A Q&A with Literary Agent Jill Marsal

By Linda Lovely

Today, agent Jill Marsal, a founding partner of the Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, answers questions about publishing trends in the mystery/thriller/suspense genres. As a publishing professional with more than 15 years of experience, Ms. Marsal has the broad editorial contacts and experience to help writers put publisher requests, rejections and sales in perspective.


LL: New sub- and cross-genre categories seem to spring up every year. How important are such labels/niches to editors? At the moment, what seem to be the easiest—and hardest—types of novels to sell?

JM: I think, as always, the most important things are good writing, strong characters, interesting “hook” and plot, and good voice – the sub- and cross-genres are secondary. However, if you are writing in an area that is a strong selling sub-genre, that can help because editors tend to be buying a little more in the stronger selling areas. In terms of what is “easiest” at the moment, paranormal still seems to be going very strong. Many editors are asking for it, and it continues to sell well. For mysteries, cozies are also doing well. Romantic suspense for debut authors seems to be one of the tougher areas right now so, if that is your area of interest, make sure you know what is working in the genre. Editors are looking for more spicy, strong heroines, and different plotlines.


LL: Given your longer-term publishing perspective, do you believe current editorial hot buttons are cyclical? Will we see any sub-genres that have lost ground regain popularity in the near term? Have any categories hit peaks and started to decline?

JM: I absolutely think it is a cyclical market. Genres and subgenres that are popular right now can change fairly quickly, and stories that editors are not currently buying can come back in favor in the next cycle. I have seen this over and over in the past, where things go in and out of popularity and then seem to come back. Right now, as far as mysteries go, noir mysteries seem to be a little tough, though there are some smaller houses who are starting to acquire them. Mainstream suspense seems to be picking up, and cozies seem to be holding strong. And, of course, paranormal is very strong.


LL: If cautious editors are buying fewer titles in select categories than in years past, they must be rejecting novels they previously might have purchased. Can you share what editors give as primary reasons for passing on submissions in these main categories—mysteries, romantic suspense, thrillers?

JM: For thrillers, editors are saying they want a “mega hit” book. A few years ago, they would acquire midlist thrillers, which meant it was easier to break into the thriller market, and there were more spots on each editor’s list. Now, it has to have blockbuster potential for most thriller editors to be interested. For romantic suspense, editors are saying that it is not selling very well. They continue to publish established authors, but it is more challenging to break in if you are a debut author. For debut authors, I am finding romantic suspense – where the story really sizzles and is very sexy – is more popular now, as well as stories with strong heroines. Editors are a little tired of storylines where a woman is victimized or has to escape an abusive husband in this genre.


LL: Are editors asking for any types of manuscripts?

JM: Paranormal romantic suspense seems to be a strong area that editors are looking for from debut authors. And a good cozy with a fun, quirky main character seems to be a strong contender with editors. Also I have a few editors asking for traditional suspense stories with lead women characters.


LL: How has the growth of digital and small publishing entities affected purchasing decisions at the larger publishing houses?

JM: I think more and more of the traditional publishers are starting to consider digital options and, in the coming year, I suspect you might see a big trade house or two try and enter this area a bit more competitively.


LL: Does an author’s sale to a digital or small house improve or lessen the opportunity to sell a future manuscript to a larger publisher?

JM: I think selling to a digital publisher can help an author break in and establish a readership. At our agency, we have had an author publish digitally and her book was such a success she received an offer for the print version of her book. Over the next few years, this seems like an area for continued growth, which can provide additional outlets and opportunities for new writers.


LL: What advice would you give to a mystery author in search of an agent?

JM: First and foremost is good writing. Good writing, a strong voice, compelling character, and interesting “hook” or storyline are what it is really about. Beyond that, you could go to the bookstore and look at what is selling so that you know where to position your book when you approach an agent.



Linda Lovely is the author of Dear Killer, a mystery set for release in June 2011 from L&L Dreamspell. Her novel, Counterfeit, was a finalist in the Romantic Suspense category of the RWA's 2010 Golden Heart contest.

How I Found My Agent: Karen Dionne

By Karen Dionne

My “How I Found My Agent” story is one of those rare cases in which the author does everything wrong, but things still turn out right.

The things I did wrong:

Mistake #1. I was querying agents with my first draft.

Mistake #2. I didn’t check agents’ reputations at sites like Writer Beware (www.writerbeware.com) and Preditors and Editors (http://pred-ed.com/), and thus queried agents I later learned were scammers.

Mistake #3. I waited six months for an agency to make a decision on representation before querying other agents.

Despite those mistakes -- any one of which could have been enough to ruin my chances (and should have, in the case of Mistake #1) -- after querying 53 agents, I signed with Jeff Kleinman (then of Graybill & English, now one of the principles of Folio Literary Management). How did this come about?

After the agency mentioned in Mistake #3 finally passed, in February 2009, I decided to give these new-fangled "e-queries" a try and emailed 19 agents on an optimistic Thursday morning. Within the hour, I had two requests for the full. One agent’s email began, “Dear Ms. Dionne: I would be pleased to consider your novel.” The email from Jeff began, “Dear Ms. Dionne: Your novel sounds wonderful!”

At the time, I didn’t know anything about Jeff (see Mistake #2), but I loved Jeff’s enthusiastic response. I printed the manuscript per his instructions and sent it off. The following Monday evening, I received an email. Mr. Kleinman had begun reading the manuscript as soon as it arrived, but the manuscript was running into some snags. (See Mistake #1.) Would I call him the next day at my convenience?

