Mid-Career Querying and Other Stuff We Don’t Talk About

If you’ve been reading this blog for about as long as I’ve been writing it, you know I haven’t been shy about talking about parting with an agent and signing with a new one. You know I don’t think there’s any shame in ending a relationship that isn’t right for you, and that I definitely don’t think you’re “damaged goods” when you go into querying again.

I don’t wanna write too much here about leaving your agent because I already talked about it in that post, but you can listen to me (and agent extraordinaire Jenn Laughran) talk about it in this podcast. You can also read a great post about it from Patrice Caldwell, who’s gone from editor to agent while also being an author who’s switched from agent to agent!

I do, however, wanna talk about the part where you look for what’s next when you already have something of a career behind you.

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If you’re not familiar with my career, in a nutshell: I’ve published three YAs with a small press, two of which were under my first agent and one of which was under my second agent. I’ve self-published three NAs. I’ve been in three anthologies, all of which I’ve handled myself as a contributor. And I’ve had an agent sign me for a single project (through very mutual agreement), His Hideous Heart, which is releasing through a major publisher. It’s all a little messy and complicated, and on top of all of that, I’m in the NYC area, have a lot of experience in publishing, and I’m a blogger for B&N, which means I’ve also developed a lot of relationships with publishing professionals, which puts me in an extra-weird spot and has given me something of a “platform,” as the kids say.

It puts me in a spot that made a lot of people think that if I just snapped my fingers, I’d get a new agent. So, a few thoughts on that:

1. I did have agents ask me to send them my query when I was ready with a new manuscript. I did not have agents tell me to just get in touch so they can sign me up. It’s like the verbal equivalent of doing PitMad: you get a little bit better of an idea who might be into you, but it doesn’t mean anything without the work behind it.
2. I wasn’t looking to do it that way, and here’s why: after three years of not finishing anything other than short stories, I didn’t want to sign on with an agent without being sure I could finish another novel. Also, after having had an agent who was so Not That Into Me that she shot down two completed manuscripts from me in a row, I wanted to make sure an agent was signing me for what I actually do.
3. I cannot emphasize that last line enough. One fear when you’re going into querying with something of a platform is that that‘s what agents want from you, and to be honest, I did still leave some of my phone conversations with offering agents feeling that way. it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing this; an author never wants to feel like you don’t care that much about the book they’ve queried with.
4. I specifically focus more on my platform here than my publishing history because honestly my publishing history isn’t hugely notable; there are a lot of authors out there with indie histories, and if you think I did unusually well for a small press, let me tell you, I did not. Please still buy my books. For other authors, obviously their publishing history is a stronger pull, but mine isn’t much of a selling point.

Hmm, where was I. Oh yes! Querying somewhere in the middle of your career! This thing that feels extremely weird because not only have you had an agent before, but you’ve been on bookshelves before. “How am I back at the beginning??” you wonder. “Aren’t I supposed to be past this??”

Look, straight-up, some authors are past this. Some agents just kinda jump to a new agent with a proposal or really just amazing pub credits that require a constant partner. I don’t know at what point you’re officially qualified to be one of those authors, but my personal feeling was that I wasn’t one of those authors, so I can only address this whole thing from that perspective. There are definitely situations in which you may proceed differently!

This post is for people like Me, people who have some stuff behind them that wasn’t a Career Maker, whose needs changed or personnel changed or whatever whatever, who are ready to move forward and need a new publishing partner to do it with. People who aren’t newbies and know not to fall for the schmagentry but also just kinda didn’t expect to end up back here and don’t know what of the same rules apply from the first go-around and what don’t.

So, again, my backstory:

I’ve been going without a full-time agent for about five years, and only recently have I wanted one again, so in pursuit of that goal, I put blogging on the backburner, prioritized finishing my novel, sent it to my CPs, revised the hell out of it, and queried! Having been around the block a time or twenty (and having talked to people about their experiences for the past five years), I had a realllllly short query list this time around, focusing on agents who:

1. Represented both YA and Adult, since I knew I wanted to write in both of those categories
2. Bluntly speaking, I hadn’t heard lousy things about, or even just experienced things with that told me they were not for me for this particular partnership
3. Had demonstrated interest and experience with diverse books
4. Had sales and experience
5. I thought would generally like not just the manuscript I was querying but what I had planned for the future
6. Came from agencies with good subrights records

There’s nothing unusual about this criteria list, and I imagine it pretty closely resembles most people’s. Here, though, you’re seeing the first two steps:

1. Write and polish a manuscript
2. Make a list of what you want in an agent

Looks kinda exactly like the first time around, right? It mostly is! But that list is pretty long and pretty specific, and it makes some exclusions I wouldn’t necessarily look for the first time around. Do you think I cared about subrights in 2012? I did not! Did I factor in Adult each time I queried with YA? I did not! But at this point, I want and need an agent that can handle whatever I throw at them, and it’s gonna be a lot more mixed now that I’m a person who gets more, different opportunities than I did when I was just starting out. Plus, that second item on the list filters out a lot more people over the years…

Of course, this got thrown up in the air a little when I ended up entering PitMad immediately after, so I’m going to talk a little bit about how each point went down, bearing in mind I actually ended up sending about 15 more queries than I’d ever planned to. First, though, a quick rundown of how I actually did that research, since I know some people have been out of this game a while and aren’t sure if the same tools are still the best:

• For what agents rep, Querytracker is a good bet, but follow up by looking at their actual websites. Additionally, know that even if it’s not an agent’s specialty, it doesn’t mean they can’t or won’t sub it; that’s a conversation you have. I did end up querying some agents who are known to be Kidlit-only, but when we talked about Adult, they were totally open to do it using industry resources and doing their own networking.
• For who to avoid, Writers Beware and Absolute Write tend to be the tried and true. Of course, as with all things, keep nuance in mind; there’s criticism that means an agent is a red flag incarnate, and criticism that suggests an agent isn’t the best choice for a specific kind of author. For example, it’s not “bad” for an agent not to be editorial, or for an agent not to be a handholder. It is bad for an agent to withhold your sub list.
• For sales and subrights, Publishers Marketplace is the best, but it’s not free. It might be worth paying $25 for a single month to do your research, but it’s not like you can’t find information by combing through the free Lunch Deluxe Weekly emails or Publishers Weekly deal announcements, or even just looking up authors and seeing where they’ve sold to and who repped them for those deals. You’re gonna use that same information and some really basic Twitter/MSWL research to figure out the rest anyway.
• MSWL is a newer tool than when a lot of us were starting out, and it’s very cool, but don’t be overly reliant on it, especially for self-rejection.
• Talk to your friends. For the love of God, talk to your friends. Learn how to filter, don’t take a single person’s unproven word on things, etc. etc. but do not be embarrassed to ask questions; that’s what we’re all here for.

Okay, so! The points!

I’m clearly not dancing around the fact that I got multiple offers here. This isn’t to brag; it’s to make clear that I’m working with a decent data set. It’s also, though, what has ended up being the scenario for most of my friends who’ve queried mid-career, so it’s not without its relevance regardless.

• Represented both YA and Adult, since I knew I wanted to write in both of those categories

While this had been my initial target, thanks to PitMad, I ended up querying some people I didn’t know repped both, and when we had our phone conversations, it was a very upfront topic for me: “What are my options in terms of writing both YA and Adult?” Some agents were wholly onboard, some were willing to try, some felt more dismissive of it, and some, clearly did not really want to do it. It’s…not hard to pick out. So if you do want to write in more than one category or more than one genre, A) you should really talk about it on the call, especially since the query doesn’t give you a chance, and B) you should decide where you need the agent to be at on this.

• Bluntly speaking, I hadn’t heard lousy things about, or even just experienced things with that told me they were not for me for this particular partnership

The former is pretty obvious; the latter, maybe not so much. How this played out? I skipped on querying a “good” agent who asked me to, who definitely is a good agent but didn’t treat me nicely the last time I queried; I was never going to be able to shake how I felt about that.

I skipped on querying an agent I know to be fairly attached to their visions of how books should come out, and I’m too stubborn for that.

I skipped on querying a very good agent who told me they don’t like to work on a certain kind of book that I personally hope to work on in the future.

I skipped on an agent I know from querying in the past is just way too slow for my liking.

Your experience can teach you a lot even about the people you didn’t sign with, and there’s nothing wrong with letting that inform your choices, especially in the first round.

• Had demonstrated interest and experience with diverse books

Obviously this isn’t gonna be of equal interest to everyone, but beyond the fact that it’s a personal interest of mine from a support perspective, I was also querying an f/f book with plans to write more. So, it’s something I wanted agents to care about from a personal perspective, but it’s also something I wanted them to support me doing in the future. That’s level 1. Level 2, I wanted to know that they knew something about who wanted the kind of books I was writing, that they at least knew what they were doing when they subbed it. Yes, ideals matter, but this is a business decision and there’s a space to be both idealistic and mercenary in your thinking.

• Had sales and experience

I think this is always an important one to talk about, because people always have Feelings around “new agents” and it’s important to dispel that it’s a unilateral category.

