2019 603 Agent Pitch Session

Please note all Agent Pitch Sessions are now closed.

Literary Agents Pitch Session at the 603 Conference

To help round out our 603 Writers’ Conference we have added a literary pitch session with prominent agents. There will be two pitch sessions. The first session will be during the Panel discussion from 1:00-1:50. The second pitch session will be during Class Slot C (3:30-4:45). Each pitch session will last 20 minutes. If you wish to participate in the Literary Pitch Session, you will select your preferred agent from the list provided below during your registration. The pitch session is optional and costs a $95.00 fee on top of the conference fee. Spaces are very limited.

To help prepare you for your pitch session, we have enlisted the help of professional editors to make sure your work is in its best shape for a literary agent’s review. After signing up, you will be contacted to send in writing your elevator pitch, and 5-7 pages of your manuscript for editorial review before the event. Once the editor has completed your review, they will contact you for a 15 minute consult to provide you with helpful suggestions.

Five Things You Should Know About Seeing an Agent

An agent is someone who represents you to the publishing world; that is, it’s her job to get your manuscript onto a reputable editor’s desk. A good agent knows the current market, where your work will fit in, and which editors might respond well.
Signing up with an agent does not automatically mean your work will be published. An agent has no control over what an editor might decide.
Once an editor has made an offer, your agent will negotiate your advance, royalties, subsidiary rights, and all the many details that go into a publishing contract. Further down the road, once the contract is signed, she will keep an eye on the publisher’s marketing and publicity plan. She will also troubleshoot for you if problems arise during the editorial process. (That doesn’t mean, she will always take your side.)
Some agents are editorial; that is, they will act as a pre-editor. Before they agree to send your work out, they will ask you to make editorial changes that they believe will improve its chances in the marketplace.
Most agents ask for fifteen percent of whatever money is made from the book, 15% of the advance, 15% of whatever royalties you might make, 15% on all money made from subsidiary rights (audio books, foreign publications, dramatic and film rights, etc.) You should never, never have to pay an agent upfront for anything, Never.

Should You Pitch to an Agent?

Agents get hundreds and hundreds of queries. Most of these they will turn down. Why? So many reasons. The work is sloppy. The work is derivative. The work is good, but the market is not receptive. The work is good, but they already have a client who writes your kind of fill-in-the blank. These are only a few of the many reasons an agent will decline. But remember, an agent wants to take you on. She is always looking for the next Toni Morrison, the next Steven King, the next J.K. Rowling. Every unread manuscript represents that potential. Why not yours?

It’s important to remember that publishing is just as much about business as it is about art. And the competition is intense. Our advice? Before you query an agent ask yourself these questions:

How much rewriting have I done?
Have I shown my work to trustworthy, knowledgeable, and honest beta readers?
Have I made sure that the work is clean, free of typos and grammatical errors?
What do I expect an agent to do for me?
How do I respond to constructive feedback?

Often, once an agent sees your work and has turned you down, unless she says she’d like to see more of your work, that bridge is burnt. For that reason, it’s a good idea not to query an agent unless you are certain that have taken your work as far as you can. One more word. Agents are people, just like you and me. Some are good. Some not. And the publishing world is a subjective one. If an agent turns you down, it doesn’t mean your work is bad, or that another agent might not respond differently. Good luck!

The 2019 Agent Pitch Session

This is a list of the agents who will be at the 2019 603 Conference. When you register, you will be able to select your preferred agent and pay your $95 fee. (Note: Agents who become fully booked will be marked below as ‘Closed‘)

- Lauren Scovel – Laura Gross Literary Agency CLOSED
  Lauren grew up outside of Seattle and graduated summa cum laude from Emerson College with a degree in Writing, Literature, and Publishing as well as Theatre Studies. She began her publishing career as an editorial intern at Aevitas Creative Management (formerly Zachary Shuster Harmsworth). Her editorial work can be seen at The Millions. She also worked as an indie bookseller for several years. She is especially interested in fiction and nonfiction involving social justice, political issues, and other timely and underrepresented stories. Genres of interest: Fiction (LGBT, literary, multi-cultural) and Nonfiction (cultural/societal issues, current events, LBGT, investigative journalism, multi-cultural, narrative, politics, true crime)

- Barbara Rosenberg – The Rosenberg Group CLOSED
  In nonfiction Barbara runs the gamut. She works with sports writers and she works with wine writers and everything in between. The one thing her nonfiction authors have in common is that they are recognized experts in their field. Publishers expect nonfiction writers to have a platform; many nonfiction writers have a good idea, are expert in their field, but have no ability to reach the book buying public. She is a member of the AAR and the RWA. Her website is rosenberggroup.com. Genres of Interest: The only fiction she represents is romance and women’s fiction and is particularly interested in contemporary; romantic suspense; historical and young adult. She is primarily drawn to realistic scenarios.

