One typo isn't something to stress too much over!I added a link to Mr. Malk's Twitter and updated a few things. What kind of manuscripts would you like to see more of? The Children's Book Podcast. Fiction/Mystery B. Harper The Inquisitors Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, written by Adam Gidwitz (Newbery Honor) Listen HERE That's a lot to think about. Genres: Commercial Fiction. For a long time, I thought I would always be a bookseller and work in a bookstore. Follow Andrea on Twitter here. Yes, its quite uncommon for me to send something out especially by a first-time writer and not ask for revisions first. Casey, like Beth, I've been saving and printing out hard copies of all the Agent Spotlights I'm interested in querying, so when I do start querying, everything I need will be at my fingertips. Steven Malk (@stevenmalk), literary agent at Writers House, stops by the podcast to answer your questions and to talk communication, giving back to things that inspire you, and how to identify the mark of a good book. Updated Mr. Malk's sales, photo, and added an AWESOME interview to the "Worth Your Time" section. When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed. Sign up for our Children's Bookshelf newsletter! Debut Author Interviews and Agent/Author Guest Posts, The Unforgettable Logan Foster or The Unforgettable Logan Foster and the Shadow of Doubt through February 25th, Wish Big Giveaway Hop-$10 Amazon Gift Card through February 28th, Bethany Fulk Query Critique through March 4th, Heather Villa, Rosemary Stimola & Celeste Lim Guest Post, Danielle Chiotti & Andrew Brumbach Guest Post, Tina Wexler and Jessica Lawson Guest Post, Sarah Davies & Jessie Humphries Guest Post, Writing Careers: Business of Being a Writer, February Favorites Giveaway Hop-Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift Card, Writing Flawed Characters by Agent/Author Claire Friedman and M.K. Copyrighted Content. Or watch this video about Molly on YouTube. The last step of a books journey takes place when it enters the hands of an eager reader. There are conferences and Writers Market books available for adult genres too. [Click here to see all Mark Malatesta reviews], Fiction/General J. Jago I spent so many years as a bookseller, agent, and general childrens book enthusiast, and I always have loved recommending books to people. I started working at my parents' store when I was 16 and did that for six years. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Memoir/Women L. Lehr I want to represent books that make a difference in a kids life or even changes a life, because all of us in the business believe that books can change peoples lives, says Steven. Many thanks, Steven. Lia has her beloved Dimitri by her side, but . To read more comments about this agent, or to leave comments of your own, become a QueryTracker member. If an author takes the agents comments and incorporates them in to the manuscript, theres an unwritten obligation to go back to that agent before sending it elsewhere. New York, NY 10271. Twitter: @StevenMalk. But with the rise of #BookTok a hashtag on the social media platform TikTok devoted to all things literature readers are just as likely to be thumbing through these short video clips as they are to be thumbing through a paperback. I feel really honored and grateful to be a part of their life in some way., Another of her clients, Jonathan Levi, wrote his novel Septimania 25 years after the publication of his first book, A Guide for the Perplexed. Writing is no different. I also highly recommend that every writer read DEAR GENIUS: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom. It was great to meet Stephen and learn more about his end of the publishing world. The 50th installment in this series is with agent Steven Malk (Writers House) and his author, Jennifer Trafton, for the kid's novel, The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic (Dec. 2010)a book that received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was called "a funny, witty read" by The Chicago Tribune. But there were two problems. Do you ask for edits from a perspective client before you sign them on? Publisher: Hyperion (June 1, 2010) Gossip Girl goes to college in this tart satire of the class of 2014, centering on four mixed-up Dexter College freshmen who stumble through their first semester trying on life, love, and drugs. I came home and on my copy I found one word misspelle, I switched a e and l in desperately, in the title of one of my pages!!!! Its important to educate yourself about the field youre working in as much as possible, and to look at both old and new titles. I can say with a lot of confidence that the offer is going to be higher. You see gay and lesbian characters and issues and challenges all over the place now, Baldi says. Opportunities for Writers: February 2023 Calls for Submissions, 25 Sensory Writing Prompts to Improve Detail & Description. But that person still has to be trained in how to dance and how to capture an audience., Similarly, she says, even the most talented writers must learn to craft a book proposal and a query letter and hone all the other skills that go into writing a book. Research the literary agency. This allegory packs a punch. This is a great profile! While I was in college, I interned at an agency and realized that it brought all of my interests together: getting to interact directly with writers and artists and be a part of their creative process, while also managing the business side of their careers. He notes that writers sometimes get discouraged, feeling like their first book needs to be a bestseller. This really makes me want to dig into some Malkmus interviews to find that answer because I'm curious, myself. Thanks Casey and Steven for all of your time putting this together. Believe in yourself, and believe that publication can happen it will happen. People who arent just sitting down and filling a few notebooks, and then deciding that theyve now written a book, she says. The most exciting thing for me has always been reading a voice Ive never read before, coming across a perspective, point of view, or experience thats different and new. Loved it. Thank you! Do Writers House agents still reply to every query? Search tools to help you find the right agent for your book. Thanks a bunch!