This week's Agent Spotlight features Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency who—PLEASE NOTE—is not open to unsolicited submissions, except as noted below.
About: "Erin was born and raised in Arizona, and founded EMLA in Flagstaff in 1999. She works with publishers of all sizes all over the U.S., and has placed clients' books with every major children's house in New York and Boston, but she cut her teeth in regional publishing. She began her career at Northland Publishing/Rising Moon Books for Young Readers (a beloved decades-old Flagstaff company that was bought out in 2007), eventually becoming editor-in-chief, and was a member of the board of directors of PubWest, a professional development organization for small and mid-sized publishers in the West." (Link)
"She loves knitting with a cat in her lap, walking through the woods with her dogs, traveling in the off season when the destination is quiet, watching DVDs (especially whole TV series in marathon sessions), kayaking, eating dark chocolate, and of course, reading. Her favorite genre to read in her downtime is fantasy. She works with more than sixty authors and author-illustrators." (Link)
Status: Closed to submissions except by referral or personal contact. (Link)
What She's Looking For:
Genres of interest: children's, picture books, middle grade, young adult.
From her Bio:
"Erin represents writers and writer-illustrators of picture books, novels for middle-graders and young adults, and select nonfiction. She is especially drawn to strong characters and heart-centered stories." (Link)
From an Interview (10/2009):
"Unforgettable characters; stories with heart; emotional transformation; strong relationships; laughter; tight plots that surprise me; worlds I don't want to leave. I like to connect with the protagonist, so disaffected characters have to let the reader behind the mask to catch my heart. I don't tend to get on the bandwagon—I'd rather turn the conventional story or the hot new thing on its head—so I'm rarely intrigued by a pitch along the lines of "Twilight meets X" or "the next A-List." I've been seeing a lot of stories for middle-graders that feel as though they would have fit in perfectly with new releases ten or twenty years ago; they are missing a freshness and a smartness that today's successful middle-grade stories need to have. For YA, I see a lot of stories that are supposedly about teens, but the characters feel 11 or 12 to me.
"I'd love to see solid, well-constructed mysteries with strong characters for either age; more romance (sweet young love for middle-grade, intense sparking for teens); and characters who reflect the splendid diversity of today's children (multicultural, biracial, homosexual, struggling with gender issues; with single parents, gay parents, grandparents doing the parenting; with half-siblings, siblings much older or younger than themselves; in nontraditional situations like house-sharing or single parents filling in for each other to cover gaps; religious, spiritually seeking, or forging their own spiritual paths) in a way that is fully integrated into character and story, not tacked on, not preachy, and not treated as a problem.
"I tend to like fiction that others might find 'too quiet,' but encourage writers to find a way to give them hooks—which doesn't mean throw in a werewolf or change the setting to somewhere more hip, it means give the story something to hang a description on, something that makes for an eye-catching cover and title. Can you still describe it in one sentence even if it's character-driven and quiet? With the right 'something,' yes." (Link)
From an Interview (10/2008):
"I'm definitely drawn to beautiful writing and literary fiction, so long as it is not impenetrable--I think readers should be challenged, but I don't really enjoy being challenged to find my way into a story, if that makes any sense.
"I love silly picture books so long as they aren't slight (gawd, speaking of impenetrable--is that the annoying editor-speak that writers hate or what?). By this, I mean that a silly picture book can't be a throwaway--read it once, that's it--it has to have something to it that engages the reader enough to want to read it over and over again.
"I love it when a book for any age makes me cry, and that only seems to happen when I feel the story has really earned it. I'm not a sucker for manipulation (but I'll forgive it if it's the least of a story's faults and I am immensely entertained).
"I love it when fiction is tightly woven so that it feels like whole cloth--there is a world behind the pages that keeps turning even when we don't see it, the characters didn't spring to life on page 1, and yet the themes and motifs and storytelling work together in that way that takes the story beyond true-to-life and into true-to-story. (Link)
From an Interview (08/2006):
"I’d have to say the number one thing that catches my heart is a strong voice." (Link)
What She Isn't Looking For:
Adult or educational/institutional projects, illustrators who don't also write, unsolicited submissions.
Her Advice to Writers:
"Know what you want from an agent. Be aware of agents working in your genre--new ones coming along, established ones expanding their list, assistants beginning to sign their own authors--by reading blogs, being active on the boards online, watching deal announcements on Publishers Lunch, talking with other writers, and so on. Choose a targeted few and go after them with confidence, but keep other emotions out of the picture the best you can so that it is a professional approach." (Link)
"In general, I don't think a writer should contact an agent without a referral or connection. If a writer hasn't gotten out there enough to have met agents at conferences or met other writers who know agents, she's not ready for an agent. Being part of the world of writing for children is what takes a writer to a new level and gets her ready to be published. Children's writers form a unique community. They look at each other's work and help each other improve and learn, so a referral from another writer means a lot to me." (Link)
"Claim your spot in this world of children's publishing with confidence. Read what is coming out now; take advantages of the industry resources and insights the Internet provides; network how you can; stay in touch with the things that interest kids, and with kids themselves. But write for you, above all else. If you don't appeal to your own inner child, how will you ever be happy writing for kids?" (Link)
Quotables:
"At this point, for me, I only sign someone new if it makes my stomach hurt to think of them working with someone else. Their work has to be so wonderful and so unlike anything else I've ever read that I just can't pass it up. This means I turn away a lot of people I really believe will get published--just, with the help of someone else, or on their own. When possible, I try to refer them to another agent who might be a better match for their style." (Link)
"I can't fathom only thinking of a client in terms of one project. I sign writers, not manuscripts." (Link)
"I always wanted my clients to feel a sense of investment in the agency, and I think that's very much true. They really pull for each other, buy and promote each other's books, and there's a sense that when one has a new kind of success, everybody is proud." (Link)
"I tend to stay in close touch with my clients, many of who have formed an online community and are often in touch with each other, too." (Link)
"I am more productive for my clients, and more helpful to those prospective clients who do reach out to me, because I'm not juggling slush." (Link)
Editorial Agent?
