When Ana Stretcu and her agent mutually agreed to part, she found herself mired in the querying trenches — and she came out of it happily paired with an agent who had previously rejected her. It just goes to show…persistence pays off!

Congratulations, Ana!

How long had you been writing before seeking an agent, and what made you decide it was time to look for one?

My story is a bit different since it comes from the perspective of an author-illustrator, but I hope it’s still helpful to share with other 12 x 12 members. At this point, I’ve been writing for two years, but illustrating for almost eight years. Before I started writing, I was lucky enough that a literary agency took me on as an illustrator only. My agency siblings and I had a Discord channel together where we would talk about the industry, share inspiring things, and ask for feedback on our work.

For me, that was the first time I saw a manuscript take shape. It was amazing to realize that stories don’t just come out perfectly on the first try and that you can (and should) ask for help to make it better. Seeing my colleagues being vulnerable enough to share their work before it was ready made it less daunting for me to join in and give it a go. And since I had a literary agent already, it seemed like a shame not to. So I did. I wrote my first manuscript, turned it into a picture book dummy, and sent it to my agent, who had only small notes before sending it out into the world. I loved it and had such confidence in it, which is very uncharacteristic of me. But I just knew it was good, and it would get acquired.

And it didn’t — haha.

My then-agent and I realized we were not a good fit for each other and decided to part ways, so for the next year or so I was querying agents left, right, and center. After getting zero interest from any agents or publishers, I finally had to accept that this milkshake was bringing no boys to the yard. I decided to put it to rest and focus on another story. I spent six months refining this new story and putting together a dummy to go with it. And that was the story that got me my agent.

What kind of research did you do before submitting?
Having already had the experience of an agent who was not a good fit for me made me a lot pickier. Since I’m very new to writing, I wanted an agent with experience to help guide me, but also someone who had the time to be a bit more hands-on, especially in the beginning. And honestly, I also wanted someone who would feel like a friend that’s also my critique partner. I asked artists I know what their experience is like with their agents, and I took notes of that. I also asked a few artists I didn’t know, and they were kind enough to share. And that’s how I slowly built my list of agents to query.

The dreaded questions: How many queries?  How many rejections?
With the first story, I applied to 32 agents. I got rejected by a couple and completely ghosted by the rest. With the second story, I applied to ten agents and two of them showed interest in representing me, one of whom is now my agent and had rejected my previous story.

Was it difficult to find an agent who wanted to represent an author focusing on picture books?
It wasn’t difficult, but I wouldn’t say it was easy either — especially since some agents are only open for submissions for 20 minutes every second Tuesday after a blue moon.

Who is your new agent? Tell us about getting the news.
My new agent is Clare Wallace from the Darley Anderson Children’s Book Agency. And I LOVE HER! I remember she replied only a couple hours after I queried her, asking if I’m available for a call the week after. I really appreciated the enthusiasm. I never assume a call automatically means an offer, but luckily, by the end of it, she made it very clear that she was indeed offering me representation.

She even helped me navigate this new situation I was in where I had to nudge other agents, letting them know I had received an offer and giving them a deadline to reply. Which felt like texting my exes the week before my wedding to let them know I’m getting married in case they have something to say to me. This industry is so funny sometimes.

How did you know your agent was “the one”?
On top of what I just mentioned, there was a publisher at the time who had also shown interest in my book, even offering to take it into an acquisitions meeting. During our call, Clare was very generous with sharing advice on how I can best navigate that, with or without her. On top of her clearly being very knowledgeable, it just felt like a very warm, relaxed conversation. I left the chat thinking I’d be happy to grab a coffee with her. That’s the feeling I wanted to have about my agent.

If 12 x 12 helped you in any way during your agent search/development of craft, can you tell us how? (P.S. It is TOTALLY okay if the answer is no. I am not trying to “lead” you. 🙂 )
Once again, it was seeing so many people being open to sharing their work in progress! I used to believe that any kind of creative work required a good amount of talent, and unfortunately, talent is just one of those things that you either have or you don’t. And of course, I never believed I had it. I still don’t. So being able to see writers actually work on their stories, instead of having them magically come to them on their first try in a final perfect version, made it seem doable to me. I can’t get talent, but I can work hard and ask for help. And 12 x 12 is a lovely place for exactly that.

Has your writing process changed at all since signing with an agent?
It’s too early to tell. Other good things have been getting in the way. 🙂

What advice would you give to picture book writers looking for agents today?
Better no agent at all than an agent that isn’t a good fit for you. I know that when you’re in the querying trenches, it can be tempting to sign with almost any agent rather than having to keep querying around, but you deserve a good agent, and sometimes you have to wait for those. While working on your stories, of course. Don’t settle, because a great agent is worth their weight in gold.

Do you think your platform (blog, social media) helped you find your agent?
Social media helped me get my first agent, so I know it can be a useful tool. But it didn’t contribute to me getting my current one.

Tell us something that is on your “bucket list.” Something you’ve dreamed of doing all your life but have yet to accomplish (besides publishing a book, which is inevitable at this point 🙂 ).
Since we’re dreaming big, I’d love to one day be involved in writing an animated movie. There I said it!

What’s up next/what are you working on now?
I’m currently trying to figure out a ghost story. I’ll ask the 12 x 12ers for feedback soon.