Agent Spotlight: Bridget Smith

This week's Agent Spotlight features Bridget Smith of JABberwocky Literary Agency.
Status: Closed to submissions. Check the agency website to find out when she opens to submissions. There is a tweet that she closed to catch up on queries.

About: “Bridget Smith joined JABberwocky as an agent in May 2019. She grew up in Connecticut and graduated from Brown University with a BA in anthropology in 2010. After graduation, she interned at Don Congdon Associates, worked at a secondhand bookstore, and read submissions for Tor.com. In 2011, she started as an assistant at Dunham Literary, and she remained there as an agent for nearly eight years.
In her spare time, she runs, plays Irish fiddle, and co-hosts the podcast Shipping & Handling with fellow agent Jennifer Udden of New Leaf Literary.” (Link)
About the Agency:
"JABberwocky Literary Agency, established in 1994 by Joshua Bilmes, is the world's leading agency for fantasy and science fiction, and our interests extend beyond these to many areas of trade fiction and non-fiction.” (Old Link)Web Presence:
JABberwocky website.
Twitter @bredalot.
ShipandHandling Podcast (Co-host)
#mswl on Twitter
QueryTracker.
What She's Looking For:
From the Agency Website:
"Middle grade fiction: I’m interested in middle grade in all genres. I love dry humor, complex emotions felt for the first time, kids who solve their own problems, and a voice that makes kids feel respected. I particularly love high-concept stories told in a literary style.
"Young adult fiction: I also work on all genres of YA. I have a soft spot for layered, emotional contemporary, preferably with more than an ounce of humor; sophisticated and unusual SFF; vivid, immersive historical fiction about lesser-known stories; and anything that blends or bends genre. I love books about teenagers having complicated feelings, girls who try hard but mess up, clever concepts handled in an unusual way, and a voice that makes me feel like I know the character personally.
"Science fiction and fantasy: I tend to prefer the more literary side of the genre: the first things that grab me are character and voice.
"Fantasy was one of my first loves, and I’m interested in a wide variety of novels. I particularly like stories where the characters drive the plot and the worldbuilding shapes the characters. I’m not particularly into grimdark or urban fantasy, but anything else is fair game."
"In science fiction, I’m particularly looking for anything that makes me feel like SHARDS OF HONOUR by Lois McMaster Bujold: intimately human on a galactic scope.
"Literary fiction: I tend to prefer literary fiction that includes elements of other genres or an interesting structure. I’m particularly interested in historical fiction about women, people of color, and LGBTQ people. Some non-client favorites include THE ESSEX SERPENT by Sarah Perry, POSSESSION by A.S. Byatt, FINGERSMITH by Sarah Waters, and THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI by Helene Wecker. I’m also interested in contemporary fiction with a speculative element and/or a strong plot (a la Alice Hoffman or Tana French)."
From an Interview (06/2013):
“I always want something with a fresh twist: a cool setting, an unusual point-of-view, a thoughtful inversion of the tropes. A clever premise spun into a heartfelt story will get me every time, as will characters that I’d enjoy reading even if there were no plot. However, you still need a plot, though. What I’m really looking for is something that I’ve never thought of! But for personal specifics: I’d love to see a ‘fantasy of manners’ in the vein of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell or Shades of Milk and Honey, a heroine with a big voice from 1940s England à la Code Name Verity or The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, or something that makes the very earth feel magical, like The Raven Boys or Chime.” (Link)
Via Twitter (6-7/2013):
“I would love a MG fantasy with the clever whimsy of Eva Ibbotson. #MSWL” (Link)
“Irish fantasy. Not, like, leprechauns, but ancient, arcane & also domestic, tied to the land & the people, magic that overwhelms. #MSWL” (Link)
“I'd love historical fantasy. Not steampunk, but a historical society with magic. Esp. Regency/Edwardian England, France, Italy, more. #MSWL” (Link)
“I would love a magical realism novel (or a straight historical, that works too) set in a nautical New England town. #MSWL” (Link)
“I've said this before, but: YA that feels like a Bruce Springsteen song. Restlessness, energy, driving at night with the windows down. #MSWL” (Link)
From a YAtopia Feature (08/2012):
“I love a good, distinctive voice and lovable characters with an off-kilter charm. Girl friendships. Boy friendships. Romance that flows under the surface, especially if no one talks about it – until they do. Snarky, funny dialogue in a heartfelt narrative. Gorgeous and true lines I want to cut out and paste on my wall. Contemporary characters doing something big or unusual outside the realm of high school, like elite athletes or radio DJs. Worlds I can get lost in, and characters I want to get lost with.” (Link)
What She Isn't Looking For:
Short fiction (individual short stories, chapbooks, novellas), screenplays, poetry. Nonfiction of any kind. Picture books and chapter books. In adult fiction: romance, westerns, mysteries/thrillers.(Via email)Editorial Agent?
“I do indeed do editorial work with my clients. That quote encapsulates the agency's overall philosophy, but I personally enjoy working closely with writers to improve their manuscripts.” (via e-mail 8/2013)
Clients:
Amelia Brunskill, Lisbeth Campbell, Samantha Cohoe, Lee Gjertsen Malone, Ellen Goodlett, Lana Wood Johnson, Emma Mills, Amanda Sellet, Christopher Swiedler, Tracy Townsend, Martine Fournier Watson, and more.Query Methods:
E-mail: Yes.
Snail-Mail: no.
Online-Form: No.
Submission Guidelines (always verify): Ms. Smith is currently closed to submissions.
E-mail: Include a query letter, the first five pages of your MS in the body of the e-mail. No attachments.
Query only one agent at the agency. Queries are read by all interested agents.
Please see the JABberwocky website and Ms. Smith’s bio for complete, up-to-date submission guidelines.
Response Times:
Unknown.
Worth Your Time:
Interviews:
Interview with Bridget Smith Best Agent at Amelia Brunskill (01/2018).
Bridget Smith: Agent's Perspective at Kite Tales (02/2016).
Agent Interview: Bridget Smith at Alexa Donne (01/2014).
7 Questions for Literary Agent Bridget Smith at Middle Grade Ninja (11/2013).
Query Questions with Bridget Smith at Michelle4Laughs (08/2013).
Literary Agent Interview: Bridget Smith of Dunham Literary at Guide to Literary Agents (06/2013).
First Five Frenzy with Agent Bridget Smith of Dunham Literary, Inc at Chasing the Crazies (08/2012).
Contact:
Please see the JABberwocky website for additional contact and query information.
Profile Details:
Last Updated: 5/31/2020.
Agent Contacted for Review? Yes
Last Reviewed By Agent? 6/1/2020.
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Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7(at)gmail(dot)com

Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's/teen fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found herein is subject to change.

Agent Spotlight: Eddie Schneider

This week's Agent Spotlight features Eddie Scheider of JABberwocky Literary Agency.
Status: Open to submissions.
About: "Eddie Schneider (Twitter: @eddieschneider) is the Vice President of JABberwocky Literary Agency, which he joined back when the nerve center was still Joshua Bilmes’ living room.
"These days, the agency is in a real office, sandwiched between Grand Central Station and Times Square in midtown Manhattan, and the bustling new digs only serve to motivate Eddie in his pursuit of great authors, both new and new to JABberwocky.
"Eddie is an Iowa graduate, where he studied fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction. He has an M.S. in Publishing from New York University, and his client list includes Hugo, Andre Norton, Philip K. Dick, and Bram Stoker Award winners, as well as New York Times bestselling authors Brandon Sanderson, Daniel José Older, and Alison Wilgus.
"When he isn’t agenting, reading, or editing, he has been known to run ultramarathons, and is technically an award-winner himself, although his form wouldn’t necessarily get rave reviews.” (Link)
About the Agency:
"JABberwocky Literary Agency, established in 1994 by Joshua Bilmes, is the world's leading agency for fantasy and science fiction, and our interests extend beyond these to many areas of trade fiction and non-fiction.” (Old Link)
Web Presence:
JABberwocky website.
Publisher’s Marketplace page.
Website / Blog.
Twitter.
#mswl on Twitter.
AgentQuery, QueryTracker.
What He's Looking For:
From His Bio Page:
What I’m looking for
"Major changes are underway here in the U.S., both in terms of reading technology and demographics, and any time something comes along to disrupt the status quo, it presents huge artistic and economic opportunities. This dovetails nicely with what I desire most—books that are groundbreaking, genre-defining, and reflect the whole spectrum of human experience.
"No matter the genre, I have a strong interest in working with authors who bring fresh and diverse voices to the literary conversation, especially those who come from historically marginalized groups. All people should be able to see themselves reflected in the stories they read, as well as in those who pen them.
"The genres I represent, and the types of books that most interest me within a given genre, follow."

