New Agent at Firebrand Literary
Editor’s Note: Firebrand Literary closed in July 2009. Four agents from Firebrand Literary have broken off to form a new agency: Upstart Crow Literary. It will be headed up by Michael Stearns, who was formerly a prolific children’s book editor. Also on board are agents Ted Malawer, Chris Richman and Danielle Chiotti. Between the three of them, they handle adult fiction, lots of kids fiction, and some nonfiction, too. Reminder: Newer agencies are golden opportunities for new writers because they’re likely building their client list; however, always make sure your work is as perfect as it can be before submitting, and only query agencies that are a great fit for your work. Otherwise, you’re just wasting time and postage.
Editor's Note: Firebrand Literary closed in July 2009. Four agents from Firebrand Literary have broken off to form a new agency: Upstart Crow Literary. It will be headed up by Michael Stearns, who was formerly a prolific children's book editor. Also on board are agents Ted Malawer, Chris Richman and Danielle Chiotti. Between the three of them, they handle adult fiction, lots of kids fiction, and some nonfiction, too.
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Reminder: New literary agents (with this spotlight featuring Ted Malawer a Firebrand Literary) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list.
Firebrand Literary, a relatively new literary agency based in New York, has a new literary agent: Ted Malawer.
On children's writer Verla Kay's message board, Ted recently gave a great introduction of himself as well as what kind of submissions he's interested in. I have pasted a lot of his post below.
Good luck submitting!
"I'm Ted Malawer, a new agent at Firebrand Literary. I wanted to say hello to all the members here and introduce myself, as I am actively looking to build my client list. As many of you know, Firebrand loves books for young readers. I am looking to build upon our success with YA fiction (recent sales include novels to Random House, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, and Flux) and also expand our middle grade, chapter, and picture book list.
For YA, I am really looking for books that walk the line between commercial and literary. I like high concept novels with great 'hooks,' unique premises, and great humor. I also enjoy lyrical fiction, as long as it has an authentic and compelling voice. I'm a huge fan of mysteries, smart historicals, and urban fantasy about original topics (no vampires, please). I'm not so much into the snarky 'chick lit' voice, but great writing trumps everything...
For middle grade, I am drawn to unique coming-of-age stories. I like stories that make me laugh, but if you can make me cry, even better. I like projects with fantastical/supernatural elements, too, and action/adventure plots.
I love fun and exciting chapter books, especially with multicultural characters. I'm always on the lookout for the next amazing picture book, but I'd rather not consider anything over 1,000 or so words, and I'm not interested in bedtime or food stories. Additionally, I do a select amount of adult books, so if you write in both genres that's not a problem for me.
Writers interested in querying Ted should check out the Firebrand Literary Web site. Ted and his co-agent, Nadia, work very closely together and often review submissions together. Therefore, a "no" from Ted is a "no from Firebrand."
News hat tip: Nancy Parish
Chuck Sambuchino is a former editor with the Writer's Digest writing community and author of several books, including How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack and Create Your Writer Platform.
