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This list of literary agents on Twitter is mostly comprised of kidlit agents, and it isn’t comprehensive, and some are no longer agents…but all are worthy of a follow. They are in no particular order.
Know other literary agents on Twitter? Please post a comment and I’ll periodically add to the list.
You can also find this list here: http://twitter.com/#!/taralazar/literary-agents/
LovethePippins
Pippin Properties
We are a boutique literary agency dedicated to the management and representation of the finest authors and artists working today.
KSonnack
Kelly Sonnack
Children’s agent for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
Jamie Weiss Chilton
Agent, Andrea Brown Literary Agency, shameless caffeine addict, farmer for Marbles, my gray and white rescue bunny.
Jen Rofe
Children’s lit agent with Andrea Brown who dreams about being a bakery-owning cowgirl. Nevermind that I don’t bake much or have a horse.
Steven Malk
Literary agent with Writers House musing on publishing, music, and sports–not necessarily in that order.
The McVeigh Agency (Mark McVeigh)
A boutique literary agency representing authors, illustrators, graphic novelists and photographers.
Donald Maass
President of Donald Maass Literary Agency in New York, author of Writing the Breakout Novel, The Fire in Fiction and other craft books for fiction writers.
Michelle Wolfson
I’m a literary agent. Check out my site and if you think we’re a fit, let me know. Otherwise just support my authors and buy their books!
The Knight Agency
Our talented agents include Deidre Knight, president, Pamela Harty, Lucienne Diver, Nephele Tempest, Elaine Spencer and Melissa Jeglinski.
DeidreKnight
Literary Agent and New York Times bestselling author of romance/women’s fiction who loves to travel to far away places, mentally and geographically.
TracyMarchini
Editorial Consultant, former Literary Agent Assistant, freelance copywriter.
Suzie Townsend
book lover, former HS teacher, literary agent, sci-fi/fantasy nerd, and owner of an unused $6000 wedding dress. love my life.
Nathan Bransford
Author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW (coming in May)
Colleen Lindsay
Publishing browncoat. Cat herder. Queer human. Professional nerd. TARDIS fan. Athlete’s foot survivor. Part of Penguin Group (USA) Business Development team.
Kim Lionetti
Literary Agent representing women’s fiction, romance, mystery, true crime, pop culture and pop science.
Ginger Clark
I am a literary agent. I work at Curtis Brown. I respond only to queries I’m interested in. This twitter account will be boring.
Lauren E. MacLeod
A literary agent @strothmanagency with an emphasis in YA and MG fiction and nonfiction. Opinions are my own.
jennifer laughran
literary agent at andrea brown lit, children’s bookseller, reader, raconteur, eccentric multi-millionaire and patron of the arts… and some of those are lies
Jill Corcoran
Literary Agent with Herman Agency representing primarily MG and YA authors.
Rachelle Gardner
Literary agent, firefighter’s wife, mom of two awesome girls, Starbucks freak.
ElanaRoth
Elana Roth
Brooklynite, children’s book agent, Squarespace support specialist, semi-pro Jew, bourbon drinker. I work for lots of people. None of these tweets are theirs.
MarieSuzetteYA
Marie Suzette
At work, I’m a literary agent focusing on the YA genre, and I have to bite my tongue. On Twitter, I’m the anonymous Marie Suzette, who says whatever she wants.
EpsteinLiterary
Kate Epstein
Literary agent representing nonfiction for adults and nonfiction and fiction for YA and MG readers I tweet mainly advice for writers and updates on my books.
AlannaLitAgent
Alanna Ramirez
Alanna Ramirez is a literary agent with Trident Media Group.
mikalroy
Michael Stearns
Michael Stearns
Literary agent. A bit obsessive compulsive about words and writing, books and pop culture.
edwardnecarsulm
Edward Necarsulmer
Director and Principal Agent, Children’s Department, McIntosh & Otis, Inc.
Janet_Reid
Janet Reid
Janet Reid
Writer wrangler. President of the Fabulosity Fan Club. Reader. Easily annoyed, often amused, devoted NYer. I love my job more than makes any kind of sense.
barrygoldblatt
Barry Goldblatt
JuliaChurchill
Julia Churchill
We’re the Greenhouse Literary Agency, a transatlantic agency specialising in children’s fiction.
adamsLiterary
Adams Literary
Adams Literary
A full-service, boutique literary agency exclusively representing children’s and young adult authors and artists.
SarahGreenhouse
Sarah Davies
Founder and agent of children’s/YA at Greenhouse Literary Agency, based in DC and London. Dachsund-slave, photographer, lover of history and wild places.
