catbird agency submissions
Agents have a broader knowledge due to their experience, and it allows the creative lines between authors and illustrators and their editors/houses to be cleaner. When our illustrators arent working up a project of their own, were pitching them to get matched up by publishers. If you dont get a good feeling from them in any correspondence, your gut is trying to tell you something. In order for me to co-agent with someone, I need to feel a certain level of trust because the process can be quite unpredictable. Kirsten:Thats exactly right. He also co-owned Cooke International, an . 1. NOTE: Each year Fuse Literary, as an agency, is closed to new submissions and queries between December 1st to January 15th. Brenda Bowen The Book Group Look, even Ive received critique letters. Several of them. News and updates to get a top literary agent, publisher, and book deal. Erica:Its all about matchmaking matching up talent to work together, matching up talent to editors and publishers. Pairing up directly with clients from other agencies is a great way to be proactive in making new projects happen. Look, I get it, man. Nonfiction/Environment J. Biemer Id like to thank James Burns, Kirsten Hall, JenniferLinnan, Alexandra Penfold, Linda Pratt, Erica Rand Silverman,and Laura Stiers for their time, generosity, and invaluable contributions to this article. Ron is a literary agent and co-owner of CookeMcDermid. And I can already see that the books were making together are going to be magical. Submission Guidelines: Hello! Follow agents on social media. To me it is the gold standard for a picture book that makes the reader feel. Do I Need An Agent? (Or A Blog About the Life of a Submission, in Three AAR members must meet the highest standards and canon of ethics. I thought if I signed with an agent, I could just focus on making art., Me: How many jobs did they get for you over the past year?. Kirsten Hall is a former preschool and elementary school teacher who has authored more than a hundred learn-to-read stories for emergent readers. What do you look for in a submission?I like two kinds of submissions. Well navigate the waters together. PW site license members have access to PWs subscriber-only website content. Ive co-agented all kinds of dealsones that have gone to multi-house auctions on day one, one in which only one client saw an offer and the other client gracefully stepped aside, one in which wildly different offers came in and my co-agent and I needed to negotiate with each other as much as the publishers because our clients positions were so different. . What is one misconception about agents?That were glamorous, haughty gatekeepers! Before you submit: Read their guidelines. And sometime between crying, I offered Jessixa representation. Writing thats confident, vivid, addictive; work thats both ambitious and wise. This is why its so important to make sure theres a termination clause in your contract. Kayla is seeking everything from heartfelt or humorous picture books (she has a soft spot for animal protagonists) to dynamic, unpredictable YA (she loves a good murder mystery or a clever rom-com). Astound US Illustration Agency(Submissions scroll down to Artists submissions)Open to illustrator & author-illustrator submissions. Keep walking. You heard it here first! An agent delivers. Check out her Literaticastpodcast. and Illustrators. We were thinking of matching up Susan Verde and Jay Fleck for our own pitch and then Susans editor, on her own accord, ended up approaching Jay to illustrate Susans new series. Ive learned how important it is to review our individual clients wants and needs. Isabelle Arsenault 161161 5 Comments 5 Shares Like Comment Share Catbird Agency is with Seb Cosset and Brigette Barrager. Sometimes those opportunities come in fast and sometimes they dont. Memoir/Women L. Lehr Here is the: Advice from writing professional Jane Friedman. We spend a good amount of time bouncing ideas off of each other and sharing good and bad news. I signed with Stephanie Tade who got me a 6-figure book deal with Penguin Books, which published my book in hardcover! Catbird Press is no longer publishing. When our illustrators arent working up a project of their own, were pitching them to get matched up by publishers. Not everythingbut most. does not support javascript or you have it disabled. Anna Olswanger has been a literary agent since 2005. Unfortunately, misconceptions and assumptions related to the job description of an agent are rife in the illustration community. But Im really thrilled to be co-agenting with Erica. Some of her favorite non-client books in this category are: A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti, Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Chime by Franny Billingsley, Swing by Kwame Alexander, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, Still Life With Tornado by A.S.King, The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. 2 talking about this. Fiction/Christian K. Sargent If you rely on those directories to find literary agents at Catbird Productions, youre going to hurt your chances of getting an agent to represent you. I choose to work with an agent because I value that relationship and I know its helped me to create my best work. I mean, youre not their only client. She has incredible vision and is very brave. You did the homework. I think of co-agenting as an opportunity to have double the client list with only half of the responsibility. One size does not fit all. She is not seeking sci-fi, horror, or high fantasy. 