After Deirdre Laide’s agent left for an editorial career, Deirdre took a year to build her skills and research agents. Now she shares the places she searched with us.

Thanks for the tips, Deirdre! And congrats on signing with your new agent. 

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

As a teacher and mother of three girls, I’ve been a picture book enthusiast for many years. One day during the pandemic, as my children played in the kitchen, I opened a notebook, picked up a pen, and in the middle of the chaos, started writing my very first picture book draft. As you can imagine, it was pretty dreadful!

Initially, I made the mistake of querying too early with work that hadn’t been polished. After little success (understandably), I took a break and began to truly develop my craft. Bitten by the writing bug, I found critique partners, took courses, and immersed myself in the kidlit community. Finally, I felt my confidence building. I was ready to dive into the querying process again.

Tracy Marchini is my second agent. My first agent left to pursue an editorial career. This time around, I was much more selective about the agents I queried. Having previously gone through the whole process, I had a clearer vision of the author/agent relationship I was hoping for.

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

Being involved in the kidlit community means you have people to ask when drawing up a list of agents to query. I leaned on my writing friends to ensure that agents I queried had the elements I was looking for.

ManuscriptWishList #MSWL is easy to navigate and most agents have a landing page listing the genres they hope to see in their inbox. Some will add personal interests, favorite movies, etc., which can give you further insight into their preferences.

Querytracker is a fantastic resource. It allows you to research agents and keep track of queries, which certainly helped my busy brain to stay organized. When I received a request for additional manuscripts, I was able to nudge outstanding queries through the portal. After the nudge, Tracy also requested more and asked for a call.

The 12 x 12 forum has a really helpful “Featured Agent” section. I love reading interviews with agents as it gives me a sense of their insight into the publishing process and their relationships with the authors and illustrators they represent.

Literary Rambles is a great blog to subscribe to. Natalie Aguirre hosts agent spotlight interviews. They’re brilliant, and you can click on all the past interviews. http://www.literaryrambles.com/2009/03/introducingagent-spotlight.html

Publishers Marketplace helps find literary agents by listing their sales history in a particular genre and marketplace performance. It doesn’t always reflect a complete picture, and some sales go unreported, but it can give a good indication.

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

Too many to count! I suffered from overqueryingitis (sincere apologies to all affected agents) early in my journey. Now and then an agent would respond with a champagne pass or a request for more, and I knew that I was headed in the right direction. It’s like a game of “lukewarm, getting hotter, roasting.”  Seeing requests for additional manuscripts in your inbox is such a fantastic feeling. Sometimes I rushed to respond with work. I learned it’s better to pause and reflect on what to send.

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

It certainly has become more difficult. There’s so much talent and fewer agents representing text-only picture books, so your work does need to be polished and have a unique selling point. Persevering through the rejections is not easy. When agents rejected my work, I went back to the drawing board. I worked on my craft, tried different approaches, signed up for more courses, and developed my skills further. Trying something new can awaken a rush of creativity that leads you down an unexpected avenue. For me, that was trying nonfiction writing, and learning that I had a deep love for the genre as well as fiction.

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

My new agent is Tracy Marchini at Bookends Literary Agency. I’d been working on a nonfiction story for some time. The manuscript was awarded the SCBWI Ann Whitford Paul Writer’s Digest honorable mention for “The Most Promising Nonfiction Picture Book of 2023.” My critique partners were enthusiastic about it. I drafted some more, sent out a small batch of queries, and got a request for a call with an agent to discuss the manuscript. This call was really positive, but I also nudged other agents who had the manuscripts. Tracy responded saying she’d love to see more manuscripts and scheduled a call.

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

On the call, we discussed everything — the nonfiction project, the additional manuscripts I’d sent, her experience in the publishing world, her vision for my career path, and our love of crafting. Her feedback was spot on. Her expertise and enthusiasm shone through. I was excited to sign on the dotted line and start on our submission journey to editors. Tracy feels like a great fit as she has a strong interest in the picture book area and so much experience in that space. I feel really lucky to be part of her team.

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 has helped me realize I’m not alone in the process of drafting, writing, and querying. The publishing world can be tough, but knowing that others are going through the same ups and downs is comforting. Seeing people succeed in 12 x 12 is inspirational. It drives me on, as their success stories shine a spotlight on all the possible directions my writing journey can take. The monthly book chats are lovely. 

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

Yes. It’s nice to have an agent to bounce ideas off and see what they think. Tracy is brimming with knowledge of editors’ wish lists and the publishing market. On our call, we discussed an idea that stemmed from one of my additional manuscripts. Tracy’s insight was super helpful, and I’m getting started on a new draft of that informational fiction picture book in the next few months.

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

Persevere, but also pause. If things are difficult, give yourself permission to step back and take a much-needed break. Return to the core of your writing, try to experiment, and have a bit of fun. At times, I’ve found entering competitions a great distraction. Being in the MightyKidlit Showcase, winning a place as a PBParty finalist in 2024, and my honorable mention for the SCBWI Ann Whitford Paul Writer’s Digest award all helped my query letter to sparkle a little more. Adding that you’re involved in communities such as SCBWI and 12 x 12 can show your dedication to writing, and that you’re engaging with the kidlit community.

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

I didn’t have any significant online presence when querying, but I’m active on Twitter X, Bluesky, and Instagram.

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’ve always loved art and illustrations, so I am going to put my mind to painting a few pictures. It’s going to be messy!

As I live in Ireland, I’d love to attend a writing conference in the U.S. one day, and maybe even meet a few of my writing friends in person. I get FOMO when I see everyone having a great time at big writing events.

I also love sea swimming and want to swim around the lighthouse in the bay near my home again this year. The first time I swam the course, the kelp forest of seaweed inspired my debut, a lyrical nonfiction picture book. I’m trying to get out training a little to do it again…or perhaps swim even further.

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

Last year, when between agents, I signed a book contract with Sarah Rockett at Tilbury House for a nonfiction picture book, Shipwreck. The deal was announced in August, and the illustrator will be Carlos Velez Aguilera. His work is amazing. Hopefully, the book will be ready in 2025. I can’t wait to share the finished project with everyone.

Tracy’s on submission to editors with another nonfiction manuscript of mine, so I’ve all my fingers and toes crossed as I await good news. In the meantime, I’ll keep drafting my picture books and swimming.