Today I am chatting to Amy Collins a literary agent from Talcott Notch Literary Services about working with an agent. We find out where they fit into the publishing ecosystem, what they do and don't do for authors and how authors and agents can work most effectively together.
You can learn more about Amy at https://amysadvice.com/index.php/aboutamy/
Today I am chatting to Amy Collins a literary agent from Talcott Notch Literary Services about working with an agent. We find out where they fit into the publishing ecosystem, what they do and don't do for authors and how authors and agents can work most effectively together.
You can learn more about Amy at https://amysadvice.com/index.php/aboutamy/
Hi, and welcome to the writing and marketing show brought to you by author Wendy H. Jones. This show does exactly what it says on the tin. it's jam packed with interviews, advice, hints, tips and news to help you with the business of writing. It's all wrapped up in one lively podcast, so it's time to get on with the show. And welcome to episode 123 of the writing and Marketing Show with author entrepreneur Wendy H. Jones. As always, it's an absolute pleasure to have you join me here on the writing and Marketing Show. Today, we're going to be talking to literary agent, Amy Collins from the top notch literary agency in the USA. And I'm delighted to be talking to me today because my big news of the week is that I have signed a contract with me, who is now representing me as my agent for my books and for TV, film and audio rights. And it's I'm so excited about this, to be honest, and I had already arranged to have me on the show. But this has happened in the meantime, I didn't know about it last week, but I wasn't allowed to say anything, I had to sit on it until the news was announced. The other exciting piece of news this week is that I was actually named in a Kindlepreneur article as one of the authors killing on tick tock and that is very exciting because I would consider myself fairly new to tick tock, I've only been there since January, really. But I seem to be doing well. And Kindlepreneur have recognised that and said that I'm killing on tick tock, which is very exciting. So it's been a good week all around, I'm going to get on with the show. But before then I would like to say that it's an absolute pleasure for you being here. I like doing the show every week. I do so willingly. But it does take time out of my writing time. And if you would like to support that time, you can do so by going to patreon.com forward slash Wendy H Jones. And you can support me for just $3 a month, which is the price of a tea or coffee per month. And I would be very grateful. Or if you want to support the show, just as a one off, you can go to my website, click on Buy me a coffee, and you can support me for just the price of a cup of coffee as a one off. And again, I would be very grateful. If you'd let me know that you're enjoying the show and you want me to continue way past episode 123. So I'm going to what else am I going to be doing? Well, I've got some projects up my sleeve. I'm busy plotting a book. I'm busy writing a book, and it's been a great time. So without further ado, let me introduce Ma Ma Collins is an agent with top notch literary services. She has over 30 years of experience matching books with readers. As a former book buyer, publisher and sales director, Amy focuses on market and sales potential for authors. As an agent. She represents many authors who have signed deals with major publishers and is currently negotiating book to film as well. Amy is the author of several nonfiction books and is currently travelling the country with her two dogs, meeting with editors and authors. She can be found on twitter at ask Amy Collins. She is USA Today and Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author and is on the National Advisory Board for Ingram Spark, is a featured columnist for the book designer Writer's Digest magazine, IBPA and a sought after teacher at conferences worldwide. She has taught and spoken at many of the publishing industry's top festivals and conferences, including Publishers Weekly book con, Oklahoma Writers Conference, Author U, APS, Dublin Writers Conference, BIPA, PALA St. Louis writer's conference, Writer's Digest in the lab, Henderson writer's conference and many others. And I would like to welcome Amy to the show. Welcome Amy.
Unknown:Oh, for heaven's sakes, Wendy, we're going to have to cut that down the next time we chat. That was long, how are you?
Wendy Jones:I'm very well. You're very important lady with a bio like that. I'm honoured to be talking to you.
Unknown:For heavens sakes, it's mortifying. And I am I'm thrilled to be here. You know what a fan I am.
Wendy Jones:Well, I'm so excited to have you here and we're going to be talking about working with a literary agent today. But before we get started, where are you in the world?
