Well, the world has changed since our last agent profile post, but these agents are still looking forward to getting 12 x 12 GOLD member submissions in April. Our 2020 Little GOLDen Book members will be able to choose one of two agents to submit their manuscript to each month.
Alyssa Eisner Henkin of Trident Media will be accepting picture book submissions from 12 x 12 GOLD members April 1-15. Adria Goetz of Martin Literary Management will be accepting picture book submissions from 12 x 12 GOLD members April 16-30. Alyssa’s profile appears first, followed by Adria’s. Please read BOTH and then decide who would be the best fit for your work.
Alyssa Eisner Henkin – Trident Media
A little bit about Alyssa:
After earning her Bachelors from the University of Pennsylvania, Alyssa Eisner Henkin fulfilled a childhood dream that she professed on a home video at the age of six: move to New York and work with books. In 1999, Alyssa began her career in editorial at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Here she found colleagues who loved Anne of Green Gables as much as she did and a children’s book landscape that was growing rapidly. Alyssa’s inner-entrepreneur led her to Trident in late 2006, where she could develop a larger and more varied stable of authors and sell them across the industry.
From extensive editing and idea-honing, to devising lucrative marketing strategies, to shepherding lasting film, foreign and merchandising partnerships, Alyssa nurtures her books at every stage. “There’s no greater professional joy than championing a book that you believe in and watching the world delight in it.”
Alyssa is especially drawn to lyrical prose, tight plotting, school stories, period pieces, diverse regional and ethnic flavors, themes of social justice, intergenerational family sagas, incorrigible underdogs, and lots of humor and authenticity buoyed by a big heart. “I am also eager to find authors and author-illustrators who specialize in inventive nonfiction, especially for middle grade. And highly original picture books are always intriguing. It was Madeline and Frances, after all, who kindled my passion in the first place!”
We asked Alyssa what she’s looking for in picture books. Here’s what she had to say:
“I tend to like inventive nonfiction like SCRAMBLED STATES OF AMERICA, innovative first day of school books, gifty and clever seasonal stories like SOPHIE’S SQUASH, and empowering do-gooder narratives like I AM ENOUGH, ALL ARE WELCOME, and PIE IS FOR SHARING.”
Alyssa was a Featured Agent in previously. You can see our profiles on her HERE and HERE. Here are a couple updated resources for Alyssa:
- Interview on Only Picture Books
- Follow Alyssa on Twitter
- Interview with Tara Lazar
- Interview on Duotrope
- Agent Spotlight with Eastern Penn Points (SCBWI)
Adria Goetz – Martin Literary Management
A little bit about Adria:
Adria Goetz is a Literary Manager with Seattle-based Martin Literary & Media Management. She primarily represents picture books, middle grade, young adult, Lifestyle books, quirky gift books, as well as everything under the Christian umbrella.
Her mission statement shares that she looks for books that delight readers, that help inspire wonder and imagination, that foster deep empathy and compassion for our fellow human beings, that provide rich character representation of marginalized people groups, that take the reader on an adventure, that uncover fascinating stories from history’s footnotes, that explore issues of faith and how to apply Christ’s teachings to our own life, that celebrate women and the female experience, that ask nitty gritty questions and don’t settle for easy answers, that make people disappointed when they have to close the book and go to bed, and books that add a touch of magic to readers’ lives.
A few books Adria has worked on include: the magical coffee table book THE COMPENDIUM OF MAGICAL BEASTS, written by Melissa Brinks and illustrated by Lily Jones (Running Press, 2018); the picture book RICE FROM HEAVEN, written by Tina Cho and illustrated by Keum Jin Song (Little Bee Books, 2018), the picture book WHEN DAY IS DONE by Natalee Creech (Sparkhouse Family, 2019), and the middle grade series THOSE DREADFUL FAIRY BOOKS by Jon Etter (Amberjack, 2019).
Adria is a 2016 graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course in New York City, a six-week intensive course on all aspects of book, magazine, and digital media publishing. She is also a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle with a B.A. in English with a creative writing emphasis.
Adria lives in an old Victorian home in Tacoma (which she hopes dearly is haunted with a few friendly ghosts) with her husband Alex and their two darling kittens, Maple and Mulberry.
When asked what she’s looking for in picture book submissions, Adria replied:
“I’m always excited to review submissions, so I hope nobody hesitates to query me with whatever they’re currently really excited about. You can find my very obnoxiously long and detailed manuscript wishlist at adriagoetz.com. I’m always looking for stories with clear concepts, commercial hooks, charm, and heart. Right now I have three specific types of picture books I’m looking for:
1. Humor! I welcome anything from a dry subversive wit, to loud potty humor. Some of my favorite funny picture books include THE BAD SEED, DRAGONS LOVE TACOS, and MISS HAZELTINE’S HOME FOR SHY AND FEARFUL CATS.
2. Magical stories! I love magical adventures, stories that feel mysterious and special and larger than life. Some of my favorite books in this vein are THE NIGHT GARDENER, OCEAN MEETS SKY, THE BEAR AND THE PIANO, and LIGHTS ON COTTON ROCK.
3. Own Voices stories. I want to work with a diverse swath of creators who are writing stories that haven’t previously been prioritized by publishers. Some of my favorite books in this vein are HAIR LOVE, FRY BREAD, and AMY WU AND THE PERFECT BAO.I’m not looking for: sports stories, meta stories, and NF PB biographies.”
Adria has been a Featured Agent previously. You can find our profiles on her HERE and HERE. Here are some resources for Adria:
- Follow Adria on Twitter
- Rate Your Story Interview
- Adria’s client Tina Cho talks about working Adria in several post here.
- Check out Adria’s wishlist on her website
- Adria’s 12 x 12 webinar replay is available to members until April 15, 2020. The link was sent to all 12 x 12 members on March 14th and March 18th.
Please note 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 Alyssa Eisner Henkin from April 1st – April 15th at 6pm ET/3pm PT.
Submissions will only be accepted for Adria Goetz from April 16th – April 30th at 6pm ET/3pm PT.
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.
Stay well!
Want to make sure your submissions are tip-top? Grab this 7-Step Submissions Checklist.
2 Responses
Thanks ladies, this is the first time I’ve headed back into the writing world since this pandemic started. Good to be submitting again!
Mary