Don't forget, Tomorrow night (Friday) is the HOUSE OF NIGHT event at 7pm, Books Inc. Palo Alto. We are cooking up a lot of fun stuff, don't miss it!

(There will be an adult and teen division for the costume contest - so dress up!)

JL

Hey kids,

In all my extra spare time (hahaha ah sigh) I have started a NEW BLOG!

This one will be devoted to the goings-on in the Kids Dept at Books Inc. It will feature book reviews, event info, guest appearances by our fave authors of Picture Books and Middle Grade books. Here's the LJ Feed, thanks janni

As always, event info and reviews for YA books can be found at notyourmothers - yay!

Somebody asked me in a chat yesterday a question that absolutely made me cringe. (Sorry, questioner, you were lovely, but your question was boo):

What are editors buying these days?

I don't even know where to begin putting my mind around this question. I don't know "what editors are buying" in general, I only know what I (and my colleagues) are selling them, and the answer is, er, all kinds of stuff.

But isn't the market for ________ (insert: Historical, Verse, Picture Books, etc) DEAD??!

Well, yes and no. I think the market for badly done all of those is certainly foundering. This is going to sound flip, probably, but I do wish with all my heart that authors would think a little less about my job, and a little more about their job. The author's job is tough! You have to write something that is really good and that people will really want to read. My job is just to figure out how to sell it. It is an important job, sure, but it is only about 15% as important.

I've had success this year with several supposedly "dead" categories and genres. What did those books have in common? They were really good. There is always a market for AWESOME.

BUT I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! *shakes agent vigorously hoping a concrete answer will fall from her pockets* THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF COPYCAT BOOKS COMING OUT ALL THE TIME!!!

OK - OK - First of all for G-d's sake stop shaking me! Sheesh! OK. There are often what seem like "trends" or bandwagons or copycats or whatever. You got me. But as I know I've said before, it is rather useless to try and start following a trend, because those deals were made a year or three before. We are onto something new now, and it is senseless for you to try to hop aboard that bandwagon, because by the time you write the book for it, the wagon will have left the... station. Or wherever it is that wagons come from. Make your own trend!

It is true that if you are reading and writing and engaged with the world, you will likely encounter or be a part of a zeitgeist. That is the reason why, without knowing it, two of my dear clients wrote Mermaid manuscripts at the same time. It is why three "Fallen Angel" books are coming out within six months of each other. These things were not planned. And likely, these books are not really like each other at all (the "mermaid books" for example - one is a magical-historical-fantasy set in Regency times, one is a contemporary surfer-girl book, and yes, both sold, and NO, I am not looking for more mermaids!) It isn't copycatting, it is just the zeitgeist.

Sometimes there really IS copycatting - but those are not the kind of books that I would be interested in representing, nor would I know how to sell them. Sorry.

...

Now that THAT is out of my system... It has been a while since I talked about what sort of books I am interested in representing. Here are some of my recent favorites that are not already clients. I'll let you decide if your manuscript might fit my taste.

YA
GRACELING and FIRE by Kristin Cashore
HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater
BLONDE OF THE JOKE by Bennett Madison
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT by Natalie Standiford
GOING BOVINE by Libba Bray
LIAR by Justine Larbalestier

I love romance AND comedies AND thrilling adventures AND magic AND mysteries, as long as they have great voice. In YA Fantasy, I prefer a healthy dash of romance, high stakes, and I like the meat of the story to be about interesting people. For YA realistic/contemporary, I also want character-driven stories that are full of voice and funny and maybe make me cry somewhere in the mix. I also love things that are sui generis, like LIAR or BOVINE, each of which certainly constitutes a class of its own.

MG
WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead
EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE by Jacqueline Kelly
NEIL ARMSTRONG IS MY UNCLE by Nan Marino
ANY WHICH WALL by Laurel Snyder
ALVIN HO series by Lenore Look

Oh, my kingdom for more great middle grade books! The ones I am most drawn to have a certain classic feel about them, but they aren't sappy. They take risks. They also often (not always, but often) mix humor and tears. I want characters who come alive and whom I fall in love with.