MandyHubbard
Mandy Hubbard
Agent with D4EO Lit and multi-pubbed author writing as Mandy Hubbard and Amanda Grace. I like words. And pasta. Not necessarily in that order.
sarahlapolla
Sarah LaPolla
Sarah LaPolla
Associate Literary Agent at Curtis Brown, Ltd., pop culture junkie, writing enthusiast, all around book nerd.
seekendall
Sara Kendall
Literary assistant and junior associate at Nancy Coffey Lit. Lover of books and food. And cupcakes.
RebeccAgent
Rebecca Sherman
Rebecca Sherman
Literary Agent at Writers House. Midwesterner transplanted to NYC. Musical theater loving, pop culture addict vegetarian.
KatRushallKathleen Rushall
There’s more to life than books, you know, but not much more. Children’s Literary Agent at Waterside Productions, Inc.
Literary Agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency Proudly representing YA, children’s picture books, and some adult projects!
If you’re an aspiring picture book author and you watched Celebrity Apprentice last night, you may have some [gross] misconceptions about what it takes to get a picture book published.
- “I know my ABC’s and my 123’s” is not a “genius” rhyme worthy of victory. Send an unimaginative, unoriginal rhyme like that to an editor and you’ll receive a form rejection…if they even bother sending a rejection.
- What the groups presented were first drafts written in a few hours. Do not send a first draft to be considered for publication.
- If a book is conceived by Dionne Warwick and written by Star Jones, by all means, let them take the credit.
- Donald said he’d publish the men’s book. But it will not be published without a lot of revision and editor input, because again, it’s a first draft that relies on simple, common rhymes.
- A picture book based on LaToya and the Jackson family? Do. Not. Go. There.
- “Just be yourself” is not too sophisticated a theme for a picture book–and both teams exhibited this theme, not just the women. (The men’s story was about standing up to bullies, a variant on the “be yourself” message.) Many successful picture books use this theme: Peggy Rathman’s RUBY THE COPYCAT, Audrey Penn’s SASSAFRAS, Kevin Henke’s CHRYSANTHEMUM, Helen Lester’s TACKY THE PENGUIN, Mo Willems’ NAKED MOLE RAT GETS DRESSED. I could go on and on…
There were many opportunities for snarky comments during the show, but here I’m going to focus on the positive:
- Margery Cuyler looked fabulous.
- I caught a glimpse of Pam Calvert’s PRINCESS PEEPERS!
- In this age of pumped-up puckers, Lisa Rinna had a lip REDUCTION.
Writing can be a solitary profession. That’s why you gotta have good writing friends.
When my oldest daughter was a toddler, I met a woman with a little girl and we arranged regular get-togethers for them—and for us. Like me, the woman was a writer.
I had only recently began writing children’s books, and she told me about a friend who had recently moved to New Jersey from Manhattan. This friend had already published a picture book and she suggested putting us in touch.
I hesitated at first. I didn’t want the author to think I was only interested in her friendship for helping me to achieve publication. I didn’t want to be a nuisance or a bother. And, I thought this author would poo-poo all over pathetic, unpublished me.
Wow, I couldn’t have been more wrong!
Interestingly, I don’t remember exactly when Corey Rosen Schwartz and I met, but I do remember it was after a few botched attempts on my part–forgotten dates at a local cafe. When we finally did meet, we clicked immediately. Corey was never snobbish. In fact, she’s got a charming self-deprecating personality.
Corey was indeed instrumental in helping me get my agent and my first picture book contract. I’ll let her tell you how–and how I rubbed her back…well, err, back.
The next part of our story will be on her blog later today!
It’s Valentine’s Day! Time to profess your love! (For children’s books, that is.)
If you love kidlit, what are you doing to support it?
Buying lots of books? Reviewing them? Volunteering at the library? Donating to a literacy program? Writing new stories?
Last year I began “Write a Review Wednesday” as a way to support children’s literature. I’ve heard that many people won’t buy a book unless they see positive reviews online, and there’s tons of fab books that haven’t been reviewed.
So if there’s a book you love, shout it from the rooftops! Write about it on your blog, Twitter, Facebook or submit a review to a bookseller’s website.
Let’s hear your ideas for supporting kidlit in 2011. What are you doing to profess your love?
by Ruth Spiro
In 2003, I sold my first picture book manuscript, Lester Fizz, Bubble Gum Artist, as the result of a contact made at the SCBWI Annual Conference. In the five years between the sale and my book’s release in 2008, I had plenty of time to think about innovative ways to promote it. Yes, my marketing plan included the tried-and-true mailings, signings and presentations, but I also wanted to do something a little different. That’s just me.
