Candace Havens has added to the list of agents and editors who will be
helping with her Write_Workshop class in June. So far she has Sha-Shana
Crichton (Agent), Elaine Spencer (Agent), Lucienne Diver (Agent), Kathryn
Lye (Editor), Hilary Sares (Editor) and Anne Sowards (Editor).  I believe most are related to romance writing, but don't let that put you off. I've gotten some good information from the romance writers. 

It's all free and people can join thru http://www.candacehavens. com. Go to her
Workshops page and click on the Write_Workshop subscribe link.

For those of you who didn't subscribe to the workhop (and you may have had trouble given the fact that the link didn't show correctly: www.candacehavens.com), here is part of the interview from the first agent:

Agent Elaine Spencer from The Knight Agency.

Elaine Spencer joined The Knight Agency in September of 2005. She acts
as the liaison between clients, publishers, and agents as Manuscript
Coordinator and Agent. With a strong background in both comparative
literature and economics at the University of Georgia , she has
experience with legal contracts and executive management, as well as
writing, editing, and publishing. Consistently producing strong
results with a high degree of integrity, dedication, and efficiency,
Elaine is a perfect addition to the TKA powerhouse.

1. What do you look for in a face-to-face pitch? The number one thing
   that I look for is confidence. It can make or break a pitch. If
   someone can confidently pitch there story to me it shows that they
   truly believe in their work and their writing. I realize that this is
   much easier said than done because so many people are so nervous. But
   Confidence is key.

Beyond that I really look to be "engaged". The best pitches are when
someone sits down at the table and talks TO me about there book as
opposed to talking AT me. I tell people that the actual book pitch
should last no more than 1-3 minutes. The rest of the time we should
be in interaction about their story, their writing, their career, etc.
I'm not going to know if the writing is good until a later time when I
can actually sit down and read the work, so there's not need to spend
extraneous amounts of time on something that makes no difference. I'm
very interested in how we interact because as a possible future client
we need to be comfortable and have a good vibe flowing. This is the
chance to see if that happens.

1. What do you look for in a query? A great hook. The hook can make it
   or break it. It is also VERY important that I can tell someone has
   done their homework. I want to see that they have a basic competency
   surrounding our agency and the process of the query letter (how to put
   it together, submit it etc). Again, just like the pitch, I don't want
   a detailed explanation of the plot, just a few key points that really
   draw me in and make me perk up and want to learn more. Its also a plus
   if the writer can draft the letter in a vein that is true to their
   writing, their voice, the feel that you will get from the book.

2. What's your biggest pet peeve about queries? When people fail to
   get to the point. When I have to deeply read and sort through a bunch
   of garbage to figure out what the actual story they are pitching is
   about. I also hate it when it isn't on a white background with 12
   point arial/times/ normal font. After looking at a computer for 10+
   hours a day, the queries that come in at 8pt are just asking to be
   rejected. (Smile)

3. What kind of books do you like to read? I like to read everything.
   I am a HUGE fan of YA. Its so entertaining and real. In romance I
   enjoy contemporaries, paranormals, and romantic suspense. I also like
   things that are a bit heavier, things that could be considered women's
   fiction. I'm also a HUGE fan of Thrillers and Mysteries. And sometimes
   I want something more literary just to be swept away. Yes you can tell
   I'm hard to please, NOT!!! Some of my recent FAVORITE reads include 19
   MINUTES by Jodi Picoult, TWILIGHT by Stephanie Meyer, JR Wards WHOLE
   series, RED HANDED by Gena Showalter.

4. What kind of books do you represent/edit? All of the above! I am
   really open to pretty much anything. I'm really REALLY looking for
   some more hot YA and MG/Tween. I am also looking for some great
   romantic suspense or a really different Paranormal. I really want a
   Pirate story and a good witch story. I know those are weird requests,
   but they are a weakness within me!!

5. What's your best advice for new writers? Continue to read. Stay up
   on the realities of what the writing is like that is on the shelves.
   And network. Your peers will be your biggest sources of inspiration,
   guidance, and knowledge about the realities of the business.

Here is part of the interview with editor Hilary Sares fom Kensington. 

*1. What do you look for in a face-to-face pitch? I love to be
surprised and I don't have set expectations—writers just have to give
it their best shot and relax as much as humanly possible. You really
don't want to come across as a quivering ball of sweaty-palmed,
trembling neediness in an uncomfortable blazer (most editors go for a
Publishing Casual look, which is pretty close to Thrift Store
Half-Price Tuesday). Somewhere safe, stash the bulging carryall bags
that proliferate at conferences and do the same with sundry
impedimenta that make for awkward entrances and exits. You won't be
able to shake hands real well with an overstuffed promotional tote for
a book titled, say, SWEET SAVAGE HUMP, slung over a charm-braceleted
wrist. Basically, you want to come across like a pro. Practice your
pitch with a funny friend over and over. Practice it in mock
Hungarian. Practice it in charades. I.e., get loose and get it down
cold. Keep in mind that editors have heard thousands of pitches and
most will do what they can to put you at ease. If we seem quiet or
noncommittal, it's because we're waiting to hear what you have to say.
By the way, it often happens that the quietest writers will pitch the
most outrageous ideas. So, what do I look for? An author who shows
real passion for her/his story or her/his non-fiction concept gets my
attention—it's likely to be interesting even if it's something I'm not
acquiring at the moment. Index cards and a droning, step-by-step
recitation of plot are not the best way to present yourself or your
work. Opening a laptop instead of using index cards? Don't even think
about it. Make eye contact. Smile. Editors with reasonably good
eyesight will usually return the favor.

1. What do you look for in a query? Brevity.

2. What's your biggest pet peeve about queries? Tiny print and
   crowded margins, used in order to squeeze in as much information as
   possible. Just sell the book. That's all I'm buying. Got awards and
   professional credentials? List those in a back sheet but don't make
   it look like a resume and don't go on and on. Writers who provide
   gabbling, overly detailed lists of accomplishments tend to write
   similar prose. Get to the point. You can't go wrong.

3. What kind of books do you like to read? Everything.

4. What kind of books do you represent/edit? The verb is acquire. The
   confusion among new writers about these terms unfortunately means that
   a lot of them sound like amateurs in cover or query letters. Agents
   represent books, editors acquire books, copyeditors edit books. Yes,
   editors edit, but it is a very different kind of editing from what
   copyeditors do. And since what the author wants an editor to do is
   buy her book, the term is acquire. Anyway, I acquire romance,
   historical romance, romantic suspense, erotic romance, paranormal
   romance in all those genres, mainstream women's fiction, mystery and
   thrillers.

5. What's your best advice for new writers? Focus on improving,
   developing, and energizing your writing. Every new writer has a lot
   of competition, but keep in mind that a lot of them spend far too much
   time online obsessing over silly stuff and not actually writing very
   much. You may feel like, tra la, you're in the club if you do it too,
   but it will eat up time and energy if you do too much of it.

Don't critique your work to shreds. By the way, editors do not want
to hear what your critique group thinks. We don't care.

Whether you are sending a letter or meeting with an editor in person,
keep a few Sort-of Commandments in mind. Thou shalt not grovel.
Editors aren't gods. Thou shalt not worry too much. Nothing you say
or do is going to make you or break you. Editors aren't mean, as a
general rule. Thou shalt not drone. Editors get sleepy. Thou shalt
not apologize for being nervous or being a stay-at-home mom or working
in a profession that doesn't have much to do with writing but wanting
to write anyway. You wrote something, you're a writer. Yup. Really.
You are.*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes, I know this is an editor of romances, that possible not many here are as interested in but the advise is sound no matter what the genre.