If you need a refresher on the submission guidelines (they've changed a bit this year), click here.
Kara and Michelle each have a 1/3 of the list posted on their blogs. Check em out.
Please support the agents below by thanking them for participating and following them on Twitter. Don't forget the #QueryKombat hashtag. They provide they largest reward this tournament offers. Be sure to let them know they're appreciated.
Don't forget. Submission window opens May 16th at 9am EST and closes May 18th at noon.
Agents of Query Kombat 2018
Lindsay Mealing of Emerald City Literary
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Lindsay is a self-proclaimed nerd, loving everything science fiction and fantasy – from epic tomes to gaming. She fell head over heels with the SFF genre when she read KUSHIEL’S DART by Jacqueline Carey (she even has Phedre’s marque tattooed on her back).
Lindsay represents both adult and young adult fiction. In adult she’s primarily looking for fantasy and science fiction, but is also interested in psychological thrillers, women’s fiction, and romance. In YA, she loves all genres – contemporary, fantasy, horror, romance – anything!
Website
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Lauren Galit of LKG Agency
Agent:
such a loaded job description. It’s the word you scream into the phone
when you get stuck in an airline or cable company’s automated loop.
AGENT! Or it might call to mind images of a classic real estate or
Hollywood agent with slicked-back hair and too-sharp clothes. But that’s
not who I am. My client, Clinton Kelly, once wrote in the
acknowledgments of Freakin’ Fabulous: “Lauren Keller Galit, a totally chill agent who’s not even a jerk.”
Being
a literary agent is my dream job (but then again, I was a literary geek
at Harvard): I get to work with writers all day long, helping them
craft their book ideas and editing their proposals. And then, once the
proposal is complete, I get to connect with editors to sell them on
something I have passionately committed myself to for the past few
months. And I get to chat — a lot (but hopefully not too much). With
writers, with editors, with Caitlen. All good.
I
also get to be a world-class dilettante. For each new project that
comes along, I delve deep into that writer’s world and expertise,
learning all I can, so that I can speak knowledgeably about the subject.
What could be bad about exploring a new angle on parenting or fitness
or style every few months? My closet is certainly the better for it;
hopefully my kids, too.
I
started my agenting career in 2002 at John Boswell Associates, a
literary agency and book packager that’s most noted for creating 365 Ways To Cook Chicken,
as well as countless other best sellers. Because Boswell was a packager
as well as an agent, he taught me how to do more than just craft a
proposal and sell it; he showed me how to create a book from scratch,
working with designers and production people along the way. It is that
attention to detail that I bring to my current projects, even if we
aren’t packaging them. I help my authors envision what their books could be.
Before becoming an agent, I was a magazine editor for 10 years, starting at GQ (Gentleman’s Quarterly) and ending at GH (Good Housekeeping).
That’s where I learned to edit and copy edit, to read and reread until
an article or caption or pull quote was just so. It is a skill I bring
to every proposal I work on with a writer. It won’t go out until it is
just so, because the proposal should beautifully and accurately
represent the idea an author is dying to bring to the world.
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Leslie Zampetti of Dunham Literary
Leslie joined Dunham Literary in June 2016. Previously, she was an intern for The Bent Agency.
A former librarian with over 20 years’ experience in special, public, and school libraries, Leslie has cataloged rocket launch videos and Lego rocket ship models, presented SEC documents and story times, and negotiated with organizations from Lexis-Nexis to the PTA. Her experience as a librarian has given her a distinct perspective on publishing and readers. A writer herself, Leslie is very familiar with querying from both sides of the desk.
Leslie graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and has a Master’s of Library and Information Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is available to speak at conferences.
A former librarian with over 20 years’ experience in special, public, and school libraries, Leslie has cataloged rocket launch videos and Lego rocket ship models, presented SEC documents and story times, and negotiated with organizations from Lexis-Nexis to the PTA. Her experience as a librarian has given her a distinct perspective on publishing and readers. A writer herself, Leslie is very familiar with querying from both sides of the desk.
Leslie graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and has a Master’s of Library and Information Science degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is available to speak at conferences.
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Danielle Burby of Nelson Literary
I’m the kind of nerd who always has the book I’m reading in my bag plus a backup book plus my Kindle just in case. Growing up, I was completely obsessed with Harry Potter (Fun fact: I would fluff my hair so I could look like Hermione). I also ravenously devoured anything Tamora Pierce, Sarah Dessen (The Truth About Forever and Just Listen are her best novels and I will fight you about it), Robin McKinley, Gareth Nix, Diana Wynne Jones, Judy Blume, Jane Austen…you get the picture. I have a Virginia Woolf quote tattooed on my shoulder blade. Authors have always been my biggest stars. In fact, one of my most exciting high school moments was when Newsday hired me to review the Ella Enchanted movie and then gave me a choice between interviewing Anne Hathaway and Gail Carson Levine–I chose Gail Carson Levine. My job gives me the excuse to professionally fangirl on a daily basis.I double majored in creative writing and women’s studies at Hamilton College (both “impractical majors” that have been incredibly practical for me) and figured out that creative writing classes do a really great job of honing your editing and critiquing skills. After internships at several top literary agencies and publishers, I spent four years at New York agency and began building a client list before moving to NLA in January 2017. Now, I work out of my NYC apartment where my office cat likes to remind me that she is boss.
