Manuscripts by the Book

It helps to be an optimist and approachable when you are a literary agent. Who knows when you will come across the next blockbuster?

Michael J. Hamilburg, literary agent and film producer in Beverly Hills, is both approachable and optimistic. His agency has been around since the 1930s, and he is as easy to reach as a phone call or letter, he said.

If you wonder what kinds of manuscripts attract his attention, you can find out at the monthly meeting of the Ventura County Writers Club at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Thousand Oaks Borders, where he will discuss marketing a manuscript.

Meanwhile, he dropped a few hints during a recent interview.

“It’s just that special thing that does something for you,” he said. “It’s rare that you see it, but you have to see everything because people deserve it--you have to give each one proper attention.”

He cited “White Oleander,” a first novel by Jane Fitch, as having that special voice.

Hamilburg acknowledged that the selection process is daunting and that instinct plays a large part. Nonfiction outsells fiction by 6 to 1, but he handles both.

He said he has sold quite a few books in the adventure area lately--”The Siege of Shangri-La” by Michael Macrae, for one, and a memoir by astronaut Gordon Cooper with Bruce Henderson, for another.

Furthermore, he considers first-time writers as well as seasoned professionals, but certain standards apply.

“There are probably extraordinary writers out there,” he said. “I’m looking for people who have some sense of professionalism. . . . They work at it.”

He said publishers today--mostly conglomerates--are on a short leash with their financial people looking at the bottom line. Meanwhile, they are all looking for crossovers--books that appeal to different audiences rather than one targeted market, he said.

Publishers also get excited about authors they can franchise, those who produce a book a year.

In addition, he said, memoirs became popular since “Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt, the biggest-selling book ever for Scribner. The same thing happened when John Grisham’s books became so successful: Many lawyers now want to write legal thrillers.

“In life, there isn’t anything that succeeds like word-of-mouth, and that’s the same way with books,” he said. “You read something and are dying to tell your friends about it.”

With lengthy credits going back to “Taxi Driver,” “Billionaire Boys Club” and “Helter Skelter,” Hamilburg continues to package books and films. Among them are the story of the Louis Leakey family based on the book “Ancestral Passions” by Virginia Morell for National Geographic Film Division.

“I love the business, that’s the whole thing,” he said. “With all the travail, it’s still a wonderful business.”

HAPPENINGS

* Sunday at 3 p.m. Charles Frankel will sign his book, “The End of the Dinosaurs.” Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble, 260 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., 446-2820.

* Monday at 11 a.m. The “I Spy,” books by Jean Marzollo will be read, after which a spy collage will be made. Borders, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 497-8159.

* Monday at 12:30 p.m. The Monday Afternoon Book Club will focus on “South of Resurrection” by Jonis Agee. Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble, 446-2820.

* Tuesday at 2 p.m. Kenneth Adelman, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and national editor of Washingtonian magazine, will lecture and sign his new book, “Shakespeare In Charge: The Bard’s Guide to Leading and Succeeding on the Business Stage.” Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley, 522-2977.

* Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Second Tuesday Contemporary Book Group will focus on Jan Karon’s “At Home in Mitford.” Thousand Oaks Borders, 497-8159.

* Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Michael J. Hamilburg, literary agent and film producer, will speak at the Ventura County Writers Club on “Marketing Your Manuscript.” Open to members and nonmembers. For more information, contact Joanne Sehnem at 579-9414. Thousand Oaks Borders, 497-8159.

* Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Holocaust survivor Joseph Freeman will discuss and sign “Road to Hell.” Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble, 446-2820.

* Tuesday at 8 p.m. Poetry reading by John Gentry, followed by open mike reading. The Daily Grind, 607 E. Main St., Ventura, 641-16795.

* Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. “Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo” by Kevin Lewis and “Down by the Station” by Will Hillenbrand will be read. Ventura Barnes & Noble, 4360 E. Main St., 339-9170.

* Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Screenwriter/producer Ron Suppa will discuss and sign “The Business of Screenwriting.” Borders, 497-8159.

* Thursday at 7 p.m. The Science Fiction Reading Group will focus on “Forge of God” by Greg Bear. Ventura Barnes & Noble, 339-9170.

* Friday from noon until 2 p.m. Illustrator Hilary Knight will appear for a brief question-and-answer session and signing of the reissued “Eloise,” “The Absolutely Essential Eloise,” “Eloise in Paris” and “Eloise at Christmastime.” Thousand Oaks Borders, 497-8159.

* Friday at 7 p.m. Story time with “Franklin’s Neighborhood” and “Franklin and the New Baby” by Paulette Bourgeios. Ventura Barnes & Noble, 339-9170.

* Friday at 8 p.m. Ken Rutkowski will discuss and sign “Happy Between Relationships.” Ventura Barnes & Noble, 339-9170.

* Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Marianna Dengler reads from her new picture book, “Fiddlin’ Sam.” Thousand Oaks Barnes & Noble, 446-2820.

* Saturday at 8 p.m. Jackson Wheeler’s Arcade Poetry Series will feature poet Chryss Yost. The Daily Grind, 641-1679.

Information about book signings, writers groups and publishing events can be e-mailed to anns40@aol.com or faxed to 647-5649.