I had already been a new agent’s client and had mixed feelings about the experience, but when I left it was primarily because said new agent was becoming The YA agent at another agency I didn’t know. Mentorship is really freaking important for a new agent, in my opinion but like the kind of opinion I think is really a fact. Again, I ended up cracking on this list item due to PitMad, and it taught me a lot about it, because some new agents had senior agents with them throughout the whole process, and some were totally solo, and it made me wish I could have a talk with the latter’s agencies to say “Throw some more weight behind these people!”

To be clear, I don’t think going with a new agent is a bad choice at all, but in the best-case scenario where they’re well-mentored, you might be dealing with two people, not just one, and that’s something to keep in mind as you also have your own opinions. In the scenario where they’re not well-mentored, well…I leave that to you!

I 100% queried new agents I would happily recommend to other people after speaking with them, is my point here, and that I would have comfortably gone with if I hadn’t had more experienced options, but this time around, experience happened to be of particular importance to me.

• I thought would generally like not just the manuscript I was querying but what I had planned for the future

This was a big one for me given my earlier agent experiences, and it landed in some very different ways. There was:

1. Enthusiasm about everything (rare, extremely nice, varying levels of believable)
2. Interest in everything, with some suggestions about how to best make that work (rarest, contributed significantly to my ultimate choice)
3. Not much interest in what else I wanted to do, but confidence that they would submit anything within reason (something I would’ve been totally fine with if I didn’t have my personal past experiences under my belt)
4. Cautious interest that sounded more like “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it after selling this very commercial YA” (reasonable! and the most common)
5. “Ehhh whatever, let’s talk about this book though” (Just…not what I’m looking for at this point in my career, at all.)

• Came from agencies with good subrights records

Eh, what’s to say about this? Some agents clearly knew a lot about how it worked and how it generally went down for their agencies and my kind of work in particular, and some didn’t, and that’s whatever; I’m not an author whose career is ever gonna be made by subrights. However, there are others for whom it’s much more relevant (e.g. authors who self-pub very successfully) and then you definitely want to make sure you’re happy with how an agency does this, and you also definitely wanna see an agency contract or term sheet, something some agents provided without asking and some did not.

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Okay! We are now 2500 words into this post and I don’t know if it’s helping a damn bit, but I’m just gonna keep going and discuss my favorite mid-career question that I had on a few calls:

What did you learn from your past experiences that you need/want in a new agent?

For the record, I’ll give some examples from my own answers:

• Communication is very important to me. I care about speed but I also care a lot about transparency, and when I say I want to see my rejections, I literally mean “please click ‘forward’ on my rejection emails, no accompanying handholding necessary.”
• I want to be able to give opinions, and while I defer to an agent’s expertise and of course their experience and networks, I have my own experiences and network and I’d like to be heard on that front.
• I don’t need or really want a heavily editorial agent, but I do then need to know at what point you get involved in a manuscript’s development and what happens if you don’t like what I deliver.

***

So what else comes up?

Well, you might be asked to give a rundown on your publishing history and specifically why you left your past agents.

You might be asked what you see yourself writing going forward.

You might be asked what your planned followup book will be, and discuss whether that fits into a brand of sorts.

And of course, there might be editorial notes. Let’s talk about those.

Editorial notes were a complicated part of this process for me, and once again, I’ll break it up into how they fell into categories for me.

• Really great reads of the book with some notes I really loved or at least found useful that I’ve already put into my revision
• Notes that definitely had their merit and showed a lot of thought but didn’t feel like a fit for me and my style
• Notes that strongly missed the mark for me and felt, for lack of a better description, like very hetero reads, which I don’t say to make a judgment but to say that was clearly not going to be a match for me as an author, especially considering what I like to write

Where I got really hung up on editorial notes was two-fold. First of all, at this time you’re so proud and excited you got all these offers, you have a bajillion different opinions on how to tear it apart. It’s one thing to have an editor, but this is A Lot of people editing your work, and in my case, only three people had ever looked at it before they did.

Lemme tell you, not every agent uses the sandwich method; some of them dove right in to what they wanted to change before ever saying a word of praise on the call and it is jarring.

Second of all, that category of notes that had their merit? I felt bad for not liking them. I felt lazy for not doing them. Even though I didn’t think it was right for my work! I played a lot of “Do I only think it’s wrong because I don’t wanna do it?” And thank God for publishing friends to remind me that I’m not lazy when I like the notes; I jump right the hell in when I like the notes. I know when something feels right and I’m allowed to keep trusting my instincts, especially this far down the line.

So uhhh I think that’s it? Choosing an agent at this stage was really freaking hard, and yes, I cried, and no, I don’t think there’s a way to ever be “sure” you did the right thing, only to go with your gut. The greatest factors in my choice didn’t end up being exactly what I thought they’d be and that’s always a scary thing, but sometimes you have to go through the process to figure out the thing you need most that you might not have even realized you could get.

And of course, this is just my experience; there are tons of factors that vary from one to another. For instance, consider that I’m not interested in, say, writing for Marvel, while this is a huge career goal for other authors and so querying someone who’s clearly made inroads there is something that might not have been on your radar as a debut but should be now.

Oh, and the “talking to clients” thing? Really, really do the “talking to clients” thing. Really. It can make a world of difference.

So, uh…any questions?

Interview with Literary Agent Jennifer Johnson-Blalock!

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Jennifer Johnson-Blalock, Literary Agents, Liza Dawson Associates

It’s been such a long time since I’ve interviewed a literary agent, so the opportunity to interview one as lovely as Jennifer is one I absolutely had to take! Check out her wisdom, scout her wishlist here, and above all, query her!

You acquire in such a wide variety of areas, from cookbooks to contemporary YA to law. What categories and genres feel the closest to your heart, and why?

I’m definitely a generalist! I’ve always read widely, and I think one of the joys of agenting is that you’re not constricted to a certain style or type of book. And it’s lovely to be able to send things out at the same time and not have to juggle editors—I’m going out in the next month or so with a women’s fiction, a YA, and a nonfiction project.

To answer your question, though, if I had to pick one category of my heart, it would have to be women’s fiction. I’ve been reading it for years; I devoured the Red Dress Ink imprint in the early 2000s. (Blogger’s Note: Me too!!) One of the reasons I read is to figure out who I am and what my place in the world is, and those are the books where I can most fully see myself. (And on a related note, I’d really like to find more diverse authors in this category so that a greater number of women can feel the same way.) But don’t stop sending me all the other good stuff, writers; I love it, too!

I never get to talk to anyone who works with cookbooks, but that was actually my first internship in publishing—the now-defunct (I think) little cookbook division at HarperCollins—so I have to ask about it. What kind of cuisine is your favorite to read about? To eat? To cook?

I think in the internet era, when we all just google “chicken goat cheese” or whatever we have in our fridges, a cookbook has to bring something extra to the table. (That was an unintentional pun that I’m intentionally leaving in place!) I really love cookbooks with a narrative component or themed cookbooks like Judith Jones’ THE PLEASURES OF COOKING FOR ONE, and my favorite sort of food books are memoirs with recipes like Molly Wizenberg’s A HOMEMADE LIFE.

On a trip to Italy once, my sister-in-law posed a question: if you could only eat either French food or Italian food for the rest of your life, which would you choose? I went French–I can’t live without my mother sauces and pommes frites. But I actually love to cook Italian food. The precision of baking is my favorite, but I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so pasta is my savory equivalent. You know I like you if I bust out my gnocchi rolling board.

I actually have yet to sign a cookbook author—if you’re reading this, cookbook writers, query me!—but I DID just sign an amazingly fun project from writer Lauren Koshere (@LaurenKoshere) called PIE-WORTHY: How to Bake Smart in Love that guides you through what to bake at various stages in a relationship and includes recipes. I’m thrilled to be working with her on that.

You have such a wide variety of professional experience outside publishing, too. How do those experiences contribute to how you do your agenting job, and what you particularly want to see in work submitted?

If I’d just worked in a PR firm, too, I think I’d be fully equipped to be a literary agent! In all seriousness, though, while it’s by no means necessary to go to law school to be an agent, I do think that I have a stronger than average grasp on contracts, licensing, and copyright issues, which has been a huge help as I’ve gotten started. And working as a high school English teacher 1) improved my editorial skills and 2) gave me a firmer foundation in YA lit (another category I love so hard—I actually started a YA for adults book club in Austin!). This is very much a learn-as-you-go sort of job, but I do think that my other career starts gave me a solid foundation on which to build.

In terms of how it affects what I like to see, as a teacher talking to teens every day, I became very aware of the gulf between what teens want to read and what some adults want teens to read. I actually think most YA writers are aware of this and write for teens themselves, but it seems like a bigger issue in MG. With the law, honestly, that was largely a misstep for me, and more than anything the experience has made me connect more with stories about people who are struggling to find their way or opting for a less obvious path in life.

Obviously we’re all familiar with some serious agent-querier horror stories, but let’s talk the fiip side – what are some best practices you wish all queriers abided by?

