Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Faculty Feature: Andy Ross


As you probably know, it’s almost impossible to secure a book contract by the major commercial publishers without the help of an agent. In order to get an agent’s attention, it’s important to compose a query letter that is clear, compelling, and most importantly, short. That's where Andy Ross's Query Letter weekend workshop comes in.

In this workshop you will work to refine your query letter so that it grabs the attention of an agent quickly. The good news is that many agents really do look carefully at their “slush pile” (the charmless term agents use for over the transom queries). During the class a draft of your query letter for the book project you are working on will be workshopped and Andy will provide notes and edits as well.

So, if you are a writer who has recently finished a book project and are ready to start querying, this is the class for you. (Especially those of you who just spent the week in a master class!) To get a sense of Andy's style as an agent, check out his agent’s blog: “Ask the Agent: Night Thoughts on Book Publishing.”

Andy Ross began his career in the book business in 1972 when he opened a small bookstore north of San Francisco. In 1977 he became the owner of the legendary Cody’s Books in Berkeley and managed the store for 30 years until it closed in 2008. That’s the year he started his agency. Andy represents books in a wide range of genres including: journalism, politics, history, science, cookbooks, and scholarly titles. He also represents books in literary, commercial, and young adult fiction and is a member of The Association of Author Representatives (AAR).

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