2. Otherwise, please consider submitting to one of my wonderful colleagues at ABLA. Kirsten Hall | Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) However, there are differences in our tastes and our particular areas of proficiency, e.g., editorial, genre, licensing, promotion, etc. 2023 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved. And I read it again and I cried again. The subject heading in your email should be simple but enticing. Erica:Work is more fun when youre doing it with people you like and respect. Kirsten HallLiterary Agent This articleabout Literary Agent Kirsten Halland Catbird Productionsis part of a series about literary agents and how toFind a PublishingAgent. But I dont generally find myself doing much differently with regards to my clients when co-agenting other than have hard conversations on their behalf with my my co-agent up front. RMV Workforce Corp hiring CNA in Phoenix, Arizona, United States | LinkedIn Catbird Productions Bright Agency (Agents)(Submissions)A UK / USA agency. The project may work. Association of Authors Representatives, Inc. (AAR)AAR members must meet the highest standards and canon of ethics. The one thing I look for across the board in a submission is a clean, professional-looking portfolio site! I read it and I cried. For more specifics on what Susan is looking for, including information about genres and categories, please see here and here. And then there are the projects that never seem to go anywhere at all. For adult fiction, Danielle is seeking upmarket commercial fiction and literary fiction. Queries about books that dont conform, but rather provoke, excite me. "Actor seeking representation" is a bore. Our hearts are very much in the right place. Notes/Tips:Our agency does not represent poetry or screenplays. Memoir/Multicultural N. Aronheim If you need contractual help, you can find an attorney who would only charge a one-time fee. Sometimes those opportunities come in fast and sometimes they dont. She is just as happy working with debut talents as she is best-sellers. SCBWI Statement of Intent on Equity and Inclusion, The Essential Guide to Publishing for Children, Co-Agenting with Kirsten Hall and Erica Rand Silverman. When looking for an agent, its important to do your homework. How active are they in the industry? Literary Agents for Children's Books 2023-2024 - Use our free List of Literary Agents to find children's literary agents accepting submissions for fiction and nonfiction: young adult book agents (YA), middle grade book agents (MG), picture book agents, and chapter book agents. Thank you for submitting your work! Hall previously worked as an editorial assistant at Random House (1996-1997). To set up immediate access, click here. Childrens/Pic Book M. Leshem-Pelly A thoughtful, personalized query letter does a lot, and obviously if I connect with an art sample or a pitch, its a win, but even then my decision ultimately hinges on what that persons web presence looks like. Submit to Susan Hawk Any agents not listed above are CLOSED to submissions. Having Mark on your side is incredibly valuable." All agents should share the ability to reasonably negotiate contracts. Were not afraid of this. Her client list at Bright includes Elly Mackay, Benji Davis, Clive McFarland, and Connah Brecon. Some favorite titles that provide a sense of her tastes: Picture book: Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon; Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown; I Dont Want to be a Frog by Dev Petty; Bad Dog by Mike Boldt, Middle grade: Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina; The Year the Swallows Came Early by Katherine Fitzmaurice; Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed; The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Young adult: The Sea is Salt and So Am I by Cassandra Hartt; Dumplin by Julie Murphy; The Cost of All Things by Maggie Lehrman; To All the Boys Ive Loved Before by Jenny Han; The Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse. Here are their answers: What do you look for in a submission? When an agent is pitching or submitting the work, it is my belief that the success rate is so much higher. I want to work with an artist whose goal it is to write and illustrate their own books. Kirsten:Not necessarily. Get updates about Kirsten Hall and recommended reads from Simon & Schuster. Kirsten:Lets be real, Im always looking for an excuse to hop on the phone or grab lunch with Ericaso working together gives me the perfect excuse! SUBMISSIONS. There is just an overwhelming amount of people looking to connect with agents, and it can be challenging for some to give out that warmth all the time. I work alone and basically love knocking on other agents doors and asking them to come out and play! Memoir/Women L. Lehr How to Submit Yourself to an Agency (According to an Agent) - Backstage Today, she is the founder and owner of a boutique children's book illustration and literary agency, Catbird Productions. I love my fellow kidlit agents, and I honestly believe we root for each other and celebrate