How do Agents Decide What to Represent? And more! Amy Elizabeth Bishop Part 2

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Welcome to the second and final part of this interview with Amy Elizabeth Bishop.

LINKS
Writerly Lifestyle Free Newsletter
Article and Full Transcript
Amy's Agency Page
Query Manager
Manuscript Wish List
Connect with her on Twitter

BIO
Amy joined Dystel Goderich & Borret literary agency in 2015 after interning for them in 2014. At DG&B, she's cultivating a wide-ranging list in literary and upmarket fiction, expert-driven narrative nonfiction, and select YA, with a special interest in the voices of BIPOC authors. Her list includes titles such as The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim (a Reese's Book Club selection and NYT bestseller), The Silence of Bones by June Hur (a Junior Library Guild selection and Edgar Award nominee), and Living Brave by Shannon Dingle (published Summer 2021). Before diving into the world of publishing, she graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a degree in Creative Writing. Though she grew up upstate, she currently resides in Astoria, Queens. You can find her on Twitter at @amylizbishop.

If you're a writer thinking about submitting to Amy, be sure to listen for what she represents. More importantly, think about what she's looking for because she provides a pretty clear message on what she wants!

If you want to be a literary agent, think about how Amy finds her clients. I think it's so interesting when she talks about what she looks for in stories she wants to represent. 

3 BIG TAKEAWAYS

Diversity in publishing allows everyone to have a seat at the tableMake sure you understand your story thematicallyAgents aren't as scary as they seem

Favorite Quote:
"...we're [agents] not as scary as we seem...we're all just people who have books and want to have a conversation about books."

Next week, I'm going to be talking to bestselling author Grady Hendrix about his new book, The Final Girl Support Group, plus his previous bestseller, The Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires, as well as his multiple projects in production coming to a screen near you! We discuss his projects and film production, what it's like to write the screenplay based on your own book. And what it's like to pass your book on to someone else to be adapted. So make sure you check it out!

Tweet me @DavidRGwyn