Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Speed Date 2 -- Grand Prize Winner Announcement!

We are thrilled to announce the winner of Speed Date 2 – Brandy Shockley!! Brandy's YA manuscript definitely caught Deidre's attention, and she will receive a critique and mentoring from Deidre with an eye toward possible representation. This was a very tough competition, and both agents were extremely excited to see another great crop of writers submit their stories. Please join us in giving a BIG congrats to Brandy!

Also, I think some of you might have forgotten, but there is one more matter to settle... One person was randomly drawn from the initial 125 recipients to receive a first chapter critique. The winner of that prize was Christine Gallimore.

We just want to thank all of you who followed this competition from start to finish. We love interacting with everyone on the blog, and will continue to do this kind of unique contests as long as there is a demand. While we’re taking a rest from the contest circuit for a bit, always remember that you can query us via our regular channel at Submissions@KnightAgency.net.

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Monday, March 28, 2011

Speed Date 2 - Extension

We know many of you were waiting to hear the winner of Deidre and Pamela's speed date contest today, but the agents need a little bit more time. The race is now on between Bob Martinez and Brandy Shockley, and the final announcement will be posted tomorrow by 2:30pm ET.  Good luck to Bob and Brandy, and congrats on making it such a tough choice! Shows that both of these writers are extremely talented. :-)

In the meantime, please check out this special cause. Deidre is participating in a benefit for Fatin Soufan and her family. Fatin is a well-known member of the romance community who runs the Romance Reader at Heart site. Recently, her husband was shot to death at his workplace, and Deidre is one of many publishing folks who have donated their time or certain items toward an auction to help benefit Fatin and her children. Here are the things up for bid:

Deidre Knight First Chapter Manuscript Critique
Knight Agency Book Gift Basket

Also, don't forget that you can still enter Deidre's Island Dreaming Giveaway, co-sponsored with her fellow NAL author Elle Jasper. The trip includes a $500 travel voucher, two nights at The Lighthouse Inn on Tybee Island, Ga., and dinner at Wiley's Championship BBQ. Click here for more info.

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Friday, March 25, 2011

Happy Freebie Friday

UPDATE: The winner of THE LAST MARTIN is Sharon K. Mayhew. Congrats! Email your physcial addy to contests(AT)knightagency.net.

CLIENT NEWS: RITA noms rolled in this morning, and we want to congratulate our clients who are in the running this year -

Erin Kelly - MORE THAN A STRANGER, Golden Heart nominee
Melissa Mayhue - A HIGHLANDER'S HOMECOMING, Paranormal category

Great job ladies!!!

CLIENT NEWS: Last night, we had fabulous time chatting with USA Today author Katherine Garbera. If you weren't able to make it, you can check out the chat transcript here.

Report from Cyberspace -

Dorchester Publishing is in hot water again for not paying its authors and selling digital copies of books to which they no longer hold rights. Novelist Brian Keene recently wrote about his long struggle with the notorious house and is calling for a boycott - GalleyCat

Google received a blow this week when their Amended Settlement was thrown out of court as not being "fair, adequate, and reasonable." The judge noted that many of the objections would be removed if the option was opt-in settlement, rather than opt-out settlement.  - The Bookseller, Industry reactions to the decision can also be found on GalleyCat

New York Times bestselling author Barry Eisler got tongues wagging with his decision to turn down a two-book, $500K deal from St. Martins in favor of becoming a self-pubbed author. Meanwhile, in a startling turn of events St. Martins reportedly paid $2M in a 4-book deal to Amanda Hocking, who famously made headlines recently by hitting the USA Today list as a self-pubbed, digital-only author - Daily Beast and Publishers Lunch (subscription only)

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Leave your name in the comments to win a copy of THE LAST MARTIN by Jonathan Friesen. The winner will be announced on Monday.

The 411: There's always a Martin. One Martin. Martin Boyle already has plenty to worry about. His germaphobic mother keeps him home from school if she hears so much as a sneeze, and his father is always off somewhere reenacting old war battles. Julia, the most beautiful girl in school, won't even speak to Martin, and the gym teacher is officially out to get him. Which is why Martin really doesn't need this curse hanging over his head. On a trip to the family cemetery, Martin wanders among the tombstones of his ancestors and discovers a disturbing pattern: when one Martin is born, the previous Martin dies. And---just his luck---Martin's aunt is about to give birth to a baby boy, who will, according to tradition, be named Martin. Martin must find a way to break the curse, but every clue seems to lead to a dead end. And time is running out.







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Thursday, March 24, 2011

Chat with Katherine Garbera TONIGHT @ 9pm ET

Turn off the tube and turn on the fun tonight with the featured guest in our chat room, USA Today bestselling author Katherine Garbera. Starting at 9pm ET, the Florida native will be on hand to discuss her steamy Miami Nights series, talk about her publishing experience as the author of more than 50 novels and give away a few goodies in the process. Hope you'll join us!

