Today I’m thrilled to have agent Krista Van Dolzer here. She’s an agent at The Unter Agency.
Hi Krista! Thanks so much for joining us.
About Krista:
1.
Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been
doing as an agent.
As a multi-published children’s author and Twitter pitch event organizer, I’d been wanting to try on other hats in the publishing industry for years. I’d always thought my skill set would be ideally suited to agenting, but having been left in the lurch when an agent unexpectedly retired, I didn’t want to put other writers through a similar experience unless I was 100% committed. I gave agenting a try with a year-long internship with Marie Lamba at The Jennifer De Chaira Literary Agency, then decided to apply for several entry-level positions on the editorial side. When none of those panned out, I considered getting a job in some other industry, but that thought made me so sad that I realized I was 100% committed to bringing awesome books to readers. This led me to reach out to a handful of agents I admired, and Jennifer Unter was good enough to take me on.
I’ve been working with her and Jen Nadol since March of this year, helping out with social media and establishing relationships with the agency’s foreign subagents, as I’m passionate about selling our clients’ foreign rights. I started accepting queries myself in mid-April.
About the Agency:
2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.
The Unter Agency is a full-service boutique agency that’s been around for almost twenty years. Our founder, Jennifer Unter, got her start at a large New York agency, so The Unter Agency offers its clients really the best of both worlds: New York City contacts with boutique-level attention. Jennifer also has a law degree, so she’s well-versed in contracts, negotiation, and not taking no for an answer. I’ve been blessed to learn from her as well as Jen Nadol, who was a new agent herself about six years ago and knows what pitfalls to avoid.
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 all things MG and YA (as well as select adult nonfiction), so I’m open to every genre within those categories. That said, I’ve noticed I sit up a little straighter when I see keywords like “mystery,” “thriller,” “horror,” “fantasy,” and even “speculative,” so those are probably the genres I think are easiest to sell right now. I also love sweet YA romances, but these have to have a super compelling hook (like a unique setting, story structure, or vicarious experience).
As for what I’m looking for in submissions, it’s a heady combination of voice and concept. I mean, I have to think the story has a decent chance to sell, but I’m only going to want to read it if I also like the voice.
4. Is there anything you would be especially excited to see in the genres you are interested in?
I’m going to interpret this question as “What are some random things you love?”
In which case my answer would be college football, tennis, K-dramas* (especially historical K-dramas!), genealogy, and math.
*My favorite K-dramas: The King’s Affection, Crash Landing on You, 100 Days My Prince, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, and Tastefully Yours.
What She Isn’t Looking For:
5. What types of submissions are you not interested in?
I’m a lightweight when it comes to things like language, sex, and gore, so that’s one thing to keep in mind. And while I don’t mind if submissions tackle more sobering themes—in fact, I often welcome them—I do prefer these to be handled with some level of restraint.
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?
I want to work with ambitious, goal-oriented authors who have many stories in them (though I do think it’s important to typecast yourself at first). Except it’s kind of hard to tell how motivated someone is simply by looking at their face, so the main thing I try to locate is an indelible voice. I can’t guarantee I’ll sell the book I sign you with, of course, but if I love the way you write, I know I’ll want to read your next.
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?
I can never seem to turn off my internal editor, so yes, I’m very much an editorial agent. When I prepare to make an offer, I send the prospective client a big-picture edit letter so they can see what types of changes I’m suggesting that they make (and so they can ask me questions they might have about those notes when we jump on the phone or Zoom). If The Call* ends up going well and they ultimately accept my offer, they’ll then use that edit letter to make the changes we discussed. Then I’ll line-edit their revision, at which point they’ll make smaller changes, at which point I’ll write my pitch letter, at which point we’ll go on submission.
*I don’t offer representation when I send that edit letter because I want to verify that you’re a mostly normal person. That’s the only bar you have to clear when you and an agent have The Call—you literally just have to show that you’re not (completely) crazy.
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 through QueryManager: https://QueryTracker.net/query/3838
Besides the usual QueryManager sundries, the only thing you need to include with your query letter is your first three pages.
9. Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you?
No specific dislikes when it comes to query letters. I couldn’t care less how you spell my name, which order you put your paragraphs in, or whether you include comp titles. The story is the king.
As for the first pages, I prefer writing samples that jump pretty quickly into a scene and don’t noodle around with too much internal monologue. I also tend to dislike waking-up scenes, as I think your main character can always be doing something more interesting than sleeping when the inciting incident happens.
Response Time:
10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript?
The best place to look that up would be on QueryTracker, but it’s quick. It’s very quick.
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 absolutely open to representing authors who’ve self-published or been published by smaller presses, but usually only if they have a fresh project to shop.
Clients:
12. Who are some of the authors you represent?
As of the beginning of July, when I filled out all of these answers, I only have two clients: M. W. Hook and Elizabeth Prats. We’re about to put M.’s whimsical MG fantasy on submission later this week, with Liz’s illustrated MG science fantasy to follow in the next few months!
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.
I think this is my first, so if you found this interview, you’ve already got the inside scoop.
Links and Contact Info:
14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web.
QueryManager: https://QueryTracker.net/query/3838
Blog: https://kristavandolzer.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://x.com/kristavandolzer
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kristavandolzer.bsky.social
Additional Advice:
15. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered?
I know it seems like agents and editors are just here to tell you no, but everything we do relies on everything you do. Authors and the words they write are the lifeblood of this industry, so don’t shortchange yourself. Treat agents and editors with kindness (as you hopefully treat everyone), but never settle for anything less than the respect you deserve.
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Krista.
Giveaway Details
Krista
is generously offering a query + 1st three pages 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
August 23rd. 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 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
Saturday, August 16th I’m participating in the Old School Giveaway Hop
Monday, August 18th I have an interview with debut author Ryan James Black and a giveaway of his MG The Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham
Wednesday, August 20th I have an agent spotlight interview with Shelly Romero and a query critique giveaway
Monday, August 25th I have an interview with author James Ponti and a giveaway of his MG Hurricane Heist
I hope to see you on Saturday!
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