Upcoming Agent Spotlight Interviews & Guest Posts

  • Stuti Telidevara Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 3/20/2024
  • Agent Rachel Orr and Author Cathy Carr Guest Post and Lost Kites and Other Treasures Giveaway on 3/25/2024
  • Paula Weiman Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 4/8/2024
  • Hillary Fazzari Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 4/22/2024
  • Miriam Cortinovis Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 5/6/2024
  • Jenniea Carter Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 5/8/2024
  • Caroline Trussell Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 5/20/2024
  • Jenna Satterthwaite Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 6/10/2024
  • Bethany Weaver Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 6/24/2024

Agent Spotlight & Agent Spotlight Updates

  • Agent Spotlights & Interviews have been updated through the letter "H" as of 5/11/2023 and many have been reviewed by the agents. Look for more information as I find the time to update more agent spotlights.

Agent Spotlight: Paige Terlip Interview and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Paige Terlip here. She is a literary agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Status: Open to submissions

Hi­ Paige! Thanks so much for joining us.

About Paige:

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

I had a bit of circuitous path to agenting, but I like to think all the varied jobs I’ve had support my career as an agent. I have always been a reader. When I was in high school, I severely injured my back and was on bed rest for most of my junior year. Books were my escape and my connection to the outside world. Since then, it was always a dream to somehow work with books someday. But before finding my way to agenting, I worked in marketing and communications at the National Renewable Energy Lab; web and graphic design for behavioral health businesses; and even at a ranch in the Rockies. Something was still missing, so I went back to school—getting an MA in Children’s Literature and an MFA in Writing for Children from Simmons University. After that, I worked in a variety of jobs across publishing before landing at Andrea Brown Literary Agency. I have been with the agency since 2017 and have been an Associate Agent for over a year.

 

After my promotion to Associate Agent in early 2021, I focused on building my list of incredibly talented authors and illustrators. I also sold some amazing projects, and I can’t wait until we can announce them all!

About the Agency:

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

The Andrea Brown Literary Agency specializes in children's and adult literature, celebrating thousands of titles sold since our founding in August 1981. We work to bring to light the voices and perspectives of new writers as well as to nurture and develop the careers of experienced authors. Our goal, whether seeking to secure a publishing contract for a first book or a fiftieth book, is to make sure that clients are not only published, but published well.

Our philosophy is to remain a "small" agency at heart. We invest a great deal of personal care and attention in each project and in each client, and we are hands-on in all aspects of our interactions. We work closely with clients and devise a strategy at every stage of the writing process - from conception to editorial to submission - that is tailored to the client and that will enable us to find the best publisher for each book. In doing so, we think about both short term and long term goals for our clients, always keeping the trajectory of a successful career in mind.

Our agents have backgrounds in New York publishing, editing, academia, business, teaching, writing, design, marketing, and film, and one of our strengths as an agency is that we work collaboratively. Our clients have the benefit not only of their individual agent's expertise but of the combined experience and vision of the group.

As a West Coast based agency, we follow a tradition of West Coast innovation in our passion for discovering new voices, in our efforts to make New York publishing more accessible and inclusive of voices from other parts of the country, and in our attempt to see publishing trends that result from this broader perspective. We combine this approach with access, standing, and visibility in the publishing community at large. Our agents make regular trips to New York, attend industry conventions, and participate as faculty at writers' conferences all over the world.

With the personal client attention of a small agency and the business acumen and clout of a larger one, the Andrea Brown Literary Agency brings the best of both worlds to the table.

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 in picture books, MG, YA, and select adult fiction. Across age categories, I am drawn to high concept novels with captivating hooks, snarky characters with hearts of gold, creative magic systems, complicated relationships, and found families. I love well-plotted twists, being a little bit scared, and stories that explore the fluidity of gender and bring the queer experience to light. Regardless of genre, I am seeking inclusive, intersectional voices and gorgeous line-level writing with emotionally compelling narratives.

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

I am particularly looking for funny MG and YA. Something with an unforgettable voice, banter, and wit—something that perfectly balances snark and heart. In MG something that feels like Stand Up, Yumi Chung! or That Thing About Bollywood or in YA something like Not My Problem. I love seeing characters finding their individuality and owning their truth. In YA, I especially love to see characters doing this while also navigating hormones and first loves.

I’d also love to see a twisty YA thriller that not only surprises through the plot but also delves into the dark complexities of the human mind. For me it’s not just about the “who” but the “why” of it all, which is often more compelling. If it borders on horror or comments on our current social/political struggles, all the better.