First of all, let me just say that most queriers are lovely. And I can imagine how difficult it must be for writers! There are many agents out there who have talked in depth about queries, but here are the highlights:

– Do your research—An agent’s submission guidelines are the bare minimum. I love when writers respond to my #MSWL or note something I said on Twitter. (Non-book things are fair game! I got a query in response to my complaining about bridal showers; I LOVED that.)

– SELL your book to me—Don’t just summarize. Figure out what what makes your book special and what the most compelling way to convey that is. Comp titles are your friends if you use them right.

– Be responsive–If I ask for pages and you can’t send them within a couple days for some reason, that’s totally fine, but I appreciate you letting me know. I get excited to see things when I request! And definitely pay attention to the format agents ask to see your work in.

– Be polite–Obviously! This is a professional communication. I will say, though, that I don’t think you need to reply to a form query rejection.

– Query only when your manuscript is ready and only when you know you want an agent—If you know it needs more revision, do that first. If you think you might want to self-pub, make that decision first—or later, but I shouldn’t be involved in it.

– Set guidelines if you get an offer–It’s incredibly helpful when you tell me you got an offer and plan to respond to it by X date. If I really need more time, I can ask for it, but I always flounder a little when I get an email that says essentially, “I got an offer, so let me know…”

Those are the basics, but here are a few for extra credit:

– Don’t change the subject line when you send requested material–Many of us use Gmail-based email, and if you change the subject line to say requested or what not, it moves it out of the conversation. Then, particularly if you’ve started an entirely new email, I have to dig through my inbox for your query to refresh my memory before I read. Which brings me to:

– Paste your query into the front of the manuscript—Then I don’t have to go back to my inbox at all, and I’m happy when I start reading!

– Use small paragraphs in your query letter–They’re easier to digest when I’m reading many queries in one sitting, and if I understand your work easily, I’m more apt to like it.

You used to curate YA content for Riffle. If you were doing that right now, what recent books would you absolutely have to include?

So many things. For those of you who have never checked out Riffle, it allows you to make lists of books, and part of my job was to come up with themed lists of YA titles. I don’t think I ever got to do a dance-themed list, which is a particular obsession of mine, and there are so many goodies to put on that now: TINY PRETTY THINGS (dying to read the sequel that just came out), POINTE, THE WALLS AROUND US…just to name a few. I’d also love to do a football list—FIRST & THEN would definitely be on it, and THE LOVE THAT SPLIT THE WORLD gets bonus points because it could go on either of those two lists. And on a more serious note, I would definitely include a list on rape and sexual assault that would include, among others, ALL THE RAGE and EXIT, PURSUED BY A BEAR.

Anyone can see what you’re looking for right now on your site, but what’s something that you made you insta-request that you had no idea you were looking for until you saw it?

I requested a speculative fiction manuscript recently that I’m excited to read–I usually stick to the realistic world and leave speculative to my capable LDA colleagues who specialize in it. But this writer was responding to my MSWL request for books about happy couples, and the project just sounded fascinating. Though it’s important to follow agents’ guidelines, I think it’s also okay to take slight chances with queries particularly when responding to something an agent says she’s looking for. I’m really never unhappy about receiving a query; sometimes you truly don’t know until you see something.

Imagine you’ve just gotten a manuscript that looks amazing and you know you want to read it from start to finish. And whoa, you have an entire day free to do it! What’s your ideal reading setup? (Space, snacks, the works. Don’t skimp.)

Ah, the dream. When I really want to treat myself and focus in on a manuscript, I read in bed. I’m a little weird about my space division, and I normally make myself sit in a chair or at my desk if I’m working; bed is for sleeping only. But I have a very soft mattress and far more blankets than I need, so it’s very cozy.

I’d also change into what I call “play clothes”—not stuff you sleep in but not things you’d leave the house in on a normal day either; think, the ratty pair of sweatpants. Glasses, not contacts. Blinds open for the natural light. My “mellow” playlist in the background: Norah Jones, Sara Bareilles, Carole King, etc.

Definitely an oversized mug of tea in my favorite grey TYPEWRITER mug in the morning with a Kind bar or some such—I don’t like to waste time on meal prep when I’m in deep reading mode. Chex Mix and cherry Coke Zero (almost impossible to find in NYC, but a girl can dream) as the day wears on; eventually I’d break down and order a pizza. This actually sounds delightful; I’m going to implement this plan as soon as these moving boxes are gone.

And finally, tell us the coolest thing you’ve experienced in bookworld since starting work in publishing. 

EVERYTHING; I love being an insider! One of the best things, though, is on the nonfiction side. Whenever I see someone doing something cool in the world, I can email them to introduce myself and ask if they want to talk about writing a book. Oftentimes, nothing comes of this, but the conversations I’ve had have all been fascinating. And it’s just such a luxury to have greater access to talented people.

One of my clients, Jessica Luther, is a prominent sports journalist, and when I was reading a proposal for a colleague a couple weeks ago, her client cited Jessica (not knowing she was a client of mine) in one of the chapters. It just tickled me to get confirmation that I’m working with someone who’s an influencer, whose work matters to other people. It’s wonderful to feel that, as an agent, I’m helping to put good and important things into the world.

Jennifer Johnson-Blalock joined Liza Dawson Associates as an associate agent in 2015, having previously interned at LDA in 2013 before working as an agent’s assistant at Trident Media Group. Jennifer graduated with honors from The University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in English and earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Before interning at LDA, she practiced entertainment law and taught high school English and debate. Follow her on Twitter @JJohnsonBlalock, and visit her website: www.jjohnsonblalock.com.

#DVpit SPOTLIGHT SERIES #5: April 8, 2016

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#DVpit

Welcome to the final day of the #DVpit agent spotlight! Settle in and get to know the final six agents being featured this week!

Taylor Martindale Kean is a literary agent with Full Circle Literary, actively acquiring all genres of young adult and middle grade fiction and non-fiction. She is particularly interested in finding unique and unforgettable voices, with character-driven stories that stay with you. Her clients include Emery Lord, Anna-Marie McLemore, Aisha Saeed, Annie Cardi, Lois Miner Huey and more.

“I am looking for fresh, diverse stories and voices in both fiction and non-fiction. I love seeing stories that broaden horizons for all readers, exploring culture, language, heritage and identity in all genres. We live in a wonderfully diverse world, with so many incredible facets, and I want to read more stories that reflect that world with authenticity and heart.”

@TMartindaleKean
http://www.fullcircleliterary.com

Susan Hawk is an agent at the Bent Agency, where she reps children’s books, picture book through YA.

“I’m looking for any kind of diverse stories, particularly for MG: fantasy that’s based on non-Western folklore or legend; gripping historical fiction set outside Europe or the US; protagonists of color, are LGBTQ, and/or have a physical or mental disability. What I love most are stories with vivid characters, that will open minds and stay with kids forever.”

@susanhawk
www.thebentagency.com

Jess Regel is a literary agent at Foundry Literary + Media. Online she can be found at: @jessregel and www.foundrymedia.com/team/jessica.

”I’m looking for middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction—any and all gender/sex/race/religion/minority welcome, as long as it is integral to how the story must be told and not inserted to be “buzzy”. Quite simply I am looking for unique voices that pull me into the narrative and characters that jump off the page. For books that become “must reads” not just for kids, but for thoughtful readers of any age.“

Maggie Riggs is the principal agent of The Riggs Agency, a boutique literary agency specializing in literary fiction, as well as select non-fiction including narrative non-fiction, essays, memoir, and food writing. Prior to founding the agency, Maggie worked as an editor at Viking, an associate agent at The Friedrich Agency, and as an independent editor at NY Book Editors.

“I am particularly interested in works from fiction writers of color in the U.S., writers from underrepresented countries (and their experiences both at home and in the U.S.), and authors writing about underrepresented class groups. As one example, one of my current clients is an Albanian-American woman writing about life in Albania under Communist rule. Some authors whose work I’ve admired over the last few years include Jesmyn Ward, Tiphanie Yanique, James Hannaham, Kirsten Valdez Quade, Justin Torres, and NoViolet Bulawayo. I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to take on work from authors writing in similar veins.”

@maggie_riggs
www.riggslit.com

Patricia Nelson has been a literary agent with Marsal Lyon Literary Agency since 2014. She represents young adult and middle grade fiction, women’s fiction, contemporary and historical romance, and select adult literary fiction.

“My tastes range widely, and in #DVpit I’ll be looking to find gems in all categories I represent. On the adult side, I’ll be keeping an eye out especially for #ownvoices adult contemporary romance of all sorts, culturally diverse women’s fiction with a magical realist thread and/or a story involving family secrets, and LGBTQ literary fiction that feels fresh and new (think along the lines of ADAM by Ariel Schrag or THE LIFE AND DEATH OF SOPIE STARK by Anna North). In terms of YA and MG, right now I’d particularly love to see voicey contemporary realistic coming of age stories by authors of color, as well as culturally diverse magical realism with a literary feel. I’m also actively looking for LGBTQ contemporary middle grade with humor and heart.”

@patricianels
www.marsallyonliteraryagency.com

Carrie Pestritto is an agent with Prospect Agency who represents MG and YA, as well as women’s fiction, memoir, commercial fiction, romance, and nonfiction.

