We love how Melissa-Jane Fogarty (Nguyen) admits that she probably started querying too early, but also realizes that those early rejections are what helped her improve. We’re so excited she signed with her dream agent and can’t wait to see where this collaboration leads. 

Congrats, Melissa-Jane!

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

I’ve been writing for almost 10 years. Early on, I attempted writing a couple of picture books but ended up incredibly discouraged after receiving feedback on one of them. So much so that I stashed those stories away and decided I wasn’t any good at writing for young children.

I’ve written lots of other things over the years with a bunch of unfinished novels and finished short stories sitting in (probably) never-to-be-seen-again folders.

I started writing picture books again in 2020; right in the middle of a long stretch of staying at home thanks to the pandemic. When I was playing with my then 4-year-old, writing stories and drawing pictures to go along with them, I had a flash of inspiration for a picture book story. That spark, along with a mindset change after my father’s unexpected passing the year prior, pushed me to keep going with my writing and to put everything into doing what I loved and could see myself doing forever. That plan included seeking an agent, which I believed would be the best way to reach my dreams of being a published children’s author.

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

I did lots of research starting in 2020 that included searching for agents and agencies that rep children’s books via googling, following agents and agencies on Twitter, connecting with lots of fellow kidlit people and chatting with them about agents/agencies, checking out MSWL, creating spreadsheets of agents to query, using Query Tracker, and attending webinars/events/courses where I gathered info on agents. There are so many different ways to research agents and you don’t need to do all of the things I listed, but I found that my knowledge of agents often grew organically through events and interactions that I was a part of for reasons other than researching agents.

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

62 queries sent (probably 10 or so more than that for agents not on QT – most I tracked on my own spreadsheet but there are likely a few I missed)

5 different manuscripts

5 requests for more

3 offers

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

Yes and no. I’m in Australia and there aren’t many agents here at all and even fewer taking on picture books, but I did find plenty to query in the US and UK and I made sure to query those here who were taking on PBs.

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

My agent is Annabel Barker from Annabel Barker Agency. While querying agents in 2022, I’d been patiently waiting for Annabel to open, and when she did, I sent off my query and crossed my fingers. I received an offer from another agent a couple of weeks later, so I informed Annabel and she got back to me the next day wanting to read more. I was teary – in the best possible way, and even more so when she asked to set up a call!

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

I ended up with 3 offers (I couldn’t believe it!), and it was an incredibly difficult decision because I knew one of the other agents would also be incredible to work with. In the end, my mind kept going back to Annabel and feeling excited about the vision she had not only for my current works but for future works too. I also liked that Annabel focuses on books for children and young adults. Not that it had been a requirement, but it was something that ended up factoring into my decision.

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 🙂 )

It was my first time signing up for 12 x 12 in 2022. I’d heard about it in 2021 but not in time to sign up, so I added it to a list and made sure I remembered for 2022.

So, when I did sign up, 2022 was an incredible year for me because it pushed me to write a new draft every single month. Previously, my PB writing had been snuck in during tiny pieces of time like a secret bar of chocolate I’d gobble up when my kids were in bed, but in 2022 it became a priority and something I had to tick off every month. I stuck to it, happily informing my family that my 12 x 12 draft was due and I’d have to lock myself away in the office for a bit. As a result, I ended up with 12 drafts in 2022, with one of them being the manuscript that grabbed the attention of agents and resulted in representation. Without 12 x 12, I would’ve struggled to move forward so fast and to prioritize my picture book writing.

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

I’ve slowed down somewhat on writing new picture book drafts because I’m heavily focused on the first couple of manuscripts we’re planning to send out. But I imagine I’ll get back to drafting more once those first couple go out on sub. Besides that, my actual draft-writing process is the same with the exception of being able to run ideas past Annabel to see which ones are best to follow and push forward with.

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

I hear lots of people say that they queried too soon before their work was “good enough” and that it was one of their biggest mistakes when starting out. But I actually think it’s not such a bad mistake to make. I definitely queried before my work was good enough, but I needed those form rejections and no responses for me to then pause and think, “okay, so that’s not good enough, but what is?”

From there I kept learning and growing and trying until I finally reached a point where my thoughts turned into, “okay, this is much closer to a publishable standard.”

That doesn’t mean that everyone with work at a publishable standard will immediately find an agent, but that when your work gets closer, you tend to get better feedback (in my case, at least), which then helps you tweak and refine as you continue on your journey to finding an agent.

And I think obviously you need perseverance, but also the ability to continually ask questions along the way like: “What can I do/change (that still aligns with me and the kind of author I want to be) that will get me closer to an agent saying yes?”

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

My social media platforms didn’t directly help me find my agent, but they definitely helped me connect with the writing community, and as a result, I found out about lots of opportunities/events/courses and so on, that have been integral to my growth as a picture book writer.

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 🙂 )

As an Aboriginal Australian, connection to Country (Australia is made up of at least 250 Indigenous nations/Countries so when I say “Country” I’m not talking about Australia as a whole) is so important, and yet, I have not ever been to my Country – the place where my pop was born and where our ancestors are from. So, it is on my bucket list to visit my Country along with my sisters and our children and to see where our pop now rests. Hopefully, we’ll make it there this year!

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

Right now I’m working on illustrations for my first picture book manuscript to go out on sub, as well as some final tweaks on the second manuscript we’ll be sending out. I’m also doing lots of thinking about other drafts and potential drafts, and that counts, right?! 😉