Perfect Pitch: Jill Baguchinsky's Query for Mammoth

When Jill Baguchinsky's query hit my inbox, I knew I had to read this book. It was a drop-everything-and-read-it-in-a-day sort of description, and that was exactly what I did. I offered to represent her the very next day.

And with her book almost here, publishing with Turner next week, I wanted to share the query letter that hooked me so quickly.

The hook part here is important, because that's what got me. We'll dig into that in a minute.

I've done this before with the query letters for Samira Ahmed, Anna Hecker, Kati Gardner, and more, which you can read collected here on my Perfect Pitch page.

And if you find this helpful, do consider pre-ordering her novel from your book retailer of choice.

Let's see that query!

-#-

Dear Eric Smith:

The summer before her junior year, paleontology geek Natalie Page lands a coveted internship at an Ice Age dig site near Austin. Natalie, who's also a plus-size fashion blogger, depends on the retro style and persona she developed to shield herself from her former bullies, but vintage dresses and perfect lipstick aren't compatible with prospecting for fossils in the Texas heat.

When Natalie's paleontologist hero steals the credit for one of her accomplishments, Nat has to unearth the confidence she needs to stand out in a field dominated by dudes. To do this, she'll have to let her true self shine, even if that means defying the rules and risking her life for the sake of a major discovery.

Then there's Chase the intern, who's seriously cute, and Cody, a local boy who'd be even cuter if he were less of a grouch -- Natalie's got more than just mammoths on her mind this summer.

MAMMOTH puts a paleo spin on a DUMPLIN'-style young adult contemporary narrative -- it's ELEANOR AND PARK meets JURASSIC PARK, just without the gene splicing and marauding velociraptors. Natalie's battle to reclaim her self-image will appeal to plus-size teens and any readers who struggle with being themselves, and the dig-site setting will engage anyone who geeks out about science. MAMMOTH is complete at 68,000 words.

MAMMOTH is a story about discovering and appreciating your strengths at any size. It's a great fit for the body positivity movement that's going strong on social media -- there's a YA readership out there that's eager for greater diversity in terms of body type. Also, young readers need to see more female characters excelling in scientific fields -- stories like HIDDEN FIGURES inspire girls to consider science-based careers, and the paleontology content in MAMMOTH plays into that. While drafting MAMMOTH, I worked with with several paleontologists and trained in fossil excavation and prospecting at the Waco Mammoth National Monument. My contacts at the Waco site are excited to help promote MAMMOTH as soon as it finds a publisher.

Thanks for your time.

Sincerely, Jill Baguchinsky

-#-

Okay, so let's talk about this. Namely, the hook.

"MAMMOTH puts a paleo spin on a DUMPLIN'-style young adult contemporary narrative -- it's ELEANOR AND PARK meets JURASSIC PARK, just without the gene splicing and marauding velociraptors."

What! That is what got me. I also ended up using this hook when pitching editors down the line. A good hook can do just that. Hook someone in. And Jill did a spectacular job of that in this pitch.

She also does a fantastic job summing up the story and introducing the themes she's exploring when describing the book, and then she goes the extra mile by talking about her research.

The details she added in about visiting dig sites and really getting to know her subject definitely grabbed me. That's something a publisher doesn't have in a database. It brings a lot of value to the table, and we discussed these dig site ties in the proposal for the book.

So, if there is some kind of tie there with your work, I think it's a good idea to bring it up.

Hope you found this helpful, and consider pre-ordering Mammoth from your book retailer of choice.

How to Nail an In-Person Pitch: Some Questions You Should Be Ready For

I love taking in-person pitches at publishing conferences.

It's how I found Lindsey Smith (her award-winning cookbook, Eat Your Feelings, came out with St. Martin's Press in 2017!), and I've had the wonderful opportunity to talk with numerous writers around the country. About their books, about their platforms, all kinds of good stuff, sharing advice as well as dishing out suggestions for their projects.

But without fail, at every conference I attend, there are certain questions I ask that seem to trip writers up. And sometimes, not having answers to those questions sends up serious red flags.

So I thought I'd do a little post, to dish out some tips for those of you pitching agents and editors in-person. Because while you may have polished that pitch to perfection, you're going to need to answer these kind of questions.

