Agent Friday: Lori Perkins

All agents manage to keep multiple balls juggling in the air. Submitting manuscripts to editors, managing rights and contracts, reading full manuscripts, and wading through piles of queries. Agent Lori Perkins adds an editorial director hat and author to the mix.

Specializing in paranormal romance and horror, Perkins has been agenting for over two decades. She started the L. Perkins Agency in 1987, and has sold over 200 vampire novels alone. Perkins is also the editorial director of a publishing company, Ravenous Romance.

Perkins has also published her own book, The Insider's Guide to Getting an Agent, which based on reviews, has much to do with the author-agent relationship.

Here are some of Perkins' blog posts that caught my interest:

It's always fascinating to find out how an agent got her first break. Perkins' story of her first sale is definitely an interesting one. Complete with real ghostbusters!

If you're ever tempted to "speed up" the query process by harassing the agent who has requested your manuscript, don't. Read this actual exchange between Perkins' agency and an author behaving badly, to find out what not to do.

A recent Salon.com article took the position that agents and editors are loathe to look at NaNoWriMo novels, and that writers shouldn't bother with them. Perkins, fortunately, has a much healthier view that she explains in Can Nanowrimo Novels Be Any Good?

Three-book deals are often seen by authors to be the prize to shoot for. But Perkins explains when a writer does not want a three-book deal. It's all in the timing.

And if you're just getting started, Perkins answers questions in Some Answers for Beginners, and also shares advice for new authors.

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2 comments:

  1. Mayra CalvaniNovember 5, 2010 at 4:50 PM

    Thanks for sharing all these links with us, Debbie. How do you find the time to find all this interesting stuff and write at the same time?
    I was happy to read her post about nanowrimo. I'm still upset by that Salon article. :-)

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  2. Debbie Maxwell AllenNovember 5, 2010 at 5:18 PM

    I'm glad you shared the link to the Salon article. I agree with you. Writers need more encouragement, not snarky criticism.

    Yes, some writers will make the mistake and send their novel too early, but agents and editors rarely know which novels they choose started in Nanowrimo. Just look at Water for Elephants. Hope yours is one of those!

    ~Debbie

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