Agent Friday: Hartline Literary Agency

 Why is Hartline Literary Agency called "the agency with heart"? Why do they have an amazing blog? Why did they just hit the Writer's Digest Top 100 Sites for Writers? Because they care, and it shows.

The four agents that make up Hartline Literary Agency are hardworking individuals. Joyce Hart is the founder, and she makes up a team along with Tamela Hancock Murray, Terry Burns, and Diana Flegal.

I met Terry Burns at a writing conference several years ago, and was impressed by his easy-going friendliness (and his ever-present cowboy hat!). It's interesting to note that Burns is listed as a top agent who helps debut authors to publish, and he's an author himself, with almost 40 books published.

The team of agents take turns blogging on From the Heart. Here are a few posts to let you see what you'll find: 

Everyone is talking about self-publishing these days. Are you a good candidate for the do-it-yourself route? Find out in Which Authors Should Self-publish?

The other hot button topic is ebooks, and how cheap it is to publish them without a traditional publisher's overhead. Think again. There are many expenses to consider, even for "just" an ebook. We Can Publish Ebooks for Free? will help you navigate the areas you'll be paying for out of pocket.

Another sizzling subject is social networking. One of Hartline's clients tackles the issue, giving guidance for sites like Facebook and Twitter. The Twitter links are invaluable. Check them out on The Value of Social Networking.

Interested in an agents numbers? How many submissions do they read, and what percentage of those end up as clients? While these statistics will differ from agent to agent, it gives writers a glimpse into the odds they're working with. Read all about it in A Numbers Guy.

And this one caught my eye, since I'll be attending a writer's conference next week (the Pikes Peak Writers Conference if you're interested in a fantastic one--this will be my third year). This post, written by a Hartline client, details three reasons why you need to go to a writer's conference.

If you're looking for more in the Agent Friday series, there's lots to check out. This happens to be the fiftieth post in the series.

I'm pretty tired here in Colorado. I managed 3000 words today, and I'll be doing at least that for the next six days. My eyes are at half mast. Any writing goals for you this weekend?