Leave Room To Talk

First, before we dig into any of these bits… leave room to talk. It can be tempting to spend the entire ten or fifteen minutes explaining why your book is amazing, but… what if the agent has questions? What if you forget to mention word count or talk about your platform? What if the discussion ends before you finish even explaining your book?

You might miss out on answering the questions the agent needs to really get hooked. Don’t spend the whole time talking. Leave room for a conversation.

What's Your Book About?

Right away, at every conference I go to, when I sit down with an author, this is what I open up with. Tell me about your book. What have you written? What's it about? Give me the details.

This should be the quickest and easiest question to answer, but sometimes it trips people up.

Every writer comes prepared to talk about their book at these things. It's why you are there, for the most part. But not every writer is able to talk about their book in a quick, succinct way. Remember, you've only got like ten, maybe fifteen minutes here to sum up your entire story.

Don't use this time to explain the entire intricate plot of the book. This isn't a book report. Treat it as though you're reading the back-jacket copy of a book to a friend in your local bookstore. You're shopping and you're trying to sell them on this book. That's what you would show them.

You can read the jacket copy of a book in a minute or two. You want to have plenty of time for the agent to ask YOU questions and for you to ask your own. Don't spend it explaining every little thing. Save room.

How Many Words?

Know the word count of your book. Agents and editors are going to ask this.

And that being said, before you even get ready to pitch, know what the typical word count is for your respective genre. If you show up boasting an enormous, unheard of word count for a book, it might tell the agent / editor that you're not familiar with the genre.

Writer's Digest has a great post about typical book lengths here. There are exceptions to every rule, of course. Just be savvy.

What Have You Read in the Genre Recently?

Speaking of genre... I get pitched a lot of YA, sci-fi, and fantasy at conferences, which is fantastic, because that is what I'm there looking for. But nothing makes me hit the brakes faster than when I ask what a writer has read recently in their respective genre, and they don't have an answer.

Or even worse, when they say they don't really read in their genre.

If you tell me that you don't actively read, that throws up a red flag. When potential YA authors tell me the last great YA novel they read was The Chronicles of Narnia (this happens a lot, this isn't a silly joke example) or that they don't really read YA at all, I immediately lose interest.

I want to work with writers who actively read where they want to write.

Be ready with an answer. And if you don't have an answer because you aren't actively reading the kind of books you want to write... maybe rethink what you're writing? The best way to be a good writer, is to read. If you aren't reading, you probably aren't writing anything worth reading.

What's Your Platform?

This is the kind of question you're going to get asked if you're writing non-fiction.

As I've rambled about on here before, platform doesn't really matter when it comes to fiction. It helps, sure. But, your story is what's important here. But with non-fiction, editors and agents want to work with experts. Writing memoir? They want to work with authors who can prove people want to hear their story. Writing a collection of essays? We're going to want to see where you've been published before.

And when it comes to that non-fiction book you're working on, be it about a major historical figure or how to be a good parent, you need to show your expertise. Where have you been blogging? Where have you been speaking?

Remember, platform isn't just your social media presence. It's your regular speaking engagements, the places you've written. Make sure you're established there, and have something to discuss.

What's Your Life Outside of Writing Like

Gasp! A question that doesn't have to do with your book? That's right.

Here's the thing about agents and writers, friends. It becomes a very personal relationship. For some. At least, for me it does. These become the people you talk to every day. Me and my authors, we talk in Google Chat constantly. We text. We gossip about non-book things frequently. The relationships often become friendly.

So be ready for an agent to want to get to know you a little better. Don't shrug and say "oh, nothing really interesting" when chances are, you do have something interesting. Share bits about yourself. Your hobbies. What you do for a living. What you're studying. Things like that. Making a personal connection is important here.

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And those are the usual things I bring up. So! Come ready with answers. Because we are going to have questions.

My First Full Year as a Literary Agent: Six Lessons I Learned

So last year was my first full year working as a literary agent.

I had a lot of awesome victories that I shouted to the social media winds and posted about here. I signed a number of rockstar authors, from well-established authors to debuts. You can check out my team in this handy Twitter list. They are all wonderful. I went to a bundle of conferences all around the country, so many that I can't remember all the places. I even sold some books I can't quite announce just yet.