Some other random things I love to see in books across age groups and genres: kids who love cooking or baking; girls who excel in martial arts; unapologetic protagonists; dogs; crystals and tarot; kids who love or are learning to love nature / gardening; mysteries and puzzles; old houses with their own secrets; multi-generational narratives (especially if it involves magic); old books in old libraries; and when kids challenge entrenched ideology.

What She Isn’t Looking For:

I am still open to the perfect picture book—especially if it’s an author-illustrator—but I am being very selective right now.

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

I am not the best agent for memoirs, sci-fi set only on spaceships, or books about eating disorders. I am also very selective and PB and that rhyme. Though sometimes the right project will change my mind. If you think we would be a good fit, go ahead and surprise me!

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?

My mission as a literary agent centers on prioritizing an author's career, not just an individual title. I work with authors at every step of the publishing pipeline from the spark of an idea, to negotiating contracts, to post-publication marketing efforts. Together we will strategize benchmarks to secure long and short-term goals. I am also an editorial agent and believe in creating as strong a manuscript as possible before going on submission.

I approach agenting with a background in graphic design and marketing. I love utilizing these skills to make my clients' projects stand out. I gravitate toward books that instantly conjure a mood and visual in my mind, and I use this inspiration to pitch projects in unique ways. I am also dedicated to helping my clients strategize their marketing efforts pre- and post-publication. I believe that each book and author have a unique marketing angle and I strive to help my clients find the best approach to supplement a publisher's efforts. Overall, my goal is to help maximize a client's career with editorial, branding, and marketing support, as well as to open doors for film/TV, foreign, audio, and dramatic rights. 

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 am an editorial agent. I think it makes sense to have a strong manuscript before going to editors. It’s a very competitive market and a more polished project has a better chance to stand out in a crowded inbox. However, it’s a balance. I don’t want to burn out my authors—there will still be more revision once it’s acquired—and there should also be room for an editor to put their stamp on a project.

I truly think revision is magical. Stories evolve in amazing ways during the revision process, and I like to think of myself as your revision guide. With that in mind, I am pretty direct with my feedback, but I always try for balance—it’s just as important to know what is working as what might need more attention. I focus on big picture critique combined with specific examples and line level notes where changes might make the most impact. My goal is to ask the right questions which inspire the creativity to take your story to the next level. And I will add, an agent (even an editorial agent) is not a replacement for a critique group!

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?

Please query me via Query Manager. The link is https://querymanager.com/query/PaigeTerlip/. A query is meant to hook a reader and force them to read more. Make sure your query showcases your story in a captivating way—highlighting the global issues and the personal stakes—and ensure your sample pages are as polished as possible. Additionally, use comps that show you have a good grasp of where your book will fit in the market.

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

I’m pretty understanding about typos or small errors, but if the query is riddled with mistakes or grammar errors it can be a red flag. Additionally, the main reason I say no to a query is because the story or sample pages don’t feel ready yet. The premise might have amazing promise, but if the pages aren’t grabbing me, it’s a no—at least for now. Maybe the story isn’t starting in the right place or maybe the voice isn’t engaging enough, or the line level writing isn’t quite there yet. But these are all things that can be fixed.

One other thing to remember is that I often say “no” to projects I love. It’s honestly brutal to pass sometimes, but as much as I loved reading a project it doesn’t always mean I would be the best agent for it.

Response Time:

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

I try to respond to queries within 4-6 weeks, and for full manuscripts 6-8 weeks. I am the only one in my query box, I don’t currently have an assistant, so it’s just me reading. This means that there are times I might fall behind, but I always try to keep writers updated on my timeline. And remember I respond to everything so if you haven’t heard back, it just means I’m still considering.

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 repping all authors, but if you are querying a project that has been self-published or published at a small press, it is difficult for me to work on that title. If it’s already out in the world, it is more challenging to sell it somewhere else. It can happen but the circumstances tend to be extraordinary. If you are self-published or publishing with a small press, I would recommend querying something that hasn’t been published yet.

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?

Publishing is always changing and yet also not changing. The role of agents seems to be following the same pattern, but as long as there are traditional publishing deals happening Agents have an important role in pitching projects, negotiating deals and contracts, and supporting authors as they cultivate careers.

