This week's Agent Spotlight features Louise Fury of L. Perkins Agency.
Status: Open to submissions.
About: "Louise believes in the power of marketing and is constantly on the lookout for authors who know how to promote themselves.
“She is seeking well written, teen Sci-Fi and Young Adult horror. She is also on the hunt for deep, dark contemporary YA and select Middle Grade fiction with a literary feel-- it must be realistic and thought provoking and the characters must be authentic and original.
“Louise is a huge adult horror fan, but also loves romance (especially Regency & Victorian) and is looking for steam/cyberpunk.
“In nonfiction, please send humor and pop culture manuscripts her way." (Link)
About the Agency:
"Founded in 1987 by Lori Perkins, a former newspaper publisher and editor, the L. Perkins Agency specializes in many different genres. Currently there are five agents representing approximately 200 authors to the publishing industry. The Agency has agents in 11 foreign countries and works with an established film agency." (Link)
Web Presence:
What She's Looking For:
Genres / Specialties:
Middle grade, young adult, horror, historical, romance. Non-fiction interests include pop culture and humor.
For the most current info on what Ms. Fury is looking for always check this page on her website.
From Her Bio (as of 5/2012):
“She is seeking well written, teen Sci-Fi and Young Adult horror. She is also on the hunt for deep, dark contemporary YA and select Middle Grade fiction with a literary feel-- it must be realistic and thought provoking and the characters must be authentic and original.
“Louise is a huge adult horror fan, but also loves romance (especially Regency & Victorian) and is looking for steam/cyberpunk.
“In nonfiction, please send humor and pop culture manuscripts her way." (Link)
From an Interview (04/2012):
“I look for manuscripts that showcase an unforgettable, unique and eloquent voice. I want to be sucked right in by a memorable story. The voice can be deep, dark and gritty or literary, lyrical and emotional, but the writing must be smooth and engaging.
“I love dark stories with a bone-deep sense of danger that haunts me from page 1 and doesn’t let go of me for days.
“I am also looking for sexy romances with creative plots, sexy liaisons and unique characters that sweep me up in their love story and leave me smiling and sighing and longing for the romance to last forever.
“And I like to cry. Or laugh. I want to feel something unforgettable when I read your pages. I want manuscripts that I can’t stop thinking about.” (Link)
What She Isn't Looking For:
Memoirs, erotica, screenplays (Link).
Quotables:
"Don’t give up. Read, write, edit and submit. If given the opportunity, revise and resubmit. Be open to learning how to develop and refine your craft, but most importantly don’t forget that even the bestselling authors were once unpublished writers looking for their big break. I am in awe of anyone who completes a manuscript. It is a difficult job to do and if you have managed to string up to 100,000 words on a page and they make some semblance of sense, I am already impressed." (Link)
Dislikes (Don'ts):
"Sending queries to agents who don’t represent your genre. Queries that are way too long and/or include links to other sites where I am supposed to search for information. Queries that include a list of multiple books, many of which are incomplete. " (Link)
Editorial Agent?
“I used to be very hands on with editing, but I found that it handicapped some of my clients into depending on me to be their beta readers, their critique partners and their editor. So I still edit, but not as much as I did in the beginning. I focus on big picture edits, common editorial mistakes and plot and character development.” (Link)
Clients:
Lindsay Cummings, Hunter Shea, Christine & Ethan Rose, Cindy Nord, Fabio, Hope Tarr, Katrina Snow, Kwana Jackson, Lynn Dickinson, Megan Frampton, O.M. Grey, Tracey Engelbrecht, W.D. Gagliani & David Benton.
Sales:
As of this posting, Ms. Fury does not appear to be a member of Publisher's Marketplace.
Query Methods:
E-mail: Yes.
Snail-Mail: No.
Online-Form: No.
Submission Guidelines (always verify):
Query only if your manuscript falls under Ms. Fury's interests, is complete, well-written and ready to be seen by an editor.
E-queries: Send a query letter including a brief synopsis, your bio, and the first five pages in the body of the e-mail. No attachments.
Query only one manuscript to one agent at the agency as a time. Simultaneous submissions to other agencies are expected, however.
