Posted in this series so far: Intro
Today Susan Laidlaw's agent, Andrea Cascardi of the Transatlantic Literary Agency, will be sharing with us. Andrea recently sold Susan's YA, INFIDEL IN PARADISE, to Tundra Books. Look for INFIDEL IN PARADISE to be released winter 2013!
Publisher's Marketplace
MiGs: Why did you become an agent?
Cascardi: I wanted to continue working with writers but had decided to leave the corporate publishing world.
MiGs: What made you pick your very first client?
Cascardi: He picked me, actually. I had been his editor at Knopf and he was the one who asked, when I left, "are you thinking about being an agent?" I said "why, would you be looking for an agent?" And that's essentially how the decision was made.
MiGs: Of the most recent 100 queries you received from writers, how many did you accept as clients? (rough guess)
Cascardi: Of the most recent 100 queries, I'd say none. I have a very full list and I get a lot of queries, so the percentage of what I take is very very small.
MiGs: What is an ideal client?
Cascardi: Someone who understands that writing is creative but publishing is a business. Not everything that is well-written gets published. And a writer has to be prepared to help find the readers nowadays.
MiGs: What is one piece of typical writing advice you think should go out the window?
Cascardi: I don't tend to read writing advice so I can't answer that one.
MiGs: Do you read the query letter first or the sample pages?
Cascardi: I read the query first. If the query intrigues me, but it's not an area I represent, I won't read the first pages. But if my interest in the query and the area dovetail, I will go right to the sample pages or ask to see the full manuscript.
MiGs: What is one common misconception that inexperienced writers tend to have about agents?
Cascardi: That getting an agent is the holy grail-- the end of the rainbow. There's a lot of work that comes after one gets an agent, so be prepared to continue to hone your craft beyond that stage.
MiGs: What is something people might not know about you?
Cascardi: I love swing dancing.
MiGs: What's on your wish list?
Cascardi: Romance, humor, and thrillers! Always with a geographical setting that is as strong as any character.
Next up: Debbie's agent, Ginger Knowlton of Curtis Brown Ltd.
Great interview Christina and Andrea. It's so true that there's a lot more work after getting an agent and definitely much more work on your manuscript.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Andrea, for the interview. It's great that you have a very full list of clients, so I'll query elsewhere. Thnaks for the new word ... dovetail.
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