If you want to write for kids, then you’re in luck!
Each year, children’s books generate nearly two billion dollars in revenue, and the market is growing every year.
You are reading: Literary agents children’s books
but with big size comes big competition. you’ll need a great agent to get your book published.
right now, agents from new york to california are opening their inboxes and twitter feeds. they’re looking for their next bestseller and they want your books.
here are 20 top agents currently looking for everything from board books to you. they are listed alphabetically and each was discovered through independent research for your browsing convenience.
- Illustrated books for young adults
- Timeless, speculative and fresh
As a writer’s house literary agent, Lindsay has spent years learning from the best in the business.
Now, you’re looking for children’s literature for all ages and genres. Graphic works are encouraged!
To find out firsthand what Lindsay is looking for, check out her interview with Johnell Dewitt!
but I’ll give you the main points here.
lindsay loves stories with animals as protagonists. books with a taste for storytelling to become instant classics that resonate with readers. worlds that are like ours and completely different at the same time.
Some of her favorite titles include:
- mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. o’brien
- kate dicamillo’s despereaux story
- fantastic mr. fox by roald dahl
- the play of the west by ellen raskin
- chapter books through middle grade
- dramatic, heroic and cunning
madelyn burt earned a master’s degree in medieval studies from fordham university only to discover that her love of stories and her passion for history were totally intertwined.
Currently, he works at the stonesong literary agency. she is looking for fiction and non-fiction children’s literature involving historical characters or events.
loves seeing writers bring museums, libraries, and cemeteries to life for young readers. stories with resourceful gravediggers and unseen thieves top their list, as well as stories involving young spies.
if you have an idea that you think would be perfect for madelyn, let her know! she will be attending the annual writers roundup conference in august 2020, located in new york city!
ttitles madelyn loves:
- ally carter’s gallagher girls
- a series of unfortunate events by lemony snicket
- picture books for young adults
- imaginative, inclusive and irresistible
erin casy is on the hunt for books that grab the reader and take them on a magical journey.
erin is a literary agent by trade and an adventurer at heart. When she’s not reading, she loves listening to the weekly podcast, The Adventure Zone.
It’s important to Erin that her books have vivid settings that children (and adults) can immerse themselves in. she is eager to bring characters with unique backgrounds into the spotlight.
would love a sports novel, anyone out there writing about an ultimate frisbee championship?
stories erin loves:
- avatar the last airbender
- steven universe
- picture books for young adults
- uplifting, adventurous and pet friendly
chelsea eberly was a senior editor at random house before joining the greenhouse literary agency.
She is primarily looking for middle grade and young adult manuscripts, but is always excited to receive an inquiry from a picture book author/illustrator. graphic stories are welcome!
To capture their attention, stories must have full actors and a touch of magic. he loves fantastic stories. his heart goes out to all the brave sidekicks who get swept up in the adventures.
Dogs, cats, and spotted guinea pigs are wonderful characters in their eyes, if done right.
Your holy grail would be a well-written fractured fairy tale or plot inspired by real people with amazing stories.
Some of her favorite novels include:
- when you catch a tiger by tae keller
- the lightning thief by rick riordan
- picture books for young adults
- twisted, fast-paced and theatrical
moe ferrara jumped into publishing before settling down with the literary team of bookends.
moe is interested in lgbt+ children’s books. she is not interested in coming out of the closet.
Instead, he wants to see individuals from all ends of the spectrum represented as great characters.
your cup of tea involves a creepy setting and characters with harrowing backstories. also enjoy stories where conflict surrounds problem resolution before mom or dad gets home!
moe is a big fan of comics. His favorite heroes are the ones who happen to be not so different from us.
Some of her favorite titles include:
- Jack (Not Jackie) by Erica Silverman
- Coraline by Neil Gaiman
- Lords of the Underworld by Gena Showalter
Learn how to edit and publish your children’s book in this online course. - Go at your own pace through 30 videos
- Learn how to self-publish or find a publisher
Learn how to edit and publish your children’s book in this online course.- Illustrated books for young adults
- lyrical, visionary and humorous
abigail first learned about the agency when she was working at the writers house. he now he is happy to be a member of the sanford j. greenburger literary agency.
Abigail wants concept giants with laughs and a little tug at the heart.
it’s a perfect fit for a romcom already or mg and loves that the writers aren’t afraid to tackle ideas related to gender roles.
