Congratulations, Lisa Katzenberger on signing with your agent! The thing that strikes me about Lisa’s post is the calmness. I’m sure she didn’t feel calm when she left her first agent or as her potential agent list narrowed down, but as Lisa says, “It’s really all about the writing.” Have faith in that my writer friends. Keep calm and write on! Please help me in celebrating today with Lisa!

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 writing pretty much since I was a kid, but I started writing picture books in about 2015. I signed with my first agent in in 2017, and parted ways with her at the end of last year. So another agent was just the next step in the process to keep my career moving forward.

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

Because I have a also have a chapter book series that I want to publish, I had to do another round of research to find which agents accept both picture books and chapter books. And it was a much smaller list than my first time querying a few years ago. But my goal this time around was to cultivate a list of agents that I had some sort of connection with. Either I’d been following their career closely, had seen at conferences/webinars or was referred to by friends. I narrowed this down to a list of 18 agents, then looked up their sales history on Publisher’s Marketplace. I sent out about five queries to start, then kept going down the list as a rejection would come in.

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

The first time I queried, in 2016/2017, I sent about 100 queries. But by now I had been agented already and sold one picture book. I think those factors made it different this time around. Here are the stats:

• 15 agents queried
• 6 agents passed
• 7 agents never responded
• 2 agents offered rep

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

No, not at all. I know there are agents who seek author-illustrators only, but there are so many who accept authors only.

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

My new agent is Wendi Gu at Greenburger Associates! Wendi asked to talk after seeing only one of my picture books. We had a great chat, and she asked to see more work. After that she asked for a second call where she said she had some thoughts on my other manuscripts. I thought that meant she was going to tell me she didn’t really connect with them and prepped myself for that news. I was pleasantly surprised that as soon as we got on the call, she offered rep! I think I kind of screamed a little.

And I recently got the chance to meet Wendi in person at an SCBWI conference. She is so kind and smart and warm, I feel so lucky to have her as my agent.

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

This was really hard as I had two offers of rep from really great agents. I talked to many of their clients, and they all had lovely things to say. But in the end I went with my gut, and have been very happy!

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 has been a huge component of my development of craft. I churned through many really crummy drafts that served as practice for writing a story that actually sold. And of course I’ve met many of my critique partners and other kidlit friends through 12 x 12.

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

Not really. I don’t know that the process would change just because I signed with an agent. It is still hard and there is still rejection to face, this time from editors! I just keep trying to focus on the work and write new stuff.

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

Know that getting an agent is a huge milestone, but it doesn’t mean everything is suddenly easier. You still need to work hard, write a lot, and face rejection. It is a step closer to selling a book, but it’s just one of many steps in the process.

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

I LOVE social media, but I don’t think my platform—if you can call me tweeting too much a platform—helped me secure an agent. It’s really all about the writing.

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 live in the suburbs of Chicago and am very lucky to have access to amazing conferences through the SCBWI Illinois region and other chapters in the Midwest. But I have never been to a national SCBWI conference in New York or Los Angeles. I would love to do that!

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

I am always juggling a few manuscripts, and try to have a few in various stages of development so I can bop around a bit and keep my brain busy. I have a couple that are submission-ready, a few more that are medium-well, and of course a bunch of raw stories that I’m just not sure will ever catch fire. But I keep throwing things on the flame to see what cooks up nicely!