Megibow Literary Agency

[Moon Daughter]

Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up on this news. Sara Megibow (formerly from Nelson Literary Agency) is going out on her own and will be open to queries the first of the year. I didn't see a website for her agency, but here's a link to the article. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/...le/article/64997-megibow-launches-agency.html

 

[xDream]

Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up on this news. Sara Megibow (formerly from Nelson Literary Agency) is going out on her own and will be open to queries the first of the year. I didn't see a website for her agency, but here's a link to the article. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/...le/article/64997-megibow-launches-agency.html

I think someone mentioned it in the Nelson Literary Agency thread, but here's the website (which is under construction): http://www.megibowliterary.com/

 

[Myrealana]

Good for her.

She didn't want to represent my book, but she gave me some great pointers on my opening and my query letter at the RMFW convention, and she seems like a really great person. I hope she does well.

 

[Filigree]

She reps a friend of mine, and I frequently send folks to query her. Good for Sara - and good for Denver. I wonder what led to the split, though I cannot (and won't) begin to speculate in public.

 

[Krista G.]

I don't think there necessarily had to be a reason for the split. Lots of reputable agents want to start their own agencies, and when your mentor built her agency from the ground up, it stands to reason that you'll want to do the same (once you have the requisite contacts and experience, of course).

 

[Dmbeucler]

According the Kristin Nelson, the split is amicable. From her public facebook page:

Sara's big news is finally public!

I think most people will imagine that I'm upset or surprised by this big step. I'm actually very supportive of Sara making this move.

To me, running your own show is kind of the point of having a career as a literary agent. At a certain point, it just makes sense to make this leap.

So big congrats Sara!

I'm happy I don't have to pick between them when my query time begins.

 

[Filigree]

That's what I'm figuring, too. That the split was amicable is better for everyone who will query either agent.

 

[52greg]

Sara has always been kind to me.

 

[annsquared]

Any thoughts on this from her PM listing: 'Please include a one paragraph description of the work and a link to your author website if you have one - no sample pages or synopses needed.'

So, no query either? Just a one paragraph description?

If I have to, I'll just ask on twitter -- I've always found her to be incredibly accessible -- I just don't want to sound like an idiot of it's obvious to everyone but me!

 

[Filigree]

It would be a scary good way to sidestep over-workshopped queries and underdeveloped novels, while assessing an author's basic writing skills and possible social capital.

But a good story should be able to be compressed into one paragraph. It's called the 'hook' in a query letter. I guess not calling it a query reduces stress?

Ask her anyway, so we're not reading more into this than is actually there.

 

[annsquared]

ETA: She responded on twitter and said she DOES want a query. So, one paragraph description = query. She confirmed the no sample pages or synopsis.

 

[Sibyl696]

Any thoughts on this from her PM listing: 'Please include a one paragraph description of the work and a link to your author website if you have one - no sample pages or synopses needed.'

So, no query either? Just a one paragraph description?

If I have to, I'll just ask on twitter -- I've always found her to be incredibly accessible -- I just don't want to sound like an idiot of it's obvious to everyone but me!

On 1/5 I saw a tweet from her that she had 1600 queries in her inbox. I decided to query her on 1/6. I thought I may be waiting a while but I received a request for a partial on 1/9.

I submitted a traditional query letter - and on top of it, it was lengthy (8 paragraphs). The first paragraph was personalized to her, followed by a 4 paragraph pitch (241 words), followed by the book info, the sequel info, then a short personalized closing.

Based on the 1 paragraph description she has posted, I knew I was taking a big risk sending her such a long query letter. It was my longest query letter to date, but also my most personalized. I don't know if I would recommend others to do the same, but I wanted to share what worked for me. Now my fingers are crossed that she likes the partial.

 

[Sibyl696]

Just an update:
Queried on 1/6
Partial Requested on 1/9, submitted on 1/10
Form Rejection on 1/16 "not the right fit"

Since I queried about 10 agents already and had 3 partials all come back "not the right fit" - I decided to thank Sara and inquire if she could elaborate on what "not the right fit" meant because I didn't know if at this point to shelve the MS. I knew I may not get a response - but surprisingly, she sent a very nice email this morning that she loved my concept and my writing, but it didn't grab her in the gut as much as she hoped.

Overall, she was very professional and quick. I really hoped to have landed her as an agent. Perhaps with the next book!

 

[Krista G.]

Just an update:
Queried on 1/6
Partial Requested on 1/9, submitted on 1/10
Form Rejection on 1/16 "not the right fit"

Since I queried about 10 agents already and had 3 partials all come back "not the right fit" - I decided to thank Sara and inquire if she could elaborate on what "not the right fit" meant because I didn't know if at this point to shelve the MS. I knew I may not get a response - but surprisingly, she sent a very nice email this morning that she loved my concept and my writing, but it didn't grab her in the gut as much as she hoped.

