kt literary

This week on the podcast Hannah and Renee tackle National Novel Writing Month! Whether you are participating this year, have chosen to sit out, are under deadline with something completely different, or even if 1,600 words per day sounds like your own personal torture chamber, we hope this episode contains something helpful and encouraging for you!

The opening round of the annual Goodreads Choice Awards is live!

From the Goodreads website, “The choice is yours. Vote for the best books of the year in the 11th Annual Goodreads Choice Awards, the only major book awards decided by readers.”

Best Books of 2019

Congratulations to Casey McQuiston, Maureen Johnson and Margaret Rogerson!

Best Romance 2019
RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE

Best Debut Novel 2019
RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE

Best Young Adult Fiction 2019
THE VANISHING STAIR

Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction
SORCERY OF THORNS

Vote for your favorites and congratulations to all the finalists!

Please help us congratulate Rebecca Roanhorse on today’s release of STAR WARS: RESISTANCE REBORN!

In this pivotal prequel to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the heroes of the Resistance—Poe Dameron, General Leia Organa, Rey, and Finn—must fight back from the edge of oblivion…

Rebecca has won the Hugo, Nebula and Locus Awards and this release of STAR WARS tops off a simply amazing year!

Available now in ebook, print and audiobook (narrated by the brilliant Marc Thompson) check out STAR WARS: RESISTANCE REBORN:

The Resistance is in ruins. In the wake of their harrowing escape from Crait, what was once an army has been reduced to a handful of wounded heroes. Finn, Poe, Rey, Rose, Chewbacca, Leia Organa—their names are famous among the oppressed worlds they fight to liberate. But names can only get you so far, and Leia’s last desperate call for aid has gone unanswered.

From the jungles of Ryloth to the shipyards of Corellia, the shadow of the First Order looms large, and those with the bravery to face the darkness are scattered and isolated. If hope is to survive, the Resistance must journey throughout the galaxy, seeking out more leaders—including those who, in days gone by, helped a nascent rebellion topple an empire. Battles will be fought, alliances will be forged, and the Resistance will be reborn.

Learn more about Rebecca on her website: www.rebeccaroanhorse.com

This week I speak with the wonderful Kim Harrington! Kim is the author of books like Clarity, Forget Me, and The Gamer Squad series. We talk about Spooky Season traditions, classic horror books, and how to ramp up tension in a manuscript.

You can find the episode on almost any podcast platform!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Be sure to check out Kim’s newest book THE REVEGE OF THE RED CLUB a MG period mystery (uterus, not historical!)

Please help us give a warm welcome to kt literary’s newest client, Son M.!

I am thrilled to welcome Son into the kt literary family! Her upper YA graphic novel and narrative prose projects left me drooling for more, and I cannot wait to share it with all of you!

Congratulations to author K.D. Edwards on this exciting announcement…

From Publishers Marketplace:
Escape Artists is attached to adapt THE LAST SUN by debut author K.D. Edwards (Pyr, 2018), a queer Tarot-inspired fantasy in which the only remaining heir of The Sun Court must find Lady Judgement’s missing son somewhere on New Atlantis, the island city where Atlanteans moved after ordinary humans destroyed their original home, for TV development.

The amazing team at Two Gay Geeks has an exclusive podcast with K.D. today – pop over here to listen: Two Gay Geeks

And the brilliant Books, Bones and Buffy is hosting an exclusive excerpt of the second book in the series. THE HANGED MAN is the sequel to THE LAST SUN and releases December 17, 2019 from Pyr Books. Head over here to read the exclusive excerpt: Books, Bones & Buffy

Read more about K.D. and his books here: www.kd-edwards.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @KDEdwards_NC

“Lopez successfully flips the gender switch on the wealthy CEO trope while at the same time incorporating a generous dash of fairy-tale glitz and glam into the captivating storyline of her marvelous debut.” – Booklist, starred review

Huge congratulations to debut author Angelina M. Lopez whose romance, LUSH MONEY, releases today!

A marriage of convenience and three nights a month.

LUSH MONEY
Available today in ebook and audiobook (narrated by the brilliant Scarlette Hayes)
And available in paperback as of October 29, 2019

Learn more about Angelina, LUSH MONEY and the Filthy Rich series on her website: www.angelinamlopez.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @AngelinaMLo

Congratulations to Diana Peterfreund, whose fabulous YA mystery IN THE HALL WITH THE KNIFE: A CLUE Mystery releases today!

A murderer could be around every corner in this thrilling YA trilogy based on the board game CLUE!

When a storm strikes at Blackbrook Academy, an elite prep school nestled in the woods of Maine, a motley crew of students—including Beth “Peacock” Picach, Orchid McKee, Vaughn Green, Sam “Mustard” Maestor, Finn Plum, and Scarlet Mistry—are left stranded on campus with their headmaster. Hours later, his body is found in the conservatory and it’s very clear his death was no accident. With this group of students who are all hiding something, nothing is as it seems, and everyone has a motive for murder. Fans of the CLUE board game and cult classic film will delight in Diana Peterfreund’s modern reimagining of the brand, its characters, and the dark, magnificent old mansion with secrets hidden within its walls.

Kirkus called the book “Ingeniously plotted and vastly entertaining” but Diana’s favorite review so far was from a bookseller who said that they picked it up expecting it to be cheesy and dumb, but instead they found it “delightfully campy and very smart.” That’s it, folks: smart and campy. Nailed it in one.

Grab a copy at your favorite independent bookstore or wherever you like to buy books!

Please help us give a warm welcome to kt literary’s newest client, Hal Schrieve!