WHAT: Chat with Katherine Garbera
WHEN: TONIGHT, Thursday, March 24th @ 9pm ET
WHERE: The Knight Agency Chat Room - http://client1.sigmachat.com/sc.php?id=115545
HOW TO CHAT: Enter any combination of username and password. Login. Your computer must be Java enabled to chat.

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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Biggest Contest EVER! -- Win a trip to Tybee Island from Deidre Knight and Elle Jasper

Wouldn't you rather be at the beach than wherever you are right now? Luckily, Deidre Knight and Elle Jasper have the cure for your island dreaming -- a trip to breath-taking Tybee Island, Ga. The island is located near historic Savannah  where both authors based their series. Deidre's next Gods of Midnight book, RED MORTAL, is due in stores on April 4th, and Elle's EVERDARK will be released on June 7th.

So, how do you get to Tybee? Just tell Deidre and Elle why you deserve a romantic getaway. The best answer wins 2 nights at the luxurious Lighthouse Inn, including a $500 travel voucher and dinner at Wiley's Championship BBQ. Enter here: www.knightagency.net/romanticgetaway.html

The Lighthouse Inn:


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Friday, March 18, 2011

Happy Freebie Friday!


UPDATE: The winner is Diane! Congrats! Please email your physical addy to contests(AT)knightagency.net.

Client News: Next week on Thursday, March 24th we're hosting USA Today bestselling author Katherine Garbera in our chat room at 9pm ET. If you've been to our monthly chats before, you know that it's always both fun and eductional. Katherine is the author of more than 50 books, so she has plenty to share about her experience, as well as give us the skinny on her hot new Miami Nights series. There will be giveaways and trivia. Click here to bookmark our chat room. Also, we're giving away a copy of the first Miami Nights book, TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY for Freebie Friday. So don't forget to leave a comment in this post to enter the drawing!

TKA News: TKA pres Deidre Knight has been tapped to be the featured speaker at the Pocono Lehigh Romance Writers Retreat at Sea, which sets sail on August 8th. The retreat is open to both members and non-members. This is the perfect opportunity to get away from the daily grind and concentrate on your writing goals. Fees are due by April 1st. Visit PLRW's cruise page for more info.

Report from Cyberspace:

The industry awaited news of new Borders closings this week, with some estimates warning the retailer would shutter up to 75 new locations, according to Publishers Marketplace (subscribers only site). However, the final annoucement listed only 28 additional closings in California, Conneticut, Hawaii, Massachussets, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Washington state. - Official Store Closure List

Mass market paperback sales are were down 30% in January, as reported by the Association of American Publishers. Admittedly, that sounds like pretty scary news until you realize that ebook sales increased by 115.8%, up from $32.4 million to $66.9 million, during the same time period. Sounds like growing pains to us as the industry calibrates itself to new ways of doing business - via GalleyCat and eBookNewser

And in news that is probably only exciting to me, and, oh, about a 5 million other people, it was announced that Katniss Everdeen from Suzanne Collins's infamous Hunger Games series was cast this week. Jennifer Lawrence, known for her Academy Award-nominated role in Winter's Bone, will take on the beloved badass heroine. I'm not that familiar with Lawrence, so I can't cast a vote in the heated actress debate, but I'm all for any move that gets this project closer to a movie screen near me - Eonline
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Leave your name in the comment section to win a copy of TAMING THE VIP PLAYBOY by Katherine Garbera.

The 411: The sultry heat. The pulsing music. How could millionaire club owner Nate Stern have resisted taking Jen Miller into his arms? Though everyone in Miami considered him a playboy, Nate never flirted with his employees. Yet something about Jen had him changing his mind.

Sleeping with her VIP boss was risky, but the businessman’s charms had Jen throwing caution to the wind. Still, she’d been hurt before. Knowing Nate must play the role of Casanova for the press had her guarding her heart. But when Nate held her close, Jen couldn’t resist the flames...no matter what.

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Thursday, March 17, 2011

Speed Date 2 -- Finalists Announced!

More than 400 entered, 125 sent in their work for review and just three are left in Deidre and Pamela's speed dating contest. We are excited to announced that the following writers are in the running to become America's next top model...er....oops...I mean a Knight Agency client: Bob Martinez, Rhea Ference and Brandy Shockley. We want to offer a BIG congrats to Bob, Rhea and Brandy for making so far in the competition and also send our thanks to the talented writers in the previous round for all of your hard work!

Stay tuned to our blog for the grand prize winner announcement on Monday, March 28th.

Now for a little fun from Deidre and Pamela who indulged TKA's PR Director (aka. me) in a twist on The Newlywed Game -- retitled Sisters Know Best.
Sisters Know Best

Deidre on Pamela:

What is Pamela’s favorite color?

