Market Deals in Publishers Market--A Must in Agent Search

From the start the ShalladeGuzman Writers Group have been tons of fun and sooo informative. Okay, that's not just for PR. It's true, I'm learning so much.

Like the other day, I'm checking thru our new Message Board and find someone has been posting Market Deals (the latest manuscripts bought by publishers). So I scan thru. Wow. The author of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, Lauren Weisberger (one of those best sellers) got a 7 figure deal! Movie Deal. What else. Meryl Streep is going to play the lead. Hey :)

That's for her third book which she hasn't even written yet. No title or anything. Cool. That's why I enjoy writing. It's fun sharing weird characters dancing around in my mind, giving them names and stories. But also the Hollywood Aspect and the moolah!

Imagine it. One minute, you're on your computer spewing funny lines (I enjoy writing comedy so much) and before you know it--POOF! Your book's at auction, marketed by a top Agent, getting bids from Movie Makers. I guess it's good to get your book out in auction. I wonder how the process goes... I can probably ask the next Agent guest speaker on SHALLA Q&A.

So, to summarize:
One, if you're looking for an Agent or like to know what's selling, get Publishers Market. Join before June 1st and get it at $15 per month. (They're raising it to $20 after that date)

To look at the ShalladeGuzman Writers Group Message Board and get other Market News: http://www.voy.com/194743/

To Ask top Agents questions, join us for SHALLA Q&A. There's one with Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada June 21. We're going to be at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ShalladeGuzman/

To our successes! Terrific Market Deals! Best Selling Novels!
Lost of fun writing, all the time!!!

:)
Shalla
www.shalladeguzman.com

Shalla's Agent Search--Update

Yes! Yes! Yes! Lots of agents are asking me to submit--good to know. I'm glad my query letter's working. For this, I'd recommend Liz Maverick's workshop on writing queries--excellent!

Sure I research agents and what they handle so I'm not just shooting fish in a barrel. But I also believe whatever's best will happen so I send my query out to the universe to bring me back the best agent to handle my work. Ie. Fate bring me the best, most perfect agent for me. Someone I'm compatible with. Someone trustworthy, sincere, friendly, happy, successful and can sell my work easily, effortlessly and most excellently!

I'm sure the end result will be glorious but I'm also enjoying the process. This is fun. Writing's fun. That's the whole reason I'm writing beautiful stories in the first place, because I loooove it.

Good to know the ShalladeGuzman Writers Group is working out well too: lots of marketing news the kind that propels me to write and create exciting, entertaining plots and endearing characters. Lots of members are benefitting. That's good, good karma for me and it's also nice to be part of something positive.

Well, ideas for my next novels are churning. Maybe the veggie baked fish I had for lunch will fuel them to manifest into the next 52-week best sellers. Ohhh, what a thought. Better sign off and day dream for a while :)

A toast to the wonderful world of limitless imagination! Excellent!

Shalla
:)
www.shalladeguzman.com

Blogging: posting pics

Hi everyone, great day today! Southern Cali is so sunny and hot!!! Okay, maybe it's cause I just got back from doing some gardening--transplanting roses, pulling weeds, snipping and trimming plants, etc and just having a fun time with my cats and husband.

Well, just came in for some lunch (veggie Chicken nuggets and rice--mmm :) and some Michael Jackson Reenactments. And guess I'll say it again, love having Tivo. Just zipped thru commercials and played and replayed Mccauley Culkin's testimony that MJ didn't molest him. How clear is that? Enough already Sneddon. Leave the King of Pop alone.

As it stands, I may just be one of Michael Jackson's newest fans. Yes, yes, been watching the trial reenactments (my sister says it's more like an addiction, but I digress) and looks like MJ is innocent after all. Besides that, he's so nice. He takes kids on Toys R Us shopping sprees and enjoys giving gifts.

I looked up the books the prosecution was calling "pornographic" on MJ's office and one's a photo essay (art book) of the Lord of the Flies, a classic novel about kids being stranded on an island. So, of course the kids aren't wearing much clothing if any.

