Hooray for Julia Moss! After spending years reading to her students and kids, she put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard?) and started creating her own picture book stories. Her tenacious amount of research and dedication brought her the perfect opportunity with her dream agent! Congrats, Julia! We can’t wait to see what comes next!

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

I have been a lifelong writer, journaling my way through adolescence, writing poetry in my early adulthood, and then writing academically for college and work. As an elementary school teacher I fell in love with picture books. Reading them aloud to my students and reflecting on what they meant for our own writing and lives became my favorite part of every day. It was then that a seed was planted in me – maybe, just maybe, I’d try to write books that could inspire kids like this someday.

I wandered into my thirties and became a mother to two incredible boys. Steeped in children’s literature from morning to night, my idea to write children’s literature rose to the surface and suddenly I felt charged with inspiration.

It was early 2021 that I began working on my first real picture book manuscript, while simultaneously researching the big, daunting world of publishing. I soon discovered that I would need an agent if I were to find my way through the publishing gates. One key piece of information that I learned through trial and error was that a writer should have 3-4 submission-ready manuscripts before beginning to query agents. I started querying before I was truly ready – I only had my one manuscript!

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

I took courses through Storyteller Academy about how to query agents that helped me find my footing in the querying process and they also gave attendees invaluable resources including lists of literary agents. I attended SCBWI workshops and panels on querying and read THE BOOK. Once I really knew what I was doing, I developed my own spreadsheet of agents and spent months researching who might be a good fit for me by reading anything I could find about them online, on Twitter, and also noted who was making deals on Publishers Weekly Children’s Bookshelf emails.

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

If I total up all my queries, including the first round in spring of 2021 when I wasn’t actually ready and the fall/winter of 2021/2022 when I was ready, here are my stats:

55 queries in all

29 written rejections

22 never responded

4 requested more manuscripts

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

It’s true that you’ll come across a lot of agents who are seeking only YA or Middle Grade when it comes to their children’s lit lists, but there are SO MANY agents out there! If you keep searching and waiting for your favorite agents to open to queries, you can find many who really do love and want picture book authors!

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

I am still pinching myself that I get to call Saba Sulaiman at Talcott Notch my agent! After a revise and resubmit, she wrote me an email to let me know that she really enjoyed my work and wanted to find a time to “talk about next steps.” I immediately texted my critique partners (who are both agented) asking, “Does this email mean what I think it means?!” They text-screamed “YES!!!!” and I spent the rest of the day jumping up and down with the thrill and joy of being one step away from finding my agent. Sure enough, a few days later Saba and I had a great phone chat all about writing, our kids, and life and it was then that she formally offered me representation!

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

I attended a virtual SCBWI panel on how to query agents and Saba was one of the panelists. I loved the way that she talked about the process and the industry with such honesty and clarity, and just felt like she was someone I’d want to be friends with! It was after that panel that I went back to my agent research spreadsheet and moved her name to the very top 🙂

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 🙂 )

The monthly webinars and author chats have been hugely influential to my work. I’ve learned so much about craft and the publishing world through all of the wonderful conversations Julie has moderated with seasoned writers and agents.

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

Absolutely! Saba has helped me to see my strengths and encouraged me to lead with those. She says that I am a verse writer through and through, favoring my sparse rhyming books over my longer prose books. I honestly didn’t set out to be a rhyming writer, but a couple of books just happened naturally that way and in the process I developed a love of puzzling together rhyming books. I signed with her in the last days of April 2022, and as I write this now it is mid-June 2022 can say that I have written and revised two rhyming sequels to the book that I queried her with! I would never have had the vision or the drive to write these sequels without her guidance and deep adoration of my first story!

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

This is a long road that requires much patience and persistence. Spend time doing your homework before you query:

• Develop your craft – take writing courses, read books about the art of writing
• Read, read, read – learn what is being published, get inspired by beautiful picture books and study them to figure out what is working
• Find a critique group and make your stories shine!
• Write a lot—get 3-4 of your manuscripts submission-ready
• Attend webinars and panels about how to query agents
• Research agents to figure out who would be a good fit for you

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

No. I did have a minimal Instagram before querying, but I only started posting on Twitter and building a website through Saba’s guidance this month!

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 see the aurora borealis someday 🙂

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

I will be going out on submission soon with my rhyming concept book series! And I have a nonfiction series that I’m dreaming up next 🙂

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