Spotlight on MG and YA Fiction: Agents Answer Burning Questions About Today’s Industry Trends
We asked middle-grade and YA fiction agents from our roundup to weigh in on some of the most popular genres they represent—talking trends, common weaknesses, series potential and more. Here’s how to stand out in middle-grade & young adult fiction.
Author Interview: David Barclay Moore on Writing, Publishing and His Novel The Stars Beneath Our Feet
David Barclay Moore is an award-winning author whose novel, The Stars Beneath Our Feet, has been optioned for film, set to be brought to the screen by actor/director Michael B. Jordan and Endeavor Content. Here we talk to David Barclay Moore about writing, publishing, and the film adaptation of the novel.
Meet the Agent: Joanna MacKenzie of Nelson Literary Agency
Originally from Poland, literary agent Joanna MacKenzie loves novels that deal with the themes of identity and the immigrant experience, as well as those that probe relationships—like those with parents, siblings, best friends, and first loves.
4 Tips for Changing Genres Within Young Adult
If you’re trying to switch genres, you might find the road—and the writing—difficult. Here are four simple tips to follow for shifting gears within the Young Adult genre.
New Literary Agent Alert: Amanda Ayers Barnett of Donaghy Literary
Reminder: New literary agents (with this spotlight featuring Amanda Ayers Barnett of Donaghy Literary) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list. About Amanda: Amanda began her publishing career 20 years ago, fresh out of Middlebury College and the Radcliffe Publishing Course....
New Literary Agent Alert: Aimee Ashcraft of Brower Literary
Reminder: New literary agents (with this spotlight featuring Aimee Ashcraft of Brower Literary) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list. About Aimee: Aimee has always loved books. She loved them so much that as a child, she was often caught sneakily...
4 Tips on Creating Pitch Perfect YA Characters
Creating characters for young adult novels can be a real challenge. Here are four crucial tips to help you get back into the shoes of your high-school self.
Successful Query: Agent Adriann Ranta and “Sad Perfect”
This series is called “Successful Queries,” and I’m posting actual query letter examples that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting these query letter samples, we will also get to hear thoughts from the writer’s literary agent as to why the letter worked. The 76th installment in this series is...
New Literary Agent Alert: Jennifer Wills of The Seymour Agency
Reminder: New literary agents (with this spotlight featuring Jennifer Wills of The Seymour Agency) are golden opportunities for new writers because each one is a literary agent who is likely building his or her client list. About Jennifer: Jennifer has five years of experience in some of the publishing industry’s leading literary agencies. She worked...
New Literary Agent Alert: Melissa Nasson of Rubin Pfeffer Content
Melissa is seeking middle-grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction, and she is also accepting picture book queries. She is open to all genres, but has a special love for fantasy and sci-fi. She enjoys unexpected settings and loves a good romantic angle. For nonfiction, she'd love to see manuscripts that...
Author Interview: Mark Perini, co-author of HALFWAY PERFECT
Mark Perini, co-author of YA novel HALFWAY PERFECT, talks modeling, writing, publishing, and how they all work together.
6 Tips on Writing for Children
I hadn’t read a children’s novel in an embarrassingly long time when I landed my first deal to write exactly that. Naturally, I went into it with all kinds of notions as to what writing for children entailed. Things like: don’t be too scary, use simpler language, write about whatever it...