2006 - 04/2006 Meeting

Page Created: 09/25/10. Last Updated: 10/29/10. Last Google Group Page Update: 06/08/08.

JOSHUA BILMES

Mr Bilmes' website is: http://www.awfulagent.com/

MEETING SUMMARY:

Meeting Date: April 8, 2006.

Meeting Site: Saddle River Valley Cultural Center.

Official Attendance: 34.

Meeting Program: Talk by Literary Agent.

Notes:

Meeting Memories:

Newsletter Account:

The Science Fiction Association of Bergen County held its general meeting on Saturday, April 8, 2006. Literary agent Joshua Bilmes was the featured speaker.

The usual events were held before the meeting. The Anime Associates screened the quirky CROMARTIE HIGH SCHOOL in the Wesley Room. Pamela Webber led a discussion of DOCTOR WHO in the usual spot of the Fellowship Hall.

Mr Bilmes began his talk with childhood recollections of Bergen County. He grew up in Pine Bush, New York, and his family would drive down to Bergen County to shop and see movies. His reminisce brought back memories of stores long gone but beloved by many in the audience.

Although he had come across a bit of science fiction in his reading, our guest did not become a fan until he attended his first science fiction convention. His family happened to be in Boston at the same hotel that was hosting the Boskone science fiction convention. He was admitted to the Dealer's Room where free copies of the new magazine, OMNI, were being distributed. He picked up one and was hooked.

In 1979 he discovered ANALOG. More importantly, he discovered that editor Stan Schmidt had stated that he would answer every letter sent to the magazine. Well, this was all the encouragement this Junior High School student needed. He was shortly reviewing every story in every issue of ANALOG. This did two things very important for his subsequent career: it honed his critical/analytical skills and it put him in contact on a regular basis with Mr Schmidt and his assistant, Betsy Mitchell.

The years passed. The correspondence continued. Before too long Joshua had graduated from college and was interviewing at Scott Meredith Literary Agency, one of the premier science fiction agencies of its time. His familiarity with the field, his ability to analyze why a story worked or did not, and recommendations from Schmidt and Mitchell landed him the job.

Among the authors he discovered at Scott Meredith were Simon R Green and Elizabeth Moon. They and other writers followed Mr Bilmes when he opened his own shop, the JABberwocky Literary Agency.

He had stories about a number of his clients, but the most amusing one concerned Charlaine Harris. Ms Harris was a client who had been a midlist mystery writer when she wrote her first Sookie Stackhouse novel. She was sure it would be a hit, believing that it would sell to her mystery fans as well as the dark fantasy fans of Laurell Hamilton. Joshua read the book and he HATED it. Still, she was a client, and deserved a second opinion. He forwarded the manuscript to an associate he respected in the mystery field. The man loved it, but it was rejected by every publisher in the mystery field. The next logical stop was to Ginjer Buchanan at Ace Books, Laurell Hamilton's editor. But Ginjer is so backlogged that it takes her forever to read submissions. Fortunately, her assistant received a promotion. Joshua sent him the novel, the assistant loved the book and he got Ginjer to read it in only three short months..

The most useful bit of advice he had for aspiring authors concerned the query letter. In addition to the usual tidbits ("This is a business letter. Don't use colored paper. Don't use crazy fonts."), he stated a hierarchy of points to sell yourself in the letter. In order of importance: # 1, other books of fiction sold; # 2, other professionally published works (short stories, non fiction); # 3, life experience which gives you authority for your book; # 4, demonstrate a familiarity with the subject matter and compare it to other published works.