October’s Agent of the Month – Jennifer March Soloway

I am happy to announce that JENNIFER MARCH SOLOWAY ASSOCIATE AGENT AT ANDREA BROWN LITERARY will be October’s Agent of the Month and critique four first pages.

Jennifer represents authors and illustrators of picture book, middle grade, and YA stories, and is actively building her list. Although she specializes in children’s literature, she also represents adult fiction, both literary and commercial, particularly crime, suspense and horror projects.
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For picture books, she is drawn to a wide range of stories from silly to sweet, but she always appreciates a strong dose of humor and some kind of surprise at the end.

When it comes to middle grade, she likes all kinds of genres, including adventures, mysteries, spooky-but-not-too-scary ghost stories, humor, realistic contemporary and fantasy.

YA is Jennifer’s sweet spot. She is a suspense junkie. She adores action-packed thrillers full of unexpected twists. Throw in a dash of romance, and she’s hooked! She’s a sucker for conspiracy plots where anyone might be a double agent, even the kid next door. She is a huge fan of psychological horror that blurs the lines between the real and the imagined. But as much as she loves a good thriller, she finds her favorite novels are literary stories about ordinary teens, especially those focused on family, relationships, sexuality, mental illness, or addiction. In such stories, she is particularly drawn to a close, confiding first-person narrative. Regardless of genre, she is actively seeking fresh new voices and perspectives underrepresented in literature.

That’s her wish list, but the truth is an author might have something she has never considered before, and it might be absolutely perfect for her. She is open to any good story that is well written with a strong, authentic voice. Surprise her!

Prior to joining ABLA, Jennifer worked in marketing and public relations in a variety of industries, including financial services, health care, and toys. She has an MFA in English and Creative Writing from Mills College, and was a fellow at the San Francisco Writer’s Grotto in 2012. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, their two sons, and an English bulldog.

Jennifer regularly presents at writing conferences all over the country, including the San Francisco Writers Conference, the Northern Colorado Writers Conference, and regional SCBWI conferences.

For her latest conference schedule, craft tips and more, follow Jennifer on Twitter at @marchsoloway.

soloway@andreabrownlit.com

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES For FIRST PAGE CRITIQUES:

In the subject line, please write “SEPTEMBER 2017  Critique” and paste the text in the email, plus attached it as a Word document to the email. Please make sure you include your name, the title of the piece, and whether it’s a picture book, middle grade, or young adult, etc. at the top on both the email and the Word document (Make sure you include your name with the title of your book, when you save the first page).

REMEMBER: ATTACH THE WORD DOCUMENT AND NOT GET ELIMINATED!

Your First Page Word document should be formatted using one inch margins and 12 point New Times Roman font – double space – no more than 23 lines – only one page. Send to: kathy(dot)temean(at)gmail(dot)com.

PLEASE FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES: Your submission will be passed over if you do not follow the directions for both the pasted email and the attached Word doc. This is where most people mess up.

DEADLINE: October 20th.
RESULTS: October 27th.
Please only submit one first page a month, but do try again if your first page wasn’t one of the pages randomly picked. Thanks!

How to Submit to the Andrea Brown Literary Agency

We have specific instructions for submitting . Please make sure you follow the appropriate guidelines so that your work can be seriously considered. 

The Andrea Brown Agency ONLY accepts email submissions and ONLY accepts children’s literature submissions (picture books through young adult). If you have consulted a guidebook that says otherwise, please note that our guidelines changed in 2007, and our website reflects our current policies.

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Submission Directions

• Visit the agents’ bios page and choose only one agent to whom you will submit your email query.
• Put QUERY in the subject field. (This will ensure that you receive our autoresponder, confirming that your submission was received.)
• All submissions should begin with a short Query Letter to that agent introducing yourself, and including a description of your work, previous publishing credentials (if any), and publisher submission history. 
• Following your Query Letter, depending on what you are submitting, include:

• • Picture Book Writers: full manuscript text pasted below your query letter
  • Illustrators: 2-3 illustration samples (in jpeg format), and link to online portfolio
    
  • Illustrators with dummy: full dummy (in pdf format) that includes 1-2 color samples, and link to online portfolio 
  • Fiction Writers (chapter books, MG, YA): first 10 pages pasted below your query letter
    
  • Non-fiction Writers: proposal and sample chapter pasted below query
    
  • Graphic novels: 2-3 sample page spreads in jpg or pdf format, summary/synopsis pasted below query, link to website/online portfolio
• Please be sure to enclose a contact phone number as well as your email address.
• You are free to submit to agents at other agencies at the same time, but it is a professional courtesy to let us know that yours is a multiple submission. If you receive an offer of representation from another agent, please let us know immediately so we can respond accordingly.

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Response Time

In the past, it has been our policy to respond to every query. We regret that, because of the high volume of queries we receive, this has become increasingly difficult for us. Within a week, our agency can receive close to three hundred queries and often times more than one agent is involved in the review process.

If we are interested in your work, we will certainly follow up by email or by phone. However, if you haven’t heard from us within 6 to 8 weeks, please assume that we are passing on your project. We do understand and appreciate the effort that goes into getting your work out, and we wish we had time to respond personally to all submissions. Unfortunately, this is no longer a business reality given the amount of material we receive.

PLEASE DO NOT CALL TO FOLLOW UP.

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Suggestions

• Be professional and courteous in your approach to any agent. Agents do form an impression based on your e-query, and you want it to be a good impression. Do not write your query in a rush. Take the time to write it well. Make sure your query and manuscripts are polished and error free.
• Remember, no attachments, with the exception of jpeg or pdf illustrations from illustrators.
• Remember, a “no” from one of our agents is a “no” from the agency as a whole. If your work is rejected, please do not resubmit the same work to another agent at our agency. However, you may submit a new work to another agent, or to the same agent. And, if the work is significantly revised, you may resubmit it after 6 months.
• Please do not call to query us. It is not possible to gauge your writing ability by talking to you on the phone.
• Look carefully at our bios and choose the right agent for your work.

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Talk tomorrow,

Kathy