Welcome to Sandhya Acharya’s How I Got My Agent story! We love how Sandhya approached her agent much like she approached projects in her previous corporate life: she worked on her craft, did her research, and did even more research after THE CALL. 

Congratulations, Sandhya! It’s great to see your hard work pay off!

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 Kidlit since 2016. I took a break from my Corporate Finance job and traded spreadsheets for words. In true bay area start-up spirit, I started out with an indie-published book. I loved every aspect of it especially the opportunity to connect face to face with little kids. I began to see writing as something I wanted to pursue lifelong and began researching how to make this journey sustainable and enriching.

As I connected with the Kidlit community and took classes to hone my craft I realized the benefits of having an agent. Then began the long, arduous task of finding one! It wasn’t easy. Unlike my corporate career which lent itself to clear planning, this journey was undefined. But that also made it exhilarating with its many surprises. I did one round of querying with manuscripts (that I might not put out today) in and around 2019. But I realized fast that I had gaps.

I paid more attention to my craft and also began to network through social media. Twitter and its many writing and pitching contests were a joy. I participated in several like #FallwritingFrenzy, #SpringFlingKidlit, #Valentiny, #SunWriteFun, #50previouswords as well as #DVPit, #pbpit, and more. Some wins and interest in these were like little boosts for me to keep going especially when I suffered the imposter syndrome. The biggest step in my journey was winning a mentorship in Justin Colon’s #PBChat with the amazingly talented Rajani LaRocca. Working with her opened my eyes in so many ways. And it was great networking with so many like-minded talents.

After the showcase, I had multiple interests that I was following up on. I was waiting on responses (impatiently!) when one of the agents who liked a pitch from a Twitter contest and the showcase contacted me. We had THE call and she made THE offer. I remember asking Rajani -“Is this THE CALL?” because I was in so much disbelief. Once the offer was made I nudged other agents who had my manuscript and I got a few more offers. My current agent is from one of my nudges to the ABLA agency.

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

I looked at the agents’ MSWL, and Twitter and I also got a membership at Publishers Marketplace to get an idea of the books they have worked on in the past.

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

Too many to count. But an estimate is Round 1 (when I didn’t really know what I was doing) was about 50 resulting in mostly rejections. Round 2 was about 85 queries, with about 25 rejections, a few agents/editors stepping aside or leaving the business and finally 4 offers.

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

Not necessarily. Some agents wanted to see if I was planning to write other genres (which I was). By then I had also built a diverse body of work that hopefully conveyed more versatility.

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

My current agent is Kathleen Rushall at Andrea Brown Literary Agency. One of her team members referred me to her as a result of the nudges because she thought we would be a good fit. I couldn’t believe it when it happened. Kathleen was one of the top agents on my list but she was only open to selective referrals, so I wasn’t expecting it at all!

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

When Kathleen wrote to me, I wanted to say yes at once, but the analyst in me held me back and I went through a process of due diligence. My biggest reason for the “yes” was that the books Kathleen had worked on with her clients were books I greatly admired and also matched my style of writing. That was a good indication that we would be a good fit.

Additionally, I felt secure in the way she and ABLA shared information and answered questions. I felt like they were really looking out for the author. Kathleen also had a good vision of how to position my various manuscripts in the long term. She encouraged me to also talk to other clients before making a 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 🙂 )

12 x 12 has been instrumental in giving me a Kidlit community to connect with. This is my second year. I am blown away by the workshops and the rich discussions on the forum. The quality of questions, advice, and camaraderie is at another level. I feel so lucky that I have access to some of the top minds in Kidlit through this forum. This community is one of the most encouraging and nurturing ones I have encountered in any industry.

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

I feel like I have one more person looking out for me. I can also brainstorm and share ideas with Kathleen as I work through my creative process. And with no querying, I have more time to work on my craft and other creative pursuits!

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

Figure out which agent matches your style. Research their previous work on Twitter, QueryTracker, and Publishers Marketplace. Be ready to spend time in the trenches and don’t think of it as lost time. Even working on a query is honing the craft. Writing queries and pitches actually taught me so much. And of course, be patient!

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

I don’t think it was a direct factor, but I believe there were indirect benefits. Having my platform active allowed me to connect to my readers and the Kidlit community which in turn helped me stay abreast of all the contests, pitches, and news. It gave me a platform to showcase my work and the ability to reach out to my readers.

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 🙂 )

Write a play, perform in a band, and do the Ironman someday!

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

I am working on several picture book manuscripts across fiction, non-fiction, PB bio, and experimenting with chapter books and middle-grade. Other than Kidlit, I continue writing opinion pieces for KQED (NPR), host a Podcast for a non-profit I am involved with, and sometimes try my hand at Instagram reel poem performances!

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