With a moderate investment of time and money, in 2006 I created my own holiday, “Bubble Gum Day.” Unsure of my publication date at the time, I chose the first Friday in February because aside from Groundhog Day, there’s little else going on. This year, Bubble Gum Day falls on Friday, February 4.
The premise is simple: On Bubble Gum Day, kids pay fifty cents to chew gum at school, with the proceeds used for any project or charity the school chooses. Kids have fun, schools benefit, and my name and book title get valuable publicity.
Six years later, it’s become a fun and effective promotional tool that has increased my visibility as an author and “Bubble Gum Expert.” It has also gained me exposure in both print and broadcast media, including The Washington Post Express, The New York Daily News online and Good Day Sacramento, as well as on radio stations in both large and small markets. This holiday with kid-appeal has been celebrated in countless schools, public libraries, children’s museums and community organizations.
Most importantly, schools and community groups have used Bubble Gum Day to do some wonderful things. One school raised enough money to buy a goat for a village in Africa through Heifer International. Another used their proceeds to purchase snacks, which they sent to soldiers in Iraq. Yet another school collected used books instead of money, and wound up with over one thousand books, which they donated to local women’s shelters.
Frankly, when emails with these stories began appearing in my mailbox, I stopped thinking about the holiday as a promotional tool—it’s become so much bigger than that.
This year, I’ll spend Bubble Gum Day with a group of second and third graders in Oak Brook, IL. The money they collect will go to Reading is Fundamental. They don’t know this, but I plan to chew lots of bubble gum too, for which I’ll also make the required donation!
Then, as in past years, I’ll eagerly anticipate the emails, photos and packages of letters I’ll receive over the coming weeks, as schools tally up their proceeds and continue to make Bubble Gum Day a sweet success!
Win a signed copy of Lester Fizz and a bubble gum prize pack! Send a photo of your most creative bubble gum bubble—in a group (like your class), individually, or like one of Lester’s unique bubbles. Email photos to bubblegumday@gmail.com with the sujbect line “Tara Lazar contest” by February 7th. Ruth will select a winner and some bubble photos will be featured here. Good luck!
Ruth Spiro is the author of Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist, published by Dutton. Her essays and articles have appeared in FamilyFun, The Writer and Woman’s World, as well as The Right Words at the Right Time: Your Turn, edited by Marlo Thomas, and several Chicken Soup for the Soul titles. She frequently speaks at schools and conferences. Visit her online at www.ruthspiro.com. Learn more about Bubble Gum Day at www.bubblegumday.com.
Do you have a love/hate relationship with bedtime? It’s a cozy time to snuggle and read a book with the kids, but it’s also when they refuse to settle down to sleep. Mom, can I sleep in your bed? Dad, can I have a glass of water? Could you fluff my pillow? Can we read one more book? Please? Five more minutes? Pretty please with sugar on top?
Ey yi yi. It’s enough to drive any mama hen wild! And it does in Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen’s new picture book, Chicks Run Wild.
In her Coop Sweet Coop, Mama has five chicks to put to bed. She tucks them in, gives them each a peck goodnight, but when she closes the door, they leap out of bed and cause a riotous ruckus. Feathers fly and Mama’s patience wears thin.
At first Mama scolds her chicks, but when she realizes her little ones are not ready for dreamland, she does something unexpected. Chicks Run Wild lets both parents and kids know it’s okay to break the rules every once in a while.
With a bright and cheery color palate, Ward Jenkins creates an adorable brood of five chicks with distinct personalities. One chick always has one eye opened, awaiting Mama’s departure. And there’s other fun details, like a spoof of the Beatles’ album cover Abbey Road, and Mama’s favorite read, Gone with the Wing. Sudipta’s jaunty rhyme makes you want to get up and shake your tail feathers with the family.
Bedtime is going to be a lot more fun with Chicks Run Wild. When your kids ask to read one more book, you’ll happily pick this one.
Want it? Sure you do!Chicks Run Wild
Story by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
Illustrations by Ward Jenkins
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
January 2011
We’ve been watching a lot of Brady Bunch in our house. My four-year-old is obsessed and roams the house singing, “Here’s the story of a LONELY lady…” And yeah, I suppose Carol was a bit lonely before that man named Brady came around with three boys of his HOME (she sings that wrong, too).
So I started thinking about mixing words up. What would happen if the Brady Bunch characters mixed up the words of famous children’s books? Well, we’d have new classics like:
IF YOU GIVE A BROTHER A FOOTBALL by Marcia Brady
A LAVA LAMP IN THE ATTIC by Greg Brady
THROUGH THE GOOFY-LOOKING GLASSES by Jan Brady
Thanks to illustrator Jed Henry for the fake book cover!
