To Whom It May Concern:

How do you know if you’ve got the perfect query? What do agents really think about the publishing industry today? And, most importantly, what are three things aspiring writers should never do in their query letter? (Hint: knowing the agent’s name is a good start).

WordHustler sat down with Joanna Stampfel-Volpe, agent extraordinaire at Nancy Coffey Literary Agency. Joanna gave us the real deal on all things published, especially what she’s looking for as an agent. Are you the next author destined to knock her socks off? Read on to find out!

Love,
WordHustler

WordHustler: How did you get your start in the publishing industry?

Joanna Stampfel-Volpe: I think there are a few things that helped me get into the industry (beside my willingness to work for free and edit for free, I even ran a critique group—anything to get my name out there and to get experience).  Around the same time I was working very part time with a small Long Island publisher, Blue Marlin Publications, I was working at Barnes & Noble, and I was taking some night courses on editing with NYU’s publishing program.  And of course I interned.

WH: Why did you decide ultimately to become an agent?

JSV: As an agent, I get to do everything!  I work with authors, brainstorming and as a sounding board.  I edit manuscripts.  I network and meet with editors, book scouts, publicity people and even film producers.  I get to sell projects I’m genuinely enthusiastic about.  I even work on selling subrights like audio, merchandising and dramatic rights.  Not to mention, I can work on any type of book I want to…I just have to love it.

WH: You represent both children’s and adult authors. What draws you to children’s books and YA? What about an adult book catches your eye?

JSV: Well, from children’s to adult the most important part of a manuscript to me is the voice.  The characters really need to come alive for me on the page whether it’s a fast-paced adventure for kids, a beautiful, family-drama for women, or a dark, horror for teen boys.  I often look for more character-driven stories rather than strictly plot-driven (although plot is important, obviously).  So I guess my taste in children’s, YA and adult is the same: strong voice, no matter what it’s about.

WH: What are a few of your favorite books out there today? And feel free to include books/authors you rep- it’s only fair!

JSV: Oh, gosh…I could go on about this for a while.  Okay, I’ll try to keep this brief…OTTO GROWS DOWN by Michael Sussman (picture book), FABLEHAVEN series by Brandon Mull (middle grade), THE ROCK AND THE RIVER by Kekla Magoon (historical, young YA), CRACKED UP TO BE by Courtney Summers (edgy YA), EVERMORE by Alyson Noel (paranormal YA), BURNED by Ellen Hopkins (verse, YA), THE TORY WIDOW by Christine Blevins (historical fic, adult), JUST ONE OF THE GUYS by Kristan Higgans (contemporary romance, adult), CALLISTO by Torsten Krol (literary, adult), CITY OF JADE by Dennis McKiernan (epic fantasy, adult), THE THIRTEENTH TALE by Diane Setterfield (mainstream, adult)…I mean, I guess I’ll stop there, but that’s only what I’ve read recently and LOVED.

WH: What type of books are you looking for that you haven’t found yet?

JSV: I say this at every conference and in every interview but so far I haven’t found it!  But I’m dying to find a dark read for YA boys that’s THE CATCHER IN THE RYE meets STAND BY ME.  Really strong narrative voice, creepy, dark, yet coming-of-age, and realistic.  I recently heard about “hog harvesting” at a conference and thought it would be cool if that could be part of the plot…think dark, Southern…and throw in a little LORD OF THE FLIES type stuff.  Wow, am I sick or what?

WH: What’s your overall take on publishing today? In dire straights or blooming and flourishing?

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The setting: the backwoods and Southern-fried crevasses of Central Florida.

The crime: a body is discovered in the trunk of a senior citizen’s blue convertible. But this isn’t any senior citizen, this is Mama: “a true Southern woman with impeccable manners, sherbet-colored pantsuits, and four prior husbands, able to serve sweet tea and sidestep alligator attacks with equal aplomb.”

The culprit: Deborah Sharp, quick-witted and hilarious author of Mama Does Time, the first in her series of Mace Bauer mystery books. Sharp is a one-time USA Today journalist who hung up her reporting hat for the world of mystery writing…and hasn’t looked back since.

WordHustler sat down with Deborah Sharp to discuss writing, murder, and of course, bitchy literary agents with British accents. Lock the deadbolt, grab your rifle, and read on to learn how Sharp hunted for an agent, got her book published, and more!

WordHustler: How did you get your first big break in journalism? When you started, were you aiming to write for a national paper like USA Today? What was your first USA Today story?