Unknown:At the moment, I'm in Central Texas. I'm just outside of Houston. We are picking up steaks in two days and making our way to the Pacific coast. My husband and I live and work in a very large RV. We have a it's in essence a bus it's it's 40 feet long and it's ridiculous. And my husband and I my two dogs, we travelled the country, we spent Christmas and Mexico we're going to spend next summer in Alaska. We're everywhere you you don't want to be, but we love it. And so we're making our way up the Pacific Coast next.
Wendy Jones:That's fantastic. How exciting that's sort of lifestyle I want. Although I'm doing my best, I seem to spend a lot of time on trains and planes. And I'm very much looking forward to seeing you when I come to the States later in the year, which will be nice.
Unknown:So I'm looking forward to it as well. And this time, you have to promise you'll drive the car.
Wendy Jones:This time I will drive the car and I promise I will drive the car. There you go. Everybody's seen it now. So it has to happen. Moving on from my abilities to drive a car. Let's get on with the show. And I have a lot of lovely questions for you. So, I hope you're ready to answer them. So, my first question is most people know where writers and publishers fit into the literary landscape, but maybe puzzled as to what an agent is. Can you explain?
Unknown:Yes, yes, I can. An agent is different depending on the type of agent you have. So I'm going to answer it three different ways. A lot of people have agents that take them on as clients and handle only their business they, they're there to negotiate contracts, they're to pitch them for projects. They are in essence, business managers, it is their job to help the author move their career forward into the traditional publishing world. And in some cases, also with book to film, international rights, audio, subscription services, but anything that has to do with the written word and publishing, quite often an agent will be in essence, a business manager, they are there to support your interests and to further your interests in all aspects, financial and business. Quite a few agents also, in addition, or sometimes conversely, they will mainly focus on editorial, they will work with an author and get their manuscript ready, they will do line edits and deep development edits. And they will work with an author to help them advance their craft. And once their craft is at a certain level, then they will move forward and start pitching the projects. They may not have the time to do as much management or business aspects they maybe they do, depending on how many how many clients they have. And the third sort of agent that you have, the more that you can have is not an agent that you enter into an agreement with, but the type of agent that you can hire as a consultant or some sort on some sort of per basis fee agents who will quite often, if you feel you don't need a full time agent, you don't want to have 15% of your your income permanently assigned to them. You can hire an agent on an hourly basis to review contracts to help you evaluate offers to help you put together a pitch package or a proposal pitching is for fiction proposals or for nonfiction in general. And so there's different ways to use an agent and those are the main three.
Wendy Jones:Well, I mean, that's amazing. I didn't realise any of that I only realised the first bit. So, you know, I've learned something already. I think it's important, though, we often focus on what something is, but we don't focus on what it is not. What could you explain a bit what an agent is not?
Unknown:Well, an agent can often feel like a one stop shop for an author. Because we quite often know quite a bit about the industry. You had the nerve, the audacity to mention in my introduction that I've been in business for 30 years or more. And that's true. So when you've been in the business for 30 years or more, you know a lot but an agent is not a one stop shop. They are not social media coaches, they are not publicists. They can't get you on Ellen, they won't get you lunch with Oprah. Now, can an agent do those things? Maybe? Will they probably not. I sit with my clients all the time and discuss more I sit on marketing meetings and planning meetings, but that's my choice. At my job. I help my clients with their Social Media. Absolutely. But that is not what an agent does specifically. In essence, when I said that a lot of editors work. A lot of agents work as an editor. They'll work with their clients and do line edits. That is technically a job either. So you have to work out as you're talking exactly what they will and will not be able to do. They're not publicists, they're not editors, or agents. They are there to handle your career. And too many times people get confused and want me to, you know, get them on the Today Show. I'm afraid I can't do that.
Wendy Jones:Oh no, you've broken my heart know that you've said that you know
Unknown:That I'm not going to edit your manuscript, you do not want me editing your manuscript, I've got no business giving my opinion, I can recognise when it's good, or I can recognise when it needs something. For me, personally, I am a great, I can diagnose a manuscript beautifully. I can diagnose it is healthy, and ready to go or diagnose it is a boy, this needs work. But then once I diagnose it, I'm afraid you have to go find someone to help you do it.
