Agents/managers | A Distant Soil by Colleen Doran

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Graphic Novel Agents: Cartoonist/Comic Books/Creator Resources

Saturday, January 17th, 2009

The four part graphic novel agent post from the old blog has been moved here and consolidated into one massive post. If you would like to be included on this list or have an update, please contact me. I compiled this list some months back, but I am sure folks have moved on.

I’ve double checked every agent I am listing against the lists at Predators and Editors. Even experienced pros will get some use out of this alphabetical listing of editors, publishers, and agents.

This direct link goes right to the agent page where agents are rated. A dollar sign appears next to their name to show they have actually made sales, and if they have a bad rep or conflict of interest concern, you’ll see it.

You’ll also find handy etiquette tips and guides for submissions.

Everyone who appears on the graphic novel agent list here has a good rep, but remember, you are entirely responsible for doing your own legwork. Listings on the Predators and Editors site can be a little out of date. Note that under the publishers listings, many well-known comics companies are not listed at all. However, the notorious Tightlip Entertainment gets the Not Recommended tag, as well it should.

No matter what, you are ultimately responsible for doing your own research and checking out the reputation of clients.

Before you go on, you need to read this post from nearly four years ago by Neil Gaiman: “Everything you wanted to know about literary agents.”

Some of the links are kaput, so too bad. All of the advice, however, is golden. Please read and bookmark.

You should not even be looking for an agent until you have absorbed the information about what to do before you get one.

I cringe when I see what young newbies have sent to agents and editors. You can blow a gig so easily. Do a little legwork and find out what agents and editors want to see before you contact them.

By the way newbies out there, you do yourself no favor whatsoever by indicating to a potential client that you are amenable to working on spec. Working on spec because you are desperate to get a gig is for people who will spend their entire careers working on spec.

And I highly recommend you take the time to read my posts HERE. VERY BAD PUBLISHERS is a series about my early years in publishing, followed by more recent posts about other bad clients, lousy contract scams, creepy book packagers and more. There’s quite a lot to read. They start out a bit slow, but I guarantee you will find them worthwhile.

Daniel Lazar

Writers House
21 West 26th Street
New York, NY 10010

dlazar@writershouse.com

NONFICTION GENRES
Memoirs | Narrative | Gay & Lesbian | Humor

Sam Stoloff

Frances Goldin Literary Agency
57 East 11th Street, Suite 5B
New York, NY 10003

ss@goldinlit.com
* Does not accept email queries.

FICTION GENRES
Literary Fiction | Short Stories | Multi-Cultural | Offbeat/Quirky | Graphic Novels

* This agent accepts queries

Victoria Sanders

Victoria Sanders & Associates
241 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 11H
New York, NY 10014

queriesvsa@hotmail.com

* This agent accepts queries

Howard Yoon

Gail Ross Literary Agency
1666 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 500
Washington, DC 20009

howard@gailross.com
* Does not accept email queries.

FICTION GENRES
Commercial Fiction

* This agent accepts queries

Vicky Bijur

Vicky Bijur Literary Agency
333 West End Avenue , Apt. 5B
New York, NY 10023

assistant@vickybijuragency.com

FICTION GENRES
Literary Fiction | Mystery | Thrillers/Suspense | Graphic Novels

* This agent accepts queries

Warren Frazier

John Hawkins & Associates, Inc.
71 West 23rd Street, Suite 1600
New York, NY 10010

frazier@jhalit.com

FICTION GENRES
Literary Fiction | Short Stories | Offbeat/Quirky | Graphic Novels

NONFICTION GENRES
History | Science | Business | Technology

* This agent accepts queries

Matthew Elblonk

The Creative Culture
72 Spring Street, Suite 304
New York, NY 10012

submissions@thecreativeculture.com

NONFICTION GENRES
Science | Drama/Music | Pop Culture | Narrative | Humor

* This agent accepts queries

David Kuhn

Kuhn Projects LLC
126 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3A
New York, NY 10011

*Does not accept email queries.

FICTION GENRES
Graphic Novels

* This agent does not currently accept unsolicited queries

Shannon O’Keefe

The Park Literary Group
270 Lafayette Street, Suite 1504
New York, NY 10012

* Does not accept email queries.

FICTION GENRES
Literary Fiction | Mystery | Commercial Fiction | Young Adult | Graphic Novels

* This agent accepts queries

Elizabeth Jote

Objective Entertainment
265 Canal Street, Suite 603 B
New York, NY 10013

ej@objectiveent.com

* This agent accepts queries

Colleen Lindsay

FinePrint Literary Management, LLC
240 W 35th Street, Suite 500
New York, NY 10001

colleen (at) fineprintlit.com

* This agent accepts queries

Evan Goldfried

William Morris Agency
1325 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019

ejg@wma.com

* This agent accepts queries

Brandi Bowles

Howard Morhaim Literary Agency, Inc.
30 Pierrepont St.
Brooklyn, NY 11201

This agent also co-reps for Victoria Sanders and Associates.

bbowles@morhaimliterary.com

FICTION Genres/ (No non-fiction GN’s) Southern fiction | Experimental fiction | Cross-cultural

* This agent accepts email queries

Bernadette Baker-Baughman

Bakers Mark Literary
PO Box 8382
Portland, OR 97207

www.bakersmark.com
Info@BakersMark.com

Spencer Ellsworth

Lori Perkins Agency

sellsworthlperkinsagency@yahoo.com

* This agent accepts email queries

(more…)

Tags: agents, creator rights, FAQ | 9 Comments ^

How to Spot a Fraudster

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

Hodge, Crusader for Justice, has given me kind permission to post this very interesting list of tips for spotting the bad guys, the scammers, the big promise – little delivery types who waste your time and weasel your money.

