Writer Wish List

Dear Lit Loves,

It's that time of year again.  Everyone makes resolutions.  This is what they're going to strive for this year or this is what he/she wants to accomplish this year.  And in publishing, you have what we call literary agent and editor wish lists.  If you look it up you will see Tumbler, WordPress, Twitter, etc commentary on what agents and editors are hoping to find in their inbox this year.  I'm quite familiar with these wish lists because as a writer I peruse them to determine who on God's wonderful and green earth might eventually understand my desire to be published in the memoir genre.  It's not enough to just find a literary agent who acquires memoir.  No, you've got to find the one that acquires memoir in subjects that the agent and editor really like such as food, inspirational, life adventures, etc.  I've done enough research that I have a little black book of literary agents and editors.  I note what they currently acquiring in terms of manuscripts.  I also note what they've already acquired or published.  If an editor has three memoirs and I've read all of them, chances are we might make a good publishing match as author and acquiring editor.  When it comes to literary agents, honestly, I have no idea what makes them like one memoir and not another.  It's true.  The agents will often tell you that it's intrinsic.  They just "know" when something speaks to them. I get that.  I really do.  But I must say there are times when I've ordered a memoir that I thought for sure I would hate and then I'm surprised to discover I couldn't put the book down or I'm amazed that the author was so vividly transparent in telling their story.  So, I decided to make a Writer Wish List for 2015 because well, I haven't seen any of those and I'm not shy about being the first to try something.  So here goes..

Writer Wish List For 2015

1)  A literary agent who replies to my query telling me  I have a unique concept, a well-written query letter, and damn, what an interesting life I lead so send him/her the whole kit n'caboodle.  Send the synopsis, send the book proposal, send the whole manuscript.

2)  A literary agent who reads my book proposal and manuscript and sends me an email saying "Offer Of Representation!" along with a personal note that he/she was deeply moved by my work and where have I been all his/her life?

3)  A literary agent who replies that she "gets the premise and the hook of my writing".  One who can tell why I wrote the book and what I'm attempting to say about life, humanity, and the larger society by writing what I do, the way I do.

4)  A literary agent and editor who call me to say, "Hey!  This is great!  What else do you have in the works?" 

5)  A great editor who asks me if in the future he/she can have first dibs on perusing my book proposals and manuscripts.  That's the holy grail for us newbies in publishing folks.  An editor that would like to work with you on a long term basis.  Halle...freaking....lujah!!

And that's it.  There you have it.  I also want to write an adventure memoir this year which is a complete break from the normal major life drama/trauma that I write about quite often.  Something along the lines of I Was A Public School English Teacher:  So What You Gonna Do About It?!! I've got loads of stories folks.  Now, where is that literary agent that loves me and that editor who can't get enough of my work?  Hello?  Are you there agent, editor, publisher??  Yoo-Hoo, Anybody Home???

Still Looking,
Grace