I primarily represent YA and MG along with very select women’s fiction. I look for a strong narrative voice and a cast of characters I want to spend time with (which doesn’t necessarily mean they need to be likeable!). Something all of my clients have in common is the ability to sweep me up in their writing and make me grateful for a chance to spend time in their worlds. When I finish a novel and immediately want to thank the person who wrote it, I know I will have the enthusiasm to fight tooth and nail for that author.
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Moe Ferrara of Bookends Literary
Becoming a literary agent was fitting for the girl who, as a small child, begged her dad to buy her a book simply because "it has a hard cover." Growing up, she had a hard time finding YA books outside of Christopher Pike and R. L. Stine, and instead tackled Tom Clancy or her mom's romance novels. Though her career path zigzagged a bit—she attended college as a music major, earned a JD from Pace Law School, then worked various jobs throughout the publishing industry—Moe was thrilled to join the BookEnds team in May of 2015 as a literary agent and the subsidiary rights director.A Pennsylvania native, she is mum of a rambunctious corgi who is a master at stealing treats. When not reading, she is an avid gamer and always awaiting the next Assassin's Creed release.
Moe is interested in books for middle grade, young adult, and adult readers in most genres--especially science fiction, fantasy, contemporary, and light horror. The right contemporary or paranormal romance (sans-vampires of course) will spark her interest. She's LGBTQ friendly, so send her that male/male erotic romance in your back pocket! At this time she's not looking for nonfiction, women's fiction, or cozy mysteries.
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Clelia Gore of Martin Literary Agency
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 attends writing and publishing conferences. She also sits on the board of directors for Poetry Northwest magazine. In 2017, she was named one of Publisher’s Weekly Star Watch honorees.
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Alison McDonald of The Rights Factory
In her eighth year at The Rights Factory, Ali is the lead agent specializing in children’s literature. She represents a select list of authors with projects ranging from novelty, board books, picture books, early readers, chapter books, and graphic novels, to middle grade, young adult and new adult fiction and non-fiction. She enjoys working primarily with debut authors, but also has the distinguished pleasure of representing literary stars among her international clients, including New York Times bestselling author Laura Nowlin (If He Had Been With Me and This Song is (Not) For You), Hugo-award-winning Emily Pohl-Weary (Not Your Ordinary Wolf Girl), and multi-award-nominated and Best Book-listed author Jo Treggiari (forthcoming Blood Will Out), among others. Ali is living the dream of having a job she loves.
In the wild, Ali can be seen typically reading a book (kidlit, of course), watching guilty pleasure TV (currently Jane the Virgin, AHS, and Scandal), instructing at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Creative Writing Program, or chatting with writers at meetups!
Elevator pitch: Ali is Anne of Green Gables meets Jerry Maguire.
In the wild, Ali can be seen typically reading a book (kidlit, of course), watching guilty pleasure TV (currently Jane the Virgin, AHS, and Scandal), instructing at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies Creative Writing Program, or chatting with writers at meetups!
Elevator pitch: Ali is Anne of Green Gables meets Jerry Maguire.
Website
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Jennifer Wills of The Seymour Agency
Jennifer has five years’ experience in some of the publishing industry’s leading literary agencies. She She joined the Seymour Agency in April 2016, where she has quickly moved up the ranks to Associate Agent. Jennifer has always loved helping fledgling authors become NYT bestsellers and she’s ready to be a relentless champion for her own clients’ work.
Jennifer is particularly interested in a wide range of picture books and cookbooks, with a soft spot for author/illustrators of sweet and wacky picture books, and cookbooks with mouth-watering recipes of the health conscious, budget friendly or celebrity chef variety. For fiction, she’s also interested in middle grade and YA with a sci fi/fantasy, horror/suspense, or contemporary bent, and upmarket women’s fiction with a sense of humor. On the nonfiction side, narrative nonfiction and memoir are also welcome. If your manuscript has a great hook, a distinct voice, and can make her laugh out loud or ugly cry (or, even better, both), she’d love to see it.
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Dorian Maffei of Kimberly Cameron & Associates
While she appreciates most fiction that traverses across multiple genres, she is especially interested in magical realism, fabulism, reimagined fairy tales, speculative fiction, literary science fiction, upmarket women’s fiction, unique voices, and innovative storytelling that sometimes veers on the weird. She values work that provokes a deep-rooted connection after the last page, and explores the peculiar within the mundane. Check out her Manuscript Wish List page to get a better understanding of the types of books she gravitates toward.
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Caitie Flum of Liza Dawson Literary
Caitie Flum joined Liza Dawson Associates in July 2014 as assistant and audio rights manager. She graduated from Hofstra University in 2009 with a B.A. in English with a concentration in publishing studies. She interned at Hachette Book Group and Writers House. She was an editorial assistant then coordinator for Bookspan, where she worked on several clubs including the Book-of-the-Month Club, The Good Cook, and the Children’s Book-of-the-Month Club.
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