{"id":27753,"date":"2021-07-02T07:48:39","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T11:48:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scottedelman.com\/?p=27753"},"modified":"2021-07-02T07:48:39","modified_gmt":"2021-07-02T11:48:39","slug":"joshua-bilmes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scottedelman.com\/wordpress\/2021\/07\/02\/joshua-bilmes\/","title":{"rendered":"Dig into dolmades with agent extraordinaire Joshua Bilmes on Episode 148 of Eating the Fantastic"},"content":{"rendered":"

My guest this time around — for my first face-to-face-in-restaurant meal in 466 days — is agent Joshua Bilmes<\/a>, and the reason we were able to get together is because I learned — back when we chatted before our panel on “Using Writing Prompts and Exercises Effectively” during the virtual Balticon — that he was going to be visiting nearby. We decided to meet for lunch at Rockville, Maryland\u2019s Mykonos Grill<\/a>, which Washington Post<\/em> food writer Tom Sietsema included<\/a> at the end of May, on his list of \u201c7 Favorite Places to Eat Right Now.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Joshua Bilmes<\/a> is the President of JABberwocky Literary Agency<\/a>, which he founded in 1994. He began his agenting career at the famed Scott Meredith Literary Agency in 1986. His best-selling clients include Brandon Sanderson (whose fantasy novels have sold more than 18 million copies), Charlaine Harris (one of the rare authors whose writing has inspired three different television shows), Peter V. Brett (whose Demon Cycle series has sold more than 3.5 million books), and many others. I\u2019ve lost count of the number of convention panels Joshua has been on with me in addition to the one I mentioned earlier, everything from \u201cThere is No Finish Line: Momentum for Writers\u201d to \u201cHow to Self-Edit That Lousy First Draft\u201d to \u201cHow to Incorporate Critique\u201d \u2014 further proof he definitely has a handle on the way the writing and publishing work. <\/p>\n

We discussed how the COVID-19 lockdown impacted the publishing industry, what he learned by visiting 238 Borders bookstores, the offer he’s made to bookstore employees he’s surprised has never been taken up, how writing letters to Analog<\/em> led to his career as an agent, what life was like at the famed Scott Meredith literary agency, the fact which had he but known he might not have gone out on his own as an agent, why he’s had to redefine what “pleasure” means, what he has to say to people who think they don’t need agents, the sixth sense he possesses which helps him choose new clients, and much more.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s how you can take a seat at the table with us — <\/p>\n

1) Subscribe at Apple Podcasts<\/a> — where I hope you’ll be tempted by some of the 147 previous episodes.<\/p>\n

2) Use the RSS feed of http:\/\/eatingthefantastic.libsyn.com\/rss<\/a> on the device of your choice.<\/p>\n

3) Or listen using the embed below.<\/p>\n