Two great workshops soon: Secrets of Writing a Page-turner in London & Guelph

Secrets of Writing a Page-turner

Techniques for making any story more compelling

Saturday, December 1

1:00 – 4:30 p.m.

London Public Library, Stevenson & Hunt Room B, 251 Dundas St, London, Ontario (Map here)

Fee: $37.17 + 13% hst = $42  in advance or $39.82 + 13% hst = $45  at the door

And

Saturday, December 8

10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Harcourt United Church, 87 Dean Avenue, Guelph, Ontario (Map here) 

Fee: $43.36 + 13% hst = $49 in advance or $46.90 + 13% hst = $53 at the door

Ever stayed up all night reading a book? In this workshop, you’ll learn you how to build that kind of tension.  And we'll help you put into practice the techniques professionals use – on every page and in every kind of story – to create drama and tension.

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor, author, and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years, and he publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers. But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published. 

Read reviews of Brian’s weekly classes, Saturday workshops, and weekend writing retreats here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops,weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Immortal Water by Brian Van Norman, reviewed by Pat Girard

Guernica Editions, 2018, 360 pages. Available in Trade Paperback, ePub or Kindle from Guernica here. For information about submitting to Guernica, see here.

Immortal Water is a striking portrayal of the very human fear of aging. The novel depicts two men from two time periods: the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon in the 16th Century and a retired teacher named Ross Porter, in the 21st, both in the midst of mid-life crisis. 

In parallel plots the two men become obsessed with a search for the mythical Fountain of Youth. These protagonists sparkle into fullness as they struggle to remain vital while age steals their powers away.

Exiled by Diego Colon (Viceroy of the Spanish Indies) Juan Ponce attempts to recover his youth and regain his powers politically. He follows a mystic native woman, Mayaimi, who tells him she will lead him to a magical water in the land of her birth La Florida. As he voyages toward his destination Juan Ponce keeps a journal, writing about his past, wondering how he has failed.

Author Brian Van Norman at his book
launch in Waterloo

Ross Porter visits Florida in retirement with his wife, Emily. Ross feels too young to have retired. His wife is dying from an incurable cancer. Ross reflects on his past, fearful of his future alone. When Emily dies he mistakes her last words as a sign. He decides, against all logic, to find the fabled Fountain of Youth disrupting friendships and family with his obsession. 

He, too, is led by a woman: a young, free spirited Angela Sayer who wants to become an eco-tourism guide through Florida’s wild, untamed places.

Immortal Water is poetic, intelligent and timely. Its theme reflects the fears of so many middle-aged individuals in our current society where youth is venerated. With an elegant, convincing style Van Norman leads his readers on a magical journey.

Visit the author’s website here.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Two senior literary agents at JABberwocky seek new authors – sf/fantasy, mystery/thrillers, literary fiction, adult, YA and middle grade

JABberwocky Literary Agency

49 West 45^th Street

12^th Floor North

New York, NY  10036

http://awfulagent.com/

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the Follow Brian by Email box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox, and if you’re not yet on my newsletter list, send me an email, including your locale to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~Brian

Joshua Bilmes is the president of JABberwocky, which he founded in 1994. He has been an agent for more than 30 years, having made his professional debut at the Scott Meredith Agency in 1986. Joshua is open to query letters.

Joshua wants to see fiction in sf/fantasy and mystery/thrillers, and will reject submissions in other categories.  He shies away from the more literary part of the sf/fantasy spectrum. If your project looks intriguing, but not in line with his personal tastes, he may share it with another agent in the office.

In nonfiction, he’s looking more broadly.

See his blog for more information.

Query Joshua at: queryjoshua@awfulagent.com

Send only a query letter; no manuscript pages until he asks, though a 1–3-page synopsis may be pasted in below the query but isn’t mandatory. No attachments.

Eddie Schneider is the Vice President of JABberwocky.

Eddie is looking for literary fiction,  particularly plot-driven fiction with a strong emotional core that goes beyond and outside middle-class concerns  endemic to literary fiction; for example A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki and Round House by Louise Erdrich.

