Today I’m thrilled to have agent Laura Gruszka here. She is a junior
agent at Writers
House.
Status Update on 12/15/2025: Laura is currently closed to submissions. Check the agency website to learn when she reopens to queries.
Hi
Laura! Thanks so much for joining us.
About
Laura:
1.
Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been
doing as an agent.
I’d always known that I wanted to work in publishing, but, like many
young people, hadn’t heard of any other position besides editor. After
interning at a few different agencies, it became evident to me that agenting—and
agenting in the children’s space specifically—was where I wanted to stay! Not
only do I get to work editorially with brilliant creators throughout their
careers, but I also have the privilege of telling everyone about just how
talented they are. I started at Writers House assisting senior agent Rebecca
Sherman, and now, I’ve been promoted to junior agent. I’m so excited to be actively
building my client list!
About
the Agency:
2.
Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.
Writers House has a long and impressive legacy as an agency representing
writers and illustrators of all genres and styles. Our high standards, experienced
staff, history of success, culture of collaboration, and dedicated contracts
and global licensing departments are all essential elements in building and
sustaining clients’ careers.
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?
The best place to get a thorough breakdown of my submission
requirements and interests is my Publishers Marketplace profile: https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/lgruszka/
As of the date of this interview, I’m open to projects for all age
groups, PB through YA (and select adult). I’m looking for fiction in all age
groups and am open to, but more selective in, nonfiction. In picture books, I
look for memorable artwork with a voice and stories with a strong voice. In MG
and YA, prose is very important to me, whether it’s pitch-perfect slice-of-life
or breathtaking new worlds.
4. Is there anything you would be especially excited to see in the
genres you are interested in?
In picture books, I love stories that tune into kid-specific
frequencies—ones that don’t talk down to kids, but rather understand and speak
to their humor, logic, and independence. I’m also a sucker for watercolor and a
consistent, evocative palette.
In MG and YA, I especially appreciate casts of characters with
distinct, memorable personalities who love each other fiercely—the kinds of
characters readers can’t help but make 100-song playlists and moodboards for.
And I love projects that jump headfirst into their uniqueness (or even
weirdness), whether it’s retelling a mythology not ubiquitous to Western pop
culture, upending a genre convention, or building an unforgettably lush, real-feeling
world (magical or not).
I’m also an avid concertgoer and video game enjoyer (particularly,
though not exclusively, narrative-driven games and RPGs), and I have a special
soft spot for the Midwest/Great Lakes region. I also played percussion,
including concert percussion and drumline in marching band, for many years. If
you’re working on a project that taps into any of these, keep me in mind!
What
She Isn’t Looking For:
5.
What types of submissions are you not interested in?
It might seem self-explanatory, but I’m not looking for submissions
outside of the specified genres on my profile. This includes picture book
text-only submissions and adult nonfiction submissions. In terms of subject
matter, I generally steer away from overly didactic or strictly pedagogical
stories without an overarching narrative, regardless of age range. I’m also
picky about historical fiction—I prefer thoroughly-researched stories about
less-commonly-seen times and places.
I’m not the right person for projects about police, true crime, voluntourism,
fantasy with “evil” races, or horror predicated on mental illness and physical
disability—unless your project is upending genre conventions or commenting
critically on the history of or our cultural relationship with any of these. Relatedly—and
I wish this went without saying—please don’t send me anything promoting racism,
transphobia, homophobia, ableism, fatphobia, misogyny, and anything else of
this nature.
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?
Especially in the realm of children’s books, I’m looking to work with
creators whose books will be life-changing for a young reader, whether it’s by
finally seeing an authentic representation of their own experience, learning
about a subject not discussed in their everyday life, or igniting their
lifelong love for reading. I’m committed to uplifting traditionally
underrepresented voices and stories in publishing. I want to help creators
publish the books they wish they’d read when they were younger—and get those in
the hands of today’s young readers. On the technical side, I seek to work with
creators who are open to and intentional about editorial work, yet also don’t
lose sight of their unique voice and ideas.
