What Do Literary Agents Do?

Before signing with an agent, many authors don’t realize just how much a literary agent does on behalf of his or her clients. Not all agents fill all of the roles we’ll discuss today–for example, some line edit client work and others do not. But then, not all authors want an agent to perform all of these functions, either. The key is finding an agent who offers the range of services you’re looking for, and who makes a good personal and business fit for your needs. Before you sign with an agent, talk with him or her about business practices and preferences,

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Weeble (the Ambassador Seahorse) Gets a Pouch

In December 2015, I acquired a group of new seahorses for my reef aquarium.  One of them arrived with an illness that should have claimed his life, but after 6 weeks in a hospital tank, little “Weeble” (click here for his full story, with photos) joined the reef. I used him in my keynote speech at the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ 2015 Colorado Gold Conference, as an example of perseverance–nobody told him he could not live, and he lived because he refused to surrender. Now, he’s thriving, because of his own determination and because of the other seahorses who came around him,

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Do Your Homework: Tips for Finding a Literary Agent

Today, we’re continuing the #Publishing Law for Writers mini-series on finding the perfect literary agent to represent your work. While not every author needs an agent–author-publishers and those who want to work only with small presses may do equally well with a lawyer’s help instead–authors who want to publish traditionally, with larger publishers, normally do better with the help of a literary agent. (However, all authors do better with some kind of legal or literary representation.) Many times, authors who want a literary agent struggle to find one. This struggle may have a variety of causes, from the author’s work not being ready for

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Cover Reveal: THE NINJA’S DAUGHTER

I’m thrilled and delighted to reveal the cover (and title) of my upcoming Hiro Hattori Novel, which releases August 2 from Seventh Street Books! With no further ado, I proudly present: THE NINJA’S DAUGHTER I’m thrilled with the way my new publisher, Seventh Street Books, captured the theme and atmosphere of this newest novel–this is my favorite cover yet (and my favorite story, too).  We’re changing the series title from the “Shinobi Mysteries” to the “Hiro Hattori Novels”–but don’t worry, Father Mateo is just as much Hiro’s partner in crime (solving) as he ever was, and all of the other familiar faces–Ana, Luis, Ginjiro,

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Magistrates and Police in Medieval Japan

Even before Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan in the early 17th century, Kyoto and many other Japanese cities  had sophisticated law enforcement systems, including a professional police force. The model followed in larger cities involved a magistrate (or magistrates) at the top of the law-enforcement “food chain.” Magistrates–always drawn from the noble samurai class–sat at the top of the hierarchy. Their job involved punishing criminals and resolving legal disputes involving artisans, merchants, farmers, and other commoners. (As nobles, samurai families could resort to the magistrates but more commonly resolved their legal disputes on their own–frequently, on the edge of a sword.) Each magistrate

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(Why) Do You Need a Literary Agent?

Recently, a lot of authors have asked me about the process of finding a literary agent, and whether an agent is “even required,” given the current state of publishing. Ultimately, the choice to work with a literary agent–or not–is an individual one that each author must make for himself or herself. Neither I, nor anyone else can tell you–or should try to tell you–what’s best for your career. With that in mind, however, I wanted to answer the most popular questions I receive about authors working with literary agents, from a publishing attorney’s point of view.* Do I NEED a literary

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Purple Leather Rescue on the Reef

About 6 weeks ago, I returned from the fish store with a coral that wasn’t supposed to survive. Toadstool leathers (Sarcophyton sp.) are soft corals of the family Alcyoniidae, and generally good corals for beginners. Although they do engage in “chemical warfare”–releasing toxins that can harm other corals (including other leathers) if placed too close together, leathers have amazing regenerative powers, and can recover from fairly serious injuries, given time and the right conditions. Despite this, the local reef store owner was having trouble persuading a heavily damaged toadstool leather to recover in his tanks. (This is highly unusual, because he farms many

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Maneki-Neko – the Japanese Lucky Cat

 Many Westerners refer to the maneki neko as a “lucky cat,” and though the real translation is “beckoning cat,” the familiar symbol is largely regarded as a talisman of good fortune, especially in financial endeavors. The origins of maneko neko figurines date back to the Edo period (1603-1868), and though people debate whether the talismans originated in Edo (now Tokyo) or in Kyoto, they started appearing in popular culture during the 19th century and are now ubiquitous in Japan. (They’re also popular in China, which makes many people associate them with Chinese good-fortune symbols, but the maneki neko actually originated in Japan.) Maneki neko

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Publishing Red-Flags to Avoid

The last few years have seen an explosion of small and micro-press publishers (as well as scammers, though that’s not exactly the purpose of this post) and a corresponding increase in the number of authors published by smaller houses. While many small publishers have the intention of running a legitimate publishing business, some have entered the field without an adequate understanding of the industry. Even experienced publishers often have trouble succeeding–and authors need to beware of signing contracts with publishers that might not be able to manage the business properly. Here are some important red-flags to consider before signing with any publishing house, but particularly a newly-established

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“Flipping Snails,” Redux*

*I’m on a limited schedule this week, due to a nasty virus that’s trying to make me cough up a lung (or both…it doesn’t seem picky on that point). In light of which, here’s a post that originally ran in 2011, with some updates: February, 2011: An interesting side effect of owning an aquarium is that you end up running a “Life Alert” program for snails. Half the snails I own cannot right themselves when they fall off the glass and land upside down in the sand. (Trochus, in particular, have cone-shaped shells that spike into the substrate on impact, leaving the snail to

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