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AN INTERVIEW WITH LITERARY AGENT CHERRY WEINER
Cherry Weiner started her career handling science fiction, fantasy, and horror. She now works with writers of all genres, including some fairly well-known authors in the fields of romance, westerns and Native American work. In recent years, some nonfiction has crept into the mix, but no poetry. She tries not to handle children's and young adult manuscripts, but since a few of her authors are now doing the y.a. run, she is trying to learn the genre and submitting their work for them. She took time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions sent in by our members.
What genre do you sell the most of?
It changes all the time. I’ve sold a lot of westerns, a lot of science fiction/fantasy, a lot of romance, as well as other genres like horror, mystery etc, and a little bit of non-fiction. In the last year, I’ve sold a little of everything… pretty evenly distributed in all of the genres.
What do you like to read (when not reading your clients’ work)?
For a while I got hooked on Faye Kellerman’s Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus mystery series, but I rarely get time to read for pleasure.
How would you define science-fiction and fantasy?
To me, science-fiction is anything that takes place in an alternative world, or in space, with all the technology of space travel. Anything without magic. Fantasy is anything with magic.
Can a novel be ‘fantasy’ without magic?
Yes. Vampires/werewolves etc, can be both horror and fantasy, especially when set in the modern world. Any creature with unexplained, mystical powers comes under the realm of fantasy.
Which is easier for writers to break into, fiction or non-fiction?
You’re comparing apples and oranges. Unless you’re already famous, or have unique credentials/experience behind you, there’s no easy route to either. It takes hard work and persistence, but fiction or non-fiction, I think there's always room on the shelf for a great book, and I work towards getting the editors to agree and buy that book.
At what point in the writing process should someone start looking for an agent?
When your manuscript is finished (including re-writes), and is as perfect as you can make it. By the time you send it in, you should be already working on your next one.
In an earlier interview, you explained why you like to meet authors before accepting queries, do you ever make exceptions?
Very rarely, if one of my authors or an editor/writer friend who knows me and the way I work refers someone to me.
What is the most ridiculous thing a writer did to try and sell you their idea?
There’ve been so many, I’ve blocked them from my mind. Although not ridiculous, a few queries have stuck with me. I once got a letter from a woman who claimed her ‘psychic abilities’ told her I was the right agent for her manuscript. Unfortunately, those abilities hadn’t told her how to format her 500-page ms properly. Once, at a pitch session, while inviting a writer to send me her book, I told a writer I liked the dusty-pink rose sweater she had on - I expected her to mention it in her query letter, so I’d know we’d really spoken. She misunderstood and sent me a sweater just like hers along with the ms. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the book, but she told me to keep the sweater anyway. Another time I got a query from a writer claiming we'd met at a science fiction convention in
Apart from international collaboration, do you work with other agents?
Occasionally. If one of my authors is writing with another agent’s author, then we’d get together and talk about who gets to negotiate the contract. If someone pitches me work in a genre that I don’t cover, I try and recommend someone.
Do you consider self-published books?
Not really. Self-published books are less likely to get picked up because they’re already ‘out there’ and supposedly selling. Of course, there are exceptions, but generally speaking, it’s a catch-22 situation, if the book hasn’t sold well, why buy it? If it has, the first market base has already been saturated. That said, if the writer comes up with a new book that I can interest a publisher in, the self-published work becomes part of the his/her back-list and I might be able to sell it in the future, once the author has built up a following.
Do you represent the same author in more than one genre?
Yes, it happens quite often. Sometimes I recommend the author uses a pseudonym, especially if the genres are very different (like science fiction and romance).
What is the most common mistake new writers make, when pitching/querying a story to you?
Always research how an agent wants work to be submitted, and get his/her name right. Even though my entry in Agents guide makes it quite clear that I don’t accept unsolicited queries, I get up to 50 emails and twenty letters a week from people I’ve never met. Once someone even turned up, unannounced at my home!
What are some common mistakes writers make in their manuscripts?
When I turn work down, it's usually because the writing just doesn't hold my interest. Whether it's because the dialogue is stilted, or the story's been done many times and I see nothing new in the way it is presented The list can go on. I might have started out interested in the story idea, but the execution of it didn’t come up to my expectations. If that's the case, I might tell the author what fell short and ask if he/she is interested in reworking the ms. I always tell writers ‘I want the quality’, I’d rather wait six months for someone’s best effort, than have them send the manuscript before it’s ready. Another common mistake new writers make is they leave out important story details and information. They had it in their head, but forgot to put it down on the page to let the reader know too. Another one, is where the story ends suddenly, as if the author was in a hurry.
What question(s) do you never get asked in an interview, but wish someone would (and what would the answer be)?
‘What can I do, as an author, to make your job easier when working on my book?’
Give me the best you can do, then let me do my job. Once I’ve submitted your work to an editor, it usually takes three to six months to get a response, so it's no use chasing me up every few weeks. I will get in touch when I have good news. The fastest sale I ever made was nine days, the longest six years - but during those six years, I sold a lot of that author’s other work. This was just a different genre we were trying to break into. Keep in touch with a phone call or an email every three or four months, but stay focused on your job (which is writing your next book), and trust me to do mine. If potential publishers make constructive suggestions/criticism, I'll send you a copy of the rejection letter. If it just says 'sorry, not for me', I won’t. But I must reiterate here, I WILL contact you when there’s good news.
Which conferences do you plan to attend in 2008?
March 28-29 2008 Lee High Valley Writers Group -
April 25–27 2008 Pike’s Peak Writers Conference - in
June 10-14 2008 Western Writers of
July 18-20 Harriette Austin Writers Conference - Athens GA
Sept 27-28 Society of Southwestern Authors -Tucson AZ
October 8-12 Writer’s Colony Workshop -
October 25th a one day workshop in St. Charles, Missouri
There are negotiations going on for the months of July, August and September.
ADDITIONAL WRITING TIPS FROM CHERRY
By the time you get to the end of your manuscript, you should know your characters inside out, so go back and revise the beginning. Make it as strong as the middle and ending.
When you've finish a manuscript, put it aside for one month, then read it all the way through with fresh eyes, making one-word comments in the margin eg ‘expand’, ‘describe’. Then go back and do those edits.
Know when to stop and move on to the next book.
Be in it for the love of writing, not the money.
The Synopsis
A synopsis is a short, short story of the novel. I usually prefer no more than 5-7 double spaced pages.
If you're planning a series, I like to see a 5–7 page synopsis of the first book of the series, 3-5 pages for the second, and up to two pages for the third. If it's going to be a longer than three books, and you know where those stories are going to go, then I'd suggest one paragraph, single spaced is okay here, for books 4, 5 & 6, all combined on one page.
