Agent Linda Camacho
Linda Camacho is a senior literary agent at Gallt & Zacker Literary, where she has the pleasure of representing an incredible roster of writers and illustrators. Over her nearly two decades in publishing, she’s held various positions at Simon & Schuster, Writers House, and Penguin Random House. Linda received her MFA in writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and has a short story published in the YA anthology Every Body Shines by Cassandra Newbould.
She adores stories that make her feel in a big way, whether it’s elation, grief, fear, and everything in between. These days she’s seeking MG, YA, and adult fiction (particularly romance/women’s fiction, and literary horror) across all genres; she’s also seeking select picture book and graphic novel writer-illustrators.
Agent Erica Bauman
Erica Bauman is a literary agent at Aevitas Creative Management, and represents a wide variety of authors across middle grade, young adult, and commercial adult fiction, including acclaimed YA author Maria Ingrande Mora, New York Times Bestseller Kayla Cottingham, and Lambda Literary Fellow Naseem Jamnia.
Erica is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and has worked in the publishing industry since 2012. Prior to Aevitas, she worked at Spectrum Literary Agency.
Based in New York, Erica is most interested in commercial novels that feature an exciting premise and lyrical, atmospheric writing; imaginative, genre-blending tales; speculative worlds filled with haunting, quietly wondrous magic; fresh retellings of mythology, ballet, opera, and classic literature; sharply funny rom-coms; graphic novels for all ages; fearless storytellers that tackle big ideas and contemporary issues; and working with and supporting marginalized authors and stories that represent the wide range of humanity
Editor Kade Dishmon
Kade Dishmon (he/they) is an assistant editor at Holiday House. They’re seeking MG and YA fiction in the below genres. Kade’s tastes tend to skew darker tonally, and while they respond to both literary and commercial writing, they can’t resist gorgeous line-level prose. Immersive settings and messy (even chaotic) characters always manage to win them over. But above all else, Kade gravitate to stories with deep interiority and thematic heft.
Contemporary
- Stories exploring mental health themes that impact young people’s lived realities, including more stigmatized experiences (Note: while portrayals of characters struggling with these issues can be complex, they should also ultimately be sympathetic.)
- LGBTQIA+ stories of all kinds, especially from trans/nonbinary creators. As much as I love queer joy and the found family of queer friendships, I am also here for stories that reflect the challenges specific to this community.
- Stories that address the ways in which the political environment impacts young people within their families and communities
- Queer takes on popular tropes
Thriller
- Socially conscious thrillers, especially those that explore the way power structures impact who society believes and whose stories it values
- Campy slashers with some edge/a thematic undercurrent
- Thrillers with distinctive, fun settings that heighten the genre elements
Horror
- Horror exploring sociopolitical themes
- Horror that delves into the ways in which we’re haunted by grief, shame, guilt, or destructive societal forces
- Body horror and/or horror that explores bodily autonomy (told authentically in a non-exploitative way)
- Note: Ghost and witch books are tough for me at the moment due to recent acquisitions, although I am open to considering them
Speculative fiction set in our world (Think grounded contemporary fantasy, near-future cli-fi/dystopian still recognizably set in our own world, time loops, magical realism, campy/tropey/queer takes on supernatural creatures like vampires and werewolves)
Historical
- 90s-2000s historical fiction (What wouldn’t I do for 2000s emo culture historical?)
- LGBTQIA+ stories
- Historical fiction exploring activist history or periods of major social change
Across these genres, Kade is also open to novels in verse, and he prioritizes authentically told stories from voices underrepresented in publishing.
Agent Susan Hawk
Susan Hawk has worked in children’s books for over twenty-five years. Formerly a Director of Marketing at Penguin Books for Young Readers and Holt Books for Young Readers, she began agenting in 2010, joining Upstart Crow in 2017. She is delighted to work on books with accolades including the Stonewall Award Honor, the Mathical Prize, the Sid Fleishman Humor Award Honor, and the Int’l Literacy Assoc Children’s Book Award Winner. Her authors have received recognition such as Georgia Author of the Year, and from organizations like NPR, School Library Journal, the New York, Boston, and Chicago Public Libraries, and the Bank Street College of Education.
Susan specializes in books for children and teens, with a focus on young adult, middle grade, and graphic novels. She’s drawn to elegant, precise language and deeply drawn characters. The thru-line in her client’s work is a generous, wry humor that shines through even in the darker moments. Both literary and commercial work is welcome; she loves to be surprised and is actively seeking diversity in story as well as creators.
Her clients include NYT Bestseller S.E. Grove, author of the Mapmakers trilogy (Viking), Autumn Krause, author of Before the Devil Knows You’re Here (Peachtree), Rachel Elliott, author and illustrator of The Real Riley Mayes (Harper), and Ruth Spiro, author of over thirty picture books including the Baby Loves Science series and the new How to Explain Science to a Grown-Up series.
Editor Miloni Vora
Miloni Vora, Assistant Editor, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, joined Simon & Schuster in January of 2022, after interning at W. W. Norton, the Feminist Press, and various agencies. She assists Caitlyn Dlouhy on a range of picture books, middle grade, and young adult, and has worked on titles such as Out of My Dreams, You Are Loved, Twenty-Four Seconds From Now… The Broke Hearts, Stopping by Jungle on a Snowy Evening and many others. Regardless of genre and format, she loves stories with a strong, spunky, characters that make her laugh (and cry).
She specifically enjoys multigenerational family stories, stories about language and connection, and stories about healing and hope. Her favorite fantasy books are ones rooted in inclusive worldbuilding, particularly from non-European cultures, and featuring multiple protagonists who use humor as a coping mechanism. For middle grade, she loves reading shenanigans featuring the class nerd and the class clown, and for picture books she loves everything from grumpy toddlers to stories filled with stunning, lyrical prose.
