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August 2021 Agents

Amy Stern and Ana Crespo – 12 x 12 Featured Agents August 2021

GOLD members! August is almost here and have our own A Team of Featured Agents for you! Our 2021 Little GOLDen Book members will be able to 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.)

Amy Stern of Sheldon Fogelman Agency will be accepting picture book submissions from 12 x 12 GOLD members August 1-15. Ana Crespo of East West Literary will be accepting picture book submissions from 12 x 12 GOLD members August 16-31. Amy’s profile appears first, followed by Ana’s. Please read BOTH and then decide who would be the best fit for your work.

Amy Stern - Sheldon Fogelman AgencyAmy Stern of Sheldon Fogelman Agency

A little bit about Amy:

Amy Stern has been at the Sheldon Fogelman Agency since 2010, working her way up from agent assistant to taking on her own clients. After developing her passion for children’s and young adult work while studying creative writing and English at Bryn Mawr College, she got masters’ degrees in children’s literature and library science at Simmons College, where she learned how to critically analyze children’s books. Her eight years in publishing have taught her how to read them with an eye for marketability as well.

Amy is interested in a wide range of books for audiences between birth and 18 years, but is particularly keen to find projects that respect the agency and humanity of the child reader through portraying characters that reflect their lives, no matter how mundane or fantastical they may be.

We asked Amy what she’s looking for in picture books. Here’s what she had to say:

“I love picture books that have a purpose, but not ones that are didactic. Educating is a purpose, but so is entertaining, and if I can only have one I’d rather have entertainment. I want stories that make young audiences feel seen, and make them feel different than they did when they first opened the book. I’m not opposed to rhyming, but the rhyme or meter being off will take me out of the manuscript immediately, and if it feels like half the lines are just there to rhyme rather than to further the story, I tend to get frustrated. I love good nonfiction but I’m very picky- if there’s anything  that’s specifically about what someone involved said or thought, I want it to be sourced.”

Amy was a Featured Agent previously. You can read our past profile post on Amy here. Here are a few updated resources:

Ana Crespo 200x300

Ana Crespo of East West Literary

A little bit about Ana: 

Ana Crespo, herself a picture book author, became an assistant agent at East West Literary Agency in January of 2021. Prior to becoming an agent, Ana apprenticed with Deborah Warren and the E/W team for two years. She has a degree in journalism, a Master of Education in Adult Education, and is a 2020 graduate of the Denver Publishing Institute. Ana’s work experience includes corporate Internal Communications, where she worked with different departments to promote their platforms, services, and client talking points to the sales force, and Academic Advising, during which she helped students from different backgrounds, needs, habits, and moods navigate the challenges of college. She brings these transferable skills to agenting and looks forward to helping her clients achieve their career goals in the publishing world.

Ana specializes in picture books and is especially interested in representing author-illustrators, but will not pass up a well-written manuscript. She is drawn to lyrical texts and whimsical illustrations but enjoys a variety of illustration styles, and she loves works that speak with images and are spare with words. As a Latina immigrant, she is particularly interested in representing creators from groups that have been historically underrepresented in the children’s book market.

Ana is a new 12 x 12 Featured Agent. Here are some additional resources for Ana:

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 Amy Stern from August 1st at 8am ET/5am PT through August 15th at 6pm EASTERN/3pm PACIFIC.

Submissions will only be accepted for Ana Crespo 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!

 

 

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Interested in Joining the 12x12 Challenge?

Financial Need Scholarship Guidelines

All applications will be accepted via email only between November 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023 at kelli@juliehedlund.com.

Subject line of the email:

  1. 12 x 12 Financial Need Scholarship
 

Please include the following in the body of the email:

  1. An autobiographical statement and career summary in 250 words or fewer.
  2. A short statement describing the nature of the financial need/circumstances in 250 words or fewer.
  3. A sample query letter for the manuscript you are submitting with your application.
  4. Pitches for two additional completed picture books.
 

 Attached to the email:

  1.  The full text of one picture book manuscript, attached as a Word document named as FIN_YourFirstName_YourLastName_Title_of_Manuscript.doc (or docx).