tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post5565001116873017912..comments2023-11-02T06:57:11.400-04:00Comments on BookEnds Literary Agency: Kimberly Dean Talks about FlexibilityBookEnds, A Literary Agencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06287278822065839469noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-79997589429009773842007-07-01T13:00:00.000-04:002007-07-01T13:00:00.000-04:00Yay! I'll be on the lookout for you. I have a new ...Yay! I'll be on the lookout for you. I have a new camera this year, EG!Leihahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-26567172911358364522007-07-01T11:02:00.000-04:002007-07-01T11:02:00.000-04:00Hi Leiha!Yes, I will be at the RWA National confer...Hi Leiha!<BR/><BR/>Yes, I will be at the RWA National conference in Dallas. You probably wore your poor camera out with all the pictures you took last year.<BR/><BR/>I didn't think Body Heat was the perfect title, either. However, I never came up with anything better and High School Reunion did tap into those feelings of excitement and dread we all get. Tiger Lily simply couldn't have been anything else.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-60854913684304282382007-06-30T22:31:00.000-04:002007-06-30T22:31:00.000-04:00Hi Kimberly, I dont know if you'll see this but I ...Hi Kimberly, <BR/><BR/>I dont know if you'll see this but I was wondering if you will be at RWA this year? Can you believe the pic I took with you last year didn't turn out and I need one. <BR/><BR/>I have to say neither title blows me away but I am someone who buys a book because of the author and I really enjoy your work, no matter the title. That being said, I thought the title Tiger Lily was wonderful and suited the story perfectly.Leihahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02138950716426336477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-15159652363984864732007-06-29T12:29:00.000-04:002007-06-29T12:29:00.000-04:00Hi YA writer,I'm actually finding this to be fun. ...Hi YA writer,<BR/><BR/>I'm actually finding this to be fun. It's making me think!<BR/><BR/>As to your question, timing really comes into play. I work with Jessica first. She's concentrating on the points that will make it attractive to the editors. We need to make that sale to the publishing house first. Once the manuscript is sold, I work with the editor. She's concentrating on the points that will make it attractive to the readers/buyers. Obviously, there's some overlap, but I've found it to be a natural progression. I've never had an agent who got too heavily involved in the editing process once the sale has been made. Maybe others have???<BR/><BR/>And here's a trick I've found helpful. If I do need to make a major cut, I don't throw that section away. I save the cuts into another file. That way I can add them back in if they're needed, move them to another place, use the scene in an entirely different book, or just let them sit for posterity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-43221466246479449052007-06-29T11:59:00.000-04:002007-06-29T11:59:00.000-04:00Hi, Kimberly Dean. Nice of you to let us ask you q...Hi, Kimberly Dean. Nice of you to let us ask you questions.<BR/><BR/>When receiving edits from your agent, and then an editor, do you ever find their requests are opposite of each other? <BR/><BR/>First, the agent says, "Get rid of this scene, you don't need it. And later, an editor says, "There's a big hole here, can you try a scene like this?"<BR/><BR/>Obviously an editor is BUYING the book, so maybe her comments hold more weight, but overall, whose comments do you agree with more?<BR/><BR/>You might not want to get specific, but in general, who helps you shape the book the most, agent or editor? Or does it depend on the book?<BR/><BR/>--YA writerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-91539808796349914302007-06-29T10:36:00.000-04:002007-06-29T10:36:00.000-04:00Hi Mechele,I think I negotiated for 3 weeks, which...Hi Mechele,<BR/><BR/>I think I negotiated for 3 weeks, which still made it kind of tight.<BR/><BR/>What revision wouldn't I be flexible on? Anything that made a hero or heroine too stupid to live.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-63219473258480917822007-06-29T10:18:00.000-04:002007-06-29T10:18:00.000-04:00How long did you get to make that revision on conf...How long did you get to make that revision on conflict?<BR/><BR/>What would you consider a revision that you couldn't be flexible on?Mechele Armstronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02634624468197140712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-39177973808376773272007-06-29T09:49:00.000-04:002007-06-29T09:49:00.000-04:00Anonymous 9:42,That time discrepancy did not escap...Anonymous 9:42,<BR/><BR/>That time discrepancy did not escape my attention. LOL. Editors are funny.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-21686694707047561442007-06-29T09:46:00.000-04:002007-06-29T09:46:00.000-04:00Anonymous 8:44,Sorry, I missed your second questio...Anonymous 8:44,<BR/><BR/>Sorry, I missed your second question. I think you have to have the confidence to talk with your editor and agent as an equal. That doesn't so much mean taking a hard stance of "no" as it does discussing "why". I'm not one of those authors who sees her work as her baby. I see it as a product I'm producing, and I want to make it the best I can. I stand up for things like continuity, character development, and pacing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-13669549250417155402007-06-29T09:42:00.000-04:002007-06-29T09:42:00.000-04:00Funny that the publisher hung onto your manuscript...Funny that the publisher hung onto your manuscript for a year . . . and then wanted you to make some pretty significant revisions in a week! Yikes. Glad you were able to get the time you needed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-76527915268273863582007-06-29T09:38:00.000-04:002007-06-29T09:38:00.000-04:00Hi Kimber an and Anonymous 8:44,Kimber, I'm so gla...Hi Kimber an and Anonymous 8:44,<BR/><BR/>Kimber, I'm so glad you said that, because it supports her claim. It makes me feel like I made the right decision.<BR/><BR/>However, Anonymous!!! I've been waiting for someone to notice that for a long, long time. My editor was concerned about Body Heat's connection to a movie. Yet, this title did precisely the same thing. To make it even more ironic, the supporting female character is named Missy. Yup. You got it. Roma and Missy's High School Reunion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-18935414697930076352007-06-29T09:32:00.000-04:002007-06-29T09:32:00.000-04:00Hi anonymous,I guess I would have balked at any re...Hi anonymous,<BR/><BR/>I guess I would have balked at any request to change the relationship between the two supporting characters. Their relationship is much more raw than the leads, and I wanted that contrast. Roma is also very klutzy and funny. I liked that about her and wouldn't have wanted her polished and perfect.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-36323399979532069322007-06-29T08:44:00.000-04:002007-06-29T08:44:00.000-04:00Maybe shelf placement is everything here, but I im...Maybe shelf placement is everything here, but I immediately think <I>Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion</I> with your editor's title and character name choices. Especially when the synopsis starts, "Roma's high school reunion..." And I didn't even see the movie.<BR/><BR/>How much did you feel you had the power to say 'no' on any of the things the editor (or even Jessica) asked for, if you wanted? Which would be hard, hard, hard for an author to do for any debut or even first 3 or 4 novels, I'm sure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-13646288872730377132007-06-29T08:16:00.000-04:002007-06-29T08:16:00.000-04:00I liked your editor's advice on the title, especia...I liked your editor's advice on the title, especially. As a reader, I step into the Romance aisle and am hit with similar titles and similar covers. Anything that can set your book apart is a good thing. Otherwise, the only way we know how to find something special is through personal recommendation. Some readers buy off the shelf and on impulse, but none of the readers I know do. This is one reason why. The title, High School Reunion, immediately gives us a clue what it's about. Body Heat would just tell us there's sex in it, but almost all romance novels have that too.Kimber Lihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03982239712083114488noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-64937343671850261942007-06-29T04:28:00.000-04:002007-06-29T04:28:00.000-04:00Interesting post! I think it's very important to k...Interesting post! I think it's very important to know when to adapt... and when not to. Is there anything in particular you know you would have refused to change?<BR/><BR/>SeleneAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com