The Scary World of Editors and Agents

I am taking part in Row 80, the full name of which is A Round of Words in 80 Days. “The writing challenge that knows you have a life.” You set your own goals, which works for me. My goals for this round are here.

As I said in my last blog, I attended the Moonlight and Magnolias Conference in Decatur, Georgia. The conference was amazing, and I’d like to share some more of the fun—and the information—from that conference.
On Friday, the first official event took place. The Industry, AKA Editor-Agent, Panel is a staple at most writers conferences, and this one was no different. At a long table (in order of seating) were: Nancy Knight (agent with Sullivan Maxx Literary Agency), Michelle Grajikowski (3 Seas Literary Agency), Victoria Curran (editor, Harlequin), Leah Hultenschmidt (senior editor, Sourcebooks), Deidre Knight (agent, The Knight Agency ), Holly Blanck (editor St. Martin’s Press), Charlene Patterson (editor, Bethany House), and Laura Bradford (agent, Bradford Literary Agency). [I will hereafter refer to the panel by last name.]
I’ll try to decipher my notes here and pass on some highlights.
D. Knight said this is an exciting time for writers, with all the different paths to publication and success.
All of the editors seemed to agree that electronic versions of books is the wave of the future.
Blanck stated that St. Martin’s publishes print and electronic editions of books simultaneously.
N. Knight stated that she is a partner with Belle Books, and that she is always looking for new ways to sell books. She says a big part of market is e-books.
As for querying/submitting, Hultenschmidt says, “the query is what will get me.” She wants the query to “make me fall in love with hero.” She prefers a short synopsis.
In a synopsis, Curran wants to know what will keep the hero and heroine apart.
N. Knight Grajikowski, Curran, Hultenschmidt, and D. Knight respond to all queries.
Patterson says she only accepts agent queries unless she’s met the writer at a conference.
All of them are looking for historicals. They do have different needs/desires.
I hope this information is helpful to the writers out there. If you have questions or need more information, please comment.

Happy hump day!
Cheryel