Author Interview: Sarah Marie Jette and Our Fair Share Giveaway

Happy Monday, Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Sarah Marie Jette here to share about her MG contemporary, Our Fair Share. It sounds like a great contemporary summer read, and it’s on my TBR list. 

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

 

Seasonal work at the fairgrounds for most summers means Seraphina, James, Avory, and Cassi are all experienced in fair life. Beloved traditions keep the best friends plenty busy. For them, this is more than just a summer vacation in Knox County, Maine. These are the best months of the year. This is their fair.

But it seems like everyone is distracted. James is having trouble at his new school. Avory is feeling smaller than ever. Cassi just wants to be left alone, but that's hard when your dad is caught in a scandal that leads to more eyes on her that she's never dreamed of. And Seraphina is afraid she'll never get over the accident no one knows about. To make matters worse, there's a new fair manager - a community outsider - who seems determined to take away what is special about their fair. This summer is feeling a little too different. With two months ahead of them, the four friends need to find a way not just to survive their own inner turmoil, but to help their fair community thrive. 

Hi Sarah! Thanks so much for joining us. 

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer. 

Hello! I am a children’s book author, a teacher, and a mom of 3 humans and 4 cats. 

I’ve loved writing ever since I was in elementary school. I took writing classes in college and considered going to get my MFA in creative writing, but instead joined the Peace Corps and taught English in Mongolia.  

My writing grew the most when I became a teacher. I took workshops on how to teach writing to children. I learned so many strategies for teaching writing and applied them directly to my own manuscripts. Reading books to my students also inspires my writing. I love watching them fall in love with stories. When I draft my books, I think about how my students would respond to characters and scenes. 

2. Where did you get the idea for One Fair Share?

I grew up in the state of Maine. When I was very little, my parents owned race horses. They eventually sold them because horses are expensive and my parents were teachers. However, my father continued to work with horse racing. He managed the stakes at the races which took place at county fairs all over the state of Maine. Because of this, my summers were spent under the lights of the Ferris Wheel. Our Fair Share is fictional, but it is inspired by those magical summers. 

3. How cool that the idea for your story came from your childhood experiences. Were you a plotter or a panster when you wrote this story? Why did that system work for you? 

I love this question! I am 100% a pantser. I know where my story is going – it’s like a light at the end of a tunnel. I know I will get there in the end. But I cannot plot it out. My brain doesn’t work like that. For me, my characters and setting move the story forward.  

Our Fair Share has 4 alternating points of view and different storylines I needed to keep track of. So, to keep from getting lost, I kept careful notes. In my notebook, I have pages dedicated to each character - their favorite objects, their hobbies, their favorite colors, their family members, phrases they use, clothing they wear, etc. I also drew a map of the fairgrounds so I could be consistent with locations.  

Keeping organized isn’t something that comes naturally for me, but colorful tabs and fun markers and highlighters help a lot. I would have been lost without my notebook. 

4. Your story is told from Seraphina, James, Avory, and Cassi’s POV. Why did you decide to write from all their POV’s vs. one or two of them? Did this make it more challenging to develop them as characters?  

Years ago I wrote a story with three different timelines and three different points of view. That book will never be published… but it was my first time trying out multi POV.  

For this book I have a tighter timeline (a week). That helped make things more manageable. 

Cassi found me first. The way the story opens is how it always began, with Cassi and her dad entering the fairgrounds. Frank manages the horse races, like my father used to.  

I can’t remember who came next, but when I crafted the characters, I thought about different personalities that would enhance each other. – Friends are like that, at least my friends are like that. One of my closest friends is always up for something new and inspires me so much. She’s a triathlete and while I doubt I’ll ever be a triathlete or go uphill skiing (she’s seriously so inspiring) this friend brings out a different side of me in the best possible way. 

When I created this group of friends, I thought about different personalities and how they could bring out the best in each other. 

