Congrats to Shutter, a 2017 YALSA Popular Paperback

Congratulations to Courtney Alameda, whose fantastically scary SHUTTER is a 2017 YALSA Popular Paperback! Check out the full list here.

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Visit Courtney’s website, follow her on Twitter, and like her on Facebook. You can also check out SHUTTER on Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, and Indiebound.

Christian Heidicker, Hannah Moskowitz, and Kat Helgeson on HuffPo’s YA Trends List

So cool to see Christian Heidicker’s CURE FOR THE COMMON UNIVERSE and Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson’s GENA/FINN on Huffington Post’s YA Book Trends list. Check it out…

5 Exciting YA Book Trends to Look for in 2016

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Check out CURE FOR THE COMMON UNIVERSE (Simon & Schuster, June 2016) on Goodreads, or preorder at Amazon and IndieBound.

And GENA/FINN (Chronicle Books, April 2016)! Goodreads, Amazon, B&N.

Ink & Ashes by Valynne E. Maetani on Bustle’s 19 Best of May 2015

Debuting this month is Valynne E. Maetani’s Kirkus-starred-reviewed INK & ASHES! So excited to see it here (with some great company) on Bustle’s

19 Of May 2015’s Best YA Books, aka You’re Going To Want to Read All YA This Month!

Check out Ink and Ashes on Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, and Amazon.

Check out Valynne Maetani on her website and twitter.

Moskowitz and Wallach on Bustle’s 17 Best of March 2015

Debuting this month are Tommy Wallach’s WE ALL LOOKED UP and Hannah Moskowitz’s NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED. So proud to see them both on Bustle’s

17 of March 2015’s Best YA Books!

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Check out WE ALL LOOKED UP (Simon & Schuster, March 24th, 2015) on Goodreads. Pre-order now at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or Indiebound.

Check out NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED (Simon Pulse, March 3rd, 2015) on Goodreads and pre-order it at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Indiebound.

A MAD WICKED FOLLY on YALSA’s 2015 Best Fiction for Young Adults List

I’m so excited to announce that Sharon Biggs Waller’s A MAD WICKED FOLLY has been chosen by the Young Adult Library Services Association for its 2015 Best Fiction for Young Adults List!

FOLLY’s already received some great acclaim, featured on *three* of Booklist’s Top Tens. And on the heels of the YALSA Best FIc announcement, Sharon’s debut novel has made the 2015 Amelia Bloomer list as well!

Sharon has a pretty rad “how’d you find your agent?” story, which you can read here. (We had internet kismet.) Her next novel, a y.a. historical from Viking Books, is due out next winter.

Meanwhile, you can find Sharon at her website, on Facebook, and on twitter.

Check out the critically acclaimed A MAD WICKED FOLLY on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, and Goodreads.

Congrats Sharon!

SHUTTER on Epic Reads 15 Most Anticipated

Congrats to Courtney Alameda, whose debut SHUTTER (Feiwel & Friends, February 3rd) is on Epic Reads’s 15 Most Anticipated YA Books Publishing in February!

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Visit Courtney’s website, follow her on Twitter, and like her on Facebook.

Check out SHUTTER on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, and Goodreads.

Barnes & Noble’s Most-Anticipated 2015 Debut YAs

This week just keeps getting better. So after Monday’s HuffPo list featuring Tommy Wallach and Courtney Alameda, today Barnes & Noble released its 15 Most-Anticipated YA Debuts of 2015. I’m so happy and proud to have three clients on this list: Mr. Wallach (who just earned himself a Junior Library Guild selection), Ms. Alameda, and also Gina Ciocca, whose debut LAST YEAR’S MISTAKE is coming from Simon Pulse in June.

You can see the list, which features other fantastic titles I’m super eager to read, here:

15 Most-Anticipated YA Debuts of 2015

Check out Gina’s awesome blog and follow her on twitter.

LAST YEAR’S MISTAKE on Goodreads and pre-order at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Indiebound.

Ten Surefire Ways to Turn Off a Prospective Agent

An author myself, I know how confounding and stressful the agent hunt can be. The etiquette is not always clear. Can you ask for an update after a few weeks? Can you address the agent by first name?  Is it okay to submit new work after a your first manuscript gets a no? For me, the answer to all these questions is yes!I’m a pretty informal guy, but a few common author gaffs really drive me banana sandwich. Some of these are just a little annoying, others have me breathing into a paper bag. If you’re already guilty of one or (god help you) all of these, don’t panic; there’s always time to change your ways. But from now on, no more excuses. You’ve been warned!

1. Calling with questions, like whether we have a website.
   No, I can’t hold on while you look for a pen. Same goes for feedback. Email, if you must, and I’ll try my best to respond.
2. Sending a snide response to a rejection.
   Getting rejected is part of the job, as is receiving a form rejection. We’d like to respond personally to every query, we just don’t have the time. If you can’t be a professional about rejection, quit. Sending an agent an angry email more or less guarantees they will never work with you. And remember, we talk to each other. I know it’s frustrating, but take it out on your stress-ball. You can put my picture on there, if it helps.
3. Failing to follow submission guidelines.
   Thanks for your sample pages about serial killers on mars, but we do kids’ books.
4. Citing “market testing,” especially when your test group is your kids, spouse, or students. They’re obligated to love you. Don’t trust them.
5. Opening your query with rhetorical questions.
   “Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a flying hippo?” Nope.
6. Talking about your “real-life” inspirations.
   I’m glad your protagonist is based on your adorable daughter who has the same name— we all draw inspiration from those around us. But what if an editor thinks Little Mindy should die of Typhus at the end? Would you be willing to discuss the personality flaws and physical shortcomings of Jillian, who’s based on your wife? A healthy separation of reality and fiction is a prerequisite for discharge from psychiatric wards, and for writing fiction.
7. “Selling” the Book.
   Don’t tell me you know your book will sell a million copies, or that you’re the next Stephen King. I love the confidence, but let the work speak for itself.
8. Playing the Field.
   Telling me you’ve queried seventy other agents doesn’t exactly make me feel like the prettiest girl at the ball. I’m far less likely to request a full manuscript if the odds are high a competitor is going to scoop you before I finish chapter one.
9. Billing yourself as “The next____.”
   Again, confidence is baller, but I’m not sure I believe it, and I hope you don’t either. Few successful authors are “the next” anyone. They’re just themselves.
10. Citing grammatical errors on our website—and being wrong.

YA Cliches, A List

Avoid at all costs:

(I’ve been guilty of most of these. Shame, shame.)

1. City kid must move to the country.
2. Girl encounters mysterious boy (or boy encounters mysterious girl).
3. Getting over a dead family member.
4. Kid discovers ancient family legacy / curse.
5. Kid is destined to save parallel dimension.
6. Male best friend who loves girl who loves mysterious boy. (via @ginad129)
7. Girl falls in love with the guy she SWEARS she would never fall for. Ever. Until she does. (via @simplebookworm)
8. Jocks that bully incessantly. (via @john_zeleznik)
9. 1st person narrator feels obligated to check mirror 3-4 times throughout book to report on every article of clothing. (via @EyeOnFlux)