Literary Rambles

This week's Agent Spotlight features Paula Allen of Screenland Literary Associates.

NOTE:  The agency is currently CLOSED to submissions at this time.  Keep an eye on the web site.  Ms. Allen may be accepting submissions again in the future.

About:  "Paula Allen is a literary agent and founder of Screenland Literary Associates in Burbank, California. Previously a buyer and merchandise manager for Barnes and Noble, and later Vice President at Warner Bros. Worldwide Publishing, Allen discovered she enjoyed the creative process of working with writers as well as the thrill of making a sale. In 2005, she combined the two and founded Screenland Literary Associates. Allen and her co-agents are always looking for new writers who bring a fresh and humorous perspective to children’s literature." (Link)

As of this year, 2009, Ms. Allen has joined Nickelodeon as SVP, Global Publishing.  Paula is still acting as a literary agent for her clients; however, she is no longer accepting new clients or submissions at this time. According the website, this may change in the future.

Status: Closed to submissions.

What She's Looking For:

Genres of interest include picture books, middle grade, series books, and young adult.  The agency specializes in Children's literature. 

"I’m always looking for new writers with a unique voice.  But unfortunately, I’m not able to accept unsolited manuscripts right now.  I’ll update my submissions page when I’m able to look at new manuscripts, so keep checking back."  (Link)

Regarding what she looks for in a manuscript:

"A great character with a big problem and some unexpected twists and turns in solving it. I love it when a story surprises me. Also, if I think about it for a day or two afterward, I know it’s gotten to me in some way." (Link)

"Is it a good story? Is it well written? End of discussion. I realize that ‘a good story’ is somewhat subjective, but publishers publish what they think they can sell, and what they can sell is a story that compels people enough to want more. I feel the same way—give me a good story and we’re off to the races." (Link)

What She Isn't Looking For:

Adult literary projects or nonfiction.

Quotables:

"With over 25 years’ experience, we consider ourselves specialists in all manner of children’s literature, including picture books, middle-grade readers, series, and young adult novels. We’ll develop an individualized plan for your manuscript submission, from editorial assistance to a sales plan for pitching your manuscript to publishers and entertainment." (Link)

"Screenland LA is a one-stop children’s literary agency, led by children’s publishing veteran Paula Allen, that works hard to match authors to publishers worldwide. We’re here to manage your book’s entire career, from finding a publisher and getting it published to managing your merchandise, theatrical and television sub-rights on the book as well. It’s your baby, and we will make sure that it has a long and healthy life." (Link)

Editorial Agent?

Yes, as stated on the website, the agency offers editorial assistance as needed.

Web Presence:

Screenland website.

LinkedIn.

AuthorAdvance, QueryTracker, and AgentQuery.

Clients:

There is an author bio page on the Screenland LA website here, though it does not list all of Ms. Allen's clients.  Clients include Steve Fisher, Janet Lawler, Lenny Lipton, Michael Wright, Peter Yarrow, among others.

Sales:

As of this posting, Ms. Allen is listed on Publisher's Marketplace as having made 0 deals in the last 12 months. 

You can view highlights of books that have been sold by Ms. Allen and projects not yet sold on the web site. 

Query Methods:

E-mail: Yes.

Snail-Mail: Yes.

Online-Form: No.

Submission Guidelines (always verify):

Currently closed to submissions.  Check the web site for updates.

Query tip: She prefers 12 point font, minimum.  (Link)

Response Times:

Ms. Allen's response times are kind of all over the place.  When she was still accepting submissions, she had a stated response time of six weeks and often responded within this timeframe.  However, there are many reports of her taking a lot longer to respond, three to six months, and quite a few cases of no response as well. 

What's the Buzz?

There isn't a whole lot of buzz out there about Ms. Allen, but what I did find is very complimentary.  Her clients seem to really love her, and I've seen her described as an "agent extraordinare," as well as funny, honest, and passionate.  Her 25+ years of publishing experience and concentration on children's books make her a great asset to the kidlit community.  With any luck, she'll come back to agenting full time and re-open to submissions!

