes:

"My agent, Louise Fury, is basically an Unstoppable Landslide of Awesome. She's wise and has saint-like patience with her authors, but she's also tough and tenacious and she knows how to GET STUFF DONE. Without her insightful notes, my manuscript wouldn't shine half as much as it does now. And without her guidance and encouragement, I would have gone completely batty trying to feel my way through the publishing world. So THANK YOU, Louise! I'm beyond grateful to have you in my corner."

Alice Spades:

"I currently do not have an agent representing my work, but I'd like to give shout-outs to the agents who have been kind and encouraging on my way toward becoming publishing. 

First, I'd like to give a huge THANK YOU to New Leaf Literary Agency.  This collection of agents is superb.  This includes Joanna Volpe, KathleenOrtiz, Suzie Townsend, and Pouya Shahbazian.  They were the first to follow me on Tumblr (how nice!), which put a big smile on my face.  Thanks for taking an interest in my work!  I hope you enjoy my artwork and writing posts.  I also adore how this agency takes time out of their hectic schedules to answer questions on Tumblr.  I'm sure I'm not the only writer who has gained knowledge from their tips.  Thank you all!  You're amazing! 

I'd also like to give a huge internet hug and thank you to Lisa Gallagher of Greenburger Associates.  She was the first agent to ask for my manuscript and while she declined in the end, she gave me insightful tips and encouraged me to continue to shape my novel.  Thanks to her supportive words, I went back to revising my novel and enrolled in a university to earn a Bachelor's in Creative Writing for Entertainment.  If it wasn't for this lovely agent, I wouldn't be this far along in my studies and I wouldn't have a novel that's now bursting with conflict.  Thanks ever so!  My novel will soon be 100% revised and ready to be re-submitted to agents.  All thanks to Lisa Gallagher, who was the first to see potential in my work.  Thank you!"

Kelsey Macke:

"Based on my research prior to signing with my agent, Jessica Sinsheimer of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, I expected that a healthy author/agent relationship would be full of cordiality, trust, professionalism and hard work. What I could never have predicted was how uncommon it is to find, not just an agent, but a collaborator and friend. Working with Jessica isn't just about the words on the page, nor is it about only dollars and cents. It is about creating something unique and beautiful and meaningful together. My project is very different and "out-of-the-box" and I would never have dreamed of being able to tackle releasing a book and an album if she hadn't been such a creative, mad, magical genius. I'm so lucky to have a partner who is "open" in so many ways to be my guide through an industry with a reputation rooted in gates, walls, and locks." 

Jessie Humphries:

"When I signed with Sarah Davies I knew I was set. Set up for a great career. Set in stone with a very committed editorial agent. Set free to write while she handles all my publication needs. Despite the fact that her elegant British accent intimidates me from time to time, she couldn't be a more lovely person. She's called herself "bossy" a few times, but I happen to like B-words. And she can be called by a ton of them: brilliant, bold, and boundless, just to name a few. A big booya to Sarah for everything she does!"

Cupid:

Of course, I couldn't let this day go by without saying a bajillion thank yous to my agent, too! It's such a shame I can't tell you all who she is because she is the best! She is a crazy hard worker, and I can barely believe how much she has helped me and my work. She is hilarious while professional, and I'm pretty sure she has actual literary super powers. I couldn't ask for anyone better. Thank you, thank you!!!!!

***

Thank you to everyone participating. And of course....

THANK YOU to all the hard-working literary agents out there!!