New Agent Q&A:
Mark McVeigh, The McVeigh Agency...

With years of editorial experience under his belt—most recently as Editorial Director for S&S imprint Aladdin Books, with prior stints at Dutton, Scholastic, Random House and HarperCollins—Mark McVeigh established The McVeigh Agency early in 2009.

"I am a very hands-on, old-school agent who likes to edit manuscripts as much as I like to negotiate deals." he says. "My favorite agents were always what I called 'honest sharks,' out to get the best deal for their client, always looking ahead, but always conduced business in such a way that everyone came away as happy as possible. In short—they had integrity and determination to represent their clients to the best of their abilities, and that’s what I aspire to."

After working in editorial for so many years, what made you put on the agent hat ?

To be honest, I've always been a strong advocate for the creative people behind the books, and agenting seemed like a new and exciting way to get even more involved with them.

You said: “If a person has a unique idea, concept, or vision and a voice, I'll do all I can to help them shape it into a manuscript that can work in today’s market.” Sounds like you plan to have a very hand-on agenting style. What will you do for your clients?

I'll always be an editor. And every editor knows the agents who spend the time to read and critique a writer's draft—working with them to make sure they're putting out their best work—before sending it out. So I anticipate working closely with authors who like feedback so that when the manuscript finally makes its way to an editor, it has been polished to a high sheen.

What type of material are you looking to represent?

I'm doing everything from adult fiction, nonfiction and art books to every kind of children's book known to humankind—and beyond! Click here for more information.

Are you open to unsolicited submissions? If so, how do you want material submitted?

E-mail queries to mark@themcveighagency.com are best.

Are you planning to attend any upcoming conferences or events at which writers could meet you?

I'll be making the rounds of SCBWIs--the best thing to do is check the various regional listings.

My website is up as of April 2009: www.themcveighagency.com and I hope all of your readers will visit regularly to see what my wonderful people are up to.

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