For picture books, enjoy well-crafted rhymes and characters with larger-than-life personalities.
For details on submitting Abigail and her tips for authors, check out her interview with Kathy Temean.
See Also: Recommended Books for 11 Year Olds (6th Grade) – Imagination Soup
Books you could read over and over again include:
- nate better than ever by tim federle
- tuck everlasting by natalie babbit
- the poet x by elizabeth acevedo
- medium level
- magical, emotional and mysterious
stephanie fretwell-hill is an agent for red fox literary agency in north carolina.
You have always liked folk stories and fairy tales. your manuscript wish list is full of them! Plus, he loves puzzle books that read at an exciting pace.
stephanie is also interested in representing middle grade non-fiction authors.
For non-fiction, look for books with a combination of commercial and classroom appeal. it is open to any topic, mainly biographical stories.
Some titles he loves include:
- west of the moon by margi preus
- doll bones by holly black
- the parker legacy by varian johnson
- the thirteen by christina soontornvat
- mid grade to young adult
- creepy, insightful and truthful
sarah gerton is an agent for curtis brown ltd out of nyc.
want stories that are read with the lights on for young audiences. tales of the same magical stuff as goosebumps.
something he looks for in the books is the idea that people sometimes create the scariest monsters.
sarah is also looking for non-fiction! Her main interests are historical pieces and memoirs, but she is open to anything that makes for solid reading.
some of sarah’s favorites include:
- a monster calls by patrick ness
- symphony for the city of the dead by m.t. anderson
- fun house by alison bechdel
- picture books for young adults
- enlightening, exciting and magical
adria goetz represents children’s literature, gift books and christian novels under the literary direction of martin.
In general, look for graphic or genre-bending works from unique perspectives.
His favorite thing is when a book makes you laugh and then makes you think. he also has a soft spot for romantic comedies and mermaids. your best choice right now would be an undergraduate degree or undersea romance degree.
In an interview with Justin Colon, Adria added that she would love to read a graphic novel related to food and some other interesting selections.
Adria’s main titles include:
- love reception by kelly yang
- green glass house by kate milford
- confessions of an imaginary friend by michelle Cuevas
- rice from heaven by Tina Cho
- picture books through you
- sharp, smart and twisted
bibi lewis seeks genre stories and literary works alike.
He is an agent for Ethan Ellenberg and his tastes are more commercial than academic.
He loves getting involved with characters in a high-stakes adventure. it’s even better when the characters can prove that they are more than they seem (for better or worse). a villain that no one would pick from a lineup is worth bonus points.
Watch for Bibi at the 2020 Writer’s Digest Conference, August 13-16 at her home in New York City.
Books Bibi loves include:
- harriet the spy by lousie fitzhugh
- veronica mars by rob thomas
- picture books for young adults
- witty, mathematical and enigmatic
james mcgowan has been with literary bookends since 2015. he has worked with children’s literature through adult works but has always come back to children’s literature.
james wants stories with humor. things that will make kids pick up their book again and again, because they can’t remember all their favorite pages!
is open to fiction and non-fiction. loves books that include fun facts or serious topics. books to inspire young scientists!
some of james’s favorite books/movies:
- hotel transylvania
- the incredibles
- good night now! by jory john
- neck & neck by elise parsley
- picture books through you
- enterprising, diverse and loud
natascha has worked all over the publishing world. most notably including working on simon & schuster before discovering her passion for working with emerging authors.
This includes underrepresented authors and their stories. looking for characters who are ambitious and defy the norm. Natascha loves seeing enterprising kids with dreams larger than life.
Graphics are also highly recommended for middle grades! things that bridge the gap between fantasy and reality in new ways that appear on the page.
To get a better idea of what Natascha likes, check out her interview with Natalie Aguirre. she talks about her fascination with mermaids, her take on editing, and more.
books that natascha will always love:
- don’t date rosa santos by nina moreno
- kim liggett’s year of grace
- neil gaiman’s graveyard book
- medium grade
- realistic, historical and family-focused
stefanie is co-founder of the literary agency full circle and has more than 25 years of experience in the publishing world.
You are interested in graphic novels and mid-grade realistic fiction.
loves 3d characters that have full personalities, interests, and quirky family members. works that trace family lineages are of special interest.
To learn more about what makes Stefanie choose a manuscript, check out her interview with scbwi.
if you want to see stefanie in person, she’ll be at a variety of events (some with free admission!) in 2020. details are on stefanie’s website.
