AGENT SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW WITH JENNIFER MARCH SOLOWAY AND QUERY CRITIQUE GIVEAWAY

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Jennifer March Soloway here. She is an associate literary agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

Status: Open to submissions.

Update on 1/5/2023: Jennifer has been promoted to a senior literary agent.

Hi­ Jennifer! Thanks so much for joining us.

Thanks! I’m thrilled to be here!

About Jennifer:

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

Before I joined ABLA, I worked in public relations and marketing in a number of industries, including banking, health care, and toys—and except for banking, there was always a focus on kids. When I worked for the toy company, in addition to managing public relations and producing the catalog, I was the toy inventor liaison, which meant several times a year I would travel around the country to meet with toy inventors, who would pitch their toy ideas to me. It was the coolest job!

Selling an invention to our company was tough. We had a very strong internal design team, and we almost never bought outside ideas, so it was difficult to place with us. But every once in a while, I would find an invention that was perfect for our new line. It was my job to then negotiate the terms and the contract with the inventor.

Sounds a bit like agenting, doesn’t it?

Not long after, I decided to pursue my passion for literature and got an MFA in English and Creative Writing with an emphasis on young adult literature. I was first introduced to the Andrea Brown Literary Agency at the Big Sur Children’s Writing Workshop, and later, I got the opportunity to be Executive Agent Laura Rennert’s assistant. I found the publishing industry fascinating. I enjoyed reviewing contracts and thinking strategically on behalf of the clients. I had fun writing pitches. I even liked reviewing royalty statements. Most of all, I loved editorial. I discovered it gives me great joy to help writers find their story. I love to champion others.

In mid-2016, I was promoted to Associate Agent. Laura has been an amazing mentor and teacher, and our entire agency is incredibly collaborative and supportive. I feel so fortunate and grateful to work with such a dynamic group of women.

Today, I represent a handful of clients—picture book author/illustrators and MG/YA novelists, as well as a few adult writers—and I’m actively looking for new clients to add to my list.

About the Agency:

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

The Andrea Brown Literary Agency is a mid-sized literary agency headquartered in Northern California with offices in Southern California, Chicago, and New York. Our is to make sure clients are not only published, but published well. Most recently, two of our clients were longlisted for the National Book Award: Mitali Perkins for YOU BRING THE DISTANT NEAR (FSG/Macmillan, 2017), and Meg Medina for BURN BABY BURN (Candlewick, 2016), and Neal Shusterman won the 2017 Michael L. Prinz Honor for SCYTHE (BFYR/S&S, 2016). Our agency invests a great deal of care and time into each project and client. We seek long-term relationships with our clients and work with clients at every stage of the writing process, from editorial to submission and beyond. We handle everything from domestic deals to foreign rights, plus film and TV, etc.

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 authors and illustrators of picture book, middle grade, and young adult stories, as select adult fiction, both literary and commercial, particularly crime, suspense and horror projects. (I like to be scared!)

For picture books, I am drawn to a wide range of stories from silly to sweet, but I especially love funny, interactive read-aloud’s with some kind of surprise at the end. When it comes to middle grade, I like all kinds of genres, including adventures, mysteries, spooky-but-not-too-scary ghost stories, humor, realistic contemporary and fantasies grounded in reality.

Young adult is my sweet spot. I adore high-concept commercial page-turners of any genre, full of unexpected twists. I’m a huge fan of scary, psychological suspense that blurs the lines between the real and the imagined. But as much as I love a good thriller, my favorite novels are literary stories about ordinary teens, especially those focused on family, relationships, sexuality, mental illness, or addiction.

Regardless of genre, I am actively seeking fresh new voices and perspectives underrepresented in literature. I love literature that allows me to see the world in a way I would never experience on my own.

That’s my wish list, but an author might have something I have never considered before, and it might be absolutely perfect for me. I am open to any good story that is well written with a strong, authentic voice. Surprise me!

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

I would love to find a magical MG fantasy with friendship and/or family themes; a spooky-but-not-too-scary MG ghost story; or a YA about good teens making bad decisions that lead to dire consequences. (Cheating? Check! Bad girlfriends or boyfriends? Check! Shipped off to summer reform camp? Yes!)

What She Isn’t Looking For:

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

I am not the right agent for chapter books or novels in verse. I like both, but neither area is my editorial strength. Also, as much as I love a good, gritty story (I will go very dark and violent), if it’s misogynist or gratuitously abusive against women and/or children, I’m out. I’ve passed on numerous projects for that reason.

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?

First, I look to fall in love with a project. I want to represent stories and art that explore universal truths and evoke strong emotions: joy, sadness, fear, compassion, excitement, or better yet, all of the above. Then, I talk to the creator. Do my editorial suggestions for the project resonate with them? Is it easy for us to talk to one another? Are we aligned in our goals for the working relationship? If the answer is yes, yes, and yes, then I will offer representation, and if I’m lucky, they will accept.

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?

My goal is to help my clients revise and polish their manuscripts for publication and make their project the best it can be, so I spend a lot of time reading client manuscripts and providing editorial feedback. In other words, if you sign with me, I’m going to make you work, but only because I want to put our very best foot forward.

