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Corvisiero Literary Agency / Literary Powerhouse Consulting (Marisa Corvisiero)

CassandraW

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Frankly, women are used to odds like that in many fields.
 

Krista G.

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I have noticed this. I went to their website and looked at the authors. Of 107 shown clients, on 18 are men. Less than one-fifth.

That is why I no longer submit to them.

It's a well-known fact that the publishing industry is overwhelmingly staffed by women at almost every level (authors, agents, editors, etc.). The number that's typically reported is somewhere around 80%, so this agency's male-to-female author ratio is actually demographically representative of the industry as a whole. I'm not saying whether that's good or bad; I'm just saying that's what is.

There are good reasons to query or not query an agency, but personally, I don't think this is one of them.
 

Thedrellum

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I am a man. I don't agree with your assessment. And 22 is still a large number. It's not like they are only representing 1 male author out of 107.

And even if they were, that says nothing about their biases, really, and if they were selling the kinds of books I write to good publishers in good deals, then I would definitely submit to them. What do you have to lose from a query?
 

Sheryl Nantus

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Just that they don't seem to view men equally. I understand most women here would not agree. But if there were only 22 women shown out of 107 authors represented...I suspect it would be considered a red flag.

We poor men are under appreciated in writing :p

Are you serious?
 

triceretops

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Oh, my gawd. This is a serious subject and one that got me blasted out of the Writer's Cafe a couple years ago. It started with Nat Sobel's assessment, which shocked me.

I don't ponder any gender preferences in the industry anymore. The way I've gotten around this touchy subject was to write really dynamic and interesting females MCs. I've have outrageous success with this decision. My gals really appeal to male editors. So I'm very happy with this. And writing about women kind of gives me a sexy, energetic feel while I'm exploring their emotions.

Write a damn good book.Humans will read it.
 

Viridian

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Just that they don't seem to view men equally. I understand most women here would not agree. But if there were only 22 women shown out of 107 authors represented...I suspect it would be considered a red flag.

We poor men are under appreciated in writing :p
Most readers, writers, and editors are women. It's a female-dominated industry. The gender imbalance is not a red flag. It's normal.

That doesn't necessarily mean you're at a disadvantage, though. In male-dominated industries, men get paid more than women. In female-dominated industries, men still get paid more than women.
 
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PandaNinja

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I'm curious as well, because I recently received a request for my query, first few pages from an agent at this agency during the #DVpit, which is currently happening as I'm typing this lol.
 

pinkbowvintage

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My agent is part of this agency so here's been my experience with her:

*Very thorough revisions including multiple re-writes to get the MS ready for submission
*Highly enthusiastic about my writing and projects, but also very candid about what needs revision or clarification
*Agency contract is standard/normal and nothing dodgy about it
*She emails me back very quickly and keeps me in the loop whenever something happens one way or the other
*The junior agents are very cool people and some help out with MS revisions and pitching to editors
*MS is sent out to a wide list of editors who are excited to read and are well-selected for the project

I recommend contacting a handful of the agent-in-question's current clients and asking them straight up for their honest opinion/feedback. Ask them any questions or concerns you may have. I did this before I signed and I'm glad I did.
 

PandaNinja

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Thank you for responding back! Two agents from this agency actually liked my pitches during this, so I'm unsure which one to send my query to, lol. Unless I send to both but let the other know that their other agent also requested material.
 

PandaNinja

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Nvm, I noticed on their website to only submit to one at a time. I decided to send it to the junior agent, but told her that another agent at the agency was also interested. I'll see what happens from here! :)
 

Pisco Sour

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Does anyone have recent experience with this agency? One of their junior agents requested off a Twitter Pitch contest, but I don't see any recent sales on their site. Thanks.
 

Fiender

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I'm also interested to hear any recent stories. I haven't submitted to anyone at Corvisiero yet, but the fact only the junior/apprentice agents would be interested in my work has given me pause :S
 

Shoeless

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It's a smaller agency, but it's based in New York, and it's got sales. I met Marisa Corvisiero at small writers workshop last year. She's professional, courteous and obviously very knowledgeable about the industry. I wouldn't be too worried about a junior agent being interested in your work. New agents are always hungry to prove themselves, and they have the support of their seniors at the agency if they need it. The only real risk an author runs with a junior agent is whether that agent will stick with it, or not. It's not uncommon for a junior agent to decide after a couple of years that agenting isn't for them after all, and they quit. Usually, it seems like if an agent is still around after the three year mark, they're likely to keep at it. Although, of course, if you get a new, junior agent, and you happen to be a great success story for them, they're more likely to stick with it to share in your success.
 

Weezie

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Does anyone have recent experience with this agency? One of their junior agents requested off a Twitter Pitch contest, but I don't see any recent sales on their site. Thanks.

I met with one of their junior agents at RT 2016. I gave her my pitch during my allotted time, she seemed to love it and requested my full MS, which I sent (admittedly, after a few more months of edits - but far less than the year I've read is standard.) After 4 months, I sent a brief, polite "hey, just checking in" email. Nothing. Never heard from her again. Obviously, I've taken it as a 'no' but I'm a little shocked to be ghosted after such an enthusiastic response to my in-person pitch.
 

JHaskin

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I'm new to the company, so I don't have ANY info for you, but I do know that almost all the agents there are considered "junior agents." That title comes after one has been an intern, then an apprentice, and promoted to junior agent. There are very few full agents there, but those titled junior agent, are doing the job of agenting with the same knowledge and connections as other agents. The website does not always reflect their deals as they are busy making them. But if you look up a certain agent, you can see their client base and books they are working on, as long as the agent has had time to update it. They are making deals with the "big" houses, and they work well as a team to help each author. Thank you for visiting the site. Thank you for submitting. I'm sorry, but I won't have any more information to share.
 

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I don't know if it helps anyone, but I've been working with Saritza Hernandez at Corsiviero since about last March. It took her some time to get to my query, which I'd submitted in June 2016, but when she did, it didn't take her long to ask for the full MS. She did ask me to make some significant revisions to the MS before she accepted it, but was fully on board with the story before I signed the contract. I think her guidance has made my good story an awesome one, and I have high hopes now that she's put together a submission list for publishers for me. Likely, there will be a stall because of the holidays, but she also told me she was getting positive feedback on her proposal for the book so far. Since it's my debut book, I think it's okay to gamble a little, because hey, you never know. But so far, I haven't had any real problems with the experience so far.
 

Girlsgottawrite

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Meg LaTorre-Snyder is no longer with Corvisiero Literary Agency.
 

PMcKnight

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I'm disappointed. I queried Kelly a few months ago and she very enthusiastically asked for a R&R, like "when you're done I absolutely want to be the first to see the revised MS" enthusiastic. Said it was great, just a smidge too short. So I busted my ass and revised and upped my wordcount by nearly 10k, sent it back in 10 days ago. Got a form letter rejection from Caleb, her assistant, this morning. WTF was the point of saying that she loved what I sent her a few months ago only to reject the exact same chapters now?
 

maghranimal

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Does anyone know much about Corvisiero in terms of Kidlit? I know they rep it, but their website just shows romance after romance novel.