Get to Know Beth Campbell

So this is my first blog post!

It’s hard to believe I haven’t managed to write something for the blog after three years of working at BookEnds, but it’s weird to come on as a literary assistant—firmly in the background, the woman behind the curtain if you will—and make the transition into “Agent-with-public-opinions.” When do you start posting those opinions on a blog with a following like this one?

Today, apparently.

And today seems appropriate because I have officially made the transition from literary assistant to Assistant Literary Agent! In the reality of my day to day life not much has changed. I’m still the only assistant at BookEnds (save our excellent interns, of course) so I’m doing the same administrative work as I did before. That’s not really important, though. What is important is that this promotion marks a big step on my path as an agent.

I’ve been acquiring my own projects for a couple of years now, but lately things have been picking up. I’m selling more books, signing more clients, and reading more submissions. And I’m hungry for good books (that means query me). Now, as an assistant agent, I’ll be devoting more time to building my list.

And so, I wanted to take some time to officially introduce myself interview-style just like any new agent would. Some of you will already know much of this from my twitter account (just because I’ve been absent from the blog doesn’t mean that I haven’t been using social media in general to talk about work), but it feels good to rehash everything and say hello to all of the authors my tweets may have missed.

Tagline: Bookish like Matilda, but with less telekinesis

What excites you about being an agent?: This is going to sound so obvious, but I love talking to my clients. Socially, sure, but especially about their careers. I love to brainstorm new ideas and read and edit new manuscript before submitting them to publishing houses. I love talking about deals and their marketing plans. Everything. My authors are the best part of my job.

Also seeing the books I’ve represented in print. That really doesn’t get old.

What are you really excited to sign right now?: I’m on the serious lookout for a great YA Sci-fi. On earth, in space, on another planet—I don’t care! So long as there’s a great voice and hook with some fantastic characters, you can sign me up! I’m also really hungry for YAs of any genre that feature diverse characters and strong friendships or found families. 

You can check out everything else I’m looking for in my submissions guidelines!

Book concepts you never want to see in your inbox: I’m with Moe when she says “no vampires” but I’m also going to add “no werewolves.” I get a lot of urban fantasy submissions, and I love them, but those creatures are overdone. I won’t go so far as to say I never want to see Angels or Demons, but those are a very difficult sell for me.

eReader or Print Book?: I use both, but I have to say I still prefer print books. There’s something about seeing an unread print book that compels me to get through my reading pile faster. I think it’s guilt over leaving them abandoned for too long. On an ereader sometimes titles will go unread when out of sight becomes out of mind, and I hate that.

What movie could you watch a thousand times and never get sick of?: It’s so difficult to narrow this down to one movie. There are a bunch that I watch regularly, but the first one to pop into my head was Stardust. It’s hilarious and emotionally genuine while being set in an awesome fantasy world. Yes. Sign me up.

Got any more questions for me? Hit me up on twitter or comment below!