Overall, she was very professional and quick. I really hoped to have landed her as an agent. Perhaps with the next book!

Don't give up yet! You've barely scratched the surface, and a 30% request rate is nothing to sneeze at. There are probably at least fifty reputable agents who could be a potential fit for any given project, so you've got a long way to go.

Also, getting those "not the right fit" responses is actually encouraging. If they can give you a specific reason (e.g., "I thought the main character wasn't sympathetic enough" or "I thought the pacing was too slow"), they usually do, so if agents are consistently saying it's not quite right for them, then there's a good chance it will be just right for someone. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but agents must completely fall in love with a project to take it on, and when you think about how many books you read and like versus how many books you fall in love with, you get an idea of what an agent means when she says it wasn't the right fit. But just because one agent didn't fall in love doesn't mean another won't!

 

[CrastersBabies]

I took a query-writing workshop with Sarah a few years back. She said 250 words max for a query, that if you can't boil it down to sell it to her, she won't be able to sell it to an editor/publisher, who then won't be able to sell it to a company like B&N. The query does a lot of work, not just getting the attention of an agent. And, from what I remember, she said a query will force you to find the "it" story.

Also with "not the right fit," heck . . . that could mean a bazinga-WIN for another agent. There is the human factor here as well. Someone else might snap it up.

 

[Sibyl696]

Don't give up yet! You've barely scratched the surface, and a 30% request rate is nothing to sneeze at. There are probably at least fifty reputable agents who could be a potential fit for any given project, so you've got a long way to go.

Also, getting those "not the right fit" responses is actually encouraging. If they can give you a specific reason (e.g., "I thought the main character wasn't sympathetic enough" or "I thought the pacing was too slow"), they usually do, so if agents are consistently saying it's not quite right for them, then there's a good chance it will be just right for someone. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but agents must completely fall in love with a project to take it on, and when you think about how many books you read and like versus how many books you fall in love with, you get an idea of what an agent means when she says it wasn't the right fit. But just because one agent didn't fall in love doesn't mean another won't!

Thank you! I haven't given up yet, but was just worried if 3 agents all said the same thing, maybe I was missing something. I wasn't sure what "not the right fit" meant, but I totally get it now - doesn't matter if the concept & writing is great - they really have to fall in love with the book. And you're right, there are many books I like, but few I have truly fallen in love with. I'll continue to query until I find my right fit.

I took a query-writing workshop with Sarah a few years back. She said 250 words max for a query, that if you can't boil it down to sell it to her, she won't be able to sell it to an editor/publisher, who then won't be able to sell it to a company like D&N. The query does a lot of work, not just getting the attention of an agent. And, from what I remember, she said a query will force you to find the "it" story.

Also with "not the right fit," heck . . . that could mean a bazinga-WIN for another agent. There is the human factor here as well. Someone else might snap it up.

The meat of my query is exactly 241 words and condensing it to that length sure did help me find the meaning of the story. I tend to go over that length when I personalize my query email to the specific agent.

Fingers crossed that I find that bazinga-WIN with another agent.

 

[CEtchison]

From the press release:

KT Literary, LLC., a Colorado-based firm representing such New York Times bestselling and acclaimed authors as Maureen Johnson, Stephanie Perkins, Matthew Cody, and Trish Doller, is pleased to announce it is expanding, adding a new agent and branching out to represent more genres to celebrate its seventh anniversary.

Effective immediately, Sara Megibow, a literary agent with nearly a decade of publishing experience — most recently with Megibow Literary and Nelson Literary Agency — is joining owner and agent Kate Schafer Testerman and associate agent Renee Nyen. The three are creating a Denver-based powerhouse that takes a hands-on approach to all aspects of an author’s publishing experience from editing through marketing and beyond. The agency represents authors writing middle grade through adult, in genres that range from fiction to science fiction, and romance to erotica.

 

[Roxxsmom]

Got a partial request, followed by a full from Sara Megibow (now at KT literary), followed by a nicely worded rejection that (unfortunately) included no specific criticisms or red pen work, except to say it's a great story with wonderful characters and world, and she's sure it will find representation soon, but it's too similar to some other books she's sold recently, so she couldn't query those editors.

Disappointing, but she was very nice, and she was very quick. Whole process took less than a month from start to finish. I got the feeling she'd be a great person to work with. Ah, well.

 

[kaitie]

Okay, reupping this because Sara Megibow has reopened Megibow Literary Agency after leaving KT.

It looks like she has three people working with her, two of whom are definitely agents, Matthew Valdez and Helen Masvikeni, and a Aaron Bazil, who it looks like might be handling tv/movie rights.

I don't know much about them, but it seems to be a full-fledged little agency now rather than just a solo endeavor.