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Emily S. Keyes and Karly Dizon – 12 x 12 Featured Agents July 2023

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GOLD members! It’s time to introduce our July agents. Read the following profiles carefully, click the links for more info on each agent, and decide who is the best fit for you and your work. Then read the guidelines on the forum as you prepare your submission. Be sure to double check everything before you hit the send button.

Both of these agents are currently closed to general submissions. Please know that GOLD member submissions will be accepted as a special referral when using the guidelines laid out in the forum. That makes this an excellent opportunity for our GOLD members! 

Little GOLDen Book members will be able to choose one of these two agents to submit their manuscript to in July. (If you are a SILVER member, you may use this info for research. Check out our How to Use 12 x 12 Featured Agent Posts article here.)

Emily S. Keyes of Keyes Literary Agency will be accepting picture book submissions from 12 x 12 GOLD members from July 1-15. Karly Dizon of Fuse Literary will be accepting picture book submissions from 12 x 12 GOLD members from July 16-31. Emily’s profile appears first, followed by Karly’s. 

Time for your submissions to pop!

 

Emily S Keyes - Keyes LiteraryEmily S. Keyes of Keyes Literary 

A little bit about Emily:

Emily S. Keyes is the founder of Keyes Agency, LLC. Previously she was a literary agent at Fuse Literary and a contracts manager/associate agent at L. Perkins Agency. Before entering the world of agenting, she worked in the contracts department of Simon & Schuster, Inc where she handled copyright, reversion of rights, and assisted with author contracts. In 2008, she graduated from New York University’s Center for Publishing. She uses her knowledge of contracts, copyright, and the publishing business to benefit her clients.

When asked what she’s looking for in submissions, Emily replied:

“Right now, I really like picture books that make me laugh out loud and that are unexpected. I think we could all use some humor in our lives. I am particularly interested in BIPOC main characters exploring the world with child-like wonder. I love non-fiction texts that illuminate the natural world. And I am interested in lyrical texts that read like a poem, but don’t necessarily have to rhyme.

Things I am not looking for are picture book biographies, anthropomorphic animals that don’t behave like real animals for no reason, books that are more for parents than kids.”

Emily has been a Featured Agent in previous years. You can find her previous profile posts here and here.  Additional resources are below:

 

Karly Dizon of Fuse LiteraryKarly Dizon of Fuse Literary 

A little bit about Karly:

Karly Dizon is an associate agent at Fuse Literary building KidLit universes with stories that matter. She first joined the agency in 2016 as a reader for Tricia Skinner and then promoted to Literary Assistant soon after. In 2019, she was promoted to associate agent. Karly has built a career with a strong background as a freelance editor as well as extensive experience with graphic design and marketing. She is looking to develop long-term career authors and nurture their entire writing journey as a strong editorial agent with marketing, social media, and design support. Karly is also the KidLit track coordinator for the San Francisco Writers Conference.

Karly’s clients have won or been nominated for such awards as Kirkus Best Books of the Year, NCTE Notable Books List, SLJ Best Book of the Year, and Kirkus Prize Finalist.

When asked what she’s looking for in submissions, Karly replied:

“BIPOC, SEL, strong voice with a unique perspective. At this time, I’m not looking for whimsical.”

Karly was a Featured Agent in last year. Read her past profile here. Here are a couple of additional resources:

 

 

Remember: Little GOLDen Book Members may only submit to ONE of these agents. Please choose the agent who is the best fit for you and your manuscript. Look for submission guidelines in the Submission Station on the 12 x 12 forum.

  • Submissions will only be accepted for Emily S. Keyes from July 1st at 8am ET/5am PT through July 15th at 6pm EASTERN/3pm PACIFIC.
  • Submissions will only be accepted for Karly Dizon from July 16th at 8am ET/5am PT through July 31st at 6pm EASTERN/3pm PACIFIC.

 

Please double check the times for your time zone on your submissions. Anything received before or after the submissions window is open will be disqualified and you will not be able to submit again this month.

Remember, it is NEVER okay to submit your manuscript twice. Contact Kelli if there is a problem with your submission.

Good luck!

 

Not a 12 x 12 member yet? Join our notification for free events and be among the first to hear when registration opens for next year’s picture book writing challenge. Click here.

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Financial Need Scholarship Guidelines

All applications will be accepted ONLY via the Financial Need Scholarship form HERE.

The application period is November 1 – 30, 2025.

You will need the following items to complete the application form:

  1. Your bio, written in third person using no more than 250 words. Please include any writing credits.
  2. A short statement about why you write picture books and what you hope your work brings to the children’s book market in no more than 250 words and written in first person.
  3. A short statement describing the nature of the financial need/circumstances using no more than 250 words and written in first person.
  4. A photo of yourself that can be used in 12 x 12 social media posts and communications, if you are awarded a scholarship.
  5. A query letter for the picture book manuscript you are submitting with your application saved as a WORD doc (.doc or .docx) using this naming convention: FIN_FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME_QUERY_LETTER.doc or .docx (Replace the first and last name with your first and last name.)
  6. One picture book manuscript of 1,000 words or less, saved as a Word doc (.doc or .docx). The title, art notes, and/or backmatter do not count toward the manuscript’s word count.
  7. Do not include illustrations or photos with your manuscript. Author-Illustrators are encouraged to apply, but applications will be judged based on writing only.
  8. Use this naming convention for your Word doc: FIN_FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME_TITLE_OF_YOUR_MANUSCRIPT.doc or .docx (Replace the first and last name with your first and last name. Replace TITLE OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT with the title of your manuscript.)
  9. Pitches for two additional completed picture books.
  10. One or more of the following must be included with your application: your Instagram handle, your Bluesky handle, your Twitter/X handle, your Facebook profile, or your website URL.

 

Ready to apply? Click the button below and submit your application by November 20, 2025.

I'm Ready to Apply Now >

Diversity Scholarship Guidelines

All applications will be accepted ONLY via the Diversity Scholarship form HERE.

The application period is November 1 – 30, 2025.

You will need the following items to complete the application form:

  1. Your bio, written in third person using no more than 250 words. Please include any writing credits.
  2. A short statement about how your work brings an underrepresented voice to picture books using no more than 250 words and written in first person.
  3. A photo of yourself that can be used in 12 x 12 social media posts and communications, if you are awarded a scholarship.
  4. One picture book manuscript of 1,000 words or less, saved as a Word doc (.doc or .docx). The title, art notes, and/or backmatter do not count toward the manuscript’s word count.
  5. Do not include illustrations or photos with your manuscript. Author-Illustrators are encouraged to apply, but applications will be judged based on writing only.
  6. Use this naming convention for your Word doc: DIV_FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME_TITLE_OF_YOUR_MANUSCRIPT.doc or .docx (Replace the first and last name with your first and last name. Replace TITLE OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT with the title of your manuscript.)
  7. A query letter for the picture book manuscript you are submitting with your application, saved as a WORD doc (.doc or .docx) using this naming convention: DIV_FIRSTNAME_LASTNAME_QUERY_LETTER.doc or .docx (Replace the first and last name with your first and last name.)
  8. Pitches for two additional completed picture books.
  9. One or more of the following must be included with your application: your Instagram handle, your Bluesky handle, your Twitter/X handle, your Facebook profile, or your website URL.

 
 

Ready to apply? Click the button below and submit your application by November 30, 2025. We can’t wait to read your application!

I'm Ready to Apply Now >