DEIDRE SAYS: Red for her house, navy blue for wardrobe!
PAMELA SAYS: Red

If Pamela was standing in the romance section of a bookstore with only $10.00 in her hand, which type of book would she be most likely to reach for – a steamy historical, a light-hearted contemporary, a fast-paced suspense or a dark fantasy?
DEIDRE SAYS: I’d say either a fast-paced suspense or a light-hearted contemporary.
PAMELA SAYS: Light-hearted contemporary

What was the name of Pamela’s first boyfriend?
DEIDRE SAYS: Tom
PAMELA SAYS: Tom

What was the first book that Pamela sold?
DEIDRE SAYS: Jessica Hatchigan’s HOW TO BE YOUR OWN PUBLICIST
PAMELA SAYS: HOW TO BE YOUR OWN PUBLICIST

What is Pamela’s favorite comfort food?
DEIDRE SAYS: Homemade mashed potatoes? I don’t really know-but I remember her making ME homemade mashed potatoes and they were very comforting!
PAMELA SAYS: Homemade soup

Pamela on Deidre:

If Deidre couldn’t be a literary agent, what would she be?
PAMELA SAYS: A full time writer
DEIDRE SAYS: Hard, hard. Author, probably. Or maybe go into some kind of sales or marketing in another field.

Who would you say spent the most time in front of the mirror as a teen – you or Deidre?
PAMELA SAYS: Me
DEIDRE SAYS: Definitely Pamela because she’s always been the truly polished one out of the two of us.

If Deidre was forced to pick one or the other for her personal collection, what would she buy – a physical book or an ebook?
PAMELA SAYS: Physical book
DEIDRE SAYS: Hmm…depends on if you mean for long-term ownership, travel reading, or what.  But I’m going to say physical book, still, because the question doesn’t specify bath reading, beach reading, bed reading…LOL.  So I must pick the more durable of the two.

What was the model/make of Deidre’s first car?
PAMELA SAYS: Pontiac Firebird
DEIDRE SAYS: Pontiac Firebird 1980 with t-tops.  It had silver leather interior and when hubs first started dating me, he joking referred to it as my “drug dealer car.” What can I say? I was a sweet, good girl in a wild ride.

What do you estimate is the highest number of books Deidre’s ever read in a week’s time?
PAMELA SAYS: 15
DEIDRE SAYS: I have no idea! I haven’t been one of those people who historically keep up with what I read too closely, especially not as an agent where it kind of blends together (reading for clients/reading for pleasure.)

And...it looks like we have a tie. Seems this sisters know each other pretty well. :-)

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Will They or Won’t They by Stephanie Doyle

UPDATE: The winner of THE DOCTOR'S DEADLY AFFAIR by Stephanie Doyle is Katy Pool. Congrats! Please send your phsical addy to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net.

I’ll admit it; I’m a huge TV fan. I watch tons and tons of it. Reality, dramas, comedies you name it. But by far my biggest weakness is for those shows which have a relationship component where the couple is struggling to get together. Or more often, doing everything they can to stay apart.

I watched West Wing to see if Josh and Donna would get together. Bones – to see if Booth and Bones would get together (I’m still angry about what they did with that couple this season) House - to see if House and Cuddy would get together. Finally they did!

Everyone always thinks the show is over when you get the couple together but to me it adds another layer. Right now I’m loving House and Cuddy.

Although I’m obviously in the minority because most TV shows will string it out and string it out season after season. Then when they’ve done everything they can to keep them apart – in walks the “other” love interest. I HATE the other love interest. You know they are just temporary filling to drag our favorite couple through even more.
I told myself I wasn’t going to watch Castle. I was already suckered into Bones and suffering through their “will they or won’t they experience” and I didn’t want to take on another couple who will torture me for the next few seasons. But all it took was that one episode where I found myself invested in them and… bam. I’m stuck. So now it’s Becket and Castle – will they or won’t they?

I have to say my Silhouette Romantic Suspense (the last month for Silhouette before switching to Harlequin Romantic Suspense!) THE DOCTOR'S DEADLY AFFAIR is all about the “will they or won’t they experience.” As the story begins we learn this couple already has a bit of a past – one really bad first date. We’re picking up with them at just that moment where they are either going to figure out how to be together or separate for good.

Fortunately for them a little thing like murder is just the ticket to help them stick together and work out their issues!

Tell me who your favorite TV couple is in comments and I’ll pick someone to win a signed copy of THE DOCTOR'S DEADLY AFFAIR. The winner will be announced tomorrow afternoon.

 About Stephanie: Stephanie Doyle, a dedicated romance reader, began to pen her own romantic adventures at age sixteen. She began submitting to Harlequin at age eighteen and by twenty-six her first book was published. Fifteen years later she still loves what she does as each book is a new adventure.

She lives in South Jersey with her cat Lex, and her two kittens who have taken over everything. When she isn’t thinking about escaping to the beach, she’s working on her next idea.

www.StephanieDoyle.net

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Monday, March 14, 2011

Speed Date 2 - Results for Round 2

Deidre and Pamela spent the weekend whittling the names of the speed daters down to 15 contestants. Below are the list of those folks who led the pack and will now be able to send in the first three chapters of their manuscripts for the next round. We've also included more Q&A from Deidre and Pamela.