>>One book, called "Boys Will Be Boys," featured an image of fair-haired boys in swimsuits jumping into water. The book contained an inscription written by Jackson: "Look at the true spirit of happiness and joy in these boys' faces, this is the spirit of boyhood, a life I've never had and will always dream of. This is the life I want for my children."

The jury also was shown the cover of a book called "The Boy: A Photographic Essay." It also contained an inscription that said: "To Michael from your (heart symbol) fan, XXXOOO, 'Rhonda."' The note was dated 1983. Smith said both books featured boys "playing, swimming, jumping."<<

Ooops, I guess I digressed to the MJ trial again, s'cuse me. Okay, back to what I was talking about--I just created my first Message Board: http://www.voy.com/194426/

We'll see how that works out. It's just where I can post the latest news in case someone likes to know. Like I'm interviewing Agents and Editors, info from that could be helpful to many writers.

Now, I'm figuring out how to put pictures on Blogs. Hmm. Well I've got it on this post. I wonder how I can put it on my Blog Template... and how to include it whenever I reply to Blogs... hmmm.

Shalla

Urban Lit--Erotica Embraced

Okay, maybe the title of this post is a little on the racy side, but it seems more and more publishers are moving towards Erotica.

I'm talking about Harlequin's latest single title imprint, SPICE.

Find out more:
http://www.eharlequin.com/cms/learntowrite/ltwArticle.jhtml?pageID=050510wu01001

And Harlequin's new Mills & Boon Temptation (M&B Sensual Romance)
http://www.eharlequin.com/cms/learntowrite/ltwArticle.jhtml?pageID=021101wu12001

Shalla de Guzman's Literary Agent Search

Hi writers,

Yes, time to find the right agent. So, I'm checking agent websites, articles etc. I've even put together a list of good agents: http://shalladeguzman.com/ShallaAgentList.php

Anyway, here are some helpful info I found.

The Creative Media Agency with Paige Wheeler is one of the most popular literary agencies out there.

I was looking thru their website and found some very interesting and informative pages:Here are some helpful guidelines by Lisa VanAuken on "Questions for Agents".

http://www.thecmagency.com/process_agents.html

How To Write A Kick-Ass Query Letter By Paige Wheeler http://www.thecmagency.com/process_queryletter.html

Then, I also found this (and even posted questions) :

The Knight Agency is one of the top agencies out there and here's a good article from their website:Do's And Don'ts Of Approaching A Literary

Agent http://www.knightagency.net/considerations.php

And like to "pitch" your book to The Knight Agency?

>>Query Discussion For those of you interested in querying The Knight Agency--or in learning more about queries in general--don't miss the discussion thread for PITCH ME IF YOU CAN. << http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=11981277&postID=111452240364350881


Write with passion

:)

Shalla

www.shalladeguzman.com

Our Yahoo Writers Group, Writing and Marketing

Good morning writers! Yes, I've been up since about 4Am, marketing the ShalladeGuzman Writers Group. I've been writing ads, press releases, etc.

Why the hard work?

Marketing and writing are actually really fun for me. This is passion not work. I am energized! I love and really enjoy creating stuff, articles, stories, writing novels (and of course I am an artist so painting, drawing etc)

Anyway, why am I telling you this?

Well, I'd like to say, as I always say--Write with passion.
Then all the "work" turns into fun exercises and challenging games.

The Benefits?

I'm meeting sooo many wonderful, interesting, helpful writers, pubbed and unpubbed. A great network of new friends and colleagues. The ShalladeGuzman Writers Group is also a great way to talk to Literary Agents, Editors and Publishers. We get the scoop on what they are looking for and get our questions answered. So the Agents and Editors get their info out while writers get a better sense of the Agent-Author relationship. Anyway, it's win-win for all.

Which leads me to, it's all good karma :)

Lots of fun, lots of creativity--write with passion!

Shalla
:)
www.shalladeguzman.com

p.s.
We now have a new Blog called SHALLA BUZZ where we posts the latest SHALLA NEWS, SHALLA CHATS and SHALLA Q&A

For the latest SHALLA BUZZ http://shallabuzz.blogspot.com

(Shalla, Shalla, Shalla, all Shalla stuff--can you tell I like my name ;)