Introducing Uber-Agent Danielle Egan-Miller!

Hi Ladies,
Thank you so much for welcoming me to Riding With The Top Down as today’s guest. I must confess: I am a virgin…a blogging virgin, that is. Somehow, this most modern communication medium has passed me by. I read a few blogs regularly, but I’ve never actually written for a blog or even posted a comment on one, so today’s venture is a big first for me.

Just a quick introduction. I am Danielle Egan-Miller, president of Browne & Miller Literary Associates, a full-service, independent literary agency founded in 1971 by the late Jane Jordan Browne and located in Chicago. I have worked in book publishing for (gulp!) 17 years now. I started, at this agency, as Jane’s assistant in the early 1990s. After nearly 5 years, I left to work as a non-fiction editor. In 2002, I rejoined the agency as Jane Browne’s partner and successor and I became president and owner of the firm in 2003, when Jane passed away.

My fabulous right-hand gal, Joanna MacKenzie, joined the agency in 2002, first as an intern and then as my assistant. Now an Associate Agent, Joanna manages our foreign, film and other subsidiary rights activities and she is actively involved in submitting new works—especially YA fiction --for publication. She also oversees the agency’s internship program. Joanna will be chiming in along with me today.

Browne & Miller represents a large clientele of authors writing in most genres of commercial adult fiction and non-fiction, as well as select young adult projects. We are hands-on and very editorially-focused and we work very closely with our clients on developing manuscripts and proposals for submission and sale. We have always sold romance and we represent several award-winning authors who write romances including Francine Rivers, Dee Henderson, Angela Hunt, Lyn Cote, Kylie Brant, Marta Perry, Shana Galen, Linda Hall, Bonnie K. Winn, Sherrill Bodine, and Jeane Westin. Please note that though we represent Christian/Inspirational fiction, our tastes are broad and eclectic and the majority of our clients write books intended for mainstream audiences.

As the holiday season is now officially upon us -- Christmas is only 3 weeks away!!!! – I thought I’d muse a little about what Browne & Miller would love to find under its Christmas tree (or in our query pile). Despite this week’s announcement that we have officially been in a recession for the last year (duh!) and despite the various harbingers of economic doom and the volatile stock market, book publishing will go on. Which means publishers will continue buying and agents like me will continue selling. Books remain affordable, (especially mass market paperbacks), accessible, available, attainable, portable, readable, shareable, givable, not to mention entertaining, powerful, and wonderful. As Sara Nelson reminded us in PW last month, “There are no gifts so satisfactory and lasting as well-chosen books, and none so flattering to the taste and intelligence of the recipient.” So said the New York Times, about books, in 1908. Isn’t it nice how some things never change?

Here are some gift ideas for Browne & Miller:
1. A killer YA novel. Joanna is our resident YA guru and her tastes run toward the “edgy but literary.” She’s a huge fan of John Green (Looking for Alaska), Jay Asher (Thirteen Reasons Why), and Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games). Contemporary "coming of age" stories that explore the emotional pitfalls of growing up and which display an authentic, memorable voice are definitely high on our list.

2. The next Thorn Birds. Okay, who doesn’t love a sweeping and totally transporting epic romance ripe with star-crossed love, hidden secrets, and a totally hot priest being tempted to break his vows? 700-page “doorstopper” novels might not be economically in vogue right now, but I believe the challenges of epic length can be overcome if the story is fabulous, the writing is top notch, and the “icon” potential is there. I, for one, love to get lost in a giant book. And of course I’ll be seeing Australia over the holidays.

3. A Chicago-set literary historical mystery or thriller. What Caleb Carr did for New York City in The Alienist, some worthy and talented author needs to do for Chicago. Recent, excellent narrative non-fiction books such as Devil in the White City by Erik Larson and Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott have examined episodes in Chicago’s colorful past. But we’d love to sink our teeth into a novel that marries the character of Old Chicago with a spellbinding and gritty crime drama. If it’s female driven, all the better. I am a 6th generation Chicagoan and I have a soft spot for Chicago history.

4. The next Sookie Stackhouse or Harry Dresden. Joanna finds it impossible to resist both Jim Butcher’s urban wizard and Charlaine Harris’s telepathic Louisiana waitress. Funny and engaging, these fast-paced stories are populated by twisted-yet-approachable characters who find themselves in the wackiest of situations yet remain grounded in a relatable reality. Not to mention both series have made terrific television shows .( Joanna was crushed that The Dresden Files was not renewed by the SciFi Channel).

5. I love time travel romances, especially Scottish time travel romances, and I don’t have any on my list. Note that I have made most of my staff and several of our interns read Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander, as it is a personal favorite. A superbly crafted and sexy (and possibly plaid-wrapped) time travel romance would be a most welcome gift…

6. Vampire romance. Yes, we know there is plenty of it already out there, but we still love it and we think we can still sell very well-written and original works in this genre. We recently sold a very smart and sassy debut that we pitched as “Angel meets Melrose Place.” The writing was tight and the voice was highly original (and really funny). We’re not game for urban fantasy, we don’t handle stories with “portals” to other worlds, and novels with chapters devoted to recounting the rules and mythology of an alternate universe are definitely not for us. But Earthly-set love stories between a mere mortal and a sexy nightwalker whose love is complicated by the temptation of immortality – not to mention daylight and bloodsucking – that sounds like us. Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga has been Joanna’s most recent guilty pleasure.

7. Substantive women’s historical fiction with strong romantic elements. Stories that transport us to a long ago, faraway places and which feature strong female leads who are often scheming for power (but we understand why) and falling in love (often with unobtainable guys) along the way, are always of high interest. A little glamour doesn’t hurt, either. We love English history and are big fans of Phillippa Gregory, Amanda Foreman (Georgiana), Alison Weir (Innocent Traitor), and Diane Haeger (The Perfect Royal Mistress). But we’re definitely open to other settings and time periods.

8. I am currently totally into that show Fringe on Fox. Love the mix of bizarre crimes, fringe science, and global conspiracy…love that the lead is a complicated, strong woman…love that Pacey from Dawson’s Creek grew up to be so handsome…would love something similar in a novel!

9. The next big thing. Who knows what it might be, so surprise us! One of the best things about being an agent is stumbling across the unexpected treasure. If the writing is superb, the characters are captivating and relatable, and the story is masterfully executed, we’re willing to journey to a place we’ve never gone before…except through a portal (unless it’s to Scotland).
If you happen to have a perfect gift to send us, please visit www.browneandmiller.com for more information about the agency and detailed instructions on how to query us.

We’re here today to serve as a resource to you, the faithful visitors to Riding With the Top Down. Joanna and I will be checking in throughout the day, so please, ask whatever questions you like. Maybe you'd like to tell us what's on YOUR Christmas book wish list...or what you wish was available for your wish list? How about those questions you've been dying to ask an agent? Now's your chance! Or how about some book recommendations? I'm always looking for great new reads and as I will be gifting books to everyone on my list this year (like I do every year), some suggestions for my husband (I think I'm going to try The Dresden Files), my father-in-law (a retired engineer), my sister-in-law (a hardcore romantic suspense lover), and for my very good friend who's having a big milestone birthday in January, would be so appreciated! I look forward to chatting...and boy, this blogging thing is already kind of fun!

Merry, merry!
Danielle