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Agent and Editor Panels

AGENT PANEL- Psst! Wanna Know a Secret?



Now for the agent and editor panels at the SCBWI conference. Wow. What a fantastic lineup and they were so open and willing to share their thoughts. I jotted down some notes below and hope they can be useful to you!

The agent panel consisted of Erin Murphy, Michael Bourret, and Sarah Davies

Thoughts from Erin:


• Measure success by your happiness


• Don’t compare yourself


• Talk through your book with your editor


• Don’t get attached to your title


Thoughts from Michael:


• Be happy with the work you are doing knowing that you are growing as a writer


• Set realistic goals


• He’s an advocate for his writers


• Treat people with kindness and respect


• Titles can be important because they can sell your book


• It all doesn’t end with the deal because you still need to sell the book


• Take one step at a time


Thoughts from Sarah:


• Rewriting or starting over again can be the most valuable tool to revision


• One word titles in YA are beginning to go out of style


• Writing isn’t for the fainthearted


General thoughts they shared during the 1st Page Critiques:


• Be careful that your beginning isn’t clearing your throat


• Use ‘said’


• Your plot and character must advance at the same time


• Be careful using date/time- needs to have a reason


• ‘see’ the story, not be told the story


• Intrigue the reader but don’t confuse them


• Descriptions should be clear, especially in fantasy


• PB’s need to focus on the illustrations

Editor Panel- Fantasy


Katherine Jacobs, Krista Marino, and Arianne Lewin


• Fantasy is a world not bound by our laws


• Fiction of the impossible


• Find a way to make your story fresh


• Write a book with a theme that goes through the whole story


• There is ALWAYS room for romance! They want romance.


• Read everything that’s out there


• Build on the classics


• Keep your readership in mind

9 Responses to Agent and Editor Panels

  1. Thanks for sharing! Awesome advice from all of them.

  2. Bish Denham says:

    Well done Christina! I like these bits of advise.

  3. ivanova says:

    Thanks! I feel like I was there! Interesting to hear that one-word titles are on the way out.

  4. Kim Kasch says:

    I’m living vicariously. Thanks.

  5. Ivanova- I thought the same thing! Very interesting. I especially loved how open they all were. They really wanted to help and share their expertise.

  6. Rena says:

    Thanks for sharing these!

  7. Crystal says:

    Fantastic notes, Christina! Very helpful . . . thanks so much for sharing! 🙂

  8. I don’t write fantasy, but I enjoyed the editor panel. Perhaps I’ll dip into that genre one day.

  9. SP Sipal says:

    Just discovered your blog. Nice to meet you. Thanks for sharing these great notes!

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