Interview with Regina Brooks

I posted a little over a month ago about the YA Novel Discovery Contest.  There are a few more days to enter, so get cracking if you've written a YA novel!  I interviewed literary agent Regina Brooks of the Serendipity Literary Agency about the contest, her job, and the importance of diversity in YA.

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1.    Since some of my readers might not know, what does a literary agent do?

An agent is a person who is essentially a manager for an author. They negotiate contracts, help authors understand trends, shop the book and prepare the project to entice editors or publishers. They are also responsible for ensuring you get royalty statements and mediating issues between the author and publisher such as during cover art disputes.

2.    Everyone I know in publishing has at least one book they love that never found its audience. What are some underrated gems from your career?

The Making of Dr. Truelove by Derrick Barnes. His book came out well before publishers, librarians, and teachers accepted edgy YA.

3.    A contest on the scale of the YA Novel Discovery Contest clearly takes a lot of time and effort to run.  Why did the Serendipity Literary Agency decide to start this contest?  What are some of the benefits of running the contest?

One huge benefit is that it’s a service to the YA author community.  Authors typically get really nervous about pitching whether it’s at a conference or through an online query letter. This contest allows an author’s idea to get in front of an agent without having to pitch.

The reason we only want to see the fist 250 words is because an author should be able to get an agents attention quickly and most agents who have been editing or ageing for years can tell very quickly whether it’s a project that so would be of interest.  Serendipity Literary Agency LLC., since its inception, has always been a place for the YA author to feel at home and it a great way to let more people know about our mission.

4. What are some of the other ways you find new writers to represent?

Besides queries, I find new authors at conferences, by referrals from other authors, through Twitter, and in classes that I teach.

5. There's a growing call online for diversity in literature.  You've represented Coretta Scott King, Stonewall, and LAMBDA award winners.  What makes diversity important to you?

Everyone should have a voice and whatever I can do to help bring as many voices into the marketplace as possible I’m excited to be able to do that. While diversity among young adult authors is growing, there still remains a critical need for more, especially given the changing demographics in the US. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with stories that challenge and inspire an interest in diversity.

5th Annual YA Novel Discovery Contest

Get in Front of Top YA Editors and Agents with ONLY the First 250 Words of Your YA Novel!

Serendipity Literary Agency in conjunction with Sourcebooks Inc. is hosting their fifth annual Young Adult Novel Discovery Competition.

 No query? No pitch? No problem! 

Have a young adult novel—or a YA novel idea—tucked away for a rainy day? Are you putting off pitching your idea simply because you’re not sure how to pitch an agent? No problem! All you have to do is submit the first 250 words of your novel and you can win exposure to editors and a review of your manuscript from one of New York’s TOP young adult literary agents, Regina Brooks.

NOVEMBER IS NaNoWriMo 

In honor of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org)—an international event where aspiring novelists are encouraged to write an entire novel in 30 days—this contest is meant to encourage the aspiring YA author to get started on that novel by offering an incentive for completing the first 250 words.

GREAT PRIZES 

The Grand Prize Winner will have the opportunity to submit an entire manuscript to YA literary agent Regina Brooks AND receive a free, 10-week writing course, courtesy of Gotham Writers' Workshop, plus a collection of gourmet teas from Possibiliteas.co!

The Top Five Entrants (including the Grand Prize winner) will receive a 15-minute, one-on-one pitch session with Regina Brooks, one of New York’s premier literary agents for young adult books. They will also receive commentary on their submissions with editors from Scholastic, Feiwel and Friends, Random House, Little Brown, Kensington, Candlewick, Bloomsbury, Simon and Schuster, Penguin, and Sourcebooks. In addition, they will receive a year’s subscription to The Writer magazine!

First 50 Entrants will receive a copy of Writing Great Books for Young Adults by Regina Brooks.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: The rules of the contest are simple and entering is easy. Submit entries of ONLY the first 250 words of your manuscript and the title via the contest website at http://tinyurl.com/YAContest13

One entry per person; anyone age 14+ can apply. Open to the U.S. & Canada (void where prohibited). Entries for the YA Novel Discovery Contest will be accepted from 12:01am (ET) November 1st, 2013 until 11:59pm November 30th, 2013 (ET).

YA literary agent Regina Brooks and her team will read all of the entries and determine the top 20 submissions. These submissions will then be read by Deidre Jones Little Brown, Nicole Raymond Candlewick, Aubrey Poole Sourcebooks, Kendra Levin Viking Penguin, Mercedes Fernandez Kensington, Annie Nybo Simon and Schuster, Erica Finkel Abrams Books, Monica Jean Random House, Catherine Laudone Simon and Schuster, Stacey Friedberg Penguin Group, Paula Sadlet Random House, Laura Whitaker Bloomsbury, Anna Roberts Feiwel and Friends. These judges will whittle the top 20 down to five, and each of the five winners will be provided commentary on their submissions.

So enter now! http://tinyurl.com/YAContest13

PREVIOUS WINNERS: Previous winners are being published by major houses and many have received representation.

2012 winner 
Last year’s winner, Lori Goldstein (www.lorigoldsteinbooks.com), received a two book deal. Her first book BECOMING JINN will be published by Feiwel and Friends.

2010 winner
“I ended up signing with an agent, and she sold the book to Candlewick's Nicole Raymond, who served as one of the judges of the 2010 YA Novel Discovery Contest. Breakfast Served Anytime is slated for publication in Spring 2014.” Sarah V. Combs 

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I am setting up an interview with Regina Brooks, so let me know if there's anything you want me to ask.  This contest is a great opportunity if you have a complete YA manuscript!