- Donna L Sadd. Its an incredible feeling., One client who dazzled him is picture book author and illustrator Corinna Luyken. Great questions and great answers! These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. No. Such an honest, thoughtful person and an example of what you should really look for -- and expect to get -- from your relationship with an agent. Alexa Stark joined Writers House in 2022, after ten years at Trident Media Group. Thanks so much for doing them--love them! You gave lots of good advicevery encouraging for beginning authors. For off-site access, click here. You should demonstrate that, just like with any job. I love music, history, and sports, so Im always receptive to books that touch on those subjects as well. Resist the urge to hit save on your manuscript and immediately start sending out emails to anyone whos accepting submissions. A.S. King, author of Printz-winning novels Dig and Please Ignore Vera Dietz and many more. Biden Super Bowl Interview Will Take Place After All, With Streaming Outlet Fox Soul Must Read Music . Book Agent Steven Malk opened a West Coast office for Writers House in 1998, and represents a wide range of authors and illustrators, including Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith, Marla Frazee, Kadir Nelson, Sara Pennypacker, Jennifer Donnelly, Brett Helquist, Sonya Sones, Adam Rex, Deborah . Agent Interview - Steven Malk Can you tell us a little about yourself? Thanks again for a wonderful agent profile - my list of potential agents to query keeps growing. And theres the really basic stuff of just being professional. Its been done. If youre going to study architecture, she adds, keep a journal the better to write the book shes longing to represent. The woman behind the icon known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the undisputed Queen of Halloween, reveals her full story filled with intimate bombshells-told by the bombshell herself. When we asked what Poets & Writers could do to support their writing practice, time and again writers expressed a desire for a more tangible connection to other writers. Again, I would say great voice, unique, well-developed characters, and good writing. Even if it takes you an extra 6 months, year, or 3 years to break through, in the scope of an entire career, thats nothing if it means doing it right. Dragons_Malk . Its the type of book I gravitate to, she says, a story told in a new and different way that can really open your eyes about a subject, but everyone thought it very academic and unpublishable. She sold it for a modest advance in 1992; since then, the book has earned out its advance many times and continues to earn royalties. He works out of the San Diego office, which he opened for Writers House in 1998. This sounds obvious, but Im always surprised by how many writers havent read beyond a few classics or popular titles. Showing 17 agents that match your search. Leave Me Alone!, illustrated and written by Vera Brosgol (Caldecott Honor) Listen HERE We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. He believes the best work comes from a personal place for someone. For a while, everybody wanted ABC books, something sweet. Agent Steven Malk as a teenager working in his parents bookstore, The White Rabbit. On any given Thursday, you can go into a karaoke bar and listen to people sing, she says, and usually theres one person who really slams the cover song. I hope things worked out with your query. Looking for growth in a flexible environment? An amazingly experienced publisher in the world of literary fiction, and theyve done a beautiful job of publishing it, Pande says of the company. Hannah started as an intern in the New York office before becoming Steven Malk's assistant. Your parents moved to San Diego in the 1970s and opened The White Rabbit. Right now, shes particularly interested in narrative nonfiction such as Justine Gubars Fanaticus: Mischief and Madness in the Modern Sports Fan and historical fiction like Donald Smiths The Constables Tale, a crime novel set in colonial America. Where is this book falling apart, where are characters not yet three-dimensional, where is the voice not yet authentic? she explains. Thanks for posting this. The author as all-powerful being is way off. And I think I wouldve been really happy doing that. Listen to her First Draft interview here. Others advise writers to sit down with agents at writing conferences to pitch their projects. Geri Thoma's list leaned in the direction . Look for them to be fully updated in 2023. Zeke Pea is a Xicano storyteller and cartoonist from El Paso, TX. Love it. My favourite bit of Elise Parsley's inspiring story was this humble sentence Its really crazy to think that a month ago, nobody knew who I was, and now several people do! :-) JJ. Im just so happy to be a part of it, Pande says. does not support javascript or you have it disabled. Agent statistics, detailing how long each agent typically takes to respond to a query. Steven Malk is a book agent with Writers House. Is it worth the time to try and (hopefully) produce a buzzy bestseller? Great interview. Thank you, Steven, for taking the time to answer our questions! I LOVE THESE!I don't comment often on them, because I don't really have anything to add, but I wanted to let you know that I've got nearly all of them starred in my Google Reader and am sacving them for when i start querying. If you wish to submit to Steve Malk in our San Diego office, queries may be addressed to: Writers House. active projects and more for Steven Malk and 80,000+ other executives and producers. Wonderful interview. I was just reading through this page again to remind myself who I'm aiming for. Click here to retrieve reset your password. Scroll below now to viewthe AAR statusand a complete profile for Steven MalkFREE in our BookAgents Directory. Language: English. Theres so much interesting material out there., Unter also represents numerous childrens authors, including Sue Fliess and Christopher Pike. He is the third generation of his family to be involved in childrens books, as both his mother and grandmother owned childrens bookstores. She lives near Saint Paul, Minnesota where she enjoys gardening, biking, and reading good books. Picture Book Illustrators. He has 13 years of experience. Its a very different market than when I started. Already a member? Just pick those agents that you actually think will do the best job, she says. Instead, she wrote and told him she thought they were meant to work together, and asked if hed be open to seeing something else when it was ready. You do your homework and spend a lot of time on your query letter, and include in your query why you are querying me, and what makes you think our agency is particularly suitable for your book., She advises authors not to send out 100 queries at once. We JUST discovered your podcast and happily no gratefully listened to our first one ever with my husbands agent, Steve Malk.