Please see the L. Perkins Agency website for complete, up-to-date submission guidelines. Make sure you’re using the e-mail address provided in this post.
Response Times:
Ms. Fury keeps her response times listed on the sidebar of her blog.
If you do not hear back within the stated time, feel free to nudge. She suggests this on her blog and tweeted, "I'm a fan of the author nudge. Keep me on my toes, people. Please email me if I don't get back to you within the time specified on my blog." (Link)
What's the Buzz?
Louise Fury is a popular conference goer and is respected for her response times and the feedback she includes with many rejections. Her clients seem happy with her representation. I recommend following her on twitter and subscribing to her blog for up-to-date information on what she's looking for.
P&E has the L. Perkins Agency listed with a potential "Conflict Advisory" as Lori Perkins appears to have financial interest in Ravenous Romance. More info on the L. Perkins Thread and Ravenous Romance thread at AW. However, this issue doesn't extend to children's lit sales, and Ms. Fury does not handle erotica.
Worth Your Time:
Interviews:
Welcome Wednesday: Agent Louise Fury of the L. Perkins Agency at Honestly YA (04/2012).
Interview with Literary Agent Louise Fury at Stacey O’Neal’s site (02/2012).
On Agents – A Discussion with Louise Fury at Nerine Dorman’s site (11/2011).
Interview with Louise Fury at Bitten by Books (04/2011).
Agent Advice: Louise Fury of L. Perkins Associates at the Guide to Literary Agents blog (08/2010).
Q&A with Agent Louise Fury at RWANYC Blogging in the Big Apple (07/2010).
Around the Web:
Ms. Fury's conference schedule.
L. Perkins Agency thread on AbsoluteWrite.
L. Perkins Agency on P&E (listed with "conflict advisory").
Read through the archives of her blog where she posts query advice, client news, and updates on what she’s looking for.
Books on a Plane, guest post by Louise Fury at Borders True Romance (02/2010).
Client Lindsay Cummings success story at DFW Writer’s Conference (4/2012).
Contact:
Please see the L. Perkins Agency and Ms. Fury's blog for contact and query information.
Profile Details:
Last updated: 5/1/12.
Agent Contacted For Review? Yes.
Last Reviewed By Agent? 10/22/10.
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Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at agentspotlight(at)gmail(dot)com
Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's and/or teen fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found herein is subject to change.
Thanks, Casey, for another amazingly thorough lowdown on another agent!!
ReplyDeleteGreat spotlight, Casey. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteA note about the conflict advisory:
ReplyDeleteThe advisory is because Ms. Perkins, the head of the agency, is also an editor at a small erotica/romance publisher. As Ms. Fury specifically doesn't do erotica, I can't see this being much of an issue, especially if you aren't writing genre romance.
Thanks Kelly and Beth!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the note, S. Kyle. I've changed a bit of my wording. It does not appear that the issue involves Ms. Fury, no. I think she is perfectly respectable. Though, I do consider it to be an issue of ethics (at the agency level) that people should at least be aware of.
Thanks for another great spotlight.
ReplyDeleteThese are great. thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks again, she goes on my list for my next story!
ReplyDeleteAnother great spotlight. Thanks! I wonder if she'd be up for 7 Questions... hmmm...
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone!
ReplyDeleteShe might, Rob. She seems very nice!
Ms. Fury has reviewed her profile. I've edited the "editorial" section.
Thanks for the profile, I'm going to look into her further!
ReplyDeleteAs always, very thorough spotlight, Casey! Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteI received one of the best rejections ever from her. She complimented my first line and idea, line edited my first page, and told me exactly where she stopped reading and why.
ReplyDeleteMy WIP is a fun, imaginative MG (runs away to finish it).
erica
Thanks for posting, Casey. :) I will be contacting her for sure when the time is right.
ReplyDeleteHere is another agency I've never heard of before your Spotlight. Thanks, Casey!
ReplyDeleteCasey: Judging by their website, Louise is again open to submissions and she's changed what she's looking for.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anon. I updated her profile.
DeleteFrom the website- "Louise Fury - CLOSED to Unsolicited Queries"
ReplyDeleteShe says she prefers to find clients through conferences, but she also participates in blog contests where she has signed clients.