He also wants science fiction, especially if it’s set in the near future and includes social or cultural commentary, and fantasy that’s set outside the northern European milieu in which the genre originated.

Eddie is also seeking Young Adult and Middle Grade fiction. His favourite YA novels “end to be both character- and concept-driven while embracing the intensity of emotion that characterizes the best YA fiction.” In Middle Grade, Eddie wants both contemporary realistic fiction and sci-fi and fantasy.

In nonfiction, Eddie is interested in science, history, and narrative nonfiction, particularly memoirs that take on issues that extend beyond the author’s own life, travel narratives that are socially engaged and possess an individual stamp, and in “nonfiction novels.”

Eddie is also looking for Graphic Novels and Comic. He’s only interested in author/artists or established author-artist teams. In graphic novels, he’s looking for both fiction and nonfiction, realistic or speculative and for adults, young adults or middle grade. For comics, he’s especially looking for submissions that are both humorous and incisive.

For more details of what Eddie is looking for, see here. Follow him on Twitter here.

Query Eddie at: queryeddie@awfulagent.com

Paste the first five pages of your manuscript into your email. A 1–3-page synopsis may be pasted in below this but isn’t mandatory. No attachments.

Children's author Kira Vermond will be one of the guest
speakers at the weekly Writing Kid Lit course

If you’re interested in getting published, soon or somewhere down the road, don’t miss the upcoming How to Get Published workshop Saturday, Nov 17, in Mississauga with literary agent Stephanie Sinclair (see here). 

For updated listing of How to Get Published workshops see here (and scroll down).

If you’re interested in writing for children or for young adults, Brian will lead a Writing Kid Lit weekly course on Thursday evenings, Jan 24 – March 28, at the Oakville Central Library (see here). 

For updated listings of Writing for Children & for Young adult workshops and for weekly Kid lit classes, see here (and scroll down). 

Also coming soon: How to Build Your Story: Plotting novels & Writing short stories, Saturday, Nov 24 in Alliston (see here) and Saturday, Jan 19 in Oakville (see here) and Secrets of Writing a Page-Turner, Saturday, Dec 1 in London (see here), and Saturday, Dec 8, in Guelph (see here).

 

Arowhon Pines Resort

 A weekend writing retreat:

Algonquin Writing Retreat, Friday, May 31 – Monday, June 3, 2019: four days in the luxurious isolation of Arowhon Pines Resort to get down to some real creative growth. Sign up soon to get the 2017 rates! Details here.

Winter courses (Details of all 5 classes here):

Exploring Creative Writing, Thursday afternoons, Jan 24 – April 5 (no class March 14), in Burlington. Details here.

Writing Kid Lit, Thursday evenings, Jan 24 – March 28 (no class March 14), in Oakville. Details here.

Intensive Creative Writing, Tuesday afternoons, Jan 22 – April 2 (no class March 12); first readings emailed Jan 15, in Burlington. Details here.

Intensive Creative Writing, Wednesday evenings Jan 23 – April 3 (no class March 13); first readings emailed Jan 16, in Burlington. Details here.

Intensive Creative Writing, Friday mornings Jan 25 – April 5 / 12 (10 or 11 weeks, no class March 13); first readings emailed Jan 16, in Toronto. Details here.

            Details of all 5 classes here.

Read reviews of Brian’s courses, retreats, and workshops here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for more interviews with literary agents or a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.

Secrets of Writing a Page-turner workshop offered Dec 1 in London and Dec 8 in Guelph

Secrets of Writing a Page-turner

Techniques for making any story more compelling

Saturday, December 1, 2018

1:00 – 4:30 p.m.

London Public Library, Stevenson & Hunt Room B, 251 Dundas St, London, Ontario (Map here)

Fee: $37.17 + 13% hst = $42  in advance or $39.82 + 13% hst = $45  at the door

And

Saturday, December 8, 2018

10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Harcourt United Church, 87 Dean Avenue, Guelph, Ontario (Map here) 

Fee: $43.36 + 13% hst = $49 in advance or $46.90 + 13% hst = $53 at the door

Ever stayed up all night reading a book? In this workshop, you’ll learn you how to build that kind of tension.  And we'll help you put into practice the techniques professionals use – on every page and in every kind of story – to create drama and tension.