Don't forget to join us back here on Thursday, March 17th for the announcement of the final three finalists, plus we're going to play a fun game with Deidre and Pamela to see which sister knows the other best! :-)

Bob Martinez
Brandy Shockley
Cathy Pritchard
Christine Gallimore
E.M. Lord
Jenna Jaxon
Kathleen Foucart
Leeann Morgan
Lin Christie
Lisa Wells
Liz Phelps
Lizzie Friend
Michele Shaw
Rhea Ference
Shari Lambert

Instructions: On Monday, March 14th we will email the 15 entrants* advancing to Round 3 and post their names on the blog by 10am ET. They must email us their first three chapters by 9:00pm ET that same day.

*All 15 entrants will receive a confirmation email that their work has been received. If you do not receive a confirmation, please follow up. At this time, we are still advising people to use our Contests@KnightAgency.net addy. If you had trouble with sending to that addy before, you can alternately send it to jia_gayles(AT)yahoo.com. Both inboxes will be checked.

TKA Q&A with Deidre and Pamela -

What has been one of your proudest moments as an agent?
DEIDRE: It is very hard to pinpoint a proudest moment because quite frankly there have been many. Here are a few greatest hits: seeing 90 MINUTES IN HEAVEN pass the four year mark on the New York Times bestseller list; Gena Showalter being the first Harlequin Teen author to hit the New York Times; Cara Lockwood’s movie of I DO, BUT I DON’T airing on Lifetime with the hunky Dean Cain in lead role; my recent sale of “pie lady” Beth M. Howard’s memoir, MAKING PIECE in a pre-empt after a great deal of heated interest from publishers; the first time I did a six figure deal (to Doubleday for ACHIEVING YOUR FINANCIAL POTENTIAL by Scott Kays); my very first NYC trip, when I found out what I was truly made of inside—overcoming fear and potential intimidation and instead successfully meeting editors from cold calls.

What is the best part of working with a member of your family?
DEIDRE: I love getting to travel with Pamela to all sorts of fun and exciting destinations, particularly all our trips to NYC. We always inspire each other during these trips and challenge each other to go farther in the business.

Sisters by the Seashore in Newport, R.I.
Left: Deidre; Right: Pamela

Left: Deidre; Right, Pamela

What part of your job gives you the biggest thrill?
PAMELA: It sounds trite, but being able to tell a first-time author that we have an offer is truly the most rewarding aspect of my job. It's an honor to play a part in the realization of someone else's dream.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned about how to be successful in the publishing world
PAMELA: In this business, perseverance is the key to success. I have told many people about a nonfiction project that I once sold after showing it to no less than 35 different publishers. It was a project I deeply believed in, and I just couldn’t let it go. It proves the point that it’s all about getting the material in front of the right people.

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Friday, March 11, 2011

Happy Freebie Friday!

UPDATE: Wow, can I ever get this announced on a Monday. Sorry for the delay, folks. The winner of THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS by N.K. Jemisin is The Original Drama Mama. Please email your physical addy to Contests@KnightAgency.net.

CLIENT NEWS: Rob Thurman's sixth Cal Leandros novel, BLACKOUT, debuted at #19 on the New York Times mass market list. We are incredibly proud of Rob! WTG!

TKA NEWS: Lucienne Diver talks about the agent/author relationship with Romantic Times web editor Morgan Doremus:



Report from Cyberspace:

Amazon says hasta la vista baby to Illinois after Governor Pat Quinn signed new sales tax fairness legislation into law requiring online retailers to collect sales tax - Bookselling This Week

USA Today bestselling, self-pubbed ebook author Amanda Hocking warns those using her as an example of why traditional publishing is on death's doorstep to rethink their position   - Amanda Hocking's Blog

Author, journalist and former repairer of ripped newspapers at the New York Central Library, Cory Doctorow pokes holes in HarperCollins's 26-ebook library lending theory - The Guardian
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Leave a comment to win a copy of ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS by Nebula-nominated author N.K. Jemisin. The winner will be randomly drawn and announced on Monday.

The 411: Yeine Darr, mourning the murder of her mother, is summoned to the magnificent and beautiful city of Sky by the king, her grandfather. He names her his heir but has already assigned that role to both his niece and his nephew, so what he’s now done is set up a competitive and thorny three-way power struggle. Yeine, looking more like her Darre father than her Arameri mother, may be a baroness in the Arameri world, but in the matriarchal North she is a chieftain of her people. She is also terrified and fascinated by the gods who roam Sky, including the nocturnally monstrous Nahadoth and the childlike Sieh. In just a few days, Yeine discovers that every action has consequences when she inadvertently sets up Darre to be attacked and realizes that her role in the succession to the throne may be that of a human sacrifice. This complex tale of politics, assassination, racism, and gods too intimately involved in the lives of humans is a challenging read and a notable authorial debut. --Diana Tixier Herald, Booklist

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

Speed Date 2 Results for Round 1

Deidre and Pamela were thrilled to see that so many talented writers participated in our second speed date competition, and once again there were some tough choices to be made. In the end, there could only be 25 to move onto the next round. Their names are listed below, as well as some fun Q&A with Deidre and Pamela on how they got started in the agenting biz.

