Ana Crespo, herself a picture book author, became an assistant agent at East West Literary Agency in January of 2021. Prior to becoming an agent, Ana apprenticed with Deborah Warren and the E/W team for two years. She has a degree in journalism, a Master of Education in Adult Education, and is a 2020 graduate of the Denver Publishing Institute. Ana’s work experience includes corporate Internal Communications, where she worked with different departments to promote their platforms, services, and client talking points to the sales force, and Academic Advising, during which she helped students from different backgrounds, needs, habits, and moods navigate the challenges of college. She brings these transferable skills to agenting and looks forward to helping her clients achieve their career goals in the publishing world.
Ana specializes in picture books, although she is also accepting submissions for board books and chapter books. (She is not accepting submissions for middle grade, YA, or graphic novels at this point.) In picture books, Ana is especially interested in representing author-illustrators, but will not pass up a well-written manuscript. She is drawn to lyrical texts and whimsical illustrations but enjoys a variety of illustration styles, and she loves works that speak with images and are spare with words. In board books, she is looking for innovative concepts that can easily be communicated in as little as eight colorful spreads. In chapter books, she is looking for action-filled pages, with clear illustration opportunities. As a Latina immigrant, she is particularly interested in representing creators from groups that have been historically underrepresented in the children’s book market.