“I am looking for diverse voices that don’t solely deal with minorities feeling uncomfortable in their skin or accepting their identity, etc., but showcases them more complexly/fully. I would love to find a great MG superhero book, epic YA fantasy, or beautiful women’s fiction. Growing up, I always wanted to find representations of my race/minorities in general that showed them simply as people, rather than over-hyping the fact that they were the ‘others.’”

@literarycarrie
literarycarrie.blogspot.com
prospectagency.com

That’s it for the agent blurbs, but remember – these 30 agents aren’t the only ones participating! Make sure you’re following @Beth_Phelan for all #DVpit news, and good look to everyone entering!

#DVpit SPOTLIGHT SERIES #4: April 7, 2016

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#DVpit

Welcome to Day 4 of meeting the #DVpit agents!

Ayesha of Ayesha Pande Literary is a veteran of the publishing industry with over twenty years of experience under her belt. Before starting her own boutique agency based in Harlem, she worked for Harper Collins and Crown Publishers. Ayesha is actively seeking all types of YA, but especially science fiction and fantasy, as well as women’s fiction, multicultural fiction, and any character-driven stories led by a diverse cast of characters. She is especially passionate about boosting new voices and ensuring they thrive.

“I will always encourage and support stories written by and featuring minorities and people of color; in my mind, the lack of these and other voices results in a much less vibrant, intelligent, and worldly publishing industry. If stories are written to move their readers, inclusivity is the key to making sure no reader feels forgotten.”

@agent_ayesha
@pandeliterary (Instagram)
Ayesha Pande Literary on Facebook
www.pandeliterary.com

Gemma Cooper has been a literary agent with the Bent Agency since 2012. She represents authors who write for children, from picture books to young adult, fiction and non-fiction.

“I would love more diverse authors and author/illustrators across my list, but particularly on the younger end—bilingual picture books, a diverse IVY AND BEAN or MG epic adventure. For YA, I want something like the Estelle song “1980”—a fantastic voice telling a story with a strong sense of place. I’m also open to historical novels from a perspective we don’t usually hear from. Ultimately, I want to read authentic voices and be swept away on a journey with that voice.”

@gemma_cooper
www.thebentagency.com

Thao Le is an agent at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. Thao represents Young Adult, Middle Grade, Picture Books illustrated by the author, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, and Romance.

“I’m most excited to find more contemporary YA featuring diverse characters of all ethnicities, sexual orientation, able bodied or not. I am also looking for more romance in both YA and Adult featuring interracial couples. And I love seeing sci-fi/fantasy that is inspired by non-Western cultures and mythologies. I’m particularly interested in representing more diverse creators.”

@thaole8
agentthao.tumblr.com
dijkstraagency.com

Heather Flaherty grew up in Massachusetts, and worked as a playwright in NYC. She then became a Literary Scout, consulting with foreign publishers and Hollywood to find the next big book. As an agent, she’s thrilled to grow authors for that same success. Heather represents Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction and non-fiction, as well as select Adult fiction and non-fiction.

“I’m always on the lookout for diverse stories, diverse characters, and diverse authors, where diversity has a range from POC experiences to disability to gender equality to LGBTQA stories to… you get the idea.

But, specifically, I’d love a story about a teen navigating their asexuality in high school. I’d also love some stories inspired by historic females pushing the boundaries of their expected roles, like female pirates Grace O’Malley, Sayyida al Hurra, and Chang Shih. Or female samurai warriors like Tomoe Gozen and Nakano Takeko. But also about females in our time, pushing through male-dominated subjects and sports in school and life. Also, I’d love stories, both contemporary and fantastical, about Native peoples and from Native voices, incorporating both present and/or past experience, history, culture, beliefs, and non-beliefs. Would also love contemporary Latinx stories focusing on experience, culture, and perspective within their community.

Remember though, these are simple examples, not a criteria—my utmost desire is to be moved by your story… whatever that story might be!”

@HeddaFlaherty
www.thebentagency.com

Stefanie Von Borstel is a literary agent and founder of Full Circle Literary, originally from San Antonio where she grew up in a proud Texan Mexican family. With more than 20 years of publishing experience, she has a long track record of successfully launching new voices such as clients Monica Brown, Diana López, Rene Colato Lainez, Carmen Tafolla among many others.

“I’d love to see fiction submissions with diverse characters taking center stage, especially Latino or mixed-race characters. As the mom of a son with a foreign-born parent, I am actively looking for picture books, middle grade and teen books with a global perspective that share heritage and culture with heart and humor. I also welcome nonfiction or narrative nonfiction that both informs and inspires!”

@FullCircleLit
www.fullcircleliterary.com

Laura Zats is an Associate Literary Agent with Red Sofa Literary. A former editor, Laura represents Middle Grade, YA, romance, erotica, and adult science fiction and fantasy.

“I am looking for all manner of diversity, including religion, ability, and socio-economic class. Please note that I am not accepting books (especially YA) whose plot is centered only around being marginalized (in other words, no issues-disguised-as-people). I have a particular interest in feminist and intersectional works.”

@LZats
www.redsofaliterary.com

ign: center;”>That’s it for day 4! Tune in tomorrow at noon EST for the final six blurbs!

#DVpit SPOTLIGHT SERIES #3: April 6, 2016

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Welcome to day 3 of Meet the Agents of #DVpit! 

Jenny Bent is the founder of the Bent Agency. She primarily reps adult and YA fiction.

“While I am open to any genre of adult or YA fiction, I would especially love to see a wonderful thriller or suspense novel with diverse characters or anything with a touch of the supernatural that takes me into a world I haven’t seen before.”

@jennybent
thebentagency.com

Linda Camacho joined Prospect Agency in 2015 after a decade in publishing, having done stints at Writers House, Penguin, and Random House before making the move. She received her MFA in creative writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Follow her on Twitter: @LindaRandom

“I’m seeking stories where marginalized characters aren’t just the sidekicks, but the stars. I’m open to all types, particularly along the lines of race, sexuality, or disability. My focus is on MG, YA, and adult commercial fiction across all genres (especially fantasy, contemporary, and women’s fiction/romance) and select literary fiction.”

prospectagency.com

Sarah LaPolla joined Bradford Literary Agency in 2013. She had previously worked in the foreign rights department at Curtis Brown, Ltd., and became an associate agent there in 2010. Sarah received her MFA in Creative Writing (Nonfiction) from The New School in 2008, and has a B.A. in Creative Writing from Ithaca College.

“When I think of diversity, I think of stories that don’t often get told and perspectives that don’t usually get shown. Send me something that challenges me and surprises me while giving me a character to root for, no matter what themes your story portray. I represent MG, YA, and Adult fiction in the following genres: literary fiction, science fiction, magical realism, dark/psychological mystery, literary horror, and upmarket contemporary fiction. I seek stories that evoke strong connections, reflect larger themes in a subtle way, and offer a wide range of emotions (not just the dark ones, but the happier ones too!).

I do not represent nonfiction, picture books, high fantasy, inspirational/spiritual novels, romance, or erotica.”

@sarahlapolla
Blog
Bradfordlit.com

Molly Ker Hawn, the Bent Agency. She was raised in the U.S. and has spent much of her adult life in England, and she represents authors based in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

“I’m looking for more-literary-than-commercial YA and MG that features underrepresented voices and/or diverse characters; I’m especially interested in deeply authentic settings with a strong sense of place and creative narrative structures, and I’m always drawn to stories about ‘third culture’ characters, as well as those about immigrant and minority-indigenous cultures.”

@mollykh
thebentagency.com

Rebecca Podos is the MG and YA agent at the Rees Literary Agency in Boston. She is a graduate of the MFA Creative Writing program at Emerson College, and author of the YA novel THE MYSTERY OF HOLLOW PLACES.

“I’m interested in MG and YA featuring marginalized voices and cultures within genre fiction—sci-fi, fantasy, horror, mystery, etc. I love books in which identity is a big part of the story, but needn’t carry the whole story. I love any kind of magic realism. I’m also especially passionate about LGBTQIA+ representation, and would love to see MG and YA featuring multiple characters across the spectrum of gender and sexuality.”

@RebeccaPodos
www.rebeccapodos.com
reesagency.com

Cate Hart is a Junior Agent with Corvisiero Literary Agency, where she first started as an intern almost 3 years ago. She represents Adult Romance, Young Adult and Middle Grade authors, and is looking for historical, fantasy, mystery and narrative nonfiction.

“I am most excited to find First Nation/Indigenous American voices from Middle Grade to Adult, contemporary to fantasy. I would also love to find more stories featuring Korean and Vietnamese voices, especially featuring folk tales or fantasy elements. I love Korean Dramas, and this might be too specific, but I would love to find lush historicals like the Empress Ki or YA like Heirs or Boys Before Flowers from authentic voices.”

@CateHart
www.corvisiero.com

That’s it for today; tune in tomorrow at noon for deets on the next six agents!

#DVpit SPOTLIGHT SERIES #2: April 5, 2016

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#DVpit

Welcome to day 2 of the #DVpit spotlights on participating agents!