Worth Your Time:

Meet Paula Allen, an interview on the Screenland Literary website.

Love this agent page on client Michael Wright's website.

A few notes on Paula Allen from Agent's Day in Newport Beach (2008), at Fresh From the Oven.

Contact:

Please see the Screenland Literary website for contact and query information.

***

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at agentspotlight(at)gmail.com

Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found herein is subject to change.

NaNoWriMo, day the eighteenth!

It's kind of funny. Yesterday felt like the longest day ever while it was happening, and now I'm wondering where it went! Here's my word count update...

Current word count: 15,270.

Goal last week: 15,000.

Accomplished: 7,987.

Words 'til finish: 34,730/2,894 words a day until Nov 30th.

Goal this week: 20k? Gulp.

Comments: I think I did pretty good. I wrote several, though not all, days this week and feel like I'm finally letting go. I've settled into the story and I'm finally loving the great reveal that happens with each paragraph, sentence, word. I think I need to write about 20k this week if I want to get back on track, and you know, I'm kind of up for the challenge. Let's see what I can do! Anyone else want to buckle down and try to catch up this week?

And on that note, how are you doing? What are your word counts up to? How is the week going? Do share!

Another Tuesday, another great tip. This one from frequent reader and commenter VR Barkowski. Make sure to stop by and visit her blog. She posted another great research tip there yesterday that you might not want to miss!

"The Seventh Sanctum website is crammed with all kinds of random generators plots, characters, names, ideas. It's also a whole lot of fun. I won't mention how much time I've wasted with the quick story idea generator. :)"

What a fun website, VR! I've certainly lost some time to it since you sent this tip in. Thanks so much! And hey, everyone, I'm getting low on tips again, so if you have one you want to send in, please do!

agentspotlight(at)gmail(dot)com

Slightly old news, but in case you missed it...

Gwendolyn Heasley, author of the upcoming YA novel CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE RECESSIONISTA, joins Artists and Artisans as an agent, focusing on young adult.

"She's actively seeking authors of Young Adult manuscripts of all genres, specifically manuscripts that have a sharp voice and vivid settings."

Check her out on the Artists and Artisans web site, and the Guide to Literary Agent blog.

Best to all who query!

...here are a few wedding photos!  They were taken by my best friend and her boyfriend who are just starting their photography business, DarkLight Pictures.  I think they turned out really good!

 

This week's Agent Spotlight features Catt Lebaigue of Heacock Hill Literary Agency, LLC.

Note: Please read the "What's the Buzz" section below before querying this agent. 

About: "Catt LeBaigue worked as an author’s representative for the Heacock Literary Agency, Inc. for five years.  Previous to that she spent eighteen years in the television and film industry at Sony Pictures, Paramount, Warner Bros. Studios and others.   She grew up in the diplomatic community, living abroad, and returned to the U.S. to attend CSUSB, B.A. In the late seventies and early eighties she worked as an intern at Heacock Literary Agency  reading manuscripts and answering query letters for the Heacocks, knowing one day that she would leave the film industry to work full time as a literary agent." (Link)

Status: Open to submissions.

What She's Looking For:

Genres of interest: Children's fiction, picture books, middle grade, chapter books, young adult. 

Her particular interest include the following:  "Fantasy fiction, mysteries, detective novels, animal stories, chapter books." (Link)

What She Isn't Looking For:

Juvenile nonfiction, adult fiction, adult nonfiction.

Editorial Agent?

Unknown.

Quotables:

"We prefer to work with clients for years and we look for authors who want long term relationships. We keep our client list small." (Link)

"The Heacock Hill Literary Agency was founded with a vision to get significant books into the marketplace, books with the potential to uplift humanity and fortify consciousness.  Books can change the individual from the inside out and individual consciousness can transform the world."  (Link)

Web Presence:

Heacock Hill web site.

AAR.

LinkedIn.

