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About Us

Karen Gantz Zahler

Literary Agent / Attorney at Law / Speakers Bureau

 

 

 

Contact Information

E-mail address:
karen@karengantzlit.com

Office phone:
(212) 734-3619

Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/pages/Karen-Gantz-Literary-Management/140395029375246

Work Information

We are hired for three purposes, as lawyers to negotiate publishing agreements, option agreements and other entertainment deals, as literary agents to help in all aspects of the publishing field and to secure speaking engagements for authors.

We help structure proposals, pitch and present to publishers, coordinate with in-house publicity departments, and complete all of the legal work. Karen Gantz Zahler is a literary agent, speakers' agent and a literary property lawyer. Thus, we are involved in all stages of a book's development including the collaboration agreement with the writer, advice regarding the book proposal, presentations to the publisher, negotiations including the legal work for the publishing agreement and other rights to be negotiated, and work with the publisher and public relations firm so that the book gets the best possible media coverage.

All types of non-fiction are our specialty. If a piece of fiction is outstanding, we will certainly consider it. The best way for unsolicited writers to pitch to us is to email a summary. What writers can do to increase the likelihood of our retainer is to write an excellent summary and provide a great marketing plan for their proposal in an excellent presentation. Any typos or grammatical mistakes do not resonate well. If we want to read it, we will ask you to send a copy by snail mail with an envelope and return postage enclosed. We do not call people unless we have something to report. Living in New York, Karen meets with editors weekly, identifying those editors who are hands-on editors and are the most passionate advocates for her authors.

In general, we do not charge reading fees. However, we have writers on staff who charge editing fees, write and edit proposals and books. For an extensive manuscript analysis, there is a charge of $600. Additional services include: complete manuscript analyses for $750; editorial services for proposals and books at $40-$80 per hour depending on the amount of work involved; ghost writers provided on a project-by-project basis.

Karen Gantz Literary Management with Starr Publishing and Media Productions offers multichannel publicity for your published book or prose-in-progress. Your options include: a traffic-generating Website and Blog; a Mobile App for the iPhone/iPod Touch; and/or an Internet Radio Show Launch.  Online publicity is immensely helpful in promoting authors’ works and their websites, and links book sales across the country to several websites.

Speakers' Bureau

Our agency also promotes authors' work by securing speaking engagements and planning press parties. We arrange press parties, such as the press party for Penny Baird's Bringing Paris Home at Kate's Paperie and the Museum of the City of New York. We arranged the press party for Eileen Lane Antiques with the Consul General of Sweden, Mamma Mia, press, and celebrities.

We secure speaking engagements for talented, high-profile authors.  We are committed to connecting our authors with quality organizations and orchestrating educational and meaningful events.  We make certain that speakers are fully informed on the organization’s mission and where and when they need to arrive. 

ARTHUR BENJAMIN

  • Author of five books that unlock secrets of making math fun and intriguing
  • Has spoken at over 200 academic institutions and has presented at the 2005 TED Conference of Ideas
  • Named "America's Best Math Whiz" by Reader's Digest
  • Appeared on The Today Show, CNN, The Colbert Report, and National Public Radio
  • Available in 2012 in Boston from January 5-10, NYC from March 9-16 and Washington DC from April 25-30

 

PENNY BAIRD

  • Internationally renowned interior designer
  • Author of two books on French style, her latest book The New French Interior
  • Named to Architectural Digest's list of the Top 100 Architects and Designers for the past 17 years
  • Knowledgeable in all things French, the flea markets and antique markets of Europe

 

 

KATHY PETERSON

  • Author of five design books
  • Well-known TV personality, featured weekly in her national TV series, Town Country Crafts with Kathy Peterson
  • Profiled in national publications such as Woman's Day, America Ways, Woman's World, USA Weekend, Better Homes & Gardens, The Chicago Tribune, and The Washington Times
  • Her designs have been shown on HGTV, DIY Network, E!, The Rachael Ray Show, PBS, and TNN