I believe giving good feedback is an art. I try to give editorial suggestions worded in such a way that the author not only understands the issue but also feels inspired and encouraged to revise. My style is detailed and encouraging; I don’t like to be harsh or blunt. If that’s the style you want, I am not the right agent for you.

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 like to see the following in a query letter:

• A simple salutation, and perhaps the reason why you think I’d be a good fit for your project;
• A description of the project (category, genre, word-count, and comparable books in the market);
• A 1-2 paragraph pitch (or a 1-2 sentence pitch for a picture book project); and
• A brief bio, and contact information (email, Twitter handle, etc.)

Per our submission guidelines, authors can query me at soloway@andreabrownlit.com. Please put “Query” in the subject of the email and include the following in the body of the email text:

• ​A query letter; and
• The first 10 pages of the manuscript​ or the complete text of a picture book project copied into the body of the email text.
• Please no attachments, except for illustrations (in jpeg format), or picture book dummy (either a PDF or a Dropbox link, etc. works well)

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

I think the biggest mistake I see is authors submitting work too soon. I see potential in almost every submission, but most projects I receive are at too early a stage for me to offer representation. The drafts tend to be too raw and in need of more work. Often, I can tell the author is still writing to discover, or if they have discovered the end, they have yet to rework the beginning and middle.

I am looking for something with potential, something I think I can sell. I want to read the story and have a vision for how the work could be elevated and polished. A manuscript doesn’t have to be perfect, but at the same time, it has to be really good.

Response Time:

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

I am grateful for the opportunity to consider all submissions. I read every query carefully, and I wish I could respond to everyone personally. Unfortunately, as we state in our submissions guidelines, because of the high volume of material that we receive, we are no longer able to respond personally to every submission. If an author has not heard from me within six weeks, the author can assume that the material submitted is not right for our agency at this time.

If I request a manuscript, my goal is to read and respond to the author within 6-8 weeks, or sooner if possible. Sometimes, I am able to respond quickly, but unfortunately, I occasionally fall behind in my submissions. When I do, I try to reach out to the author to let them know I’m behind.

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 am open to authors who have self-published or have been published by smaller presses, as long as they are submitting new, unpublished projects for my consideration. My advice to previously published authors is to be honest about their past publication history. It’s helpful for me to know everything up front, so I can best support and strategize a client’s career moving forward.

12. With all the changes in publishing—self-publishing, hybrid authors, more small publishers—do you see the role of agents changing at all? Why?

It is really difficult to get published traditionally without an agent. Many houses do not accept unsolicited manuscripts, although there are exceptions like Chronicle Books, for example. A good agent will have strong working relationships with many editors at the various houses and will help devise a strategy to find the best editor/house in terms of fit.

It can be especially helpful to have an agent who knows and understands what terms to negotiate for an author, considering the stage of their career and future projects, etc., as well as the best terms such as advance, royalty percentages, rights, future options, etc. A good agent will also be thinking about a client’s career long-term and what kinds of projects will best support that client’s brand, etc.

Interviews and Guest Posts:

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

Stories Unbound Podcast, Part 1: http://chrisoatley.com/su17/

Stories Unbound Podcast, Part 2: http://chrisoatley.com/su18/

The Grotto Pod: https://www.sfgrotto.org/episode-43-jennifer-march-soloway-all-about-agents/

Story Makers Show Podcast: http://www.storymakersshow.com/episode-26-the-agents-perspective-what-aspiring-writers-need-to-know-plus-lots-of-great-information-for-childrens-middle-grade-and-ya-authors/

KidLit 411: http://www.kidlit411.com/2017/01/Kidlit411-Agent-Jennifer-March-Soloway.html

Manuscript Wish List: Persevering Through the Process, by Jennifer March Soloway: http://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/2017/10/persevering-through-the-process/

Sarah Nicholas Podcast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_8PQLUDUgw (9/2020)

Links and Contact Info:

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

Please query me at soloway@andreabrownlit.com

Andrea Brown Literary Agency: www.andreabrownlit.com

My extended wish list: http://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/jennifer-march-soloway/

For my latest conference schedule, craft tips and more, follow me on Twitter at @marchsoloway.

Additional Advice:

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

Please have a complete manuscript that you’ve revised extensively before you query. Revise and polish it as much as you can, then revise and polish one more time before you submit. Send queries in rounds; don’t hit everyone at once. Give yourself time to rethink and regroup after each round. If someone gives feedback, listen. If you don’t hear anything, take a look at your query letter and your opening pages. Look for ways to make both more enticing and engaging. Then send out another round of queries.

Most importantly, don’t give up. Keep writing. Keep revising. And as your preparing to submit, please keep me in mind. I love a good story, and I’d love to read yours.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Jennifer.

You are so welcome. Thank you again for having me!

­Jennifer is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follower button if you're not a follower) and leave a comment through May 5th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter either contest. If you do not want to enter the contest, that's okay. Just let me know in the comments.

If you 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.

Profile Details:
Last updated: 6/1/2020
Agent Contacted For Review? Yes.
Reviewed By Agent? N/A

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail 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.