We are THRILLED to bring you today’s How I Got My Agent story! Costantia Manoli was a 12 x 12 Diversity Scholarship winner in 2019! (Read the announcement here.) But 2019 wasn’t the first time she applied for the scholarship. When she missed out on the scholarship the first time she applied, she went back to work on improving her craft. Her commitment to keep working and keep getting better paid off not just in the 12 x 12 scholarship, but in a successful end to her agent search! We’re hope Costantia’s post inspires you to keep going and keep improving your writing. Now, help us celebrate Constantia and her agent story!

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

I had been writing and illustrating children’s books for maybe 4 years before beginning the search for an agent. To be honest, I hadn’t even considered looking for one, instead I was looking at publishers that had an open submissions policy – I just thought that was how it was done. Clearly, I knew nothing about the industry! I have always been a writer (articles, poetry etc) but the interest in kidlit specifically started with wanting to learn more about the illustration side of things; I had not long completed a Masters Degree in Fine Art so I took a couple of online courses on children’s book illustration to start specializing a bit more and joined various illustration groups on Facebook. One click led to another and somehow I found myself following a thread that lead me to 12 x 12. That was when I realized that I knew virtually nothing about the industry and so I promptly signed up to remedy that!

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

12 x 12 is an excellent source of advice, links and leads, so it has always been my go-to resource. I also joined SCBWI but living in Cyprus means that there are no local chapters or conferences so it’s more of a symbolic membership than anything else; I like having the little blue card in my purse so I’m not willing to give it up just yet! Query Tracker was useful too, as well as various other blogs and kidlit groups on Facebook. In the case of my specific agent, because she was the 12 x 12 agent for June, I knew that all the checks had been done so it was a matter of whether her submission guidelines suggested she might be a good fit.

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

I aimed for 100 and I think I got pretty close to it. I probably hit around 70-80 actual rejections and maybe about 100 for queries in total. It was interesting to see how the responses changed as I started to get closer. I started getting champagne rejections and feedback and that really kept me going. Some agents offered quite specific feedback to take into consideration for revisions – sometimes this was useful, other times not so much, but it was a clear indication to me that I was on to something. I made sure I kept to my hydra-like querying policy and so for every rejection received I’d review/revise as needed and send out at least another 2!

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

Not really! There is so much information out there, so many resources, it’s matter of putting the time in to find what it is you are looking for and who might just be looking for you!

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

My new agent is Jennifer Weltz at Jean V Naggar Literary Agency in New York (I always include ‘New York’ as I live on the teeny tiny island of Cyprus and it makes me feel good!). She’s amazing! I submitted to her through my 12 x 12 Gold membership (I have more to say about this in the next but one question!) and she responded within 8 hours with a simple ‘This is beautiful’ and a request for more work. We communicated back and forth via email over the next 3 days and on the 4^th day she asked if we could arrange to speak on the phone. There is an 8 hour time difference between New York and Cyprus so we arranged to speak that night at 11pm my time – I wanted to get my kids to sleep first to avoid interruptions and distractions. Obviously, they would not even entertain the idea of an easy bedtime! After they had finally settled, I went through all the questions I had printed and made notes on from the ‘The Complete Picture Book Submissions System’ (I received this as part of the 12 x 12 Diversity Scholarship I was awarded and it was invaluable in this instance!). At 11pm, I made THE CALL and we talked extensively about my work and the industry. She didn’t offer representation immediately over the phone, but she did ask to see some more writing. I sent another two manuscripts as soon as we hung up and went to bed. By the morning, I had a contract in my inbox! It took just 81hrs and 22mins from submission to offer (+7 years!) – but who’s counting eh?!

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

Very simply, it was the way she spoke about my work. She very clearly ‘got it’ and loved it!

Added to that, she was also warm and kind and lovely on the phone and I felt like we connected and communicated very well – the rapport was instant. She answered all of the questions I had written down before I even had to ask, and was very clear and direct. I had no doubts whatsoever after hanging up that I would accept an offer if it came.

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 )

Yes, absolutely, without a doubt, unequivocally, yes! This is my 4^th year with 12 x 12. The first year I joined knowing that I wanted to eventually become a Gold Level member. The shift from focusing on one manuscript to writing more and more was seismic. It had never occurred to me to do that! The second year I applied for the diversity scholarship – I did not get it BUT I did receive an email shortly after offering me a scholarship for silver membership. This was a clear indication that I was on the right path but not quite there yet so I continued working (and submitting) through the second year. Then the third year I applied for the diversity scholarship again and this time, I got it! This was an incredible boost as not only was I getting the Gold membership that I really wanted (as well as The Complete Picture Book Submissions System) but it was confirmation that I had really made progress and was genuinely ready for an agent. I started submitting to one of the two agents every month and lo and behold, my June submission prompted an offer. So not only did 12 x 12 direct me in terms of my writing, and by providing endless resources, encouragement and validation, it also offered me the direct opportunity to submit to my agent through the 12 x 12 Diversity Scholarship Gold membership. So, just to make it clear: YES, 12 x 12 helped me!

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

Not especially – although there is a certain security that comes with knowing you have a good agent in your corner. I definitely want to keep the momentum up and stick with 12 x 12. Some months my new drafts are complete and utter rubbish, but every now and then I’ll write something that I think has real potential and I know I can work on it to get it to where I want it.  I know I would not be able to write the good ones without the preceding rubbish ones and so I’ve learnt (again, through 12 x 12) not to be too precious about my writing. I also have two really great critique groups (big shout out to ‘The Wordlies’ and ‘Writers Without Borders’)– I connected with both groups through 12 x 12 and they have both proven to be invaluable – I am truly in awe of my critique partners, they’re amazing!

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

Aim for 100 rejections and keep at it. Join 12 x 12 for the community and support and wealth of resources and opportunities. There is always something new to learn and there is always something that you don’t know you don’t know! Join a critique group (or two!) – you’ll need them for sure and there is so much to learn about your own work by critiquing other people’s work!

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

Nah, not really! Although I do follow quite a few agents and agencies on twitter and find that the insight offered on their platforms is quite useful so in terms of following, perhaps a little.

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  )

Erm… some kind of gorilla trek and/or animal conservation project to do with orangutans. Preferably with David Attenborough but I’ll settle for my husband and children as company if Attenborough is unavailable!

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

Well, two weeks after signing with my agent, I got a two-book book deal with a big 5 publisher! (Did I say my agent is amazing?! – She’s amazing!) So there’s work to be done for that. I have completed an early draft of a middle grade novel so there’s a lot of work to be done on that – I am waiting on some feedback from my editor. I am keen to begin illustrating my picture books too (I will be debuting as an author only first) so there’s a lot more work to be done there. So yeah, the ball is definitely rolling. It can be hard to keep momentum going when the industry itself is so very slow anyway (my debut is scheduled for Spring 2022!), never mind pandemics and lockdowns and other world events – so it all feels like a (wonderful) figment of my imagination still. Like most creatives, I am rather susceptible to Imposter Syndrome, so it is important for me to keep writing and continue illustrating to keep it at bay, even if just for a short while!