Below is 1/3 of the agents participating in the Agent Round of Query Kombat. Their names and the agencies they work for have been redacted. Correctly guess the name and agency of all ten agents and send them to querykombat (at) gmail (dot) com as quickly as possible. Be the first to guess all ten correctly and you'll win a query critique from yours truly.
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??? of ???
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??? 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).
??? 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!
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??? of ???
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: “???, 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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??? of ???
??? joined ??? 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, ??? 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, ??? is very familiar with querying from both sides of the desk.
??? 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, ??? 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, ??? is very familiar with querying from both sides of the desk.
??? 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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??? of ???
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.
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??? of ???
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— ??? was thrilled to join the ??? 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.
??? 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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??? of ???
It was when ??? 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. ??? 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, ??? 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.
??? 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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??? of ???
In her eighth year at ???, ??? 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. ??? is living the dream of having a job she loves.
In the wild, ??? 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: ??? is Anne of Green Gables meets Jerry Maguire.
In the wild, ??? 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: ??? is Anne of Green Gables meets Jerry Maguire.
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??? of ???
??? has five years’ experience in some of the publishing industry’s leading literary agencies. She worked with publishers around the world as an assistant in Trident Media
Group’s huge foreign rights department, and with domestic publishers as
an assistant at Writers House (where, incidentally, she began her
career as an intern). She joined ??? in April 2016, where she has quickly moved up the ranks to Associate Agent. ??? has always loved helping fledgling authors become NYT bestsellers and she’s ready to be a relentless champion for her own clients’ work.
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??? of ???
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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??? of ???
??? joined ??? 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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Good Luck!
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