Ann Childs
Annette F. Boone
Bob Martinez
Brandy Shockley
Brenda Heald
Cathy Pritchard
Christine Gallimore
E.M. Lord
Jenna Jaxon
Joseph Wise
Kathleen Foucart
Kelly Bryson
Leeann Morgan
Lin Christie
Lisa Wells
Liz Phelps
Lizzie C. Friend
Mandy Mikulencak
Melanie LeGrand
Meredith Simmons
Michele Shaw
Nancy Kattenfeld
Rhea Ference
Shari Lambert
Tim Renoylds


BIG congrats to those moving onto the next round, and a special thanks to everyone who participated!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ROUND 2 --
On Thursday, March 10th we will email the 25 entrants advancing to Round 2 and post their names on the blog by 10am ET. They must email us* their first ten pages by 9:00pm ET that same day. 

*All 25 entrants will receive a confirmation email that their work has been received. If you do not receive a confirmation, please follow up. At this time, we are still advising people to use our Contests@KnightAgency.net addy. If you had trouble with sending to that addy before, you can alternately send it to jia_gayles(AT)yahoo.com. Both inboxes will be checked. 

TKA Q&A with Deidre and Pamela!

What inspired you to hang up your own shingle and open The Knight Agency?
DEIDRE: I’d wanted to start my own business for years prior to opening the agency. Pamela and I grew up working in our family’s business, and apparently entrepreneurialism was in my blood.  My only problem was I just wasn’t sure what sort of business I wanted to actually launch! I’d been thinking, working and praying toward that goal for several years when my husband signed on with an agent.  She’d just moved to Atlanta from New York, and we had dinner at her house one night.  It was one of life’s big “aha!” moments for me.  As we left that agent’s house, I turned to Jud and said, “Okay—editing? Reading? Film rights (I had a background in entertainment)? Marketing? This sounds like ME.”  I didn’t hang up the proverbial shingle right away; I waited for just the perfect moment—which turned out to be in 1996 when the Net really broke loose.

How has your vision of what being an agent means evolved over the years, or is it essentially the same as it was fifteen years ago?
DEIDRE: My definition of my role is constantly evolving, just as the publishing landscape is ever-changing. Right now, of course, I’m seeing my purview expanding as the digital landscape grows wider and more exciting.  At TKA we have many plans in terms of helping clients take advantage of all the emerging digital publishing opportunities; we’ve also spent the past five and a half years growing our publicity wing, which Jia Gayles oversees.  You see that program in operation right here, right now with this contest—and promotion is a huge part of our agenting philosophy, one you see in action via Twitter, our newsletters, blogging, author chats, contests and more.  I really believe that an agent’s job is far more than just placing books with publishers: it’s about overall career management, publicity, exposure and maximizing a wide variety of opportunities, many of which are tied to the multimedia landscape.

How did you get your “foot in the door” as a newbie agent trying to meet with major publishers? Do you think the methods you used then would work for someone trying to make a name for themself in the current industry?
DEIDRE: I am very fortunate that I had an extensive marketing and sales background prior to agenting, so “cold calling” came naturally to me. Phone fear wasn’t a problem.  Within two months of launching my agency, I was already visiting NYC and setting meetings with editors, even though I didn’t have a big client list or a list of accomplishments.  I’d done my research, and did what I’d always done in sales: built relationships. To this day, I think that relationships are the absolute cornerstone of publishing, whether you’re an author, agent, or editor.  As a note: my very first publishing meeting was with an editor at Dell Publishing.  Later, when I was shopping Diana Peterfreund’s SECRET SOCIETY GIRL, I phoned that same editor—and very long story-her assistant took the submission, and beat out four other editors and landed the project at auction. So quite literally, my first publishing meeting led to an auction day win for Diana Peterfreund and me!

Left: Deidre, an agent prodigy wheeling and dealing in her pre-Blackberry days; Right: Pamela, a prima ballerina who developed an early appreciation for the Arts

What sort of career did you have before agenting, and what made you want to leave that industry to join Deidre at TKA?
PAMELA:
I was in computer sales working with banks, and I loved my job. When my family and I left the metro Atlanta area, I continued working from our new home on the lake, but it just got harder and harder.  Deidre and I were as close as ever when she began the agency, and we often talked often about me coming on board when I was ready. I waited until the fall of 2000 when my son was turning one and jumped in with both feet.

Share the story of your most memorable sale.  
PAMELA: All of my sales are memorable. Truly, every one is very important to me. But there is one sale that I am particularly proud of and remember well because it was early in my career and less conventional than some of my other ones. I'd read an interesting article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and it really piqued my interest. I approached the author and asked if he had ever thought of writing a book.  We eventually signed him, and I sold the project. The book was amazing and did very well. This was a great a confidence builder for me early in my career, and it fueled my passion for agenting.

