Dan Marvin is a perfect example of one of our 12 x 12 principles: You’ll get out of 12 x 12 what you put into 12 x 12. From his first year as a member, Dan got involved. He took on the writing challenge and wrote 12 manuscripts in a year. He found a critique group. He posted in the forum to get feedback. He checked in at the monthly check-ins and he took advantage of his GOLD membership and submitted to our featured agents. Now, Dan has an agent! It’s great to see your hard work pay off, Dan! Congrats!

How long had you been writing before seeking an agent, and what made you decide it was time to look for one?
It had been six years since I wrote my first manuscript. But only about a year since I had started taking it more seriously. I sold a manuscript (BUT I DON’T EAT ANTS) to a publisher (POW! Kids Books) a few months into my first year of 12 x 12. I decided I really wanted an agent once I realized how much administrative work it was to submit to publishers and how many doors were closed to the un-agented.

What kind of research did you do before submitting?
I scoured SCBWI’s The Book, just as I did when submitting to publishers. But it was my GOLD membership in 12 x 12 that got me submitting to agents regularly.

The dreaded questions: How many queries? How many rejections?
I’m not really sure. 30? Maybe more. I usually got no response. Occasionally I got a personal rejection with bits of positivity, which I found really motivating. One of those rejection letters was from my current agent, Natascha Morris, a year before she became my agent.

Was it difficult to find an agent who wanted to represent an author focusing on picture books?
No. I did my research, so the moment I saw an agent didn’t represent PBs, I ruled them out.

Who is your new agent? Tell us about getting the news.
My agent is the amazing Natascha Morris with BookEnds Literary. She was a 12 x 12 featured agent last June so I submitted to her through my Gold membership. First, she sent an email saying she liked my manuscript. Then we had a phone call and she offered representation. I did my best to keep my voice even, but I was silently losing my mind with excitement while calmly telling her I looked forward to her sending the contract over.

How did you know your agent was “the one”?
We’re both workaholics with an appreciation for weirdness. And when she told me the authors she’d like me to model my career after, I knew this was meant to be.

If 12 x 12 helped you in any way during your agent search/development of craft, can you tell us how?
This is going to be a long answer, because 12 x 12 had EVERYTHING to do with me getting my agent. The manuscript that got me my agent had been critiqued in December of 2016 by my critique group (Renee Kirchner and Christina Gajda) who I found through 12 x 12, as well as another 12 x 12 friend, Gabriel Jensen. Then I put it on the Manuscript Makeover on three occasions with revisions in between. Then I won a monthly 12 x 12 check-in and got a critique from everyone’s favorite dance machine Marcie Colleen in February of 2018. Her suggestions were amazing. Then I submitted it to one of last June’s GOLD featured agents, Natascha Morris. And in August of 2018, it was official. It was a process and I had a ton of help from the 12 x 12 community. That manuscript is out on submission now and so far there have been three asks for R&Rs (revise and resubmit). I bet I’ve revised that manuscript over 100 times, no exaggeration.

Has your writing process changed at all since signing with an agent?
Not my writing process, no. Although Natascha does like me to pitch ideas to her before writing manuscripts, which is fun. And she’s given me a couple marketable ideas to write to. So the pre-writing process—the concepting phase—has changed.

What advice would you give to picture book writers looking for agents today?
Keep doing what you’re doing. And the GOLD membership is worth it. If you’re like me, the idea of not submitting to an agent when I paid for it is like throwing money away. So it’s an extra motivator to keep submitting.

Do you think your platform (blog, social media) helped you find your agent?
No. But anyone who wants to follow me, please do:
@dwmarvin on Twitter
Facebook.com/ByDanMarvin

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 would love to win a Caldecott Medal and a Cannes Lion (my day job is in advertising).

What’s up next/what are you working on now?
I’m working on being the best husband, father and ad dude I can be while still finding time every day to sneak in some children’s book writing. I’m very deadline-oriented, so the goal of writing at least one new manuscript per month keeps me going. I’ve got two manuscripts out on submission right now, and many others in various stages of revision.