Love of Books Creates Literary Agency

Jamie Kennedy Jones - Greensboro News & Record

Becky Scoggins loves the book industry, and her new job is to help talented authors get published.

The 25-year-old is co-owner of a new Greensboro company, BresslerScoggins Literary Management.

A deep love of reading makes the job of literary agent fulfilling for Scoggins.

When you find a beautifully written manuscript "you get so wrapped up in it, and you have no idea what's going on around you," she said.

Scoggins, a Southeast Guilford High School graduate, began learning about the book business while working at Borders. Once she worked her way up to corporate sales coordinator, she began learning about distribution, marketing to mass audiences and event planning. She also made important contacts with editors, publishers and authors.

"That's when I realized I want to do this forever," she said.

In the spring, Scoggins was laid off by Borders and took a job with Amplify Communications, a marketing and public relations firm in Greensboro.

After working her way up to director of operations there, she decided to pitch her idea of a partner agency to Jordan Bressler, owner of Amplify.

"I really, really missed the book business," she said. "I was out of the loop, and I hated that."

Now she and Bressler are co-owners of BresslerScoggins Literary Management, and she's focusing all of her energy on finding manuscripts and pitching them to publishing companies. BresslerScoggins Literary Management and Amplify Communications will be intertwined. Scoggins is available as a publicist, but Amplify staff will be able to do publicity work for Scoggins' authors as well.

Although many literary agents live in New York, today's technology allows her to work from Greensboro to represent authors from all over the country, she said. She's already representing authors from the Carolinas, Kansas and California.

Scoggins doesn't charge a fee for looking at manuscripts, but she asks that before people send their work, they read the submission rules at www.bresslerscoggins.com.

And, she vows to be quick about it.

"I'm not going to make you wait 10 to 12 weeks to hear from me," she said. "That's agony for any writer."

She spends about three to four hours a night reading manuscripts, after her 2-year-old son is in bed and her husband has fallen asleep on the couch.

Scoggins has hired two interns to help read manuscripts, and she hopes eventually to hire junior literary agents as the business grows.

Right now, she accepts only certain genres, including literary fiction, Southern, romance and mystery thriller. She does not work with horror, science fiction or nonfiction (unless it concerns business).

Scoggins said the fact that she doesn't have a college degree won't hinder her ability to get the job done.

"If you can spot a good book, it doesn't matter if you have an English degree," she said. Also, understanding the industry and having the right contacts is crucial. She'll be attending publishing conferences around the country, including BookExpo America in Los Angeles in May.

"Nothing's going to stop me. I'm a good old Southern girl," Scoggins said. "I'm not very easy to knock down."

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