GOLD members! It’s almost October. Here are your Featured Agents for the new month! Our 2021 Little GOLDen Book members will be able to choose one of these two agents to submit their manuscript to in October. (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.)
Hilary Harwell of KT Literary will be accepting picture book submissions from 12 x 12 GOLD members October 1-15. Erin Casey of Gallt & Zacker will be accepting picture book submissions from 12 x 12 GOLD members October 16-31. Hilary’s profile appears first, followed by Erin’s. Please read BOTH and then decide who would be the best fit for your work.
Hilary Harwell of KT Literary
A little bit about Hilary:
Hilary Harwell, Agent (Pronouns: She/Her, Salutation: Ms.) As a proud member of the KT Literary family, Hilary represents children’s and young adult authors. She joined the team in 2016 as an assistant to both Kate and Sara and began taking on her own clients in 2017. Hilary is a graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she earned a degree in Anthropology. She went on to work in the back office of a major Swiss Investment Bank for eight years before deciding to trade numbers for letters. When not reading or editing or writing stories of her own, Hilary likes to hike the Rockies with her family and dreams of one day owning her own horses. As an agent, Hilary partners with her growing list of clients to develop their projects in preparation for submission and strategizes to help them build long-term writing careers as published authors. She’s highly communicative, empathetic, and supportive as an agent–tailoring her approach to each client’s unique needs, acting as a strong advocate, and helping them navigate the business side of publishing their work. She’s actively acquiring middle grade and young adult projects across all genres; picture books, chapter books and graphic novels by author-illustrators. More about her interests can be found at Manuscript Wishlist. Recent sales can be found on Publisher’s Marketplace.
When asked what she’s looking, Hilary replied:
“Stories that lead with joy, stories from BIPOC/diverse authors, culturally themed stories, lyrical writing.” Hilary is not looking for rhyming stories.
Here are a few more resources for Hilary:
- Find out more about Hilary and KT Literary on their website
- Hilary’s Manuscript Wish List (#MSWL)
- Follow Hilary on Twitter
- An interview with The Word
- Interview on PB Spotlight
- Agent Spotlight on Literary Rambles
- 2017 New Agent Announcement on The Winged Pen
Erin Casey of Gallt & Zacker
A little bit about Erin:
Erin Casey graduated from Hamilton College in 2015 with a B.A. in Creative Writing and a job as an intern at the then Nancy Gallt Literary Agency. The agency’s name has since changed to Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency and Erin has worked her way from intern to Associate Agent. She represents all kidlit age groups, from board books through YA, and is drawn to genre fiction – fantasy, magical realism, fabulism, and speculative in particular. She loves work that shows the author’s world- and character-building ability and wants to see authentic, thoughtful representations of all people so that every kid can find a book that speaks to them.
Erin is eagerly looking to build her picture book list in any style. She finds herself connecting more easily with nonfiction picture books because she loves learning new things in accessible ways. She is not interested in picture book bios unless the subject is from a marginalized community and has been unfairly overlooked despite their worthy story. In picture book fiction, she is most drawn to efficient yet powerful language – whether the book is humorous or heartfelt, every word should count. She loves clever jokes, creative use of form (like THE WALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BOOK), evocative imagery, text that leaves room for illustrations, and heartstring-tugging language (like THE STUFF OF STARS).
Erin is a new 12 x 12 Featured Agent. Here are some additional resources for Erin:
- Erin’s bio on the Gallt & Zacker website
- Erin’s Manuscript Wish List (#MSWL)
- Follow Erin on Twitter
- Agent Spotlight on Literary Rambles
- Interview on PB Spotlight
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 Hilary Harwell from October 1st at 8am ET/5am PT through October 15th at 6pm EASTERN/3pm PACIFIC.
Submissions will only be accepted for Erin Casey from October 16th at 8am ET/5am PT through October 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!
2 Responses
I enjoyed learning about Hillary’s literary journey and that she has worked hard to get where is today.
I recognize she is actively acquiring middle grade and young adult projects across all genres; picture books, chapter books and graphic novels. As I work on new materials I will consider Hillary’s criteria. Wishing you all the best