What’s the best part of working with a member of your family? What’s the toughest part?
PAMELA:
I get so much  emotional support from Deidre on a personal level. We have always been incredibly close, which isn’t the case with all sisters.  Maybe because we are 8 years apart we never fought over the usual sister things like boys or clothes. This emotional bond completely carries over to the business, and it makes my career in publishing so much richer.

Needless to say this is a tough business and not for the faint of heart. For every rejection we send one client, just multiply it by 30 (my typical client list) and then you have what we are dealing with daily. Deidre and I do a lot to keep each other afloat during these tough days. And to balance this out, we get to share closely in the success which is even more sweet when you see someone you love dearly achieve it.  The flipside to that is the same thing when we have a tough day. It’s hard to watch my best friend when things don’t go as planned.

Left: Deidre; Right: Pamela

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Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Agent Q&A

Hey there, everyone. Apologies for the lateness today. My schedule has been a bit on the insane side recently. However, I'm here and ready to answer whatever questions you feel like throwing my way.

For those of you who have not participated before, it's very simple. Post your questions about publishing, getting an agent, the agency and so on in the comments section below. I'll come back later this evening or early tomorrow and answer at least three of them--more if time allows.

So, what would you like to know? Go ahead and ask.

~Nephele

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

MIA Speed Date Contest Round 1 Entrants - A Special Message

This post is for Speed Daters who made it through to the first round yesterday. We are missing 25 of the 125 emails that were supposed to contain your first 3 pages for Deidre and Pamela's review. This is an inordinate number of missing emails, especially since we feel like everyone was so excited about sending in their work.

To make sure that our server is not prohibiting certain people from sending an email -- we are offering a special extension to Speed Daters listed below. If you are one of the folks listed as MIA, please retry sending in your first three pages by tomorrow afternoon. If you email us at Contests@KnightAgency.net, and DO NOT get a reply from us stating that your project was received -- please leave a comment on this blog with your email address so that we can try to get in contact with you via alternate email hosts.

MIA Speed Daters:
Alison Hendrie
Amanda Jensen
Andrea Aten
Ashley Graham
Audrey Lockwood
Debra Rodensky
Dex Raven
E.M. Lord
Gina Mosley Lamm
Jani Grey
Jared Garrett
Jennifer Myers
Kelly Bryson
L.G. Vernon
Landra Graf
Lynette Schneider
Nicholas Denmon
Nick Burnette
Pat Jeanne Davis
Rhea
Rubianna Masa
SA Brown
Scot Douglas Celley
Stephen Hayes
Wendy Bunker

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Monday, March 07, 2011

THE OFFICIAL SPEED DATE 2 POST -- Updated

UPDATE: Please find the 125 entrants for Speed Date 2 below, alphabetized for your reading pleasure. We are grateful to EVERYONE who entered. If you didn't get selected today, we strongly encourage you to submit to our agency via the traditional channel of querying our submissions coordinator.

As for the 125 lucky ducks, you have until 12:00pm ET tomorrow (3/8/2011) to email your first three pages to Contests@KnightAgency.net. Consult the rules for details on how to format your email. If you have any questions about the below or the contest in general -- you can use "Contests" email addy given above. And without further ado...

Alison Hendrie

Amanda Jensen

Amanda Lee

Andrea Aten

Angel Leigh McCoy

Ann Childs

Annette F. Boone

Arlene Hlttle

Ashley Gafford

Ashley Graham

Audrey Lockwood

Barbara Weitz

Belinda Christ

Bethany Morrow

Bill Breedlove

Bob Martinez

Brandy Shockley

Brenda Heald

Bryce Daniels

C.C. Wiley

Caitlyn Nicholas

Candice Green

Carla Kempert

Carol R. Wood

Cary Barbor

Cathy Pritchard

Chad Corrie

Cheryl O' Donovan

Christine Gallimore

Christine Kuczmynda

Connie M. Keller

Dan Wickline

Debora Dale

Deborah Grahl

Debra Rodensky

Dex Raven

Donald Cummings

Dorothy Dreyer

E.M. Lord

EK Ellis

Felithia Holiday

Gina Mosley Lamm

Jackie Felger

Jacquelyn Sylvan

Jani Grey

Jared Garrett

Jen Duffey

Jen Ward

Jenn Nixon

Jennifer Froelich

Jennifer Myers

Jennifer Santiago

Jess Huckins

Jessica Williams
Jo Delong

Jodie L. Boduch

JohnO
Joseph Wise
Julia Hoye

Julie Gupton

Karyn Bristol

Kate Martin

Kathleen Foucart

Katie Kelly

Kay LaLone

Kelly Bryson

Kerri M.

