2019-10-01_Writer_s_Digest

(Nancy Kaufman) #1
KATEJOHNSON
MACKENZIEWOLF
NEWYORKCITY
MWLIT.COM
@SPINNINGKATES

FICTIONINTERESTS:“Literaryand
upmarket/bookclubfictionthatfeels
urgentyettimeless.Authenticvoices
andstoriesthatuncoversomething
off-kilterintheeveryday,orexplore
what’srelatableintheextraordinary.”
NONFICTIONINTERESTS:Narrativeand
creativenonfictionwithinterestin
food,running,feminism,obsessives,
unconventionalfamilies,socialhis-
tory,art,globalstories,mentalhealth,
medicine,theenvironment.“Loves
workingwithjournalists.”DOESNOT
WANT:YA,middle-grade,picture
books,fantasy,sci-fi, eroticfiction,
legal/courtroomdramas.HOWTO
SUBMIT:Senda queryletteraddressed
toKateJohnsonspecifically,along
witha 50-pagewritingsample(for
fiction)ora detailedproposal(for
nonfiction)[email protected].
Writingsamplesshouldbeattached
orembeddedinthebodyofthe
email.TIPSFORWRITERS:“Readvora-
ciouslyandsupportotherwriters
howyoucan—thinkabouthowyour
bookwillentera communityand
conversationofliterature.It’shardto
knowwhena bookis ‘ready’—and
80,000wordsdoesnotnecessarily
equal‘fi nished’—butwhenyoufeel
you’vepolishedandtakenthemanu-
scriptasfarasyoucan(andwhen
yourfivemosthonestfriendshave
readandweighedin),spendsome
timeresearchingagents,lookingat
theirrosterofauthors,andseeing
howyourbookmightbea matchfor
them.It’shardworkatthebeginning,
butsendingtargeted,personalque-
ries,followingsubmissionguidelines,
andbeingcourteousandpatientwill
payoffintheend.”

JENNIFERMATTSON
ANDREABROWN
LITERARYAGENCY
ANDREABROWNLIT.COM
@JANNMATT

FICTIONINTERESTS:Picturebooks
“withemotionalresonanceand/
oruttercomicgenius(evenbetter,
both!)”;middle-grade(“resilient
kidssortingoutthemessiness
oflife”);YA(“creativelystruc-
turedliteraryorgenrefiction,
twisty,mind-bendingfantasy”)
andunderrepresentedvoices
inallcategories.NONFICTION
INTERESTS:Creativenonfiction
suitablefora tradeaudience.
DOESNOTWANT:Fairytales,sing-
songrhyme,message-drivensto-
ries.RECENTSALES:If You’reOut
TherebyKatyLoutzenhiser(YA
contemporary,Harper/Balzer&
Bray);The LeagueofSecretHeroes
seriesbyKateHannigan(middle-
gradeadventure,Aladdin/S&S);
WaystoWel comebyLinda
Ashman(heartfeltpicturebook,
Macmillan/FSG);Josephine
andHerAmazingDishwashing
MachinebyKateHannigan(pic-
turebookwomen’shistorynon-
fiction,CalkinsCreek);Caveman
DadabyBrandonReese(funny
author/illustratorpicturebook,
Chronicle).HOWTOSUBMIT:Senda
querylettertojmatt@andreabrown
lit.comintroducingyourselfwith
“QUERY”asthesubject.Describe
yourwork,listpublishingcreden-
tials(ifany),andpublishersub-
missionhistory.Visitandrea
brownlit.com/how-to-submit.
htmlfordetailedguidelines.TIPS
FORWRITERS:“Readwidelyinyour
chosengenreandfostera net-
workofsupportivebutdemand-
ingfellowwriters.”

MELISSA NASSON, ESQ.
RUBIN PFEFFER
CONTENT, LLC
CHESTNUT NILL, MASS.
RPCONTENT.COM
@MELISSABNASSON

FICTION INTERESTS: Picture book,
middle-grade, YA. “I am actively
seeking picture books, middle-
grade, and YA. In picture books, I
like humor, misfi ts, animals, subver-
siveness, and unexpected endings.
A few of my favorites are Stumpkin
and A Hungry Lion or a Dwindling
Assortment of Animals by Lucy
Ruth Cummins; Th e Adventures of
Beekle: Th e Unimaginary Friend
by Dan Santat; Creepy Carrots! by
Aaron Reynolds; and Tiny T-Rex
and the Impossible Hug by Jonathan
Stutzman. I’m very much on the
lookout for author/illustrators.
My biggest picture book dislikes
are bathroom humor and heavy-
handed didactic plots. I’m open to
all genres in middle-grade and YA,
and I mostly look for a voice that
grabs me and a setting that feels
fresh. I do have a soft spot for fan-
tasy and sci-fi in both middle-grade
and YA, especially dark fantasy.”
NONFICTION INTERESTS: Picture book,
middle-grade, YA. “I’m most inter-
ested in seeing engaging narrative
nonfi ction that brings marginal-
ized voices to the forefront. Feminist
themes are always welcome in my
inbox.” DOES NOT WANT: “Books for
an adult audience. RPC is a bou-
tique children’s literary agency and
I am only open to picture books,
middle-grade, and YA manuscripts.”
RECENT SALES: A Blade So Black by
L.L. McKinney (YA fantasy, Imprint/
Macmillan, optioned TV rights to
Lionsgate Television); Awesome
Dog 5000 by Justin Dean (illus-
JOHNSON HEADSHOT © trated middle-grade, two-book deal,


WILL BECKLEY


NASSON HEADSHOT ©


CAPTURED BY KMB


WritersDigest.com I 27
Free download pdf