OTHER TOPICS: I'd love-love-love a great, fun THEATRE book! Like, think GLEE, but a book. Yes, indeed that would make me smile. I'd also like a great book, YA or MG, set in a restaurant or in "foodie" culture. I like books where the kids have a real talent or passion for something, and I also tend to like books where the kids have to work at something. (In other words, I DON'T tend to like books about kids lazing around and then stuff "just happens" to them.)

I like ensemble books (like the Casson Family books by Hilary McKay for example). I have a soft spot for fortune tellers, circuses, anything theatrical, science, astronauts/astronomy, great teachers, girls-dressed-as-boys and boarding schools.

I also like Jewish stories that are funny and have nothing to do with the holocaust or shtetls, Gay stories that are funny and have nothing to do with being oppressed or coming out, Multicultural stories that are funny and have nothing to do with arranged marriage, slavery or pottery, and Animal stories in which the animals are not abused.

(There have been great books about all these topics, mind you, I just think that those topics have been explored in lots of ways and I am more interested in the less-often-seen stories).

I'm willing to look at just about anything in the children's book realm, and am also willing to be surprised.

That said, I can tell you right now that am not AT ALL into: Books about the life of Jesus, pornography, slasher/horror, tragedy, or any sort of grown-up books.

If you have questions or want clarification, by all means comment.

More if I think of it!

From this Bookforum review of the new-ish Laura Miller book on Narnia comes my favorite quote of the day:

"No one can possibly tell what tiny detail of a drawing or what seemingly trivial phrase in a story will be the spark that sets off a great flash in the mind of some child, a flash that will leave a glow there until the day he dies." -- Robert Lawson

I don't talk about work a lot, but um - this is sort of driving me a little bit crazy, and I know that a lot of people who might query me do look at this livejournal (why, I am not sure, since I so rarely update it, but... whatever. That's not the point of this post. Quit looking at me with those accusing eyes!)

OK. So. Here's the deal.

I cannot overstate enough how important it is to me that you follow our simple guidelines when you send me a query.

* Put the word "QUERY" somewhere in the subject line.

* Cut-and-paste the first 10 pages of your book in the body of the email.

* NO ATTACHMENTS.

Pretty simple, yes? And all of it for a reason. If you don't follow these directions, your manuscript will not get labeled. It will probably be deleted. And if for some reason it is not deleted, it will likely get lost. Today I found something that I requested at a conference six months ago - it did not have the word "query" in the subject line, and it had an attachment, so it went into some folder, buried under tens of thousands of other emails, never to see the light of day again except by happenstance. AND I was very sad, because it might have been something that I really wanted to rep - but now it is too late, cause I took so long that she found another agent. *cries*

Yep, even from a conference, submission guidelines hold true. Do note "SCBWI NE conference" or whatever IN ADDITION, but don't neglect the original guidelines. Just cause I met you, doesn't mean I want to accept unsolicited attachments from you.

Also, FYI, I only rep kids's books and YA. Not erotica. Not thrillers. Not adult scifi/fantasy. Not Pulitzer-winning narrative nonfiction. Not cookbooks. Not cozy mysteries. Not books on botany or neuroscience. Not memoirs by politicians or prostitutes. ONLY BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS.

If you send me anything that is NOT for children or teenagers, I will revel in the deleting of it.

I have to delete more than half of my many many queries per day because they either do not follow the directions or are wildly inappropriate. ARGH. Don't be one of them! These aren't hard directions! Please!

OK. *deep breath* I feel better. Thank you.

Going to play with kitty now.

Go look at fabulousfrock's pretty cover for her upcoming book MAGIC UNDER GLASS (bloomsbury, winter '10)

Yay cover joy!

I am happy this week because I can finally announce a fun new book deal. Yay!

CHILDRENS/YA: Sonia Gensler's debut THE REVENANT, a Victorian ghost story complete with false identities, illicit romance, and deadly secrets, set in a Cherokee girl's school in the old west, to Michelle Frey at Knopf, in a good deal, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

Go say congrats to soniag!

Today - Saturday, May 16th - the Northern California Children's Booksellers Association is celebrating Children's Book Week with a very special event - KIDS OTTER READ DAY AROUND THE BAY!

Twelve indie booksellers are participating in huge simultaneous event with many authors from 1pm to 3pm. 55 authors at last count! That's right.

