Join us in congratulating Michael! Talk about taking a leap. Michael stepped out to follow his dream and he is well on his way to achieving what he set out to do!

Congrats, Michael! 

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

About 3.5 years. I started getting serious about writing in early 2020 when, at the encouragement of my wife, I took a class on writing children’s literature at the Austin Community College, taught by the amazing Lindsey Lane (little did we know the pandemic was just around the corner!). The class was tremendous, like a mini-MFA, and got me really interested in picture book writing. It taught me so many skills and also got me connected to a great group of fellow writers who are part of my critique group to this day! I kept writing through the pandemic, but I had a very demanding job in software engineering that got in the way of my writing more often than not. So I worked out a plan with my wife (she’s really awesome, btw!) and I quit that job in May 2023 so I could focus full-time on writing. I’m a goal-based person, so I set a goal to start querying within 6 months. After a bunch of work to spruce up a couple manuscripts, I felt in July 2023 I was ready to start querying.

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

A lot! There were 3 categories of research I did: 1. How does the query process work? 2. Who could I query? 3. Why should I query them?

How does the query process work: Querying feels intimidating and so different from writing picture books. There’s an entire art form to it and I realized pretty early on that I knew nothing about it. So, I scoured the internet for reference material, I took classes and webinars on querying so I could better understand the process, and I hired an editor to give me feedback on my query letter template.

Who could I query: I started looking for agents that’d be interested in my picture books, using Manuscript Wish List, Publisher’s Marketplace, and agency websites, mostly. There was a whole progression of questions I asked when I looked at an agent: Were they looking for PBs? Would they represent author-only PBs? Were they looking for fictional PBs? Were there any elements of my PB that matched their wish list? If so, how strong was the fit? Did they seem like someone I’d like to work with? Were they open to queries? 

From this, I compiled a really big spreadsheet of potential agents with some basic rankings to help me determine which to query first (assuming they were open!).

Why should I query them: This informed the personalization part of my query letters. I felt it was best to have a really strong answer here before I sent my manuscript to someone, so I looked at any and all info I could find on the agent and what they were looking for. Some agents have a ton of info out there (wish lists, blog posts, interviews, etc.) and some do not. I’ll admit that as I did this research, I ended up pulling some agents from my list b/c I just didn’t feel the fit was strong enough.

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

I probably started querying the wrong manuscript – I liked it a lot, but it might not have been my strongest piece. Lesson learned! So, I probably got to 30-40 rejections with little helpful feedback before I decided I should switch to my second manuscript. I was pretty fortunate with this one and Stacey reached out within about a week of me submitting it to her.

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

I don’t think so. I’d compiled a list of > 100 agents who I thought would be a good fit for my work and I’m sure there are 2-3x as many I passed up because they didn’t seem like a great fit. So there are definitely a lot of agents out there looking for picture books!

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

I signed with Stacey Glick from Dystel, Goderich & Bourret in October 2023. When she reached out saying she wanted to talk, it was an incredible moment. My wife and son and I did a little happy dance tempered by the reality it wasn’t an offer. When Stacey and I talked and she said she wanted to represent me, I lost the ability to think straight and honestly remember very little of the conversation after that. My family and I really did a happy dance that night, though!

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

Stacey doesn’t represent a lot of picture books writers, but she knows SOOOO much about the publishing industry. I was excited about her from the start given her experience alone, but when I talked with her I knew then that she was “the one.” I felt we clicked. I did ask her to give me a little time to think about it and follow up with a couple other agents who’d shown interest in my work, but within a few days I reached back out to Stacey and let her know I wanted to sign.

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 🙂 )

Yes, so much! The accountability to keep writing that’s part of 12×12 has been really helpful. I don’t want to miss any of my monthly writing or editing goals! Also, the webinars, featured author and featured agent posts, community, etc have been so helpful. The community, in particular, has helped me through a couple tough challenges I’ve encountered in my writing, which I’m so thankful for.

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

It hasn’t changed much yet since I’m so new to having Stacey as my agent. But I suspect my process will adapt the more I work with her so that I concentrate on the work that we both feel is best to spend my time on. I believe she’ll also help me determine how best to utilize my professional development budget on classes, conferences, etc. so I can continue to improve as a writer and build my network in the community.

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

Don’t be afraid to put your work out there and definitely don’t let rejections get you down! One thing I learned is agents are pretty selective about what they pick up, so a rejection absolutely isn’t a reflection of your work. It’s more of a reflection of where the agent is at that moment in being able to take on new work and how well your manuscript fits with what they’re keen to focus on (again, at that moment). Sometimes it can feel like you’re threading a really small needle, but it’s absolutely true that your agent is out there! Persistence is key! Also, like Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” so get your queries out there!

One thing that helped me with rejections was doing something nice for myself after each one. This was advice I heard from some fellow writers at the Austin SCBWI conference in 2023 and it turned out to be so true. I collect baseball cards, so I bought a couple of expensive boxes before I started querying and opened a pack for each rejection. It turned out to be a pretty fun thing between my son and me, especially. If there was a pack on the table, he knew I’d gotten a rejection, and we’d have some fun finding out if we’d get any good cards or autographs!

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

I’m not great with social media, but I got on X, Threads, IG, and Tiktok to help get my face out there and share some of the things I was learning during the query process. Stacey mentioned looking at this content during our call, so I think it helped. If anything, it’s a way for a prospective agent to see a little more about you beyond your manuscript.

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 visit all 50 states with my family. We have 10 left, and sometimes Alaska feels so far away, but we’re going to get it done!

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

I’m on submission right now and patiently waiting to hear back. 🤞 In the meantime, I’m working on the next set of books in the series – it’s a food-based picture book series filled with puns, so I’m loving spending time writing lots and lots of jokes and puns and wordplay. This all feels too good to be true!