Cassi is not much of an optimist and likes bones and skulls and creepy dolls. James is a crafter. – I also like knitting, sewing, and weaving and used my hobbies to build up his character. Serafina is dealing with a lot of anxiety. When I first wrote her character, I had her mother as the anxious one and Serafina was always looking out for her mother. I did a big revision part way through drafting and changed things around because it didn’t feel right. And with Avory, I thought about my students. My students ALWAYS know who is the tallest, who is the fastest, who is the shortest… Kids are often identified or identify themselves by extremes but that mindset misses out on so much. Kids are more than just one thing. Avory is very short. They aren’t growing and this is a part of them that they cannot change. It’s overwhelming. So they decide they need to be something else: strong.  

It was hard to write with 4 POVs, but it was also a bit of an escape. As a pantser, I knew how the story was going to end but didn’t know the path to get to the end. So, I’d write from one character’s POV and when that led to a place I wasn’t ready to explore or a dead end, I’d jump to the next character. By the time I circled back to the character I was stuck on, the story had carried on and I had a clearer vision of where I was going next. 

5. It sounds complicated, but it sounds like you have a system to make your characters unique and keep them straight. You’re also an elementary school teacher. What was your writing schedule for One Fair Share? What advice do you have for other writers who have a day job on finding time to write? 

Again, this is a GREAT question. Teaching is tiring. It is so hard to have energy reserved after teaching, and… I’m also a mom of 3 kids (and 4 cats!) When I get home from school, I save energy for my kids before I give it to myself. That being said, for me, writing is self care. I need to write and for that I need quiet alone time. 

When my kids were little, I wrote when they napped (unless I was napping, too). I also wrote when they went to bed. My kids are older now. So, after school we catch up, talk, and hang out, and then they get their screen time. That’s when I drafted Our Fair Share. I also write a lot on the weekend and over school breaks. 

6. I’m so glad you like my questions. Your agent is Larissa Melo Pienkowski. How did she become your agent, and what was your road to getting this publishing contract like? 

When it was time to query, I looked up agents on their websites and social media – and also found agents on podcasts. I highly recommend looking at writing podcasts to see if the agent you are querying is a guest on a podcast. There were many agents I queried who I would have been happy to have, but I heard Larissa on a podcast talking about her work and her clients and I knew I wanted her to be my agent. I wanted an agent I’d feel comfortable talking to. Negotiating isn’t a strength for me, so I wanted an agent who would negotiate for me. Also, she represents Angela Montoya, an author and podcaster I adore.  

I received Latinx in Publishing’s Work in Progress Fellowship in 2022. This fellowship was sponsored by Macmillan Press. For this fellowship I worked with my editor, Jess Harold, for a full year strengthening a manuscript. She also taught me so much about the publishing industry. When the year was up, and when I had an agent, Macmillan Press got first pass on my manuscript. Jess and the editorial team fell in love with Our Fair Share and I was thrilled to receive a publishing contract from them. 

7. I totally agree with you about listening to podcasts. How did working with your agent and/or editor strengthen your story?

What I love best about working with an agent and an editor are the questions they ask. They know books and stories so well. Their questions might seem casual, but they aren't. Their questions are filled with experience – books read and stories edited. Their questions made me think deeper and helped me uncover new angles in my manuscript.  

8. How are you promoting your book? How are you planning to reach readers in the US, given that you live in New Zealand? 

I have a book launch in Dedham, Massachusetts on Saturday May 16th from 2-4 PM. I will be in conversation with Peter H Reynolds at the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning, and Creativity. I will be zooming in, but Peter will be there in person. There will be give-aways and book swag, so if you are in the area, please stop by! 

Lots of middle grade authors do in person school visits to promote their books. As a teacher, school visits have always been a challenge. I can’t visit classrooms because I am teaching my own students. One of the best parts of being on sabbatical teaching in New Zealand is that with the time change, I can zoom into classrooms before my school day begins. For all you teachers reading this, send me a DM on Instagram or contact me through my website. I’d be happy to schedule a virtual author visit to talk about writing craft or the publishing process. I am free most days between 1-3 EST. I also have activity worksheets posted on my website for teachers who use my book in their classrooms. 