It’s just plain good advice for anyone who doesn’t want to lose their shirt to a huckster…

Common Features of a Fraudster

* Dictator
* Promiser
* Bearer of gifts
* Charmer
* Entertainer
* Never there
* Excessively secretive
* Permanently short of money
* Living beyond their means
* High roller
* Bad business record
* Imply victim is stupid if asks explanation of anomalies in fraudster’s patter
* Manipulative
* Psychopath
* Believe themselves to be a victim of conspiracy

Key tips to managing a Fraud

* Manage problem
* be decisive
* Have an action plan
* What do you want to achieve?
* money?
* Identification of culprit(s)?
* Zero tolerance policy?
* Publicity?
* Principle?
* Call any advisors you have early
* Gather evidence
* bottom out problem / black hole
* Asset search
* Injunction
* Stamina
* Reality check on expectations
* The money is rarely found overnight
* Expect endless/pointless delays
* Often late instruction of lawyer / change of lawyer

DON’T

* Bury head in sand
* Sit on the problem
* think it will go away
* think it won’t get worse
* Be emotional

I’m looking at the first list, and hanging my head in shame. Yep. I have dealt with people who fit almost every single item on it. It’s like some kind of amazing light going off…entertainer, promiser, dictator, bearer of gifts, short of money, bad business record, living beyond means, high roller…etc.

Gasp! I could paint that portrait!

And I hang my head even deeper in shame because I am the person who sits on the problem, hopes it goes away, and hopes it won’t get worse.

(more…)

Tags: advice, agents, creator rights, FAQ, Legal, publishing | 23 Comments ^

Graphic Novel Agents and Artists’ Health Insurance

Monday, April 27th, 2009

I’ve gotten a few emails from folks who wonder why they can’t find articles on this blog on Google or Yahoo. I’m afraid the blog migration and move to a new server completely blitzed our stat rankings and wiped out our search history.

You can find any of our the important info posts by hitting one of those handy tabs at right. Please bookmark and most importantly, please share with your fellow creators.

Here is the original link to the article on graphic novel agents with dozens listed and lots o’ links.:

A Distant Soil Blog: Graphic Novel Agents.

And for extras:

Neil Gaiman’s Blog: Everything you wanted to know about literary agents.

Insurance Resources below:

A Distant Soil article on health insurance for artists with many links.

The Artists Health Insurance Resource Network.

The United States Federation of Small Businesses.

The Craft Council.

The Fireman’s Fund.

Insurance Rating. Get financial stat rankings on insurance companies here.

A Distant Soil blog: Home Office insurance and licensing info.

Tags: agents, creator rights, Insurance | Comment )

Con Artist: UPDATED

Sunday, June 7th, 2009

Alas, we have another one.

Shane Senter, a science fiction fan living on government disability, has been charged with felony theft and fraud after dozens of fans filed complaints against his “Jump Con” convention scheme, a nationwide traveling show which was to have featured guests from major television programs like Battlestar Galactica, and Babylon 5.

Senter has also been accused of running fraudulent charity schemes after soliciting funds from local businesses to provide computers for the New Hampshire school system. The organization Senter fronted never filed papers to register as a charity.

Senter has now declared bankruptcy, owing millions of dollars to fans, hotels, and vendors, as well as over $500,000 to actors and performers who were contracted to appear at the Jump Con conventions.

Edward James Olmos of Battlestar Galactica, during an appearance at Dragon Con, publicly denounced Senter and urged fans and public officials to “bring this bastard down.”

“This guy ended up doing . . . a real major con job on all of us,” Olmos said.

At AirLock Alpha, Michael Hinman has several articles about the fraud scheme.

Robert Picardo, who played the EMH on “Voyager” as well as starred in the final season of “Stargate: Atlantis,” said at the time he was suffering from misinformation being distributed about how much he’d been paid, and who actually canceled.

“I have no ’scheduling conflict’ for JumpCon Boston and have not canceled,” Picardo said at the time, according to TrekToday. “JumpCon unilaterally removed me from their Web site without notifying me that I was canceled. Why? Perhaps because our contract stipulates that I’m due a 25 percent cancellation fee if JumpCon cancels me within 60 days of the event.”

Here, a partial list of debts to celebrities: (more…)

Tags: advice, agents, FAN FROM HELL, Fandom | 15 Comments ^