Go BIG! Larissa Elliott went BIG and it paid off! Her goal of 100 rejections meant she was always working to improve and perfect her craft. Larissa first felt a connection with her new agent through a 12 x 12 webinar and we love it when that happens! Congratulations, Larissa! We can’t wait to see where this partnership takes you!

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

I dabbled in poetry when I was young, but my career as a music teacher won out for many years. I accidentally started writing YA novels in 2015. I poured so much of myself into my newfound love of writing, that I considered it more of a calling than a hobby. While I didn’t write my first picture book until 2018, those first few years studying story and being immersed in the publishing world really helped when I made a full switch over to picture books in 2019. Technically, I sent a few queries in 2019, but didn’t really start querying until I felt more ready at the beginning of 2020, about 8 months after I started seriously dedicating myself to picture books. What pushed me hard into querying was that I had CPs who were getting agented. I realized I couldn’t join them unless I started sending out queries!

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

I started with SCBWI’s “The Book” and an old edition of “Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market” that I had checked out from the library. I made a list of agents then started visiting agency websites for updated information. I made a spreadsheet and kept track of whether the agents accepted author-only clients and made notes of their manuscript wish lists. I added to my spreadsheet gradually, keeping an eye on Twitter and scoping out websites like Heather Ayris Burnell’s “Monster List of Picture Book Agents”, ManuscriptWishList.com, and QueryTracker.net.

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

2020 was a leap year, so my mantra for the year was “Take a Leap”. In other words, go for it. Go BIG. So I made a goal of getting either 100 rejections or representation. I sadly reached the 100 rejection goal (including non-responses) in April of 2021. To commemorate the milestone, I bought myself a necklace that reads “Don’t Give Up”. Two months later, I sent my last query while wearing that necklace. I wore the necklace when I signed my contract.

Side note: The 100 queries I sent were to 60 different agents using 20 different manuscripts. Some agents I queried once, some two or three times. Two agents I queried FIVE times, both finally requesting more on the 5th query—one of which became my agent! Sometimes a “no” is really a “not yet”. Keep writing, keep querying!

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

There’s a lot of them out there, even if you’re not an illustrator. Keep looking! It wasn’t really hard for me finding the agents. It was hard finding the right one.

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

I signed with the fabulous Charlotte Wenger of Prospect Agency! I had worked for two months on a revise-and-resubmit before I sent her my work on an exclusive sub. After two weeks, I had almost given up hope when the email came through requesting a call. It had been a super busy day. I’m a high school band director and we had our first football game performance of the school year. I didn’t check my personal email until 11:00 at night, right before I left the school. It was several minutes of crying and shaking before I gathered myself enough to drive home. A few days later we had a great chat over zoom and she offered representation. I squealed and did a little dance. She had to ask if that meant yes. It meant yes!

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

Charlotte had always been at the top of my list because her page on the agency website mentions she is a musical person. Funnily enough, hers was one of the first likes I ever received in a Twitter pitch event back in 2019 and she was one of the first agents I ever queried. I queried her a few more times over the next two years, but it wasn’t until I had a one-hour critique with her that we really connected. The critique was an add-on to a class I took. Charlotte really got what I was trying to do with my stories, and we had fun bouncing ideas off each other. It felt so natural talking to her. After that, I knew I wanted her to be my agent. Even if she didn’t want me yet, I was going to keep working until I was ready for her. I queried her the next day and she responded right away, asking to see more work and for revisions of the stories she had critiqued. I never worked harder on revisions!

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 helped in the obvious ways: the webinars helped me grow my craft, and the feedback from the forum was super helpful. And while not a requirement of 12 x 12, I like to push myself to write at least one new draft every month so I can get that little badge on my profile. I wrote 50 drafts in my first two years as a member! That wouldn’t have happened without 12 x 12.

In a much more direct way, it was the first 12 x 12 webinar of 2020 that really helped me get my agent. Charlotte was the webinar guest and she talked about the books she represented and the ones she had acquired as an editor. I realized I had several manuscripts that would be perfect for her which really helped me tailor my future submissions. Seeing her in the webinar is also what got me so excited at the chance to have a critique with her and convinced me to take advantage of that opportunity.

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

The actual writing hasn’t changed much, but I definitely have more confidence in myself now that I have an agent. Charlotte is also editorial, so she has given me feedback to help guide revisions and has let me know which stories are worth pursuing.

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

Take every opportunity. I almost didn’t take the class where I was able to get the critique with Charlotte. It was a big investment and I tried to talk myself out of it. But I’m glad I did it. There have been many more opportunities that helped me in my journey. I entered contests and won critiques and a mentorship. I participated in pitch events and made connections I wouldn’t have otherwise. When you don’t put yourself out there, you’re missing out on opportunities to find that “yes”.

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

Not my platform specifically, but I owe so much of my success to social media. Twitter and Facebook are where I connected with critique partners (shoutout to my inkies!) and so many other wonderful people that have helped me and encouraged me on my path. Twitter was where I learned about all of the contests where I won critiques and a mentorship. Twitter was where I learned about the class that helped me connect with Charlotte.

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 was born in Australia to American parents and we came to the states when I was just a few months old. I wouldn’t mind returning to my birthplace some day!

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

I write A LOT, so I have a backlog of stories waiting their turn to go out on submission. When I need a break from all of that, I’ve casually been working on illustration. It would be nice to illustrate one of my stories some day, but I’m taking a much more laid-back approach to it than I have with my writing.

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