Agent Spotlight: Weronika Janczuk

This week's Agent Spotlight features Weronika Janczuk of Lynn C. Franklin Associates.

Status: Open to submissions, actively building her client list. 

About: “Weronika Janczuk is a literary agent with Lynn Franklin Associates. Previously she worked with the D4EO Literary Agency, the Bent Agency, and Flux, among others. Currently she represents a wide range of fiction and non-fiction for YA and adults alike—and is very actively building her list, especially  in areas of crime fiction (especially espionage and literary suspense/thrillers), women’s fiction and romance, both literary and high-concept YA, memoir, and narrative non-fiction.

“Representative sales include MISERERE: AN AUTUMN TALE (Night Shade Books, July 2011), a dark fantasy; TRUCKER GHOST STORIES (Forge/Macmillan, Summer 2012), a collection of ghost stories and lore from employees of the trucking industry; MEDICATING HYPERTENSION (Rowman & Littlefield, Fall 2012), a look at medications prescribed for high blood pressure; DANCING IN THE DARK (Flux, Winter 2013), originally published by Penguin Australia, a literary YA about an orthodox Jew who chooses to dance behind her parents’ backs, in a two-book deal; and THREE PARTS DEAD (Tor/Macmillan, TBD), a very clever fantasy about a first-year associate at an international necromantic firm who must unravel the mystery surrounding a god’s death, in a two-book deal.” (Link)

About the Agency:

“Lynn C. Franklin Associates, Ltd. is a literary agency representing non-fiction including memoir, biography, current affairs, spirituality, psychology/self-help, alternative medicine, as well as some literary and commercial fiction. Our agency is now expanding selectively into the field of children's books.

“We regularly attend major international book fairs in Frankfurt, London and Bologna, and work with a wide selection of international subagents in Europe and Asia for translation rights.” (Link)

Web Presence:

Agency Publisher’s Marketplace page.

Ms. Janczuk’s website / blog.

Writing Blog.

Publisher’s Marketplace page. 

WEbook.

Twitter.

Facebook.

Tumblr.

YouTube.

LinkedIn.

QueryTracker, AgentQuery.

What She's Looking For:

Genres/Specialties:

“Young adult, crime fiction (including thrillers, suspense, and procedurals), fantasy / sci-fi / paranormal fiction, literary fiction, commercial fiction, women’s fiction, horrors, single-title romances, memoirs, commercial non-fiction in areas related to women’s interests, history, current events, politics, biography, medicine/health, food, social sciences, science, New Age, history, the arts, education, psychology, parenting, pop culture, the environment, sports (nothing mainstream—I’m interested in things such as sailing, Xtreme Sports, etc.),  and relationships.” (Link)

From Her Website (08/2011):

“My favorite novelists in [young adult] would have to be John Green and Jandy Nelson. 

“I am looking for YA novels in all sub-genres, from the literary to the super commercial, but I can never bear to finish a book that is poorly written, even if the plot and concept are amazing. Would love to find a thriller or gritty mystery, and any sci-fi, romance, sexy historical fiction, and fantasy (including epics!). Will consider everything, but any dystopian, post-apocalyptic, paranormal, or paranormal romance that I take on will have to be SUPER unique in concept or execution; I don’t think voice will suffice. I love really witty, quirky characters who are intelligent, accessible, strong, and self-aware. I love puzzles. Plot twists that surprise me. Believability — the reason so few dystopians and paranormals made it on the list above is the believability factor (aka, cool concept, but no way would this ever happen — I have to believe it can, like in HARRY POTTER). Magical realism. Boy characters. Family stories. Edginess. Justified snarkiness. But also funny — just plain funny. Or serious; that’s okay too.” (Link w/info on other genres she reps.)

From Her PM Page (08/2011):

“I represent primarily fiction at the moment, but am interested in working with writers of all types, be they novelists, memoirists, or real-world experts. I love high-concept works in all genres, but I'm actively looking for any fiction from writers with distinct, fresh voices and superb writing. Many of my novelists' works share the same genre-bending/breaking quality. With non-fiction, I'm interested in proposals for projects that will be read by a wide audience (must have that excellent balance of platform, concept and writing) or smaller books that are groundbreaking in specific/niche ways.

“Though I consider all material, I would currently love to sign more writers of YA, romance, upmarket women's fiction, and crime fiction (ranging from espionage to literary suspense), as well as any experts with a platform on topics of technology, social media, education, or the environment.” (Link)

What She Isn't Looking For:

Picture books, middle grade, financial/business thrillers, chick lit, books written for the academic community, cozy mysteries, erotica / erotic romances, cookbooks, short story collections, novellas, Christian fiction. (Link)

Editorial Agent?