I fretted all night. Is a snag bigger than a problem? I wondered. He said “snags” plural. Does that mean there’s more than one? If you’re a writer, you know the drill.

I called the next morning at 9:00. Jeff assured me he loved my novel’s premise, and thought my writing was strong. The plotting, however, was a mess. As he explained where I’d gone wrong, it quickly became apparent that he was being charitable when he called the problems “snags.” However, I knew immediately that he was right. So when Jeff said he wanted to take me on as a client if I was willing to rewrite the book in line with our discussion, I immediately said yes.

It was a bittersweet moment. I’d gone from having a book but no agent to having an agent but no book. However, I now knew what I needed to do and couldn’t wait to dive in.

But it was early days for me. I still had to learn how to write a novel. Jeff has a marvelous editorial eye but, even with his help, it took me three and a half years and three rewrites to finish.

Ultimately, that novel didn’t sell. But eight years later (yes, you read that right -- eight years!) the next novel did and, lucky me, so did the next.

Boiling Point, my second environmental thriller -- about an erupting volcano, a missing researcher and a radical scheme to end global warming -- will be published by Berkley on December 28.

And, yes, I’m still with Jeff!



Karen Dionne is the author of two science thrillers. Her first novel, Freezing Point, was nominated by RT Book Reviews as Best First Mystery of 2008. She is co-founder of the online writers community, Backspace, and organizes the annual Backspace Writers Conferences in New York City every year. Karen, online at www.karendionne.net , is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and the International Thriller Writers, where she serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President, Technology, and as Managing Editor of ITW's monthly publication, The Big Thrill.

How I Found An Agent: Pat Brown

By Pat Brown


I submitted my first query for what was then called Color of Shadows and Smoke to Janet Reid's Query Shark on March 28, 2010. Around the same time, I was submitting the query to AgentQuest for critiquing.

I fiddled and rewrote the query constantly from then on. Based on what my research revealed about an agency, I would tweak the basic email to emphasize how I fit.

I officially announced the completion of the novel on April 24th. But in all honesty, for me, the novel is never complete. I signed up for workshops, took the ms to my writing group's critique night and made plans to submit it to the Don Knotts contest put on by the Writers Police Academy.

I started making agent lists through QueryTracker. I started with what I classed as "test subjects." They were good agents, don't get me wrong, but I really wanted to test out my query to see if it elicited any reaction. I sent my first query to Veltre Group through their online form on April 25th. The form rejection came a few hours later.

In May, I began sending queries out regularly. I polished the manuscript until it was the best I could do, but I knew it could be better. So, in October, I went to Portland for a week-long Jim Frey workshop. Following that, I revised the novel considerably.

I re-queried the agents who had requested material to ask if they would like to see the revised ms and three responded "yes." On November 11, I sent a query to John Schuster of Literary Group International. On the 12th, I got a request for the full, which I immediately sent. Since they wanted a 30-day exclusive, I sent no more queries out.

On Friday, December 10, an email came from Frank Weinman, the President of LGI, saying he loved the novel and wanted to represent it. I spent the weekend researching the agency and was very pleased by what I found. I sent an acceptance. As soon as I heard back from Frank, I emailed all the agents with submissions that I was withdrawing the novel. To date, I have heard back from one.

By the time December came around, I had pretty well given up on the agents who hadn't responded. I had decided that, at the end of the year, I would start formally submitting the book to indie publishers who don't require agents.

Worse, I was having a writer's slump. I couldn't keep fiddling with the ms, now called Shadows and Smoke, and the couple of manuscripts I was working on weren't going anywhere.

Finally, instead of fighting the block, I decided I'd give my brain a holiday. I gave myself permission to not write for a couple of weeks. I kept reading research novels, but I didn't think of stories. Within a day of getting the request, the idea for my next historical came together.

The next step is waiting for my new agent to begin submitting the manuscript. I'm busy writing my new book, planning to attend Left Coast Crime in Santa Fe and have booked 25 days in Los Angeles to do more research for future novels. I'm looking forward to 2011 with high hopes that my historical novel will find a good home and my other writing will keep flowing.

All in all, I sent out 268 queries, got 188 rejections, 17 requests for either partials or fulls of the manuscript -- and one offer. I began writing the novel now called Shadows and Smoke in late January after doing my initial research. My quest to land an agent, from book genesis to contract, was a little less than a year.

I credit perseverance and the stubborn refusal to quit. There were moments I wondered if I was wasting my time. Maybe my ms wasn't as good as I thought it was. Or maybe there really wasn't a market for it; maybe no one was interested in Prohibition.

But even with those thoughts and doubts, I still kept sending the queries out and writing. I wrote a novella set in the same time period and sold it. I worked on ideas for other novels and did continuous research, concentrating on Los Angeles and Prohibition.

Talent is great. A wonderful book is great too, but the one thing that can see you through is persistence. Never give up.


Born in Canada, Pat Brown's approach to life was tempered in the forge of Los Angeles and, after eight years in the City of Angels, she developed a fascination for the darker side of life and the professionals who patrol those mean streets. She considers those eight years a lifetime's worth of experience that she mines regularly in her novels. Pat is not afraid to explore the darker sides of her characters and the streets they inhabit, including the ones most people are afraid to walk down alone at night.