Today, Rhodes live sin North Carolina, where in addition to agenting he serves as the facility and events coordinator for Randall Library at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Visit him online at stuartagency.com or on Twitter at @CR_agent.

Why He Does What He Does

“Because books! I get to have a hand in the whole process, from idea to finished product. What a gift! To help writers I believe in to reach a wide readership.”

Seeking

“Plot driven, character driven, beautifully crafted debut novels by confident, hard-working writers who have put in the time and are ready to take their careers to the next level. I’m also looking for nonfiction with a large built-in audience and memoirs that challenge form.”

Dream Project

“I have the privilege of working with dream clients on dream projects every day. No matter the project, I demand literary merit in terms of character development, voice, writing—but I’d love to find a horror project that’s also truly a great book.”

Writing Tips

“Read, read, read.”

Pitch Tips

“Keep it brief.”

“Spill the beans.”

“Know the comparable titles that aren’t blockbuster bestsellers.”

The biggest literary agent database anywhere
is the Guide to Literary Agents. Pick up the
most recent updated edition online at a discount.

Query Pet Peeves

“Personal information that has nothing to do with the book project.”

“‘Dear Chris’”

“Rhetorical questions!”

Mentor

“Aside from my day-to-day mentor—the incomparable Andrew Stuart—and speaking strictly professionally, I’d say Molly Friedrich is an agent I admire very much. I read an interview with Molly where she talked of the importance of trusting her own taste and not getting bogged down in trends. It meant so much to me because agents receive a lot of rejection and it can really make you wonder if your own taste stinks. I wrote to Molly to thank her for that interview (she and I never met) and she wrote back! It was pretty cool.”

Clients

Gayle Brandeis, author of The Art of Misdiagnosis, Beacon Press

Taylor Brown, author of The River of Kings, St. Martin’s Press

James Han Mattson, author of The Lost Prayers of Ricky Graves, Little A

Fun Facts

“I’m a fan of afternoon naps.”

“Cold press juices are my jam.”

“Sitcoms lull me to sleep. Usually Frasier on Netflix. It’s Pavlovian.”

Favorite

Drink: “Cold brew coffee.”

Podcast: “My Favorite Murder.”

Living author: “Toni Morrison.”

Dead author: “It’s a tie between Flannery O’Connor and Charles Jackson”

Poem: “I’m hoping my fabulously talented client Aimee Nezhukumatathil won’t mind when I say my favorite poem is ‘Song For You Who Are Still Afraid’ by Timothy O’Keefe.”

Quote: “Don’t say things. What you are stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Place: “A Morrissey concert.”

If you’re an agent looking to update your information or an author interested in contributing to the GLA blog or the next edition of the book, contact Writer’s Digest Books Managing Editor Cris Freese at [email protected].

The post Meet the Agent: Christopher Rhodes, The Stuart Agency appeared first on WritersDigest.com.