Clients:

13. Who are some of the authors you represent?

I represent a variety of authors, from author-illustrators to novelists. I also work with people at various stages of their career from debuts to established names. If you are interested in seeing some of my deals you can visit Publishers Marketplace or my personal website paigeterlip.com.

Interviews and Guest Posts:

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

Some resources include:

Authors Guild
Publishers Marketplace

Publishers Weekly
Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators
Writers Digest
Writers Market
Manuscript Wishlist
Literaticat: Ask the Agent

Update on 4/7/2023

Agent of the Month at Writing and Illustrating Part 1, Part 2

Links and Contact Info:

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

Please only query me through Query Manager. I get a lot of emails and if you send a query to my email, it won’t reach me.

My website is: https://paigeterlip.com/index.html

My agency website: https://www.andreabrownlit.com

My query manager: https://querymanager.com/query/PaigeTerlip

Follow me on social media:

https://twitter.com/pterlip

https://www.instagram.com/pterlip/

Additional Advice:

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

Persistence is key! The publishing process is a roller coaster. The people who are successful keep working and revising and persisting through all the ups and downs. I wish you all the best on your journey!

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Paige.

­Paige 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 March 5th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the 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.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wish Big Giveaway Hop

 

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I'm excited to participate in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop hosted by MamatheFox. I hope you're doing well and surviving the winter okay. Here in Michigan, it's been frigid since January. I am so looking forward to spring and warmer weather. But I have been enjoying reading more and working on my manuscript. 

Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift Card

I am offering a book of your choice that is $20 or less on Amazon or The Book Depository. I’m looking forward to seeing what books everyone is looking forward to reading. If you don’t have a book you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

Giveaway Details

One lucky entrant selected by the entry form will receive a book of their choice for $20 or less at Amazon or The Book Depository or a $10 Amazon Gift Card. Open to entrants internationally as long The Book Depository ships to you for free, 13 years and older. Open for entry from 2/16 – 2/28/2022 at 11:59 pm EST. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The selected winner will have 48 hours to respond to the notification email to claim this prize or a new winner will be selected.

Please note that you must be a blog follower and leave a blog comment to enter the contest. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Upcoming Interviews and Giveaways

Monday, February 21st I have an agent spotlight interview with Paige Terlip and a query critique giveaway

Wednesday, March 2nd I have an interview with debut author Humayan Khan and a giveaway of his contemporary Wrong Side of the Court

Monday, March 7th I have an agent spotlight interview with Chelsea Eberly and a query critique giveaway

Tuesday, March 8th I’m participating in the Let’s Get Lucky Giveaway Hop

Monday, March 14th I have a guest post by debut author Sonja Thomas and her agent Ronald Gerber with a giveaway of her MG contemporary Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence and a query critique giveaway

Wednesday, March 16th I'm participating in the Chasing Rainbow Giveaway Hop and have an agent spotlight interview with Alyssa Eisner Henkin with a query critique giveaway

Hope to see you on Monday!

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


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

Master Checklist for a Powerful Presence at Book Fairs by Debut Author Leigh Lewis and Pirate Queens: Dauntless Women Who Dared to Rule the High Seas Giveaway

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have debut author Leigh Lewis here to share about her MG nonfiction fiction Pirate Queens: Dauntless Women Who Dared to Rule the High Seas. It sounds like a fascinating read.

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

Ariane Szu-Tu at National Geographic Kids has bought Pirate Queens: Dauntless Women Who Dared to Rule the High Seas by Leigh Lewis, a middle grade nonfiction title that combines verse poetry, illustrations, and nonfiction to explore important and often unheralded women throughout history who were powerful pirates in their own right. Publication is set for January 2022; Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown Ltd. handled the deal for world rights. Illustrations by Sara Gómez Wooley.

From Ching Shih, a Chinese pirate who presided over a fleet comprised of some 80,000 men (Blackbeard had 400!), to Anne Bonny who famously ran away from an arranged marriage to don trousers and brandish a pistol in the Bahamas, to Sayyida al Hurra, an Islamic queen who ruled the Western Mediterranean, this edgy illustrated book proves that since ancient times women have made their mark in all aspects of history—even pirate lore.

Reviewed by some of the world’s leading pirate experts and historians, Pirate Queens showcases six gutsy women who dared to rule the high seas.

Now here’s Leigh!

Master Checklist for a Powerful Presence at Book Fairs

Happy Valentine’s Day to those who celebrate and those who don’t! 