…
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF PORK CHOPS AND APPLESAUCE by Peter Brady
BOBBY, PLAIN AND SHORT by Bobby Brady
FANTHY NANTHY by Cindy Brady
FROM THE MIXED-UP BLUEPRINTS OF MR. MICHAEL P. BRADY by Carol Brady
ALICE NELSON DOES MY SHIRTS by Mike Brady
SURVIVING THE BRADYS by Alice Nelson
All punny stuff aside, the Bradys can teach us about writing for children. Take the episode where Greg gets a groovy new job at Sam’s butcher shop (for a whopping $1.50 an hour!). Bobby strolls in just before closing and orders two pounds of sausage. He follows Greg to the meat locker and the door closes behind him, locking them in. Oh no! How will they get out?
All episode long, Bobby wanted to be taller, bigger. He slapped a line of masking tape on his door to measure his height, then hung on the monkey bars to stretch himself. But now his small stature saves Greg’s life (if we forget it’s Bobby who endangered Greg’s life) because he’s tiny enough to climb through the window in the meat locker door.
Before he climbs out, Bobby can’t help saying, “Sure hope I’m small enough. Gee, I never thought I’d wish I were little.”
Ugh. This ruins the moment!
The character acknowledges the lesson learned, when the audience is perfectly capable of figuring out the significance of Bobby’s great escape.
Now how does this relate to writing?
Your audience is smart. They can figure out the message of your story without being hit over the head with two pounds of sausage.
Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to read another Brady classic, THE PHANTOM PAY PHONE. (How did they get that thing installed in the house?)
While everyone’s a winner for having 30+ ideas to work on, these are the final prize winners.
Christine Poreba wins the silver “write” bracelet donated by writer and artist Laura Hamor.
Michelle Dennis Evans wins the “Anne of Green Gables” book club pendant donated by Heather Powers of Humblebeads.
Tricia Idrobo wins a mix & match 10-pack of artist Christina Peressini’s inventive die-cut greeting cards.
Cristy Burne and Corey Rosen Schwartz each win a custom-designed PiBoIdMo mug featuring the winner badge by James Burks and “I participated in Picture Book Idea Month and all I got was this lousy mug (and 30 great ideas).”
Congratulations, everyone!
Now please stay tuned for two great events coming in 2011: The Parent & Child Reading Challenge and the Debut Picture Book Author Showcase.
And I’ll see you for PiBoIdMo 2011 in November!
Stay inspired all year long with the “write” bracelet, donated by writer and artist Laura Hamor.Heather Powers has donated her “Anne of Green Gables” book club pendant. Check out her Etsy store Humblebeads for more lovely nature- and literary-inspired wares.
Greeting Cards
Artist Christina Peressini’s inventive die-cut greeting cards have also been donated. The winner chooses a mix & match 10-pack from her original designs, like the “Wishing You Peace” card.
And, there might be some extra-special stuff added as the month progresses, so stay tuned.
The following picture books were donated by editor Alyson Heller and her colleagues at Simon & Schuster.
Linda Kulp wins FAIRLY FAIRY TALES
Diana of Circle Stables wins SQUARE CAT
Tanya Finestone wins PRESENTING…TALLULAH!
Angela Peña Dahle wins CHRISTMAS SWEATER
Lichen Frank wins DINOSAURS LOVE UNDERPANTS
Amanda Banks wins MONSTER PRINCESS
Diana Murray wins I LOVE VACATIONS
Mindy Alyse Weiss wins LET’S COUNT GOATS!
Kimberly Lynn wins LOUISE THE BIG CHEESE
Romelle Broas wins THE BOSS BABY
Congratulations and happy reading, everyone! Please check your email for a message from me. (Be sure to check your spam filter.)
Next up, the jewelry and greeting cards!
There are several picture books to give away!
Emily Grandin wins THE GREAT REINDEER REBELLION
Christie Wild wins MAN GAVE NAMES TO ALL THE ANIMALS
Lillian Pang wins THIS TREE COUNTS!
Kristin Gray wins WHAT’S NEW AT THE ZOO?
Rachel Hamby wins SQUIRREL’S NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION
DD Hearn wins SUBSTITUTE GROUNDHOG
Nicole Zoltack wins MOSTLY MONSTERLY
Lynn Anne Bemis wins TONIGHT YOU ARE MY BABY
Chitra Soundar wins THE BUG THAT PLAGUED THE THIRD GRADE
Please watch for an email from me. (Be sure to check your spam filter, as a single email was sent to everyone.)
Next up, winners of the picture books donated by Simon & Schuster.
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 