9. What are you working on now? 

I am currently revising a speculative YA novel. I wrote the first draft in three months – the fastest I’ve ever drafted a book. I’ve been revising it for just over a year. For this book I tried plotting it out and had 3 false starts. When I set my plans aside and let the characters tell the story on their own, it took off. Of course, I have my writing notebook, post-it flags, and colorful flair pens by my side!

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Sarah Marie. You can find Sarah Marie at sarahmariejette.com and on Instagram: @sarahmariejettewrites 

Giveaway Details

Sarah and I are offering a Kindle e-book of One Fair Share for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by May 23rd. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or follow Sarah on her social media sites, mention this in the comments, and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway is International.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can find the participating blogs on his blog. 

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops 

Wednesday, May 13th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Andrea Colvin and a query critique giveaway 

Saturday, May 16th, I’m participating in the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop 

Monday, May 25th, I’m off for Memorial Day 

Monday, June 1st, I’m participating in the Very Berry Giveaway Hop 

Wednesday, June 3rd, I have an interview with Dana Swift and a giveaway of her YA When Dealing With Dragons and my IWSG Post 

Monday, June 8th, I have a guest post by Rebecca Caprera and a giveaway of her MG Eva to the Max 

Tuesday, June 16th, I’m participating in the Dad-o-Mite Giveaway Hop 

Wednesday, June 17th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Madelyn Knecht and a query critique giveaway 

I hope to see you on Wednesday!

 

 

Author Interview: Dana Mele and The Beast You Let In Giveaway and IWSG Post

Happy Wednesday, Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Dana Mele here to share about their YA horror/mystery new release, The Beast You Let In. It has a very intriguing mystery, and I’m looking forward to reading it. 

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

 

Everyone in the rural town of Ashling knows the tale of Veronica Green, a teen who was murdered in the woods. But did a party trick bring her back to claim her revenge? A fast-paced, suspenseful YA horror from the author of Summer's Edge and People Like Us.

There is no one Hazel trusts less than her self-centered twin, Beth. Like when Beth storms out of a party, abandoning Hazel when she didn't want to attend in the first place. Rather than chasing after her, Hazel throws herself into flirting and telling ghost stories over a Ouija board. She might not be the popular twin, but she can be fun too.

Except Beth doesn't come home that night, and Hazel's anger morphs into anxiety. It only sharpens when Beth reappears a day later, disoriented and claiming to be Veronica Green, a teen who was murdered in their small town years before. If it isn't a possession, Beth is really good at faking it. Did they accidentally release a vengeful horror during the party?

Hazel must uncover what happened to Veronica all those years ago if she's going to save Beth. But the truth may destroy them both—if they don't destroy each other first.

 

Before I get to Dana’s interview, I have my Insecure Writers Support Group Post.

Posting: The first Wednesday is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day. 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! 

The awesome co-hosts this month are: Jenni Enzor, Jemima Pett, Jamie of Uniquely Maladjusted but Fun, and Kim Lajevardi! 

Optional Question: What was the most inspiring feedback you received from readers, including agents, editors, and beta readers? 

This is an easy one for me. It was the time the editor at my first SCBWI conference asked me to send her my full manuscript. Then she sent me a nice rejection letter about a year after I sent it to her, saying she had taken it to acquisitions. Even though they didn’t feel my story was strong enough (it needed work), the fact that this editor took my manuscript that far in the process has given me a lot of confidence in my writing and hope that I could get published in the years since. 

Interview With Dana Mele

 Hi Dana! Thanks so much for joining us.

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer. 

Hi! Thanks so much for hosting me. This is a difficult one to answer briefly but the TL;DR is that I always wanted to be a writer but wasn’t sure what kind and strongly doubted that I was good enough. Fast forward many, many years to when I was laid off after my parental leave ended and I decided to try writing and querying a novel (I did write a few that weren’t quite there yet). I got one full request from an agent who ultimately passed but liked my writing and was interested in seeing more, and I was almost finished writing People Like Us, so I finished that and sent it along, and she ended up really loving that one. 

2. Where did you get the idea for The Beast You Let In? 

You know, honestly? I’m pretty sure whenever I answer that question for any of my books, I’m not entirely telling the truth. 

It’s not malicious at all. It’s just that my ideas don’t come from anywhere, and it feels embarrassing to admit it, so I try to piece together an answer in retrospect, like that scene in The Usual Suspects where the detective sees all the fragments Kaiser Soze used to cobble together his story. For example, I’ve said that People Like Us was inspired by a murder that happened on Halloween night when I was in college, and I say that because the coincidence is incredible, and it must have been there in my subconscious. I based the story on my experience at Wellesley, and that murder really did happen and freaked out me and my friends that one night. But while I was writing it, I wasn’t consciously thinking about anything at all. 

All of my books start as a one-line elevator pitch—a what if. I have dozens of them on my notes app waiting to be written, and the truth is that they randomly occur to me at all hours of the day. 

I write them down, and when I’m ready to start writing, I pick one that resonates in the moment. Settings, subplots, and themes are inspired by real life, but the plot lines are mostly these what ifs that run in and out of my head all day like a crowded train station. 

3. It sounds like a usual tool to start with an elevator pitch. Did you plot out the mystery of what happened to Veronica Green and how that ties into Beth’s disappearance and reappearance, or let the plot evolve as you wrote? Why did this process work for you? 

A little of both! I started out as a writer 100% a pantser but now I’m more of a hybrid. If I stick too rigidly to an outline, my writing tends to come out sounding rigid and a little arms-length, because I like to discover the story as I write. If I plot it too much beforehand, I’ve already discovered it and it’s hard for me to stay engaged. For this book, I actually plotted it pretty heavily but used my detailed outline as a guideline rather than a rule, and that worked perfectly. 

4. Some reviewers really liked your plot twists that they didn’t see coming and found this to be a real page turner. How did you decide on plot twists and keep the tension mounting so readers want to turn the page? Do you have any tips for other writers? 

The plot twists were somewhat baked into the general premise of this one, without giving away any spoilers! I always feel like an imposter giving advice, but I can offer a few ideas: it’s helpful to end chapters on a cliffhanger. It’s helpful to have a ticking clock (like when Hazel needs to find Beth in the first 24 hours). It’s helpful to have an or else. Hazel needs to solve the Veronica murder because it appears that if Beth is possessed, Veronica is formulating a hit list to get revenge on those who wronged her. Solve the murder or else there will be more murders. 

5. Thanks for those useful tips! Twin sisters Hazel and Beth are intriguing characters, and I’m wondering why they aren’t close. Share a bit about them and what you found fun about developing these characters. 

Beth and Hazel were super close as kids, but they’re very different people as siblings (Beth is nonbinary, though they are not out to Hazel at the beginning of the book). As they grew older, they grew apart, and resentment and distrust started to drive a wedge between them. Hazel has a hard time understanding why Beth would spend time with the people Beth likes and Beth doesn’t trust the people Hazel trusts. So there’s a slow erosion of the trust between them, and it’s very mutual, though we only see it from Hazel’s side at the beginning, culminating in what Hazel views as the ultimate betrayal, which of course is not quite Beth’s experience of the same event. I always find it fun to start a story telling one character’s side of the story and then kind of present the defense case. Maybe it’s the lawyer in me.  

6. I’m a retired lawyer and get what you mean about there being another side to the story. Ginger Clark is your agent. How did she become your agent, and what was your road to publication like? 

I described my road to publication in a nutshell above, but Ginger was actually my third agent. It’s so common to have multiple agents when you’ve been in publishing for a while (nine years for me!) My previous agent and I had parted amicably and I was referred by a mutual friend. Ginger represented a lot of authors and books I was a huge fan of and I sent her the book I was working on. She loved it, made an offer, and that was that. I was absolutely thrilled it worked out! 

7. This is your third book since your debut novel, People Like Us, was published in 2019. How have you been able to consistently continue to publish new books besides the obvious of writing good stories? 

So, People Like Us actually came out even before that, in February 2018–I can’t even believe it’s been that long! Multiple major world events and personal life experiences have occurred in that time and I honestly don’t feel like the same person. I have to believe that’s true for many people, including authors. We have all been through a lot. 

And that’s the part that has made writing hard. I started writing this book during the height of COVID, and then stopped because everything was too much. There were a lot of personal reasons I needed to stop writing and focus on life. And when I picked it back up again, it was a more meaningful story. 

I’m glad I took that break. I will always take a break when I need to. It’s one of the things I think (besides the obvious) is a real bummer about authors falling back on AI when they hit a roadblock. Sometimes that roadblock is needed, both for your own wellbeing and for your creative development. If your brain is telling you stop, you have to just stop. There are other matters to attend to. 

8. I saw on your website that you had an exclusive cover reveal in People magazine, and The Beast You Let In was featured in Cosmopolitan. How did both of these great promotion opportunities come about? 

I asked my publicist if she would mind reaching out about a cover reveal and an excerpt reveal. I am so beyond grateful that both of those worked out. Media coverage is never a given and I’ve been incredibly lucky with my previous books, so it’s always a little bit of a nail-biting experience, especially because I don’t have a huge social media following. 

9. How are you planning to market your book? How has your approach to promoting your books changed since you were a debut author? 

My approach has changed in that I have a healthier work life balance. I’m doing several events that I’m super excited about, I’m hyping my book on Instagram, and I’m really excited to share it with the world! 

At the same time, I understand that as an author, I can’t move the needle. I engage in social media when it’s healthy and fun to do so, and when it’s not, I don’t. 

When I was a debut I also never said no to anything. There can sometimes be a pressure to always be on call that can be particularly hard on neurodivergent and disabled authors, though I can only speak for myself. The biggest change for me was learning to make healthy decisions. It’s okay not to be available 24/7. To delete apps or take a social media hiatus. The world will keep turning if you put your health and safety first. It will be glad you are still in it. 

10. What are you working on now? 

A couple of things that I’m not sure I can talk about in detail yet, but I’ll say this: one is a YA with witchy vibes that I hope to be able to talk about very soon, one I can say absolutely nothing about, and the last is another YA that is the book of my heart. Like, this is the book that will haunt me to my grave. I know because it’s already begun. 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Dana. You can find Dana at

www.danamele.com 

Giveaway Details

Dana’s publisher is generously offering a paperback of The Beast You Let In for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by May 16th. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or follow Dana on their social media sites, mention this in the comments, and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway is US.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops 

Monday, May 11th, I have an interview with Sarah Marie Jette and a giveaway of her MG One Fair Share 

Wednesday, May 13th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Andrea Colvin and a query critique giveaway 

Saturday, May 16th, I’m participating in the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop 

Monday, May 25th, I’m off for Memorial Day 

Monday, June 1st, I’m participating in the Very Berry Giveaway Hop 

Wednesday, June 3rd, I have an interview with Dana Swift and a giveaway of her YA When Dealing With Dragons and my IWSG Post 

Monday, June 8th, I have a guest post by Rebecca Caprera and a giveaway of her MG Eva to the Max 

Tuesday, June 16th, I’m participating in the Dad-o-Mite Giveaway Hop 

Wednesday, June 17th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Madelyn Knecht and a query critique giveaway 

I hope to see you on Monday!

 

 

 

 

Come What May Giveaway Hop

 

Happy Friday Everyone! Today I'm excited to participate in the Come What May Giveaway Hop hosted by MamatheFox and MomDoesReviews. I hope you're having a good start to May. I'm looking forward to starting my vegetable garden any day now and am enjoying the beautiful spring weather.   

Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

I’ve got a lot of exciting newly released MG and YA book choices this month that you might like. You can also choose another book in the series by these authors or a book of your choice. You can find descriptions of these books on Goodreads. Here are your choices:

If you haven't found a book you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

 

Giveaway Details

To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by May 15th telling me whether you want a book, and if so, which one, or the Amazon gift card and your email address. Be sure to include your email address. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address. 

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter or Bluesky, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book giveaway is U.S. only and the Amazon gift card giveaway is International.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can find the participating blogs on his blog. 

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Wednesday, May 6th, I have an interview with Dana Mele and a giveaway of her YA The Beast You Let In and my IWSG post 

Monday, May 11th, I have an interview with Sarah Marie Jette and a giveaway of her MG One Fair Share 

Wednesday, May 13th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Andrea Colvin and a query critique giveaway 

Saturday, May 16th, I’m participating in the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop 

Monday, May 25th, I’m off for Memorial Day 

I hope to see you on Wednesday!

And here are all of the blogs participating in this blog hop:

MamatheFox, Mom Does Reviews, and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.

Literary Agent Interview: Erica Bauman and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Erica Bauman here. She’s an agent at Aevitas Creative Management. 

Status: Erica is currently closed to submissions but plans to reopen to queries the first week of June.

Hi­ Erica! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About Erica: 

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent. 

I’ve been working in the publishing industry since 2012, and what drew me to agenting was the long-term professional relationship between agents and their authors. I love the idea of not just finding incredible books but talented authors, and helping them grow in their careers and find readers. 

I started building my own client list in 2016, first in the MG and YA space, and then more recently branching out into adult fiction. 

About the Agency: 

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors. 

When I joined what is now Aevitas, we were still two smaller agencies that hadn’t yet merged. In the last ten years we’ve really grown in size, and offer our clients benefits like a dedicated foreign rights team and film team, but still approach our work as a very hands-on boutique agency. All of my colleagues work editorially with our authors to make sure that the version of the book we send out to publishers is the strongest we can make it, and reflects well on our authors as professionals. 

What She’s Looking For: 

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent, and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres? 

I represent projects from ages MG and up. In the MG and YA space I’m open to all genres, as well as graphic novels and some select nonfiction. I have a soft spot for speculative fiction, but also love horror, mystery, and fun contemporary and romcoms. And across the board I’m looking to work with BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled and neurodivergent authors and stories. 

My list can be described as projects with a strong commercial hook, depth and emotional resonance, and enthralling writing.   

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to see in the genres you are interested in? 

I love when an author brings an element of the unexpected to their project, like an out-there genre mashup or world building element, or a new perspective on a familiar trope or retelling. Something fun and surprising, but also integral to the story you’re telling. 

What She Isn’t Looking For:

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in? 

While I do have some picture books on my list, it’s not an area that I’m actively looking for. Anything younger than middle grade—so picture books, chapter books, and early reader—are not really in my wheelhouse. And, while I do represent graphic novel memoir, I’m not a great fit for prose memoir. I also don’t represent story collections or poetry collections. 

Agent Philosophy: 

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent? 

This may be a bit of a cliché answer, but I want to work with authors who are willing to roll up their sleeves and work. The publishing industry is tough—there are a lot of writers and only so many books acquired per year, and more often than not you and your book only get one chance to make a good impression. So when it comes to queries, I’m not only looking for manuscripts that are fun and engaging, but show a level of craft and polish that are evidence of that author’s hard work. 

Editorial Agent: 

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors? 

Yes—I majored in creative writing, so I love rolling up my sleeves and digging into a manuscript. The submission process in anxiety inducing, and there are so many factors outside of an author’s control, but what we can control is the manuscript and writing itself. So I work closely with my authors and we usually do a couple rounds of revision to make sure that the version of the manuscript we send out is the strongest and most polished example of that author’s writing. 

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting) 

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter? 

