7 Questions For: Literary Agent Brandi Bowles

Brandi Bowles joined Foundry Literary in 2010, after working as an agent at Morhaim Literary and an assistant editor at Crown/Three Rivers Press. Brandi represents idea and platform-driven nonfiction in all categories, including music and pop-culture, humor, business, sociology, philosophy, health, and relationships. Quirky, funny, or contrarian proposals are always welcome in her inbox, as are big-idea books that change the way we think about the world. Brandi also represents fiction in the categories of literary fiction, women's fiction, urban fantasy, and YA. She only accepts email queries. Bbowles [at] foundrymedia [dot] com

Ms. Bowles recent sales include The Burlesque Handbook by Jo Weldon (IT Books), Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Erin Bradley (Tarcher/Penguin), The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos From Bookworms Worldwide by Eva Talmadge and Justin Taylor (Harper Perennial), Understand Rap by William Buckholz (Abrams Image), Gluten Free on a Shoestring by Nicole Hunn (Da Capo), and American Gypsy: A Memoir by Oksana Marafiote (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux)

Here is a link to an interview with Ms. Bowles at Guide to Literary Agents.

And here is a link to an interview with Mother. Write. (Repeat.)

Super Important excerpt from that interview: "I only read e-mail queries, and prefer it when writers attach the first three chapters. If I have to request the chapters, it’s just another step for both of us and creates more delay. With rare exception, I usually answer these in the order they are received. It helps if you can capture my attention with a great platform right up front!"

 And now Brandi Bowles faces the 7 Questions:

Question Seven: What are your top three favorite books?

House of Leaves, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Time Traveler’s Wife

Question Six: What are your top three favorite movies and television shows?

Movies: Little Shop of Horrors, Before Sunrise, Waking Life

Television: Absolutely Fabulous, Mad Men, Breaking Bad

Question Five: What are the qualities of your ideal client?

Creative, Talented, Brave

Question Four: What sort of project(s) would you most like to receive a query for?

YA Horror, Literary Women’s Fiction, Cross-Cultural Novels

Question Three: What is your favorite thing about being an agent? What is your least favorite thing?

Love fostering careers, Dislike delivering bad news

Question Two: What one bit of wisdom would you impart to an aspiring writer? (feel free to include as many other bits of wisdom as you like)

Write. Then Edit. Then Edit Again.

Make Strunk and White Your New Bible – it will never steer you wrong.

Question One: If you could have lunch with any writer, living or dead, who would it be? Why?

St. John. To solve a few mysteries….

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