Cover Love

Would like to present my book cover for my book "Damned," that is to be released Spring 2013 from Black Opal Book .Cover design by Kim Killion. I love it. There really isn't much to say! :) Enjoy! :)

Author's Questions

Hey people! I was on my blog and realized I hadn't posted in a while. I was thinking of something I could help my readers or authors with and came up short. So, I thought why not let the people ask questions and me answer them? Kind of like a Q&A post for anyone who has questions for literary agents, literary information or any kind of dealings with books. So, I'm leaving this post open for anyone who wants to ask me a question!


Hugs,
Brittany Booker

Big News!

I have wonderful news! I have signed with Black Opal Books to publish my novel Damned. I haven't talked a lot about Damned. It is one of my favorites so far. I'm starting Saved the second and final book in the series! :) I'm so thrilled to have this opportunity! It will be out in paperback and ebooks. The date is to be released and my new website is being thought out also. My dad has some friends that can help me make it great! :)

I just thought I would share my wonderful news with you all!

Hugs!
Brittany Booker! :)

Be Nice

I wanted to take some time today to talk about being nice. On the door of a place where I live there is a sign  that reads: "It's nice to feel important, but more important to be nice." I feel that this needed to be said to authors. Agents are very busy people. I feel some authors do not know the hard work and time that go into being a literary agent. They become impatient with agents because of the time that it takes to get an answer.

Believe me I understand. I started out submitting my material and that is how I became a jr. agent at the Corvisiero Literary Agency. I know the frustrations of having to wait.
However, this doesn't mean to get angry with an agent because she/he is taking too long. Especially, when the agent takes the time out to give you pointers to improve your novel.

A few things authors need to know.

1. Agents are super duper busy. Be patient.

2. Please do not send rude emails, we WILL get back to you.

3. When an agent gives you advice, do not get mad, take it or not. It's up to you.

4. When an agents says 'this is not for me,' and gives you advice, it does not mean they are interested, they are just trying to help you out.

5. Please be respectful. It is a stressful job to be an agent and we have tons of queries to read. Your query is not the only material we have to read.

 Last and not least....if you are rejected...try, try again! :)

More thoughts on query letters!

Since I'm now agenting at the Corvisiero Literary Agency and reading and accepting queries, I thought I might drop a few lines and help you aspiring authors out there.

One of my teachers, journalism teacher, was talking about things that got on his nerves not too long ago. I got upset when he started talking about receiving queries that the author obviously didn't follow the guidelines. I thought it was stupid of him to be so picky.

Well call me Ms. Picky because I've turned into him.

Well...I wouldn't say I'm really picky, but I've noticed things that have gotten on my nerves as well. So, I thought I would write a quick blog about how authors can improve their queries, so agents won't toss them into the trash pile.

First off, READ THE GUIDELINES! It doesn't take that long to read how the agent wants their emails to be. This will help know what the agent is looking for and also shows the agent that the author cares enough about their work to check and see first.

Secondly, please, please, do not slop over your query. Make sure there are NO grammatical mistakes before sending it off. Seeing mistakes in the query shows the agent there are plenty in their work as well.

Third, this is something that rubs me the wrong way. When an author sends his query to all the agents in the same email! That is crazy! If you do not have the time to seperate the emails do not send them. And plus, not all agencies want their queries the same way! How could you possibly send it to that many agents at once! That is bonkers!

Fourth, make sure your email is pretty. Do not paste it in a big blog of text. This makes my head hurt really bad. Make some paragraphs for pete's sake. Huff.

Fifth and final, do not send three or four queries in the same email. Send one book at a time. I'm not superwoman. I need to focus on one query at a time, not three different summaries. It's confusing and not to mention lazy!

:) Those are just some things that I had on my mind. I hope this has helped a little bit!

P.S I don't normally like attachments. :)

Find what helps you...

Recently I've had a writers block. Then I re-read some of my recent posts and realized that I needed to read to help myself with the block.

One of the most helpful pieces I've read is by Eudora Welty "Why I live at the P.O." It's unique and the main characters personality is different and fun than a  lot of other characters I've read. Although I have read it before, just reading through it again helps me. It's funny and helps me get through my non-writing funk.

Also, any childhood book, movie or favorite novel helps a lot. I've read the Twilight Series three times, and it has helped me get into the flow of knowing what I need to come next. Any suprise, next step or plot that doesn't seem to want to flow write on paper, I get to reading any favorite novel of mine. It helps a lot.

These were just some thoughts I had on my mine during my writers block. :)

Hugs!
Brittany <3

Help with Your Query Letter!

Hiya! I was sitting here thinking to myself of something that could help authors. I've gave some YA hero help, so I thought I might give some authors help with what comes after their novel, THE ALL DREADFUL SCARY QUERY!!! AHH! Just kidding, even thought I feel like the query is just as important as your writing, don't be scared of it, defeat it!

First off, your query shouldn't be over one page! Not 4, 6, 9, just 1! Agents get so many in that they don't have time in the day to go through forty query letters with 6 pages each! Keep it simple and don't over do it.

Do Agents read them? Yes! I'm only a junior agent but I can tell you, working for Marisa Corviserio, that we do read them. But! If it is boring, untasteful or something we are not interested in, then no we toss it to the side. Your query has to bring a short synopsis to us, in a page, with a short paragraph about yourself to us, also. It's A LOT to get in one page I know, I know! But, it's possible.

At the beginning you give your hook. This is curcial. It should be something that makes the reader what to keep going. They should say after reading the first line or two "WOW I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON!"

Example: (This was my hook in Fighting Destiny)

When Molly Drowns is forced back to her fearful past, she finds herself face to face with her despised but desirable destiny.

It has to be something that will stick, and will get the reader interested. Take the idea of your book and work with the theme. Something will come to you, I promise.

Secondly, you need a mini-synopsis. This is when you take your synopsis and shorten it, A LOT! Take the main points of your book and list them (this is what I did). Once listed, go over them and  write them into a brief summary. It helps. Also, do not leave bad endings or unhappy endings out of your query. Because, some agents do not represent unhappy endings. If the guy dies in the end, tell us, we NEED to know. (P.S. I'm not a fan of unhappy endings.) Boo!

And finally, ta da, something a little easier! Yourself. You should know a little about yourself, or enough to know what to put. We need to know your name (duh), where you went to school, or are attending, things you love to do, and anything you've ever published. This is something that jumps out at an agent, that you have been published before, this might be publish worthy, also. :)

Another something that is important, SPELLING! That's why autocorrect was made. USE IT! Have someone (not related to you) read over it, and help with the flow of the query. Also, spell query right. :) That's a good thing to do.

Some other hints for you during your mini-synopsis. Give us the time period and location, the main characters name, their goal, their trouble they have to overcome and a conclusion. We aren't the audience, we need to know the ending. This isn't your blurb, this is for someone that needs to know the book, and the ending, to see it we want to represent you!

So...that was just some thoughts on queries. Hope it helps!

Hugs!
Brittany :)