When embarking on the long, winding road to publishing success, it’s easy to feel intimidated. So most writers seek the help of a literary agent, someone who can be a guide, a cheerleader, and most of all, a champion.

Enter Zoe Fishman, literary agent and foreign rights director at Lowenstein-Yost Associates in New York. Zoe is everything you’d want your dream agent to be: smart, savvy (she’s got oodles of publishing, editing, and agenting experience), and best of all, she fights for her clients…in a nice way, of course.

 WordHustler sat down with Zoe to get the real deal on agenting, publishing, and the “next big thing” in the YA book world [hint: it’s not vampires but does involve the afterlife].

So sink your teeth into this juicy interview, and then get your work ready for some immortal success!

WordHustler: Zoe, how did you get your start in the publishing industry?

Zoe Fishman: I majored in English at Boston University, and then I took the 6-week magazine publishing course at NYU. My first job was the assistant to the Audio Publisher at Random House. I then moved to editorial assistant at what was Dell, which eventually became Bantam Dell. Then I wrote for a few websites. That was fun.

WH: Are you a writer?

ZF: I am a writer. I eventually came back to Simon & Schuster to work in foreign rights, which was a completely different thing for me but turned out to be really, really wonderful.

WH: And you do the foreign rights here at Lowenstein-Yost, right?

ZF: Yes. At Simon & Schuster I learned so much about business, selling and marketing. Of course, getting to meet people and travel around the world was great. I did that for about five years and got to the point where I missed the editorial a lot, so I thought I would try agenting. I’ve been at Lowenstein-Yost for almost four years.

WH: So missing editorial brought you back to agenting. Were you amassing writers and projects you were passionate about over the years of foreign rights? Did that also help lead you back?

ZF: You know, I have always been a voracious reader and have a lot of editor friends. I’d watch them when they were passionate about a book, and notice the difference between that and being stuck with something they didn’t really want to do.

So when I came in, YA had just started to explode and I love that. I love a good Young Adult novel…and I had some good contacts in that area. So I started with that, and then because I do the foreign rights, there’s not tremendous pressure on me to be a niche agent. If I love the book, I can represent it. And I don’t have a gigantic client list, which is okay. I like that better for both the writer and me.

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

ZF: I think it’s kind of the same thing: I’m drawn to excellent writing. I think for YA, there’s something about the perspective of a teenager when they’re so not sure of themselves and they have no idea who they really are, that’s compelling because you know all that is ahead of them. You’re rooting for them to truly be an individual.  What I love is when characters are written as ones who you really identify with and feel their struggles.

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Hey all you children’s and YA authors out there! Yes, we’re talking to you. Sure, you’ve got a great idea for a kids’ book. Maybe you’ve even written it. But how does your story go from your desk to the Best-Seller shelf at Barnes & Noble? Enter Ben Barnhart: children’s book editor and all-around publishing maven.

Barnhart is the Young Readers Editor at Milkweed Editions, a reputable and innovative children’s book publisher that is “one of the nation’s leading independent, nonprofit literary publishers.” Impressive, no? But let’s get to the part you really want to know: how does a writer become a published Milkweed author? And what does it take to succeed in children’s books?

Sit back and prepare to profit from this nonprofit editor’s fantastic information. You will soon be informed. Very, very informed.

WordHustler: First of all Ben, let’s get some background on you. How long have you been at Milkweed? And what got you into publishing?

Ben Barnhart: I got my start as an intern at Milkweed Editions during the summer of 2000, and stayed on as an editorial assistant. I’m coming up on nine years at the press, though I’ve been acquiring and editing the books for young readers only for the past five years. Coming out of college (I got my B.A. in philosophy from Cedarville College), I knew I liked writing and working with authors from my time as editor of the school’s literary journal. The internship confirmed my interest, and also gave me a sense that I might actually be good at this kind of work.

WH: Why does Milkweed focus on middle grade books? What is it about that age group that really sparks to reading?