And the ones I did announce? I'm so proud of them.

• Erica Cameron's inclusive space opera, Pax Novis, sold to Entangled Teen in a three-book deal for the entire trilogy. It's like Across the Universe, Star Trek Voyager, and The Expanse mashed together, with teens crossing the stars to find their way home and save humanity.

• Lindsey Smith's Eat Your Feelings, a kick-ass, body-positive cookbook, is off to St. Martin's Press. Because cookbooks that suggest new ways to eat, shouldn't make you feel bad about yourself. This deal surprised friends, because apparently no one knew I wanted to work on cookbooks? Please send me cookbooks.

• Samira Ahmed's incredibly needed and heart-wrenching contemporary YA novel about Islamophobia, Swimming Lessons, sold to Soho Teen. I met Samira on social media, and things happened really fast (more on that shortly). And I'm not surprised. Her prose is gorgeous.

• Rebecca Phillips' These Things I've Done, a YA contemporary novel that made me weep, sold to HarperTeen in a two book deal. I broke down and cried in a cafe in Philadelphia when this one happened, as witnessed by some friends who were there. I recently finished reading Rebecca's second book, and it is just so wonderful.

• Laurel Amberdine's high-concept, thrilling fantasy YA debut, Luminator, sold to REUTS. Whenever I explain this book to people, I mime holding up shields and talk about how it's a novel where people fight with light. I cannot physically explain this book without immediately acting like I'm in a LARP. And I love it, and Laurel's masterful world-building, so very much.

And while all of that sounds awesome, there were some big hurdles in the mix, and some major lessons I took away. Because for every author I picked up, there was another I didn't get to work with. There were conferences that were, sadly, not a good use of my time. And I'm going to try to get better at handling all of these things.

Here are some of the lessons I learned, that I hope you can learn from too.

jet

1. Traveling is Great, But Self Care is Better: Last year, for the agenting side of things, I traveled to conferences in Washington D.C., Nashville, Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Miami, and did several here in my new hometown of Richmond. I went to Mexico for a writing retreat for nearly two weeks.

Some months, I was going to a conference every other week. I had to search my Gmail to remember where I went, and I still missed a few.

I'd just moved to a new city, where my wife and I were (and still are) trying to start a new life. I was teaching several classes while in Philadelphia, and after we moved, was teaching three here in Richmond at a new school. I had deadlines for my own writing. Papers to grade. Manuscripts to edit and query.

I burned out fast.  This year, I'm trying to only do one big event a month.

Conferences are fantastic. It's a great opportunity to meet people in the industry, and if you're an author, pitch agents. And if you're an agent, meet authors! I met Lindsey Smith at a conference in Philadelphia, and wanted to work with her immediately. But if you're traveling for writing events, pace yourself. Don't jump on every single travel opportunity just because you want to go someplace new, or because you're eager to discover someone at the risk of your own physical and mental health.

No book is worth that.

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tenn

2. Workshops & Talks Aren't Just About Finding Writers & Agents: Speaking of those events. One of the big highlights of a lot of these conferences are those agent and editor pitch sessions. Authors come in, have about ten minutes or so to dish out an idea, and an agent or editor can ask to see pages or a query. Or they share tips, advice, etc. in those few minutes you have together.

But these workshops are about so much more than that.

I spend a lot of time at these workshops talking to writers outside these sessions. Sharing advice. Suggesting contacts. I spend time meeting other editors and agents, and listen to their stories. I ask what they are looking for. What they've learned.

Going to a workshop? Planning to pitch an agent or an editor? Great. But bring a bunch of business cards. Come ready to mingle, and meet more people than the one person you've booked time with. I met so many great industry people in the past year, one of whom even took on a project of mine (hi Laura!), Lindsey Smith's Eat Your Feelings.

It's about way more than making just one connection. It's about making dozens of them.

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pick-me

3. You Won't Get Every Book & Author, And That's Okay: There were several authors I desperately wanted to work with, but simply couldn't get to their books fast enough. Or, I dropped absolutely everything (ie: I read a manuscript while in Colombia for my best friend's wedding), read their book as quick as I could, and didn't get the opportunity to represent them. Sometimes we'd have fantastic, long phone calls, and still. Didn't happen.