Wendy Jones:Yeah, well, that's fair enough, we all need to know that you know, where our strengths lie, and play to them. So that's a brilliant answer. So, I'm curious. Why would a writer need an agent? There are probably people sitting there going, Yeah, well, that's all very well, but I don't need one. Why would they need one?
Unknown:Not everyone does. Quite a few people don't need an agent. And so I'm going to answer why they do. But I'd also love it if you'd asked me after who doesn't need an agent because I think that's just as valid and just as fair. The people who need an agent, for the most part, are either novelists or memoirists, or people who have a story to tell, who want that story. Pitch to accepted by and published by traditional publishers. Often reference or a story, whether it's a fiction or or a memoir, nonfiction story can mean the difference between professional reviews, full scale distribution, if you want to be in every bookstore, and if you want library journal to review your book, if you want a traditional publisher to present your book to the New York Times as a for review, then you probably you're not probably you will need an agent to negotiate that relationship. Because quite a few large publishers won't even accept an agent in manuscripts. But it's not just you need an agent, because otherwise, they won't talk to you, an agent in many, many ways will dramatically increase and improve your chances of getting a read by an editor, getting an offer from a house and then improving. I've never had a contract offered to me or an offer that I wasn't able to improve upon and bump up quite a bit. So why do you need an agent because if they offer you $200 As an advance and 7% royalty, you want an agent to say make that $2,000 and a 10% royalty. And quite often you as an author, you don't know what you can ask for and what I also protect my clients when they want a $50,000 advance and a 50% royalty and I have to explain to them. That's not how it works. I can do that without them looking foolish to the publisher.
Wendy Jones:Yeah, there is that because a lot of people who are not in the business have this false expectation of what they're actually going to get.
Unknown:Well, stories out there, you know, 1973 you know, Jacqueline Suzanne's editor sat and, you know, they worked for months together over a coffee table. And, and then she got her$100,000 deal and the poublisaher flew her all around the United States. Yeah, that was 1973. It was once. And even even people now who hear about stories that happened in 2015. Those days are over, things have changed dramatically. They change every nine months, in this industry and you need an agent to help you know what's going on today.
Wendy Jones:Absolutely. That's a brilliant answer. So, I am going to ask the question you said I should ask Who doesn't need an agent?
Unknown:That is a brilliant question. Wendy. I'm so glad you asked me. Quite often, experts, professionals, people who have a true expertise in a nonfiction vein, doctors, lawyers, financial counsellors, people who've got a list a very long list of clients or a group of people who are already going to buy their book. In many cases, they don't need an agent. In many cases, what they need is simply somebody to either consult with them to get them into the right hands, but they can do it themselves. Quite often. If you are a business owner, you already have 70% of the skills you need, and 50% of the information you need to advance your own career. And you don't need an agent to take 15% of your life's blood. What you need is somebody to help you for a few hours get you through the process. And I'm not one of them. I don't hire myself out by the hour. But there are some wonderful agents and consultants out there, who, but who take on. And I think there's a huge and in many cases, some people also they'll hire a publishing lawyer to do the same thing. And so if you are a nonfiction author with a huge platform, or if you are an expert that does not need the New York Times, if you can do it on your own, and you've got a good business sense, you don't probably need an agent, what you need is just some agency assistance.
Wendy Jones:Right? Good answer. Hey, sure. Brilliant question. I have to say. We may have said some of this already, but what does an agent do? I know, it's so much more than just pitching to publishers.