The books that stefanie loves include:
- Confetti Girl by Diana Lopez
- Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal
- Stack the Cats by Susie Ghahremani
Get insider tips on how to get an agent and get your children’s book published.
- lots of editing tips
- how to write a query letter for an agent
- how to work with an illustrator
- picture books through you
- sweet, surprising and selfless
a local san francisco PR expert turned agent: meet jennifer march soloway.
She is part of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and loves the magic of children’s books.
It’s important to Jennifer that her characters are relatable, even if their situations are strange or surreal. child protagonists who might do the wrong thing, but had all the right intentions.
scbwi’s interview with jennifer is a great place to go if you want to learn more about jennifer.
then head over to twitter to find out which conferences you’ll be attending. I’ll give you a head start, the San Francisco Writers Conference and the Atlanta Writers Conference are on their list!
Books that stick with Jennifer’s mind include:
- grace for president by kelly dipucchio
- the hand that feeds you by a.j. rich
- Illustrated books through you
- colorful, reflective and interpretive
after nearly a decade working in the editorial department of harpercollins children’s books, laurel switched to agent.
Now working for the dubbed agency, he’s looking for everything from historical picture books to fantasy books.
want to know about the overlooked heroes of the past, think about hidden figures of margot lee for kids.
Laurel’s tastes are more commercial than literary, but her door is always open to an exceptional story.
Books at the top of the laurel list:
- to all the boys i’ve loved before by jenny han
- jackaby by william ritter
- the incomparable ivan from k.a. applegate
- picture books through you
- brave, wild and strange
brent taylor is an agent for the triadaus literary agency. His views on children’s literature can be best elucidated in an interview with Johnell DeWitt.
I’ll give you the main takeaways here.
brent’s favorite age to look at books is 8-12 years old.
want to know about wild adventures and out of this world experiences. the day-to-day events for underwater aliens and superpowered dogs.
He is also a big fan of graphic works and novels.
For this age group, he wants stories that encompass the awkwardness of first crushes and have dragon guts all over your prom dress.
brent is also interested in non-fiction works for all ages if they have scientific or practical themes.
books brent loves:
- prince & knight by daniel haack
- pies from nowhere by dee romito
- the penderwicks by jeanne birdsall
- picture books through you
- lyrical, dark and funny
andrea walker works at the olswanger literary agency. she is looking for beautifully dark books for children of all ages.
melodic and rhyming books that children will read again and again are what andrea is currently looking for.
Anything that makes connections between our world and the underworld is of interest. grave robbers, ghosts and talking spiders are welcome here. Andrea has a soft spot for talking animals in general.
Andrea’s main titles include:
- the land of yesterday by k.a. reynolds
- anything by neil gaiman
- mid to high grade
- layered, honest and epic
roseanne wells is looking for stories that are layered like onions. nothing too sweet, but completely honest with the reader.
roseanne lives in new york where she works with the jennifer de chiara literary agency. She loves meeting various authors and listening to her queries.
likes stories about grumpy rats living in the basement or first-person stories that mix literature and genre.
exceptional non-fiction books on stem, science, or the arts also pique their interest.
To learn more about what Roseanne is looking for, check out her interview with Karen Schechner.
books roseanne loves:
- six of crows by leigh bardugo
- nikki grimes planet high school
- picture books through middle grade
- family-focused, feminist, and innovative
charlotte wenger is an agent for a prospecting agency. Before becoming an agent, she traveled the publishing world as a teacher, editor, and promoter.
notably, she was associate editor of page street kids for two years.
loves simple stories with big messages. sports narratives and biographies are among his best choices. gets excited when he sees a plot take off and start moving off the road on the page.
You can’t turn down a well-written title with a strong female lead and a family focus, especially if you come from an underrepresented background.
charlotte’s favorite titles include:
- jessie oliveros keepsake balloons
- ann brashares sisterhood of traveling pants
- brunette girl dreaming by jacqueline woodson
It’s a new year and agents are ready to hear from you! they want your book to be a bestseller as much as you do.
Do you know of any child agents we haven’t mentioned? if so, please leave their names in the comments. the more the merrier!
about the author:
hello! I’m down here!
my name is grace giska. I am a creative writing undergraduate student and the author of three novels, one of which I really like. During my free time, I love to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book.
See Also: Top 10 Best Patricia Cornwell Books – Honest Readers