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers, teaches creative writing at Ryerson University, and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Charlottetown. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors. 

See reviews of Brian's classes and workshops here.

To reserve a spot now, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

See Brian’s full schedule here, including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Congratulations to everyone who made it to the second round or was a finalist in the CANSCAIP contest and to Richard and Paula for getting stories published; plus beta readers and a critique partner wanted

Note: If you’ve had a story (or a book!) published or you’ve placed in a writing contest or have any other news, send me an email so I can share your success and we can all encourage each other. And be sure to let know if you have something for "Writer to Writer" (you're looking for a writers' group or beta readers, for examples). Email me at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Hi, Brian:

Captain Monty by Jennifer Mook-Sang, now published by
Kids Can Press, was a finalist in the 2014 CANSCAIP contest

I was thrilled to learn that I made it to the second stage of the CANSCAIP contest!

See you in class on Friday.

Karyn

Congratualations, Karyn! And congratulations to everyone who submitted a story, congratulations to those who made it to the second stage of the contest, and congratulations to Karon Young, whose entry was a finalist!

Note: The CANSCAIP writing contests is for authors of kid lit – picture books through young adults. One of the nice features of the contest is that you receive feedback on your entry. In addition, the two winners and eight finalists all have their work submitted to three Canadian children's publishers. Entries for 2019 open in March.

More about the CANSCAIP contest here.

Hi, Brian.

I had another short piece published today in the Literary Yard's e-journal. You can find the story here. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment to have flash fiction published.

I'm looking forward to seeing you at upcoming workshops.

Kind Regards,

Richard Tattoni

Hi again, Brian.

I am writing slowly. The Polar Expressions contest accepted a story of mine for their anthology. And I am almost ready to submit another story to the CBC Short Story Contest.

Thank you for all your guidance!

Paula MacDonald

Writer to Writer

Call for your stories, comments, interaction

A bit of the Inca Trail

I'm looking for (1) a fellow writer who has (2) walked the Inca Trail and (3) would be willing to read the first 30,000 words of my novel, THE FIASCO, to (4) tell me if I've got the hike right.

If you are interested then please contact me at shaunaclinning@gmail.com

It goes without saying that I will return the huge favour!

Thanks,

Shauna Clinning

Hello, Brian:

Really enjoyed workshop. Wish I was closer so I could attend a weekly intensive writing class.

I’m looking for a critique partner. I am writing a novel. The story is pretty intense. The main characters are twins. The story is about their lives; one will suffer and live a lonely life yet survive as a beautifully evolved heroine; the other will be blessed in every way yet fail to survive or self-actualize. Christ is also a character in the story, though it is not a “Christian” book at this point. Thank you

Shelley Sukhdeo

If you’d like to be a critique partner with me, email me at: shelleysukhdeo@gmail.com

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Cambridge, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

“Killing Time” by Bruce Madole

Every year now it seems that I hear news about another shooting in a school, an institution under lockdown, a profile of the killer or killers, a lamentation in print or media about the promise of those lives that have been cut short. Sometimes, it feels as though I’m hearing about such things every month. Those stories used to make me flinch, with a strong desire to run away and bury my mind in some other thing, something, for preference, that would be positive, uplifting, or at least distracting. For a while, the stories just left me depressed. Or angry. Always, however, they leave me remembering.

What I remember first about that day – May 28, 1975 – was the boredom, slouching un-engaged in yet another math class on the third floor of the canning factory that was our high school. And it was a great school. I enjoyed my classes there, but I didn’t enjoy math. So I was looking forward to lunch and only fractionally engaged with bi-nomial equations when the Principal made an announcement over the school’s PA system. All students were to remain in their classrooms. Stay out of the hallways. 
At the same time, outside the classroom window, I could hear – we all heard – the sound of approaching sirens. Police, fire, ambulances – I remember them coming from everywhere, like wasps to a picnic. Memory is strange, but that’s how I remember it. I heard no gunshots, saw no bloodshed, no victims. Others of my friends were not so lucky. One of my friends, John Slinger, was among the dead. But I didn’t know that, at the time.