 

JOSHUA SAFRAN

  • Lawyer of Crime After Crime, documenting Safran's seven-year struggle to free a wrongfully imprisoned survivor of domestic violence
  • Recipient of the Domestic Violence Pro Bono Law Award (2010), Litigation Area Associates Spotlight Award (2007) and Pro Bono Award for Protecting the Rights of Victims of Abuse (2004)
  • Knowledgeable in topics such as battered women and domestic violence

 

 

JEFFREY LYONS

  • Author or co-author of seven books
  • Nationally-known film and theater critic, former co-host of Sneak Previews, MSNBC's "At the Movies" and NBC's Reel Talk
  • Recipient of two honorary degrees, from Hofstra University and St. Mary's College
  • Knowledgeable in topics such as films, baseball and bull-fighting

 

 

JULIE ROSS

  • Executive director of Parenting Horizons, an organization devoted to enriching children's lives through parent and teacher education
  • Parenting expert and author of How to Hug a Porcupine: Negotiating the Prickly Points of the Tween Years, Practical Parenting for the 21st. Century: The Manual You Wish Had Come With Your Child, and Joint Custody With A Jerk: Raising a Child With an Uncooperative Ex Now What Do I Do?

 

 

DOUG SCHOEN

  • Worked on the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Ed Koch and has worked with heads of state of over 15 countries including Tony Blair and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berulusconi and three Israeli Prime Ministers
  • New book Strangehold: How the Political Class is Suffocating American Democracy coming out in Spring 2012
  • Author of Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement s Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System and The Threat Closer to Home: Hugo Chávez and the War Against America  and the author of Declaring Independence: The Beginning of the End of the Two-Party System, The Power of the Vote: Electing Presidents, Overthrowing Dictators, and Promoting Democracy Around the World, and On the Campaign Trail: The Long Road of Presidential Politics, 1860-2004.

SCOTT O'NEIL

  • Scott O’Neil was named president, Madison Square Garden Sports in July 2008.

  • He oversees the business operations of the four professional sports teams, the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Liberty and Hartford Wolfpack.

  • Author of From Fantasyland To The Rat Race: A Practical Guide to Thriving in the Real World

  • O'Neil also manages the growing MSG Sports business, which includes college basketball, boxing, tennis, mixed martial arts and all other sports events and attractions at MSG owned venues.
  • He is responsible for the cross platform marketing partnerships and suites sales for the transformed Madison Square Garden. The Garden is currently undergoing a comprehensive top-to-bottom transformation that will significantly enhance the experience for customers, athletes, entertainers, suite holders and partners. 

Biographical Information

Karen Gantz Zahler attended Vassar College and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Cardozo Law School where she was elected to the Law Review. Her article was on the Moral Rights of Artists and the California Art Preservation Act. She is a literary property lawyer and literary agent.  She has written two well-received cookbooks, Taste of New York (Addison-Wesley 1993) and Superchefs (John Wiley & Sons 1996).  She also participated in a Presidential Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property, U.S. Department of Commerce.  She has been an active board member of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee since 1989.  She and her husband, through the National Foundation of Jewish Culture, on whose board she sits, give grants to authors whose books are being published and have Jewish content.  She is Chairman of the Great Books Program Club. She also sits on the Board of Trustees of the Harmonie Club and chairs the Literary and Media Committee where best-selling authors are invited to speak.

Karen Gantz Zahler practiced law in the field of intellectual property. Individuals requested that she read their manuscripts and movie scripts and she found that most satisfying. Her specialty is negotiating contracts both as a lawyer and literary agent.

Karen's favorite talk shows are the Fareed Zakaria, Nightline and The Today Show. Her favorite books are The Quiet American, The Human Stain and Anna Karenina and her favorite movies are Pearl Harbor, To Kill A Mockingbird, Roman Holiday, Twelve Angry Men, The King and I, Hamlet, and Gigi.