The NDEs of Ben Breedlove

Death has always held a certain fascination for me. At the age of ten I pored over Elisabeth Kubler-Ross books on the subjects of death and reincarnation and near death experiences, or NDEs. I was sure I'd lived before, sure there was something else beyond, sure a thread existed connecting us all.

When I joined Kimberley Cameron & Associates as an associate agent, early on Kimberley passed a manuscript to me on the subject of NDEs written by a researcher/expert named Rene Jorgensen. I knew before reading that this was something I wanted to work on, be connected with.

Yesterday, I watched a video on Yahoo! posted by an inspiring 18-year-old young man by the name of Ben Breedlove just a week before he died. Ben died on December 25, 2011 of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In the video Ben talks about his three NDEs and an interesting guide (Rapper Kid Cudi) who helped him through one of his NDEs. To watch the videos, click the links below:

Video Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmlTHfVaU9o

Video Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4LSEXsvRAI

After watching the videos, I sent the links to my client, Rene Jorgensen, and encouraged him to put together a press release and video response giving people information about NDEs. To see Rene's video response to Ben Breedlove's NDEs and videos, watch the video below (the press release follows):

http://www.free-press-release.com/news-ben-breedlove-s-near-death-experiences-explained-1325194653.html

Ben's video is proof enough for me that real magic exists in this life and beyond; he was living proof. And working with Rene Jorgensen not only gives me the chance to be connected to this unwavering theme in my life--in all of our lives--but also serves as a marker and reminder to live the best life possible while still alive and to let go without fear when the time comes.

To see Rapper Kid Cudi's response to Ben's videos, click here.

For media inquiries into NDEs, please contact Rene Jorgensen at (613) 255-7543 or rene@renejorgensen.com.

eBooks For Everyone Else Conference

On November 2nd, I had the opportunity to attend the Publishers Launch eBooks For Everyone Else Conference held at the Parc 55 Wyndham Hotel in San Francisco at Union Square. The conference was well attended by authors, publishers, literary agents, vendors, and others in the publishing industry committed to staying informed as the publishing climate and definition of "traditional publishing" changes.

The conference was organized in forty-five minute segments for the first half with such presenters as host Michael Cader of Publishers Marketplace (all authors should subscribe to this online publication to keep current on the "business" of writing); Mark Coker of Smashwords; Michael Tamblyn of Kobo; Kelly Gallagher of Bowker; Iris Blasi (social-media maven) of Hilsinger-Mendelson East, among many other industry heads and companies.

One of many speakers I enjoyed was Iris Blasi of Hilsinger-Mendelson East. She spoke on the importance of social media. She had great suggestions for authors, reminding them, "You are advertising the best version of yourself. Please be real, but not too real." She suggested, and I second, the importance of authors building their social-media platform. If you aren't on Facebook, Twitter and writing a blog on Blogspot or Tumblr, you should be. I also suggest taking a look at HARO (Help A Reporter Out), especially if you are an expert writing nonfiction. One author I work with has been interviewed more than 15 times in the four months she has been a member of the site! Get your name out there.

Other sites of presenters worth looking at are those such as Bowker (link above), Copyright Clearance Center, PubIt by Barnes & Noble, Vook, Book Country by Penguin, and WAE Network. I sat next to a couple of board members of the Independent Book Publishers Association, who assured me there are plenty of resources for literary agents and authors as part of a non-publisher membership they offer.

The eBooks For Everyone Else Conference was a boon for those of us who attended. It was a day packed with information. Although Kimberley doesn't see focusing the Agency as a full-service eBook publisher, she wants to make sure that we are up-to-date on the most current information and are able to present the best perspective on the publishing climate when called to do so.

Click this link to see the list of presenters as well as their presentations: http://www.publisherslaunch.com/events/launch-san-francisco/

How To Publish A Book Blog Interview

Howtopublishabook.org is a book-publishing resource for authors on how to get their work published. Stacey Cochran, the website's founder, asked if I would do an interview for the website.

Below is a link to the interview:

http://howtopublishabook.org/

Kimberley in Paris

After our whirlwind trip in September meeting forty-five editors in four days in New York, Kimberley scooted off to enjoy (and work from) her apartment in Paris.

The time has passed almost as quickly as the weather has changed, and Kimberley is due back in Tiburon soon. It almost seems as though she never left, thanks to iChat.

Last week she e-mailed me this lovely picture of herself standing in front of The Eiffel Tower. Her apartment is a short distance away with a view of the global icon.

We are looking forward to Kimberley's return!

Meet Our Fabulous Readers!

Kimberley Cameron & Associates is lucky to have three very talented people reading for the Agency right now.

From left to right: Mallory Bass, Preston Hatfield and Alex Webb.

All three have been with the Agency for some time. Both Mallory and Alex are in the St. Mary's MFA program, and Preston is pursuing a career in publishing, soon to leave us for a job in New York.

Mallory, Alex and Preston have been instrumental in the development of projects, from helping to structure and line edit manuscripts, to coming up with pen names, manuscript titles and finding us great works of fiction.

Mallory's pet peeves: Adverbs, typos, and the words "suddenly" and "sighing."

