Agents looking for fairytales?

[Sleeping_Beauty]

Hi all! I'm new here. I'm querying a YA novel that is not a fractured fairy tale, but is inspired by fairy tale mythos, and incorporates a huge amount of their themes.

So, my question: does anyone know of any agents that are actively looking for fairy-and-folk-inspired novels, or even any agents that like them? It's harder to make a list of them than I thought. I've found a few, like Sarah LaPolla, but not as many as I'd like.

Thanks in advance! ^__^

[cate townsend]

Welcome to AW, Sleeping Beauty. It sounds like you should be looking for agents who represent fantasy. That should bring you up a long list to start from. Good luck!

[Cyia]

Fairy tale retellings are EVERYWHERE at the moment, which means your odds of finding an agent willing to rep one are pretty good.

[Drachen Jager]

Fairy tale retellings are EVERYWHERE at the moment, which means your odds of finding an agent willing to rep one are pretty good.

Change 'good' to 'bad' and you're probably closer to the mark.

By the time a trend is really apparent in the bookstore most agents will likely have moved on and started looking for the NEXT big thing. Remember it takes about a year for a book to go from query to bookshelf, so agents have to be that far ahead of the curve.

[RainbowDragon]

Sent you a PM. Retellings and fairy tale inspired stories that are original are different genres, really, and I think retellings have been more "in" lately.

This makes the original fairy tales harder to break in with. I think part of the problem could be that new fairy tales that adhere to traditional structure feel very familiar in a market that trends toward the next "new" thing.

I haven't yet figured out how to transcend this bias against even getting a full read.

Careful research and luck are the best we can hope for.

Not to be a downer, but the odds of getting an agent for any book are likely to be less than 5%, and pretty much definitely less than 10%. Statistically speaking. Longevity is the key; stay in the game long enough and you get more chances. This often means years. You have to love it.

:)

[strandedhero]

Aww, I love fairytales and sorta have a retelling on the back burner, I hope you are able to find an agent for yours! Definitely let us know if you do.