Thursday, September 10, 2015

September Picture Book Party Agents and Editors




So glad to be able to host another contest just for picture book writers. They often get left out of the contest fun, so this is a special feature just for them.

And here are the wonderful agents and editors who will be requesting all the hugable, lovely picture books. Please follow them on twitter and them under the #PBParty hashtag.

There also might be some other ninja agents and editors dropping by.

And remember the submission window is September 14th and all the information on entering is here.

Be sure to give a big thanks to @schriscoe_ for arranging most of these agents and editors. She should get the credit.





Clelia Gore of Martin Literary Management

It was when Clelia first read Charlotte’s Web in the first grade that she got hooked by the magic of books. Her love of children’s books carried through adulthood and she is delighted to dedicate her life to bringing quality books and stories to young (and whimsical adult!) readers. 

Clelia is originally from the suburbs of New York City. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Boston College. She received her J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law and practiced law as a corporate litigator in New York City. 

In 2011, she decided to dedicate her career to books and reentered graduate school at Emerson College, where she received a master’s degree in Publishing and Writing. While she was studying publishing and taking creative writing courses at Emerson, Clelia gained firsthand experience in the publishing industry working in the children’s book division at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and in academic books at Oxford University Press.  She also taught academic writing and research courses to freshman students as a graduate student faculty member at Emerson College. 

Clelia acquires picture book, middle grade and young adult books. She is particularly interested in developing her middle grade and young adult nonfiction clientele. With apologies, Clelia is no longer accepting new adult fiction queries at this time. 








Jessica Sinsheimer of Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency



Jessica Sinsheimer has been reading and campaigning for her favorite queries since 2004. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she went east for Sarah Lawrence College and stayed for the opportunity to read soon-to-be books for a living.


“Now an Agent at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, she’s developed a reputation for fighting office members to see incoming manuscripts first—and for drinking far too much tea. Her most recent sale is RIPPER, a paranormal/historical YA novel, about a Victorian girl who takes down Jack the Ripper–and its sequel.

“Always on the lookout for new writers, she is most excited about finding literary, women’s, and Young Adult fiction, and—on the nonfiction side—psychology, parenting, self-help, cookbooks, memoirs, and works that speak to life in the twenty-first century.






Christa Heschke of McIntosh and Otis

CHRISTA HESCHKE graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She started in publishing as an intern at both Writers House and Sterling Lord Literistic, where she fell in love with the agency side of publishing. Christa has been at McIntosh and Otis, Inc. in the Children's Literature Department since 2009 where she is actively looking for picture books, middle grade, and young adult projects. She is a fan of young adult novels with a romantic angle, and strong, quirky protagonists. Within YA, Christa is especially interested in contemporary fiction, horror and thrillers/mysteries. As for middle grade, Christa enjoys contemporary, humor, adventure, mystery and magical realism for boys and girls. For picture books, she’s drawn to cute, funny, character driven stories within fiction and is open to non-fiction with a unique hook.

Christa is not looking for any Adult fiction or non-fiction, paranormal or dystopian at this time.




Victoria Selvaggio of the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency

With a strong background in business ownership, Victoria A. Selvaggio comes to The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency as an Associate Agent with over 6 years of actively working as a volunteer and Regional Advisor for SCBWI Northern Ohio.  Drawn to the publishing scene first as an author writing all genres, with her most recent publication in the 2015 Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market, Vicki’s passion for honing the craft carried over into reading manuscripts for the agency. Currently, she is excited to read compelling manuscripts that will resonate with her long after she’s done.

I am currently looking for lyrical picture books, middle grade and young adult fiction, new adult, mysteries, suspense, thrillers, paranormal, fantasy, narrative nonfiction, adult fiction but find I’m especially drawn to Middle Grade and Young Adult. I especially love thrillers and all elements of weird, creepy stuff. If it’s out of the box, and it will make me think and think, long after I’m done reading, send it to me! On the flip side, I yearn for books that make me laugh, cry and wonder about the world.






Laura Biagi of Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency

Laura Biagi joined JVNLA in 2009. She is actively building her own client list, seeking adult literary fiction and young readers books. She also handles the sale of Australian and New Zealand rights for the agency. She has worked closely with Jean Naggar and Jennifer Weltz on their titles, as well as Jennifer Weltz on the submission of JVNLA's titles internationally.

Laura's writing background has honed her editorial eye and has driven her enthusiasm for discovering and developing literary talent. She studied creative writing and anthropology at Northwestern University. As a writer, she has participated in workshops at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, the Juniper Summer Writing Institute, and the New York State Summer Writers Institute. She is the recipient of a Kentucky Emerging Artist Award for fiction writing.

Laura grew up in a small town in Kentucky and maintains a fondness for Southern biscuits and unobstructed views of the stars.








Courtney Stevenson of Pippin Properties

Courtney Stevenson has always had her heart set on children's books, ever since elementary school when she would read books under her desk during class. She has previously worn many hats in the publishing industry, from collaborating with an author to edit his nonfiction manuscript, to interning in the editorial department at a children's book imprint at Macmillan, to assisting the marketing division of an academic press. Following her graduation from Cornell University in 2013, she was thrilled to join Pippin as an intern, and shortly after became the assistant to all the agents.