At first, I'd whine a lot to my wife and bookish friends. And then when I'd see those books sell, oh man, the intense feelings. But something else happens after all that. Or at least, should happen after all that.

You get to become a fan.

The best thing you can do in this case, is become one hell of a supportive fan. So you weren't brought on to be the coach / cheerleader hybrid that an agent tends to be (is this sports metaphor working I don't watch sports). That's alright. Cheer from the sidelines. There are quite a few authors who queried me that I didn't get to represent, but now I talk to frequently as a friend. We've seen each other at conferences. They're friends with my clients. And I couldn't be more excited to see those books out in the world.

If you think I'm vaguely talking about you, I am. And I can't wait to have your book on my shelf.

Be a fanboy first, an agent second.

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powerpoint

4. Talk at People Less, Answer Questions More: One of the last bookish events I did in Philadelphia was with Chuck Wendig, at the Doylestown Bookshop. When he opened up, he said that these sort of events were way more interesting when he just answered questions.

And that's what he did. For like, a half hour, took questions from the audience, and then he read a little bit. And it was fantastic. I've since stolen this.

See, this is another conference lesson I quickly learned. A lot of these events ask you to come ready with a presentation. How to Write a Good Query. What an Agent Does. How to Do Social Media. Etc. At first, I rolled in with a sheet of paper and gave a long ramble of a lecture, like I do when I'm teaching. But when I opened up for questions, almost none of the questions had anything to do with what I covered.

At conferences, people are there to have these questions answered. They've come ready with them. So instead of spending time talking at people, spend your time talking with people. That's what they want.

You will never see me at a conference with a PowerPoint presentation. Don't invite me if you want one.

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cant-do

5. Be Persistent, Don't Give Up: I didn't really learn this. It's something I've always embraced. But I saw proof of it working in this year, when manuscripts I'd been pushing and fighting for finally got picked up.

Exhaust every damn option. And then find some more.

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tom-hav

6. Embrace Social Media & Community: I'll be honest. After I left a position where my job was social media, I planned on never really using it as aggressively I was once did ever again. I'd post still, sure. But I was done. I was going to keep working on my aging, slowing iPhone (I had an iPhone 4 up until a few months ago) and keep using my dying iPad until it just gave up.

But then, I found Samira Ahmed during a Twitter pitch event.

I'd done a few of these, scouring through the hashtags to find talented writers. But Samira was the first person I signed as a result of one. And her book went off to Soho Teen a few months later.

But there's more to it than just that. I met Erica Cameron thanks to Tristina Wright, an author I adore but I've only gotten to know as a result of Twitter. I met Bassey Ikpi after a friend sent me a Facebook Messenger note (thanks Steve!). Authors I've become friends with on the Internet, quickly turned into real-life pals who recommended clients my way... because of social media.

I really believe that social media is less about trying to sell books in the publishing space (I've talked about that here), and more about being part of the community. Getting buy-in, not sales wise, but personality wise. It shows readers, writers, industry folks... that you're someone they  might want to work with.

Social media quickly became something else for me entirely. Less of a way to do work, and more of a way to connect, and maybe eventually, do some work. I find I enjoy it way more when I'm having fun on it.

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So to conclude! In 2016, I learned to travel less, and nurture more. To make connections, and to talk with, not talk at. To have fun in the bookish social media space. And to keep being, as the youths like to say, "persistent A.F."

And I hope you'll do some of the same, in 2017.

Four Reasons to Use Social Media as an Author That Has Nothing to Do With Selling Books

This semester, I had a great time teaching my first graduate-level publishing class at Rosemont College. It was a real thrill, spending so much time with students eager to get into the industry, and exploring different ways to venture in. Some were aspiring editors, others wanted to get into publicity. The class? A marketing course.

A lot of the course touched on social media, as well as discussing ways to utilize various publishing-industry-specific tools when working on publicity and marketing campaigns.

I loved it so much, I thought maybe I should start blogging about some of the stuff I dished out. Maybe take some lessons from my pals and colleagues Carly and Maria over at P.S. Literary, and start doing advice-type-things on the ol' blog.

So, this is the first of what I hope will be many.

There are a lot of reasons why I'm on social media. I use it to network with people in the publishing world, keep track of news both locally in Philadelphia, nationally in, you know, the world, and keep an eye on what's going on in the book industry. I meet new authors, both as a fan and as potential clients. I tweet out links to things I find interesting and hope others will too.

But I don't think of it as a place to sell books. Because social media seldom does that well.

Now, there are certainly a few exceptions to the "social media doesn't sell books" claim. When an eBook deal hits for a book that plenty of people love and an author is able to rally their friends around it... well, that can do wonders. But that's a $1.99 eBook we're talking about, not your $17.99+ novel.

"Then why am I even on here?!" You scream to the heavens, your finger hovering over the 'delete account' button in your Twitter's settings.

Calm down. This is why.

What social media will do, is make you part of a community. It'll endear you to readers. It'll serve as buy-in for someone thinking about covering you and your book. And later on down the line... maybe the result of that will sell a book. Maybe.

But again. That's not why you're on there. For sales. You should be on there for other perks. Let's dig in.

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Sometimes you just wanna hug your favorite authors.

1. ENDEARMENT & WHY I'VE BOUGHT THE SAME BOOK EIGHT TIMES: Like every book lover ever, I spend way too much time fussing over my personal library. Moving this book here or there, buying a new box set so I have to shift an entire shelf. Maybe I'm having a rough day, so I just decide to go all High Fidelity on the collection, reorganize it autobiographically or some such silliness.

It happens.

Whenever I do this, there are a few books that always stay in place. Two dozen or so. Written by authors that I've become pals with on the ol' social media. Some I've never even met, some I've only seen once or twice at a convention. But these are the books I talk about with people the most. And this is a huge takeaway for authors and social media that people don't consider enough.

Social media has the power to endear you to your followers and fans.

See, social media has endeared the authors and their books to me. And this, in my opinion, is the number one reason to be on social media as a writer.

Publishing is always trying to figure out how to get consumers to know about their books. "Discoverability" is a fancy buzzword that gets tossed around a lot. And the most powerful method of discoverability isn't big ol' ads, book trailers, microsites, marketing campaigns, etc.

It's word of mouth from passionate fans and book lovers.

Those two dozen or so books? They're the books I giveaway the most to friends who come over. The books I rebuy constantly. For example. Recently while looking over my expenses, I noticed I purchased Something Strange & Deadly by Susan Dennard SIX TIMES last year. Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland? EIGHT times. The list goes on.

Following people that love your work, booksellers you admire, communicating with other authors. They'll keep those special books on their shelves, and tell their friends about them.

It's an emotional connection. That's something no amount of ad money can buy.

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Dude.

2. COMMUNITY & NOT BEING "THAT GUY" AT THE PARTY: When I have a bit of book news, there are a handful of authors I tend to send a big ol' BCC email to, or bug on gchat, or hit up via DM on Twitter. If we weren't friends and in the same community, chances are this would result in an irritated email back or a subtweet, and then zero results.

But when you're part of a community, the result is wonderful.

Signal boosting cover reveals, eBook sales, new deals, etc. Blog posts listing books, including maybe yours. Reviews on Goodreads. Group blogs for debut authors (lookin' at you, Swanky Seventeens). No matter your genre, there's a community out there for you, full of writers, booksellers, bloggers, librarians, and readers that will bolster you up.

And now, for a quick lesson.

One question I get a lot regarding joining a community, is figuring out how to actively participate IN said community. How do you build a following? Make friends? It's easy.

I want you to think back to every house party or college bash you've ever been to.

When you walk in, and people start talking to you... do you want to talk to the person who won't shut up about themselves, or to the person who asks you questions? Who inquires about your projects, wants to know you, wants to talk about you to other people? Who takes the time to introduce you around?

Think about social media and joining the online community like a party. Chances are, you'll make more friends and more connections by being genuine, by being curious, and by taking a vested interest in others. If you're just at the party to talk about YOU, no one will want to hangout with you.

Don't. Be. That. Guy.

There are a lot of reasons why writers write. To tell a story, maybe educate. But one thing you probably don't think about going into all of it, is the community that you'll inevitably discover. And finding your people, like minded folks... that's another reason to put pen to page.