I only accept queries through Query Tracker—any unexpected email queries are swept up by my spam filter. As for the query letter itself, I know that one of the biggest challenges is finding the right balance between conveying enough of the specific details of your story so that your concept/plot feels distinct, but not too much in that limited space that it becomes overly complicated and convoluted. It’s tough to thread that needle, and usually takes a couple drafts to get right, but it is so important—I’m looking for a clear sense of what the book is not just to determine whether it’s a fit for my list and something I can sell, but to also get a sense of whether the author knows how to talk about their book. It’s not a skill that comes naturally to most people, so getting outside reads and feedback on your query letter, or studying the jacket copy of the books you already own, or even practicing talking about your book like it was just something you picked up and want to recommend to a friend can all help you distill your pitch. 

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you? 

Query letters are an opportunity for you to argue your case for why someone should read your book, so don’t waste it. A too short query letter is a wasted opportunity—you have the full page, take advantage of it. It’s also a professional introduction to agents of what you will be like as a business partner, so writing from the POV of your characters doesn’t give us a clear picture of how who you are as a colleague and collaborator. And any query letters that disparage other authors or other published books communicates to me someone who needs to tear others down to make themselves feel valued, and that’s not a personality I’m interested in working with. 

As for first pages, I see a lot of openings where the character wakes up suddenly from a dream. And—this may just be a me thing—but opening pages that start with an intriguing line or moment, and then immediately flash back to either earlier in the day or to an extended memory to show how they got there. Start the story where it starts. 

Response Time: 

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript? 

Right now my response time for queries is hovering at around 3 months. I tend to put queries I’m intrigued by in my maybe pile for a second look, before requesting more pages, so those take a bit longer. I also read queries by genre, rather than chronologically, so responses can go out of order. 

Self-Published and Small Press Authors: 

11.  Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them? 

I’m open to representing previously published or self-published authors, however when it comes to queries I’m looking for books that have not been previously published. So, if an established author has a brand new project they’re querying, that’s great, but signing an author for a book that has already been released is a little outside of my wheelhouse. 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

I’m lucky that I get to work with New York Times bestselling author Kayla Cottingham, Eisner and Harvey Award nominated author Tony Weaver Jr., acclaimed YA author Maria Ingrande Mora, and Lambda Literary Fellow Naseem Jamnia, to name a few. 

Interviews and Guest Posts: 

13. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you. 

“Genres, Tropes, Trends, and Finding Your Agent Fit with Agent Erica Bauman”—The Manuscript Academy Podcast, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/genres-tropes-trends-and-finding-your-agent-fit-with/id1171799743?i=1000663492092 

My MSWL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TTAlk2Accs and https://manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/erica-bauman/ 

Links and Contact Info: 

14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web. 

I can be queried at https://QueryTracker.net/query/EricaBauman, and any updates on my query inbox and MSWL can usually be found on my Instagram: @EricaBaumanBooks 

Additional Advice 

15. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered? 

It’s good to have goals as an author, but be flexible in how you get there. There’s no set path in publishing, so many factors that affect every step on the path, and every author’s journey is different. So set goals you want to aim for (and communicate those with your agent), but be flexible in that the journey is not always a straight line. 

Same goes with your writing—know the non-negotiables for your manuscript, those elements that if changed or removed would fundamentally affect your relationship with the project, and be open and receptive to feedback everywhere else. You want to find someone whose vision aligns with yours, who values the same things about the manuscript, but can provide editorial insight that you might have overlooked to help you better execute your authorial vision. 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Erica!

 Giveaway Details

­Erica is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through May 9th. If you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me know in the comments. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway. 

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com 

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change.

 Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops 

Friday, May 1st, I’m participating in the Come What May Giveaway Hop 

Wednesday, May 6th, I have an interview with Dana Mele and a giveaway of her YA The Beast You Let In and my IWSG post 

Monday, May 11th, I have an interview with Sarah Marie Jette and a giveaway of her MG One Fair Share 

Wednesday, May 13th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Andrea Colvin and a query critique giveaway 

Saturday, May 16th, I’m participating in the Moms Rock Giveaway Hop 

Monday, May 25th, I’m off for Memorial Day 

I hope to see you on Friday, May 1st!