For my picture book tastes, I love funny voices, and a story that inspires me to come adventuring with the characters. 


Rebecca Angus of Golden Wheat
I'm a graduate of Texas A&M University, SFF Author, and Jr. Literary Agent at Golden Wheat Literary. I have a strong background in marketing and an obsession with all things #KidLit. My main focus as an agent is Children's Literature, and as a new agent I'm actively building my list. I currently live with my Army husband and a house full of animals in Washington State.

Send me diverse characters. What I'd really like to find is an emotionally driven inspirational picture book or a story with strong morals. I'm always on the lookout for manuscripts with animals and unlikely narrators. I also love historical or folklore retellings we haven't quite seen yet, and I really enjoy anything set in a fantasy location or magical world. If you can compare your characters to Nancy Drew or Lucy Pevensie, I especially want to see it. 
S ome of my favorite Children's books are: Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Where the Wild Things Are, and anything written by Roald Dahl.

In my mind, the biggest turn off in queries is clutter. I like the 'meat and potatoes' type of queries--give me the yummy basics without overfilling the query with too much extra. If your query seems daunting when I open it, I will likely only read the first few lines. A long, endless, query makes me worry that the manuscript will need substantial edits. 

Overall, a story needs to have character driven voice. I don't mind multiple POV, but I want to get to know a character and love/hate them from cover to cover. I don't mind snarky/unlikeable characters, but their voice needs to be consistent. I want a story that has a voice I can't escape even after I'm done reading.


Nicole Resciniti and Danielle Bailey of The Seymour Agency

Nicole has been listed by Publisher's Marketplace as a top dealmaker in the country, and named ACFW's 2012 Agent of the Year.


She loves discovering new talent and helping established authors to take their career to the next level. Do you have the next project to feed her book addiction? A smart, tight read shewon’t be able to put down? A signature voice she’ll fight to represent?

Danielle’s life has always centered on books and children. She has a BA in literature from the University of South Florida, and taught Language Arts for 15 years.  This year she graduated from Florida Gulf Coast University with a Masters in English, where she focused on the publishing and interned with The Seymour Agency. She is thrilled to now be a literary assistant so she can further connect with clients and help them fulfill their dream of being published. She is a voracious reader and spends her time reading innovative picture books and early readers to her three children.  Danielle is a member of SCBWI and RWA

Website|Twitter









Katherine Hall of Arbordale Publishing


Katie Hall has shown a knack for the publishing industry since she read an advance review copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at age 7 and predicted its future popularity. Her journey into the editorial world has taken her through internships in children’s book publishing and two years of academic publishing with the Journal of the American Academy of Religion before she finally found her home as a children’s book editor at Arbordale Publishing. Katie loves working in children’s book publishing, where she helps create books that inspire new generations of book-lovers and ignite their passion for learning.
At Arbordale, Katie focuses on integrating fun-to-read stories with non-fiction science or math elements. She balances fun children’s stories with serious research and educational resources. Katie is currently seeking fiction stories that introduce an elementary-level science or math concept. If you would like to submit a manuscript to Katie, please check Arbordale’s submission guidelines.






Ashley Gephart of Cedar Fort Publishing
After graduating from Utah Valley University with a degree in Creative Writing and theatre, Ashley Gephart has landed her dream job as an acquisitions editor at Cedar Fort. Her life’s ambitions have always pointed her to storytelling, whether through directing, acting, writing, or helping others perfect their manuscripts. When she is not torturing her protagonists, she enjoys history, design, playing hammy roles on the stage, and contemplating what it would be like to be a supervillain. She lives in her native Utah.
Ashley is searching for children’s literature from picture books to middle-grade fiction. She would like to see strong, cohesive plot arcs in picture books with proactive young characters at the helm and strong emotional or comedic ties. In middle-grade fiction, she would like contemporary themes, well-rounded female characters, diversity, and humor. Juvenile fiction (chapter books and early readers) fitting these specifications is also appreciated. Books that can cross over between the LDS and national markets are always welcome.





Michelle Witte of Mansion Street Literary Management
Michelle Witte is an author and literary agent with Mansion Street Literary Management specializing in children’s fiction and nonfiction. As an agent, her tastes vary widely, and she represents authors across the spectrum of children’s literature, from illustrated board and picture books to middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction. Michelle is always on the lookout for fascinating stories that are well told, especially those with a distinct and distinctive voice.
She began her career as a journalist, first reporting and then later copy editing for the Deseret Morning News in Salt Lake City, Utah. From there, she transitioned to a position as associate editor with nonfiction publisher Gibbs Smith, where she edited titles on a variety of topics, including children’s activity, humor, gift, cookbooks, and green living. Her combined experience in the publishing industry is a boon for the authors she represents, as she is able to guide them through each of the stages of publication.

1 comment:

  1. As I'm working on a PB, it's nice to know stuff like this is out there. I don't think I'd be able to get my draft done by the 14th though. But maybe I can participate in next year's contest. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete