Monster List of Picture Book Agents--Jennifer Mattson of Andrea Brown Literary Agency

Trying to pull up information on agents that represent picture books has me thinking, it can be difficult to find enough information on an agent to tell whether or not they may be a good match for you and your writing. But, you have to do the best you can with what you find and take a chance. That's my submission philosophy anyway.

This month's addition to the Monster List of Picture Book Agents is Jennifer Mattson, one of the agents at the great Andrea Brown Literary Agency. There is not a ton of information on her but I did find tidbits about Jennifer's preferences in a few posts online.

You can find Jennifer Mattson's agent profile on the Andrea Brown Agents page. You can also see some representative deals.

There is a must read interview with Jennifer on Guide to Literary Agents: Agent Advice.

Janet Tuttle blogged about a workshop she went to that Jennifer gave. She talks a bit about picture books.

Jennifer did an auction critique. Her bio talks a little about what she loves in picture books.

You can find out how to submit to Jennifer Mattson on the Andrea Brown Literary Agency submission page. Note that the Andrea Brown Agency wants to see a full picture book manuscript and that no response in 6-8 weeks means that they are not interested. Jennifer is but one of the agents at Andrea Brown that represents picture books so take a good look at all of the agent bios on the agency website and choose wisely.

Jennifer Mattson represents Kim Norman and Linda Ashman.

12/14/2015 Update:

Jennifer is now on Twitter @jannmatt

There is also some good information on Jennifer in this post by Julie Hedlund.

This post is part of the Monster List of Picture Book Agents. If you have any changes that you think should be made to this listing, please contact me or leave them in the comments. Thanks!

Fun With Rejections!

Rejections—trees really shouldn’t be wasted on such horrible news. That bad writing juju needs to be recycled into something good. Yes, there’s the wallpaper option, but that’s so depressing. Why not use them for fun?

How can a rejection letter be fun?

1. Use them as a dartboard. “Sorry it’s not right for us,” is worth zip.
2. Put all your rejection letters in a binder so you can show your family and friends that yes, you actually do work. Watch the looks of dismay and confusion on their faces as you show off your personal rejections.
3. Make a happy-faced mask to hide those bad feelings rejection brings.
4. Rip them up and jump in them. Who needs leaves!
5. Cut out the words in your rejection letters and rearrange them into acceptances: Your manuscript is right for us. Sorry you are not accepting submission requests at this time. Best of luck with your publisher.
6. Decoupage something for a successful friend that needs to be reminded of what it feels like to not get what she wants.
7. Light a bonfire. Roast some marshmallows and make s’mores.  Your family will be begging you to get more rejections.
8. Stuff a pillow —or a mattress —or a friend’s mouth (see #6).
9. Make paper maché bookends to hold up others’ books that have been published. Every time you grab a book you’ll be reminded that successful authors have been rejected too.
10. Seal those form rejects in envelopes and mail them to others at random. If everyone knew how bluntly writers are rejected they might sympathize with us a little more.

If you can’t bear to do any of these things, put those rejection letters in a suitcase and take them on vacation. They’ll feel much better in paradise.

Resources for Picture Book Writers

I wanted to give all of my picture book writing friends a heads up. Susan Uhlig has put together a great list of resources for picture book writers. From Getting Started to Layouts and Standards to Revising. She even gave the Monster List of Picture Book Agents a heads up. But shameless self promotion aside, this is a great list! I plan to dive right in and study up. I don't think I can ever learn enough about writing picture books!

Monster List of Picture Book Agents--Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency

Kathleen Rushall is a newer agent who is still building her list, always a good opportunity for a writer looking to find an agent. But first, of course, you must figure out if she would be a good match for you.

You can read Kathleen's agent bio at the Marsal Lyon Literary Website where it states she "is open to unique, quirky picture books."

She talks a little bit about what types of picture books she is looking for in an interview at YA Fusion.

If you take a look at Kathleen's AgentQuery listing (she sent in the info herself) it's good to note that, "She looks for strong voices & characterizations, and is interested in multi-cultural stories."

In an older interview at Love YA from when Kathleen was with Waterside Productions, she gives some interesting, and still relevant, answers to how and why she became an agent and what kinds of books she likes.

Query letter info is one of the good things you will find in an interview with Kathleen at Deana Barnhart's blog.

Kathleen is scheduled to speak at the Central California Writer's Conference in April 2012, and I found her bio to be informative.

At QueryTracker a few picture book writers have left some priceless nuggests of pb rejection info.

You can find Kathleen Rushall on Twitter @katrushall

Marsal Lyon Literary accepts electronic queries and hard copy submissions. Check out their submission guidelines.

