Literary Agent Interview: Taj McCoy and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Taj McCoy here. She’s an agent at Laura Dail Literary Agency. 

Status update on 12/30/2025: Taj is currently closed to queries, but she states on her QueryManager that she plans to reopen to submissions in February 2026.

Hi­ Taj! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About Taj: 

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 agenting in 2022, which is the same year that my debut novel released––I’m a romance author and a literary agent. After I secured my first literary agent and book deal, my agent and I started talking about the similarities between my former career in law school admissions and career development and agenting. After a lot of encouragement, I started assisting an agent to learn more about the publishing process. I assisted for a year before seeking my first role at Rees Literary Agency, and I joined the Laura Dail Literary Agency earlier this year in February. 

As an agent, I consider myself a generalist––my clients write across all age ranges, in fiction and nonfiction, and I also represent a few illustrators. For the most part, I try not to speak in absolutes when it comes to what genres I will or won’t consider, though that may change later on. 

About the Agency: 

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

LDLA has a robust clientele with a wide range of literary works over the course of nearly 30 years. The team isn’t massive, but I think we have a team of thoughtful and experienced agents who are looking to build lists of strong and talented creatives. We’re each different in our approaches, which is great, because we collaborate and tap into the team for different perspectives on pitches, sublists, etc. The team is quick to boost client news, both from individual agent accounts and the agency account, and we’re constantly considering different ways to carve out opportunities for our 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 a generalist, representing everything from pictures books to MG and YA on the fiction and nonfiction side. I also represent adult projects on the fiction and nonfiction side. I’m open to all genres, though right now, I’d say I’m looking specifically for spooky and adventurous MG and YA, Adult mysteries and thrillers, and romance always (Adult and YA). I am always looking for creatives from underrepresented backgrounds. Amplifying marginalized voices is a priority for me. 

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

See above. 

What She Isn’t Looking For: 

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

I am not the right fit for epic fantasy, war stories, or stories that delve into sexual assault or child 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? 

I believe that an agent-author relationship is a partnership. We have to be able to openly communicate. I’m looking for authors who are actively trying to grow and improve as writers, who are open to feedback, and who are familiar with editorial revisions. I am always looking for creatives from underrepresented backgrounds. Amplifying marginalized voices is a priority for me. 

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 an editorial agent. Typically my clients and I will do at least one round of revisions before going on submission to editors. I’ll provide clients with both in-document feedback and an edit letter so that they have a sense of big-picture areas of focus and concrete examples of when/where that feedback could be employed. 

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 only consider queries via QueryManager. A query letter should include a short premise of the story, the stakes, the word count, the age range and genre, and ideally some comp titles. I also like a brief intro to the author. 

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

As long as the queries include the above, I don’t have additional preferences. 

Response Time: 

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

Typically, I’ll respond to queries within 12 weeks. Requests for more pages often take longer, and that’s because there are constant interruptions with client work. I don’t onboard new clients when I have a bunch of current client needs to attend to, so folks who have sent full manuscripts unfortunately do have longer wait periods. 

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? 

Yes, I have several indie authors and hybrid authors on my list. Indie authors looking for representation query the same as any other. If an indie author is trying to get representation to sell print rights to something that’s already been published, sales data will be extremely important. Platform may also be something strongly considered, as well as goals and whether there are any fresh projects that haven’t been published previously that could be potentially sold via traditional publishing. 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

Natasha Bishop, Morgan Elizabeth, Quiana Glide, Dr. Michelle Grant, Alexia LaFata, Karmen Lee, Kelly Mangan, Asia Monique, J.L. Seegars, Tracy Simmons, Zoe B. Wallbrook 

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.

https://manuscriptacademy.com/podcast-taj-mccoy 

Links and Contact Info: 

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

https://querytracker.net/query/tajmccoy 

Additional Advice: 

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

Finish the book. Authors (myself included) have a bad habit of continuing to edit and revise and polish the first half of the book, while the second half sort of just never happens. We get so caught up in perfecting that first bit that we never finish. Stop editing and finish the book. Allow your draft to be rough but complete. Then dive into revision rounds and see the magic happen! 

