Join us today in celebrating Deborah Foster’s How I Got My Agent story. Deborah proves the old adage that hard work pays off. She worked diligently on her craft for six years by taking writing courses and participating in challenges and then set a lofty submissions goal and stuck to it. Need a little inspiration? Let Deborah Foster be your guide.

Congrats, Deborah! 

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

I began writing seriously in 2015. I started by taking as many classes as I could at that time, including courses through the Institute of Children’s Literature and joining communities such as 12 x 12 in 2018 and Inked Voices in 2020. I challenged myself to participate in Storystorm, #PBPitch days, Susanna Hill’s Annual Writing Contests, and my own version of NaNoWriMo (which was to write 500 words a day that month. Which left me with plenty of new picture book drafts). When I started to get a lot of “This is great! Have you queried this?” responses from my critique partners, that’s when I felt it was time to start querying—which I began in 2021.

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

I researched heavily using manuscriptwishlist.com and watching for #MSWL posts on Twitter. I also researched agents and editors who worked on the mentor texts that went along with the book I was querying. My thoughts were “if they liked this book that is similar, maybe they will like mine?”.

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

I used Airtable (highly recommend) to keep track of my queries and stats:

                2021: 112 rejections, 2 requests

                2022: 139 rejections, 3 requests, 3 referrals

                2023: 100 rejections, 3 requests

These feel like very high numbers, but they were not all for the same manuscript. I’d query a story for a while, if it was only getting rejections, I’d put it on the shelf or put it back in my critique group shuffle.

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

I think the struggle right now, as someone who only writes and doesn’t illustrate, is finding an agent who is open to representing an “only-text” author. So many agents seem to be switching over to only wanting author-illustrators which can be very discouraging to those who can’t draw (like me).

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

My agent is Lori Steel with Red Fox Literary. In July of 2022, I queried Jacqui Lipton at The Tobias Literary Agency and she responded with a referral to her friend and fellow agent, Lori Steel. A few months later, in October 2022, I sent Lori a submission package which included 3-4 manuscripts that I thought she would like. I waited and waited and waited…. And finally changed the query status to “CNR” (“crickets, no response” in my book). Then in August of 2023, I had the chance to get a critique from Lori in our regional SCBWI Iowa Critique-a-Palooza event. I sent her a revised story from the previous submission package I had sent her that past October. The critique back from her was filled with nothing but positive comments and during our ten-minute zoom chat, she asked to speak with me again the following week. During that call, I learned that my submission package had been in her “maybe” pile for almost a year (she thanked me for being patient 😊 ) and she was impressed with the revisions that I had made to the story. That was when she offered representation.

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

I’ve attended webinars that Lori has held and heard nothing but good things about her from my critique partners who have encountered her through different events. Lori is highly respected and has always been on my list of “dream agents” that I wanted to work with. I’ve admired the works of the authors and illustrators that she has represented and I can tell that she works hard to find a home for their work. I also value her honesty.

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 🙂 )

12 x 12 helped me greatly when it came to developing my craft! The webinars taught me SO much (where do I even begin?) and the feedback on the stories I posted to the forum was valuable as well. 12 x 12 is something I recommend to any new author I meet. Not only did I meet lifetime critique partners through 12 x 12 but I continue to make friends through the Facebook page every day. I love that I can always find answers to my burning nonfiction questions on the 12 x 12 FB page/forum or suggestions for comps whenever I am struggling.

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

Not much. My process is still the same but I tend to ask myself a lot more questions about Marketability. The big question I ask myself with each manuscript is: “Are there enough layers to this story?”

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

Put yourself out there! Don’t be afraid to hit that “send” button. When I started querying, I made a goal to send out 100 queries in a year. When a rejection came back, I dulled the sting by researching additional agents and sending out another query.

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

Not really. Though I hope that by building my platform now, it will help when the time comes to promote a book. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

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 🙂 )

Last month I attended my first-ever writing retreat that lasted the entire weekend. I got to meet some amazing new friends, get feedback from agents and editors on my manuscripts, and hear about conferences and retreats that I should try! During that time, Sera Rivers (agent for Speilburg Literary Agency) told me about the week-long writing retreat that she leads in Tuscany, Italy! It’s hard for me to imagine traveling that far (I’ve never been out of the country) but it’s something I can’t wait to do (once my kids get a bit older).

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

My focus is on polishing more manuscripts in hopes of sharing them with Lori soon (and saving up money to go to Italy)!