“I definitely consider myself a career and editorial agent—someone who wants to work with writers for years to come and someone who will help revise and rewrite projects in order to make them as best as possible before starting to submit. I don’t see any benefit to a different relationship, especially if a writer’s goal is to continue improving upon his or her relationship. It’s entirely a process, and consistency is key to that process.” (Link)

(Query) Pet-Peeves:

“Anything that isn’t a one-page-or-less breakdown of the plot in a way that entices me to read on—in other words, anything that drags, anything that is arrogant or presumptuous or assumptive, anything that is untrue, anything that doesn’t fit in with what I represent, anything overdone, anything with a limited scope, anything without good writing, etc.” (Link)

Clients:

There is a list of clients on Ms. Janczuk’s website. Clients include:

Scott G. F. Bailey, Robyn Bavati, L.C. Frost, Teresa Frohock, Max Gladstone, Dr. Samuel Mann, M.D., Dawn Kurtagich, Leah Raeder, Lindsay Smith, Lisa Sommerland, Annie Wilder.

Sales:

There is a list of recent deals on Ms. Janczuk’s website.

As of this posting, Ms. Janczuk is listed on Publisher’s Marketplace as having made 5 deals in the last 12 months and 5 overall.  Recent deals include 2 sci-fi/fantasy, 1 paranormal, 1 health, and 1 young adult.

NOTE: PM is usually not a complete representation of sales.

Query Methods:

E-mail: Yes (only).

Snail-Mail: No.

Online-Form: No.

Submission Guidelines (always verify):

Send a concise one-page query letter and the first five pages of your manuscript.  For non-fiction, include a bio, resume, and/or list of credentials, depending (nothing from the proposal).

Put the word QUERY in the subject line. No attachments.

See Ms. Janczuk’s website for complete, up-to-date submission guidelines.

Query Tip:

“To be honest, I rarely read the query first. I scan for title, genre, and word count, which are usually easy to find, and then I jump straight into the pages. Only if I’m drawn to the writing will I double-check the query to make sure it’s a concept that I want to work with and that I think would sell, if the entire novel delivered.” (Link)

Response Times:

Ms. Janczuk strives to respond to all material.  She updates the query page of her website with the date of queries and requests she’s currently through.

Stats on the web show Ms. Janczuk responding to most queries within hours to a few days or so and requested material within days to a couple weeks.  As usual, there are occasional outliers.

What's the Buzz?

There’s been some really great buzz about Ms. Janczuk becoming an agent, some genuine excitement and awe, but there’s also been some concern about her age and experience. Regardless (as most of that comes down to varied personal opinion), it’s clear she’s a very smart and passionate advocate for writers and is off to a great start with five deals in her first year as an agent. Her clients seem very happy, and I’m looking forward to watching her list grow.

I recommend following Ms. Janczuk on Twitter, @WeronikaJanczuk, and at her agent and writing blogs.  Reading through her interviews below will give prospective clients a taste of her knowledge and agenting philosophy as well.

Worth Your Time:

(Agent) Interviews:

An Interview with Guest Judge Weronika Janczuk at An Aspiring Writers’ World  (06/2011).

Agent Chat (transcript) with Weronika Janczuk at Write On (06/2011).

Interview with Agent Weronika Janczuk at Brenda Drake Writes (02/2011).

Fabulous Friday - Agent Interview - Weronika Janczuk at Shelley Watters (09/2010).

An Interview with Weronika Janczuk, Literary Agent at helluo librorum (09/2010).

Interactive Interview with an Agent: Weronika Janczuk at Mother. Write. (Repeat.) (09/2010).

Interview: Literary Agent Weronika Janczuk at Katrina L. Lantz’s site (08/2010).

Interview with Literary Agent Weronika Janczuk at Sierra Godfrey (08/2010).

So You Want to Be a Writer … An Interview with Weronika Janczuk at Young Writers @ The Loft (08/2010).

Youtube Interview with Weronika Janczuk by Loft Literary Center (08/2010).

Fangirl Friday - Interview with new agent Weronika Janczuk at The Punching Bag Fights Back (08/2010).

The Drug of Good Writing - the Weronika Janczuk interview at A. Victoria Mixon, Editor (08/2010)

Interview with Weronika Janczuk at How To Publish A Book (date unknown).

Agent Interview: Weronika Janczuk at Literary Life (07/2010).

Around the Web:

You can find conferences and events Ms. Janczuk is attending on the calendar on her website.

Lynn C. Franklin Associates on P&E.  Weronika Janczuk on P&E.

Lynn C. Franklin thread on AbsoluteWrite (previous agency here).

Client Leah Raeder’s QT Success Story (07/2011).

Client Max Gladstone’s agent success story (03/2011).

Exploring the Act(ion) Dilemma, guest post by Agent Weronika Janczuk at the DFW Writers Conference blog (12/2010).

Plot and Pacing Part 1, 2, and 3 at WriteOnCon (08/2010).

Contact:

Please see Ms. Janczuk’s website for contact and query information.

Profile Details:

Last updated: 8/11/11.

Agent Contacted For Review? Yes.

Last Reviewed By Agent? 8/11/11.

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Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at agentspotlight(at)gmail(dot)com

Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found herein is subject to change.