Unknown:Well, I can only answer for myself. And so if I may, I'd like to, I'll just answer you a little bit about what I've been doing for the last few hours today. I have been following up with publishers who asked for my clients manuscripts, but who have never gotten back to me. So, I've been leaning on my relationships with some of these editors, and saying, come on, you've had the manuscript for four months now, what do you think, and kind of pushing her a little bit because I know she hasn't started reading it yet. Because the other agents who have been leaning on her harder than I have, they've been bumping. Now it's me. I wait, I wait a little longer than other people. So, that's part of my job is also to constantly and I was doing this this morning, reach out to editors, I don't know, and set up meetings so I can get to know them, find out what they like, what they don't like, how they're working, how they don't want to work, do they liked me, of course, they liked me. And two weeks ago, I spent 10 days driving around the UK, having lunch and dinner, there was not a single meal, I ate alone, I was meeting with editors and publishers all over the UK. Getting to know I was meeting with scouts. My job is to develop relationships on the behalf of my clients. My job then is to take those relationships, and lean on them heavily when the project is a good fit for the editor, and to constantly stay aware of who might want a certain type of projects because as new projects come in, I need to know the right people to send it to you do not want an agent who just sends your book out to 97 editors blindly in a in a spray and pray manner. It needs to be something a little more careful. So an agent uses relationships, discretion, good follow up programmes, I have horrible follow up. But I have fantastic systems. I use, I use a calendar system. And every Tuesday I'm doing follow up and and so learning to lean in and to not be afraid to ask for what you want is another big part of my job. And staying abreast of what's happening in the industry. Street we had I focus a lot on sci fi and fantasy. We had a pretty dramatic week this week in the Sci Fi community based on one of our old very well beloved authors making some pretty horrific mistake and comments in a on a panel. There's a lot going on that I need to stay abreast of so that I can keep my office from making similar mistakes.
Wendy Jones:Yeah, very good points, actually. Thank you. And you just don't realise how much I mean, I know agents work extremely hard but you don't realise just how much work they do. And the different things they have to do. And I'm very grateful you came over to the UK, it was the UK public will love it.
Unknown:But you know, part of my job too is I have five manuscripts that I have to read this week. And so I have to be able to read and take in huge chunks very quickly. Because I can't pick something or even consider something until I've read it. Yeah, so there is that as well.
Wendy Jones:Yes. So good. I know of people they'll panic about picturing and how to write pitches and things. Can you give my listeners some tips on writing a pitch to an agent?
Unknown:I really van. And again, I can only speak for myself. But I will tell you this, every agent has their own tone, and match the agents tone. If you go on manuscript wish list, I hope all of you are constantly looking and Googling the manuscript wish list. It's a fantastic way on Twitter and on the MSW l website. To find editors and agents who are looking for specific projects and their pages. They write up their web pages, their agent query pages, their manuscript, wishlist pages, all of them their personality. their tone comes out. So if they're hard hitting obnoxious, pushy in your face type people and so were you, well, then that's a great fit. And you should mention that in your pitch to them, that you thought that you and they would get along personal. I love people who I react to personally, I do not have a single client I don't adore. And I need it for some reason, their letter or their their voicemail or whatever doesn't strike me the right way, there's no reason for me to move forward. It's not a snap reaction, it's been having an agent, it's a little like having a wife. And, and if I'm gonna, you know, this is kind of a commitment to a huge commitment. I spent 1000s of dollars 1000s of dollars and hundreds of hours on my clients. Before I see a penny. I help them, find them editors, I find them I build their websites if I need to. I mean, there's so much I have to do. So when you're pitching an agent, find somebody that you personally like what you see about them online, and tell them that I prefer a casual approach. Tell me why you found me Tell me what sort of project you have. Keep it short, I do not read six page emails, I don't even read six paragraph emails, I will barely read a six sentence email. And I'm not I'm not actually kidding, the shorter for me, the better. But everyone's different. I guess the main thing I should say is, it's very much like finding a life partner or a date or someone to