Kimberly Nee

Kristin Lynn Thetford

KT Grant

L. G. Vernon

Landon Rogers

Landra Graf

Laura Kaye

Leah Marie Brown

Leeann (commented @ 12:17pm)

Lisa Troy

Lisa Wells

Liz Phelps

Lizzie Friend

Lori Hahnel

Lucy River

Lynette Schneider

Mandy Mikulencak

Matt Manzella

Melanie LeGrand

Meredith Simmons

Michele Shaw

Mila Ramos

Mimi Cross

Morgan Baden

Nancy Kattenfeld

Nancy Smith Gibson

Naomi Rawlings

Nicholas Denmon

Nick Burnette

Pat Jeanne Davis

PaulaRose

Peggy Bird

Rena Rossney

Rhea (commented @ 12:06 pm)

Robert Ryan

Robin Boisseau

Rona Altrows

Rubianna Masa

Ruth Donnelly

SA Brown

Sandra Gale

Scot Douglas Celley

Shari Lambert

Sheri Downing

Sherrie Snow

Stephen Hayes

Susan Bohnet

Tara Kennedy

Theresa Sanchez Bazelli

Tiana Bragg

Timothy Reynolds

Tina Lynn Sandoval

Tom Honea

Toni Morrow Wyatt

TracyA (commented @12:02 pm)

Viviane Brentanos

Wendy Bunker

Xandra James
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Today is the big day, and you are in the right spot. Deidre and Pamela are both BEYOND excited to see some fresh, new talent, and can’t wait to start reading your work!

Leave a comment in THIS post between 12:00pm and 1:00pm Eastern Time to win a Speed Date with Deidre and Pamela. When 1:00pm rolls around, we will pull all of the names entered during the specified entry period and randomly draw 125 participants. THIS post will be updated with the selected names by the end of the business day today, and the lucky 125 must send in their first three pages by 12pm ET tomorrow, March 8th. If you already read the rules, this is all old news. But just in case, here’s a link to review the rules if you need to.

As we mentioned, Deidre and Pamela are going to be strolling down memory lane as we update the rounds here on the blog. In Thursday’s blog post, we’ll post some Q&A from the sisters about The Knight Agency’s history along with the names of those advancing to the next round. In the meantime, we know you just want to get to “it.” So get going!!! Good luck!

Deidre and Pamela now and then…

Present Day
Left: Deidre; Right: Pamela
Big Sister, Little Sister
Left: Deidre; Right: Pamela
Too Cool Teens ;-)
Left: Pamela; Right: Deidre

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Almost time!!!

Hey Folks, we know you are anxious for Speed Date 2 with Deidre Knight and Pamela Harty to get started. We've got a little more than an hour to go before the contest opens up, and we just wanted to say thanks to all of you for continuing to check the blog and taking time out of your day to enter our contest. Deidre and Pamela can't wait to dive into your work.

If you have any last minute issues, I'm answering questions down in the original rules post. Please remember that the original rules post will be disabled for comments during the contest entry period beginning at 12pm ET. Also, I'm disabling this post for comments just so there's no confusion about where to post entries. Look for the "Official Speed Date 2 Post" at the appropriate time. I will probably put it up a few minutes before 12, so make sure your time stamp doesn't report that you posted before the contest officially opens.

Best of luck to all of you!!

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Friday, March 04, 2011

Happy Freebie Friday!

Whoops, running a little (read: lot) late with the winner of HEXBOUND by Chloe Neill. The winner is -- Jamie, I'm a guy, btw. Love the name, LOL. Please email your physical addy to contests(AT)knightagency.net.

This week we've been prepping for Speed Date 2, our big talent search contest with Deidre Knight and Pamela Harty that commences on Monday. If you haven't checked it out, just take a peek at the post below this one for all the rules and such. Hope to see many of you competing for a spot!

Now for our super official and serious Report from Cyberspace...

CLIENT NEWS: N.K. Jemisin's THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS was nominated for a Nebula Award in the novel category.

It's National Grammar Day! (Please, do me a favor and don't look for mistakes in this post. I'm sure there are many...) Head on over to the National Grammar Day website for fun facts and quizzes - National Grammar Day 

Librarians (and many readers) are in an uproar over HarperCollins recent move to restrict ebook licenses to a limit of 26 checkouts, after which the library would have to purchase another ebook license. Apparently 26 is the magic number when print books fall apart. Who knew?  - GalleyCat

Random House titles are finally available via Apple's iBookstore. The publisher was the last holdout of the "Big Six" to accept the agency pricing model for ebooks necessary to have their releases sold through Apple - Huffington Post

Former Curtis Brown agent Nathan Bransford posted some excellent tips earlier this week on how authors can make the most of their Facebook account - Nathan Bransford Blog
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Leave a comment to win a copy of HEXBOUND by Chloe Neill. The winner will be annouced on Monday.

The 411 on HEXBOUND: Lily Parker is new to St. Sophia’s School for Girls, but she’s already learned that magic can be your best friend…or your worst enemy.

They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. Turns out, even a little magic can turn you to the dark side. That’s why Lily has to learn how to control her newly discovered paranormal abilities, on top of avoiding the snobs who think they run her school, nursing a crush on a cute sophomore with a big, werewolf-y secret, and fighting the good fight with her best friend Scout as they take on Chicago’s nastiest nightlife—including the tainted magic users known as Reapers.