When I announced WELCOME HOME back in February, I didn't expect to hear from several dozen authors and book lovers that were adopted. My entire life, I maybe knew a handful of adopted kids, who moved in and out of my life. Once that announcement hit, I suddenly knew close to a hundred. I might have cried a bit. Or a lot. It was probably a lot.

Joining a community makes you feel like you're part of something bigger. You discover a support system you didn't know you had. Social media is the perfect way to find your bookish people.

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Don't let this happen to you!

3. BUY-IN BUT NOT SALES, DON'T GET EXCITED: When I say 'buy-in' I don't mean purchasing.

When you have a book ready to hit the market, having an online presence is an important way to encourage people to learn more about you not just as a writer, but as a person. The books I love the most and talk about the most aren't just written by talented writers. They're written by good people I admire.

If you've ever been to a conference ever, you've likely been talked to death about platform.

Someone can check out your social media profile, your website that lists your writing, the articles you've posted on your site... and know a few things right away. Are you the kind of author who might draw people to their bookstore, if you're say, plotting an event? Are you someone that might be good on a panel? If you're unagented, and querying around, are you part of the community? If they are a person in the media, a book blogger or an editor at a magazine, can they learn about you quickly to help with potential pieces?

There are a ton of things that having an established online presence helps with, and this is a big one.

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They can be fun!

4. #HASHTAG: THE AUTHOR-CENTRIC ONLINE EVENTS: Still querying? Don't have a book out just yet? Besides all the other reasons I just listed (which yes, you should still be active on social media in the book community even if you don't have a book on its way), the author-centric hashtag events are a must reason to be on social media.

Since becoming an agent, I've requested manuscripts from SO MANY authors via social media, and signed quite a few as a result of events like #PitMad. I've offered to rep authors I've found on there, only to find numerous agents clamoring for that particular manuscript, which always fills my heart with joy.

Want to check out a success story? Check out Samira Ahmed's post about us connecting in #PitMatch, here!

If you're unfamiliar with #PitMad, you can learn more about it via Brenda Drake's website. It's an online pitch event, where editors and agents alike scour for projects they might be interested in. And there are many of these.

#DVPit is a new one that I'm excited to check out, specifically for marginalized authors.

#PitMatch was a Valentine's Day themed one, with editors, agents, and authors playing along. I hope they do it again.

There are also excellent resources like #MSWL, or Manuscript Wishlist, which allows you to read through book ideas agents and editors are excited about potentially finding. It's an absolutely incredible resource, and it all pools into this great website.

And then of course, some authors run them on their own. Dahlia Adler's Instagram hashtag campaign was FANTASTIC (I presented it in my class!), and helped scores of authors and readers connect. Learn more about it here.

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And there you have it!

Hope you liked this, you guys. I'll do more. Promise.

A New Chapter, Turning a Page, [Insert Additional Book Metaphor Here]

At this point, most of the Bookternet seems to know. But in case you didn't hear, after five years at the fabulous Quirk Books, I'm packing up my little toy-decorated office this week.

Several New York Times bestsellers, books that won numerous awards, a dozen (mostly) viral book trailers, several bookish websites, plenty of social network profile launches, the publication of my own book, tons of conventions, and thousands upon thousands of books mailed to bloggers... it's been a really wonderful and fulfilling experience, working with all the awesome people at Quirk.

But, it's time for a new chapter, as they say. A new challenge.

This month, I'm jumping into a new career as a literary agent with P.S. Literary.

As anyone who has ever met me will tell you, I'm happiest when talking about other people. Asking me about a favorite book or a favorite author usually ends with me doing something like this.

I mean, when I was emailing friends and media about my latest book, I linked out to another person's book in my PS (again, ya'll should add More Happy Than Not to your Goodreads). Some of the best blog posts I've ever written on BookRiot and The Huffington Post have to do with me talking about other people. Hell, I started a blog and an awards show to give others a platform.

Using my voice to help others get their stories out there... it makes me happy.

So exploring a career where I get to discover new writers, boast about how amazing their undiscovered works are, help launch their careers, and be their voice? Ah, what a perfect, perfect opportunity. Thanks for giving me a shot, Curtis and David!

And while P.S. Literary is located in Toronto, I will be staying in Philadelphia, working out of my new home office / coffeeshops all over. I may even crash Indy Hall once and a while, when Adam and Alex aren't busy making websites.

