If you are in the querying trenches, do not miss today’s post! Annette Clayton breaks down her journey to find her current agent and gives practical advice for finding your agent. Annette, we’re proud of you for sticking up for yourself and helping others along the way! Huge congratulations on getting your agent!

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

I’ve wanted to be an author since the 2nd grade but was always told to study something more “serious” and did not pursue a writing degree in college (which of course, I regret).

Having kids made me fall in love with picture books. When my twins began kindergarten in 2015, it felt like the right time to do something with this dream of publication I had set aside. As I began to google “how to publish a picture book,” I quickly became overwhelmed. I had so much to learn about the craft of writing for children. I talked with my husband and made the decision to pursue my MA in Writing for Children and YA.

In 2017, I finished my degree and had a nice little portfolio of kidlit manuscripts. In 2018, queried agents and signed with the first agent who offered me rep. They were very kind but did not have a deep understanding of kidlit. It did not work out.

During my time with that agency, I made connections with editors on my own and got WFH deals. In early 2021, I parted ways with my agent. I’ve learned a lot since then about what I want in an agent/client partnership.

In the summer of 2021, I felt ready to look for an agent again. It took me 5 months to sign. This may seem quick, but I had been writing seriously for 6 years prior.

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

I talked with writer friends who were agented, researched Twitter, publisher’s marketplace, and the 12 x 12 FB group. 12 x 12 really helped because there have been threads on agents who are great, and agents/agencies others have had issues with. It’s a great resource!

The dreaded questions: How many queries?  How many rejections?

Here are my stats for 2021 as best as I can remember: I queried about 22 agents, 6 requests for more work, 2 offers of rep.

When I started the querying process, I vowed to take my time and be as chill as possible (because querying is soooo stressful). And I was super selective. Since I was previously repped, I knew what I wanted – and didn’t want in an agent.

I sent out 3-4 queries at a time, waited several weeks for feedback, revised if needed, then sent out another small batch.

Right away I got requests for more work, yay! I was sure, this was it!

But then, rejections once they saw my other 2 picture books.

Whoa – I paused on querying.

I had many picture books ready to go and had them ranked by strength and submitted only my strongest work. That had me thinking, were my top mss really my best work?

I decided to have a paid critiquer review my portfolio and she disagreed with my top 3 picks! There was one mss in particular that she absolutely loved, but I had ranked it low. Latinx Pitch was coming up and I decided to participate and pitched the ms the critiquer really liked. It worked because that ms along with one other I pitched got “likes” from the same agent–and she was on my list of “dream agents.” I just about fell out of my chair!

Was it difficult to find an agent who wanted to represent an author focusing on picture books?

I don’t think it was difficult to find PB agents, what was hard, was finding them at the right time. Many were closed to queries or their PB client list was full.

Who is your new agent? Tell us about getting the news.

I’m repped by the very awesome Natascha Morris of The Tobias Literary Agency. After she liked my Twitter pitch, I queried her the next day. She got back to me pretty quickly requesting a phone call and we chatted and she offered me rep!

How did you know your agent was “the one”?

I knew right away Natascha was my agent. I wanted an agent who understood picture books specifically and as the Director of the Children’s Dept at Tobias, kidlit is her focus. Nat gave me feedback during our phone call for improving my picture books that was spot on. She gets right to the point and is transparent, but very kind in her approach, which I love! I feel so lucky to be working with her!

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 🙂 )

Absolutely! One of the picture books my agent really enjoyed received a ninja visit in 2019! I’ve met critique partners through 12 x 12 and the FB page is such a great form of support.

Has your writing process changed at all since signing with an agent?

I feel more focused knowing I have Natascha in my corner. Before I get too far into a new project, I send her an email asking for her thoughts on whether I should proceed.

What advice would you give to picture book writers looking for agents today?

• Be patient and wait for the right agent. No agent is better than a bad agent.
• Sign with an agent who focuses/understands kidlit (especially picture books).
• New agents (from a reputable agency) eager to build their list can be a great find! Ask if they have a mentor on the team (good agencies will mentor).
• If you sign with a newly created agency, the agent should have prior experience as a kidlit editor or agent. If they don’t, proceed with extreme caution.
• When you get “the call” ask the agent about their communication style.
• Ask if they’ll send you the sub list. I don’t understand agents who keep their clients in the dark regarding who is seeing their manuscripts.
• Ask what happens if you decide to part ways. I personally feel like 90 days if you have anything out on sub is sufficient. I have heard some agencies make you wait 6 months! Can you imagine waiting 6 months to get your own manuscript back? Don’t be afraid to negotiate these terms.
• Ask what happens to you if they leave the agency. Do you stay with that agency? Are you free to go with them if they go to another agency?

Do you think your platform (blog, social media) helped you find your agent?

I don’t have a huge Twitter following, but what did help me over the years was connecting with other writers via Twitter and researching #MSWL.

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 🙂

I’d love to visit Yellowstone! We had a trip planned for 2020, but alas, the pandemic. Maybe someday soon…fingers crossed!

What’s up next/what are you working on now?

I always have several projects going at once. I’m working on a nonfiction PB and polishing my CB series. On the the other end of the spectrum, I’m writing a romance novel!

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