We’re so proud to bring you Marzieh Abbas’ How I Got My Agent story. Not only does it speak to the power of picture books, we especially love how not having access to a public library didn’t keep Marzieh from finding picture books, studying the market, and improving her craft. If you want your dreams to become realities, you have to go out and make it happen, which is exactly what Marzieh did. Thank you, Marzieh, for being part of our 12 x 12 community, and congratulations on your upcoming books!

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

I began writing in May 2019. Having lived in Pakistan since I was 11, I didn’t have much access to the latest children’s books. I loved reading and devoured everything I could get my hands on as a child. Unfortunately, we don’t have public libraries, and if we do they’re in such a sorry state, with such outdated books, that no one visits them. When I enrolled my son in a reading program, after school hours, I hung around in the waiting area with my then two-year-old daughter. The waiting area was a lovely private library, and my daughter and I dove in! It’s there that I came across Malala’s Magic Pencil, What Do You Do With An Idea, and The Day the Crayon’s Quit, along with many other lovely, fairly recent titles. It was love at first sight.

I penned down my first two books, which were soon picked up by niche Muslim Publishers, one in the US and one in the UK (that market works differently and is easier to break into). I continued to do all the research I could, hearing read-alouds on YouTube and taking courses online. I came across Mira’s Children’s Book Academy course and applied for a scholarship, which I won. That’s where I learnt about agents and all the basics of PB writing. In September 2019, I completed my first manuscript for the traditional market. I joined Twitter and wrote a couple more manuscripts, paid for critiques, joined SCBWI in February of 2020, and began querying agents in March 2020.

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

I went through the SCBWI’s THE BOOK, and scanned the MSWL (Manuscript Wishlist) website. I joined Twitter and loved the #WritingCommunity there. I watched lots of YouTube videos, too. I asked #amquerying questions on Twitter and attended regional conferences which were all online due to the pandemic.

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

Roughly 40 queries over a period of six months on two manuscripts I had polished. I didn’t hear back from many of them. I got some very encouraging rejections and ended up with three offers.

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

I don’t think it is. If you take heed of what the market is in search of, and you do your research on agent interests, I don’t think it’s impossible to find an agent. I did feel once I really worked on my query letter (after winning a query critique from Adria Goetz) I began getting a lot more requests to see more work.

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

I’m represented by Lynnette Novak at The Seymour Agency. I had queried Lynnette in March with Manuscript X and she had requested to see more, but rejected thereafter. The manuscripts I had sent her weren’t great, and I knew it. I continued to polish the two strong manuscripts I had with my critique group and even paid for professional critiques. I queried Joyce at the same agency in July with Manuscript Y. She replied saying her PB list is full at the moment and informed me she had shared my manuscript with her colleagues and Lynnette would be in touch with me. When Lynnette got back to me I knew my only other strong manuscript was Manuscript X-version 25! I wrote back to her, telling her she’d already seen a previous version but I had considerable changed it since. It really did have a completely different focus. I was upfront and honest with her about these two being the only two manuscripts I was confident about sharing. She was delighted to see how much the manuscript had changed and told me it’s what convinced her about my ability to grow as a writer. Around the same time, I was also participating in pitch parties and both my pitches had received interest from a small publisher during #PBPitch. I informed Lynnette of the call I’d had with the editors and their R&R request. She was on vacation at the time and scheduled “The Call” for the day she was returning. I had two other agents request more during the same time. They both loved what they saw and wanted to get on call too!

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

Once I had the call with Lynnette, I knew she’s the person I’d like on my team. She was hands on, had a vision for revisions, and is an editorial agent and former editor. I also liked how she discussed her relationship with her mentor at the agency and Seymour agency sounded like one that truly championed diverse voices.

Over the call, I felt like I was speaking to a friend about my writing dreams. I asked her a lot of questions, including the sticky ones (thanks, Bookends videos). I politely declined the offers from the other two agents thereafter. I signed with Lynnette in August 2020.

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 🙂 )

I joined 12 x 12 in 2021 a few months after signing with Lynnette. Since then I’ve enjoyed the community and the challenge has really pushed me to keep writing and revising. I’ve loved the webinars and feel like I have made so many friends. I’ve found great critique buddies and the resources on the forum and discussions in the FB group are really awesome. There are so many established authors in the community, and so many debut/pre-published ones too—hearing everyone’s experiences has helped me make more informed decisions and set realistic goals and expectations.

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

I think having my agent has pushed me to hone my writing. I write pitches for all my work before I write the manuscript. I run it by my agent and ask her what sounds best to her. I love writing but also don’t want to write into a void. I want to put my best work forward, and that means checking in with my agent on marketability of every piece.

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

Study MSWL. Scan agency websites. For every rejection, query three more agents that are a great fit. Track your submissions on a spreadsheet. Follow up. Show up to pitch parties. Persist. Persevere. It doesn’t get easier after you have an agent! The waiting is really challenging for every project you send out. But keep at it J

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

I’m not sure. I do have a FB group: Children’s Book Review’s (CBR) Global. I review books extensively on my Instagram (@marziehabbas_author) and speak a lot about what motivates me to write, specifically my Pakistani culture, on IG and my website: marziehabbas.com but I didn’t have it all up and running when I was querying. I took my time to build content.

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 want to tour the world and skydive!

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

I have a six-book chapter book series releasing fall 2022 with Magic Wagon/ABDO, illustrated by Lala Stellune. It follows Muslim-American siblings, Nadia and Nadir, and their fun adventures. I have my debut book: A DUPATTA IS… releasing with Feiwel & Friends in Winter 2023, illustrated by Anu Chouhan. And a companion book, HENNA IS… with the same team in Spring 2024. Also a few unannounced projects. *zips lips* I work on several projects at once. I’m drafting and revising a chapter book and a picture book, and have been asked, by a very prestigious craft community, to draw up a proposal for a class I might want to conduct. I’m on a team with some amazing authors, trying to market our books together in our street team, PBSpree.

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