“Discerning Literature”
I’m about as ancient as dirt in Christian-agent time (of course, that would never be said of me in real time). I’ve been an agent for twelve years, which in the Christian realm means I came to this game early on. I decided to pursue being an agent after Focus on the Family divorced me. . . . Okay, really, we parted company because Focus was moving to Colorado Springs from Southern California, and that was a move I didn’t want to make.
When you find yourself standing at professional crossroads, you examine what your strengths and weaknesses are. As I thought about mine, I realized that, as an editor at Focus on the Family and Zondervan before that, what gave me the greatest joy was discovering writing voices others didn’t know about. I had heard Patsy Clairmont on a Focus on the Family broadcast and laughed my head off—and heard a speaker who carefully chose every word that came from her mouth. A natural-born writer if ever I heard one. But Patsy had never gathered the confidence to tap out a book. We teamed up and—voila!—God Uses Cracked Pots, her first book, was born. Robin Jones Gunn’s Christy Miller Series was lurking in my slush pile just waiting to be unleashed on teen readers.
As I assessed my publishing experience and my inclinations, I realized this new-to-Christian publishing venue of agenting might be the right gig for me. And so it has been. I founded Books & Such Literary Agency that year, and since then I have had the privilege of representing such stellar authors as Joanna Weaver, author of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, which has sold 500,000 copies and has remained on the Top 100 Sellers List for six years; W. Dale Cramer, who has won two Christy Awards for his contemporary novels and received several starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for his fine writing; RITA and Holt Medallion winner Gayle Roper . . . the list goes on.
Read the rest here!
http://www.christianfictiononlinemagazine.com/biz_agent.html
I am blessed to be represented by her. I signed with Janet in 1997. I was an unpublished wannabe. Eleven years and fifteen books later I'd say we make a great team!
No comments:
Post a Comment