Preston's pet peeves: Lengthy queries and using a character's full name throughout the manuscript.

Alex's pet peeves: Too many exclamation points (three per manuscript allowed) and stories about writers.

Kelli Stanley Wins the Macavity Award for CITY OF DRAGONS!

Kimberley's client Kelli Stanley recently won the Macavity Award for her book CITY OF DRAGONS.

We are so proud of Kelli's accomplishment!

Here is a great photo of Kelli pictured with her mom after receiving the Sue Feder Best Historical Novel (Macavity) Award.

Autumn News...

Bonjour Tout le Monde,

This summer was brutal - New York publishing seemed to be paralyzed, but we worked hard and persevered... Liz and I made the editorial rounds in September - we had 45 meetings in four days - yes, it's true! I'm proud of her for keeping up with me :-) The good news is that publishing seems to be full steam ahead after the results that ebook sales are increasing and the industry has breathed a major sigh of relief. Editors are looking for great books and we are trying to find them. Just heard Tatiana de Rosnay speak at the American Library in Paris to a standing room only crowd - if you haven't read SARAH'S KEY - you should, and no, she's not my personal client, but I'm looking for her clone. I'm attempting to read her new tome, ROSE, en français. Do keep sending good, polished manuscripts our way and we'll do our best to get back to you in a timely fashion. We ask for your patience and if you don't hear from us after six weeks, please send a gentle "nudge" and we'll make sure we get back to you immediately. We receive about five hundred queries per week - and we take each one seriously. Happy fall to all, and keep the faith! A special congratulations to my client Kelli Stanley for winning the Macavity Award for the Sue Feder Best Historical Novel. If you also haven't read CITY OF DRAGONS, you should...

Agent Interview

Lorena Hughes, co-founder of the blog Divine Secrets of the Writing Sisterhood, approached Kimberley Cameron & Associates for an interview and asked us if we'd check back on Friday, July 29th from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for Q&A. We were happy and excited to participate.

To read the interview and/or participate in the Q&A, click here.

Divine Secrets of the Writing Sisterhood is a young blog dedicated to the craft of writing. Lorena said last month the website received 2,162 page views. We wish them and their author-readers much success in their literary pursuits!

Categorical Not-So-Imperative?

Recently, I’ve had several prospective clients pitch me books that fall into categories I don’t represent. In response to my “I’m sorry but I don’t represent that genre,” I’m often faced with a look of disappointment or a counter-argument like, “But it’s really well-written!” or “But you said you like compelling characters and timely themes, and my book has both!” I thought it might be time to dissect the reasons why agents choose specific categories of books to represent and also why they tend to stick with them.

If you’ve read my bio on this website or at a conference I’ve attended, the categories I’ve chosen may seem random. What does a contemporary YA novel have to do with a nonfiction guide to food safety? How does a commercial thriller fit in with literary memoir? To some extent, I made these choices based on personal preference – they are the kinds of books that I am interested in reading, the kinds of books I was reading long before I became an agent. However, they are also based on business decisions.

As an advocate for my clients, I need to know the market that their books fit into and the editors who are publishing books within that market (just like agents, editors have particular categories that they publish). If I’m going to sell a historical novel, I need to (1) cultivate relationships with the editors who publish historical fiction and (2) know the historical fiction market – what’s out there and what’s coming out in the near future. Knowing the editors helps me decide who to pitch the novel to, and knowing the market helps me convince editors that the book has something new to offer to historical fiction readers.

Once a book comes out, knowing the communities that support certain categories of writing helps all of us (client, editor, and agent) find ways to promote the book most effectively. For example, mystery readers might attend a mystery conference to meet their favorite authors or follow mystery review blogs; whereas, literary fiction readers tend to give weight to reviews by prestigious publications or consider awards that the book has won. There’s a great deal of variety in the way that different kinds of books find their audiences, so agents need to know as much as possible about each category they work within to advise their client on how to reach their audience. And that’s also why – once we know an area of the market – we tend to stay there.

The good news is, if a writer hears “I’m sorry but I don’t represent that genre,” there’s no reason to take it personally. It’s better to find an agent who works on the right category than to convince one who doesn’t. Ultimately, an agent who’s tuned into the right area of the market will be able to do much more for your book!

THE NEW YEAR MARKS A TIME OF CHANGE....

Dear Writers and Readers,

It is my hope that your holidays were filled with much love and hope for the future. Our industry may be uncertain, but we are all committed to the written word and how it can change lives. Transition is an inevitable part of life, and it is in this spirit that I announce that our colleague April Eberhardt will be striking out on her own.

April Eberhardt Literary will focus primarily on high-quality women's fiction, and will offer representation to authors in traditional ways, along with assistance in assessing and accessing alternative publishing channels. She can be reached at april@aprileberhardt.com. We wish her well.

Amy Burkhardt and I continue to live up to the traditions we have always felt important as agents. Nurturing writers and doing everything we can to promote their careers as the publishing industry reshapes and refines itself. IT ALWAYS HAS. I believe that books will continue to be read and treasured, along with other forms of electronic communication. We wish you the best in 2011, and know that we will be reading your work!

Warmly,

Kimberley