Team
Hartline! Rah, rah…by Linda S. Glaz
Four
years ago I tentatively sent my resume to Joyce Hart without a clue what to
expect if she said “Yes!” She did. Now what?
I was
an agent, or on my way to becoming one. What did I have to offer Hartline? I’d
been a reviewer for romance sites for years. I was a final proofreader, first
for Wild Rose Press, and then for White Rose Press, now Pelican Book Group. I’d
been an assistant to my own agent Terry Burns for a couple years, and I
belonged to numerous critique groups. Why crit groups? Because I am also a writer.
Still,
how would the rest of them accept me? Many had been editors at large publishing
houses, editors in their own rights, booksellers for decades. What could I
offer this awesome team of agents?
I’m a
firm believer that those who’ve made the mistakes: alcoholism, drug addiction,
and the like, and who have come out of the lifestyle are the best to minister
to those struggling. Could I offer authors anything? I’d certainly made all of
the mistakes. Wrote everything wrong for eighteen years, sent things out all
wrong for years, and though I’d attended dozens of conferences through the
years, I didn’t think there was anything I could really learn.
There! I said it. I didn’t think there
was anything more to learn. So I was stagnant, foolish, and going no place
really fast. Like the proverbial snowball downhill, I was gaining momentum and
freezing like a Popsicle in Alaska.
After
mulling that over for a couple days, I realized I had plenty to offer after
all. I had done it ALL WRONG! And
who better to teach and work with folks anxious to do it all right.
How
had I finally managed to get an agent, get my first novella published? My first
book? My second book? My multi-book deal? Could I help steer other fledgling
authors in the right direction?
Well,
team Hartline was awesome. They held my hand, walked me through many things,
and supported me at every turn on the path. They contacted me to see if I’d
like help even before my asking. They were and are true brothers and sisters,
not only in Christ, but in the industry.
They
sent me clients! YES, as I got started, they sent me clients. And I learned
they weren’t pity submissions, the agents at Hartline do this often for each
other.
“Here,
know you love a great romance, and I think this one would be better served by a
female agent.”
“Linda,
I’ve worked with this client before, but I’m having trouble getting her to
understand the pure romance idea. Would you like to take a stab at it?”
“Linda,
I’m overwhelmed with subs this week, would you like to take a look at a few?”
And to
think I’d be worried whether or not I’d fit in.
A
couple years later, I was able to do the same for my teammates.
HARTLINE
IS A TEAM. These are amazing agents there to do a primo job at placing their
clients. They are also there to support one another, lift each other up in
prayer when needed, and to forge forward with the newest ideas and
possibilities. They aren’t afraid of controversial works that have “brilliant”
stamped all over them.
Yessir.
We are a team. And I’m proud to be part of the team that has represented some
of the best award-winning authors in the business today.