12 Indie Bookstores. 55 awesome authors. ONE OUTSTANDING DAY!

Three of the participating bookstores are Books Inc. locations, and I have theoretically put together all three events so... I am a little tired already and the day hasn't even really begun. I will be at Books Inc. in Alameda where two (2!) of my very own clients will be part of the lineup. Woohoo! Join us, won't you?

CLICK HERE for the full listing of all participating stores & authors. CLICK HERE for the official Kids Otter Read website.



BOOKS INC, PALO ALTO
Town and Country Village
Jim LaMarche
Dorina Lazo Gilmore
Betsy Franco
Cynthia Chin-Lee
Susan Taylor Brown
--------
BOOKS INC, ALAMEDA
1344 Park St.
David Schwartz
Daniel San Souci
Matt Faulkner
Ginger Wadsworth
Leah Waarvik
--------
BOOKS INC In the MARINA
2251 Chestnut St., SF
Elissa Haden Guest
Lynn Hazen
Pam Turner
Scott Michelson
Lisa Shulman

Ganked from lkmadigan

1) What author do you own the most books by?
Daniel Pinkwater and E.L. Konigsburg

2) What book do you own the most copies of?
Alice in Wonderland

3) Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
I’m over it.

4) What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Calvin O'Keefe

5) What book have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children)?
I have no idea, but probably BALLET SHOES, FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER, or LOLITA

6) What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
JANE EYRE or ANNE OF GREEN GABLES or BALLET SHOES or a Sweet Valley High book.

7) What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
I can't say.

8) What is the best book you've read in the past year? (ETA: Not by a client, and in 2009 not in the past 12month)
FIRE, the sequel/prequel to GRACELING. It is awesome, even better than the first. And for Middle Grade - WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead is wonderful.

9) If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
At the moment? THE ONE & ONLY MARIGOLD, I am an evangelist for that book.

10) Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?
Probably a foreigner.

11) What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
LIZARD MUSIC by Daniel Pinkwater

12) What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
American Psycho. Oh, too late. OK, Wetlands.

13) Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
Umm... I don't think so.

14) What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
I don’t think it’s nice to call books names. Or maybe I can’t think of any I would call ‘lowbrow.’

15) What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
I guess Ulysses? Or Nightwood by Djuna Barnes, which is my least favorite book of all time. Or The Crying of Lot 49, my other least favorite book of all time. God, school books mostly SUCK.

16) What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
I directed a Brechtian puppet/mask version of Measure for Measure. Is that obscure?

17) Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
French bread, Russian vodka.

18) Roth or Updike?
Like, in a fight? Roth. Because he is alive.

19) David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
I will always pick the one with NPR connections, so, Sedaris.

20) Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Shakespeare.

21) Austen or Eliot?
Austen.

22) What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
I haven't read Moby Dick, and I probably never will. Yeah, I know it is good.

23) What is your favorite novel?
Probably BALLET SHOES, FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER, or LOLITA

24) Play?
Cherry Orchard by Chekhov. I LOVE CHEKHOV. or All In the Timing by David Ives, which cracks me the hell up.

25) Poem?
One Art by Elizabeth Bishop http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15212

26) Essay?
There's an Owl in my Room by James Thurber, or Jesus Shaves by David Sedaris

27) Short Story?
Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber, or The Girls in their Summer Dresses by Irwin Shaw.

28) Work of nonfiction?
The Illustrated Elements of Style by Strunk, White & Kalman

29) Who is your favorite writer?
Tied between all my clients!

30) Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
What a question!

31) What is your desert island book?
THURBER CARNIVAL

32) And... what are you reading right now?
PURE by Terra Elan McVoy

Are you a Bay Area writer, teacher, librarian, parent, kid, fan of indie bookstores, fan of kids books, or any (or all!) of the above?

YOU need to know about Kids Otter Read Day Around the Bay!

On May 16th, during Children's Book Week, the Northern California Children's Booksellers Association is doing a massive simultaneous children's book extravaganza.

55+ kids book authors & illustrators!

13+ indie bookstores in SF, the Peninsula, South Bay, East Bay & North Bay!

5/16 from 1pm - 3pm

For more info on the event, and the stores & authors participating, visit kidsotterread.com & follow us on Twitter: @kidsotterread

Yay books!

