Lori Perkins has been talking about the kinds of books she loves to represent.... which got me thinking, what woul *I* represent if I were an agent? This was very fun to think about, since as a writer, I can't really write everything that appeals to me, at least not out of the gate. I understand that new authors need to build their "brand" and can then branch out if they have a nice following (like Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb).
So, I'd want to rep mysteries, particularly cozy mysteries. I don't think I'd rep genre romance because I don't read enough of it, but maybe an occasional stand-alone title that is women's lit/romance. I'd search high and low for the evasive literary novel with a Happily Ever After ending instead of all the misery and despair that seems to crowd the "new in paperback" tables right now. I'd also search for novels with intesecting plot lines, particularly when one is historical - The Map of Love and Possession are great examples. Also genre-bending novels with a mystery at their core, like The Historian (aka the best book of 2005) and Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next books.
I also tend to shy away from "inspirational fiction" as a genre, but love books where faith is explored and presented as a complex undergirding to the structure of the book. C.S. Lewis and Tolkein are the masters of this. So, sure, I'd look for the next C.S. Lewis and Tolkein - no problem!
So, blog-readers, what books would you rep if you were an agent, looking for that diamond in the slush?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Atom Feed (xml)
1 comment:
I like funny. With a twist of mystery/thriller. So I'd be on the lookout for the next Janet Evanovich type.
I'd want to focus all my time on fiction, but the economics of the business would likely force some non-fiction onto my list. Then it would have to be something like Freakonomics.
Commercial/mainstream fiction mostly. I like romantic elements in a novel. Heck, I just love a good story.
Post a Comment