Laurie specializes in adult genre fiction (romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, westerns, horror, etc.) plus middle-grade and young adult children's books. She does not handle non-fiction, or commercial, literary or women's fiction, nor does she handle children's picture books or graphic novels. She prefers to receive the first ten pages and a 2-page plot synopsis of a manuscript via email (no attachments, please) at query@agentsavant.com.

HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK: How did your background as a CEO of a public relations firm help prepare you for a career as a literary agent?

LAURIE MCLEAN: I learned and fine-tuned the skills I would need in any job as the CEO of my own multi-million dollar corporation. Time management, prioritization, negotiation, organization, the importance of being on time, workplace etiquette, contracts, sales, marketing, writing, persuasion, HR, accounting, being an inspiration to others, and a host of other business critical skills. I was CEO for 20 years and it was glorious! Plus, as a public relations agent I learned how to interpret features and benefits between buyers and sellers to effect a deal, the importance of honing your writing to cogently and efficiently get your point across, and how to take a deal from an inspiration to a contract. So when I became a literary agent all I needed on top of that were contacts in the book business. Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen have nearly 40 years in the publishing business, so they provided the perfect match.

HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK: How did the position at Larsen-Pomada come to you?

LAURIE MCLEAN: Actually I met Elizabeth and Michael at the second annual San Francisco Writers Conference. I was seeking an agent for my romance manuscripts and Elizabeth took me on as a client. I was so impressed by the conference I volunteered to create and manage their first writing contest (which is still going today as the Indie Publishing Contest). The more time I spent at the agency, the more similarities I saw between literary agenting and public relations agenting. So three months after meeting them I asked if they’d ever thought about bringing on an associate and they hired me on the spot.  Best decision I’ve ever made.  Well, besides marrying my husband!  :-)

HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK: As a writer yourself, do you find it easier to relate to what other writers go through?

LAURIE MCLEAN: Absolutely. I understand the personal nature of what an author does. The story, characters, everything comes from inside an author’s mind and heart. So when anyone—agent, editor, reviewer, reader—says something that could be considered negative, it hurts. Also, I didn’t understand the business of publishing when I first started as a writer, so I try really hard to help writers who have yet to make the transition to being published understand the harsh realities of the publishing industry—with a gentle hand. Of course once a writer becomes an author, a whole new set of uncertainties and knowledge points occur, and I help them through that learning curve as well.

HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK: How do you balance advocating for your own writing in contrast to that of other writers?

LAURIE MCLEAN: Alas, I have not paid much attention to my own writing in the last couple of years as my submissions grew to nearly 2,000 per month, my client list topped 20 authors and the amount of writers conferences I speak at grew to 20+ per year. Plus I’ve spent thousands of hours the past few years learning about the emerging and exciting field of digital publishing and eBooks, so that also took away from my personal writing time. But I hope to get back to it in the coming years.  We’ll see.

HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK: Where did your love of reading first take root?

LAURIE MCLEAN: I can’t remember a time I didn’t love to read. From listening to my mother read to us at bedtime, to holding A Wrinkle in Time in my own hands, to writing my own horror short story in third grade, my love affair with books grows ever stronger.

HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK: What are you most interested in representing? What is the best way for prospective clients to contact you?

LAURIE MCLEAN: I am currently closed to new submissions unless I meet the writer at a conference or he/she is referred by someone I know in publishing (client, agent, editor, author).  I represent all adult genre fiction (romance, fantasy, science fiction, horror, thrillers, mysteries) as well as young adult and middle grade children’s books. I love it all. I read it all. Might I also suggest that we have two new agents at Larsen Pomada—Lindsey Clemons and Kat Salazar—who are actively building their lists and are eager to find new clients. Your readers might contact them if they write what Lindsey and Kat represent.

HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK: What are your thoughts on Amazon emerging as a force in publishing and are their imprints like Thomas & Mercer, Montlake, and 47North very responsive to literary agents?

LAURIE MCLEAN: Well, I think the Big Six traditional publishers are about to become the Big Seven, frankly. Unless Amazon buys one of them! I don’t see how Amazon is going to fail in its attempt to become a traditional publisher (in addition to its role as book distributor and eBook enabler). They have been courting literary agents fast and furious, and they are listening to what we’re saying about how we want their imprints to compensate authors. I hope they don’t topple the entire industry with predatory practices. That is a real fear. But I think they’re too smart to do that.

HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK: What is the San Francisco Writers University?

LAURIE MCLEAN: Ah, a question close to my heart. San Francisco Writers Conference is the jewel in the crown of our non-profit writer-centric organization. But co-founder Michael Larsen wanted to reach out to every level of writer at every stage of his or her writing journey and at every price point. The only way to do that was with a robust online component. So we founded San Francisco Writers University (SFWritersU.com) in November 2010 and it’s been growing like crazy ever since. We’re close to 800 members now. It’s free to join, has many free or exceedingly cheap ($10) classes on craft, commerce and community, and is built on a social media engine that offers free blogs, email, critique groups and networking that emulates the feel of a real life university that focuses only on writers. I hope your readers will check it out. We’re adding real-life classes too, like our day-long eBooks Symposium and Self-Publishing Boot Camp, so we’re always improving the experience.

HOW TO PUBLISH A BOOK: At the end of the day, what do you enjoy most about working in publishing?

LAURIE MCLEAN: The variety, the challenges, the creativity, the people, and the satisfaction of seeing my efforts bear fruit.  Thanks for having me, Stacey.