Eventually, there was another announcement, telling us how to leave the school, by what route, and simply, to go home. But we didn’t go home. I remember, we looked for each other, in small drifting groups milling around at the edges of the school property, binding to the people we could find, seeking some understanding of what had just happened there. 
Yes, it was a shooting in the school; the truth came out in horrible chunks, transported to our eyes and ears like victims to the hospital, in an implacable parade of damage: three dead, including the shooter, and 13 wounded. 
It was the first time: the school staff had invented a lockdown protocol on the spot, we learned later. There were consequences: the shooter’s family, reeling from the loss of a beloved son, were tormented by their own inability to understand how this could have happened. I remember being terribly angry at the newspapers, with their relentless pursuit of fresh angles to a painful story. What did people think? How did they feel? How could this have happened?

For a long while, that anger left me determined to do a better job, a more sensitive and compassionate job, if I should ever find myself as a member of the press. I went to journalism school after university, still partly burning with that unexpressed criticism of the profession. It didn’t last. What I learned, instead, was that there were good storytellers, ready to deal with the real people in a story, and there were ordinary writers who could pound out the who, what and why without ever grasping whatever it was about a story that truly mattered. Paul Nowack taught me that, among others.  

Looking back, it was perhaps the single moment when I began to have an inkling that life is not permanent, that friendships were a precious and fragile gift, never to be taken for granted. I learned that it would be wise to think about time as it passes: what you will do with it, and what it will do with you. Or to you. It’s funny stuff, time. It shapes us, wounds us, heals us, deceives us… or maybe it just allows us to do all those things to ourselves.

These days, when those kinds of tragedy strike, the survivors are often provided some kind of trauma or grief counselling. They didn’t know about such things back then, I guess; I became a songwriter, eventually, though it took a while. I think it took me nearly twenty years to process the experience, to come to terms with that day, in the form of a song, “After the Shooting Stops.” 
Dealing with that day was much worse, I would come to understand, for all of those first-responders who turned up, as they always do, not knowing anything about what they faced, what they might be up against.

In truth, I always felt like a bit of a wuss, for feeling as I did – there were so many others who were closer to the violence of that day, to the ugly truth of it. They saw things. Some of them even got shot. But I still remember some of those moments – wandering around, hugging each other, sometimes crying with relief as we found each other –  as though it was yesterday. I wonder what has happened to some of those people, swept along in the current of their own lives and far away from mine. Time is funny stuff.

My mother taught in a primary school in the same town. She’s passed, years ago now, but I remember hearing once that Mom and her fellow teachers were told about the shooting in our school but had no details about who might have been hurt, who might have been killed. And she had to teach the rest of the day, not knowing. As I recall, my sister and I both had fierce hugs when we finally straggled through the door, later that afternoon. It was a long time ago, and perhaps I mis-remember.

   All of these memories, however, form a part of how I hear each new story, each fresh atrocity, each new refusal to actually deal with the truth of it. Yes, we keep hearing that guns don’t kill people, it’s people who kill people. And that’s true but given a choice between a killer with a gun, and a killer with a loaf of bread, I’d probably prefer to face the loaf of bread. Is it time we have to blame for this persistent stupidity? Time passes, and the problem persists. The stories continue. Horrific anniversaries of dreadful events pile up and drift like fallen leaves from the tree of wisdom, but they never seem to compost into anything. Not wisdom. Not change. Not even hope.

Sometimes though, I can remember to write a story. Or a song. To throw it out there, like a fallen red leaf on the black waters of time, and wait for time to carry it away, out of sight. You know, just killing time.

Bruce Madole approaches writing fiction with a wry, humorous, and occasionally noir-ish approach to story-telling. He loves strong characters with strong voices and definite flaws, and he has a long-standing love of the crime and mystery novels. Among other accolades, he’s the winner of the 2017 John Kenneth Galbraith Literary Award. Bruce is also an award-winning songwriter and songwriting workshop leader, as well as the con-founder, producer and performing host of The Source of the Song songwriters’ concert series (ongoing since 2003). Visit his website here.