Oakland-born law grad, Taj McCoy is a romance author, literary agent, and higher education consultant. After working with Rees Literary Agency for nearly three years, Taj joined the Laura Dail Literary Agency in 2025 and aims to widen the entryway for marginalized authors and to normalize Black joy, fat joy, celebrations of culture, and love without limitations. She represents Adult Fiction (commercial, romance/rom-coms, women's fiction, mystery/thriller, upmarket), Adult Non-Fiction (memoirs, narratives, cookbooks, self-help, empowerment, cultural tradition and history), Children's Fiction (Picture books; MG and YA contemporary, mystery, romance, thriller, fantasy), Children's Non-Fiction (historical narratives, picture books), and illustrators. 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Taj. 

Giveaway Details 

­Taj 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 August 9th. If your email 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 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 

Friday, August 1st I’m participating in the Apple a Day Giveaway Hop 

Monday, August 4th I have a guest post by debut author Isabel Knight and a giveaway of the first book in her Enchantria series 

Wednesday, August 6th I have an interview with author Lillie Vale and a giveaway of her YA Hit Me With Your Best Charm 

Monday, August 11th I have an agent spotlight interview with Krista Van Dolzer and a query critique giveaway 

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 Friday!

 

 

 

 

AGENT SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW WITH CARRIE PESTRITTO AND QUERY CRITIQUE GIVEAWAY

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Carrie Pestritto here. She is a literary agent at Laura Dail Literary Agency.

Status update on 1/4/2026: Carrie is open to submissions.

Hi­ Carrie! Thanks so much for joining us.

About Carrie:

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

I fell into agenting accidentally.  I’d always loved books and always thought about a career in publishing, but had no idea that literary agents even existed.  When I was in college, a friend of mine, who had interned at Writers House previously, told me I should apply for their internship program when I told her I was trying to figure out what to do over the summer.  I got the internship and after I graduated, I got a job as an assistant there for a year before I joined Prospect Agency.  I am now with the Laura Dail Literary Agency and so happy to be a part of the team there!

About the Agency:

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

The Laura Dail Literary Agency is full of passionate, smart, and innovative agents who strive to build successful, long-term careers for their authors.  They have a really amazing roster of bestselling and award-winning authors with exciting projects!  Their philosophy is one that I embrace and a fantastic thing about LDLA, besides the talented people who work there, is the great sense of support, community, and dedication.

Personally, I try to go above and beyond for my clients by having annual strategy sessions with them at the start of each year, where we set up an individual phone call to talk about our goals for the year ahead and how to best achieve them.  I also created a private Facebook group for my clients so that they can all talk together, commiserate, and encourage from their various places in the publishing process!

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 across the board in terms of age groups.  The genres I work with are:

PB: nonfiction, educational

MG: contemporary, nonfiction, historical, sci-fi/fantasy, mystery

YA: sci-fi/fantasy, contemporary, historical, nonfiction, mystery

Adult: romance, historical fiction, commercial fiction, memoir, biography, nonfiction, women’s fiction, chick lit, mystery, thriller

I am always looking for diverse stories, as a person of color.  I think it’s so important for readers to be able to see themselves in the characters they read about and am passionate about bringing forward diverse voices.  I also get hooked by really unique, immersive voices, tight plotting, and meticulous world building.

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

Snarky chick lit a la the Bachelorette movie; books that take place in bakeries, chocolate shops, etc.; ethnic YA fantasy; Victorian mysteries; a unique WWII story; an ownvoices Caribbean-set women’s fiction; nonfiction that tells me something I never knew about in history like GEORGE WASHINGTON’S SPIES; or a Mexico City version of CRAZY RICH ASIANS!  Check my #MSWL tweets for more!

What She Isn’t Looking For:

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

I am not the best agent for adult epic sci-fi/fantasy, really literary books, crime fiction/police procedurals, fiction picture books, memoirs about illness, or poetry.

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 love authors who come to the table willing to work and willing to collaborate. I most enjoy working with clients who are commercial and who are open to trying something new and who are open to suggestion. If there is no give-and-take, it makes the relationship less dynamic.