Adriana Dominguez is a literary agent with Full Circle Literary and former Executive Editor at HarperCollins’ Rayo imprint with a long trajectory of helping diverse authors and illustrators get published. Her books have been awarded the Pura Belpré Medal and the Coretta Scott King Honor, and been finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the NAACP Award, among others.

“I have been a passionate advocate for diversity in all of its forms for a very long time, and am always looking at the types of books by diverse authors that are being published. In my mind, there is not enough diversity in virtually every category, but the ones that I find myself most drawn to are both fiction and nonfiction picture books, middle grade novels, and (literary) young adult novels. I know that there is a very strong need for diverse illustrators, and have been growing my list of those with a particular emphasis on diverse artists. I’d love to find more humorous diverse material to lift a bit of the burden that the “diverse” label can sometimes place on writers and readers, and because all kids like to laugh!”

@VocesBlog 
www.fullcircleliterary.com

Louise Fury at the Bent Agency. A native South African, she lives in NYC, but travels to Cape Town every year to meet with writers and publishers.

“I am looking for all kinds of diverse stories, especially character-driven YA or MG. I love unusual formats, unique timelines and unpredictable endings.

My maiden name is De Faria—my father was Portuguese and struggled with English and I never understood a word my paternal grandparents said. So I’m very interested in reading about characters who have out-of-place immigrant parent/s and the experience of being caught between two very different worlds.”

@louisefury
www.thebentagency.com

Linda Epstein is an Agent at Emerald City Literary Agency. Prior to that she was at Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency for 4 1/2 years. Linda represents picture books, middle grade, and young adult fiction and nonfiction. She speaks at writing conferences throughout North America and you can find her on the Internet at her agency website EmeraldCityLiterary.com, on Facebook, on Twitter @LindaEpstein, and talking about writing and publishing on her blog theblabbermouthblog.com.

“I’ve always been interested in representing all kinds of voices and I’m lucky to currently represent some fantastic GLBTQ authors. I’m very interested in seeing more stories featuring people of color and written by people of color. They don’t have to be about diversity; I just want great stories that draw me in so much that I forget I’m reading.”

Penny Moore of FinePrint Literary Management represents middle grade and young adult fiction. She’s particularly interested in inventive works with beautiful writing and memorable voices.

“I’m currently looking for own voices projects in children’s literature. I’d love to discover the next Jenny Han, a writer of color who writes about diverse characters that appeal to the inner romantic in all of us. I’m also looking for great multi-cultural MG projects in which the culture is an organic part of the story but not the “issue,” meaning I want young minority readers to be able to see themselves in the stories the way a non-minority would. Finally, I am dying for a spectacular LGBTQ project in the vein of More Happy Than Not.”

fineprintlit.com
literarypenny.com
@precociouspenny

Brooks Sherman of the Bent Agency works with picture books, middle grade, and young adult novels, and with select commercial, speculative, and fantasy fiction. Prior to starting his career in publishing, he worked in theater and television, and spent two years with the Peace Corps in West Africa.

“I am seeking stories that middle grade and young adult readers can relate to, rather than ones they can escape into. I love fully fleshed-out, “perfectly imperfect” characters in books that touch on issues, rather than “issue books.” I’m particularly drawn to tales dealing with a character’s crush or first love, cross-ethnic/cultural relations, and prejudices (whether others’ or their own).”

@byobrooks
brookssherman.com

Emily S. Keyes is a literary agent at Fuse Literary. She works with young adult, middle grade, science fiction and women’s fiction.

“I started more actively seeking non-western stories after seeing King Arthur retellings too many times. I love stories that haven’t been told already, or are being told from a new perspective. During DVPit, I am particularly looking for things by non-white authors, or about people with disabilities.”

esckeyes.tumblr.com
@esc_key
www.fuseliterary.com

#DVpit SPOTLIGHT SERIES #1: April 4, 2016

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#DVpit

I’m honored to be helping out with #DVpit, a pitch contest specifically for diverse books created by literary agent Beth Phelan, by featuring the participating agents and their wishlists on my blog all this week! (For more information on #DVpit, click here.) And now, let’s get to the agents, beginning with Beth herself!

Beth Phelan (host and creator of #DVpit) is a literary agent at the Bent Agency, where she represents authors of YA and MG fiction, adult contemporary romance, adult suspense/thrillers, and cookbooks.

“I’m looking for many things and expect I’ll  ❤ a lot of different pitches! But more specifically, I’m really hoping to find more Jewish and Muslim narratives in YA and MG fiction that demonstrate the diversity within those very groups. I’d love a sweeping literary novel or a laugh-out-loud contemporary. Also a big, splashy YA fantasy. I want it all! And especially considering my own experiences with these, I’d be thrilled to find any story with an author/lead that has trichotillomania and/or excoriation disorder.”

@beth_phelan
www.bethphelan.com
www.thebentagency.com

Mary C. Moore (@Mary_C_Moore) is with Kimberley Cameron & Associates based in the Bay Area, California—visit her at kimberleycameron.com and marycmoore.com.

“I am particularly interested in finding raw and beautifully written Latino or Native Magical Realism or upmarket fiction in any genre that highlights Native erasure, especially in regards to cultural history (food, myths, sexuality, feminism etc.). If I could pick and choose, I feel that California Native voices are not as known in the literary world as compared to Navajo, Sioux, or Lakota (or Incan, Aztec, Mayan). However, I am interested in all voices from the Americas. I am white, so in these particular stories, I am looking for Native authors, to ensure authenticity of narrative and prevent accidental racism/further erasure.

I am also always on the look out for high fantasy with black female protagonists. Princesses or queens on the run, fighting the establishment, will really grab me.”

Jim McCarthy is a Vice-President and Literary Agent at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management where he focuses primarily on YA and adult fiction but is also seeking middle grade, children’s nonfiction, and limited adult narrative nonfiction.

“As far as #DVPit, I’m open to all voices but would be especially keen on sci-fi/fantasy or historical novels with non-Western locales and protagonists of color, romance with diverse protagonists, any author who can make me laugh out loud or quietly weep while reading on my commute, and queer narratives of any kind.”

@JimMcCarthy528
www.dystel.com

Caitie Flum joined Liza Dawson Associates in July 2014. She graduated from Hofstra University in 2009 with a BA in English with a concentration in publishing studies. She was an Editorial Assistant then Coordinator for Bookspan, where she worked on several clubs including the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club.

“I am looking for all marginalized stories and voices, but will be particularly looking for more disability representation in all genres and age groups middle grade through adult. Would really love to see these stories with POC and LGBTQIA characters.”

@caitief 
lizadawsonassociates.com

Kirsten Carleton is a literary agent at Prospect Agency seeking upmarket YA and adult fiction across speculative, thriller, and literary genres.

“I’m looking for all kinds of representation, definitely in terms of racial diversity, but also diversity of sexuality, gender and gender identification, class, and disability. I’m especially interested in stories that feature more than one minority character in a way that shows the diversity of characterization within that minority, rather than having a single minority character as a de facto representative of their entire demographic. A noncomprehensive wishlist: multiracial protagonists; Chinese mythology-inspired fantasy; teen homelessness; characters coping with mental illness and/or chronic disability; trans and genderfluid teens; second generation immigrant stories that focus on culture clashes between generations; stories set outside the US/Europe (particularly Taiwan) that feature local characters rather than American/European visitors; historical fiction based on badass women like Pancho Barnes, Ada Lovelace, and Ching Shih.”

@kirstencarleton
www.prospectagency.com

Before joining the L. Perkins Agency, Rachel Brooks worked as an agent apprentice to Louise Fury. In addition to her industry training, Rachel has a business degree and graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English from Texas A&M University-CC.

“I’d love a LGBTQ YA novel that is light in tone and/or funny with a happy ending, especially with an L or B protagonist, where how he/she identifies is a layer to the story versus the hook.

I’d like to find a contemporary YA where the MC has a stepparent/sibling(s) of a different race and culture, creating a blended family on multiple levels (also predominantly light or funny).

I’m also on the lookout for sexy adult romances with alpha heroes and witty heroines by authors from marginalized communities.”

@RachMBrooks
www.rachelmbrooks.com
www.lperkinsagency.com

That’s it for today – tune in tomorrow at noon EST for the next five!

A QUILTBAG YA/NA Compendium

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Alex London, Alex Sanchez, Alycia Tornetta, Amy Boggs, AS King, Barry Goldblatt, Benjamin Alire Saenz, Bill Konigsburg, Blair Thornburgh, Brent Hartinger, Brian Katcher, Bridget Smith, Caitlin McDonald, Corinne Duyvis, David Levithan, DiversifYA, Diversity in YA, Heidi Cullinan, Jennifer Laughran, Jessica Verdi, Julie Anne Peters, Julie Sondra Decker, Kaylee Davis, Kelley York, Kristen Zimmer, Kristin Elizabeth Clark, Laura Biagi, Laura Bradford, Laura Lam, Laura Zats, Leah Raeder, LGBTQ, Lindsay Ribar, Lydia Sharp, Malinda Lo, Maria Vincente, Meredith Rich, Molly Beth Griffin, Nancy Garden, Nina LaCour, Nyrae Dawn, QUILTBAG, Rena Rossner, Robert Guinsler, Robin Talley, Sara Farizan, Sara Megibow, Sarah Harian, Sarah Tregay, Tess Sharpe, Victoria Lowes

Note: This post and the greater Compendium are no longer being updated as of April 2016. For far more comprehensive book lists, please visit LGBTQReads instead!