She’s open to all genres and formats in the children’s space, and would love to see anything you’d like to share! Including but not limited to:
- Picture books, MG, YA
- Novels in verse
- Graphic Novels
- Fiction and nonfiction books
- Books that bend genres and play with format.
Miloni is particularly looking for books with writing styles that are a blend of commercial and literary, as well as books by authors of traditionally marginalized backgrounds, especially ones that play with intersectionality of identities, and people who are more than one identity, like being of multiple countries, multiple homes, multiple genders, or more than one label. Would also love to see anything you have featuring South Asian characters!
Editor Lydia Abel
Lydia Abel is an editor at Candlewick Press, who specializes in middle grade and young adult books. She is drawn to dynamic and bold fiction, particularly sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. She also has a deep love for nonfiction titles with an emphasis on topics that explore the connections between art and science, that ask big questions, and demonstrate respect for young readers by fostering curiosity and empowerment through books. Her particular interests include books that illuminate stories that have been previously overlooked, such as women and people of color who have contributed to science and history.
Editor Alyssa Eisner
Alyssa Eisner Henkin began her career in publishing the year that You’ve Got Mail was released. An earnest, book-loving, Upper West Side resident fresh out of U Penn and the Radcliffe Publishing Course, Alyssa channeled her best Kathleen Kelly when she got hired at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Her editing epoch taught her much of what she knows about book publishing. 1) Sign up for books you love. 2) Work hard to make people notice those books. 3) Never stop championing.
After seven years at S&S, Alyssa was yearning for creative work that was less corporate. Agenting proved the perfect blend of editor and entrepreneur. At Trident Media, where she worked for fourteen years and was made Executive Vice President, she had the privilege of shepherding bestselling and award-winning books by R.J. Palacio, Julie Berry, Ruth Behar, Lisa Greenwald and Jen Bryant. Followed by her clients, Alyssa took the ultimate leap in 2021.
She founded Birch Path Literary named after the throughfare in her beloved Anne of Green Gables. “Soul” proprietorship has only reaffirmed Alyssa’s commitment to her authors and illustrators and the safeguarding of their rights. Currently Alyssa is seeking more author-illustrators, more groundbreaking nonfiction, more cozy fantasy, and more conversation-starting, realistic fiction for all ages that fosters community, compassion, and inclusivity.
Agent Chelsea Hensley
Chelsea Hensley is an agent at Mad Woman Literary Agency representing a varied list of clients writing across ages and genres and a few who are also illustrating. She began her agenting career in 2020 and continues to build a list that reflects her own diverse tastes, from the lushest of fantasies to the tensest thrillers, steamy, hilarious romcoms to smart sci-fi, lyrical picture books to plucky middle grade, and imaginative, innovative horror to intelligent, deeply researched nonfiction. In all areas, Chelsea enjoys bold work from ambitious creators who share her unrelenting drive to succeed in a challenging industry.
In all areas Chelsea is looking for lyrical prose, voice that comes off the page, intricate plots, complex emotional arcs, and immersive worlds. She’d love to see some ambitious works that play with form and narration as well as works that blend genre, aren’t afraid to get a little weird, and surprise her. The bolder the better. Chelsea is also eager to find authors who write across multiple genres and age categories, so if you have ambitions to write beyond the project you’re currently querying, take a look at other areas of my wishlist and see if you may be a good fit for future works of yours, too.
Learn more at her website.
Agent Nicole Tugeau
Nicole Tugeau is the agent-owner behind Tugeau 2 Art and Literary. With 20 years (!) experience as both an agent and agency owner, she is still ecstatic about her ever-growing Agency and committed to working hard (and ethically) for the network of bestselling and award-winning authors and illustrators that surround her.
What Nicole enjoys most about being an Agent is the partnership-making, the friendships and, of course, the success stories. Nicole is a regular contributor to SCBWI and a growing number of colleges and universities that support the visual arts and the children’s publishing industry. She is also committed to the community of children’s agents and helped to found an independent agent network, KidLitAgents, that chats and zooms regularly to discuss industry, business and contractual topics.
Agent Jackie Kruzie
Jackie fell in love with books when her elementary school hosted its yearly Young Author’s Conference. For weeks leading up to the day, students were encouraged to write, draw, and create their books, and conference day was full of live readings, theatrical performances, and meet-and-greets with real authors. That early introduction to books prompted a life-long love of reading and writing.
Adult Fiction:
- Cozy
- Historical Fiction
- Horror
- Paranormal
- Romantasy
- Speculative
- Supernatural
- Western
- Women’s Fiction
- Young Adult/New Adult
Preferences:
Jackie loves grounded speculative fiction where characters must keep their abilities hidden as they strive to right wrongs and exist in a world where fear of the unknown and misunderstood is prevalent. She loves witches and has a soft spot for historical fiction with dual timelines where events from the past impact the present.
Jackie is a sucker for stories with a romantic element and enjoy when budding romances develop organically throughout the story. She would love to find characters with series potential where the story changes but the characters remain (Agatha Christie is one of her all-time favorite authors so think Miss Marple).
In Young Adult I want books that tackle tough topics and speak to those who feel invisible. Jackie welcomes diverse characters and would like to see more main LGBTQ+ characters in a setting where they exist without scrutiny and their sexuality isn’t the main issue but simply a component of the story.
Children’s Fiction:
- Board Books
- Chapter Books
- Middle Grade
- Picture Book
Preferences:
In Middle Grade Jackie looks for books that put kids in the driver’s seat and create lifelong readers. In BB & PB she likes punchy face-paced kid-focused books with no heavy moral. As a formal children’s librarian, Jackie looks for fun read-a-louds perfect for storytime.