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Agent Spotlight: Carrie Hannigan

This week's Agent Spotlight features Carrie Hannigan of HG Literary. She is a partner and literary agent at the agency.
Status: Carrie is currently closed to submissions.
About: “Carrie was lucky enough to find her way to agenting quickly after moving to New York City. (There was a brief stint in the Rolling Stone Art & Photo Department and a similarly brief career at Glenn Horowitz Bookseller, a rare book and archive dealer.) After 16 years working at Russell & Volkening with the esteemed Timothy Seldes, she and her colleagues opened HG Literary in 2011 (then called HSG). Carrie specializes in children’s books but also represents a select, limited list of adult books.
"Some of her children’s book clients include: #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Vashti Harrison (BIG – Little, Brown, 2023; LITTLE LEADERS: BOLD WOMEN IN BLACK HISTORY – Little, Brown, 2017; SULWE by Lupita Nyong’o, winner of a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award – Simon & Schuster, 2019). The #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Grabenstein (The LEMONCELLO Series – Penguin Random House; The MAX EINSTEIN Series with James Patterson; THE ISLAND OF DR. LIBRIS – Penguin Random House, 2015; THE SMARTEST KID IN THE UNIVERSE – Penguin Random House, 2020). Author/illustrator and Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor winner Jonathan Fenske (BARNACLE IS BORED – Scholastic, 2016; I'M FUN, TOO! the first-ever LEGO® picture book – Scholastic, 2018). Author/illustrator and Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor winner Jennifer Morris (MAY I PLEASE HAVE A COOKIE? – Scholastic; FLUBBY IS NOT A GOOD PET – Penguin Workshop, 2019). And New York Times bestselling YA fantasy author Laurie Forest (THE BLACK WITCH series – Inkyard Press) and Indie bestselling YA fantasy author Leslie Vedder (THE BONE SPINDLE series – Razorbill Books). 
"Among Carrie’s adult clients are: Actor and Comedian Tracy Dawson (LET ME BE FRANK – HarperDesign, 2022); Ian Rosenberg, director and Emmy-nominated producer (THE FIGHT FOR FREE SPEECH – NYU Press, 2021); and Marilyn Chase, previously a journalist and senior special writer at the Wall Street Journal (EVERYTHING SHE TOUCHED: THE LIFE OF RUTH ASAWA – Chronicle, 2020)." (From the agency website)
About the Agency:
“HG Literary is a boutique literary agency, formed by Carrie Hannigan and Josh Getzler in 2011 (then called HSG). Our agents have over forty years combined experience in the publishing industry and represent a diverse list of best-selling and award-winning clients.
"HG is a full-service literary agency that through collaborative and client-focused representation manages all aspects of an author’s career, from manuscript shaping, to sale and publication, subsidiary rights management, marketing and publicity strategy, and beyond. Our diverse and skilled team represents all types of fiction and non-fiction, for both adults and children, and has strong relationships with every major publisher as well as familiarity with independent and start-up publishers offering a different approach to publishing. Our clients have access to the resources and expertise of every member of our agency team, which includes contracts professionals, a film/TV rights director, foreign rights managers, and royalty and accounting specialists. Most importantly, our worth is measured by the success of our clients, and so you will find in each HG agent not only a staunch advocate but a career-long ally." (From the agency website)

Web Presence:
HG Literary website
Publisher’s Marketplace page
QueryTracker
Facebook
What She's Looking For:
From Her Publisher’s Marketplace Page:
"I represent all types of children's books from picture books through middle grade and YA. I also represent adult fiction and non-fiction books.
"In children's books I am looking for picture books (no rhyming, please), middle grade and YA. While I do represent some fantasy, it really has to stand out from what is already on the market." 
What She Isn't Looking For:
Rhyming picture books
Editorial Agent?
“Yes, I am an editorial agent. I always revise and edit with my clients as it is rare for a manuscript to be perfect when it first comes in. Even at the picture book level!” (via e-mail 9/2013)
Clients:
There are pages of client titles on the agency website and in her bio above.
Query Methods: Carrie is currently closed to submissions.
E-mail: No.
Snail-Mail: No.
Online-Form: Yes. "Carrie accepts unsolicited queries through Query Tracker at http://QueryMe.Online/Hannigan." (Link)
Submission Guidelines (always verify):
Use the Query Tracker Online-Form
See the HG Literary website for complete, up-to-date submission guidelines.  
Response Times:
Carrie responds within 8 weeks.
What's the Buzz?
Ms. Hannigan is a long-established agent with verified clients and sales. She is open to all types of children’s books (except rhyming picture books) and appears to represent author-illustrators as well.
Worth Your Time:
Interviews:
None found online.
Contact:
Please see the HG Literary website for additional contact and query information.
Profile Details:
Last Updated: 2/14/2023.
Agent Contacted for Review? Yes.
Last Reviewed By Agent? 4/17/2023.
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Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7(at)gmail(dot)com

Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's/teen 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.



























































9 comments:

  1. I had contact with Carrie a year or so ago when I was shopping around a manuscript, and she's great--smart, funny, genuine. Highly recommended!

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  2. Thanks for posting this. I will definitely be sending her a submission.

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  3. Thanks for posting. It's always nice to know there are agents out there who are open to all genres.

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  4. Getting my query ready for Carrie, she sounds perfect for me :)

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  5. Thanks for the info. I'll put this in my literary bookmarks.

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  6. Looking at other opportunities besides traditional - that seems to be what a lot of agents are doing now.

    Interesting that she's not taking any dystopian. Has it run its course?

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  7. Oh wowee! She takes picture books! SCHWEET! Thanks for all you ladies do. *pat on the back*

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  8. Thanks for sharing this. I've been told before that it's hard to market religious fiction (or even fiction with religion as a supporting character), so it's nice to see that there's an agent out there who represents this.

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