First of all, I realize that I have lots of new readers. You should know that I hardly ever update this livejournal, but I keep it because - well, because it is mine. My own personal LJ, that I've had for years, with the LJ friends I have been reading for years on it (and rarely some new people too). Though I sometimes post about client doings or fun publication stuff that I am excited about, I do not have My Agent Hat on here.

* If you are interested in YA books, YA authors or the big events that I throw in Northern California, you should probably consider friending the Not Your Mother's Book Club community that I run: notyourmothers

* If you are looking for info about my agency or submission guidelines, you should visit the ABLit Website.

* If you really want to follow my occasional inane ramblings, you are welcome to do so. But please don't be offended if I don't follow you back. I rarely have time to read my friends list as it is.

ALL THAT SAID! It seems like high time to post stuff about me as an agent and the types of projects that I'm looking for, since they have changed a bit since last time I did this.


About Me: I'm Jennifer Laughran. I am a literary agent at Andrea Brown Lit. I represent only books for children and young adults. My clients run the gamut from newbies to highly-published authors. They are all very different types of writers, but here are some traits they all have that make them a good match for me:

* They are funny
* They are good communicators
* They have a certain iconoclastic streak but are also kind and thoughtful
* They are energetic, highly motivated and willing to be flexible and take risks
* They are AWESOME WRITERS!

I am passionate about my client's books, and I am not looking for "just anyone" to add to my roster. To be honest, while I do look at all queries, the vast majority of my clients come from referrals.

Still - here's what I am looking for in YA & MG fiction:

YOUNG ADULT: I love realistic, character-driven contemporary YA novels. They can be gritty or fluffy, as long as they are not dreary or silly.

I also love fun fantasies with awesome, kick-ass girl heroines, and a world that I can understand - either because it is urban fantasy set in our world with some magical elements, and/or because the main characters are so interesting that I am willing to suspend disbelief.

I am also keen on the Victorian era, WWI and the era between the World Wars. I like ghost stories and mysteries. I like GLBT stories and multicultural stories where the gayness or race is not an issue.

In both realistic and fantasy books, I look for a strong voice, a main character that I'd want to be friends with, a sense of humor, and at least a dash of romance (if not a major romance!) Some favorites GRACELING, HUNGER GAMES, and anything by Sarah Dessen, Maureen Johnson, Rachel Cohn and Libba Bray.

MIDDLE GRADE: I love wild, funny and smart Middle Grade books that don't talk down to the reader. I want great characters and lots of heart. Books that make me laugh AND cry are the best.

I am always looking for "ensemble books", for example, those set behind the scenes at a theatre, or in a restaurant, or a boarding school, or a big family. I like stories where kids are good at and passionate about something.

I also like fun MG mystery, fantasy and adventure. And of course humor.

I'd be interested in survival stories or animal stories. I love to read adult narrative nonfic, and it would be interesting to see some of that type of thing for kids (either fiction or nonfic, but page-turning, heart-racing and realistic adventure - PERFECT STORM for kids kind of thing).

Some favorites: Hilary McKay, Polly Horvath, Linda Urban, Pam Munoz Ryan, EL Konigsburg, Anthony Horowitz, Rick Riordan.

Hope that helps!

And by all means ask questions in comments if you want clarification!

This post is specifically designed to make soniag and lkmadigan jealous.

Is it working?




The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters: A chilling and vividly rendered literary ghost story in the tradition of House of the Seven Gables, set in postwar Britain, by the bestselling and award-winning author of The Night Watch and Fingersmith.

(If you are jealous, you need only wait till April 30 - or you can preorder it from your local independent bookseller!)

Hey all - This Sunday (March 22) we're having our private party with Laurie Halse Anderson. It is just about sold out - there are a very few spots left, so if you are dying to come, PLEASE call the bookstore right away or email me!

Here's the post with more info...

Since this is up on Walker's website, I only feel the teensiest bit weird sharing it with all of you.

The wonderful BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z. by Kate Messner (Sept 09, Walker Books) was by no means the first book I sold, but it is my very first book in a catalogue!

Please note: This is the art that will be on the book but NOT the final jacket design. kmessner has been very good, biding her time and waiting to show anything until the final jacket is in... but I am not. (The artist is the terrific Joe Cepeda, who also did the cover of Esperanza Rising.)

( click! click! )

Neat, huh?

A couple of people have asked about my "stance" on the twitter #queryfail madness.