There were so many things I could have shared with you today, but the one thing I came back to, which I always seem to come back to, was a master list of some sort. If someone could please write and share the master list for life, you’d have a lot of thankful friends, with me in the front row. 

In the meantime, the following is a master list to help you kill it at book fairs. 

It will not help you with your inferiority complex spurred on by the immense talent and success of the other authors, or with second-guessing your choice of clothing (good thing you paid attention to the master list and brought a sweater to cover up that shirt!), or with overcoming the existential dread of having to speak to total strangers about yourself and your book for the next 6 hours. It will, however, ensure that you don’t have a dull booth. And allow you to have something pretty and impressive to post on social media and make your grandma proud (so probably Facebook). And also help pull said total strangers into your booth, possibly even to buy your book. IT’S A VALENTINE’S DAY MIRACLE! (Even if it’s any of the other 364 days of the week).

  Master Checklist for a Powerful Presence at Book Fairs

1.     Books (These may be pre-arranged to be there when you arrive, or you may need to bring them yourself, particularly if you are self-published.)

2.     Business cards

3.     *Business card holder 

4.     *Pens

5.     *Pen Holder 

6.     Nice pen(s) for you to sign your books. Keep these on you so they don’t walk away. Bring extras.

7.     *Display stand(s) for books

8.     *A sticker or a small note on the display book(s) which tells the price

9.     *Items to put other items on to make them taller so your display height is varied

10.  Swag 

11.  Bookmarks or postcards or flyers

12.  Cloth Tablecloth

13.  *Clips to adjust your tablecloth 

14.  Laptop or ipad. Show your book trailer on a loop

15.  *Chocolate or candy. (Never underestimate the pull of chocolate. See if you can tie into your book’s theme. Pirates=chocolate coins. Romance=Hershey kisses.)

16.  *A candy bowl or container 

17.  *A bowl or container to gather business cards 

18.  A sign-up sheet for those who don’t have business cards

19.  *A clipboard for the sign-up sheet 

20.  *Emergency kit: Scotch tape, duct tape, twine, a stapler, paper clips, scissors, post-it notes, blu tack. You likely won’t know your exact needs until you get there, so helps to be prepared. 

21.  A banner for behind your table or a poster on an easel or a retractable easel

22.  Standing poster(s) for your table

23.  *Water and snacks for yourself 

24.  A sweater

25.  Face masks (This was written during Covid times, but be sure to ask about the masking policy)

26.  Antibacterial gel. Lots of people, lots of hands. 

27.  A large bin with lid to carry your items easily

28.  A canopy if the book fair is outside. Practice setting it up beforehand!

29.  **A friend. This is definitely not always possible, but some people bring a friend/family member/assistant with them to handle sales, which frees them up to keep the conversation going with visitors. 

*Can be purchased at a dollar store. Dollar Tree had all of the starred items in stock.

**Definitely not for purchase at the dollar store.

Things to do or make or have made beforehand:

 -       Business Cards. For any of the paper goods or posters, compare prices of local printers. They are often less than half the price of online companies.

-       Bookmarks or postcards or flyers (though bookmarks can double as swag). Something that has information about your book, which visitors can take with them. You never know when a teacher or a librarian may come by and want to take something home and think about it. School visits, classroom set purchases, library purchases and more have come out of book fairs.

-       A banner or poster or retractable easel. Many options here, but something eye-catching that will be hung above everything else or sit to the side, up high. You’ll need to be flexible, depending on the layout, but it’s possible you could attach it to the wall, or a tree, or your canopy, or bring and use an easel. 

-       Standing poster(s) for your table. One or two allow you to convey the gist of your book to visitors if you are engaged in conversation with someone else. Print 8.5”x11” on regular paper, then cut out if you want them smaller, or need them to fit a picture frame for easier display.

-       A table banner (which hangs over the front of the table) promoting YOU (not just the book you are currently hocking). The rest of the booth, besides your business cards, will likely be book-focused. The table banner can be reused for years, regardless of which book(s) you are promoting.

-       A book trailer. This doesn’t have to be fancy. You can use a free app like Canva to create it. (This is definitely optional. If it causes you stress even thinking about it, skip it!)