I think of my agenting style as a paradoxical mix of laid-back and involved—I love communicating and working with my authors, but even though I make suggestions and give advice (about what I think might be most effective for the market, for a certain imprint, for an author brand, etc.), I’m always willing to be convinced to try things a different way if the author feels incredibly passionately about it.

I also feel strongly about working with diverse authors, since diversity in publishing is something that is very close to my heart, and am hoping that in 2018 I will be able to build my list to include more authors like this! As an aside, I suggest that all POC authors look at Penny Moore’s upcoming website Lit Agents of Color!

As for what kind of books I want to represent, I am looking for smart, evocative, interesting writing that leans commercial. I love relatable, diverse characters with great voices, unusual premises, exciting plots, and lots of tension. I want books that make me feel completely invested in the world and characters—great books are ones that make me miss my subway stop or that I simply can’t put down!

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?

To a certain extent, yes. When I first started out, I used to use Track Changes to give line edits and comments EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I read a version of a manuscript.  Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of time anymore, but I also have discovered that I prefer to leave the specifics of how to accomplish something up to the author’s vision.  I love brainstorming and hashing edits out and I usually send my authors a detailed editorial letter each time I read and we chat about my thoughts, their thoughts, and what we’re going to do afterwards, but I leave the nitty-gritty up to them to execute how they see fit.

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 should query me by following these instructions:

• Send a concise email query letter to: queries [at] ldlainc [dot] com
• Along with your book's title, please include the name of the agent you are querying in the subject field. This helps guarantee that your submission ends up in the right person's queue. (Example subject line: QUERY: TITLE for AGENT)
• Your query letter should include a short pitch, a short plot summary, and a short bio. Please also include publisher submission history and previous publishing credits, if applicable. If you are a debut author, do not worry.
• After your query letter, paste the FIRST 5-10 PAGES of your novel into the body of the email. Your writing sample MUST be pasted into the email, as we do not open unrequested attachments of any kind. You may also include a synopsis, but it's not required.

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

I love query letters with sharp, evocative writing that paints an interesting picture or characterization and leaves me wanting more.  I would say my pet peeve is writing that rambles or is overly wordy.  When I come across superfluous, lengthy prose, it makes my eyes skip ahead to latch on to the next good bit of writing.

Response Time:

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

Once I receive your query, if I am going to request pages, I usually do so by the 1-2 month mark. When I receive the pages, I put them in my To Read queue and respond with feedback in about 2-4 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?

Yes, many of my authors self-publish or have books with smaller presses.  If you have a lot of energy and time to devote to self- or indie-published projects, they can be very rewarding.  My authors who do the best in those arenas are ones who aggressively market and publicize themselves. 

If you are a self- or indie-published author looking for representation, your sales figures and the kind of reviews you’ve garnered will definitely affect an agent’s consideration.  If you’re a romance writer who has self-pubbed and you have very low sales, to an agent or editor it’s a signal that you haven’t garnered an audience and who is to say that we will be able to change that?

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?

At its core, the job of an agent is to be an advocate, protector, strategist, and sounding board.  No matter how the landscape of publishing changes, I don’t see that role changing.  I think that we will adapt and develop different skills or ways of approaching things, but those are means rather than the ends.

Clients:

13. Who are some of the authors you represent?

Bragging time!  I love all of my authors and you can see a full list of my clients on my blog, Literary Carrie, but some examples of the great people I represent are USA Today Bestseller Lauren Smith, NYT Bestseller Suzy K. Quinn, Peabody finalist Marlo Mack, 2015 ASJA Honorable Mention author Dean A. Haycock, and Erin Peabody, whose children’s series Behind the Legend earned a starred Booklist review!  

Interviews and Guest Posts:

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

Sure!  Here are some recent interviews I’ve done:

·         Scripts and Scribes

·         Manuscript Wish List

·         Agent for Dinner

·         Publishers Weekly
Also see Carrie's Guest Post with debut author E.M. Castellan at Literary Rambles (03/2020)

Status Update on 1/4/2026: 

Carrie's website

QueryTracker

Links and Contact Info:

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

I will only respond to queries sent via the LDLA query email, so please be sure to send your pitches that way and do not email me directly!

