Fran
Lebowitz is now a Singapore-based literary agent, though she spent over a
decade at the Writers House agency in New York, where she specialized in young
adult fiction. Her clients regularly made the New York Times bestseller list,
and some won critical acclaim. She says: “I had a lot of success with series
writers and that afforded me the time to work with more literary writers like
Chris Lynch who went on to win many awards and was a U.S. National Book Award
finalist. Another N.B.A. finalist,
Jack Gantos, won The Newbery Medal, presented annually for the most
distinguished contribution to American children’s literature.”
Fran’s
husband is a copyright lawyer, and when his job started bringing him frequently
to Asia, the couple decided to move their family to Singapore. Fran wasn’t too
worried about continuing her career. “I figured: I'll just find Asian
writers!" She says, “But it
took me twelve years to find the sort of writers I feel are ready for the big
markets.” Why does she think it took her so long? “Competition here hasn’t so
far been fierce enough to produce the sort of commercial titles which can
withstand the scrutiny of the world's larger markets.”
To
help her clients reach those lucrative overseas markets, Fran has now joined
forces with Kevin Mulroy and Amy Shields, both of Potomac Global Media, in
Washington. What genre is she most excited to present to her international
partners? “Graphic novels are where I see the talent, if not necessarily the
buyers.” She says. “Singaporeans are really good at graphic novels. I think it’s because they provide a
sort of sneaky way to reveal one’s thoughts, taking up less air space than a
full-blown novel. It's the abbreviation; Singaporeans weren't brought up to
vent and gab.” She
mentions two graphic novelists in particular, Troy Chin, and Sonny Liew.
“They’re both inventive and witty, but never self-indulgent. They never forget
the story, their characters or their audience.” However, she warns, “I like
graphic novels, but I’m not inviting a flood of submissions from potential
clients.”
Many
of Fran’s clients are expats. “That's not by design, it's simply what I think I
can sell.” Beyond the purely
commercial, does she think expats have a positive contribution to make to the
local literary scene? “I
think their influence on the types of conversation people are having will lead
to a greater focus all across the nation on story telling and articulation. New
York didn't start out being the publishing capital of the U.S. it happened
because crowds of people from all sorts of different backgrounds created a
place where stories would be told and read or listened to if and only if they
were better than anyone else's. I think expats can help turn Singapore into a
similar sort of incubator of excellence.”
You can contact Fran at
flebowitz@yahoo.com; her unreliable memoir Tales From A Broad is available as an e-book from Monsoon Books.
