When things didn’t work out with her first agent, Viviane Elbee put on her detective hat and went looking for an agent that was the ideal fit for her and her work. As GOLD member, her first submission of the year lead to solving the mystery of who would be the partner in Viviane’s writing career!

Congrats, Viviane! 

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 picture book manuscripts for nearly 16 years. Christie Megill is my second agent.

I first started looking for an agent about 4 years after I started writing picture books. I got my first agent in 2017 after getting a publishing offer from Albert Whitman. At that time, I was in a frenzied rush to find an agent who could help me negotiate the contract but other than that I wasn’t too sure what I was looking for since I had never worked with an agent previously.

This time around I wanted an agent to help me sell my manuscripts. I also had a much better idea of the kind of agent relationship I wanted.

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

I use QueryTracker to make lists of agents that represent picture book writers. QueryTracker has information on agents, and I also look online to see what agents say on their websites, in interviews, and on social media. 12 x 12’s website has great blog posts about agents too. You can look at Publisher’s Weekly to see which agents are selling picture book manuscripts, or you can pay for a subscription to Publishers Marketplace to see sales.

Finally, I ask writer friends & critique partners if they’ve heard anything about agents. Sometimes friends have valuable insights. If your friends don’t know, maybe you can ask people in 12 x 12 on FB. Some may be willing to share things like, “this agent gave me an excellent critique during a conference” or “this agent is a sales powerhouse but won’t give much editorial feedback.” Sometimes you’ll learn about scammer agents too—“that agent asked me to pay for extra services.”

The first time I searched for an agent, I was not really sure what to expect in an agent-writer relationship. This time I had a list of things I really liked about my previous agent that I also wanted from a new agent, as well as things that I thought would be nice that the previous agency did not do.

Honestly, it can take some time to figure out what kind of working relationship you would like to have with an agent. What works best for you might be different from what works best for your friends. Figuring out what you want is a type of research too, albeit an introspective one.

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

I sent 33 queries out over a 2-year period. At one point I fell in a rejection slump and stopped querying for months. Fortunately (thankfully!), my writing partners helped me get back into the querying trenches. Several of my rejections during this time came after requests to see more work, or were “champagne” rejections with an invitation to query again in the future with a different manuscript. If you’re getting requests for more work, it is a promising sign.

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

There aren’t that many agents representing picture book text-only authors, so you’ll have a bigger pool of agents to query if you also write MG or YA. However, if you only write picture books, that’s okay! With persistence you can find an agent too.

Remember, you can re-query the same agents again with different manuscripts after waiting 6 months or so—or you can query another agent at that same agency with a different manuscript. Some agents will end their rejection emails with an invitation to query them again with a different manuscript. Definitely re-query those! (In the 33 queries mentioned above, some of those were me querying the same agent again with a different manuscript.) Some agents have limited “open to query” moments, so you’ll have to watch their websites to know when they’re open to queries. There’s quite a bit of movement that happens in the agenting space—new agents appear on a regular basis. Keep your eyes open for that too.

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

Christie Megill from the CAT agency is my new agent. I sent my query via 12 x 12 Gold [submission opportunity]. Several weeks later I got a request for more work. I was very happy but not sure I should get my hopes up too much. I sent more work and expected to wait a few months to get a response, but Christie got back in touch just a few days later with a request to set up a call! I prepared a long list of questions and we had a great conversation. She offered representation at the end of the phone call.

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

In November 2023, I put together a new list of agents to query in 2024. My list included agents I hadn’t yet queried, like Christie, and some people I had queried previously. I had heard great things about Christie and the CAT agency, and when I saw she was on the list of 12 x 12 Gold agents I was very excited about that. I appreciated that she was so quick to respond after receiving more work. During my conversation with Christie, she explained how she likes to work with her clients and it sounded like a great fit to me!

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 love being in 12 x 12! 12 x 12 has been very helpful in developing my craft. The webinars are great and I’ve learned a lot from them over the years. Some webinars have inspired new story ideas. 12 x 12 also helped me with queries because I read the agent profiles on 12 x 12’s website and joined 12 x 12 Gold to get above the slush pile query opportunities. I also really like how supportive everyone is in the Facebook group, even if I am not on Facebook every week. I used to be very motivated by the 12 x 12 badges—and I still like those, but sometimes I forget to request them.

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

I’m not sure my writing process will change that much. I’m still writing lousy first drafts, exchanging manuscripts with critique partners, brainstorming my way through revisions, leaning on writer friends for support, and sometimes googling how to upgrade a brain when I’m struggling with plot or characters.

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

1. Find a supportive writer group and friends (like people in 12 x 12!) They can cheer you on and help you persist even when everything seems hopeless.

2. It is very important to keep putting your work out there. Querying is a bit like playing the lottery. If you just buy one ticket (send one query) then you only have one chance to win. If you buy 10 tickets (send 10 queries) then you have 10 chances to win. Obviously, you need to put your best work forward and write a good query letter, but you will not find an agent if you’re not actively querying. When I first started querying, I was sending out 1-3 queries a year… and it took me years to realize that this is NOT a winning strategy.

3. Keep a list of things you’d like to have in a working relationship with an agent. If you’re not sure what to put on your list of desirable agent traits, talk to critique partners and friends (and 12 x 12 members) and ask them what they appreciate about their agents. Then ask yourself if this is something you would like or if it doesn’t matter to you. (For example, some agents are editorial and some are not. Some writers feel their work is already sufficiently polished by the time it goes to their agent so they’re fine with an agent who isn’t editorial. Other writers prefer editorial agents.) However, I would strongly recommend looking for an agent with good sales or, if it is a new agent, they should be in an agency with good sales.

You also want to make sure that the agency negotiates contracts and has lawyers look over the contracts. Both of these things seem like they should be standard but I’ve heard STORIES. (Of course, just because an agent is selling 10 manuscripts a year for Mr. BigName does not mean they’ll sell that many manuscripts for you, but if the agent has had no or very few sales over the past five years, this may mean they’re not very good salespeople).

ood communication is important to me too. Knowing what you want (or don’t want) will help you decide which agents to query and what to discuss when you do finally get a call!

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

I’m not sure. I noticed that some of the agents I queried were following me on social media (including Christie.) She did not mention social media being a factor in her decision though. I think most decisions are made based on your manuscript(s).

Tell us something that is on your “bucket list.” Something you’ve dreamed of doing all your life but have yet to accomplish.

I’ve always dreamed of travelling the world, so hopefully I’ll get to visit more of the world. And I have a far more recent interest – I’d love a library of mini-books. Mini books are too cute.

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

I’m working on new picture book manuscripts and I have started writing a MG fantasy. Christie is sending one of my manuscripts out on submission – fingers crossed that this manuscript sells because it’s very dear to my heart.