date. It's all just a matter of finding someone you fit with. And there's no shame or or issue or problem with you. If you haven't found an agent yet, it simply means you just haven't found the right fit. So instead of being so close attention to the agents who already have a world war two plucky heroine fighting the Nazis, if you've written that book, and that agent already has a client with a book about a plucky heroine, heroine fighting the Nazis, that's not the right agent for you, she already has that. You need to find some better fit for you. And so take your time, one at a time, no spray and pray, go to conferences. Most of my clients I have signed, my very first client I ever signed was a woman I called I called her when I became an agent. I met her in St. Louis. And I met her at a conference. And I said, Nicole, I adore you. I love your books, I'd love to be your agent. She was the first one I signed. She's got three bills, it's been under two years, she's got three books published by major houses. And so go to conferences, you know, sign up for the zoom and virtual ones as well as the in person and get to know eight, sit down at lunch with them, chat with them, get to know them as people. That was a very long answer. I'm sorry, Wendy,
Wendy Jones:It was a brilliant answer. I really like it. And you're right, you do have to have the right fit. Because I've I've been on I've been in the audience where people were on panels talking about things like that, traditional authors who are already published, and they're saying that, you know, to start with the hunter, not an agent, they just were not the right fit, you know, and they hadto part company because it just wasn't working for either of them. So, I think you're right, that being the right fit is, you know, what is needed. So it takes me beautifully on to the next bit. Now you've answered it partly, but I'm sure you get 1000s of people pitching to you. How do you go about deciding which authors to discuss things with?
Unknown:All right, well, it depends. I know, I keep answering this with it depends. When I'm open for queries at the moment. I'm not if you're listening to this recording, in May of 2022. I'm not open to queries at the moment. But if you're listening to it later on, I probably am. But what I do is I go through query manager, and I would say the vast majority of agents now more and more are using services like query manager so that their inboxes, don't fill up with queries. So we use an online service. I have some very specific questions that I asked and query manager. I asked, you know, what's your genre? And so if you tell me that you have a memoir, I don't have to go any further. Because it says very clearly on my website, and in query manager, that I don't do memoir, I know nothing about memoir. I don't even like my own story. So there's absolutely I have no business agent doing a memoir. But if you if you pitch me a memoir, I will pass because I get when I'm open for queries, somewhere between 12 and 1400 submissions every month, every month. I cannot. I cannot be a good agent for my clients if I if I read all of those. So I start by just saying well, what Is the genre? Is it sci fi fantasy? Is it historical fiction? Is that? Is it mystery or thriller? Is it pop culture? Is it calendar based, these are the things I, I can represent. I know the editors. And so anyone that doesn't give me the genre that fits my wish list, they get an item, even send out the note, my assistant, I will tell you and I'm not alone, my assistant sends out a note saying thank you very much. However, that's not a genre I work in, and they sign my name. The second thing is, when's the next thing I ask is I asked for a quick pitch, you know, quick logline or a very short pitch a sentence or two about your book. And then I always ask to read the first 10 pages. Let me explain why this is just me. If somebody is really bad at pitching, or if their proposal is horrible, but their writing is fantastic. I won't know that unless I see the first 10 pages. So I will only speak for me if I read if some if I ask somebody to give me a pitch and the pitch is even wrote mostly interesting, even remotely interesting. Now, if I get a pitch from someone who tells me that they have a nonfiction historical proof that Hitler was an alien, who wrote doctrines around Texas, then I'm going to immediately I'm not, I mean, no. But if it's a historical novel about, about Lincoln, and how he raised doc sons and fell in love with the breed, I mean, I'm okay, that's bad. I've never heard of that one before. I'm making this up as I go along. So forgive me, I will always open and read the first few pages. Because what if you're really talented, but your pitch is awful. And it has nothing to do with toxins. It's, you know, a story of, of, you know, our President having an affair with a dog breeder. And so, now that's gonna come out on Twitter, and I'm gonna be so embarrassed. So that's how I decide, I decide by genre, I decide by reading the first few pages. And if you've got talent, I will then reach out to you and ask for more.
