Dear Writers,
Our 2015 Advance Submission Program is now OPEN!
SBWC’s Advance Submission program is a great opportunity for conference attendees to meet agents and editors, and receive individual feedback on their writing.
This year’s participating agents and two New York editors include (see their bios below):
Laura Chasen — St. Martin's Press
Erin L. Cox — Rob Weisbach Creative Management
Paul Fedorko — N.S. Bienstock, Inc.
Lucas Hunt — Orchard Literary
Michael Larsen — Larsen Pomada Literary Agents
Toni Lopopolo — Toni Lopopolo Literary Management
Eric Meyers — HarperCollins
Elizabeth Pomada — Larsen Pomada Literary Agents
Adriann Ranta—Wolf Literary Services
Angela Rinaldi — The Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency
How it works:
1) Register and choose your readers either online by credit card, or by mail.
2) Mail the first 5 pages of your manuscript. Be sure to allow for transit time, as the deadline for pages to be received is May 2.
3) Once at the conference, we will give you the details of the meeting. This is a one-on-one for 10 minutes, a chance for you to get personal feedback from an agent or editor.
Only registered attendees may participate in Advance Submission. As in the past, we expect many of these agents to fill their spots quickly, so sign-up early to ensure you get your first choice reader.
For more information about Advance Submission, visit our website.
There are only a few weeks left until the early registration price goes up to $650. Register now until March 15 for only $575.
Write On!
SBWC Team
“For some reason or another I had a kind of religious feeling about the idea of books and literature. I still do.” —Tom McGuane, author of Driving on the Rim and speaker at SBWC 2013
2015 Important Dates:
- January 1- March 15: Register for the early rate of $575
- March 1: Advance Submission opens (sign up to meet with an agent or editor)
- March 15: Last day for early registration price of $575
- March 16: Regular registration begins — $650
- May 2: Last day to submit manuscripts for Advance Submission
- May 6: Last day to take advantage of our group rate at the Hyatt Santa Barbara
- June 7 - 12: SBWC at the Hyatt Santa Barbara!
Be sure to “like” our official Facebook page, which is the best place for conference updates. You can also join our new Facebook group for fun postings from SBWC workshop leaders and students.
2015 Agents and Editors:
Laura Chasen - St. Martin's Press
Laura Chasen has worked as an editor at St. Martin’s Press since 2010, and is constantly on the hunt for stories that leave readers with a desire to share and converse. At St. Martin’s Laura has had the pleasure of working on a wide range of fiction and narrative nonfiction. She looks for literary and reading group novels, realistic young adult, upmarket commercial women’s fiction (the kind with real heart and nuanced characters), historical fiction, narrative nonfiction, current affairs, and memoir. She’s particularly drawn to international and immigrant stories, issue-driven novels, coming-of-age stories, good family dramas, school environments, and anything set in the dance world.
**You do not need to have an agent to meet with Laura.**
Erin L. Cox - Rob Weisbach Creative Management
Erin L. Cox develops and represents writers for Rob Weisbach Creative Management, focusing on literary fiction and narrative nonfiction in the areas of memoir, history, pop culture, fashion, and psychology. Erin began her career in book publishing in 1999 in the publicity department at Scribner, where she worked with New York Times bestselling authors Frank McCourt, Linda Fairstein, Kathy Reichs, and Al Roker, and critically-acclaimed writers Colm Toibin, Meg Wolitzer, Maile Meloy, and Adrian Nicole LeBlanc. In 2005, Erin was named associate director of publicity at HarperCollins, where she worked on bestsellers by Lisa Scottoline, Janet Evanovich, and Tony Hillerman, among others.
Paul Fedorko - N.S. Bienstock, Inc.
Prior to joining Bienstock, Paul Fedorko had been a literary agent at Trident Media Group for more than five years, ran The Paul Fedorko Agency, and spent more than 20 years as a publishing and marketing executive at Bantam Doubleday Dell, Simon & Schuster, and William Morrow working with many brand names as well as first-time authors. In general, Paul is looking for fiction ranging from World War II thrillers and British-type mysteries to contemporary mysteries featuring a female PI, plus any fiction set in New York in the ‘40s or ‘50s. He would also like to see YA and adult contemporary fiction, and is always looking for little-known true stories, except true crime.
Lucas Hunt - Orchard Literary
Before Lucas Hunt became agency director at Orchard Literary, he was a rights manager and agent at the Philip Spitzer Literary Agency. He cultivated the careers of best-selling authors Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke, Andre Dubus III, and Simon Van Booy. Hunt actively sought and closed major deals in print, audio, digital and foreign markets. He is interested in literary and international fiction, travel memoir, music and spirituality, along with creative and authoritative works of nonfiction.