-       Swag. Have something fun to give away. 

o   Could be something that features the cover of your book or one of your characters (A bookmark, sticker, a temporary tattoo) 

o   Or something that ties to your book (e.g.- a fortune-teller fish if your book is about a fortune teller). 

o   Consider having something for everyone who stops by (A bookmark or a sticker, or, say, if you wrote a book about the sea, a small bag of Goldfish) 

o   Or for everyone who buys a book (like an eyepatch for a pirate book, or a stress ball for a book on reducing stress). 

o   You don’t want to break the bank, so this is all optional, but you may find that buying in bulk online beforehand makes for very inexpensive swag. I purchased eye patches for $.08 each online. They took 2 months to arrive, but have been a huge hit. For swag such as stickers, pens, buttons, or temporary tattoos, check with online stores, which are often far cheaper than local stores.

-       Display stands for books. Purchase for cheap (2 for $1 at Dollar Tree), or make your own to fit your theme. For example, for a stabby fantasy book, make a stand from small swords.

-       A sign-up sheet for those who don’t have business cards

-       A sign to tape to a bowl or container to gather business cards which says, “Win a copy of [name of your book]!” or “Sign up for a free chapter of my next book!” or “Sign up for a free teacher’s guide"

-       Do a trial run with your table (and canopy, if the book fair is outside). At home, display everything as you intend to display it at the book fair. Once you are happy with the look, take a photo. Take a few. This will make everything run much more smoothly during setup on the day of. 

-       Heightening items. When you set up your trial run table at home, stand back and make sure things are at various heights. It’s hard to see everything if it’s all on the same level. If you need height, figure out what needs to be added to get it. Spray paint black cardboard boxes to elevate something. Or use a stack of books to gain height. Or get creative. If your book has, say, a truck driver in it, you could use a large, toy truck as a display item, and put your business cards and pens on top of it.

-       Decide what pen you will use to sign books, and practice to see if it bleeds and how much time it takes to dry. Metallic sharpies work great for dark pages. Here’s a link to an article about other options: https://techstarzone.com/the-best-pens-for-signing-books/

 Remember:

-       If you forgot something, it’s not the end of the world. 

-       All of the visitors are here to see you, so you’re with your people. 

-       Make friends with your neighbors. Writer friends are the best!

-       Engage with visitors. Talk about your book, your inspiration. Ask the visitor about themselves. You may end up connecting with other writers or teachers or librarians.

-       Put your phone away (except to take some photos. Remember to take some photos!)

-       Have fun! This is supposed to be fun! Wheeeeeeeeeeeee! (You can nap later.)

 Best of luck to you, and I hope to see you and your books and your stunningly gorgeous table at the next book fair!  

Leigh Lewis is a children’s writer whose middle-grade debut, Pirate Queens: Dauntless Women Who Dared to Rule the High Seas (National Geographic Kids), spotlights six fierce female pirates, telling each of their stories in verse. Leigh’s adventures on the high seas have enabled her to call many places home, including Turkey, Greece, England, Japan and Russia, and she eventually navigated her way back to her hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Leigh spends her time there dreaming up stories for kids of all ages, buoyed by an amazing crew—her Turkish delight of a husband and their three swashbuckling daughters. You can find her online at LeighLewisBooks.com, and @leighwriting on Twitter and Instagram. 

 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Leigh.

Giveaway Details

Leigh has generously offered a hardback of Pirate Queens: Dauntless Women Who Dared to Rule the High Seas 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 February 26th. If your e-mail is not on 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 your blog and/or follow me on Twitter, 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 giveaway is U.S.

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

Upcoming Interviews and Giveaways

Wednesday, February 16th I’m participating in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop

Monday, February 21st I have an agent spotlight interview with Paige Terlip and a query critique giveaway

Wednesday, March 2nd I have an interview with debut author Humayan Khan and a giveaway of his contemporary Wrong Side of the Court

Monday, March 7th I have an agent spotlight interview with Chelsea Eberly and a query critique giveaway

Tuesday, March 8th I’m participating in the Let’s Get Lucky Giveaway Hop

Hope to see you on Wednesday!

 

Agent Spotlight: Ginger Clark Interview and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Ginger Clark here. She recently left Curtis Brown, LTD, to start her own agency, Ginger Clark Literary.

Status: Open to submissions

Hi­ Ginger! Thanks so much for joining us.

About Ginger:

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

I started in publishing in 1998 (!!!) and after a year as an editorial assistant at Tor Books, I moved to Writers House where I was an assistant literary agent. I’ve been an agent since 2001, when I took on my first clients (John Dickinson, Richard Kadrey, and Elizabeth Wein). I moved to Curtis Brown in 2005, and then started my own agency in July 2021.