Wendy Jones:That's brilliant. This is absolutely gold dust, Amy. Thank you. I mean, I'm learning a lot. You know, maybe I should pitch an agent. No, no. No, I'm joking. I love you as my agent. I don't want anybody else
Unknown:I would be very unhappy with you if you started pitching
Wendy Jones:No, no intention of doing that at all. So just taking it a bit further, once they get past that, and you sign them up. And this is one I'm very interested in for obvious reasons how best can an author and agent work together?
Unknown:Well, patience helps on both sides. The first author that I ever signed, I told you about Nicole, I called her it took me a year to sign her first project. And then two more right after that, bam, bam, bam. Another client, Stacy McEwen who I found on TikTok. I signed her, and I had her project sold in five weeks. Now, conversely, on the third hand, I have authors that I signed two years ago, I still haven't sold the project, but I'm trying. So patience helps. Listening to outside input is very, very important. If I can't sell a project, within a few months, I and I pay for this myself. I go and have the book developmentally reviewed and edited. I have a sensitivity read, I've got sensitivity readers I hire. When I tell you I spend thousands of dollars, I'm not kidding. And I get the book completely evaluated and edited. And it is returned to the author. And some of my authors say, I don't want to do any of this. You know what, then I'm probably not the right agent for you. Because craft is not you never finished learning and so staying teachable, staying willing to learn, willing to constantly grow and and adjust your craft. That's really important. Also, you don't always have to trust your agent has you foremost in their mind. Some agents, I'm not one of them. I keep my numbers low, but some agencies have hundreds of clients, and you need to stay aggressive on your own behalf. You need to advocate for yourself. So when I get a client who drops me an email every week or two and says Amy, how's this project going? That is incredibly helpful to me. Never be afraid to reach out to your agent and to ask a question. You're not bothering them. This is their job. So being an advocate for yourself of being patient, and yet at the same time being present in the process, all of these can help you be far more successful in keeping your relationship and your project going with your agent.
Wendy Jones:No, that's that's good advice actually. Remember it? No, it's really good advice. Because very often you think, I've signed with an agent, what happens now, you know, and you're not quite sure what you should be doing. But I agree that you need to remain teachable. That's, that's key. And you need to be open to constructive input. To make things better. So yeah.
Unknown:So, going on, you know, have you pitched me Who have you pitched me to? I mean, I have an Excel spreadsheet for all of my clients. And I'm, I mean, I have too many clients, I can't tell them all each week what's happening. But when someone reaches out, I know, I can just cut and paste and I go, here you go. Here's all the people I pitch you to, here's what they've said so far. So it's a partnership. It's a relationship, back and forth communication.
Wendy Jones:Excellent, then I should remember that and so shall everyone else that's listening to this show. So how does one go about finding an agent?
Unknown:Can you say that again? Wendy, I'm afraid I'm afraid I lost you.
Wendy Jones:Oh, how does one go about finding an agent.
Unknown:As I said, manuscript wish list is one of the best places agent query is another great place. And if I can offer some off the, you know, this is off the track advice. If you have never had an agent before, if you're a debut author, or you're a self published author who's never had a traditional publishing deal, go for the junior agents go for the associate agents who have just been announced, you might want to get a subscription to publishers, marketplace, publishers, marketplace.com. It is a it's $20 a month American, I don't know what it is in the UK. But it's Publishers Marketplace. And they are always announcing new agents who have just been hired or who have moved up from being assistants. So if you start pitching somebody who's just starting to build their list, you have a much better chance. So start Googling to go to manuscript wish list, yes, but also start Googling for new agents. And for agent announcements, for new young fresh faces who are just getting started at the agency. They need authors as badly as you need an agent. And that's a great way often to be able to get an agent, when you find yourself being turned down over and over again by people who are a little longer in the tooth.
Wendy Jones:Great advice. And that's a nice one to go with. I'm curious, how does it need you to build up relationships with publishers, the film and TV industry, audio book publishers, etc? I mean, to be honest, I wouldn't even know where to start.
