I want to take a moment to celebrate life’s little big moments!
I’m super happy to announce that I have just signed with the brilliant and wonderful Melissa Sarver at Folio Literary Agency! Yes, I have an agent! It’s amazing to find someone who loves my novel. Someone who is truly passionate about my writing and has a vision for it! (Yup, I’ve pretty much looked like the image to the right for the past week!).
Of course, this hasn’t been an easy road. Getting an agent has been many years in the making. Not only is the querying process long and painful, but there’s all the time before querying. Time spent writing and revising my book, getting my MFA, going to conferences and workshops, querying (and getting rejected) with that other book (which I can now admit wasn’t ready). You know … all the many pieces of the puzzle that add up to simply learning how to tell a good story!
I know there’s plenty of hard work ahead, but I’m ready for it. And it’s so exciting to have an agent in my camp ready to be an advocate for my work!
I want to thank all of you as well! Thank you for reading my blog and sharing in this writing journey with me. I can’t wait to hear about when you sign your agent and sell your books, so I can celebrate with you!
Now everyone, get up from your computer, toss your hands in the air, and happy dance!
Are you in the process of querying and finding an agent? I’ve compiled all the links and helpful articles I used in this process. You can find them here:
Learn more about the marvelous Melissa and Folio Literary Agency with these links:
Thanks again for celebrating with me!
I want to take a moment to celebrate life’s little big moments!
I’m super happy to announce that I have just signed with the brilliant and wonderful Melissa Sarver at Folio Literary Agency! Yes, I have an agent! It’s amazing to find someone who loves my novel. Someone who is truly passionate about my writing and has a vision for it! (Yup, I’ve pretty much looked like the image to the right for the past week!).
Of course, this hasn’t been an easy road. Getting an agent has been many years in the making. Not only is the querying process long and painful, but there’s all the time before querying. Time spent writing and revising my book, getting my MFA, going to conferences and workshops, querying (and getting rejected) with that other book (which I can now admit wasn’t ready). You know … all the many pieces of the puzzle that add up to simply learning how to tell a good story!
I know there’s plenty of hard work ahead, but I’m ready for it. And it’s so exciting to have an agent in my camp ready to be an advocate for my work!
I want to thank all of you as well! Thank you for reading my blog and sharing in this writing journey with me. I can’t wait to hear about when you sign your agent and sell your books, so I can celebrate with you!
Now everyone, get up from your computer, toss your hands in the air, and happy dance!
Are you in the process of querying and finding an agent? I’ve compiled all the links and helpful articles I used in this process. You can find them here:
Learn more about the marvelous Melissa and Folio Literary Agency with these links:
Thanks again for celebrating with me!
Elizabeth Rose Staton has good news! She has been offered a contract for her first picture book! HENNY, a story about a young chick who is born just a little different from everyone else in the barn, and learns how to use her special gift to come into her own.
Elizabeth completed the artwork (pencil and watercolor) this past October, and the book is slated to be released early in 2014 (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books).
I asked Elizabeth about the story behind how she landed the contract. This is what she said:
Everything about it happened very quickly…I think my head is still spinning! I attended the SCBWI conference last January in New York, and participated in the portfolio show. A New York agent picked up one of my cards and phoned me about a week after I got home. We discussed my work, and what I was working on (“Henny”) and, next thing I knew, she offered me representation! Just about the time “Henny” was ready for my agent to shop, our regional (Western Washington) conference rolled around. I asked my agent if it would be a good idea for me to take the dummy to the conference and she said, go for it! Long story short, one of the conference faculty, an art director for Simon & Schuster, saw Henny, and the next thing I knew S & S had called my agent and offered me a book deal! I might add… all this was going on around the time of my Illustrator Saturday feature, and I am sure it helped with my “credibility!” So, as you can see, I am totally an SCBWI success story! It has all been such a fun, whirlwind experience and I am really looking forward to getting another book out there
Here is a sneak peak at a piece of interior art from Henny:
Melissa Sarver ( you might have met her at the conference in June) has joined Folio Literary Management as the co-director of international rights and will continue to represent authors in the areas of Young Adult, select literary and upmarket adult fiction, narrative non-fiction, business books and cookbooks. She was previously at The Elizabeth Kaplan Literary Agency.
At Little, Brown, Heather Fain has been promoted to associate publisher, in addition to her ongoing duties as marketing director.
