I was really excited this past week when my blog finally reached that 100 followers milestone (now 101)! So to say thank you, I have an interview with a REAL LIVE AGENT (I mean, she’s real, ya’ll) and a query contest (can I get a WHOOP, WHOOP)! Here are the dets:
If you are a follower of my blog (if you aren’t, you can follow now) and are still on the agent hunt like me, then email me your query: info@jamieayres.com
The fabulous Nicole Resciniti with The Seymour Agency (did I mention she sold 9 books in her first 3 months of agenting?) has agreed to comment on 20 queries on my blog. As a unpubbed nobody, I don’t feel comfortable judging queries and picking the top 20, so this is first come, first serve. After 20 queries (if I get that many), I’ll post a little shout out on here letting you know it’s closed.
Here’s the plan: The following Wednesday the 18th I’ll post the 20 entries on my blog & anyone is free to comment on the queries up until Tuesday the 24th (& of course Nicole will be stopping by!). Then Wed the 25th I’ll blog a summary of thoughts about the contest & announce requests Nicole had (if any). Sound good? Now without further ado, our feature agent:
1) How’d you get into agenting?
Helping Mary Sue Seymour in the interest of learning more about writing transformed into an internship and ultimately my dream career.
2) What’s your agent philosophy in regards to working with authors?
I love authors. I love books. Working with talented writers is pretty much the coolest thing ever. Each client is different, but I assist them in whatever they need. Some like me to do a lot of editing, others want to brainstorm projects/ideas, others look for marketing and promotional support. I’m available in whatever capacity they are looking for.
3) What client work do you have coming out soon?
*smiling* I have a bunch of projects hitting the shelves in the upcoming months. First out of the gates, is Amanda Flower’s Amish mystery series, beginning with A PLAIN DEATH (July 2012). Julie Ann Walker’s Black Knight Inc. romantic suspense series kicks off with HELL ON WHEELS (August, 2012) and continues with back-to-back releases of REV IT UP and IN RIDES TROUBLE. Amanda Carlson’s sexy UF series launches here and simultaneously in the UK with the first Jessica McClain book, FULL BLOODED (September 2012). And Macy Beckett’s irresistible contemporary romances set in Sultry Springs, Texas, opens with SULTRY WITH A TWIST (October 2012).
ALL of these books are AMAZING! I couldn’t be happier for these authors.
4) What genres do you rep & DO NOT rep?
I rep everything except erotica and poetry.
I am especially interested in romance (all sub-genres) and MG/YA.
5) What query pet peeves should writers avoid when querying you & any tips to help us stand out/impress you?
I don’t really have any pet peeves, but I can say that specific things stand out to me in a good way. I love when a query is tight. I like when they open with the blurb/short pitch of the book, and then sum up the important information (author info, genre, word count). A great query tells me the author is informed and serious about their publishing career.
Thanks, Nicole! You are a rock star:):) Looking forward to reading everyone’s query letter & Nicole’s comments! The only downside to this is I don’t think it’s fair to query in my own contest *sigh ~GOOd luCK!
Jamie Ayres 
Oh wow! I wanna play! *Rushes off to quick polish most recent query*
Thanks for letting me know about your contest! Just sent you my query. 🙂
Awesome! What a great op! I’m sending my query ASAP. 🙂
Keep ’em coming guys, have already received 5 wonderful queries so far *squeal!
Note: everyone is posting smiley faces. So I’ll do it to. 😀
Btw I just sent you my query! *squeals with excitement* can’t wait to see winner!
OHHHH no u didn’t mr.smiley whoever u r! Using MY e-mail and picture as ur own!
Btw good blog mom! Can I send in a query? JK! Lol! No really? 🙂
To my hilarious tween, yes, you can send me your query if you want. You’ll probably be published before me. Now stop commenting on Mom’s blog & go read a book or something. Geesh, kids
I’m in! Thanks for doing this.
What a great opportunity! I’m in! Sending my query now. Thank you for the great interview!
One can never enter too many contests! Appreciate the opportunity 🙂
This is such a wonderful opportunity and just what I needed to polish up that query right now! Thanks so much. And congratulations on 101+ followers.
Great idea, Jamie! And thanks to Nicole for doing this. Having submitted “cold” to agent after agent for 20 loooong years prior to attaining my dream a few years ago, this contest is a wonderful opportunity. Good luck to each one entering. Love your blog, Jamie.
Cheers.
So very cool of you Jamie! I sent you mine just now:) And congrats on the 100+ followers.
Thanks, Jamie and Nicole, for hosting this contest! I just submitted my query and told a friend about it, too.
And kudos, Jamie, on the 101 followers! I’ve been following you since the beginning (way back at UCF, actually) and know you are destined for greatness. And that includes publishing your YA novels–and many other books, too.
Diana
What a cool contest! I’m following you on twitter and FB now– was directed here by Robin Weeks’ blog. 😀
I just sent in my YA query for my new series. Fingers crossed there’s still room. Thanks so much for this opportunity.
Sent mine in – hope I’m not too late. Thanks for the contest and congrats on your blog following!
Debbie
You are all in & the contest is now closed with 21 entries:):) THanks for allllll the support guys! You ladies rock!
Great blog idea! Loved the interview. Good luck to everyone who entered the contest! Jamie, your tween is hilarious!
Great job! Looking foward to more! You are so creative!!