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 definitely am! My goal is to help each creator best achieve
their vision for their project and to lean into their talents. I approach the
editorial process by asking, “What does the writer do well? What needs work—and
how can the writer use their talents to strengthen those parts?” I work with
authors in the format most helpful for them, whether it’s emailing an editorial
letter or hopping on a call to discuss top-line points. We’ll go back and forth
as necessary until we both feel the project is in its best shape to be
submitted to editors.
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?
Queries should be sent to gruszkasubmissions@writershouse.com. Longer works should include the first 10 pages and a detailed
synopsis; picture books should include a dummy and a sample of final artwork or
a link to a portfolio; graphic novels should send a detailed summary, sample
pages/thumbnails of at least one chapter, and a sample of final art or a link
to a portfolio. Again, please read my Publishers Marketplace profile for the
most up-to-date query guidelines.
Query letters that remain focused and accurate are the best! In
general, I like to see a quick pitch of the project, a summary, any other
relevant details about why you wrote it, some current comparative titles, and a
bit about your writing background if applicable.
9. Do you have any specific dislikes in query
letters or the first pages submitted to you?
It may be funny to say, but I dislike when query letters don’t follow
submission guidelines. Writers House submission guidelines ask that you only
query one agent at the agency at a time—so if your query is addressed to 10 of
our agents, you’re off on the wrong foot. Check, then-double-check, your
queries: make sure you’re up-to-date on the genres I represent, my submission
guidelines, the email address I receive queries at, and the spelling of my last
name!
In first pages of longer works, I often like to see a day in the life
or a minor conflict faced by our protagonist before the apocalypse begins/they
find out they have magic powers/someone close to them dies/they step through a
portal. I find it harder to connect with characters undergoing huge
life-or-death events if I haven’t gotten to know them first, as flawed or
unlikeable as they may be. This isn’t a strict rule, though, just a general
preference!
Response
Time:
10.
What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a
manuscript?
Please give me 6 weeks minimum to respond to your query (and a bit
longer if a bank holiday falls within that time frame). I reply to every query
I receive, and that takes time!
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 certainly open to representing authors who have self-published,
but re-publishing self-published books is a complicated matter best addressed
case-by-case. It is always helpful to query with a new work of yours, though!
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?
While publishing may be changing, I feel the role of agents remains
the same: commitment to supporting clients’ careers and goals, supplemented by
industry knowledge and experience.
Clients:
13.
Who are some of the authors you represent?
I’m very excited to be working with Binnie Kearns, a phenomenal artist
whose work I’ve followed for years: www.writershouseart.com/binnie-kearns
Interviews and Guest Posts:
14. Please share the links to any interviews,
guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in
querying you.
N/A
Links
and Contact Info:
15.
Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on
the Web.
As mentioned above, please visit my Publishers Marketplace profile for
up-to-date detailed submission guidelines: https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/lgruszka/
Additional
Advice:
16.
Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we
haven’t covered?
It’s so important to have a creative community to support you and your
artistic journey. Attend a workshop, join a writers’ group, enlist some
critique partners! Not only will your peers help strengthen your submission,
but they’ll also provide valuable community and continued education and growth.
Books are a business, yes, but writing, illustrating, and creating are lifelong
endeavors that are rewarding in themselves. It is my hope that, through it all,
all aspiring authors and illustrators find a way to keep alive the joy of
making art.
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Laura.
Giveaway Details
Laura 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 February
10th. 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
Thursday, February
1st I’m participating in the Heart 2 Heart Giveaway Hop
Wednesday, February
7th I have an interview with debut author Marc Gregson and a giveaway of his YA
dystopian Sky’s End
Monday, February
12th I have a guest post by author Sherry Ellis as part of her blog tour and a
blog-tour giveaway
Friday, February 16th I’m participating
in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop
Monday, February
26th I have an interview with debut author Megan Brennan and a giveaway of her
MG graphic novel Kira and the (Maybe) Space Princess
Hope to see you tomorrow!
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