- Lucy Cleland – Kneerim and Williams CLOSED
  Lucy V. Cleland is a literary agent and dramatic rights manager at Kneerim & Williams, where she works with both new and established authors on a range of projects from groundbreaking “big idea” nonfiction to upmarket fiction and select YA/children’s titles. A Southern transplant to Boston, Lucy graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College where she studied English and studio art. Lucy enjoys beautifully written stories that surprise her and loves working with authors whose passion for their subject is contagious. She represents unconventional social and cultural history, literary narrative nonfiction, and memoir with a contemporary slant. She’s looking for select novels with rich, distinctive atmosphere and a powerful plot engine that keeps her turning pages. In YA, she’s drawn to a smile-worthy hook, quick banter, and rebellious protagonists who push boundaries and grapple with tough questions, in our world or another. She also represents select quirky children’s nonfiction that nourishes curiosity. Across the board, she is actively seeking underrepresented voices. Genres of Interest: Fiction: Literary Fiction, Young Adult. Nonfiction: Narrative Nonfiction, Biography, History, Memoir, Politics, Pop Culture, Psychology, Science, True Crime, and Children’s Nonfiction. Looking For: Diverse voices, LGBTQ+ issues, and unique narrative nonfiction and contemporary memoir with a strong voice and hook.

- Lori Galvin – Aevitas CLOSED
  Lori Galvin represents both adult fiction and non-fiction. Based in Boston, a few of her clients and their projects include Kwame Onwuachi for his memoir Notes From a Young Black Chef (Knopf ‘19); Hannah Kirshner for her travel memoir Foreign Woman Works in Sake Bar (Viking ’20) and Cambria Brockman for the thriller Tell Me Everything (Ballantine ‘19), which has been optioned by Netflix. Prior to joining Aevitas, Galvin was executive editor at the multimedia publisher America’s Test Kitchen, an editor at Houghton Mifflin, a restaurant cook, and she ran a bed-and-breakfast in Maine. Genres of interest: Fiction: Thrillers and Crime; Book Club Fiction, Literary Fiction. Nonfiction: Select memoirs and cookbooks, personal development.

- Lorin Rees – Rees Literary Agency CLOSED
  Some of the books Lorin has represented include the critically acclaimed story collection You Know When the Men are Gone (Amy Einhorn Books) by Siobhan Fallon; Black River (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) by S.M. Hulse; The End of Big (St. Martin’s) by Nicco Mele; Who: Solve Your #1 Problem (Ballantine) by Geoff Smart and Randy Street; and I Believe in Zero (St. Martin’s) by Caryl Stern, President and CEO of Unicef USA, and You Can Stop Humming Now by Daniela Lamas. Genres of interest: literary fiction, memoirs, business books, self-help, science, history, psychology and narrative non-fiction.

- Kelly Peterson – Rees Literary Agency CLOSED
  Kelly Peterson is a West Chester University graduate with a B.S.Ed in English and Literature. She worked as a Junior Agent for two years before moving to Rees Literary, continuing to champion her authors and the manuscripts she loves. Hoping to continue her passion, Kelly seeks manuscripts in various genres within Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult age ranges. In Middle Grade, she loves fantasy, sci-fi (even the space kind), and contemporary that touches on tough issues for young readers. Her Young Adult preferences vary from contemporary to high fantasy, sci-fi (not the space kind) to paranormal (all the ghost stories, please!), and historical all the way back to rom-coms. Kelly is proud to continue to represent Adult manuscripts in romance (higher stakes than those that can be solved with a conversation), fantasy, and sci-fi. Though her interests are wide and varied, Kelly is not the best fit for emotional turmoil (rape, depression, etc.), horror, magical realism, mystery/crime, or non-fiction. Though she’s not the best fit for the aforementioned, she is very interested in representing authors with marginalized own voices stories, witty and unique voices, pirates (the historical kind), witches, and dark fantasies, which are high on her wish list for 2019. Genres: MG: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Heartfelt Contemporary; YA: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Historical, Contemporary, Paranormal/thrillers; Adult: Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Contemporary Romance, Historical.