Michael Stearns Starts a New Agency, Upstart Crow Literary...


Former editor Michael Stearns recently left Firebrand Literary, where he's worked for more than a year, and will debut his own brand new agency, Upstart Crow Literary, the first week of August.

Michael will be joined at Upstart Crow by two other former Firebrand agents, Chris Richman and Danielle Chiotti. Michael says of his once and future colleagues:

"Chris and Danielle possess that mix of literary savvy, good taste, and dedication to their authors and books that marks them as either potentially crazy or simply crazily dedicated. I feel fortunate to embark on this new venture with the two of them, as well as with our talented list of authors, all of whom will be following us to our new home.

We'll be making our first Upstart Crow submissions next week, and when the site goes live the week after that, I hope you'll stop by and take a look at what we've got in the works."

• Upstart Crow's site will be found at www.upstartcrowliterary.com.
• Michael Stearns is on Twitter. Click here to follow him. You can also find him on Facebook.
• Chris Richman and Danielle Chiotti are also on Twitter. Click here to follow Chris. Click here to follow Danielle.
  
• Also check out Michael's blog As the World Stearns. New posts are few and far between these days but there's some great "criticism, calumny, and self-indulgent twaddle about books & publishing" found there.
  

Two New Agents Join Firebrand...

Firebrand Literary has recently added two new agents to its staff (which includes Michael Stearns and Nadia Cornier).

From the agency press release (which I retyped from a PDF so if there's a typo it's mine):

Firebrand Literary has expanded it's agenting team with the addition of Danielle Chiotti, formerly senior editor at Kensington, and Stacia Decker, formerly an editor at Harcourt.

Chiotti and Decker will be responsible for expanding the Firebrand list into the nonfiction and adult fiction book markets. Authors interested in representation should check the Firebrand website for information on how to submit.

Click here for a link to bios for all of Firebrand's agents. Also checkout of the Firebrand blog. (I love the "Overheard at Firebrand" posts.)

And note the new logo and look for the website. (See my interview with Michael Stearns from last May for the old logo.)

Why Talking to College Students Makes Me Love My Job...

You may have seen my Twitter post on Tuesday mentioning that that evening I was going to talk to a group of college students about working in publishing. And I was a little nervous. I didn't have stage fright--I do plenty of public speaking and it's been quite awhile since I've had the urge to barf in the hallway before I go on. I don't mind getting up in front of a group.

But I'm used to talking to fully-grown-up adults, not young adults. My last experience with teens was a career day presentation at my high school a few years back which was one of my worst public speaking experience to date. There was some sleeping, much staring out the window, a bit of nail polish picking. One girl rolled her eyes at me when I answered her question. I could not wait to get out of there.

But, as a wise agent friend of mine pointed out when I asked if college students were as scary as high school students: "Nah, only the best students go on to college. That whole 'desire to learn' thing that is anyone's guess in high school."

Thank you oh wise Michael Stearns: You were right. The YAs in the college class were eager. And prepared with questions. They were all interning. They were all facing their foggy futures and wanted to hear what I and my fellow panelists had to say about our careers in the publishing world.

One asked me about being at the same company for such a long time, and if it got boring. I told her I've been at F+W for going on 18 years, but I feel like I've worked for a number of companies. There have been several owners since I've been here. I've had seven or eight bosses. And, since I started, the Internet happened. Those are all good things. Even though I may be working on the same publications year after year, the way I do things, the technology I use, my ability to connect with my audience, the co-workers I interact with--these all have changed, some dramatically. Things stay fresh. There are always new challenges on my plate. There is always something else that keeps me excited.

During times like these when I read about lay-offs on a weekly basis, it's easy to get a little down about the publishing world, a little concerned. Talking to this Xavier University class gave me perspective and reminded my why I love what I do.

At one point I gave the students my somewhat New Age-y advice: Do your best to network, keep doing what you love doing, be opened minded, and the universe will steer you in the right direction. After so many years at F+W and so many years working on CWIM and our other publications, I still feel like the universe landed me in the right place.

All About Agents...

My Sunday morning started out with an agent panel moderated by Mark McVeigh Editorial Director of Simon & Schuster imprint Aladdin. And here's some news--Mark revealed that Aladdin is now a hardcover imprint and will be publishing picture books through novels for teens.

The panelist were Dilys Evans, president of Dilys Evans Fine Illustration; Michael Stearns, editor-turned-agent with Firebrand Literary; Michael Bourret, agent with Dystel & Goderich; and Laura Rennert, senior agent at Andrea Brown Literary.

