Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1500204
D E PA R T M E N T 31 KEYFRAME AGENTS' SECRETS You've written and/or illustrated your book, and it might feel that after all the polishing and fine-tuning, the job is done. In fact, now the harder work begins: finding an agent. An agent is almost always essential since most editors at tra- ditional publishing houses will only accept agented material. An agent also negotiates your book deal for you and fights on your behalf for the best possible outcome, while you continue to concentrate on what is most important: creating. Junior Literary Agent Rachel Altemose advises that you study agency websites and agents' Twitter pages to see if they are taking on new clients and evaluate what kind of work they are interested in. Look for agents and publishers who specialize in your genre and study the books they represent to see if your work might be a good fit. Brandon Hoang, whose YA novel Gloria Buenrostro Is not My Girlfriend will come out this summer, recommends checking out Manuscript Wish List, a website that contains a database of agents and what they are looking to buy. "It's almost like a dat- ing profile," he says. While it can feel like a daunting task, doing the research is key to finding the right agent. "I had a massive spreadsheet where I tracked agents' contact information, follow-up guidelines, [and] what they wanted in a submission," says Callie C. Miller, author of the upcoming middle-grade novel The Hunt for the Hollower. opposite page clockwise from top: Rough page from the dummy for Anstee's No, No, Gnome!; detail from Chou's Group Hug; rough sketches from Singer's Wayward: Fractured Shadows. this page clockwise from top left: Interior art and cover image from Miller's The Hunt for the Hollower; the cover of Hoang's YA novel Gloria Buenrostro Is not My Girlfriend. H ave you dreamed up a great fictional character? Or maybe you have a story percolating inside you that feels like it should be on a page instead of a screen? Well, you're not alone. When they're not working away at their animation jobs, many of your fellow Guild members illustrate and/or write everything from picture books and graphic novels to middle grade and young adult (YA) prose novels. So how do you actually get a book deal? Do you reach out to an agent with a final manuscript? Can you just pitch an idea or show your portfolio? While everyone's path to getting a traditional book deal is a little differ- ent, there are some essential steps to follow. "I had a massive spreadsheet where I tracked agents' contact information, follow- up guidelines, [and] what they wanted in a submission." — Callie C. Miller SUMMER 2023 31 The Hunt for the Hollower property of Aladdin/Simon & Schuster. Gloria Buenrostro Is not My Girlfriend property of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.