Michael Larsen - Larsen Pomada Literary Agents
Michael Larsen, born and educated in New York City, worked in promotion for Bantam, William Morrow, and Pyramid (later assimilated into Berkley). He and his wife, Elizabeth Pomada, started Larsen–Pomada Literary Agents in San Francisco in 1972. They are members of AAR and have sold books to more than 100 publishers. Michael is eager to find nonfiction books that will excite big and midsize houses: how-to’s, self-help, business, personal finance, popular culture, biography, current affairs, history, health, medicine, spirituality, inspirational books, trends, technology, the future, and other books with practical, social, or literary value.
Toni Lopopolo - Toni Lopopolo Literary Management
Literary agent Toni Lopopolo has a book-publishing resume that began in 1970 in the publicity department of Bantam Books where she publicized authors Philip Roth, Barbara Cartland, and Louis L'Amour. When Macmillan offered Toni the title of executive editor, she published Judy Mazel's Beverly Hills Diet, and Elvis 56 by Al Wertheimer among many other hits. Next, Toni became executive editor for St. Martin's Press from 1981 to 1990. In 1991, Toni opened Toni Lopopolo Literary Management. Toni scouts novels in Latina fiction, noir thrillers, young adult, and new adult, as well as speculative and steam-punk fiction. In the nonfiction category, she looks for personal journey, health, and business. Toni will bring with her to the conference her assistant agent, Theo Tiffney, who specializes in speculative literature and YA.
Eric Meyers - HarperCollins
Eric Meyers is an associate editor at HarperCollins. He acquires a wide range of fiction and nonfiction, especially in the political and business markets. Eric began his career under the guidance of Adrian Zackheim at Penguin. He is a graduate of Syracuse University, where he studied journalism.
**You do not need to have an agent to meet with Eric.**
Elizabeth Pomada - Larsen Pomada Literary Agents
Elizabeth Pomada worked at David McKay, Holt Rinehart & Winston, and the Dial Press in New York City before moving to San Francisco in 1970 with her partner and husband, Michael Larsen. Together, they started Larsen–Pomada Literary Agents in 1972. Since then, they have sold books from hundreds of authors to more than 100 publishers. She represents narrative nonfiction (memoir), adult commercial and literary fiction, women’s fiction, romance, thrillers, and mysteries. She loves to find promising new writers who are writing books that will interest New York publishers.
Adriann Ranta - Wolf Literary Services
Adriann Ranta is senior agent and vice president at Wolf Literary Services. After making the move to New York, Adriann spent two years at Anderson Literary Management before moving to Wolf Literary in 2009. She represents New York Times bestselling and award-winning authors, journalists, illustrators and graphic novelists, as well as actors, stuntwomen, makeup artists, and many other pioneering creative thinkers and leaders in their fields. She is actively acquiring all genres for all age groups with a penchant for edgy, dark, quirky voices, unique settings, and everyman stories told with a new spin. She loves gritty, realistic, true-to-life stories with conflicts based in the real world; women’s fiction and nonfiction; accessible, pop nonfiction in science, history, and craft; and smart, fresh, genre-bending works for children.
Angela Rinaldi - The Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency
Prior to starting her agency, Angela Rinaldi was executive editor at NAL and Bantam Books, senior editor at Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster), and started the book-publishing program for the Los Angeles Times. Angela represents the eight million-copy bestseller, Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson (Putnam). Other titles on her list include Quirky, Yes -- Hopeless, No by Dr. Cynthia Norall (St. Martin’s), Blood Orange and The Good Sister by Drusilla Campbell (Grand Central Publishing), Calling in the One by Katherine Woodward Thomas (Ballantine), and The Thyroid Solution by Dr. Ridha Arem (Ballantine). She is interested in commercial and literary fiction, upmarket contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, narrative nonfiction, food narratives, lifestyle, memoir, current affairs, psychology, health books that address specific issues, and business and career.
News, Announcements & Happenings from SBWC Workshop Leaders, Students & Speakers:
Joye Emmens’ debut novel, She's Gone, received a five-star editorial review from Readers' Favorite. The book, released in January 2015, is available from Amazon.com and other online book sellers.
Michelle Robin La tells the true story of her husband growing up in the midst of the Vietnam War and his struggle to escape Communism in Catching Shrimp with Bare Hands: A Boy from the Mekong Delta, available in paperback and eBook at Amazon.com.
Suzanne Munshower’s thriller, Younger, was an Amazon Editor’s Pick for March. Check out her novel even before it’s released on Amazon. Suzanne will also be appearing on this year’s Mystery Panel.
Sameer Pandya’s first book, The Blind Writer: Stories and a Novella, follows the lives of first- and second-generation Indian Americans living in contemporary California. The book is available in hardcover and paperback through the University of Hawai’i Press. Sameer will also be appearing on this year’s First Book Panel.
Dale Griffiths Stamos’s short film Lost Music will be featured as part of the Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival on March 22.
Matt Pallamary’s book The Infinity Zone, which he co-wrote with Paul Mayberry was recently translated into Italian. Bravo!
Tracy Shawn wrote a piece for Noozhawk.com about inviting an author to your book club.
***If you would like your news to be included in the next SBWC e-Newsletter, please send in an email to info@sbwriters.com with the subject line NEWSLETTER.***