Deborah Sharp: I took the long and winding approach to journalism, starting out as a psychology major, and only transferring to the J-school and writing for the University of Georgia’s newspaper after I was halfway through Ph.D. program in psychology. It was my first identity crisis (I expect to have a few more). I had no idea I’d ever work for a national newspaper. My only criteria for my first newspaper job was that it was somewhere warm and near the beach. Have I mentioned I’m not a super-ambitious person? The Fort Myers (Fla) News-Press satisfied both of those stringent requirements, and turned out to be a great training ground, too.

I probably would have stayed there forever if an opportunity hadn’t come up to go to USA Today, which is also owned by Gannett, the media company that owns the News-Press. I went up to the newspaper as what we used to call a ”loaner,” which meant the News-Press was still paying my salary while USA Today reaped the benefits of my incredible talents. Did I mention I was free?

I can’t remember the very first story. I was doing mainly little health briefs and celeb items in the LIFE section: “Scientists say: Beets are Good for You!” “Madonna’s Top Ten Tummy-Trimming Tips!”  But the first memorable story I did for the paper was one on illiteracy. It was the first time I ever flew anywhere for a story (Dateline: Racine, Wisc.), and the first time I rented a car. I just remember being incredibly grateful that this man I profiled would open his life to me and talk about what he felt was a shameful secret, and the struggle he was making at age forty-something so he could learn to read to his new grandchild. It turned out to be a cover story.

WH: Then the big transition- journalism to mystery novel writing. Had you been working on fiction pieces during your years as a reporter?

DS: Like a lot of journalists, I had a fiction manuscript tucked away in a desk drawer, and I worked on it every once in while.  The main character was a hard-hitting reporter on the trail of a serial killer (gee, how original!). I now think of it as good training, but it stinks to high heaven, and shall forever remain in that bottom drawer.

When I finally quit the paper, I had the time to finish it, but I didn’t like the character anymore. And, I figured, if I didn’t like her, why would anyone else? Plus, I wanted to do something COMPLETELY different than the news, which is why I hit on my funny, light-hearted ‘‘Mace Bauer Mystery” series, featuring Mace’s crazy mama.

WH: Now for the part everyone wants to hear about: how did you land an agent? Was your first book, Mama Does Time, finished at the time? How many agents did you approach before landing one?

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WordHustler’s Monthly Writing Contest: A Birthday Celebration!

UPDATE: Contest Deadline EXTENDED until June 7th!!!! See below for details!

It’s hard to believe it was only a year ago that WordHustler debuted our ground-breaking submission technology to the world. Since last May, we’ve been helping over 4,000 writers send out more than 14 million words to the world. Our wonderful clients have gotten short stories published, connected with agents, and won contests! Hurrah!

To celebrate our first birthday, WordHustler’s May Writing Contest is: What’s the best birthday gift you’ve ever received and why?  

In an essay under 500 words, tell us what the gift was, who gave it to you, and how it touched you. We will then sort through all the masterpieces and post the best 3 on WordHustlerInk.com*

So get those competitive juices flowing and hit your computer – submissions are due by June 7th at 12:00pm PST. Go to the the WordHustler May Writing Contest listing in the Contests section of WordHustler’s Markets and submit through our system to win!

There’s a bonus too – not only will the top 3 works be posted right here on WordHustlerInk for all the world to read and enjoy, the winning writers will also get one free submission (up to $5.99 value) each.

Everyone here at WordHustler Headquarters is grateful to all the people sending their wonderful work out through WordHustler. So keep up the good writing…and the great Hustling!

See below for Official Rules and Regulations. Good Luck, Hustlers!

*Please Note: “Best” will be determined by the WH team. We are looking for compelling writing that gives us insight to you as a writer and what inspires you to do what you do. Note, the WH team consists of 10 writers with a combined experience of over 80 years in the industry who will determine which work captures the theme the most passionately….

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April Poetry Contest Winners!

The time has come to announce the winners of WordHustler’s April Poetry Contest. We received hundreds of poems from amazing poets everywhere, but were forced to decide on three Winners and six Honorable Mentions.

Winners:

Megan Robb, Poughkeepsie, NY

Erin Adams, San Clemente, CA

Maureen Dolan, Hayden, ID

Honorable Mentions:

Kristy Hoard, Girard, OH

Kate Murphy, Skaneateles, NY

Sarah Seidel, Dallas, TX

Melony Malsom, Aberdeen, SD

Joshua Merrell, Bountiful, UT

Amy Platon, Orlando, FL

If you didn’t win this time, you still have a chance to enter the May writing contest, which celebrates WordHustler’s First Birthday. Look for contest rules HERE.

The three winning poems are posted below. Read on to see how these three WordHustlers wowed the judges with their poetic artfulness. [Read more →]