RT Recap Pt. 1: Hanging with Louise Fury

The RT Convention was such an amazing, and overwhelming experience, that I am going to have to break it down into smaller chunks. So here is the first part (of several).

*****

Louise Fury, Super-powered agent of awesome

I was lucky enough to gain Minion status for a couple days at RT with the amazing Louise Fury. It was an opportunity of a lifetime and I was glad to offer whatever services she required. If you ever get a chance to hang out with an agent of her caliber, do it.

Anyway, I hung out with her, off and on, for three days. Not only did I get to listen to pitches, I also got to see the inner workings of how an agent navigates through a convention the size of RT. I also helped her print a spreadsheet, carry things to her room, and even bring some mini-cupcakes to a contest on Friday. I also got to read, out loud, some of the entries in said contest but that is another post.

Simply put, my time with Louise was fascinating and educational.

I spent a couple hours with her listening to pitches. I don't think she heard a pitch she didn't like. Some got full requests, the others were partials. She was honest with the authors about her process and how she would progress in the off chance they were selected.

Here are some of the things I learned:

1. Don't try to tell the agent what you think they want to hear. Unless they are a greenhorn, they have seen and heard it all. Tell them about your story and ask questions.
2. Don't bring full color mock ups of what you think the cover should look like. This won't help and to be honest, I was slightly put off by it when it happened. The pitch is to pitch your novel not to show off your cover creation skills.
3. If an agent asks why you fired your previous agent, be upfront. Tell them why. This isn't a job interview where you have to pretend that the other agent did a good job if they didn't.
4. Avoid 4 different first person POVs in a novel. It's going to be a hard sell and may not work....unless you are amazing.
5. Even if you have pitched the agent and they want revisions, don't hesitate to make contact at a convention and talk to them. Face time is so important.
6. In any romance, you should have at least three tropes...TV Tropes has an immense listing of them for all genres. Mix and match as you see fit. A unique twist on a classic idea will give an agent chills (and you a full request)...I saw it happen. Also, I want to read that novel if it is any good....Louise knows which one I'm talking about.

I'm sure there are other things I've learned, but at the moment, I feel like this:

 

I will say that Louise is amazing. If you end up as her client, you will be in very capable hands (no I'm not sucking up!). She knows a LOT about publishing and how it all works. She will also do her best to make sure you get the best representation possible. She also talks faster than I do sometimes, and has the most lovely South African accent I have ever heard.

Thank you, Louise for giving me the opportunity to learn from you. You have given me more than I can ever repay you.

'Till next time.