Get to Know Associate Agent Ramona Pina

  • By: BookEnds | Date: Nov 18 2021

What Excites You About Being an Agent:

If you’ve ever heard about the five love languages, my top two are acts of service and gifts. With this in mind, agenting aligns with who I am at my core. Apart from loving stories, I take joy in helping others succeed and achieve their dreams. Sounds cheesy but it’s true. 

It’s an honor to have someone trust me with their work and know that I will support and champion their stories as much as they do. I want to know where authors draw their inspiration from, what motivates them, and most importantly, why they write. From there, I can best help give my input to shape their vision in a way that fulfills their goal.

When I offer representation, it’s because I believe in the book just as much and want to join the author on their publishing journey. It’s exciting working with and submitting works to publishing houses so they can take joy in the wonderful tales authors have written. I want each author that I represent to know that I plan to be their best advocate and let them reach for their wildest publishing dreams.

What excites you in a query, and what might make you disinterested in a query?

Powerful and certain voices draw me in. I want the character to show me the stakes in a few quick sentences. From there, suck me into the story with vivid imagery and world building. What loses me is when a query is more tell than show. The writing should speak for itself and I know nerves can get the better of querying authors but I rather you try your best than explain it.

Starbucks Drink of Choice:

I prefer calling it Farbucks but my favorite drink is a chai latte any time of the year. Considering myself an adventurous person, I always lie and say I want to try their seasonal flavors but hate it every time. It’s a true deception to my tastebuds.

eReader or Print book:

Print, hands down. I don’t own an eReader and I don’t want to. I stare at screens most of the day and want to relax my eyes and enjoy the art of a print book – cover design, cover texture, crinkly paper and all. Give me that library smell, please!

Morning person or Evening person:

Morning person. I wake up before the crack of dawn. No exaggeration. Weekends included. My friends tell me it’s my superpower and that I technically get two days in one.