I could not find any actual picture book authors that Kathleen represents, but I do know that she really likes Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake by Michael B. Kaplan. How do I know? I read it on twitter. Join in if you haven't already!














This post is part of the Monster List of Picture Book Agents. If you have any changes that you think should be made to this listing, please contact me or leave them in the comments. Thanks!

Running into Kidlit Peeps, Right Here On My Mountain

You may already know this, but I live on a secluded mountain in the state of Washington. Needless to say, I don't get the opportunity to hang around with many writers, let alone kidlit writers. And I certainly doubt I will ever run into any agents or editors around here...or will I?

Well, maybe not in person, but that's why there's Twitter. Maybe you're on it already so you know what I'm talking about. But if you're not, I suggest you give it a try. I've learned a lot about different agents and what they're looking for. I've gotten to ask editors questions. I've even been asked to submit something to a publisher! But best of all, I get to "hang out" with writers. Now that may sound silly, but it's true. I can just  turn on Twitter and there are writers right here at 3500 feet, chatting it up. I've made some good friends on Twitter too. That's not something I ever even considered when I reluctantly joined.

So, if you haven't tried Twitter, as you can see, there are lots of good reasons why you should. Don't know who to follow? Well, Twitter gives the capability to create lists, and as a professional list maker I just have to list everyone! Here are some of my lists that are good starting points for children's book writers and illustrators:

Kidlit writers: https://twitter.com/#!/heatherayris/kidlit-writers
(These people have taught me that kidlit writers are AMAZING!)

Illustrators: https://twitter.com/#!/heatherayris/illustrators(They all have rad avatars, because ILLUSTRATORS ARE COOL LIKE THAT.)

Kidlit agents: https://twitter.com/#!/heatherayris/kidlit-agents
(Some agents are so sharing and helpful on Twitter it is ridiculous. OF COURSE I MEAN THAT IN A GOOD WAY. They do #askagent chats for crying out loud! Just because they want to!)

Publishers: https://twitter.com/#!/heatherayris/publishers
(I try to keep this to publishers who do children's books, but a few adult only publishers may have snuck in there.)

You can follow an entire list if you like. Or you can go through the list and follow individuals. I would recommend that because chances are high that they will follow you back and then you can have a conversation. And that's what it's all about.

If you need some help just ask me. You can find me @heatherayris

This is Just a Test

My life seems to be experiencing a test of the Emergency Broadcast System.

I have so many things going on right now, I just can't seem to keep up! Of course, family comes first. Then writing. Those two responsibilities are demanding all of my time and attention right now. Plus the baby goat keeps escaping and jumping on the car! And our bees keep swarming and we have to chase the swarms down and capture them! And, well, you get the picture. I just keep telling myself that having so many demands on my time is only a test. (Insert annoying Emergency Broadcast System noise here!)

So, I'm going to have to postpone my Monster List post for now. I do have some news to share with you all soon so...

Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake--and I Love Betty Bunny!

My friend Stella recommended a book she'd heard about at the SCBWI New Jersey conference. She said it was hilarious. So, of course, I had to check it out. I was not disappointed. BETTY BUNNY LOVES CHOCOLATE CAKE is laugh out loud funny!

Michael B. Kaplan wrote some amazing lines in this book. From beginning to end, I have laughed every time I've read BETTY BUNNY LOVES CHOCOLATE CAKE. And I've read it quite a few times. In the beginning Betty Bunny doesn't even know what chocolate cake is. The way she refuses the cake then falls in love with it is quite entertaining. When she announces her love of cake, her brothers and sisters have the greatest comebacks. Every scene in the book has some little joke in it that is bound to entertain.

One thing I definitely noticed about this story, besides it being so funny, is that each character in this book is well rounded and has their own personality. There's a lot going on in such a short amount of text. Stéphane Jorisch's illustrations are playful and add just the right touch of comedy. With the sweet story and fabulous use of humor, there's at least one agent who would love to find a picture book like it.

A question I tried to answer by reading the book to various children is, do they get the humor? Some of it seems more for the adults reading to the kids. We can see the way kids act and the caricature rings so true. I mean, I crack up when I read it, while my little one laughs at some of the jokes. Before reading the book my guy did not know what a handful was, even though he is one. But he knows now. Nothing wrong with learning a new word (and that you're a handful). For sure different jokes tickled different kids' funny bones. It's kind of like what you see in movies like CARS and THE INCREDIBLES. Jokes for the adults as well as the kids. I like that it's a picture book that will appeal to adult readers. Any way we can encourage adults to read to kids is a good thing!

BETTY BUNNY LOVES CHOCOLATE CAKE is written by Michael B. Kaplan, illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch, and published by Dial Books for Young Readers.