Jamie Brenner of Artists and Artisans was a former book scout turned literary manager. Brenner, who moonlights as an author, is actively seeking literary fiction, commercial women’s fiction, narrative nonfiction, memoir, and YA. In our short interview with her, she tells us the need for writers to become better storytellers now more than ever and the one and only way writers should approach her.
You’ve been a literary manager for quite some time but have you ever seen changes in the industry like we’ve seen in the last couple of years?
Storytelling is a timeless and universal human need. We tell stories to make sense of our world. A good story well-told will always have value. Readers will respond. I saw a film once where one character told another, “I don’t know much about popular music.” And the other character told her that anyone with instincts understands popular music – that’s why it’s popular. And so there will always be an audience for a good book.
Do you think because of this editors are looking for anything different than they were a few years ago?
Editors seems to want stories that tap an emotional vein. They want books about something. And so do I.
For all the writers reading this right now, how should they approach you?
Email query is the best — the only way, really — to approach me. I hate when writers say, so-and-so referred me to you and it’s clearly someone I’ve never met and they’ve used that name with every editor they query. Please, don’t do that!