I'm looking for a literary agent who works in St. louis

Domensic

Registered
Joined
Jan 12, 2021
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Number one thing first I'm not a minority so if it's like a black or women only publishing opportunity it won't work for me. secondly I want someone who's local. thirdly it has to be someone who works with children's books specifically something that would be three to five pages typed. fourthly they must be able to provide me with an illustrator. Does anyone know of any literary agents who fit this criteria and they don't necessarily have to be local. I just want a local agent. I don't know why I just feel more comfortable with a local person. You hear about New York or Chicago, but I don't know of any literary agents working out of a St. Louis publisher. That is if they work for publishers IDK. I'm also looking for a local publisher that fits the same criteria.
 

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,883
Reaction score
7,171
Location
Virginia
There's a reason most agents are based in big cities - it's because that's where most of the major publishing houses are located.

Strongly suggest you head over to querytracker.net, join up (it's free) and start a search with your (very) particular criteria in mind. Unfortunately, if you want to search by location, you'll have to buy a premium membership.
 

Roxxsmom

Beastly Fido
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 24, 2011
Messages
23,079
Reaction score
10,776
Location
Where faults collide
Website
doggedlywriting.blogspot.com
How many agents who handle children's literature but only take women or PoC are there in St. Louis or anywhere else? An agent posting a wish list on social media isn't the same thing as them saying they only accept work from people of a particular demographic.

Is there a particular reason why this agent must be in this city? Many, if not most, authors live in a different part of the country from their agent. Agents used to be overwhelmingly concentrated in cities with lots of publishing houses, like NY, SF etc., but with the internet changing the way people share information, agencies are popping up all over. However, there is no need for an agent to be in the same city as their clients, and to my knowledge, there never has been.

I second the advice to try Querytracker, as they allow you to search and sort for agents based on the type of books they accept, and if you pay for the special membership you can do more advanced searches. QT also has forums where people discuss agencies, andswer questions about querying, and critique one another's query letters.
 

mccardey

Self-Ban
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 10, 2010
Messages
19,212
Reaction score
15,821
Location
Australia.
Number one thing first I'm not a minority so if it's like a black or women only publishing opportunity it won't work for me.

Okay.
secondly I want someone who's local.

Have you considered why this matters to you? You're hamstringing yourself quite considerably. I'm in Australia and the best agent I've ever had is in London, and we don't have any issue with meet-ups and communications - most of which would be happening remotely anyway, now...
thirdly it has to be someone who works with children's books specifically something that would be three to five pages typed.
That's an easy one. Check out agents inthe Usual Places: they'll say what kind of books they rep on their websites.
fourthly they must be able to provide me with an illustrator.
The publisher usually provides the illustrator.
Does anyone know of any literary agents who fit this criteria and they don't necessarily have to be local. I just want a local agent. I don't know why I just feel more comfortable with a local person. You hear about New York or Chicago, but I don't know of any literary agents working out of a St. Louis publisher. That is if they work for publishers IDK. I'm also looking for a local publisher that fits the same criteria.

You have to start that search on your own - a good idea is to look are very recently published books in your genre and find out (either in Acknowledgements or through google) who reps that writer. I'm assuming you've had a look here on AW in the pages specifically for children's books?

The agent doesn't work for the publisher, or vice versa - they are different entities. And if you go and have a look at https://absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?11-Writing-For-Kids, you might find a lot more info specific to you needs. (For instance, I'm not entirely sure that picture-books go through agents. Down here, I think the author deals directly with the publisher.)
 
Last edited:

mrsmig

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
9,883
Reaction score
7,171
Location
Virginia
And by the way: agents don't work for publishers. They sell to publishers.

Respectfully, I think you should do a lot of research before you start querying. There are people on the fringes of the publishing business who prey on eager authors who haven't done their due diligence. I suggest a trip over to AW's Bewares, Recommendations and Background Check subforum, where you should read the stickies entitled "How Real Publishing Works" and "General Tips about avoiding/dealing with scammers."
 

Laurel

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 27, 2016
Messages
63
Reaction score
6
I agree with the feedback you've already gotten. There probably aren't a lot of agents in your area, possibly none that meet your criteria, and there's no reason not to broaden your search. Agents don't work for publishers, and they don't supply illustrators. If a publisher offers you a deal, the publisher will select the illustrator. You probably won't find a lot of publishers in your area, either.

Based on your description, I'm assuming you've written a picture book. "Children's book" is a broad term that includes board books, picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, etc., so it's good to be specific. Not all agents who represent children's books take on picture book clients, especially author-only picture book clients, but some do. Make sure you've researched things like manuscript formatting, wordcount expectations, and art notes, as these can be common issues. It's also smart to get critiques from writers who are familiar with picture books. The common advice is to wait until you have three polished picture book manuscripts before querying agents. You'll usually only query one at a time, but if an agent is interested, he or she will probably want to see more before signing you.

If you have more questions about picture books, you might try posting in the children's section of this forum. You could also consider joining the SCBWI or posting on their forum.
 

mccardey

Self-Ban
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 10, 2010
Messages
19,212
Reaction score
15,821
Location
Australia.
How many agents who handle children's literature but only take women or PoC are there in St. Louis or anywhere else? An agent posting a wish list on social media isn't the same thing as them saying they only accept work from people of a particular demographic.
I’ve noticed a lot of (white) male writers at the moment having a bit of insecurity about the fact that many excellent agents are currently stressing their interest in stories from non-white-male authors which they read as a refusal to look at work from white male authors. It isn’t, of course. It’s just saying that the white male author might need to operate on a level playing field, just for the moment.
 

Maryn

Sees All
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
55,446
Reaction score
25,466
Location
Snow Cave
I’ve noticed a lot of (white) male writers at the moment having a bit of insecurity about the fact that many excellent agents are currently stressing their interest in stories from non-white-male authors which they read as a refusal to look at work from white male authors. It isn’t, of course. It’s just saying that the white male author might need to operate on a level playing field, just for the moment.
The poor dears.
 

Cephus

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 1, 2018
Messages
259
Reaction score
66
You really need to understand how the publishing industry works. Agents, at least until recently, got together with publishers in person and that's why most of them are based in New York, because that's where most of the big publishing houses are based. You don't need an agent next door. They don't want to see you. They are not your friend, although most will want to form a friendly working arrangement. They just want your work so they have something to sell to publishing houses. It's how they stay in business.
 

Sonya Heaney

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 16, 2019
Messages
565
Reaction score
85
Location
Canberra
Publishing is not local friends meeting up for coffee. It just isn't. It's a business, and many authors never meet most of the people they work with face to face. It's A LOT more indifferent an industry than that. Your book is a product you're all working on. It's not something you get together and socialise over - NOBODY I've worked with in publishing lives within hours of me.