Also, please follow me @literarycarrie to stay up-to-date on my #MSWL tweets and check out my blog, Literary Carrie, to enter my monthly query critiques, read my tips, and get a peek into what is going on in my life!

Update on 1/4/2025: Carrie only accepts queries via QueryManager. Hers has a detailed list of what she's looking for.

Additional Advice:

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

Decide what is important to you in terms of representation early on and stick to your guns.  Do you want an editorial agent, a diverse agent, one who communicates frequently, who has a record of only pursuing Big Five publishers or one who helps his/her authors find other great homes?  Oftentimes, I think that after the long slog of querying, authors can get so excited to get an offer from an agent that they don’t really stop to consider whether or not that agent is the perfect match for them. 

In a similar vein, I also think that sometimes when authors have multiple offers coming in, they feel compelled to pick the biggest, shiniest name rather than the one whose vision or philosophy aligns most closely with theirs. Sometimes a great fit for one author isn't a great fit for another, and even a great agent might end up being the wrong agent for you.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Carrie.

­Carrie is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follower button if you're not a follower) and leave a comment through March 10th.  If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter either 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.

Profile Details:
Last updated: 1/4/2026
Agent Contacted For Review? Yes
Reviewed By Agent?  N/A since her interview

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.

AGENT SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW WITH ELANA ROTH PARKER AND QUERY CRITIQUE GIVEAWAY

Today I’m thrilled to have agent ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Elana Roth Parker here. Elana is a literary agent at Red Tree Literary.

Status: Update on 5/21/2020: As of 6/2016, Elana Roth Parker has closed Red Tree Literary. She is now an agent at Laura Dail Literary. See Laura Dail Literary's website for information on her submission guidelines and how to query her.

Update on 1/3/2026: Elana is currently closed to submissions. Check the agency website to learn when she reopens to queries.

Hi­ Elana! Thanks so much for joining us.

About Elana:

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

Thanks for having me! I became an agent after first being an editor at a children’s book packager for 5 years. I was working on a lot on developing proposals for new book series and looking for writers for those projects, and in doing so, started to be in touch with lots of literary agents. The work sounded really interesting, so I took the leap. I’ve been an agent now for 8 years—the first 4 working at Johnson Lit Agency, and the last 4 for myself. As an agent, I’ve been doing all the usual agenty things: reading a lot, signing clients, selling books, negotiating contracts, etc. 

About the Agency:

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

Red Tree Literary a small, specialized agency focusing entirely on children’s and young adult books. It’s so small, it’s just me! And I’m incredibly selective in my client list. I’m a quality-over-quantity person, and never want a list so large that I can’t spend a lot of time on each author. I’m very editorial and developmental, always wanting to make sure we send things out to editors in their best possible shape. So my clients get all the benefits of a very curated list—lots of personal attention, lots of guidance, and lots of careful strategizing.

What She’s Looking For:

2. 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 rep picture books, middle-grade, and young adult. For picture books, I really prefer author/illustrators, because I love working on the entire book—but I do make exceptions for exceptional manuscripts. As for the novels, I’m not picky on genre and will generally look at everything from contemporary to sci-fi. I will say that I’m not your best bet for horror or anything too bloody or creepy (I have nightmares really easily!).

I’m also looking for more non-fiction for kids. For picture book and middle-grade, more “interesting topic” non-fiction; for YA, I’d love some narrative non-fiction as well.

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

I mostly want more breadth of experience and point-of-view. We see a lot of the same thing (i.e. type of character) over and over again, and I am really interested in getting rich backgrounds from characters that aren’t so prevalent. Voice is really the best vehicle to do that, so whatever a wonderful voice can lend to a genre to freshen it up would be amazing.

Also, I really read to escape, and not to get punched in the face. So transporting work, either to a faraway place or just listening to a really inviting character, is what I really want to see.

What She Isn’t Looking For:

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

Overtly educational or message-y books; saccharine-sweet picture books; Christmas books; depressing problem novels; horror/thriller.