I saw it at the time but didn't follow it, and I didn't participate. Not because I am extra-nice or special, more because it is not very interesting to me to point out yet again that you should address letters to an agent at the correct agency, that you should do a modicum of research before you query, etc etc. There are tons of places on the internet to find out info about how to get an agent and how to craft a reasonable email, and if a person seriously can't figure out the basics, I don't have the time or energy for it. Delete.

7-imps talk about their favorite Pinkwater memories and do a terrific interview with Daniel P. here. Chime into their comments with your own fave Pinkwater story!

My family is from Louisiana. While my sister and I were raised in Los Angeles, we spent a lot of time in the south as children, and I lived there for many years as a (pretty much) grown-up before I came to SF.

So, it is Mardi Gras time, and my sister decided to make her first from-scratch King Cake to bring to her book club in honor of the season. If you aren't in the know, the king cake is a sort of coffee-cake-like iced confection, usually consisting of pastry swiss-rolled with cream-cheesey filling, formed into a circle and decorated in the gaudy colors of the carnival (gold, purple & green). There is a leetle something extra inside, too - a tiny plastic baby. If you get the baby, you have to bring the next king cake. (In the past, apparently, gold and silver coins inside would indicate who was going to be the Mardi Gras royalty - but we are socialists in this house, so it was just the baby for us.)

As you can see, the typical king cake is a pretty ring of pastry, each segment of which would make a lovely breakfast or dessert snack. And here, friends, is where the typical king cake and my sister's part ways.



We first sensed that there might be a problem with the cake about twenty minutes into cooking it. ( What to my wondering eyes should appear...? )

So, what is the takeaway here? Make king cupcakes next time.

The other night I was pleased to dine with old friends and a new author, Michelle Zink, whose first book PROPHECY OF THE SISTERS is coming out... pretty soon from Little Brown. Michelle was an absolute delight, and so was the food! We went to a place called Zinnia.

The evening started with passed appetizers and wine. Rosemary-roasted almonds, house-dried raisins and two kinds of cheese on homemade warm walnut bread: Hope Farm sheep cheese from Vermont and Roccetta cheese, which is a combination of cow, sheep & goat cheese, from Piedmont.

THEN course one: Asian Pear Salad with Great Hill blue cheese, candied cashews, pomegranate seeds and apple-pear vinaigrette. Yum!

THEN course two: Grilled New York steak, which they cut for me (thank you, restaurant) with green peppercorn sauce (my fave), carmelized onions (NOM) and "Kennebec Fries" - which were just meh, except when dipped in the sauce and onions. I sort of regret not getting the scallops, cause they looked beautiful, but I just wasn't feeling it.

THEN sweet wines. My two faves were Roumieu Lacoste Sauternes (which prompted the waitress to tell a story about ways that grapes rot) and Paolo Saracco Moscato d'Asti, which I am told the Italians call "the Panty-dropper".

It is REALLY REALLY GOOD.

The internet tells us: "Paolo Saracco is known as "The Maestro of Moscato" and for good reason. His Moscato is perfumed with fresh peach, pear and white flowers. A gentle sparkle brightens the fruit and a tingle of sweetness hints of candied fruits."

Yep!

Um, then about 9 million little tiny miniature cookies and things, as well as chocolate parfait, chocolate almond cake, something called "caramel chiboust", chocolate sorbet and spiced caramel.

I give Zinnia 4.5 NOMS!

You'll notice that I skipped day 2 - that is because I didn't really leave the hotel, it was back-to-back seminars about stuff interesting to me but probably rather boring to you. I was on a panel about "how to organize book clubs" and I got to crack a couple jokes. AND I went to a birthday dinner with the lovely Sara Zarr! Yay!

Anyway, day three, more seminars, and meeting with the Emerging Leaders council to hammer out "action plans" and eat eggs benedict. LATER, after all the day's events, a bunch of us went to a restaurant and were told "half hour" wait. So, we put our names down and milled around the temple.



I decided that I would make a terrible Mormon because there is NO WAY if I had a secret name it would stay a secret. I'd wear it on a frickin badge. Anyway, back to the restaurant, and they had given our table away. BOO! I was exhausted and headachey, so I returned to l'hotel for room service and missed what I understand was (eventually) a fantastic dinner.

I did get something rather special, though...



Now up early to pack and go back to SF.