Literary Agent Found: WEbooker Anne Merino Signed With Agent

Share:

It was exciting news last week to find out that Josh Vogt, a PageToFame participant, secured representation from a literary agent. And now there's more good news:

Anne Merino recently signed with Bob Mecoy through AgentInbox, WEbook's author-to-agent query service.

Like Josh, Sonia, and Corey, we're excited to have Anne share the details of her success story. But first, here's a quick bio:

Anne is a former ballerina who has danced for notable classical companies both in the United States and in Europe. While Hawkesmoor is her first novel, she has written a feature film screenplay, and three plays: The Dorian Proxy, The Moon Goddess and The Séance, all of which have been professionally produced in Los Angeles. She has also published theatre criticism with Salem Press.


Take it away, Anne!

Currently, I am represented by literary agent Bob Mecoy and have a vampire novel, Hawkesmoor, out with various editors. I think the novel’s good fun and that eventually a publishing house might be persuaded take it on.

When I think back to when I began writing fiction, a singular moment from the television series Frazier always leaps into my head. It’s a very funny sequence in which Niles and Frazier reminisce about their own boyhood mystery series The Crane Boys.

The scene rang true for me—and probably for many WEbook authors—because I did much the same thing in my youth. Like Frazier and Niles, my early efforts were generally mysteries and clearly influenced by the exciting adventures of Nancy Drew or The Fantastic Five. I remember that my teen detectives were 13 and had special driver's licenses issued to them by grateful law enforcement because they were so clever and cool. Sadly, such taunt, edge-of-your-seat potboilers as The Striped Pillow Murders, The Uninvited Guest and Blood on the Banister have been lost to the literary world.

Anyway, I kept writing. And I continue to write mystery/suspense, more often than not, with a paranormal aspect embedded in the plot.

I wrote Hawkesmoor pretty much like I write all my pieces. I like to focus on one novel at a time. Starting with a fairly loose outline, I try to churn out pages on a regular basis because I like that discipline and structure. I understand there are writers out there who, when flushed with genuine inspiration, hurl themselves into Microsoft Word and after a few epic bouts, produce novels of incandescent brilliance. I am not one of these remarkable creatures. It’s just a daily grind in an attempt to produce good, solid genre fiction. Often after a long, frustrating session, I type in: And then they all died horribly of smallpox and bunk off for a life affirming cocktail. The next day I quietly erase that and start again.

You’d imagine with all the aforementioned discipline and structure, I’d be relaxing in my exquisite New York brownstone awaiting the publication of my 54th novel, quietly hoping that my international book tour would include London at Christmas.

Alas, no. Although I have published in other fields, I have yet to make the coveted leap to published novelist. But I am a good deal closer to joining the ranks of those with Library of Congress numbers, and that’s where WEbook comes into the story.

I stumbled across WEbook while nipping about the internet one night. The site was encouraging and easy to navigate—I had a good look around and noticed AgentInbox. It seemed like a friendly and easy way to send material to a vast number of very glamorous New York literary agents. I took the plunge! A technical moron, I was very impressed by how simple it was to load my submission and send it on its way.

Seemingly overnight, I had three impressive agents very interested in representing Hawkesmoor. What a lovely problem! I decided to go with Bob Mecoy because he had clearly read the novel backwards and forwards—he really gets Hawkesmoor in a way that is incredibly inspiring to me. Beyond that, Bob Mecoy is just a superlative literary agent. He never fails to communicate with news and really sage advice—always with a pithy sense of humor. His genuine love for books and canny knowledge of the publishing business is also very inspiring.

I am, needless to say, a huge WEbook fan. It’s a brilliant tool for aspiring authors. WEbook can literally change a writer’s career in a matter of days. Best of luck to everyone with their literary projects!

—Anne

Comments

[Carolyn]

Congrats Anne! I'm writing a vampire story too and I find myself having to keep it more fresh and original now since so many are out there. Good luck with it-- vampire novels are not as easy as they once used to be.

Carolyn

[Josh]

Many congratulations. It's always fun to see the paths others take to reach this point.

[Anne Merino]

Thank you, Carolyn! All the very best with your vampire piece!

[Anne Merino]

Josh -- you are very kind to write with congrats! Thank you indeed.

I have to say I am very impressed with your own author website (linked here) -- it's a lovely design for an obviously up and coming Sci-Fi writer!

All the very best with your work!

[Robert Paulson]

Umm.. why are we encouraging the perpetuation of trash in literature ? Another vampire novel? Seriously?