Mark asked the panel: Why does a creative person need an agent?

Micheal Stearns: He said writers need agents for two reasons. First, to work out deals with the editor so as not to pollute the writer-editor relationship. (Or, as Mark McVeigh put it, "Let the writer make the snowballs and the agents throw them. He is very much a pro-agent editor.) And second, because agents keep on top of the market in ways that a writer cannot.

Michael Bourret: He said a writer need an agent for direction as the writer builds her career.

Laura Rennert: She said agents are the advocates to deal with situations of problems that arise as the industry changes.

More from the panelists:
Michael Bourret: He shared a success story about his author Jill Alexander whom he met at the SCBWI conference last February. (She also met her editor there). He was taken in my her a title A Hood Ornament in the N0-Jesus Christmas Parade and knew he wanted her as a client. Her book will come out next year. (He agents Sara Zarr, a National Book Award finalist.)

Laura Rennert: She describes herself as a "literary omnivore," and says she's looking for a strong voice, a voice she takes pleasure in, a new perspective, a fresh and unusual angle. (She agents NY Times bestselling author Jay Asher; and Kathleen Duey, also a National Book Award finalist.)

Dilys Evans: She says agents must establish great working relationships with their editors--they must find ways to get what they want, smiling. (Mark McVeigh referred to agents as "honest sharks.")

And I wish you all could have been there to here Dilys Evans tell stories--she was terrific.

Firebrand Launches Book Packager Tinderbox...

Auden Media Corporation, parent company of Firebrand Literary, recently announced the launch of Tinderbox--"a book packager of superior quality, high-concept teen and middle grade fiction."

According to the company's press release:

Tinderbox prides itself on offering more equitable terms to its writers than the traditional book packager, offering competitive splits of the advance, royalties and subrights. "We want to ensure that our writers are as invested financially as they are creatively," says Nadia Cornier, who co-founded Tinderbox with Michael Stearns.

Their website will go live in the fall, offering detailed info for publishers and agents, and the scoop on current and upcoming projects. As far as submissions, Tinderbox is not accepting writing samples from unagented authors, "but welcomes inquiries and samples from agents on behalf of their clients."

Click here for the lowdown on the Tinderbox launch party, including a photo of some staff members, as reported by GalleyCat.

New Agent Interview: Michael Stearns...

After nearly 20 years working on the editorial side of things--most recently as editorial director and foreign acquisitions manager for HarperCollins Children's Books, and prior to that, as senior editor, director of paperback publishing for Harcourt Children's Books--Michael Stearns decided to mix things up a bit. Starting last month, he left Harper to become a literary agent at Firebrand Literary.

Stearns brings a wealth of experience to his new role. He has worked on hundreds of books for children and adults including many bestselling and award-winning titles such as A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly, Tangerine by Edward Bloor, The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls by Elise Primavera, Whales on Stilts by M.T. Anderson, Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge, the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane, and the Chet Gecko Mysteries by Bruce Hale. He has taught a dozen classes on writing, edited three anthologies of original stories, and published a half dozen pieces of his own fiction for both adults and children.

Below, in his first interview as an agent, Stearns talks about his career shift, the kind of material he's looking to represent, his submission policy, his agenting style, and exciting changes at Firebrand.

Why the huge career shift?
I don't see it as that big a change in what I do—but okay: why'd I skip over the fence separating publishing and agenting?

Something terrible happens to the successful: They get kicked up the corporate ladder as a reward for having done well.

I found myself as an editorial director at HarperCollins Children’s Books, as well as the manager of foreign acquisitions for the list. There were obvious benefits to the job—I could acquire with a freer hand, attend all the book fairs, develop a thorough knowledge of UK editors and publishers, line my pockets with gold and faded dreams—the usual. And yet . . .

I was spending more and more of my time attending meetings, and helping my team figure out their books and their publishing strategies; and spending less and less time doing what I've always loved most, which is working closely with talent. Editing, shaping, and bringing books to market is the funnest part of the job.

There is nothing wrong with what I was doing at Harper, but I wanted more hands-on time to nurture writers and their careers. And now I have that.

What types of work for young readers are you most interested in representing?
My list will be 75-80% novels, with the remaining 20 percent made up of picture books.