See Brian Henry’s schedule here, including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Cambridge, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Interview with UK agent Louise Buckley of Zeno Agency, who's seeking North American authors

The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker
by Jenni Keer, represented by Zeno Agency

Zeno Agency Ltd

Primrose Hill Business Centre

110 Gloucester Avenue

London NW1 8HX

http://zenoagency.com/  

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the Follow Brian by Email box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox, and if you’re not yet on my newsletter list, send me an email, including your locale to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~Brian

Louise Buckley is an associate agent with Zeno Agency, a literary agency based in London, England. The company represents an esteemed list of authors, comprising major brand-names, high profile award winners, talented debut authors and prestigious literary estates. Primarily, it specializes in representing Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, but is expanding into other genres.

Louise joined Zeno Agency in 2016, following six years working as an editor at two major trade publishing companies. She’s actively building her list of authors and is especially looking for Women’s Fiction, Crime Fiction, Thrillers and Psychological Suspense, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, and Literary Fiction. She’s also looking to represent selected nonfiction.

Louise is particularly interested in representing some North American authors and has graciously agreed to be interviewed on Quick Brown Fox.

QBF: First, a big welcome to Quick Brown Fox.

Louise: Thank you!

Louise

QBF: Do you have suggestions for how authors can get their manuscript in shape before starting the submission process?

Louise: Many! But my top tip would be to find some beta readers who can offer objective, honest feedback on your query letter and your novel or nonfiction proposal. 

Close friends and family are usually not the best sources of feedback. They won’t want to hurt your feelings and may not be the best judge of the quality of something. 

Writers groups, and trusted acquaintances are probably better bets – or, if these aren’t options, a professional opinion from an industry expert can help pinpoint what needs improving before you submit.

QBF: What sort of books are you especially looking for?

Louise: At the moment, I am particularly on the hunt for a strong crime novel or mystery; I love a good whodunnit or even a why-dunnit that keeps me guessing until the end! I would love to see an epic love story – something that spans time periods, continents or generations. I also tend to be captured by a strong or unique voice and well-formed, fallible characters who you can’t help but root for.

QBF: Is there anything you see too much of or that seems overdone these days?

Louise: As one of the biggest and most esteemed agencies in the UK representing SF and Fantasy, I tend to primarily receive submissions in these areas. Whilst I do represent authors in these areas, I am particularly keen to see submissions in other genres.

QBF: Are you accepting any Young Adult fiction?

Louise: Yes! I am interested in older/upper YA (age 14+). Although in my experience, YA is a tough sell right now and so I am being very selective about what I take on.

When All Is Said, by Anne Griffen
represented by Zeno Agency

QBF: Can you tell us about your process when you’re considering a project.

Louise: I read the query letter first and then look at the sample. If I am enjoying the sample and sufficiently intrigued from the query letter, I will read the synopsis.

If I enjoy the sample and think the pitch and concept has potential, then I will request the full manuscript. 

If I love the book but I feel it needs a lot of editorial work before I would consider representing the author, I may go back saying how much I love the book but that I have reservations and want the author to undertake some editorial work. Sometimes they send something back and I decide it isn’t for me after all. On other occasions they may send it back and I think it’s brilliant and then I call to offer representation and discuss any further editorial thoughts. 

Sometimes something needs editorial work but I am certain I could sell it, and in this instance I would offer representation before the author undertook the editorial work.

In nonfiction, if the author hasn’t provided any sample chapters, I may ask them to provide a couple of sample chapters.

QBF: Besides a great book, what else you look for in a client?

Louise: I would say the qualities that you need in all good working partnerships (because the author-agent relationship is definitely a partnership); kindness, respect, an openness to constructive feedback, honesty, good ideas. The relationship between agent and author will ideally last the duration of the author’s writing career and so it benefits both parties to display these qualities. Of course, you can’t always know at the start whether you will connect with each other, but ideally an agent will be looking for these qualities in a writer and a writer will do their research and try to find an agent who understands their book and is easy to get on with.