If you follow me on Twitter, or listen to me babble anywhere else, there’s a good chance you know I’m a pretty massive advocate of QUILTBAG YA/NA.

Yes, QUILTBAG is kind of a dumb word (for the unfamiliar, it stands for QUeer/QUestioning Intersex Lesbian Transgender Bisexual Asexual Gay), and I do sincerely apologize to anyone for whom this is not the preferred term, but I’ve chosen it for being the most outwardly inclusive option, particularly given that I actively wanted to highlight some Intersex books as well.

Since I’m always kinda going on about it in a lot of random places, I thought it’d probably be a good idea to get all that information down in one spot, particularly a spot with a comments section, since obviously I’m far from the be-all and end-all of knowledge on the subject.

(For a waaaay more comprehensive site entirely on the subject of GLTBQ+ YA, check out Lee Wind‘s fantastic review site. )

This will be another one of those posts I update with some frequency, but it’s important to me to get it started, so, this is me, doing that.

First up, some websites and blog posts – emphasizing the importance of writing and supporting it, recommending it, and helping you write and/or publish it:

Blogs/Sites

Gay YA – a site dedicated to featuring LGBTQIA+ characters in Young Adult Literature

Queer YA – A site dedicated to fiction for LGBTQ teens

DiversifYA – all posts under their QUILTBAG tag, including their DiversiTheme Roundtable on Diversity and Sexuality

Diversity in YA, which emphasizes both racial and sexual diversity and often includes specific rec lists

Publishers

Harmony Ink – the YA imprint of Dreamspinner Press, dedicated to publishing LGBT-themed YA

Bold Strokes Books – a publisher of LGBTQ YA/NA

Triton Books – the YA imprint of Riptide Press

Posts

LGBTQ & You: How to Support Your Students, by Lauren Barack in School Library Journal

All Things Queer and Wonderful, by Leah Raeder, on the importance of “Gaying up New Adult”

Graphic Guide to YA Novels with LGBTQ Characters, by Molly of Molly is Wrapped Up in Books, as part of this post for YALSA

YA Books About LGBT Characters of Color, by Malinda Lo

YA LGBTQ Novels Where the Focus Isn’t Coming Out, by Nita Tyndall

25 Must Read Books Featuring Gay Protagonists, by Epic Reads

8 Great LGBTQ Characters in YA Lit, by Me, via Barnes & Noble Blog

YA Misfits: Interview with Sara Megibow, on being LGBTQ-friendly

(Many thanks to Julie Sondra Decker, author of the upcoming THE INVISIBLE ORIENTATION: AN INTRODUCTION TO ASEXUALITY, for providing so many additional links in the comments!)

Along those lines, here are some agents who have stated they are actively seeking QUILTBAG YA/NA:

(Please note, I’d venture to say most, if not all, are! I just didn’t want to list anyone here without consent. Everyone here has specifically responded to this post.)

Laura Biagi of Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency

Amy Boggs of Don Maass Literary Agency

Laura Bradford of Bradford Literary Agency

Kaylee Davis of Dee Mura Literary Agency

Barry Goldblatt of BG Literary

Robert Guinsler of Sterling Lord Literistic

Cate Hart at Corvisiero Literary Agency

Saritza Hernandez at Corvisiero Literary Agency

Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Victoria Lowes of The Bent Agency

Caitlin McDonald of Sterling Lord Literistic

Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary Agency

Jessica Negron of Talcott Notch Literary Agency

Jessica Regel of Foundry Literary+Media

Lindsay Ribar of Sanford J. Greenburger

Meredith Rich of Bloomsbury Spark*

Rena Rossner of the Deborah Harris Agency

Brooks Sherman of The Bent Agency

Bridget Smith of Dunham Literary Agency

Blair Thornburgh of Quirk Books*

Alycia Tornetta of Entangled Publishing*

Maria Vincente of P.S. Literary Agency

Kent D. Wolf of Lippincott Massie McQuilkin

Laura Zats of Red Sofa Literary

*Editor who accepts unagented submissions. NOT an agent.

Next up, a not-at-all comprehensive list of published QUILTBAG YA/NA.
Requirements for being on this list are:

1) The main* character, storyline, or love interest has to be QUILTBAG

and

2) At least one person whose opinion I respect has to have loved it, even if I didn’t (though if I thought it was a legit terrible book, it’s not making it on here)

*Dual-POVs in which one of two are QUILTBAG have been included

If a book is bolded, it means I’ve read it. If it isn’t, it means it was recommended by someone I trust. Just FYI, in case you have questions/complaints about a particular title. (And if I haven’t read it, it’s on my TBR.)

If a book is in blue, it means it’s intersectional – at least one of the characters who is QUILTBAG is also a PoC.

And yes I’m tagging which letters it encapsulates where I feel like it’s been firmly established (and Q where it hasn’t, I’m not sure because I haven’t read it, and/or the book is particularly focused on not putting characters in boxes) and please feel free to tell me if you think I’m misrepresenting, especially if you’re the author. I’m not trying to force any labels; I just want people to more easily be able to find the books they’re looking for, particularly the ones dedicated to less frequently represented members of the community:

The Rainbow Trilogy by Alex Sanchez (YA – G)
ANNIE ON MY MIND by Nancy Garden (YA – L)
ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE by Benjamin Alire Saenz (YA – G)
ASK THE PASSENGERS by AS King (YA – Q)
BOY MEETS BOY by David Levithan (YA – G)
EVERY DAY by David Levithan (YA – Q)
TWO BOYS KISSING by David Levithan (YA – G)
WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON by John Green and David Levithan (YA – G)
CODA by Emma Trevayne (YA – B)
TWIN SENSE by Lydia Sharp (YA – B)
EMPRESS OF THE WORLD by Sara Ryan (YA – Q)
ASH by Malinda Lo (YA – Q)
HUNTRESS by Malinda Lo (YA – Q)
ADAPTATION and INHERITANCE by Malinda Lo (YA – Q)
THE ART OF WISHING and THE FOURTH WISH by Lindsay Ribar (YA – B)
HERO by Perry Moore (YA – G)
FAN ART by Sarah Tregay (YA – G)
OPENLY STRAIGHT by Bill Konigsburg (YA – G)
THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST by Emily Danforth (YA – L)
PROXY by Alex London (YA – G)
SILHOUETTE OF A SPARROW by Molly Beth Griffin (YA – Q)
GEOGRAPHY CLUB by Brent Hartinger (YA – G,B)
MY MOST EXCELLENT YEAR by Steve Kluger (YA – Q)
WILDTHORN by Jane Eagland (YA – L)
IF YOU COULD BE MINE by Sara Farizan (YA – L)
PANTOMIME and SHADOWPLAY by Laura Lam (YA – I,B)
THE ELEMENTALS by Saundra Mitchell (YA – B)
OVER YOU by Amy Reed (YA – B)
GOLDEN BOY by Abigail Tarttelin (YA* – I)
SUICIDE WATCH by Kelley York (YA – Q)
THE SHATTERING by Karen Healey (YA – L)
SISTER MISCHIEF by Laura Goode (YA – L)
SCARS by Cheryl Rainfield (YA – L)
GREAT by Sara Benincasa (YA – L)
THE SUMMER I WASN’T ME by Jessica Verdi (YA – L)
FAR FROM YOU by Tess Sharpe (YA – B)
ONE MAN GUY by Michael Barakiva (YA – G)
EVERYTHING LEADS TO YOU by Nina LaCour (YA – L)
AN UNSTILL LIFE by Kate Larkindale (YA – L)
OTHERBOUND by Corinne Duyvis (YA – B,L)
LIES MY GIRLFRIEND TOLD ME by Julie Anne Peters (YA – L)
LUNA by Julie Anne Peters (YA – T)
FREAKBOY by Kristin Elizabeth Clark (YA – T)
BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FOR UGLY CHILDREN by Kristin Cronn-Mills (YA – T)
THE OTHER ME by Suzanne van Rooyen (YA – T)
ALMOST PERFECT by Brian Katcher (YA – T)
I AM J by Cris Beam (YA – T)
SOCIAL SKILLS by Sara Alva (NA – G)
LOVE LESSONS by Heidi Cullinan (NA – G)
THE GRAVITY BETWEEN US by Kristen Zimmer (NA – L)
MISMATCHED by Lydia Sharp (NA – L)

*Technically published as Adult, but whatever

And finally, a list of upcoming QUILTBAG YA/NA:

2014

I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN by Jandy Nelson (YA – G)
TELL ME AGAIN HOW A CRUSH SHOULD FEEL by Sara Farizan (YA – L)
LIES WE TELL OURSELVES by Robin Talley (YA – L)
AFTERWORLDS by Scott Westerfeld (YA – L)