I am thrilled to welcome Hal into the kt literary family! Hal’s YA contemporary fantasy, OUT OF SALEM, debuted in March and received starred reviews from Kirkus (“Tension burns hot until the explosive conclusion, which begs for a sequel. On fire with magic and revolution.”), Publisher’s Weekly (“Any reader who has felt it necessary to hide their true identity will find strong characters to connect with in this fun, powerful story.“), and was long-listed for the National Book Award.

This week I interviewed the wonderful Hannah Fergesen. I adore her, and it is a privilege to work with her! Here’s a short clip from the show:

Happy Book Birthday to Carrie S. Allen‘s fabulous debut YA novel, MICHIGAN VS. THE BOYS!

When a determined girl is confronted with the culture of toxic masculinity, it’s time to even the score.

Michigan Manning lives for hockey, and this is her year to shine. That is, until she gets some crushing news: budget cuts will keep the girls’ hockey team off the ice this year.

If she wants colleges to notice her, Michigan has to find a way to play. Luckily, there’s still one team left in town …

The boys’ team isn’t exactly welcoming, but Michigan’s prepared to prove herself. She plays some of the best hockey of her life, in fact, all while putting up with changing in the broom closet, constant trash talk and “harmless” pranks that always seem to target her.

But once hazing crosses the line into assault, Michigan must weigh the consequences of speaking up — even if it means putting her future on the line.

For years, I’d been requesting female athlete stories in my query inbox. Carrie came to me with another hockey story first, and I fell in love with the way the action on the ice was of equal importance to the action off the rink, how the team relationships buoyed and supported her main character in all aspects of her life, not just hockey. MICHIGAN turned that relationship toxic, showing a different perspective on the sport, and I love it even more!

Pick up a copy today wherever books are sold for your teen athlete, teen reader, or anyone who loves YA and strong female protagonists. And smash the patriarchy with Michigan!

The Warrior Moon, the sequel to The Phoenix Empress and striking conclusion to K Arsenault Rivera’s wildly buzzed about epic fantasy, which began with The Tiger’s Daughter…

Huge congratulations to K Arsenault Rivera whose epic fantasy THE WARRIOR MOON hits bookstores today!

THE WARRIOR MOON
Barsalayaa Shefali, famed Qorin adventurer, and the spoiled divine warrior empress, O-Shizuka, have survived fights with demon armies, garnered infamy, and ruled an empire. Raised together since birth, then forced into exile after their wedding, and reunited amidst a poisonous invasion?these bold warrior women have faced monumental adventures and catastrophic battles.

As they come closest to fulfilling the prophecy of generations?Shefali and Shizuka will face their greatest test yet.

The Ascendant Trilogy began in 2017 with THE TIGER’S DAUGHTER – a Locus Recommended Read, Best Book of the Year at B&N, Best Fantasy of 2017 at Fantasy Faction, SCIBA bestseller and Indie Next Best Top Pick! THE WARRIOR MOON represents a grand finale that will leave readers breathless and (like me) desperate to start reading, again, from the beginning.

Available in ebook, print book and audiobook (as narrated by the brilliant Caroline McLaughlin) – find out more on K’s website: www.karsenaultrivera.com

Say hi and congratulations on twitter @ArsenaultRivera

Podcast episode number 2 up! The amazingly talented Trish Doller talks about her new book with Simon Pulse, START HERE, effective writing procrastination techniques, and relief work happening in the Bahamas right now.

Here are the links to the Bahaman relief efforts Trish mentions during the episode.
Red Cross
HeadKnowles
World Central Kitchen

And don’t forget to pick up a copy of START HERE while you’re at it!

And find our podcast on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitchr, Radio.com, and Overcast! Hit the “subscribe” button to keep up with future episodes!

“May I take you out for coffee?”

Here at Team KT Literary, we wanted to share a quick post about receiving invitations to coffee (or lunch, drinks, dinner, etc) in exchange for “learning more about becoming a literary agent.”

We love our jobs! Working in publishing is a rewarding, exciting and stimulating career. If you are interested in getting a job in publishing – as a literary agent or anything else – good for you! Unfortunately, we don’t have time to meet one-on-one but we do have some ideas of how you can get more information.

First up, most of us at KT Literary speak at conferences and events around the country. Watch our blog for announcements and updates.

• Sara is speaking at the Pikes Peak Write Brain Agent Panel on Wednesday September 18, 2019
• Kate is presenting at the Rocky Mountain SCBWI Letters and Lines conference (including a round table dedicated to answering questions about being an agent) , October 12-13, 2019
• Sara is presenting at the upcoming Sirens Conference in Denver, October 24-27, 2019

If you’re not in Colorado or available for these upcoming events, here’s another idea:

• Are you a part of a writers group, SCBWI chapter, RWA chapter, etc. , please feel free to email us and invite us to speak to your group (yes, this costs money, but it’s an option) contact@ktliterary.com
• Read this blog post from June, 2013 about The Publishing Industry.

Or, here are some other ways to meet publishing professionals in person:

• Attend a local writing conference – especially one hosted by RWA (Romance Writers of America) or SCBWI (Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators).
• Research publishing events at your local library. These events would be free!
• Attend an author event at your local bookstore.
• Read the Writers Digest Magazine.
• Follow agents, editors and authors on Twitter.
• Read the aaronline.org website thoroughly (Association of Authors’ Representatives, Inc.)
• Read the Publishers Marketplace website thoroughly.
• Attend Denver Publishing Institute
• Or the Columbia Publishing Course

As a literary agent, our #1 job is to make money for our authors. It’s not uncommon to receive 3-5 requests-for-coffee per week and you can imagine our clients wouldn’t be pleased if we took 100+ hours a year away from our responsibilities to them.

Thanks for your understanding and we will be cheering for you!