Many agents may say a social media presence is something they look for, which can be helpful with nonfiction, but in my experience is not important at the early stages of an author’s fiction writing career – the quality of the novel is much more important to me!

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch,
represented by Zeno Agency

QBF: Can you tell us something about how you work with authors?

Louise: I am a hands-on agent. I don’t represent a huge list of authors at the moment so I can dedicate lots of time to working with my authors editorially and explaining who, what, where and why, when questions and situations arise. I try to communicate regularly and make sure that I am available when needed.

QBF: Can you tell us something about working internationally?

Louise: We are a small, boutique agency in the UK. This means that I handle and sell all my client’s rights, including publication, film, audio and translation rights – across the world. We are fortunate that we have established close relationships with a large network of sub-agents internationally, who sell our books in each of their respective territories/languages, and our film sub-agent is based in L.A.

I also sell directly to editors in North America. We don’t work with a sub-agent in the US and Canada, so I make sure to keep track of marketplace news and meet with US editors at book fairs. The agency also makes a point of attending international writing conferences and conventions, where many North American editors are present.

QBF: What would you like writers to know about the publishing industry?

Louise: That it’s a tough old business. Many writers think that if you write a good book and a strong query letter then you are sure to secure representation. But the arrival of the internet has made the route to publication available to everyone and more people than ever are writing books. Therefore, your book really needs to stand out from the crowd.

Additionally, it can sometimes be a case of being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes an author will write something that happens to fit into a trend six months down the line. Or meet an agent or editor and really make an impression. Luck can be a big factor in whether you are successful. It’s a hard pill to swallow. But with hard work, research and perseverance, you will hopefully still get there! Don’t give up!

Query Louise at: louisebuckleyagent@gmail.com

In the subject line, please be sure to put: SUBMISSION {Title of novel} by {name}. Full submission guidelines here.

Literary agent Stephanie Sinclair

If you’re interested in getting published, soon or somewhere down the road, don’t miss the upcoming How to Get Published workshop Saturday, Nov 17, in Mississauga with literary agent Stephanie Sinclair (see here). 

For updated listing of How to Get Published workshops see here (and scroll down).

If you’re interested in writing for children or for young adults, Brian will lead a Writing Kid Lit weekly course on Thursday evenings, Jan 24 – March 28, at the Oakville Central Library (see here). 

For updated listings of Writing for Children & for Young adult workshops and for weekly Kid lit classes, see here (and scroll down). 

Also coming soon: How to Build Your Story: Plotting novels & Writing short stories, Saturday, Nov 24 in Alliston (see here) and Saturday, Jan 19 in Oakville (see here) and Secrets of Writing a Page-Turner, Saturday, Dec 1 in London (see here), and Saturday, Dec 8, in Guelph (see here).

 A weekend writing retreat:

Algonquin Writing Retreat, Friday, May 31 – Monday, June 3, 2019: four days in the luxurious isolation of Arowhon Pines Resort to get down to some real creative growth. Details here.

Winter courses (Details of all 5 classes here):

Exploring Creative Writing, Thursday afternoons, Jan 24 – April 5 (no class March 14), in Burlington. Details here.

Writing Kid Lit, Thursday evenings, Jan 24 – March 28 (no class March 14), in Oakville. Details here.

Intensive Creative Writing, Tuesday afternoons, Jan 22 – April 2 (no class March 12); first readings emailed Jan 15, in Burlington. Details here.

Intensive Creative Writing, Wednesday evenings Jan 23 – April 3 (no class March 13); first readings emailed Jan 16, in Burlington. Details here.

Intensive Creative Writing, Friday mornings Jan 25 – April 5 / 12 (10 or 11 weeks, no class March 13); first readings emailed Jan 16, in Toronto. Details here.

            Details of all 5 classes here.

Read reviews of Brian’s courses, retreats, and workshops here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for more interviews with literary agents or a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.