About the Agency:

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

Beyond the usual primary-agent functions, we have deep expertise in foreign and translation rights, contracts, and literary estates. My colleague, Nicole Eisenbraun, is our Translation Rights Manager in addition to handling her own list of clients. She’s fantastic, and it’s unusual for a smaller agency like GCL to have someone focused on foreign rights. Our work with the Contracts Committee for the AALA—I am presently the Committee’s chair—keeps us focused on new contract developments. And our work with estates gives us a long perspective on how contracts have evolved and been applied. We also partner with all the major book-to-film agencies.

When I make decisions about my agency, I’m thinking first: How this will affect my clients?

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’m looking for middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction on the children’s side of my list. I’m looking for everything in those age groups. If it’s for kids between ages 8 to 18, send it my way.

On the adult side of my list, I handle science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, and women’s fiction. Women’s fiction and romance are two genres I’m really hoping to build at this agency. I have always been a fan, but both genres were especially huge comforts to me in 2020 during the beginning of the pandemic.

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

I’d love to see more middle grade fiction and nonfiction, and more young adult nonfiction. I also remain a huge fan of historical fiction, for both age groups.

What She Isn’t Looking For:

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

I don’t handle picture books, and I’m not looking to take on any adult literary fiction at the moment.

Editorial Agent:

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

I have never gone on submission with a book that hasn’t gone through at least one round of revisions. I give notes on all clients’ unsold work and have follow-up phone calls to discuss my notes and answer any questions or concerns they have.

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

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

Please email me at submissions@gingerclarkliterary.com. Tell me a bit about how your book will fit into the market. Compare it to other recently published books. Spend a paragraph or two summarizing the plot, focusing on the main characters and their main arcs. You do not have to explain the ending—just talk about the first twenty percent of the book, until the main conflict or inciting incident happens.

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

Please don’t write the query letter in the voice of a character. Query letters are business correspondence. Authors are asking agents to be their business advisor and provide them a service. 

Response Time:

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

I review all queries within two weeks of receipt. For requested partials and full manuscripts, I’m currently responding within six weeks.

Self-Published and Small Press Authors:

10.  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 welcome all authors who have self-published or published with smaller presses. In fact, I welcome all authors, full stop!

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

My career has straddled a very interesting, very dynamic period of publishing. Publishing 30 years ago was very much like publishing 50 years ago, or 70 years ago, or even 100 years ago. But publishing now is very different from publishing 20 years ago. The medium is changing. I remember when eBooks were considered a fad in 2002, and then when the digital market started to explode in 2008 to 2012, and for several years now I’ve been watching supply chain issues around paper shortages. (The pandemic exacerbated this, but the underlying issues predate it.)

Another change is that it’s never been easier to get expert-level information about publishing, but it’s also never been easier to get bad information about publishing. Both are just a Google search away. The potential for informed authors and the potential for confused authors have both increased. As an agent, I see it as my responsibility to make sure my clients are the former and not the latter.

Clients:

12. Who are some of the authors you represent?

Tina Connolly, John Dickinson, Karina Yan Glaser, Molly Gloss, Monica Hesse, Richard Kadrey, Drew Karpyshyn, John Langan, Gretchen McNeil, Dana Mele, Colleen Oakes, Tim Pratt, Rachel Vincent, Elizabeth Wein, Patricia Wrede, Caroline Yoachim, and the estates of Ursula K. Le Guin and Steph Bowe.

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.

Well we have to include this wonderful interview with Nicole:

https://publishingperspectives.com/2021/08/a-new-agencys-rights-translation-rights-manager-nicole-eisenbraun-covid19/

Here is an older interview with me:

https://theliterarymom.wordpress.com/2014/09/30/interview-with-literary-agent-ginger-clark/

Also, here I am on the BBC:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09nrsbs

Links and Contact Info:

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

Email here:

submissions@gingerclarkliterary.com

More information here:

https://gingerclarkliterary.com/Submissions

Update on 1/21/2023

Twitter

Query Tracker

Additional Advice:

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

Read the genre or age group you are writing about. If you want to write middle grade historical fiction, spend at least six months diving deep into the last five years of middle grade historical fiction. Know the field you write in, so you can pitch yourself more specifically and accurately to agents and editors.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Ginger.

­Ginger 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 February 26th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the 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.

Last updated: 1/21/2023.
Agent Contacted For Review? Yes.
Last Reviewed By Agent? 2/6/2023

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.