"I am absolutely an editorial agent. I work closely with my clients on developing their work before we send it out, and we continue to develop it if necessary, based on feedback we receive, until it sells or goes into the drawer. I sometimes even match clients up to critique and develop each other's work." (Link)
Pet-Peeves:
"I strongly dislike it--aw, hell, I really hate it--when a writer submits simultaneously and then signs with another agent without giving me the courtesy of letting me know there's a competing offer of representation on the table." (Link)
Web Presence:
Erin Murphy website.
Publisher's Marketplace page.
AgentQuery, AuthorAdvance, QueryTracker.
Clients:
A list of Erin Murphy Literary Agency clients is available on the website as well as a neat book feature. Ms. Murphy's clients include:
Ruth Barshaw, Chris Barton , Elizabeth Bluemle, Penny Bluebaugh, Elizabeth Bunce, Melissa Glenn Haber, Deborah Halverson, Mary Hershey, Robert Kinerk, R.L. LaFevers, Natalie Dias Lorenzi, Olugbemisola Rhuday Perkovich, Janette Rallison, Laura Resau,Cate Tiernan, Susan Vaught, and many, many more!
Sales:
As of 2/11, Ms. Murphy is listed on Publisher's Marketplace as having made 32 deals in the last 12 months, 2 six-figure+ deals, and 111 overall. Recent deals include 12 middle grade, 10 picture book, and 10 young adult.
NOTE: PM is usually not a complete representation of sales.
Query Methods (by referral or permission only):
E-mail: Yes (preferred).
Snail-Mail: Yes.
Online-Form: No.
Submission Guidelines (always verify):
Ms. Murphy only accepts queries and submissions by referral or personal contact. (Link)
Details:
"I'm always open to queries from attendees at conferences where I speak." (Link)
"Email is best for first contact. I like a query to give me a sense of the whole person and the person as a writer, as well as the breadth and depth of projects the writer has available and in progress. If I have a positive response to a query, I'll ask to see sample writing, and I'm pretty quick about that; if I ask to see complete manuscripts, the process grinds to a halt for a few months (unless I get caught up unexpectedly!). Someone recently expressed concern that I take months to read whole manuscripts, thinking that was true with my clients as well--but I read client manuscripts much more quickly, I promise!" (Link)
Query tips:
"The writer should say whether she belongs to SCBWI and list published works and awards. She should briefly describe what she has available to market. If there are more than three or four projects, it's usually best to keep it quick—title, genre, age group. If she has relationships with particular editors, I like to know. If she's worked with other agents, I like to know why those relationships ended." (Link)
Don't forget to mention the conference where you met her or heard her speak if you're not querying by referral.
Response Times:
Since she is not open to unsolicited materials, her response times are generally very quick for queries. As stated above (in the submission guidelines) it can take her a lot longer to get back on requested materials as she is busy dealing with her full list of clients.
What's the Buzz?
Fabulous! After digging around and reading what people have to say, I came away with the impression that Ms. Murphy is a stellar agent, class act, and quite the catch. Her clients seem more than pleased with her, and those who have had the chance to query or interact with her in other ways have come away with a positive impression. A quick look at her clients, reputation, and sales shows enough to recommend her. If you're interested in getting a chance to query, definitely be on the lookout for conferences she's attending (and have an amazing project to pitch!).
Note: She's not attending any conferences in 2010.
Worth Your Time:
Interviews:
Two-part Agent Advice Interview with Erin Murphy on the Guide to Literary Agents Blog (10/2009).
Interview with Erin Murphy at Qull Inc. with some extra fun questions (03/2009).
Interview with Erin Murphy at Cynsations. Tons of great info on her (05/2008)!
Mini-view interview with Erin Murphy at Terry Pierce's blog (01/2008).
Interview with Erin Murphy at Kite Tales (08/2006).
A Conversation with Literary Agent Erin Murphy by Anna Olswanger (2003).
Around the Web:
Elevating Your Quiet Book to the Next Level, guest post by Erin Murphy and Audrey Vernick at Wild About Words (02/2011).
Neat "How I Got My Agent" story featuring Ms. Murphy's client C.J. Omololu (author of DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS).
How a Story Becomes a Book from Ms. Murphy's perspective.
How to Decide If You Need A Literary Agent (with quotes by Ms. Murphy) at How To Do Things.
A note from Erin Murphy through Editorial Anonymous Not to Be This Guy.
A quote regarding the first novel Erin ever read on her own.
A recent picture of Erin Murphy with Christy Lenzy on Christy's blog, Positively Everything.
Contact:
Please see the Erin Murphy Literary web site for contact and query information.
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Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at agentspotlight(at)gmail.com
Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found herein is subject to change.
This news is a couple months old now, but I saw it over on Just the Facts Ma'am yesterday and thought I'd post it over here in case anyone missed it.
My daughter got a Beta fish as an early birthday present yesterday. Can you guess what she named it? I'll give you a hint. There's probably thousands upon thousands of kids' fishes named this right now. I really hope it doesn't die anytime soon. 
