Writing Wednesday with Jennifer Laughran, Agent Extraordinaire

Today’s interview is the perfect one to get you over that Wednesday hump. Jennifer is funny, savvy, the founder of Not Your Mother’s Book Club, and agent at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc. And I’m lucky to have her as my agent too. 🙂

1. Describe your ideal client.

I like authors who are hard-working, who take their work seriously (but are fun about it!) and who are not precious about revising or reworking or throwing things that are not working away.  I don’t like divas.  I also don’t like surprises, and I really really don’t like wasting my time… but who does? So I very much appreciate authors who are good communicators.

2. The agent/client relationship should be a match for both. What are the right questions an author should ask to see if the compatibility is there?

I think that depends on what is important to YOU. But I’d probably start with: What did you like about my book? What do you think I need to change? How much revision would you ask me to do before we can submit? How do you envision the book, with what sort of publisher?  Do you want to know if I have ideas/suggestions for editors we might submit to?  How do you prefer to communicate, and how often? What happens if we don’t sell this book?  Can I see your agency agreement before I make a decision?  (And because for me it would be important that my agent be well-read in whatever my genre would be…) What do you consider comparative titles to mine? What are some of your favorite books in my genre?

3. What is the top mistake writers make?

Probably querying too soon, and/or having unrealistic expectations.

4. What made you want to be an agent?

I love books and authors, and am a real evangelist for my favorite books, but I don’t want to be a writer. And I am good at selling things, but I don’t want to be a door-to-door salesman. And I am good at arguing, but I don’t want to be a lawyer.  Soo…. it was a perfect fit!

5. And, if you weren’t an agent, you’d be…..?

A bookseller, I guess!  🙂  If I wasn’t in the book business at all, I would probably be a dramaturg or theatre producer, that is what I went to school for. If I couldn’t do that for whatever reason, I also would not mind working in a fabric or hobby shop, fine paper store, antique store or at a boutique florist. I like buttons and bows!  And I have pretty much zero skills that will translate to a post-apocolyptic world. Ah, well.

5. What’s your best advice for writers?

Read. A LOT. And don’t get too caught up in what other people are writing — you have to make your own path.

6. What kind of manuscript do you wish you had in your hands right now?

I would love some funny wonderful classic-feeling Middle Grade fiction, like THE PENDERWICKS or Andrew Clements. It is extremely hard to write. 

I would also like high-concept, unputdownable, truly stellar but highly commercial YA.  Wouldn’t everyone?

7. If you could create a donut flavor, what would it be?

Hm – I am not so into donuts. I like fleur de sel mini-cupcakes. MINI ONLY! I don’t like large cupcakes. I have an anti-messy-food policy.

8. Favorite book ever?

I could not possibly pick one. My favorite non-client books at the moment are THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson and HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN ROBOT by Natalie Standiford.

9. Favorite/least favorite aspect of agenting?

I love selling things, and I love making that call to a client that their book is going to be published!  

But, I sympathize with many writers, because I too am frustrated by the length of time we have to wait for things. As we all know, the publishing world is very slow, and it can be excruciating.

10. This question is all you. Anything you have always wanted to be asked but never were or just something you’re dying to share?

Not really. If you want to find out inane things about me daily, feel free to follow my twitter feed: @literaticat