each others successes. Here youll find everything you need to submit work to Upstart Crow Literary. Other times, well sell texts to publishers first and then when it comes time for illustrators, if there isnt someone on our list who we think is right to recommend, our next step will be to look at each others lists, or those of other agent friends. Here is a little secret: most of the childrens agents I know are incredibly warm, and kind and fun. I always advise illustrators who are just starting out to identify what they can and/or want to do, and outsource the rest. Agents are people, too. Writers can search posts for agents compatible with their work. Agents have their finger on the pulse and understand the rhythm of publishing. Humor is important, even in a narrative thats dark or sad or edgy. Tips for writing and sending query letters. Scroll below to see a sample. You submit all this via email. Before working in publishing, Erica was a teacher and dean. Ask the Agent Informative site ofJennifer Laughran, senior agent at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, who represents authors and illustrators of childrens and YA books. We have to make sure that the risk and expectations are clear for all involved. When an artist joins Brightand here I can only speak about Brightan artists dreams and ambition must be aligned with those of the agency. Scroll below now to viewthe AAR statusand a complete profile for Kirsten HallFREE in ourBookAgents Directory. Theres that one who doesnt communicate. It isnt as automatic as you think. I dont think its extra contact our clients see as much as extra opportunity. The second-worst thing to do is to rest on your laurels. Well navigate the waters together. She had been in my session and introduced herself at the end and mentioned that she was sending me her dummy. It all depends on who you are, and what you want. Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming number of submissions received, personal responses are only very rarely possible. But Im really thrilled to be co-agenting with Erica. This enables us to put a plan in place before the first portfolio sheet is made. * A map to the office ofCatbird Productions Its all about matchmaking matching up talent to work together, matching up talent to editors and publishers. Copyright 2023 D. B. Righi. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. QueryTracker will not function correctly without javascript. What do you look for in a submission?What I look for in a submission is first a professional introductory letter. Kirsten:Its so truein the past month alone weve had some particularly exciting pairings between Stimola and Catbird! Hall is Catbird Productions' sole proprietor. Chad W. Beckerman: is always looking at submissions! Get free access to the Directory of Literary Agents with detailed agent listings to get a traditional publisher, Copyright 2011-23 The Bestselling Author, LLC. The Catbird Seat Inc - Travelers Enter your information in the form to the right for FREE INSTANT ACCESS to the Directory of Literary Agents. Book Agent Kirsten Hall previously worked as an editorial assistant at Random House (1996-1997). Let me give you examples from two of your colleagues: I signed with an agent thinking that they would get me work right away. OrderID Agency OrderID Date Class Rate Patient Name Area Shift Start End Meal Order Reason O 7138574 08/28/22 to 11/05/22 CNA|T . I want an agent to help me . She wants to be surprisedtheres nothing like the feeling that youre reading something entirely new. News and updates to get a top literary agent, publisher, and book deal. By the end of this post, you may finally have the answer to: "Do I need an agent?" We only get paid when the author gets paid after we sell an authors work. Please do not send us submissions of any kind. They're Skyping. How to Find a Book Agent Childrens/Pic Book M. Leshem-Pelly Then I look for a voice, either in the words of an author or the art of an illustrator. They operate on your behalf, ever focused on your career. Logo designed by Kody Chamberlain Website designed by Ian Bauer. We have similar agenting styles, and even more importantly both value our relationship. Getfree access to the Directory of Literary Agents with detailed agent profiles. We usually begin by keeping the artist and author separate from one another as publishers do. New to PW? This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. But, as an individual player, you arent the only one they need to help. you guessed it: agents. Its the most comprehensive (and accurate) list of literary agencies in the world, with detailed profiles for more than 1,100 literary agents. Keep an eye out this spring for DOLL-E 1.0 by Shanda McCloskey (Little,Brown), Time Tracers by Annabeth Bondor Stone & Connor White (HarperCollins), Finns Featherillustrated by Zoey Abbott (Enchanted Lion Books), and Rock N Roll Soul by Susan Verde and Matthew Cordell (Abrams)! Each provides exact submission information (an email address or an online submission portal). These cookies do not store any personal information. Do not query multiple agents at Fuse simultaneously. Authors and illustrators need an agent because the publishers interests/needs and their interests/needs arent always the same, and you need an advocate to represent you.