An Interview With Rosemary Stimola!

Rosemary Stimola is my fabulous agent and I love her more than words! She's a PhD, a former bookseller...she knows this business inside and out!

I remember when I first queried her...she responded in a matter of SECONDS with the nicest note, asking to see my partial. And the signature at the bottom of her email--Ro Stimo. Hello fierceness! I knew that anyone with a sassy nickname like that (doesn't it just roll off the tongue?!) would be the perfect agent match for me. And I was soooooo right.

Here are Ro's answers to our Agent Questionnaire.

1. Tell us how you became an agent.
For me it was an evolving role...I began as an academic, a PhD linguist, teaching language and literature at City University. I then owned and operated an independent children's bookstore for 10 years. after closing in 1995, I combined the aesthetic experience of teaching with the business experience of selling books and opened the studio in 1997. A perfect blend for me.

2. What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of the job?
I love the book parts...finding, reading, sharing with editors, watching an acquired book come to fruition. I'm less thrilled with the mountains of paperwork that comes as part of the package!

3. Have you ever not taken an author on because you met them in person and didn't like them?
Yes. I do believe it is important to connect personally as well as on a project. If you don't see eye to eye, don't get along, don't "like" each other, just makes the road much harder on both sides. And honestly, life is just too short to work with people you don't connect with, for whatever reason.

4. Have you ever taken someone on not because you loved their stuff, but because you knew it would sell?
No. If I don't love it, I can't advocate for it as needed. Can't compromise my integrity and reputation that way. I have actually had writers come to me with an offer in hand and chosen not to represent them because I did not thrill to the work.

5. Is a deal for more money always a better deal? Why or why not?
Not necessarily. You don't want to over-burden a book (firsts, in particular) with a too-heavy advance. If it doesn't earn out, makes the the path to subsequent books more difficult. and there are ways to build in back end monies. On the other side, you want enough upfront to warrant some more than basic marketing attention. It's like walking a tightrope and it varies from book to book.

6. When you take on a client, it's generally with the intent to represent them for their career and not just one project. Therefore, what happens if you "fall out of love" with an author's work? Has that ever happened to you?
I am more about building careers than selling one project. I want to see an author grow and blossom and move along with them through different stories. Want to be a part of that ascent. It has happened that subsequent work may start out weaker than that first book, but that's when you get to know more about an author's process and how s/he writes. So, no, have not fallen out love with an author's work.

7. What is a sure sign that you have gotten an awesome manuscript? And what is the surest sign that you are going to pass?
It's true that first pages have a lot to do with it. How quickly voice and character grab me. If I am compelled from the start...a good sign. If I see nothing in the first 50 pages that warrants further reading, I simply stop.

8. Are you currently looking for new clients? What is your submission policy?
In the words of Mae West, “I generally avoid temptation unless I can’t resist it.”


You can visit stimolaliterarystudio.com for information on how to query my beloved Ro Stimo.

-=siobhan=-