While working on the submissions for this week I came to a conclusion: this challenge is fantastic, it’s getting me to stay on a set schedule and not give up because it’s scary…but it’s way too much to do with 2 manuscripts. My query letters were getting sloppy, I couldn’t focus on markets and researching agencies. Just too much.
So I’m scaling back the challenge to just one manuscript that I feel is currently in the most marketable shape. Once the challenge is finished for that one I can turn my full attention to manuscript 2.
So the second agency of my challenge was the Maria Carvainis Agency. Maria Carvainis has done a little bit of everything in the literary world. She was an academic at Boston College, worked as a submissions editor at practically every YA publishing house in NY including MacMillian where she worked for 10 years.
So as you can see, this woman knows what’s she’s doing. Her agency has a hands on approach to the novels they represent and provide editing services to all the authors they sign before sending the manuscript to publishers. Getting a contract with her agency would mean my book is in good hands and I wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not my best work was going out into the world.
The agency has a 3 month response time and takes e and snail mail submissions. You can get their info at mariacarvainisagency.com
