I also need to feel that I know how I would edit the manuscript. It could be an incredible voice or an interesting narrative structure. This doesn’t have to be a literal twist – “It’s Cinderella, if Cinderella were a guy!” – just something that makes the project feel different from the many others in my inbox, and at the bookstore. I want to see a manuscript that’s similar to what’s selling in the market right now, but that also has enough of a twist to make it stand out on a crowded shelf. It’s the old adage: something similar, but different. What in a manuscript makes you believe it is salable, even if you think it needs revision first? Write your best work, do you research, know your genre – but please also know that agents are sometimes weird, quirky people with unpredictable interests, and a pass from us is not a value judgment on your work. There’s only so much you can control about how an agent responds to your work.
I know it can be maddening to hear such a subjective response, but I hope it’s also a little bit freeing. If I’m going to take on a project, I’m probably going to read it upwards of ten times throughout the book’s life, so I really need to have that “I don’t want to do anything else but read this!” feeling from the get-go. Sometimes the writing is strong, or the concept seems fresh, but I just don’t find myself dying to read that particular manuscript over, say, watching an episode of House of Cards or cramming in some pleasure reading before bed. My day is spent working for my clients and handling foreign rights for Folio, so I read requested material on nights and weekends. Why does anyone pick up one book over another? It can be hard to pin down why you’re drawn to a certain story, and your reasoning can vary with the weather or your mood. I make a request when I see great writing and-the kicker-a concept that’s intriguing to me personally. Molly, thank you so much for stopping by Sub It Club to answer some questions for us! Here’s one all writers want to know the answer to: When you’re reading through query letters, what are some things that make you say hey, I need to request on this?įirst, thanks so much for having me! I’m thrilled to be here. Molly is an agent at Folio Literary Management where she represents Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction and is the Co-Director of International Rights. Please email your query letter along with the first 25 pages of your manuscript, with the word QUERY in the subject line, to I try to respond to all queries, however if you do not hear from me within thirty days, please consider it a pass.It’s been a great month long celebration here at Sub It Club! Today I am extremely pleased to be wrapping up the celebrations by welcoming Molly Jaffa to the Sub It Club blog. She lives in New York with her husband and daughter.
#Submissions folio literary management professional#
Smith’s Black Panther: The Young Prince.Īdriann has been working with writers all her professional life, beginning at The Editorial Department, the freelance editorial firm, and then representing writers at Anderson Literary Management, Wolf Literary Services (now Mackenzie Wolf), and Foundry Literary + Media. Recent children’s titles include Kendare Blake’s #1 NYT bestselling Three Dark Crowns series, Mindy McGinnis’ feminist page-turner The Female of the Species, and Ronald L. Her recent fiction titles include Sarah Gerard’s darkly comic True Love, Jan Eliasberg’s historical fiction Hannah’s War, and Kali Wallace’s sci-fi thriller Salvation Day.
Her recent nonfiction titles include Jennifer Pastiloff’s inspirational memoir On Being Human: A Memoir of Waking Up, Living Real, and Listening Hard, Carrie Goldberg’s legal memoir Nobody’s Victim: Fighting Psychos, Stalkers, Pervs, and Trolls, and Amanda Yates Garcia’s luminous memoir Initiated: Memoir of a Witch.
She’s particularly interested in urgent, existential concepts that lift up women’s voices and experiences underrepresented perspectives and smart, fresh, genre-bending works for children. She represents media in all genres and for all age groups, specializing in projects that subvert expectations, and clever, powerful work that’s still accessible to a general audience. Adriann Ranta Zurhellen represents New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors, journalists, illustrators, and graphic novelists, as well as many other pioneering creative thinkers and leaders in their fields.
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