Liz Van Doren has been promoted to editorial director, book publishing at Highlights for Children and Boyds Mills Press.
At Orion, Jane Sturrock has been promoted to editorial director, non-fiction.
Congratulations to all!
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Filed under:
Agent,
authors and illustrators,
Editors,
Kudos Tagged:
Eilzabeth Rose Stanton,
Folio Literary,
Little Brown Heather Fain,
Liz Van Doren,
Melissa Sarver,
Simon and Schuster
Marcy Posner – Agent at Filio Literary Management. After fifteen years on the editorial side of the business, Marcy made the jump to agenting – spending twelve years as at the William Morris Agency as an agent and as Vice President and Director of Foreign Rights; five years as president of my own agency; five years at Sterling Lord Literistic as an agent and Director of Foreign Rights; and I’m now here – and very happy – at Folio.
Editorial skill and a deep knowledge of the publishing industry sets her apart from many of my colleagues. She works with her authors and focuses editorially on how to make the book as strong as it could be. During that process, I’m able to bring to bear all the institutional memory I possess, knowing which editors and which publishing houses have a penchant for a certain subject, or a different voice, or a particular kind of author.
She straddles the line between adult and children’s books (middle grade and young adult only).
In the adult world, I’m looking for: commercial women’s fiction, historical fiction, mystery, biography, history, health, and lifestyle – and, especially, thoughtfully written commercial novels, thrillers with international settings, and narrative non-fiction.
In the children’s world, I’m looking for: Smart, contemporary YA and middle-grade novels. A great new mystery series for boys would be fun. I will look at historical fiction and fantasy, but she is not taking on much in those areas.
Susan Hawk – Agent at The Bent Agency. She worked for over 15 yearsin marketing children’s books, most recently as the Marketing Director at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, and previous to that as the Library Marketing Director
at Penguin Young Readers Group. While at Penguin, she also worked for a time in Dutton Editorial, acquiring books for their list.
She handles books for children exclusively: picture books, chapter books, middle grade and YA, fiction and non-fiction. In middle-grade and YA, I’m looking for something that makes me laugh out loud, I’m a sucker for bittersweet, and I
can’t resist a character that comes to understand how perfectly imperfect the world is. I want a book to stay with me long after I finish reading, and I’m looking for powerful, original writing. I’m open to mystery, scifi, humor, boy books, historical, contemporary (really any genre). My favorite projects live at the intersection of literary and commercial. In non-fiction I’m looking for books that relate to kid’s daily lives and their concerns with the world. In picture books, I’m looking particularly for author-illustrators, succinct but expressive texts, and characters as indelible as my childhood favorites Ferdinand, Madeline, George and Martha.
Connie Hsu – Senior Editor Little, Brown and Co.
Connie has edited the whole spectrum, from board books to The A-List: Hollywood Royalty. She’s also the editor of The Devouring, a YA horror trilogy, Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles series, and Moonshadow, a middle grade ninja adventure. Her acquisitions include Happyface, a fully illustrated YA novel, The Adventures of Nanny Piggins, a laugh-out-loud middle grade novel about a nanny pig, and Fifty Cents and a Dream, a picture bo
How exciting! Congratulations. Thanks for sharing the links and your journey to landing a great agent. Best wishes on your writing career. May all your books be bestsellers!
Congratulations! Can’t wait to pull your book off the shelf and into my hands.
Congratulations! Well deserved!!
Definitely happy dance time!
Wonderful news and congratulations.
Congratulations! Well deserved. You have worked very hard to get where you are right now. I wish you the best with your writing career! By the way, I saw you once at the SCBWI-LA conference with your PINK hair!
Sweet! Congratulations! You’ve worked hard, and you’ve earned it.
Ingrid, I’m so happy for you (and you know I love that picture). I’ve wanted to read your book ever since we discussed it on the blog. Others were excited about it too, so in a way, your news is not surprising. We expected you to land an agent and find a home for your book! I also can’t wait for the day when I have the printed copy!
Lupe! You should have come over and said hello!
What an amazing compliment Seda! I’m so happy to hear the blog is so valuable to you!
Thanks L. Marie! It’s actually for a different book than the one I talked about on your blog! But that one will be next!
Thanks everyone! I’m sending you all gratitude and awesome dance moves!