Dear Julie,

What’s the secret to finding an agent/publisher? And, although within the children’s fiction market, an agent is not as imperative as it is in the adult market, do you suggest starting out with one regardless? Or is it safe to send material to a publisher if they accept queries/manuscripts from the writer?

Thanks,

Frodo

Dear Frodo,

Well, I’m not the best person to answer this question, but that’s never stopped me from answering questions before. So, here’s my opinion of how to approach any sort of writing career. Always aim to start at the top. While it’s true that publishers of children’s books often take work directly from authors, I’d venture to guess that you’d prefer having an agent to support the future of your writing career. I might be guessing incorrectly. Nevertheless, I’ll forge ahead as if my assumption is correct.

I suggest you start by culling a list of children’s book agent. There’s no secret on how to do this. Search the web. Go to the library and read the latest edition of Writer’s & Illustrator’s Guide to Children’s Book Publishers and Agents. Rate the agents according to their suitability to represent your work judging by the sort of work they’ve placed and its similarity to your fiction. Then send a query to the agent at the top of the list and so on and so on down to the last. Now, I’m assuming here that you can handle a bit of rejection. Maybe you won’t have to.

If you don’t get anywhere with the agent search, then I’d go on to query publishers who take un-agented work. It’s totally safe. If you’re worried that people are going to steal your work, don’t. Publishers would prefer to buy work than steal it. Costly court battles aren’t as appealing as they once were in the non-electronic age when author authentication wasn’t just a computer file away. (Was that what you meant by “safe?”)

I hope this helps. If not, or if it raises more questions, you know how to reach me…

If you have a question for Julie Luongo about writing or whatever else, I guess, within reason (and don’t expect an immediate answer) email her at: juluongo@yahoo.com

Visit my personal blog.

Q: Dear Julie,

Do you do research for topics that you don’t know much about, or do you just steer clear of subject matter than you have no (or little) prior knowledge of?

Thanks,

Not a writer

A: Dear Not A Writer,

Thanks for your question. It’s a good one and well written for someone who’s not a writer. I didn’t have to make any corrections to it. Are you sure you’re not a writer?

I’m always researching. I’m curious. The problem is that I’m also lazy. Really, I couldn’t be happier that I’m living in a world that has research access at my fingertips 24/7. Oh, and the joy of being able to follow my fleeting interests and make use of everything I learn. It’s probably one of the biggest reasons I became a writer. I wanted to make all of the random bits of information I gathered useful. Plus, I couldn’t ever decide what I wanted to do with my life. I was interested in too many things. So, I thought writing about my interests would give me variety and satisfaction without suffering the consequences of a long-term commitment to any one path … except for the writing path, of course.

I have to do research because, getting a glimpse at what there is to know, I recognize that I have very little knowledge about anything. In the scheme of things, I know almost nothing. It’s upsetting, really.

Given all there is to learn, I’d say I direct most of my research efforts into the study of human behavior and interpersonal interactions.

• What motivates people?
• Why do they do what they do?
• How are strong opinions developed?
• What do different people do in similar situations and why?
• Who wants what and what will they do to get it?
• Why do people believe what they believe?
• Why do people tolerate what they tolerate?
• How do people understand and communicate their needs?
• What are people most afraid of and what do they most desire?
• What will they do to avoid what they fear and get what they want?

I’m excited just typing these questions. My sister Sarah and I were similarly interested in human behavior. However, Sarah saw what people were doing and thought, “I can help, if I get to them early enough.” And she became a school psychologist. I looked at what people were doing and I thought, “that’s interesting.” I don’t really want to help. I just want to know for the sake of knowing. (My sister’s a better person than I.)

Also, I love to monkey around with ideas and conduct thought experiments. I prefer a discussion about what superpower you’d like to have over talk about the ramifications of the cold war on modern Russian society. I prefer to think about the road to addiction than the Road to Guantanamo. I don’t have much of a yen for straight history or politics. I never have. I like history or politics when it involves an analysis of personality. And I like them when they include the art that comes from a period of time. This is because I think the art that’s created and consumed tells me about the collective consciousness of a period of time better than any timeline narrative. But I think I’m off topic.

To answer your question in another way:

• I research to know more about what I care about and enhance what I know
• I research to explore new worlds I know nothing about aside from that they exist and intrigue me
• And then I integrate my research so it doesn’t seem like I’m writing about things I don’t know about first-hand by talking about it endlessly and turning the new ideas over in my head

I do this by reading, talking, interviewing, living, traveling, asking, wondering, and imagining. I read books, blogs, threads, magazines, interviews, Q&As, police blotters, obits, comics, newspapers, studies, essays, papers, stories, novels, poems, notes, comments, emails. I watch movies and documentaries. I ask questions then I shut my mouth and listen. I watch. I guess. I conjecture. I seek new experiences. By hook or by crook.

But, I tend to write what I know in terms of setting, culture, and time. So, I do steer clear of subject matter I don’t know much about. It helps that I prefer character-driven yarns. I also prefer a modern setting. I think some basic human struggles transcend time and place. The struggle to know more, for example. I can related to that. Maybe I’ll write a book about it.

Whew, that really was a good question, Not a Writer. Thanks for being part of A Writing Life series.

Best,

Julie Luongo

If you have a question for Julie Luongo about writing or whatever else, I guess, within reason, (and don’t expect an immediate answer) email her at: juluongo@yahoo.com

This is a reprint from my personal blog.