The dog days of summer are here and with them comes our August Featured Agent profiles! GOLD members, read on to learn more about our 12 x 12 August Featured Agents. Decide which one is the best fit for you and your work. Then read the guidelines on the forum as you prepare your submission. Be sure to double-check everything before you hit the send button.
Little GOLDen Book members can choose one of these two agents to submit their manuscript to in August. (If you are a SILVER member, you may use this info for research. Check out our How to Use 12 x 12 Featured Agent Posts article here.)
Adria Goetz of KT Literary will be accepting picture book submissions from 12 x 12 GOLD members from August 1-15. Joyce Sweeney of The Seymour Agency will be accepting picture book submissions from 12 x 12 GOLD members from August 16-31. Adria’s profile appears first, followed by Joyce’s.
Here we go!
Adria Goetz of KT Literary
A little bit about Adria:
Adria Goetz is a Senior Agent and Illustration Coordinator at KT Literary. She is based out of the beautifully gloomy Pacific Northwest. Adria got her start in publishing as an intern at Martin Literary Management in 2013, and began agenting in 2016. She represents picture books, middle grade, graphic novels, and adult fiction. She graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s degree in English with a Creative Writing emphasis, as well as the Columbia Publishing Course. In 2019, she was selected as a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree.
She was recently proud to represent THE OCEAN CALLS by Tina Cho, which received four starred reviews, THE WHATIFS by Emily Kilgore which made the shortlist for Barnes & Noble’s 2020 Best Picture Book Award, and THE CHRISTMAS BOOK FLOOD by Emily Kilgore and Kitty Moss which hit the Indie Bestseller list. She was also proud to represent instant NYT and Indie Bestseller MILLIE FLEUR’S POISON GARDEN by Christy Mandin, GIRLS ON WHEELS by Srividhya Venkat, THE UGLY DOODLES by Valeria Wicker, THE CRESCENT MOON TEAROOM by Stacy Sivinski, IN THE GROVES by Andrea Cruz Floren, HALAL HOT DOGS by Susannah Aziz, BATTER ROYALE by Leisl Adams, and dozens of others.
Adria has eclectic taste but particularly enjoys projects that are tinged with magic, have so much heart you can practically hear their heartbeat, and have a compelling, commercial hook. Adria lives in an old Victorian farmhouse with her husband and their two darling dust gray cats, Maple and Mulberry. In her spare time she can be found rewatching Gilmore Girls for the millionth time, listening to Taylor Swift, and dreaming about the mossy stone cottage in the woods she would like to live in one day.
When asked what she’s looking for in submissions, Adria replied:
“I am particularly looking for magical, whimsical stories right now that seem like they’d be illustrated by the Fan Brothers or Emily Winfield-Martin. Fill my inbox with whimsy, please! I’m also looking for splashy humor-driven books that will make kids crack up laughing. I tend to steer away from picture book biographies, holiday books, and anything to do with sports. (I quit tee-ball when I was 4. I’ve just never been a sports gal.) For more specifics, I have a very long and overly detailed manuscript wishlist at my website: www.adriagoetz.com.”
Adria was a 12 x 12 Featured Agent in previous years. Find her previous profile posts here, here, and here. Here are some additional resources for your research:
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- Check out Adria’s website
- Follow Adria on Twitter/X
- Follow Adria on Instagram
- KT Literary Website
- Interview with Il Chiosto
- Adria is teaching picture book writing in Italy this fall.
- Adria is teaching an online query letter webinar with SCBWI.
Joyce Sweeney of The Seymour Literary
Joyce Sweeney is an author and literary agent for The Seymour Agency.
They have written fourteen young adult novels, many of which have won awards. They are also the author of two chapbooks of poetry. Most recently, they have been collaborating on graphic novels.
Joyce was a creative writing teacher, mentor, and coach for over 25 years. They also published a plotting how-to book, Plotting Your Novel With The Plot Clock (Giantess Press, 2019). At this writing, they have successfully mentored 78 authors to traditional publishing contracts.
In 2020, they joined The Seymour Agency, and represent picture books, middle grades and graphic novels.
Their hobbies are theater, collecting illustration art, and animal causes of all kinds. They live in Coral Springs with their husband, Jay, and cat, Nitro.
When asked what they’re looking for in picture book submissions, Joyce shared this:
“I am always looking for fresh, lyrical voices, projects from marginalized creators, especially LGBTQI authors, and laugh out loud humor. Even though I adore non-fiction, my list is loaded and I’m also not looking for board or novelty books at this time. I’d enjoy a picture book that incorporates astrology or other new age elements. I’m not the biggest fan of potty humor.”
Joyce was a Featured Agent last year. You can find their previous profile post here. Additional resources are below:
- Check out The Seymour Literary Website
- Find Joyce on Instagram
- Find Joyce on Bluesky
- Find Joyce on Twitter/X
- Joyce’s Manuscript Wishlist
- Interview at Ready Chapter 1
Remember: Little GOLDen Book Members may only submit to ONE of these agents. Please choose the agent who is the best fit for you and your manuscript. Look for submission guidelines in the Submission Station on the 12 x 12 forum.
- Submissions will only be accepted for Adria Goetz from August 1st at 8am ET/5am PT through August 15th at 6pm EASTERN/3pm PACIFIC.
- Submissions will only be accepted for Joyce Sweeney from August 16th at 8am ET/5am PT through August 31st at 6pm EASTERN/3pm PACIFIC.
Please double-check the times for your time zone on your submissions. Anything received before or after the submissions window is open will be disqualified and you will not be able to submit again this month.
Remember, it is NEVER okay to submit your manuscript twice. Contact Kelli if there is a problem with your submission.
Good luck to our GOLD members! We look forward to your success stories
Not a 12 x 12 member yet? Join our waiting list here.
