Content warning: Adult themes, childhood illness.
We’ve never seen an author-agent relationship like this! Jonathan and Renée not only joke, but regularly roast each other—showing a level of comfort most can only dream of.
We learn about their journey, from meet-cute (which Renée nearly forgot) to Jonathan playing hard to get (even though she was his top choice), and how they both liked that the other would fight for the work.
They both needed a creative partner who’d tell it like it is—and, as you’ll soon hear, they very much found it.
We also talk about his experience working with Audible, how his third book made his narrator and the sound engineers cry, and what’s next for his characters.
Jonathan Fredrick is the author of the Cain City Series (Cash City, Hum Little Birdie, and the newly-released Bad Men Will Come), which were inspired in-part by his hometown of Huntington, West Virginia. After spending 15+ years living in Los Angeles and working as a writer, filmmaker, and actor, Jonathan now resides in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and three sons. You can find his work here.
In addition to being on Faculty here at the Manuscript Academy, Renée C. Fountain is President of GH Literary. A publishing industry veteran, Renée is a former reviewer for Kirkus and New York Journal of Books, and spent five years as a story analyst and book scout for The CW Television Network.
During her almost decade-long tenure with major houses (Harcourt Brace and Simon & Schuster), Ms. Fountain had the great fortune of working with some of the best writers and illustrators in the publishing world.
Additionally, with more than ten years of licensing and branding experience, she has been involved in creating book-related merchandise including iconic favorites such as Raggedy Ann and Nancy Drew; as well as brokering film and television options.
Renée is looking for all types of adult and YA fiction and non-fiction. She prefers: thrillers, horror/dark fantasy, urban/contemporary fantasy, humor, pop-culture, memoirs, and narrative/commercial.
She DOES NOT represent screenplays, previously published books (including self-published), Westerns, Hard Science Fiction, Space Opera, Middle Grade, Picture Books, Erotica, Poetry, Novellas or Short Story Collections.
You can learn more about her here:https://ghliterary.com/agents/renee-c-fountain/ and meet with her here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/renee-fountain
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