This week we get to celebrate with Katherine Pryor! Katherine didn’t let not having an agent stop her from getting published and that tenacity paid off as she built relationships throughout the industry that led her to find her perfect agent match with Adria Goetz. This post is also a two-fer: We get to celebrate Katherine’s new book HELLO, GARDEN, which debuted just last week! Congrats, Katherine! 

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

My first picture book was published in 2012, and I began casually looking for an agent around that time. I began looking in earnest when my second picture book was published in 2015, after I left my day job and began actively pursuing a career as a picture book author. I got some very nice rejections (as well as a lot of form responses and utter silence) but no offers of representation. I wanted an agent because I knew it could create access to a wider range of publishing houses, and because I wanted someone who understood publishing contracts to advocate for me. However, I didn’t let NOT having an agent stop me from writing and submitting—I sold four manuscripts on my own before signing with my agent, Adria Goetz, in 2019.

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

I found most of the agents I queried through regional SCBWI conferences and the SCBWI guide The Book: The Essential Guide to Publishing for Children.  At one point, one of our regional SCBWI leaders was so upset that I didn’t have an agent that he started reaching out to agents he knew on my behalf—and still no takers.

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

I don’t have my query tracker divided between publishers and agents, but I’ve sent over 100 query letters in my career in picture books. Many of those were to publishing houses that accept unsolicited manuscripts, and I sent a few repeat queries to agents who had asked to see future work. I can’t say enough about keeping a spreadsheet detailing where and what you send out, as well as their responses.

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

It wasn’t difficult to find agents interested in picture books, but one issue I did start noticing was how many agents are interested in author/illustrators. If it’s possible to have negative artistic talent, I do, so illustrating has never really felt like an option for me. But there are definitely still agents out there open to authors who can’t illustrate.

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

I developed a wonderful collaborative relationship and friendship with the illustrator of my third book. Bea’s Bees was Ellie Peterson’s first book, and she didn’t have an agent yet when she signed on to illustrate it. She signed with Adria Goetz shortly after and started selling work as an author-illustrator. When Ellie and I road-tripped to a library event promoting Bea’s Bees, I mentioned I was working on a manuscript about the monarch butterfly migration from Canada to Mexico, and that I wanted to use their migration as a metaphor for human migrations. When I showed her the manuscript, she shared it with Adria and asked her to represent the project. Adria liked the project, but I don’t think she was quite sold on me as an author yet, so she signed me for a one-book contract. Over the next few months, I kept sending her new work, and I guess I finally won her over. She called me that December and asked me to “make it official.” As someone who has been hustling alone in this business for almost a decade, having someone in my corner watching out for my career feels absolutely amazing.

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

I was lucky because I knew how much Ellie loved working with Adria. They had a great relationship, and I trusted Ellie’s opinion. Once we signed for the monarch book, I saw how hard she worked getting it in front of publishers, and I felt a huge sense of relief to not be the person sending out queries anymore.

If 12 x 12 helped you in any way during your agent search/development of craft, can you tell us how? 

12 x 12 was a huge part of how I got my agent. I took the challenge seriously—I think I wrote 9-10 drafts my first year, which is way more than I wrote before I joined. Some of those drafts will never see the light of day, but a few of them had real merit. I polished them through my critique groups and the 12 x 12 forum, and ended up with four solid new manuscripts to send Adria while I was trying to win her over. The feedback I got in the forum was tremendously helpful, as was the sheer quantity of new material I ended the year with.

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

The biggest change so far has been my ability to move on from manuscripts that aren’t working. Before signing with an agent, I tinkered endlessly, and had a really hard time leaving old manuscripts behind. I get attached to my work and my characters. However, now I have someone who can read a draft and give me a quick and honest answer about the book’s salability. If Adria has a “meh” reaction, I move on to the next project, unless I’m so excited about the concept that I’m willing to do a massive overhaul. If she’s excited about a project but tells me it needs more revision, I feel motivated to sit down and revise because I know she thinks it shows promise.

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

Don’t be discouraged by 1, 2, 3, or 10 rejections. This is an incredibly competitive business, so you’re probably going to have to knock on several (virtual) doors before the right one opens. However, if you keep getting similar rejections for the same project, you should probably either revise it or table it and start something new. Research the agents to make sure they are right for your style and subject matter so you don’t waste your precious querying time and energy on the wrong agent for your work. Finally, be nice to everyone—this is a business built on good working relationships.

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

I think my agent liked that my early books had strong sales, and that one won a national award. I don’t have a huge social media following, but I do have a lovely spreadsheet (yes, I keep lots of spreadsheets!) of librarians and non-profits who have supported my past work, and who I can contact to let them know about future projects. Yet ultimately, it was the writing that won her over. I don’t think the platform matters as much as the work itself. Focus on the work, and the platform will follow.

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 love travel and have a life goal to visit every continent. However, I’m also the mother of three-year-old twins, so that doesn’t feel super achievable right now. At this point, I’m trying to raise adventurous kiddos who will be excited to globe-hop with me once I don’t have to carry their luggage for them. In fact, if I raise them right, they might even carry mine.

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

My first board book, Hello, Garden!, from Schiffer Publishing debuted last week. It was the first manuscript I shared in the 12 x 12 forum, and I got such great feedback that I was able to revise and sell it. I’m also revising several manuscripts that Adria liked, and that she’ll be sending around soon. I’ve written three new drafts in 2020. Having an agent has freed up a ton of creative space in my brain—now that I don’t have to worry as much about trying to sell manuscripts, I have much more time and energy to write new work. I am grateful every single time I see Adria’s name in my inbox.