Upcoming Agent Spotlight Interviews & Guest Posts

  • Tali Shammas Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 9/21/2028
  • Jenny Lewis Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 10/14/2026
  • Cate Hart Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 10/19/2026
  • Riley Jay Davis Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 11/11/2026
  • Hannah Teachout Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 11/23/2026
  • Hollie Michaels Agent Spotlight Interview and Query Critique Giveaway on 12/7/2026

Agent Spotlight & Agent Spotlight Updates

  • Agent Spotlights & Interviews were all edited in 2021. Every year since then, I update some of them. I also regularly add information regarding changes in their agency as I find it. Agents spotlights and interviews been updated through most of the letter "R" as of 5/12/2026 and many have been reviewed by the agents. Look for more information as I find the time to update more agent spotlights.
Showing posts with label Azantian Literary Agency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Azantian Literary Agency. Show all posts

Literary Agent Interview: GiannaMarie Dobson

Today I’m thrilled to have agent GiannaMarie Dobson here. She’s an associate literary agent at Neighborhood Literary. 

Status Update on 7/15/2026: GiannaMarie has left Neighborhood Literary. She's not an associate literary agent at Azantian Literary. Please check the agency website to find out about her submission status and how to query her.

Hi­ GiannaMarie! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About GiannaMarie: 

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent. 

I always wanted to work in publishing! I spent 5 years interning, working freelance in publishing, and networking before I made the jump up to agent in June 2025 when I joined Neighborhood. By the time this interview is posted, it’ll be about a year! I’ve spent that year learning as much as I possibly can from my bosses, my colleagues, and my peers; meeting as many editors as possible; and building my client list very slowly and deliberately. 

About the Agency: 

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors. 

Neighborhood is a boutique literary agency led by Eric Smith and Rebecca Podos, who are some of the kindest people in publishing! Eric’s vision is very community-focused, and he runs events both virtually and IRL in Philadelphia to offer resources and help demystify publishing. Additionally, all the agents on our team are very focused on finding and uplifting diverse voices. 

What She’s Looking For: 

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent, and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres? 

In kidlit, I’m looking for MG and YA novels of all genres. In adult, I’m looking for SFFH and romance. Across all my genres and age categories, my priority is to find books about disability, featuring disabled characters, or written by disabled authors. 

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in? 

Inside the umbrella of disability, I’m very focused on finding intersectional disability stories too, especially queer and BIPOC. If you’re a disabled author of color and write in my categories, please query me! More specifically: 

In MG, my heart lies with serious stories about the unique circumstances of being disabled when you’re a child, like Aniana Del Mar Jumps In, Iveliz Explains It All, and Hear Me by Kerry O’Malley Cerra. The first time I read Aniana, I was listening to the audiobook, and I had to keep pausing because it was so intense I wanted to throw my phone across the room! Please make me upset! Up until recently, the only intense disability stories were objectifying and written for the abled gaze, so I’m so excited that these other books are starting to pop up, ones that are written from an authentic disability perspective and reflect the very real hard parts of disability that have so far been invisible to the mainstream––Aniana wrestles with cultural moralizing of chronic illness and generational trauma; Iveliz centers a grieving child who experiences hallucinations and struggles to care for her grandmother with memory loss; Hear Me is about parental rights and the violence of inflicting unwanted healthcare on a child who legally has no medical autonomy. On the more fun side, I would also love to see a Percy Jackson-esque story where disabled kids get to be heroes and go on adventures but have disabilities that realistically limit them––Vanya and the Wild Hunt is a great example of what I mean by this, reinventing the familiar (magic school) through a disability lens!   

In YA and adult, I’m especially eager for some disability SFFH. I am dying for disability horror that interrogates ableism/sanism as the source of the horror (rather than disability itself), and I’m always, always, always dying for disabled dragons, dragon riders, and anything like that. Please send me Eragon-but-he-stays-disabled or How to Train Your Dragon where the disabilities are relevant and respectfully portrayed––please no more magicures or supercrips! We need to carve out a space for ourselves in sweeping, epic fantasy! 

I’m also perpetually looking for disability romance––badly enough that I’ve opened up to adult romance specifically for this purpose. If you’re an author with a romance like Sick Kids in Love, Kissing Kosher, or It’s All in Your Head in your back pocket, I need to see it! I love disability-focused romance in particular because a close examination of disability requires a story—and potential couple—to break down what intimacy means for them, and build a relationship around unique characters’ needs, desires, and vulnerabilities, rather than defaulting to more familiar allo, hetero relationship beats and structures. 

