Writerlious

Hello, dear readers.  Meet Victoria Marini, today’s spotlighted agent!  This is my fourth spotlight in a series of posts focusing on agents attending the May 2012 Backspace Conference.  The spotlights are on agents who rep YA.

 Agent Profile:  Victoria Marini, agent at Gelfman Schneider Literary Agency

(Image linked from Twitter)

Status: Accepting Submissions (as of 4/26/12)

About: Victoria is the newest member of the Gelfman Schneider Literary Agency. She began taking on clients in 2010, and she has begun to build her own client list which includes literary fiction, commercial fiction, pop-culture non-fiction, and young adult.

She is very interested in acquiring engaging literary fiction and mysteries / suspense, commercial women’s fiction (romantic suspense, sci-fi, fantasy), and young adult (contemporary, sci-fi/fantasy, thriller and horror ). Above all, she is looking for anything with an engaging voice, compelling narrative and authentic characters.  (Link)

Genre’s she is currently seeking (as of 4/26/12):

Literary Fiction

Mystery

Suspense

Commercial Women’s Fiction

Young Adult (contemporary, sci-fi/fantasy, thriller and horror)

(link)

What Victoria’s looking for:

 “I’d love to see strong YA with genuine characters, an exciting story, and a fully realized world. I’m looking for edgy contemporary YA and for a fresh take on paranormal /supernatural. The only thing that is probably not for me is a coming of age story.

“As for my wish list…I’d love a so-suspenseful-I-can’t-put-it-down women’s mystery. I desperately want a spooky fantasy in the vein of Neil Gaiman. I want a gothic novel. I’d love a fresh take on the classic American noir mystery for the YA audience. I’m also interested in acquiring speculative fiction. That being said, my tastes are very eclectic and I’m drawn to anything full of heart and imagination.” (From interview at “Shiny:” Link)

“In YA I tend to go for the darker/edgier stuff. I love fast-paced, high-tension contemporary YA and I’m always on the lookout for Contemporary YA with a great commercial hook. I’d love a tale spooky enough to have me digging out that old night light. I want a great southern gothic YA. I’d love high school noir, and I’m desperately seeking a gritty contemporary YA mystery. I want a tricky game of cat and mouse, a dystopian with an interesting hook, tension (of all varieties), a re-imagined fairy tale, and another world so real I could live there. I also enjoy a bit of magic every now and then.”  (From Interview at Miss Snark: Link)

Where to find Victoria on the web:

Her blog:  http://rapidprogressive.wordpress.com/

Her website: http://www.victoriamarini.com/news–events.html

At Gelfman Schnieder: Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents, Inc.

Twitter: @LitAgentMarini

Submission Guidelines (as of as of 4/26/12 –please verify before submitting!):

Query Victoria directly via email at victoria.gsliterary(at)gmail(dot)com

• Paste query letter, synopsis, and writing sample in the body of the email
• NO attachments
• Sample not to exceed 40 pages
• No snail mail

FAQ page here: http://gelfmanschneider.com/submissions.html