LitMatch, QueryTracker, and AgentQuery.

Clients:

Pam Calvert, Stephen Cosgrove, Larry Dane Brimner.  A client page on the web site is currently under construction.

Sales:

As of this posting, Ms. Lebaigue is listed on Publisher's Marketplace as having made 1 deal in the last 12 months.  Recent sales include 1 picture book.  Note:  I do not believe she keeps PM updated, so this isn't likely to be a true representation of sales.

Query Methods:

E-mail: Yes (only).

Snail-Mail: No.

Online-Form: No.

Submission Guidelines (always verify):

E-mail queries only.  Include name, contact information, a few brief paragraphs about the manuscript or proposal, approximate word count, and a bio or statement about yourself.   Feel free to include a few pages or chapters in the body of the e-mail but not the whole manuscript.  No attachments. 

See the official guidelines here.

Response Times:

The agency's stated response time is one week, but Ms. Lebaigue generally seems to respond within a day or two.  She takes longer on requested materials, of course.  About one to three months, from what I can tell. 

What's the Buzz?

As you can see, there isn't a lot of information available on Catt Lebaigue.  She was very recently an agent for Heacock Literary, a long-time agency with verified clients and sales. However, the agency (not Catt) did acquire a "Not Recommended" status on Preditors and Editor, due to a newer agent that has made one iffy sale in his two years with the agency and has acted in an extremely questionable manner, Tom Dark. 

As of this month, Nov 09, Ms. Lebaigue established the Heacock Hill Literary Agency, after the retirement of Rosalie Heacock, in honor of her late uncle James B. Heacock.  Whether or not this was related to their bad wrap with P&E or simply because it made sense to separate the agencies with Ms. Heacock's full retirement, I do not know. 

The bad news is the Tom Dark is joining the new Heacock agency as well, and it's unfortunate because Catt seems to be legit.  She has a few clients (though I could only find the three, Stephen Cogrove is a big name client), has made at least a few sales, is a member of the AAR and SCBWI, is listed in a few market books, and I found a couple conference schedules with her listed on them.  Her client, Pam Calvert (author of PRINCESS PEEPERS and an active Blue Boards member) is happy to sing her praises, but she seems to be the only client actively doing so online.

If you're interested in querying, I strongly recommend you read through this string of posts on Absolute Write in order to fully understand the nature of the controversy surrounding her associate, Tom Dark, and then draw your own conclusions about the situation.  Tom should have no direct influence on Ms. Lebaigue's dealings; however, the thread shows he might have used her e-mail accounts in the past, and one has to wonder why she'd continue to associate with an agent who is potentially dragging her reputation, newly founded agency, and late uncle's name down. 

For now, there's nothing to suggest Catt is anything but respectable (except as noted), but I'll keep you updated as best I can on the agency. If you have any further information or input on this, please inform me.

Contact:

Please see the Heacock Hill Literary web site for contact and query information.

***

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at agentspotlight(at)gmail.com

Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found herein is subject to change.

First order of the day, BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER. Mine tried to crash on me this morning. I hadn't done a backup for two months, so I was definitely feeling the panic. Fortunately, I was able to get into safe mode just before throwing it across the room. Got everything backed up and it seems to be working fine now. I don't trust it though. I'll be backing up daily.

Current word count: 7,283.

Goal last week: 11,670.

Accomplished: 2,240.

Words 'til finish: 42,717/2500 words a day until Nov 30th.

Goal this week: 15,000.

Comments: Erm. As you can see, I'm getting epically behind on NaNoWriMo. I won't give excuses. I'll admit it. I'm just not motivated. *Sigh* I had meant to add a couple thousand words to my count this morning, but then the whole computer crash thing happened. I'm still within catch up range though, so I'm really going to try to focus on writing daily and see what I can do to get back on track!

How are you doing on your word counts (NaNo or otherwise)? I know some off you are blowing the rest of us out of the water. Totally. Awesome. Keep it up everyone!!!!!