Agent Friday: Joelle Delbourgo

 Joelle Delbourgo Associates, Inc. is a boutique agency that has been going since 1999. Headed by Joelle Delbourgo, the agency handles both fiction and nonfiction. The team of six contribute to a blog that covers new releases, and important information for aspiring authors.

Delbourgo spent 25 years at publishing houses before starting her agency. She knows what editors are looking for, having been one herself.

Find out more about the New Jersey-based agency at their website, and check out their blog. A couple of posts that caught my eye:

10 Publishing Truths and 7 Strategies. The latest news in publishing is depressing. Book sales declining. Publishers printing fewer books. This post gives tips for responding to the current economic challenges of publishing.

Writing a Query Letter. Eight do's and eight don'ts, to help you check if your query will get read.

What Do Agents Want? Joelle Delbourgo explains what she looks for in a writer's work, and in the writer themselves. Even though she's representing you, in one sense you are representing her--her reputation as an agent who can spot quality writing.

For more query tips, and why the very first sentence of your query is so important, check out this interview.

Have a great weekend!