Dan Lazar: What Makes Your Book Publishable

Writers House agent Dan Lazar is tackling the topic of making publishable books. And he has handouts! Yay!

First up Dan is talking about the ins and outs of selling books. Including thoughts on foreign rights and book jackets--how a good agent can help you navigate the publishing world.

Dan is reading from query letters to give the audience an idea of what he's looking for, as well as some first pages of the novels he represents. He said crafting the best query letter and perfecting your approach is important to breaking into the business.

He does a fantastic job showing an agent really can help a writer shape the career that they want. Very in-depth and interesting!! Reading from Savvy is ALWAYS an excellent choice!

Dan points out some of the pieces that can really make a story stand out. Including tone and "magic"--that extra something in the writing.

After reading some pitch letters, Dan explains what about them works and what doesn't. It's a great exercise in voice.

DAN LAZAR: "How to Craft a Winning Query Letter: Secrets to Keep You Out of the Reject Pile"

DAN LAZAR: "How to Craft a Winning Query Letter: Secrets to Keep You Out of the Reject Pile"

Highlights from Dan Lazar, Writers House agent, panel on query letters:

-- Website recommendation: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com (his bio is listed here: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/DanielLazar/)

-- Want some of Dan's secrets to writing a query letter that ROCKS? Here are a couple tidbits:

1. "If you can write the Next Great American Novel, then you can write a great query letter. Period." Dan brought two real query letters to demonstrate what worked for him, and one "fake" letter to show what doesn't work. One letter showed the writer's voice, which intrigued Dan who wanted to see the writer's voice in the actual manuscript. So if your voice comes through in a query letter, that can help get you out of the "reject" pile!

2. If you have never been published and do not have any publishing credits, don't worry. No need to apologize or even bring that up. You don't need logos or colored paper to impress. And it doesn't hurt to open with "a specific familiar reference. "I'm a human being and I have feelings, so you should appeal to my vanity," he joked.

3. Do NOT start with "To whom It may concern"!

4. MAIN THEME: BE SPECIFIC. Dan cannot stress this enough. He says you should be as specific as possible in your query letter, from stating why you are interested in pursuing Dan as your agent, specific details about your bio, your manuscript etc.

5. Try to avoid "What if?" when describing your book's story in a query letter. It's a "good tool" he says for sparking plot ideas and brainstorming, but not for a query letter. He recommends being MORE SPECIFIC and using more original language instead of starting off with "What if..." when describing/introducing the plot of your book in the query letter.

6. For email queries: He says find out first if agents accept these - he does, FYI. Technical note: Do not include any HTML coding because that can result in inconsistent formatting and invite spammers.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg! Dan offered dozens of tips and secrets on how to write an effective query letter. It was a packed lecture hall and it was clear everyone appreciated Dan's helpful advice. Again, another reason to join SCBWI and attend these conferences for fantastic advice from veteran industry experts!

Posted by Paula Yoo

Courtney Bongiolatti & Dan Lazar

Courtney Bongiolatti (editor, Simon & Schuster) and Dan Lazar (agent, Writers House) offer a session on "The Top 5 Things and Agent and an Editor Look for the First 5 Pages."

Courtney and Dan broke down five things that they both look for when they're are evaluating a submission that comes in: the character's age, the character's voice, the situation of the story, the tone of the book and an undefinable magic.

POSTED BY ALICE POPE

Courtney Bongiolatti & Dan Lazar

Courtney and Dan gave handouts to the attendees including passages from books that illustrate their five first-pages criteria.

This was a hard session to blog--attendees have been reading and Courtney and Dan have been trying to define some things that seem undefinable. It's working (and interesting) in person--wish you were all here!

Daniel Lazar, Agents Panel: Submission Info, and what's Agent's role compared to Editor's role

Daniel spoke about Writers House's great website here!

For Submissions, Daniel wants an e-mail query with the first 5 pages of your manuscript pasted into the body of the e-mail.

As far as the editorial role of him as an agent, Daniel said that sometimes he'll work with an author for 4-5 months or even a year, but once it's ready to go out, it often goes quickly (because the book is so ready!)

Agents Panel: Daniel Lazar, Writers House - An Introduction

This is an older photo of Dan -

you need to imagine him with MUCH cooler hair now!*

Daniel's primarily interested in Middle Grade, and more and more YA now.

He joked that his list is sometimes summed up by the line: "weird kids in small towns"

He loves graphic novels (He agented the "Dork Diaries")

His client Ingrid Law wrote the Newbery Honor Award winning "Savvy."


more on Dan as the panel continues...
If your interest is piqued, and you want to know more - check out Daniel's Publishers Marketplace Listing here!

*It's hard to sneak past 1,000 people to snap a photo!


Posted by Lee Wind