Lastly, I would just love to see a broader variety of disabled authors in my inbox! When I say I’m looking for neurodivergence and disability, I mean it in the broadest possible sense––I am actively looking for projects that deal with other neurodivergences, especially more stigmatized mental illnesses and brain injury. So far, my inbox has trended very heavily towards autism and ADHD––and please know, I’m autistic and I’ve signed two incredible autistic authors already!––and I would love to mix it up and get some more physical disabilities, mobility impairments, chronic illness, and chronic pain! 

 If any of that sounds like you, I have a thorough MSWL here: https://manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/giannamarie-dobson/. 

What She Isn’t Looking For: 

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in? 

Right now, I’m not looking for picture books, graphic novels, novels in verse, or nonfiction. I’ll give almost anything a shot if it’s through a disability lens, but I’m not interested in considering “inspirational” disability stories, stories centering able-bodied caregivers or siblings, or stories leaning on disability tropes (like amnesia, a last-minute psychosis reveal, or the supercrip) without deconstructing the harm they cause.   

Agent Philosophy: 

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent? 

My goal as an agent is to get more disability stories on shelves—art has a profound capacity to educate, humanize, destigmatize, and change the culture. As someone active in both the publishing industry and disability community, I’ve noticed that these two worlds don’t overlap much—the knowledge, culture, and history of the disability community rarely makes it into mainstream art, even art that centers disability. Thankfully, this has begun to change in the last 10-ish years, but there’s a lot farther to go! Disability is vast and complicated, but the authors and books I’m especially eager for are ones that understand it as a political category. 

Editorial Agent: 

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors? 

I am! I love editing. With the authors I’ve signed so far, I’ve given my most important editorial thoughts on the offer call, and then followed up with a detailed edit letter. Character and voice are the most important things to me, and I rarely want to edit those––but if those are solid and draw me in, anything else can be fixed! My edits usually focus on bringing out the wonderful parts of the manuscript and tweaking plot and worldbuilding to enhance the themes. 

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting) 

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter? 

QueryManager! What I ask for is a standard query and then the first 10 pages of your manuscript. 

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you? 

I have an accessibility note on my form, but other than that, I really recommend r/PubTips as a query resource. The community there is very active and will help you get your query into shape! 

Response Time: 

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript? 

I set aside one day a week to clear my query inbox. Currently, that’s Monday, so it should be under a week for a query response. I usually read partials and manuscripts within a week as well, too. If it’s taking longer than that, there’s a 99% chance I thought your project would be a better fit for one of my colleagues at Neighborhood and handed it off to them, so it’s in their queue! 

Self-Published and Small Press Authors: 

11.  Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them? 

Most of the time, it’s all about framing. If you’ve got a poor sales history for your selfpub or small press book, drawing attention to that may lead industry professionals to believe that your books weren’t very good or that you weren’t a very savvy businessperson. On the other hand, if you’re very successful in either space, a lot of agents will be eager to partner with you! Regardless, write the strongest book and the strongest query you can––you can figure out the best strategy for the next step of your career once an agent falls in love with your work. 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

My client list is very small at the moment, and all yet to debut! 

Interviews and Guest Posts: 

13. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you. 

I was interviewed in the November/December 2025 issue of Writer’s Digest, but I’m not sure that that’s available anywhere online! 

Links and Contact Info:

 

14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web. 

I only accept queries through QueryManager. My form is linked here: https://querytracker.net/query/3926 

Find me on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/giannamarie.bsky.social! That’s where I announce that I’m opening/closing to queries and where I participate in pitch events. 

Additional Advice: 

15. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered? 

Make use of free resources and communities online—there’s so much excellent information out there and generous people who will help you! 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, GiannaMarie! 

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com 

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change.

 Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops 

Monday, June 29th, I’m participating in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop 

Monday, July 1st, I’m participating in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop 

Wednesday, July 3rd, I have an interview with Amanda Connolly and a giveaway of her YA romantasy The Lure of Wolves and Whispers and my IWSG post 

Monday, July 9th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Justina Ireland Handspun and query critique giveaway 

Monday, July 13th, I have an interview with Amy Tern and a giveaway of her MG Sneaks 

Thursday, July 16th, I’m participating in the Sip Sip Hooray Giveaway Hop 

I hope to see you on Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Literary Agent Interview: Shelly Romero Interview and Query Critique Giveaway

 Today I’m thrilled to have agent Shelly Romero here. She’s an agent at Azantian Literary Agency.

Status: Shelly is currently closed to queries but hopes to open to submissions later this year. Check the agency website to find out when she reopens. Shelly is providing a special link for Literary Rambles followers to query her until 9/3/2025:  https://QueryTracker.net/query/shellyromero/Literary_Rambles 

Status update on 3/7/2026: The link to the special query tracker page for Literary Rambles follower submissions is still open. Shelly is also currently open to submissions.

Hi­ Shelly! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About Shelly: 

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent. 


I’ve been an agent for about four months now, but this August I’m celebrating 8 years in the publishing industry.
 

I did the whole editor-to-agent transition that a lot of editors before me have done. I started in children’s books at Scholastic. There I assisted on series such as The Bad Guys and Goosebumps while also acquiring titles for my own list. I rose up the ranks from Editorial Assistant to Associate Editor before I left to work for a book packager, and later becoming a freelance editor.

It’s been a very non-linear path, but I began thinking about the switch to agenting over a year or so ago. 

In these past four months, I’ve opened and then closed to queries after receiving over 1,100 in just over a month. I’ve signed-up two lovely clients who are currently working on edits for their projects. I hope to open up again later in the year but right now, I’m reviewing queries from May and from pitch events I’ve participated in. 

About the Agency: 

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors. 

I work at Azantian Literary Agency (ALA) and to be honest (and of course, biased), it’s an amazing place to be both an agent and a client at. Jen Azantian, our agency head, is someone who I’ve known since the beginning of my career, and I’ve always admired her work. I still very much do, of course. 

What separates ALA from other agencies is simply the agents that work there, their publishing goals, and their passion. We’re all incredibly passionate, nerds, who deeply care for our clients. And we’re also all huge genre fiction fans. 

What She’s Looking For: 

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent, and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres? 

I represent middle-ground and young adult fiction. Like my previous editorial lists, I really do love working on a large gamut of stories. But I’m definitely known for being a huge fan of horror and other genre fiction. I’m definitely looking for horror, sci-fi, and grounded/contemporary fantasy. I’m more of a “magic in our world” than a second world-fantasy person. A lot of what I’m looking for is reflected in the projects that I worked on as editor such as: THE WITCHERY by S. Isabelle; LAST GAMER STANDING by Katie Zhao; SCAREWAVES by Trevor Henderson; and JOIN THE CLUB, MAGGIE DIAZ by Nina Moreno. 

I’m also big on comps to not just books that I’ve loved but also movies. I’m a cinephile and I feel like there’s always so much inspiration in movies and TV. 

For a more in-depth look of my MSWL and anti-MSWLs, check out my page on ALA’s site. 

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in? 

I’m Honduran-American, I am always looking for more Honduran and CentAm authors. We have such a gap in the already small pool of Latine authors when it comes to authors from Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. 

I’m also a fan of found footage movies so when books use a mixed-media format to tell a story with framed narratives and potentially unreliable narrators, I’m immediately excited to dive in. One YA title that I really enjoyed from several years ago that used that format is THE KINGDOM by Jess Rothenberg. Another example is SCAREWAVES by Trevor Henderson is a MG who uses both prose chapters as well as radio transmission transcripts from a DJ who helps the kids in the novel. 

What She Isn’t Looking For: 

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in? 

I’m really not looking for stories that emphasize and reflect real-life political events such as mass deportations, etc. I don’t ever want to be queried with a submission that’s been “written” by AI. Stories over 100,000 words (which should not really be a thing for kid lit) are a huge yellow flag for me. Kids, and adults too if we’re being honest, do want shorter books to read. 

I am also not looking for stories about BIPOC (as the main characters) that are not written by BIPOC. We have a huge discrepancy in these numbers* and I want to see BIPOC write the books that are going to be “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors” as Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop wrote. 

I’m not the best fit for “Issue” books. It's not that I don’t want stories where characters are facing realistic struggles or hardships. I do. But I don’t want the whole story to be about that. Marginalized people are more than just our struggles and we have so many other stories to tell. 

