A Few Reminders/Tidbits of Agent Info

Happy Friday! Today I only have a few reminders of recent agent information given via their blogs:

Suzie Townsend of FinePrint Literary- Taking a Hiatus 11/15-1/5. Note- Marissa Walsh is also at FinePrint and takes MG/YA queries as well. HOWEVER, she is currently closed to queries. Check her agent page for updates.

Louise Fury of Lori Perkins Agency- Won’t be accepting new queries STARTING 12/01/10. That leaves you about two weeks to query her in 2010. Her interests: She is seeking high concept Young Adult fiction and fun, imaginative and engaging Middle Grade fiction--think humor, adventure and mystery. The characters must be authentic and original. Louise really loves historical (especially Regency and Victorian), paranormal, steampunk romance and some horror. She's passionate about connecting with South African authors--anything about South Africa, or by a South African author is on her wish list.

Elana Roth of Caren Johnson Agency- Still open and quick to respond- is staying on top of her query stack. Last month she received 337 queries and made 6 requests. She says she’s responding within a week. Her interests: Elana Roth is focusing her list on children's and young adult books, and is primarily looking for high concept middle grade and YA fiction. She will consider picture books from author/illustrators only. She'll also consider a select number of adult projects in the areas of narrative nonfiction, pop culture and pop science. No vampires. Young adult- she is looking for high-concept hooks that don't scrimp on strong characters. Self-aware narrators, biting wit, or a dark or quirky sense of humor are always winners. Middle-grade- she gravitates to similar traits as the YA in terms of voice and hook. She'd love to see a new approach to a middle-grade mystery, and she'd also like to see great humor and adventure in MG.

Nathan Bransford of Curtis Brown, LTD will no longer be an agent. His popular blog and Forum will continue to exist. See his post detailing the transition HERE . If you like Curtis Brown as an agency, you might try Anna Webman- she's looking for realistic fiction, both contemporary and historical, and would love to find a middle grade series. She also reps picture books and YA.

Kristin Nelson and Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary Agency always close around the 18th, 19th, or 20th of December, and are closed through the new year…so, if you’re thinking about querying them in 2010, polish up your letter in the next few weeks. Their website’s Frequently Asked Question page (click HERE and scroll down) even tells you how to write an attention-grabbing query letter (seriously, they have links to Kristin’s personal posts about pitch paragraphs, etc.). YA/MG for Kristin must be high-concept and have a commercial bent. Sara likes YA set in the real world, among other genres.

Have a wonderful weekend, and stay warm (it’s been snowing here in Colorado~ I’m about 2,000 feet higher than Denver).