Louise believes in the power of marketing and is constantly on the lookout for authors who know how to promote themselves.
She is seeking graphic novels, well written, teen Sci-Fi and Young Adult horror . She is also on the hunt for deep, dark contemporary YA and select Middle Grade fiction with a literary feel– it must be realistic and thought provoking and the characters must be authentic and original. Louise is a huge adult horror fan, but also loves romance (especially Regency & Victorian) and is looking for steam/cyberpunk with series potential.
In nonfiction, please send humor and pop culture manuscripts her way. NO memoirs or erotica!!
The Interview
1. What is the best part of being a literary agent?
I feel like a treasure hunter when I am going through my query folder. There are some duds, but when you get that perfect nugget, it’s an adrenaline rush. Once I am representing an author and we are shopping the project, the excitement is tangible and when I get an offer and present it to my clients, I feel like a fairy godmother. I love that I can help someone achieve their dreams. It is also an added bonus that I get to read books before they are published. This is the best job in the world!
2. How would you summarize your personal agenting philosophy? What do you expect from an agent-author relationship?
I have to really love a project before I take it on. Even if it is from an author I already represent. I am very involved in the revision process and I am always brutally honest even though that means often saying the things a writer may not want to hear. The submission process is not an easy one, but my authors and I are in it together and being part of a team is often the key to everyone’s sanity!
3. What’s something coming out now/soon that you’ve represented and are excited about?
Forest of Shadows (Samhain) is a horror novel by Hunter Shea, Tooth and Nail (Nightshade) by Jennifer Safrey hits stores in February and I just sold a romantic work of women’s fiction to Harper Collins called Vanity Fare by Megan Frampton. That won’t be out till next December, but I can hardly wait for readers to experience that book.
4. What are the primary mistakes you see writers make in the query process?
They get too personal. I need to know about your book, not every detail about your life. I also think writers sometimes forget that this is not personal, this is a business and if I pass on your query/partial it is not because I don’t like you.
5. With fiction partials, what makes you stop reading and start skimming-or stop reading altogether?
This is such a tricky question because it really depends on the tone, the premise, the writing etc. But I do start to skim if I see that you start the first line with someone waking up. I read it about a dozen times a day and it really distracts me from the manuscript. It also makes me feel like the author didn’t know where to start, so they just started at A beginning, not THE beginning. The beginning of a day, does not always equal the beginning of a story.
6. Your agency profile says that you’re interested in steam/cyberpunk, can you elaborate more on other fantasy subgenres that you might consider?
I love sci-fi, especially if the characters are well-developed and the story is strong, regardless of setting. I love space opera and horror. I am especially looking for realistic contemporary stories in elaborate and fictional worlds that will tear your heart out.
7. When accepting young adult, what subgenres do you lean toward?
Right now, original Sci Fi and horror elements and realistic, heart-wrenching contemporary stories.
8. Will you be at any upcoming writers conferences where people can meet/pitch you?
I have just come off a huge conference marathon and now have a few months to do office work and catch up, but I will be in South Africa for the month of February, where I will be meeting with South African publishers, writers and librarians. Then the Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference on Saturday March 17 th , The RWA DC chapter meeting on March 24 th and The TEXAS TWO STEP conference March 31 st – April 2 nd . Then of course RT in April.
9. What’s the best way to contact you?
Send a query and the first 5 pages to louise@lperkinsagency.com
10. Best piece(s) of advice we haven’t discussed ?
Be polite and professional on and off line. When I am seriously considering an author for representation, I am just as thorough in my research as I expect authors to be. I research the authors, read their blogs and their twitter feeds. If I see that they are nasty or mean or too negative, it does make me rethink and often reconsider offering representation. I don’t want to work with rude, mean or unprofessional people. And that goes for editors, writers and other agents. I am at that stage in my life where I love my job, I love my friends and I love the people I work with. When I find a manuscript I love, I want to like the author too, because we are going to be communicating quite a bit and an unpleasant experience can tarnish the entire process. So don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t say in a public arena, because that is what the Internet is. A VERY BIG public stage.
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