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“I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life was to be an advocate for authors and really help make their dreams come true.”
We have another amazing literary agent on the show! Molly Jaffa is a literary agent and the Co-Director of International Rights at Folio Literary Management in New York City. Her extremely selective and small list of clients include authors like Julie Murphy, a #1 New York Times bestselling author of DUMPLIN’, whose novel is currently being developed into a teen movie by Disney.
In today’s episode, Molly walks us through what it’s like to be a literary agent on the daily, the kind of hard work it takes to advance in the world of literary agents, and of course we dive into the topic of query letters and what stands out to her. Writers, you don’t want to miss this episode!
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“It’s really important that an author and an agent have the same editorial vision for a project.”
“To be a literary agent you have to be really entrepreneurial.”
Everyone at Folio Literary Management strongly believes that books can and do change lives, and that well-told stories make a difference in the world. They are the people who help bring an author’s vision to life, and help open readers’ eyes to new vistas, new experiences, and new perspectives. For Folio agents, their work is not a job – it’s a passion and an adventure they dive into every day.
They like to think that at Folio, they have the best of both worlds. With over 20 agents, they have the experience, expertise, and strength people would expect from a company that is among the largest agencies in the business, but because of the types of people they attract, they have that same spark and ingenuity people expect from much smaller agencies.
What You’ll Learn From This Episode:
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- Molly’s daily routine as a literary agent
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- Working your way up the ladder to becoming a literary agent
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- The characteristics a successful literary agent needs to have
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- How Molly pitches books to publishers all over the world
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- What Molly looks for in a query letter
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- Writing a query letter that is unique and stands out
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- Molly’s ideal agent-client relationship
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- Recommended writing conferences
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- Molly’s advice on improving your writing
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- How reading flap copies can help you improve your query letter
Learn More About Molly Jaffa
Molly Jaffa is a literary agent and the Co-Director of International Rights at Folio Literary Management in New York City, where she has been since 2008. She represents exclusively middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction, along with the rare picture book. Her clients include Julie Murphy (#1 NYT bestselling author of DUMPLIN’), Jeramey Kraatz (the Cloak Society series), Mahtab Narsimhan (MISSION MUMBAI), and Paula Garner (PHANTOM LIMBS, forthcoming from Candlewick Press in September 2016).
Molly’s Recommended Books & Resources:
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
Phantom Limbs by Paula Garner
Nebraska Writers Conference