RUSH by Nyrae Dawn (NA – G)
FEVER PITCH by Heidi Cullinan (NA – G)
*THE WICKED WE HAVE DONE and OUR BROKEN SKY by Sarah Harian (NA – L)

*LGBTQ romance is secondary in the novel, but primary in the associated novella

2015

SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA by Becky Albertalli (YA – G)
MORE HAPPY THAN NOT by Adam Silvera (YA – G)
NONE OF THE ABOVE by I.W. Gregorio (YA – I)
WONDERS OF THE INVISIBLE WORLD by Christopher Barzak (YA – Q)
UNSPEAKABLE by Abbie Rushton (YA – L)
BLEEDING EARTH by Kaitlin Ward (YA – L)
FANS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE LIFE by Kate Scelsa (YA – G,B)
UNBREAKABLE by Robin Talley (YA – GQ,L)
UNDER THE LIGHTS by Dahlia Adler (aka Me) (YA – B,L)

OFF CAMPUS by Amy Jo Cousins (NA – G,B)
TRUST THE FOCUS by Megan Erickson (NA – G)
BLACK IRIS by Leah Raeder (NA – Q)
SETH & GREYSON by Jessica Sorensen (NA – G)

If you’ve got a book rec, or read a blog post on the subject that meant a lot to you, or you’re an agent who wants to be added to the list – whatever – I just want to be as comprehensive as possible, so please help make it easier in the comments!

On Querying and Subbing Simultaneously

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Literary Agents, Small Publishers

*This post also appears as a guest post today on Brenda Drake’s blog. We like to cover our bases pre-Pitch Madness!

Publishing has evolved into a pretty fascinating thing over the past decade—new publishers opening, old publishers folding or merging, the rise of self-publishing… the options seem pretty endless. And the best thing about having so many options is that truly, what’s the best option for one book might not be the best for another, and encompassing different methods in order to optimize your sales is now a very real—and, in my opinion, very freaking awesome—way to build a writing career.

But, notice I said “what’s the best option for one book might not be the best for the other.” As in, each book might have its own best path. What this means is, your contemporary NA might do best self-pubbed, while having an agent sub to big houses might be the best move for your YA psychological thriller, and subbing to a small press might be optimal for your YA fantasy.

What this doesn’t mean is that you should take that contemporary NA, self-pub it, and then query your self-pubbed book to agents for representation. And what this really, really doesn’t mean is that you should query that YA to agents while subbing it to small presses.

Unfortunately, there’s been a really huge rise of simultaneously querying agents and submitting to small publishers, and while I understand the reasons and intentions behind it (and we’ll get to the most understandable ones later), what’s getting lost is that it’s genuinely hurting many authors, agents, and editors.

What’s the big deal? you might think. Because of course you want to get published. Of course you want to see your book become a book. You want to give your book every shot you can. But as with all things, there’s a right way and a wrong way, and after speaking to both agents and editors on the subject, it’s become clear that the wrong way needs to stop.

Because here’s the big deal. It’s an agent’s job to submit your manuscript. It’s an agent’s job to send your manuscript to everywhere (s)he deems a worthy fit, and try to get you the best deal (s)he can. Agents want to do their job, for you and for themselves; 15% of a six-figure deal is a whole lot more than 15% of a three-figure one. The crux of the author-agent partnership is a certain amount of faith that your agent knows what’s best for your work. So what kind of message does it send when you take that element out of the relationship? When you effectively say, “I’ve done the work of finding the best place for my manuscript”?

Now, I’ve made no secret of my feelings on small publishers, but in case it’s not clear by the fact that I’m publishing with one, let me make it clear—I love them. I love the amount of input I get, I love being so in the loop, I love how easy it is to communicate with them, and I love the personal attention. I have no regrets about going with a small publisher, and had no hesitation about doing so. That said, was going with a small publisher my agent’s first choice? Of course not—from a business perspective, as wonderful as they are, it will never be the highest-earning option. It’s an agent’s job to think big, to assume big, to aim for big, and to do so widely. That isn’t to say they shouldn’t sub to small presses too (though some do not, and if it’s something you think you want, that’s definitely something to discuss on The Call), but think about how you’d feel if an agent offered on your manuscript and strictly subbed small. What would you think that said about your agent’s confidence in your manuscript?

So why does this matter? Why should you care what I think? Because this isn’t strictly coming from me; it’s coming from agents, to me and Brenda—agents who no longer want to participate in contests, because they’re tired of having their submission options pulled out from under them. They’re tired of small publishers offering on submissions within a week of requesting and having five authors nudge them all at the same time, creating an impossible situation. And why should you care that they’re tired? Because it makes them say “no” when they might otherwise not have. Because sometimes, it’s just bad timing, and the crunch of only having a week, and the fact that an offer is already on the table, and the fact that they don’t feel it’s their place to tell you to pass on it on the chance they might be interested. And if an agent was what you really wanted in the long term—an agent who was going to widely sub your book—you just lost it for an offer you didn’t really want in the first place.

To quote one agent, “We want to help break authors out—to try to help them get to places they can’t get to by themselves. We want to put them in front of NY. Some books are good for digital and fit there. But the ones that would work well in NY are heartbreaking to pass on.”

And that’s exactly it—that’s what agents are for. So why take that away from them and from yourself?

You know who else it sucks for when you do this? The editors at those small presses. The ones who get really excited about your manuscripts, who get invested, only to get put on hold so you can find an agent. Yeah, they’re not any happier about this. Every editor I spoke to was absolutely on board with their authors using agents to negotiate contracts, just so there’s no confusion about that, but not with their offers being leveraged to secure agents who are then stuck in the position of negotiating a deal that’s already been accepted. As per one small pub editor, “An agent’s job is to get you the best possible deal, and when they are presented with one that is already accepted, their only option is to push back hard, and that will most likely put the editor in an awkward place.

Keep in mind that when a small press makes an offer they are already on your side, and they have likely spent some significant portion of time pitching your MS and being your advocate on the inside. If you are in the midst of talking with agents and have multiple queries out [and] need to use the offer to ask others for a final decision that is one thing. When you receive an offer is not the time to start looking for an agent. And vice versa, if you have an agent don’t sub on your own to publishers with an open call. Let them do that for you.”

In addition to hurting your relationship with your potential editor, doing this might actually be hurting the book itself. Books are scheduled for particular seasons, and there’s a specific amount of editorial time that’s been allotted to your book before it goes to press. The time you spend looking for an agent after getting an offer cuts into that editorial time, or time you could be spending on revisions. And no, you cannot demand an editorial letter before you sign a contract; if you don’t ultimately end up signing with that press after all, such as if you do land an agent and (s)he wants to sub more widely, that’s a ton of time and work spent on you that should’ve been spent on acquisitions and editing existing signed clients.

Now, that said, what happens if you do get an offer from a small press and want to find an agent?

“In pretty much every situation, honesty is always the best policy,” says another editor. “As a publisher, we want our clients to have every comfort in signing with us and usually recommend that if they don’t have an agent, they have a lawyer look at the contract. Depending on the publishing house, a pub offer is usually good anywhere from 30 days to a year, so it is absolutely appropriate to let the house know you’d like to use that time to find an agent to handle negotiations. Again, the biggest thing is just to keep communication open and be honest about your goals and plans.”

And finally, one more biggie from an editor:

“‘DON’T query small presses unless you are INTERESTED in publishing with one.’ It sounds so simple, but it happens all the time.”

Let me explain something about both agents and editors that seems to get lost in the shuffle a lot. It doesn’t matter how much power you’re tired of them having, and it doesn’t matter how curious you are about the strength of your work: Agents and editors are not test subjects. When you use one as “offer bait,” you ruin things for everyone. It means you’ve wasted time they could’ve spent reading subs from people who genuinely want this, or editing client manuscripts they’ve already signed. Seriously, next time you think of using an agent or editor or even a contest as a test subject, think of that writer friend of yours who’d kill for the offer you just used as a “test.” Think of the fact that your actions might be talking agents out of doing contests. Think of the fact that your actions might be the ones to make a publisher decide to stop taking unagented submissions. And stop.

I’m sure not everyone will agree with what I’m saying here, and that’s fine; I’ve had enough frustrating conversations with writers to know that plenty of people out there will do whatever they wanna do. But I’ve also spoken to many I know would never knowingly hurt other writers, and to those, I hope this will help you think twice about the path you’re forging for this manuscript.

To be clear, I genuinely understand the different innocent scenarios in which this happens.

I understand that sometimes you get an offer, genuinely want it, but are scared of negotiating the contract yourself. To that I say, be honest in your query that you are looking for an agent to negotiate this contract. This isn’t a situation where you’re leveraging or nudging to lure an offer. An agent can agree to handle it or not, and you can discuss on the call whether this is a one-time thing or the beginning of a partnership. Some agents are perfectly happy to do this. Alternatively, you can use a lawyer for the contract and just query with the next one; they’re not subbing this ms anyway, so wouldn’t you rather ensure they’re the perfect fit for the next one?