So before I list the kind of books I'm looking for, here's a big ol' public thank you to Quirk Books, for an awesome five years.

If it wasn't for Quirk taking a chance on some local blogger with zero publishing experience, I wouldn't have had... well, any of this. Two published books (one of which was published with Quirk, thank you Jason!), dozens of lectures and talks at conferences, and now this, a new career to explore. For that, I'm not quite sure how to express my thanks. It's just so huge.

But I think about that fact often, how I got from Point A to Point B(ook). Thanks for giving me a shot after my awkward, nervous interview, Brett, and giving me the chance to grow over the years. I won't ever forget it.

Ah, and the Quirk authors and the many, many book bloggers. I've come to know so many of you outside the walls of our publishing house, and I'm happy to call many of you my friends. Thank you for your awesome words, whether it was a book you wrote or a book you reviewed.

Quirks, it has been an absolute pleasure. I'll see you at all the conventions. And you'll certainly see me in the area. Blair and I have new comic book day every Wednesday, and I don't plan on breaking that tradition.

I also have to thank my awesome future-wife Nena. Without her support to move forward with this, it wouldn't be happening.

And as for the books, here's what I'm looking for. You can scope me out on the agency website here. I'll update this site soon with all of this. But for now, here you go.

Note: To my friends that I've listed here as comps... well, I'm not sorry. I admire each of you so very much, and I want more writing like yours in the world.

Young & New Adult: I'm eager to find bright, diverse new voices in YA. Send me your sci-fi, your fantasy, your contemporary, your pretty-much-any-genre in YA. I write and read YA frequently, so this is a genre I'm fiercely passionate about. If you're curious about my tastes, I adore authors like Susan Dennard, Lauren Morrill, E.C. Myers, Rainbow Rowell, Chuck Wendig, Andrew Smith, Marie Lu, Tahereh Mafi, and new kids on the YA block like Aisha Saeed, Sabaa Tahir, Brandy Colbert, and Adam Silvera.

To quote Andrew Smith, "keep YA weird." Give me your weird, give me your quirky!

With NA, send me your awkward romances and your bold new ideas. It's a growing genre, I'd love to find something that surprises me and makes me swoon. Steamy kissing scenes are awesome... but I'd love to see some NA jump into new genres. Are those kissing scenes in... oh, I don't know, SPACE? Would it make Kirk and Uhura blush? Awesome. Send it to me.

Science Fiction & Fantasy: Looking for high fantasy and exciting sci-fi, new worlds that simply can't be put down. I would love books in the vein of titles by authors like Brandon Sanderson, Lev Grossman, Cory Doctorow, John Scazli, Jeff Vandermeer, Cherie Priest, or Andy Weir.

Cookbooks: I'm particularly interested in cookbook ideas from bloggers. Do you have an awesome food blog with a growing audience? Can you take amazing photos? Are you an active part of the food blogger community? Let's talk. I'm very open to helping develop ideas here, even if the book isn't quite there yet.

Non-Fiction: When it comes to non-fiction, I'm interested in books that focus on pop culture, geekery, and/or teach readers about the odd and the unique. If you've ever picked up a book by Mary Roach, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Non-fiction that explains big ideas and large concepts in ways that are accessible, fun, and humorous.

I'm also interested in essay collections, particularly humor though I'm open to anything that's really compelling. Think Davy Rothbart, David Sedaris, or Anna Goldfarb. Give me your awkward confessions. Make me laugh.

Blog to Book Ideas: I would love to work with bloggers kicking around ideas for developing their blog into a book. Think your massively popular Tumblr deserves a fun hardcover gift book? Let's discuss.

Literary Fiction: Very open to and excited to read some adult literary fiction, especially anything contemporary with a rom-com twist (think Nick Hornby) or mystery / thrillers that touch on current affairs (think Jon McGoran).

I'm also very interested in literary fiction that does a bit of genre mashing. Think Station Eleven, The Last Policeman (one of my favorite books ever), or The Night Circus.

And there we have it. The adventure starts. Send me your books. Have a pitch? Email me. And I'll see you all at BEA. This time around though, it'll say "agent" on my tag.

Agent... Smith?

Oh dear.