Fiction

"Literary fiction – I’m an avid reader of literary fiction, and what lights up my cerebral cortex here are more plot-driven novels with a strong emotional core, which engage in areas beyond and outside the middle-class concerns endemic to a large swath of books published in this genre. Two examples of (non-client) novels from the last few years that I particularly enjoyed are Ruth Ozeki’s A TALE FOR THE TIME BEING and Louise Erdrich’s ROUND HOUSE.
"Science fiction – I love science fiction, especially SF set in the near future, often with social or cultural commentary, as well as the occasional space opera. Two examples of (non-client) novels that I enjoyed in this vein are Ursula K. LeGuin’s classic THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS and Octavia Butler’s PARABLE OF THE SOWER. I am very much interested in SF written from non-Western cultural perspectives, and one good non-client example of that is G. Willow Wilson’s ALIF THE UNSEEN.
"Fantasy – With fantasy, my favorite novels have tended to be those that toe both the real world and the fantastic. In any case, I go for stories with intricate, imaginative settings that are internally consistent, address political and social concerns, and have often found myself preferring tight writing to florid. I’m especially interested in fantasy novels set outside the Northern European milieu from which the genre originated. Two examples of (non-client) novels that I particularly enjoyed like this are Octavia Butler’s KINDRED and Susanna Clarke’s JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL.
"Young Adult – My favorite YA novels tend to be both character- and concept-driven, while embracing the intensity of emotion that characterizes a lot of the best YA fiction. A couple (non-client) favorites published in recent years include Laini Taylor’s DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE and AMERICAN STREET by Ibi Zoboi.
"Middle Grade – Middle grade novels have a special resonance for me, because the genre has such breadth. Here, I’m also interested in both realistic/contemporary and sf/fantasy. Two examples of (non-client) novels that I really enjoyed are Dianna Wynne Jones’ classic HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE and Rebecca Stead’s WHEN YOU REACH ME.
Nonfiction
"Science – I have wide-ranging interests here that include the physical, earth, life, medical, and social sciences. Science books most likely to appeal to me tend to deal with specific topics, and sometimes unlikely ones. Examples of (non-client) books in this vein that I enjoyed are Rebecca Skloot’s THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS, and especially Mary Roach’s STIFF.
"History – I am interested in histories that focus on a single subject, rather than wide-ranging works about a time or place. I particularly enjoy historical biographies, including those where the biography’s subject is an artifact or commodity.
"Narrative nonfiction – Here, I’m interested in memoirs that take on issues that extend beyond those in the author’s own life, travel narratives that are socially engaged and possess an individual stamp, and in ‘nonfiction novels.’
Graphic novels and comics
"Note: When querying with a graphic novel or comic, please feel free to include 2-3 images representative of your art, pasted in the body of your email below your query letter. A link to your online portfolio is also good.
"Graphic novels – Few things are better than a truly great graphic novel, where the writing and the art flow together, but are each strong enough to stand alone. I’m looking for work that’s both awe-inspiring and totally engrossing, and am only interested in author/artists, or an established author-artist team. I’m would like to see both fiction and non-fiction, realistic or speculative, for adult, YA or middle grade. A non-client example of a graphic novel I really enjoyed is Marjane Satrapi’s PERSEPOLIS.
"Comics – What I’m after here are projects that either are, or are influenced by, comic strips and webcomics. What will most catch my eye are comics that are both humorous and incisive."
What He Isn't Looking For:
Picture books, early readers.
Editorial Agent?
Yes.
Clients:
A list of clients can be found on the JABberwocky website.
Mr. Schneider’s clients include Tobias Buckell, Adam-Troy Castro, Frederick Durbin, Mark Hodder, Dene Low, E.C. Myers, Janci Patterson, Jon Sprunk, among others.
Query Methods:
E-mail: Yes.
Snail-Mail: No.
Online-Form: No.
Submission Guidelines (always verify):
Email queries with the first five pages of your manuscript pasted in the body of the email. A 1-3 page synopses may also be included at the very bottom, but isn't mandatory. No attachments.See the JABberwocky website for complete, up-to-date submission guidelines.
Response Times:
Unknown.
Worth Your Time:
Interviews:
7 Questions For: Literary Agent Eddie Schneider at Middle Grade Ninja (07/2011).
Interview with Eddie Schneider at Fear of the Dark (06/2011).
Literary Agent Interview: Eddie Schneider at Writer's Digest (03/2011).
Contact:
Please see the JABberwocky website for contact and query information.
Profile Details:
Last updated: 5/30/2020.
Agent Contacted For Review? Yes.
Last Reviewed By Agent? 7/25/11.
***
Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7(at)gmail(dot)com

Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found herein is subject to change.