I understand that sometimes, contests have judges that are both agents and editors. To that I say, if you’re in one of these contests, pick one path and stick with it. If you want an agent, and you get requests from both, send to agents only. If an agent offers, you can always state that you had interest from that pub and let the agent choose whether to sub there. If you want a small pub offer, send to editors only, and then see previous paragraph if you receive one and want an agent to negotiate it. 

I understand that it’s a really, really freaking tough business. But it’s tough all around, and the best we can do is try to work together so everyone gets a fair shot and awesome manuscripts become books. Seems like a pretty solid goal to me, no?

Nudging and Multiple Offers, Part II: The Agony and the Ecstasy

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Literary Agents, Multiple Offers, Nudging

The absolutely wonderful Lydia Sharp was here yesterday to talk about the basics of nudging agents once you have an offer of representation, and then the responsible, professional way to manage having multiple offers.

And now, in my role as most overshare-y publishing blogger ever, I’m here to talk a little more about the emotional side of it.

To quickly reiterate, here’s how it all works, in a nutshell: You query, maybe revise it, get requests, maybe get R&Rs, etc. and eventually you get an e-mail from an agent saying (s)he wants to talk. (Some agents just straight-up call, I know, but this has never happened to me. Thank the freaking Lord.) You set up a phone call, and you have a conversation. If that call contains an offer, you politely contact all agents who haven’t yet responded to your query*.

*I’m going to pause to discuss this for a second, because this is probably the most highly debated nudging point. Some people think you shouldn’t nudge agents who only have your query. I’m going to state that this is absolutely, categorically wrong. In both cases in which I’ve been offered representation, I nudged agents who only had queries, because the offers came very early in the process and I knew it was likely they hadn’t even read my query yet. I’d venture to say the total response was about 90% asking for more material. Sometimes, they really don’t get to your query for a month.

There is an exception to be made for when queries have passed a reasonable deadline, and certainly if it passes an agency’s “no response = no” deadline. However, if it’s on the border, when in doubt, get in touch, even if it’s just to withdraw. This last time I opted not to nudge exactly one agent, because it was so close to her agency’s no response = no time. She ended up sending me a very lovely e-mail a week or two after I signed that made it pretty clear she would have requested. So, you never know. Also, this 🙂

Okay, now, where were we? Oh, yes, nudging! God, it’s uncomfortable, isn’t it? Like, yeah, it’s really exciting and the world seems full of possibilities, but also you really just want to announce to the world that you have an offer, and also you don’t know how to nudge, and also, how much time are you really supposed to give, and what about the agents you don’t really want, and oh crap this is so much more uncomfortable than I thought.

For real, yo. Nudging is a wonderful reminder at all the possibilities out there, but it’s also pretty scary. So, let’s talk your options for a sec:

1. Contact all agents and say something like, “Dear Schmagent Lipman, Thank you again so much for requesting THE SECRET LIVES OF CLOWN DOLLS. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve had an offer from an agent, and I’d love to get back to her by [a date 7-14 days from now*].” or “Dear Awesome Agent, I know you haven’t requested any material, but given that my query was relatively recent, I wanted to let you know that I’ve received an offer of representation. I have not yet responded to the offer, but as a courtesy to the offering agent, I would love to do so by [a date 7-14 days from now].” OR WHATEVER. Point is, you get in touch, you politely nudge, you offer more material upon request, you keep it all in the same e-mail chain but with OFFER OF REPRESENTATION in your subject line, and give them a reasonable time frame in which to read and decide if they would like to make a competing offer.

*Let’s take another break to discuss time frame. Why is time frame really important? Why do I say 7-14 days? Because here’s the reality of what’s happening when you nudge: you’re asking A) the offering agent to wait, and B) the agents you’re nudging to push you up to the top of their TBRs, whether it’s a good time for them or not.

So, making an agent who’s in love with your manuscript and made an offer wait more than two weeks? Not so nice. (And good freaking luck having that patience yourself. Seriously.)

Making agents speed read? Not going to work in your favor. Especially if you happen to be nudging during a conference (my first time was during BEA, my second during RWA, so trust me on this one), an agent who might’ve otherwise loved your manuscript may not be able to make the time for it. The other thing to note about responses to nudging (which, by the way, should absolutely make you think twice about listening to those people who suggest using your lower-choice agents as query guinea pigs, or about using an offer you don’t really want to get ones you do)? Agents who might’ve given you an R&R are almost definitely going to step aside in favor of the offering agent who loves it enough as is.

Guys, do not mess around. There’s a limit to how many times you’ll get to do this. If you’re going to stop querying because you’ve got an offer, make sure it’s an offer you actually want. And the best way to do that is not to query anyone you don’t. Which brings us to the next option…

2. You withdraw from the agents you don’t want to consider. Now, look – to my mind, this is a perfectly okay thing to do. You don’t want to consider the agent, so why make him/her do the work of reading your manuscript? But. You know how agents are people too? Well, getting one of these… it kind of sucks. And lately, I’ve seen more than one agent talk about that fact, and how unfair it seems. So, my inclination is to just nudge all around and deal with the responses as they come; it seems to be the preference of agents, so, not much I can really say to that.

And now, back to nudging! At which point I am going to share a really uncomfortable truth that may not be universal but is absolutely true for me: getting responses to your nudges can be the ultimate confidence shaker. Because the same way that that one nugget of crit from a beta might stick with you even if sandwiched between heaps of praise? Same deal when an agent rejects upon being nudged.

You’ve got your ace in the hole! You’ve got someone who loves it! Hell, you’ve essentially got a freaking agent!

BUT WHAT DID THOSE AGENTS MEAN WHO SAID “Congratulations on the offer! I’m going to step aside because I really didn’t connect with the voice/I thought the pacing needed a lot of work/I would’ve had you do major revisions.”?!?!?! WHAT DO THEY SEE THAT MY OFFERING AGENT DOESN’T?!?!

So, yeah, for all the excitement and awesomeness, nudging is actually kinda tough. Because you’re basically forcing a flood of responses to come within the same one-week time frame, and some of those are probably gonna be rejections, and rejections always kinda suck. And the fact that you’ve gone from the high of “Someone loves my book and thinks it’ll sell!” to the low of “Oh, right, this stuff is subjective and not everyone loves everything” at a dizzying speed can be a shock to the system.

But let’s say some of those responses are actually really positive, and you get multiple e-mails to set up multiple phone calls that result in multiple offers! I mean, that’s objectively awesome, right?

*draws your attention to the subtitle of this post*

Look, it is wonderful every time an agent falls in love with your manuscript enough to want to represent it. I don’t ever want to be confused for being ungrateful. It is lucky, and it is glorious, and it’s a huge privilege to get to talk to multiple agents about your work.

But agents reject as part of their job on a daily basis. Writers? Not so much. So when we have to do it – when we have to choose only one after two or more have shown real interest and passion in our work, have had lengthy phone conversations with us about our writing and careers and the industry? It’s hard.

So how do you do it? How do you choose? Especially when you’ve queried right and genuinely think any agent you queried could be the right fit?

Dear reader, I have THOUGHTS.

1. Let go of the idea of a dream agent. Seriously. I know people say that and you’re all STFU but seriously, there is a lot you can’t know about an agent until you get on the phone and have that conversation, and one thing that may surprise you is how much an agent’s level of passion for your work and planning for your future can vary. A phone call is a great way to get an idea of how an agent plans to pitch your book, which happens to be a phase you have very little control over, if any. Also, because #3.

2. Figure out what’s most important to you in an agent. It’s pretty hard to find anyone in life who’s 100% of what you want. I wish my husband loved Pretty Little Liars and didn’t think seeing the Panama Canal was the coolest possible vacation on Earth. You do, however, have to have priorities. Do you care a lot about an agent’s response time? About whether (s)he’s an editorial agent? Make a list of the things that are real must-haves for you and make sure you get all your questions answered about whether an agent fits those criteria by the end of the call, whether explicitly or implicitly.

3. Ask about revision plans. Seriously. This is the number one best way to see if an agent’s brain really clicks with yours. If you don’t like an agent’s revision ideas, and don’t trust that they’re what’s best for your book, it’s a pretty safe bet this isn’t going to be a great partnership.

4. Do a little red flag fishing. Yeah, I know – no one wants to think about this crap during a happy phone call, but unfortunately, especially with newer agents and agencies, it’s a must. Is an agent unwilling to talk about his/her sales? Is the agent new and doesn’t seem to be getting any guidance/mentorship?

I’m going to be honest – I surprised the hell out of myself by going with the newest agent who offered. But I also knew what mattered to me, and she was all of it. And even though every agent I spoke to was fantastic, I ultimately just couldn’t see myself with anyone else.

So, knowing that in your own head is great. Having to tell the other agents that? Not as much. Certainly, they were gracious and lovely, because they’re gracious and lovely people, but yeah, it sucks to say “Thank you for being awesome and thinking I’m awesome, I just thought someone else was more the right kind of awesome for me.” It really does.

But it’s part of the job. On both sides.

So take a deep breath, use both your head and your heart, be as polite and gracious as possible, and push through. And when it’s all over, get yourself a drink and/or macaron. You’ve earned it.