Agent Philosophy:

5. 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 based on the idea that my clients should be picking me as much as I’m picking them. It’s a close, collaborative relationship, so the best ones are where we enjoy and respect each other as human beings and have constructive conversation about putting out the best work possible. I’m here to help as much as possible, and I’m not the boss—we should be working together.

As for the books…well, I think I covered a lot of that already. But basically, I want authors who write books with legs, who understand the timelessness of children’s books, and want to grow over the course of their careers.

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’m very editorial. I almost always do at least 2 revisions before submitting to editors. The first round is bigger picture edits—plot, pacing, etc. Then we usually do a clean-up round so it reads nicely. Sometimes a book needs more, sometimes less. I just like to make sure nothing is really bugging me before submitting (if something bugs me and I don’t fix it, it always ends up biting me in the rear end when editors start responding). I always give my authors as much creative leeway as they need. I make suggestions, but nothing is a mandate, as long as the solution they come up with solves the problem.

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?

Email email email! I have all the details up on my website: www.redtreeliterary.com/submissions

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

Queries should be as short as possible and as clear as possible. I don’t need a dissertation about why you wanted to be a writer, but I do need entry-level access to your world. (Have someone who knows nothing about your work read the query before you send it!)

First pages have a tougher job of giving me sense of voice and quick entry into the story—at least so I can see if the prose matches up to the pitch. There are a million and a half things people overdo in the first few pages, so I can’t get into all of them now, but generally I’d avoid the cliché “My stomach dropped”/ “My heart fell” / “I gasped” first lines. There’s zero context for the reader. Let’s get to know your character a little first. Let me see a little bit of their world as you get the story started.

Response Time:

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

I’m in the 2-4 week range on query responses (usually closer to 2 weeks), and about 8-10 weeks on manuscript requests. I only request full manuscripts, also. I found that the added “partial manuscript” stage just drags things out. If I want to keep reading, I can. If I want to stop, I’ll stop.

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?

Totally open to those authors. Kiera Cass self-published her first novel! But I can’t take something you already self-published and get it traditionally published. So if you’ve had work published that way or through a small press, that’s fine, but better to be querying me (or any other agent) with a fresh novel and let go of the old one. If things go swimmingly well for you, we may be able to approach that older work some day in the future. But no promises. Every step you take in publishing is an opportunity to learn. But you always want to be taking steps forward.

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?

I think agents need to be more open-minded to creative opportunities and new methods of reaching audiences, but I don’t think the role of agent is inherently changing. We’re still here to make sure authors get the best deals possible and be an advocate and a guide for the business end of the publishing process. I’m all for exploring new options and non-traditional paths if it means connecting an author with readers. And as new methods come up, it’s all the more reason to have someone with specialized knowledge to consult and review with.

Clients:

12. Who are some of the authors you represent?

Kiera Cass

Andy Marino

Vern Kousky

Matt Blackstone

Interviews and Guest Posts:

13. Please share the links to any interviews and guest posts you think would be helpful to writers 

This is actually the freshest interview I’ve done in several years, so I hesitate in pointing you to the old ones, which might be pretty stale. The best way to get to know me is to follow me on Twitter.

Elana Roth Parker and Alexa Donne Guest Post at Literary Rambles (04/2018)

Links and Contact Info:

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

Everything you need to know is here:

www.redtreeliterary.com/submissions

Update on 2/13/2025:

Laura Dail Literary Agency

Elana Roth Parker website

Publishers Marketplace

Manuscript Wish List

#MS Wish List

Threads

Interviews and Podcasts

Podcast interview at Middle Grade Ninja (07/2019)

Additional Advice:

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

Read, read, read. And don’t just read—devour. The biggest mistake I see in queries is when writers are obviously not in tune with the market. The more you read, the better you will see what works and doesn’t work.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Elana.

­Elana is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follower button if you're not a follower) and leave a comment through April 23rd.  If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter either 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.

Profile Details:
Last updated: 5/21/2020
Agent Contacted For Review? Yes
Reviewed By Agent?  N/A

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.

Profile Details:

Last updated: 2/12/2025.

Agent Contacted For Review? Yes.

Last Reviewed By Agent? N/a