Today I’m thrilled to have agent Andie Smith here. She’s an agent at Creative Media Agency.
Hi Andie! Thanks so much for joining us.
About Andie:
1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent.
I’m one of the few agents who came into publishing in a more unorthodox way. During my Master’s program (which is not related to publishing whatsoever) I decided to research internships I could do for credit, and stumbled upon publishing internships. I applied to so many both on the agency and editorial side, and managed to land one! I remember thinking, “If anything, I’m getting class credit and I get to read books all day” but it was about 2-3 weeks into the internship when I realized this is what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, and not what I was going to school for. I stayed on as an intern for almost a year before being promoted to an agent position, and have since moved agencies but have officially been an agent for 2 years now. Since then it’s been a wild ride of queries, pitch events and conferences, and signing new clients. I’ve never looked back!
About the Agency:
2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.
Creative Media Agency was founded by Paige Wheeler and our goal goes beyond just selling books to representing authors for their career. We believe in long-standing partnerships with our authors and are there for them in every step of their publishing journey. Our team focuses on career development and editorial guidance for every author who joins the CMA family.
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?
As of now, I represent everything from picture books (based on referral at the moment) through adult fiction. From MG through Adult I am open to fantasy, mystery, thriller, contemporary, and eco-fiction. I’m looking for cozy and campy stories with a fresh voice that feel like a warm hug, or carry some levity but provide light at the end of the tunnel. My taste leans more commercial and I’m very plot driven—I want strong characters but I also need the backbone of the story to be there.
4. Is there anything you would be especially
excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in?
I’m especially on the hunt for a YA thriller that will leave me on the edge of my seat, and a MG mystery series in the vein of Nancy Drew. For picture books, I want sweet and sentient stories and anything with an educational or environmental/STEM theme. In any genre, I’m always looking for eco-fiction themes (not dystopian) that demonstrate issues of climate change and sustainability in our own backyards.
What She Isn’t Looking For:
5. What types of submissions are you not interested in?
I am not looking for historical fiction, horror, space operas, or nonfiction proposals. In most cases, I will shy away from stories with heavy themes or on-page mentions of rape, suicide and/or self-harm, cheating, and emotional or physical abuse.
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 philosophy is to think with my head and follow my heart, as cliché as that sounds. In the authors I work with and the books I want to represent, I am looking for stories that I fall in love with and ultimately can’t live without. I am looking for gaps in the market, and books that fill those gaps and makes a reader feel something, whatever world or storyline that may include. From there, the business side comes into play and once I have a book and an author that I cannot live without, I will fight every day for them in any capacity to bring their story to life and make their dreams come true, however long it may take.
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 extremely editorial, and the revision process is my favorite part of publishing. During the offer call, I go over my notes or basic ideas for revisions so the author knows my vision right away and can determine if I would be the best fit for their work. If so, then we move into the revision stage where they receive a full edit letter and comments in the manuscript for my notes. We typically do 2-3 rounds of edits across the board (developmental and then line edits) but more if needed. Once the manuscript is as strong as we can possibly make it both developmentally and on the line level, it’s ready for submission.
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?
Authors can find me on QueryTracker here: https://querytracker.net/query/AndieSmith/
I ask for the query letter, synopsis, and first three chapters. In the query letter, I like to see our metadata (title, word count, genre, comps), pitch (characters, plot, stakes), and author bio. For comps, I always tell authors to share what about your comps is similar to your story, what theme/trope/element are you trying to display?
9. Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you?
I prefer when a query follows the standard format mentioned above, and don’t typically like when a query talks about why the book is the next best thing (which we all want it to be!) but doesn’t actually tell me anything about the book. Your pitch and ultimately for me, stakes, are the most important part of the query letter.
For pages, it’s hard to say because it really comes down to fit but I love when we are dropped right into a world or setting and we start establishing our main character and their goals, motivation, and central conflict. I love seeing the inciting incident in the opening pages to keep me wanting to read more and ultimately request.
Response Time:
10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript?
Every agent is different and every single one of us gets behind even when we swear we won’t! That being said, I really try to stay caught up on queries and respond within 30-45 days, and right now I’m averaging about 3-4 months for a response on a full manuscript.
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?
Absolutely! As an author myself who publishes with small presses, I think this is a great first step someone can take into the industry if it’s right for the book in question. I found one of my authors from reading an ARC of her small press book, and had to work with her for what she’s writing next. As a freelance editor, I work with many self-published authors and think it is a great avenue that gets a lot of hate but really works for so many people. The beauty of publishing is you don’t have to lock in to one way, you can go from trad to self-pub and vice versa, or do both simultaneously if you desire. That being said, most agents and even editors are going to be looking at sales and reviews for taking on a self-published author. These two things are crucial to proving the book has merit and is making a splash in the industry, and have a better chance at seeing a positive outcome if these numbers are high.
Clients:
12. Who are some of the authors you represent?
I represent many authors from picture books through adult fiction, such as Becky Cummings, Tristen Crone, Carole Stivers, Jessica K. Foster, and more!
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.
Flublishing Podcast: I cohost this with Carleen Geisler at P.S. Literary Agency.
Literary Blend: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chapter-1-giving-and-receiving-feedback-with-andie-smith/id1734143486?i=1000648652089
Path to Publication: https://path2pub.wordpress.com/2024/09/25/agent-interview-andie-smith/
The Aspiring Life: https://katrinacouch.substack.com/p/interview-with-literary-agent-andie
Lit Agents Spill the tea: https://www.writingwithreed.com/post/lit-agents-spill-the-tea
Links and Contact Info:
14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web.
I am @andiesmithbooks on X, Instagram, and TikTok and writers can also find me on my website: https://www.andiesmithbooks.com/
QueryTracker: https://querytracker.net/query/AndieSmith/
Editorial Services: https://www.andiesmithbooks.com/editorial-services
I also cohost a publishing podcast called Flublishing wherever you listen to your podcasts!
AALA: https://aalitagents.org/author/andiesmith/
Additional Advice:
15. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered?
The simplest advice that is so true is: don’t give up and write the book. If you have a great idea, write it! Put it on paper and then decide what your goals are in publishing of how you want to get it out there. Don’t write for the market, don’t write for a trend, write the book you love and the book you wish you had at some point in your life. You won’t ever see the outcome if you don’t start!
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Andie.
Giveaway Details
Andie
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 January 9th. 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 Bluesky 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
Wednesday, December 10th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Andie Smith and a query critique giveaway
Monday, December 15th, I’m participating in the Dashing December Giveaway Hop
Wednesday, December 17th, I have an
agent spotlight interview with Marissa Cleveland and a query critique giveaway
I'll have more giveaway hops, author interviews and guest posts, and agent spotlight interviews starting on 1/1/2026.
I hope to see you on Wednesday!
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