Jessica Faust, Literary Agent/President, BookEnds, LLC
1. What’s the best advice you can give to writers who are right now polishing their pitches, query letters and first 10 pages of their manuscripts in preparation for the upcoming SDSU Writers’ Conference?
Relax. Don’t think of a pitch session as something you have to get perfect or even as a job interview. Think of it as an opportunity to get to know someone. My advice would be to scale your pitch down and save time for the agent to ask questions of you and come with a list of questions you have for the agent. Is this the type of work she’s looking for? How does she see the market for this type of work? What are some of the projects she’s been doing that she’s most excited about recently? How is she liking San Diego? Has she had time to see anything? This will give you insight into who the agent is, relax you a bit and allow you to learn whether or not it really is the right agent for you.
2. What’s the first book that spoke to you as a young reader?
I’m not sure. I think A Wrinkle in Time. I think it was my first science fiction fantasy and it thrilled me. I can still picture so much of it in my head.
3. If you had to choose only one, what’s your favorite book?
Little Women. It just sticks with me. I recently had it pop up on B&N while I was shopping for Christmas presents and seriously debated buying another copy for myself. The cover just made me want to curl up and read it, preferably in front of a fire.
4. What do you hope to find at the 31st Annual SDSU Writers’ Conference?
I hope to find passion, my own and that of writers. Not that I’ve lost it of course, but one of my favorite things about conferences is the excitement it creates. Being around people with like-minded interests and passions makes me want to run back to the office and discover great new books, in my slush pile and in my client list. It excites me and revs me up again until the next conference.
For more information about the SDSU Writers’ Conference, visit neverstoplearning.net/writers
