Literary Agent Interview: A.J. Van Belle and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent A.J. Van Belle here. They’re a junior agent at The Booker Albert Literary Agency. 

Status: A.J. is closed to queries until 2/1/2026 and will be open to queries on days 1-5 each month.   

Hi­ A.J.! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About A.J.: 

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

This may sound a bit clichéd, but it’s true: I was moved to enter agenting by how inspiring my own agent is at her job. As a lifelong writer, it took me a while to find the right partner in an agent, someone whose enthusiasm makes me feel endlessly supported. Once I found that, my creativity soared. I wanted to offer that same support to help other writers grow and reach their audience. Having been a beta reader and critique partner for fellow writers for decades and a mentor in formal programs for the last few years, I decided to apply as a literary agent intern at the Booker Albert Agency in 2023. After interning for 18 months, I stepped into the role of junior agent and opened my own inbox. 

So many exciting queries came in that I’ve only been open to queries for two short periods in 2025, and I have a lot of wonderful requested material from that second open period yet to read. Out of more than 2,700 queries received, I’ve signed 15 clients. Ten of my clients are on sub, with the other five preparing their manuscripts to head out to editor inboxes in 2026. Three client books have sold already:

A Legacy of Blood and Bone by Millie Abecassis, available now from Row House Publishing and Spotify

The Color of Time by Millie Abecassis, coming in May 2026 from Shiraki Press

Spit and Touch Iron by Michael Strode, coming soon from Ruadán Books 

About the Agency: 

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

What I love most about the Booker Albert Agency is that every single one of us is dedicated to building long-term relationships with our clients. As a boutique agency, we have the ability to develop personal connections with our clients and focus on building each author’s career, with attention to each client’s specific goals for creative growth and publication. 

What They’re 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 age groups. So far, I haven’t sought queries specifically for picture books, since I launched my agenting career with less expertise in that market than in MG and YA. However, I now represent two amazing picture book authors and I’m excited to be expanding into this younger area. 

In MG and YA, I’m open to all genres. I receive more fantasy submissions than any other genre, so, while I love fantasy, I would also love to see more of just about everything else. I’m always happy to see MG and YA contemporary, historical, sci-fi, thriller, horror, speculative, literary, mystery/suspense, and romcom in my inbox. 

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

Some things I would love to see are:

• Historical MG and YA with just as much lovingly crafted, thorough world-building as we often see in fantasy.
• Sci-fi that’s rich in sensory detail and in character emotion we can relate to. Stories that are grounded in the characters’ experience of the moment, even if they’re not grounded on Earth!
• Own-voices BIPOC, trans, and disabled characters.
• Fiction that explores fresh, nuanced perspectives on technology.
• Nonfiction in all age categories. 

What They Aren’t Looking For: 

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

I’m not the right fit for books that center on organized religion, of any denomination (but am very open to elements of non-denominational spirituality).

Any book that has been published before will, regretfully, have to be a pass, since books that have already been published are a tough sell in the traditional market. 

Apart from that, my interests are broad, so the old adage “don’t self-reject” applies here. Try 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 top priorities as an agent are bringing fresh voices to readers, and nurturing the creative capacities of the incredible writers I’m lucky enough to work with. My philosophy is to partner with writers to help their books become versions of themselves that are true to what the author hoped to create, and never to lose sight of what a privilege it is to work with people who have such talent with the written word. While it’s important to know how each book fits into the market, I’m also here for helping writers follow their unique visions and carve their own niches. This means I’m interested in working not only with authors who do superb work that conforms to established genre norms but also those who aren’t afraid to break the mold and trust their intuition as it leads them into unusual genre blends or works that challenge expectations. 

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 am! As a writer myself and as someone who’s been critique partners with Big 5-published authors for decades, I tend to be decisive in knowing what developmental work I want to suggest to help each book become the best version of itself. I’m also flexible, pending the author’s input. I don’t expect writers to put those recommendations into action until we’ve discussed their goals for the book, developed a shared vision for it, and mutually created an edit plan. The author always has final authority over their book.

With some books, the changes are minimal. With others, we do multiple rounds of deep-dive edits. It all depends what it takes to reach the goal of bringing the author’s vision fully to life. 

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 accept queries via QueryManager, at https://querytracker.net/query/3779. I'm open to queries on days 1-5 of each month.

My query form asks for a standard query, a synopsis, and the first 10 pages of the manuscript. In the query letter, I recommend starting with the main character and what they want. Make sure the big-picture stakes are clear in the query pitch, even if that means revealing a twist or two. In your bio, I would love to hear something fun about you, whether it’s your day job, your hobby, or something about your life experiences that inspired you to write the book you’re pitching. 

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

I’m open to such a range of styles in both queries and pages that it’s hard to name specific dislikes. With that said, after reading thousands of queries, I do notice a pattern in which queries that start with a lot of world-building or high-level information about the way the plot is organized are less likely to catch my attention than those that give me an immediate window into the main character’s emotions and core conflict. Bonus points if there’s a splash of personality and something colorful or surprising to grab my imagination within the first couple of lines. 

As an example, here are two possible different approaches to the beginning of a query pitch for The Wizard of Oz (which I chose because it’s in the public domain): 

Possibility A:

The Emerald City is terrorized by an evil witch who uses her magic against its people, who believe their only hope is to endure, until the arrival of a young girl named Dorothy who is magically brought to their land from a faraway realm. Dorothy’s arrival accidentally kills a similar evil witch who was terrorizing a neighboring municipality, leading the girl to be celebrated as a talented witch killer.

Possibility B:

When ordinary girl Dorothy finds herself transported from Kansas to a strange land full of Munchkins and magic, the last thing she expects is to be celebrated as a hero. In fact, all she wants is to go home to her family’s farm. 