*The Cooperative Children’s Book Center publishes these diversity statistics yearly. 

Agent Philosophy: 

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent? 

My goal as an agent is the same goal I’ve had since I started as an editorial assistant…my priority is to sign BIPOC, queer, and other traditionally marginalized authors. So, I’m always excited to see writers from these backgrounds playing with genre and format as well as the tropes that cis-het white authors have always gotten the opportunity to publish. We are always needing these stories. 

Editorial Agent: 

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors? 

Absolutely! Since I was a previous acquiring editor, I bring that experience and skillset to agenting. Every book, even from the same author, is a different beast to tackle. I always do a dev edit and line-edit with each project. I’m constantly communicating with my authors. 

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting) 

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter? 

Via QueryManager only, please! I do not accept any pitches via DMs or through my website’s contact form from authors who are not my clients and to be honest, it will make me way less inclined to work with you. 

As for a query letter, more information is always best for me. I love knowing the who, what, why, and where. I love seeing the themes, comps, and tropes you’re working with in them. 

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you? 

Sometime that immediately turns me off from a project is terrible comps or none at all. It suggests to me that you either don’t know the market that you’re wanting to publish in or you’re too lazy to do that research. I’ve seen more queries than I’d like that have said “for anyone who likes to read” or [insert classic novel here]. Sometimes, there’s even no comps at all. 

Response Time: 

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript? 

It really depends. Currently, I’m averaging about 90 days for most queries. As I mentioned, I received over 1,100 queries in my first month and so and my priority is my signed clients. It’s quite a lot to get through and I do reply to every query. So even if you haven’t heard back from me in a while, it’s still under consideration. No answer is no answer. 

Self-Published and Small Press Authors: 

11.  Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them? 

Absolutely!

And my advice would be the same as for debut or trad-published querying authors: do your research on that agent. Be sure to read their MSWL and anti-MSWLs thoroughly. It becomes incredibly clear in query letters when you’ve just seen my QueryManager/Tracker page and decided to just throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks.
 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

Currently, I represent two authors: Amber Clement and Sheryl Stein. 

Interviews and Guest Posts: 

13. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you. 

You can find all of this and more on my website’s News tab: https://shellyromero.com/news 

Links and Contact Info:

@shellyromero - BlueSky
@shellyromerobooks – Threads/Instagram

@_smromero – Twitter/X

shellyromero.com 

14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web. 

Please find our Submissions guidelines on our site prior to querying me or any ALA agent. I only accept submissions via QueryManager. 

Additional Advice: 

15. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered? 

I’ve got three main pieces of advice that I am always repeating like a broken record. 

1)    Read recently published titles in whatever age category and genre you’re wanting to work in. Knowing the market is incredibly important and I don’t want to see only classics or modern tentpole titles like THE HUNGER GAMES or SHADOW & BONE as your only comps.

2)    Publishing is a very slow industry. Please be patient and please remember that agents are humans too. Lots of agents have day-jobs. We have personal lives, family, and we may face illnesses or have disabilities that prevent us from being able to reply with the speed of light. We are not villains who are gleeful to reject your projects. More often than not, we can be slow in our responses, but it’s because we know how much work you’ve put into your writing and want to give it the consideration it deserves.

3)    Finding your author/writing community can be incredibly beneficial, but your path is going to look different from your colleagues or friends. Not every publishing journey looks the same, even for the different books that you write and hope to publish throughout your career. Your journey is your own journey and constantly comparing yourself to other creators does not do anyone any good. 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Shelly.

 Giveaway Details

­Shelly is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through August 30th. If you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me know in the comments. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you follow me on Twitter or mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway. 

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com 

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change.  

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Monday, August 25th I have an interview with author James Ponti and a giveaway of his MG Hurricane Heist 

Monday, September 1st I’m participating in the Glam and Glitz Giveaway Hop 

Wednesday, September 3rd I have an interview with debut author Skyla Arndt and a giveaway of her YA House of Hearts and my IWSG post 

Monday, September 8th I have an interview with author J.A. Dauber and a giveaway of his MG Press 1 for Invasion 

Wednesday, September 10th I have an agent spotlight interview with Ashlee MacCallum and a query critique giveaway 

I hope to see you on Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

Literary Agent Interview: Mark O’Brien Interview and Query Critique Giveaway

Today, I’m thrilled to have agent Mark O’Brien here. He’s an associate agent at Azantian Literary Agency. 