BB: Our founding editor and publisher, Emilie Buchwald, started publishing books for middle-grade readers in 1993 after she identified a dearth of serious, literary books for young readers (eight to thirteen years old). Feeling that this was an age where many young readers cement their lifelong love of reading, Milkweed Editions has continued to focus on this age range with an array of titles from historical to contemporary novels. Of course, several years after we started publishing books for these readers, a young boy named Harry Potter changed the literary landscape and made young readers a much more attractive market for many publishers. So we find ourselves with a lot of competition these days.

WH: How many Young Reader books do you publish a year?

BB: We publish between four and six new books each year.

WH: Does Milkweed ever get Young Reader books put on school curriculums? Does a book have to hit a certain level of popularity before it is approved to be read in schools?

BB: Many of our titles are read in the schools, but as far as I know none have been selected as curriculum. Because most of our titles are fiction, they’re often used in conjunction with a specific segment, like Laura E. Williams’ Behind the Bedroom Wall while classes are studying World War II.

WH: Knowing that you obviously love each of the books you publish, what is your favorite Milkweed Young Reader book from 2008 and why? (If you need to be diplomatic, what are your TWO favorite books?)

BB: I do love each of the books I’ve worked on (not unlike children, actually), but my favorite from 2008 is a debut novel: Julie Crabtree’s Discovering Pig Magic. It’s a novel about three young teen girls in California, each struggling with a problem beyond her control. The characters come amazingly alive, with hilarious, spot-on dialogue. It manages to be light-hearted and serious at the same time.

WH: I’ll have to check that out. Now I must ask about what all of our readers want to know: manuscript submissions. How many unsolicited submissions would you say Milkweed Young Readers gets a month? What’s your turnaround time like?

BB: We get about three hundred manuscripts a year, so close to thirty a month. We advertise a maximum turnaround of six months, though I’m uncomfortable having manuscripts around for more than three months. In other words, we do our best to respond to submissions soon, but it will likely take us at least a few months.

WH: As editor, are you drawn to a specific kind or genre of book? Or are your tastes constantly changing?

BB: I wouldn’t say I’m drawn to a specific kind/genre of book, so much as I’m drawn to a book that manages to come alive for me as a reader. That can be almost any kind of book, in my mind: historical, fantasy, contemporary, urban, etc. I’m continually excited by books that push the envelope of young readers’ taste, recently I’ve been very impressed by Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief.

WH: What are three things about a query letter or manuscript submission that make you want to read more?

BB: It’s almost impossible for me to develop an interest in a manuscript without actually having a sample of the writing. Having a strong premise and outline is always helpful, but I rarely ask for a manuscript if I don’t get at least a few pages to help me develop a taste for the author’s writing ability.

With the writing sample, I’m looking primarily for a strong character voice. That indicates, to me, the author’s ability to fully inhabit their characters, as well as confidence telling the story. Without those two elements, it’s highly unlikely that a novel will work for us.

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There were gathered outside in the moonlight, pale faces poking out from underneath dark hoods. The clock was about to strike midnight as the thirsting hoard pushed forwards, long-taloned hands reaching out greedily, trying to grab something just out of reach. Their kohl-rimmed eyes were determined as they licked the crimson, still-wet specks of blood in the corners of their mouths.

Okay, it wasn’t real blood. But last Friday night bookstores around the country really did experience a rush of rabid fans, mostly teenaged girls, who lined up at the strike of midnight to celebrate with vampire-esque joy the release of “Breaking Dawn,” Stephanie Meyer’s fourth installment to her “Twilight” series. The New York Times attended some of these gruesome celebrations and has the full report on this YA series’ ability to draw fans from every walk of life. “Twilight” has just been adapted into a much-buzzed about movie that will be hitting theaters soon, so even more vampire-lovers can get sucked in.

Read the whole article HERE.

Do you have a horror screenplay that contest judges will sink their teeth into? Why not submit your script to the Terror Film Festival? The deadline is August 24^th so you’ll need to pull some graveyard shifts to finish your masterpiece. Don’t worry, WordHustler promises it’ll be bloody worth it.