Andrea Somberg
Previously an agent at Vigliano Associates and the Don Maass Agency, Andrea Somberg joined Harvey Klinger Inc in the spring of 2005. She's actively seeking both fiction and non-fiction, including literary, commercial, young adult, genre (romance, mystery, sf/fantasy) memoir, pop- culture, how-to, self-help, humor, interior design, cookbooks, business, diet, and health & fitness.
As an agent, what types of stories are you looking for at this time?
For fiction, any book with an engaging narrative voice, and compelling protagonists. For nonfiction, projects that fill a need in the marketplace.
What have you seen too much of lately, if anything?
I'm still getting quite a few queries for chick-lit, which, unfortunately, is not selling these days.
What is your favorite part of being an agent? Least favorite?
I love helping authors with their careers. I also love that feeling I get when I am swept away by a new manuscript. My least favorite is all of the rejection, which is inherent to the industry. I know how hard authors work on their manuscripts, and it pains me when I have to pass on a project, either because I don't think I can sell it, or because it's not the best fit for my list.
Describe your dream author? And of course....the author from Hades?
My favorite authors are those who realize that this is a collaborative business, and clearly communicate to me their hopes and expectations. As for authors from Hades... hmmm. I'd have to say those authors who interpret my passing on a project as a personal slight. This is very much a business, and oftentimes my decision comes down to one thing: can I sell this manuscript? If the answer is no, the project would be much better off in the hands of someone who believes they can bring it successfully to market.
What do you read for pleasure? Name three of your all time favorite books or authors.
This is so very tough! I'm going to cheat, and instead name three books that I"ve read recently that I've enjoyed:
Sarah Addison Allen's Garden Spells,
Share with us a few up and coming titles you are excited about.
Rachel Keener's The Killing Tree (Center Street/Grand Central, March '09), a beautiful debut novel that has been receiving a lot of buzz.
PW has described it as and "intensely lyrical, emotional debut."
The description from the Publisher: You have to creep around the silence to survive it.
Mercy Heron learned that growing up in the household of her domineering grandfather and a grandmother whose behavior has always been erratic, some folks even call it crazy. They've raised Mercy since her mother died giving birth to her under the June apple tree in the garden on a stormy night, the night Father Heron locked her out and ignored her pleas for help. Mercy's days are spent working at the local diner, and hanging out with her wild best friend Della. Unlike Della, she's never seriously considered leaving the insulated community on Crooked Top mountain. Not until that summer when she meets Trout, a man who opens Mercy's eyes to a world beyond what she's known both physically and emotionally. Their relationship must be kept secret, because Father Heron won't approve of his granddaughter being involved with a migrant worker. But when Mercy tries to escape, she'll learn just how powerful, and ruthless, her grandfather can be. And the truth of her past will threaten to forever bind her to the mountain.�
Another project I'm very excited about, which I think is going to have a huge impact on many people's lives, is Diane Kress's The Metabolism Miracle: A Revolutionary, Proven Diet Program to Overcome Insulin Resistance and Lose Weight Permanently (Da Capo, March '09).
Pre-order @ amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Metabolism-Miracle-R
It is a diet book, but, even more intriguing, it presents a fail-safe program to help people prevent and actually reverse Type 2 Diabetes. There's nothing else like it out there -- it really is revolutionary.
Kyra Sundance, bestselling author of 101 Dog Tricks, The Dog Rules:14 Secrets to Developing the Dog You Want (Touchstone/Fireside, March '09).
Pre-order @ amazon- http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Rules-Secrets-D
Kyra is wonderful - you might have caught her on Bravo or one of her other television appearances with her dog, Chalcy. This book prevents an easy-to-follow, unique, and highly effective approach to helping your dog be the best he can be.
How does one submit to you and do you accept equeries?
Yes, equeries are my favorite. Please send an email to andrea@harveyklinger.com, including your query letter and the first five pages of your manuscript pasted into the body of the email. �
****************************************
And our new question section- an absolute take off of inside the actors studio-adapted for books (how's that for a switch)
INSIDE THE Agents STUDIO
�
Tell us your favorite movie
Once again, I'm going to have to cheat - this is such a tough question! Instead, I'm going to have to name my favorite TV shows at the moment: Mad Men and Arrested Development
Tell us your favorite protagonist-hero or heroine, your choice.
Anne of Green Gables - from the BBC movie, vs. the books. I grew up watching those movies, and her love of reading had a huge impact on me.
What is your favorite word or phrase?
From an editor: We'd like to make an offer
least favorite word or phrase?
Likewise, from an editor: This book is just too quiet for our list.
If you werent an agent, you would be a __________.
A teacher perhaps. Or maybe I'd work for a nonprofit.
What are you looking for in the voice--one that moves you to tears? One that motivates you to take on the world? The voices of authors that speak to me say_______?
A voice that engages me and keeps me reading.
Also if an author is published in small press, is this a positive or negative in your opinion?
It all depends. There are some great small presses out there that are very well respected and publish some brilliant work. The problem comes down to sales. Many smaller publishers oftentimes don't have the distribution or the promotional/publicity capacity that larger houses do, and, as a result, are not able to move as many copies. When a publisher receives a manuscript from a previously published author, one of the first things they look into is how many copies the author's previous book has sold. If this number is low, they are more likely to pass. This is because of bookstores. When a publisher goes to a bookstore with the author's upcoming book, one of the first things the book buyer will do is see how many copies they've sold of the author's previous title. If they did not sell that many copies, they will be less likely to place an order. Of course, there are always exceptions. Some small presses are great because they are small - they don't have as many books coming out, and so they have more resources to devote to the few books they do publish.
Thanks for participating!!
Profile
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
eablogsohmy- eablogsohmy
Comments
rr smythe