Paper Lantern Literary was recently brought to my attention by my lovely critique partner. PLL is a "boutique literary development company" founded by Lexa Hillyer and NYT Bestselling author Lauren Oliver (Before I Fall, Delirium).What they do: Connect promising writers with marketable ideas. You submit a sample of your work, and (if they like it) they give you a plot that they believe will sell. And, according to my CP, they've made a good number of sales.
Benefits: People who know what sells will basically be giving you a plot to work with. This takes out pressure for people who have repeatedly heard that their plots are "too quiet" or their premises simply don't have an audience. You're still doing the writing, but much of the head-banging-against-wall-seeking-next-plot-point may be removed. They will then work as an agency that sells your manuscript to publishers.
Possible conflict of interest: Per my CP, they don't allow pseudonyms, so whatever you write will reflect you as an author--this is not ghostwriting. This is your career. Also, there's no guarantee that your work will sell, and you'll be spending lots of time on a story that may not completely reflect you as an author. On the other hand, those who have struggled with marketable ideas might find this to be just the thing!
*I haven't read over the whole website, and this blog post is not an endorsement~ I'm simply sharing information with all of you. Even if you're not interested, this might be something to tell your writing friends about, since we're all on different journeys :)
LINKS: Homepage, Submission Info, FAQs
ONE MORE THING to spread around on this fine Friday: Jennifer Weltz of Jean V Naggar Literary tweeted yesterday that they're looking for Spring Interns:
JVNLA Jennifer Weltz JVNLAWe are looking for spring interns at JVNLA Interested? Know someone looking to learn about Agenting? Apply here! http://ow.ly/8j6fx pls RT
PS~ Sorry about the odd spacing in this post...Blogger is not happy with me today.
Thanks for the information! I actually have heard that before. Definitely something to think about. And man, don't I wish I could intern with an agent! :)
ReplyDeleteI've heard of them before, and they sound fantastic.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting post! Thanks for passing along this information. I'm writing something right now, but it's worth looking into. Have a great weekend, Jess!
ReplyDeleteThis is an intriguing idea, Jess. Thanks so much for sharing. I am definitely interested in looking into it to see what's involved!
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea. Not sure I can write that way, though. lol
ReplyDeleteInteresting concept. I would imagine there are a lot of people who are billant writers but just need help with a story concept. :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Part of the fun for me is discovering the story as I go. I'm not a plotter, but like sticking my characters in a mess and seeing how they get out. But that doesn't mean my plots are good. lol. Good info. thanks.
ReplyDeleteThat agent intern opportunity sounds great. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd like someone telling me what to write. I don't want to be a writer that bad. If I can't write the stories that are swarming in my head then I'll just work at something else.
ReplyDeletePeople do that on their own, though. If you saw the movie "Eragon" and thought it was the original "Star Wars" movie placed in a "Lord of the Rings" setting, you're not the first.
ReplyDeleteCool info, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletePersonally I think I have more than enough ideas as it is, whether or not they're good ones. It would feel weird to be given a plot somebody else thought of. Half the fun of writing is having your own weird & wacky ideas.
Lots of great comments, everyone!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know such a thing existed. Thank you for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteOff to look up the website.
What a clever idea! I haven't heard of them before. I'm tweeting this right now. And thanks for the intern information. I'm passing that along to a friend. You're full of awesome information, thanks!
ReplyDeleteInteresting company. It sounds like it's doing well. Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting notion. New to me. I'm passing on the intern info. to my daughter, she's about to graduate with a creative writing emphasis and is anxious to find an internship. Thanks.
ReplyDeletethat's a new idea... or a whole lotta them, more like.
ReplyDeletevery interesting!
thanks for keeping us informed!
That's interesting. If I'm ever stuck, I might have to try it :) As of right now, I'm enjoying writing what I love to write about. We'll see how I feel after I start my querying next month!
ReplyDeleteThat's a cool idea. Not sure I would do it, but it's a great idea for people who struggle to come up with plot ideas (which is not a problem for me).
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this. I subbed to them before and will again!
ReplyDeleteSo I wonder where the plot ideas come from? Just the two mentioned? Very interesting concept - will check it out.
ReplyDelete