Then Lily’s invited to a private meeting with Sebastian. He’s hot, powerful, and offering to help her harness the magic flowing in her veins in a way no one else can. He’s also a Reaper. Lily can’t hide her suspicions. But she’ll soon find out that the line between good and evil isn’t always clear…

Wednesday, March 02, 2011

Speed Date 2: Deidre Knight & Pamela Harty Search for the Next TKA Superstar

Back in the day (aka 1996), when The Knight Agency first got started, president and founder Deidre Knight manned the submissions inbox, the phone and the door. Fast forward fifteen years later, and TKA has attained national prominence with an incredible list of bestselling clients. From nearly the beginning, Pamela Harty, Vice President of Sales, worked alongside her sister Deidre, helping to nurture and shape the agency. Now, the sisters are hankering for a trip down memory lane to a time when they interacted with querying writers one-on-one to find the next big TKA star. Could it be you?

Beginning Monday, March 7th, Deidre and Pamela are teaming up for Speed Date 2, a whirlwind competition to find the newest TKA client.* Just like old times, they are getting down in the trenches to scout out the cream of the crop. If you heard about or participated in our “She’s Just That Into You” competition last year, you know that Deidre ultimately selected two new clients, mega talents Leigh Evans and Erin Kelly, out of hundreds of participants. That event was so successful we’re doing it again.

This time around we’ve included a few tweaks, like an open hour-long entry period and selection of contestants by lottery. Oh, and we definitely plan to start it later than 5am Pacific Time. Sorry about that again, folks. Now if you live in Australia or some equally faraway place, please accept our apologies for the difficult wakeup call in advance. As a fun add-on, Deidre and Pamela will share tidbits about how the The Knight Agency got started in the blog posts annoucing those progressing to the next rounds.

*Please note, if the agents decide that ultimately none of the manuscripts entered meet our agency’s needs at this time, an alternate first chapter critique by Deidre or Pamela will be offered to the Grand Prize Winner in lieu of representation. A winner will also be selected to receive a first chapter critique from the first 125 entrants.

This blog post is only a preview for the contest. Comments for this blog post will be DISABLED once the contest officially begins. On Monday there will be a blog up labeled, “OFFICIAL SPEED DATE2 POST” where you will be able to throw your name into the hat. Below you’ll find the rules. So, get familiar with the contest, and come back and see us on March 7th @ 12pm Eastern Standard Time. Got a question after you read ALL of the rules? Email Contests@KnightAgency.net.

THE QUICKIE SUMMARY: Visit the “OFFICIAL SPEED DATE 2 POST” on Monday, March 7th and leave your name in the comment section from 12pm ET to 1pm ET. We will assign everyone a number who left a comment during the specified entry period and draw 125 contestants using Random.org. The 125 intial entrants will be announced on the blog by the end of the business day and asked to email the first three pages of their manuscript to Contests@KnightAgency.net. Deidre and Pamela will then join forces to whittle the 125 contestants down to 3 finalists over the following days.

At the end of the contest, we will also award a first chapter critique to one of the initial 125 entrants via random drawing who was not selected as a finalist.

THE FINE PRINT:

1. On Monday, March 7th, we will accept entries into the contest from 12pm ET to 1pm ET. Leave a comment with your name in the "OFFICIAL SPEED DATE 2 POST" during the specified time period to enter.

2. One hundred and twenty-five (125) contestants for Round 1 will be selected via random drawing from those who entered during the specified time period. The Round 1 winners’ names will be posted by the end of the business day (3/7/11) on http://www.knightagency.blogspot.com/ in the updated “OFFICIAL SPEED DATE 2 POST.”

3. The 125 contestants must send in the first three pages of their manuscript, as well as their name (as you would like to be publically identified), physical address, genre and overall word count to Contests@KnightAgency.net by 12pm ET the following day -- Tuesday, March 8th. UPDATE (3/7/2010 @ 11:24am ET): Please include your title as well. If for some reason, you don't because you did not see this update -- don't worry about it. You will not be penalized. All information, including the first three pages, should be included in the body of your email. To protect ourselves from potential viruses, we will not open attachments. Do not include a query letter.

4. On Thursday, March 10th we will email the 25 entrants advancing to Round 2 and post their names on the blog by 10am ET. They must email us their first ten pages by 9:00pm ET that same day.

5. On Monday, March 14th we will email the 15 entrants advancing to Round 3 and post their names on the blog by 10am ET. They must email us their first three chapters by 9:00pm ET that same day.

6. On Thursday, March 17th we will email the 3 finalists advancing to Round 4 and post their names on the blog by 10am ET. They must email us their full manuscript by 9:00pm ET that same day.

7. The Grand Prize Winner* of an offer of representation by The Knight Agency will be announced on Monday, March 28th.

*If it is determined at the end of the contest that the materials submitted are not on par with The Knight Agency's needs, representation will not be offered. In this case, either Deidre or Pamela will provide a final winner with a first chapter critique.

In an effort to cover all of our bases...keep reading for even more details...
Read more »

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