Possibility A reads a bit like a textbook history lesson, albeit a fictional one. Once we’ve dug into it, we do see an interesting character who may be poised for a good adventure. But we have to work to extract what’s fun and exciting about the story’s setup. 

In contrast, Possibility B tells us something about Dorothy within the first few words. We’re introduced to the story through the lens of what Dorothy is feeling, rather than via a mini-treatise on the politics of the situation. Even though we have less information about the story (I haven’t explained about the evil witches yet, nor have I mentioned the Emerald City), we’re more engaged, because we have a sense of Dorothy as a person and we’re beginning to care what happens to her. 

I wouldn’t go so far as to say I dislike seeing queries that read like Possibility A, but they’re less likely to make me sit up, take notice, and decide I have to read more about this girl from Kansas who’s thrust into the position of being an unlikely hero (for example). 

Response Time: 

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

This varies a lot, so I don’t like to set expectations that are too specific. I don’t always read in order for a variety of reasons, including sometimes grouping by genre rather than the date a query or manuscript was submitted, needing to read before a deadline when an author has an offer of representation from another agent, and knowing I’m likely to have an opening in my list for a particular type of book. My longest response time on a query has been just shy of six months, and I currently have some manuscripts in my queue still waiting to be read that have been there for more than four months. 

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, yes! I love working with authors who’ve taken the initiative to publish independently, whether with a small press or via self-publishing. These authors’ prior experience usually stands them in good stead when they undertake the journey toward traditional publishing, too. I’m also always open to my clients seeking traditional publication in partnership with me for some of their projects while self-publishing other works.

The one thing it’s important for previously self-published authors to keep in mind when seeking an agent is that unless they’ve had truly phenomenal sales with their self-published book, an agent is unlikely to be able to sell that previously published book to a publisher. It’s important to query agents with a new book that has never been in print. 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

I love to shout about how awesome my clients are! Here are a few of the amazingly talented writers I represent. 

Mary Boone is the author of more than 70 nonfiction books for kids, including Pedal Pusher, School of Fish, and Bugs for Breakfast. Two more books are set for release in 2026: Flying Feminist and Unfathomable: 20 (Wild but True) Stories of the Ocean. Her latest nonfiction picture book about a fascinating natural and cultural phenomenon, BATS IN THE BIBLIOTECA, is on submission now.

Lauren D. Fulter, who is working toward a BFA in creative writing at John Paul The Great University, previously independently published a YA science-fantasy series, The Unanswered Questions, funded by a successful Kickstarter campaign. She is an active member of SCBWI and a marketing and publicity intern for Whimsical Publishing. Her adorable and adventure-filled middle-grade fantasy novel, TROLL SCIENCE, is on submission now. 

Helen Whistberry came to their current calling as an author/illustrator after a long career in library work. Helen has self-published numerous books as well as contributing horror and fantasy stories to anthologies, and cover and interior illustrations to various magazines and books including their own. We are preparing Helen’s brilliantly illustrated picture book, GARY THE GARDEN GHOST, for submission. 

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 had a lot of fun doing this podcast interview a few weeks ago, and I hope it’s helpful and encouraging to writers at all stages of their careers: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6VgGrtsSSnFEQZS2kXf0VV 

Links and Contact Info: 

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

My username is ajvanbelle across social platforms, and my website is www.ajvanbelle.com. I only accept queries through Query Manager. At the moment, I’m closed to queries except through pitch contests or referrals from existing clients, but keep an eye on my agent profile page at https://www.thebookeralbertagency.com/aj-van-belle.html and my socials for updates.

I also have a newsletter at https://ajvanbellenews.substack.com/. Subscribing is a great way to get updates, pick up some advice on writing and publishing, and hear about my own writing projects too. 

Additional Advice: 

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

If there’s one hard-won realization I could magically implant in the mind of every writer, it’s that your success at achieving publishing landmarks such as signing with an agent and receiving offers of publication is not the only or even the best reflection of the worth of your work. Does your writing have to be good for these achievements to be more likely? Yes! But can your books be smashingly, stunningly good, and still not hit the right editor’s desk at the right time to mean they’ll land that dream contract? Also a resounding yes. 

The lesson I would love all aspiring authors to take home from this is that the inevitable rejections that happen in the publishing industry should not shape your perception of yourself as a writer, and they should not affect your view of what’s possible in the future. Everything can change for the better in a moment. The time you’ve spent working toward becoming a published author is time you’ve spent strengthening your craft, building your knowledge of the weird and imperfect but wonderful world of publishing, and growing as a person with an ever-evolving storehouse of life experience that enriches your writing. I know you’ve been doing those things because if you weren’t, you wouldn’t be here reading this. All that learning will make you a better writer who’s incredibly proud of the work you produce once you do succeed. 

Or, to put it more succinctly: Keep. Writing. 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, AJ.! 

Giveaway Details 

­A.J. 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 24th. 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 

Friday, January 16, I’m participating in the Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop

Monday, January 19, I have a guest post by Leslie Vedder and a giveaway of her MG The Labyrinth of Souls and The November Beast

 
Wednesday, January 21, I have an agent spotlight interview with Alexandra Levick and a query critique giveaway 

Monday, January 28, I have an interview with Tracy Wolff and a giveaway of her MG The Aftermyth 

Sunday, February 1, I’m participating in the Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop 

Monday, February 2, I have a guest post by V.T. Bidania and a giveaway of her MG A Year Without Home 

Wednesday, February 3, I have an interview with Alichia Dow and a giveaway of her YA Until the Clock Strikes Midnight and my IWSG post 

I hope to see you on Friday!