Unknown:Well, it takes it takes a willingness to just ask my job is to ask for my clients. And asking for myself is really hard. I wouldn't even ask for an umbrella if it was raining. But for my I would for the world. So if I read that, you know, Mary breath, so and so just signed a three, a three year deal as to scout for Netflix, I'm getting on the phone and I am leaving voicemails, and I an emailing Mary about selling so and asking if she and I can have a quick meeting. I am constantly being introduced. It's all about relationship. Yeah. You know, you've said, I've known editors forever i So if if I know Phil Sexton at this house, and he can introduce me to somebody at his house that that is working on it. Then I just call Philip or I email him and I asked him for an introduction. It's a it is about relationships, but it's also about being willing to just get out there. And the publishing industry is filled with lovely people who truly want new projects. I mean, we want new content, we want new authors, we want everyone to succeed. So for the most part, while people are busy, if you can, if you I have clients all the time, who say Hey, I heard about this editor at this house, she just moved to so and so because my authors quite often they hear about what's going on as well. And so I'll hop on the phone and I'll so I'll call Jennifer now at HarperCollins and say we don't know each other. But you know my author and I read about your move and I'd love to talk to you. Do you have a few minutes and we just set up a meeting? When I was starting to pitch to audio houses I didn't know audio at all. That's how I got to know everyone. I just asked. Everybody said yes. Not one person said no.
Wendy Jones:Wow. I didn't realise that. And that's really good to hear actually because you get the iimpression often that, you know, people don't want to know, you know, they're too busy, but to know that everybody's open and willing to engage. That's brilliant.
Unknown:Well, if you're an agent quite often, yes. But if you're an author who thinks, okay, well, I can just ask for myself, quite often you will not get a response. There is a reason why the industry I know I hate the way we call it gatekeeping. But there's only so much time in the day. And editors have to they, they they want to have a quick seven minute meeting with me, because they know I'll get to the to the we'll just cut to the chase with an author takes seven minutes for them to try and explain what their books about.
Wendy Jones:No, I agree totally. You know, I was, I was meaning in the background, there are relationships being built. And that's great. But it's it's not easy. But obviously you have to put work into it. But it's, it's open, and people are willing to work together. It's a good insight. So you've already said that you're not open to submissions at the moment, but when you are, what genres do you represent?
Unknown:I have had the most success in the last few years with sci fi fantasy. I do very well. I've done quite a bit with pop culture. I you know, I've recently sold a couple of projects, pop culture, projects, so calendars, that sort of thing. Absolutely. Just gonna hit this so the light goes on a little better. I do historical fiction. I have sold a couple of mystery projects. One of my favourite clients is right in Scotland, about an hour from you. And she's got 19 She's got a series, the Eufemia series and the hope for you. You know Caroline Dunford love her. So, mystery, history, sci fi, fantasy, and pop culture. For the most part. I've sold calendars too. Prescriptive nonfiction seems to be a strength of mine. But it's a really hard sell. Right now. I'm looking more for pop culture nonfiction, rather than prescriptive.
Wendy Jones:Okay, excellent. Well, everybody knows where they stand if they want to pitch to you, which is great. So all podcasts have to come to an end a bit. Wait, you know, all stories have to come to an end. So my final question, Where Can my listeners find out more about you?
Unknown:If you go to Amy'sadvice.com, you will get my email address. You'll get my wish list. You'll get a picture of me on a motorcycle. You will get everything everything you need to know about me. It's all there. Amy's advice.com
Wendy Jones:Amy's advice.com, and I'll put that in the show notes as well. Well, thank you very much, Amy. It's been an absolute pleasure chatting to you. As always. Thank you, Wendy. And thank you for your time. Bye. That brings us to the end of another show. It was really good to have you on the show with me today. I'm Wendy H Jones. And you can find me at Wendy H jones.com. You can also find me on Patreon where you can support me for as little as $3 a month which is less than the price of a tea or coffee. You go to patreon.com forward slash Wendy H Jones. I'm also Wendy H Jones on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Thank you for joining me today and I hope you found it both useful and interesting. Join me next week when I will have another cracking guest for you. Until then, have a good week and keep writing keep reading and keep learning