Status Update on 1/2/2026: Mark is open to submissions.

Hi­ Mark! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About Mark: 

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent.

 

I began my career in the book publishing industry with an editorial internship at Entangled Publishing in August 2015, six weeks after I graduated high school. From there, I haven’t stopped! I interned and assisted at five literary agencies, including Writers House, Stonesong, and Triada US, before working at NetGalley as Sales Coordinator for three years. In September 2024, I joined Azantian Literary Agency as an associate agent. I’m building my client list slowly and with intention. 

About the Agency: 

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors. 

Founded in 2014, Azantian Literary is committed to guiding the careers of both new and established voices in fiction and nonfiction, particularly those who have been historically underrepresented. We’re a growing agency with a boutique, collaborative style and over a dozen agents. We partner with Mushens Entertainment for foreign rights for books for all ages and genres, excluding graphic novels. Foreign rights for graphic novels are handled by Full Bleed Rights. We’re always looking to serve our clients as best as we possibly can. (We’re also nice.) 

What He’s Looking For: 

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres? 

In young adult, my first love is contemporary realistic fiction, as well as realistic with a twist. I am also building my list in YA genre fiction, including science fiction and fantasy. 

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in? 

As a queer, neurodivergent agent, I’m always excited to see queries from queer, neurodivergent, BIPOC, and disabled creators. 

What He Isn’t Looking For: 

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in?

I am not the best fit for horror, thrillers, picture books, novellas, poetry collections, and stories centering intense violence and/or gore. 

Agent Philosophy: 

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent? 

I want to work with voices that refuse to be denied. I find these voices most often come from authors who are marginalized in some way, or (more often) multiple ways. Because of this, I’m a careful agent. I also see myself as a cheerleader for my clients. 

Editorial Agent: 

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors? 

Yes, yes, and yes! We’ll usually do as many rounds of developmental and/or line edits as it takes to make sure every word counts, and shines, before sending a manuscript out to editors. 

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting) 

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter? 

Query me through QueryManager following the submission guidelines on Azantian Literary’s website. Include your first ten pages and a bio. 

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you? 

I prefer to be addressed as Mark, though I’d absolutely never hold a different salutation against a writer. As long as you’re professional and following my submission guidelines, you’re on the right track! 

Response Time: 

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript? 

Five minutes to three months. 

Self-Published and Small Press Authors: 

11.  Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them? 

Yes, I’m absolutely open to established self- and indie- published authors. I recommend these authors ensure they want to pursue traditional publication before sending out query letters to literary agents. Whichever publication path you choose, be intentional about it. 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

I’m still quite new! I represent Faefyx Collington, author of queer nonfiction I couldn’t be more excited about. I’m looking forward to expanding my list! 

Interviews and Guest Posts: 

13. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you. 

This is my first—thank you, Natalie! 

Links and Contact Info: 

14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web. 

Send me a query and ten pages through QueryManager here: http://querymanager.com/bookmarkobrien. Follow me on Bluesky here: https://bsky.app/profile/bookmarkobrien.bsky.social. Check out my freelance website here: https://bookmarkobrien.com/ 

Additional Advice: 

15. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered? 

As someone who was a querying writer before he became a literary agent: No agent is better than a bad agent. Always research a literary agent, and their affiliated agency, before querying. If you want to pursue traditional publication, ensure any agent you consider is capable of making a well-negotiated traditional publication deal happen. Otherwise, that agent isn’t earning their fifteen percent! 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Mark. 

­Giveaway Details 

Mark is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through June 21st. If you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me know in the comments. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter  or Bluesky, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway. 

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com 

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use hime before querying an agent. The information found hime is subject to change.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Monday, June 16th I’m participating in the Dad-o-Mite Giveaway Hop

Monday, June 23rd I have an interview with author Michael Spradlin and a giveaway of his MG Threat of the Spider

Tuesday, July 1st I’m participating in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop

Wednesday, July 2nd I have an interview with author Nia Davenport and a giveaway of her YA Love Spells Trouble and my IWSG post

Monday, July 7th I have an interview with author Natalie Richards and a giveaway of her MG Survive This Safari

I hope to see you on Monday!