I'm not against picture books, but I am extraordinarily picky, and I find that most beginning writers tackle picture books because they mistakenly think they are "easier." So there is a higher degree of suckage in most picture book submissions. Rather than plow through that, for picture books I am relying on referrals and am signing only a few writers whose work I know and trust. (This 80/20 percentage is nothing new, by the way; this about equals the make-up of my lists at Harcourt and Harper.)

Okay, picture books are unlikely. But how do your tastes run with regard to novels?
I’m keenest for both teen and middle grade fiction. Nothing makes me happier than commercial novels with literary chops—good writing that isn't afraid of plot—though "good writing" is what everyone wants, I'm sure. What do I mean by “literary chops”? I mean, the writer has skill and voice, and that she recognizes character as a key to all good storytelling.

Genre-wise I flee far and fast from issue novels (hard to sell) and am much more interested in non-Tolkienesque fantasy, paranormal romance, comic coming-of-age, and thrillers (again, all with some literary spin). For whatever reason, I respond well to wit. Not dorky funny but genuine wit. (See authors I’ve worked with such as M.T. Anderson, Frances Hardinge, Bruce Hale, Derek Landy, et al.)

Are you open to unsolicited submissions?
Well, of course. Writers can submit via Firebrand’s website at www.firebrandliterary.com, which has very detailed descriptions about how to submit. People who have not submitted to and been rejected by Firebrand in the past can submit to me. If it is not for me, they will receive a form "No, thanks," rejection via email. If it is something I want to see more of, I'll invite them to send the full manuscript via email. Actual mailed submissions are not being accepted. (We try to be as paperless and green as possible.)

The website is going to relaunch in a few weeks with a new look, a new logo, and all sorts of unbelievable goodies. Same tender snark as at the old site, but with even more of the qualities that make Firebrand a different animal from other agencies.

What, exactly, are those differences?
Well, it will be revealed in greater detail on the site to come, but here’s a small tease: We are creating an aggressive marketing team to help sell-through for our books and authors—marketing that will complement those of their publishers. And we have a foreign rights agent in myself who, thanks to years spent buying and publishing major UK titles for the United States market, knows the UK market very well—the publishers, their lists, and the editors whose tastes shape those lists.

And there will be more. These are exciting times at Firebrand.

[Here's the agency's new logo.]


How would you describe your “agenting style”?
Oh my god, is there such a thing? “Post-modernist, with a surreal dash of ‘finger painting and graham cracker’ interpretations of Duke-of-Windsor-style men’s fashion”? “Jean-Paul Gaultier sans cones and bad dancing”?

No, no, no. I haven’t the foggiest idea what my “agenting style” is quite yet—I haven’t even been here a month!—though I imagine it will turn out to be much like my editorial style. That is, I will work very closely with my writers to develop their projects and to guide their careers. I love developing projects, and I think of myself as my authors' second head: someone who understands their goals as a writer.

I don’t waste time making nice. I get fired up about a book only when I feel like I've really found something new or exceedingly excellent. I don’t phone it in. If I love something, I’m all about that love. By the same token, I have little time for projects that are just “good enough.” Good enough rarely is.

My utter lack of a poker face is one reason I have the trust of the people I deal with—whether my writers and clients or the editors to whom I sell projects. People know that I can’t fake enthusiasm.

Do I have any upcoming gigs at which writers can meet you and/or pitch their ideas?
The only things that should be pitched are baseballs. (Go, Mets!) Or nonfiction books for adult readerships.

I abhor pitches for children’s books. A worthwhile book lives or dies in execution, on the skill of the writer, and pitches are the complete opposite of that. A pitch boils an idea down to its most basic, but who cares? I want to see what the writer does with the idea.

You can find me at two SCBWI events this summer: a workshop in Florida on June 6 and 7, and the national conference this August in Los Angeles. As well, I will be dropping in on the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children during their summer session.

We'll be posting the appearances schedule of all of the Firebrand agents on our new website. Yet another reason to check it out!

Michael Stearns Leaving Harper to be an Agent...

I just heard that Editorial Director Michael Stearns will be leaving HarperCollins Children's Books to embark on a new career as an agent, partnering with Nadia Cornier. Brenda Bowen will be taking over Stearns' role as director of foreign acquisitions immediately following the Bologna Book Fair, and the company is looking for a replacement. His last day with Harper will be April 11.

When I get more news, I'll pass it on.

(I know, I'm supposed to be on vacation. But I can't help but read my email. Besides it poured down rain most of the day so I've been inside.)