Agent Spotlight: Steven Malk

This week's Agent Spotlight features Steven Malk of Writers House, LLC.
Status: Open to submissions.
About: “Steven Malk is the third generation of his family to be involved in the children's book industry. The son and grandson of children's booksellers, he worked at his parents' bookstore all through high school and college and entered the world of agenting immediately after graduating from UCSD in 1995. He opened a west coast office for Writers House in 1998, where he represents a wide range of authors and illustrators, including Jon Klassen, Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith, Mac Barnett, Marla Frazee, Kadir Nelson, Ruta Sepetys, Colin Meloy, Carson Ellis, Jennifer Donnelly, Matt de la Pena, Cynthia Rylant, Adam Rex, Sara Pennypacker, Loren Long, Bob Shea, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Nikki McClure, Sonya Sones, and many others.” 
About the Agency:
"Al Zuckerman, a former novelist, TV writer, and teacher of playwriting at Yale, is the founder of Writers House. One of the largest literary agencies in the world, Writers House provides an extraordinary amount of individual client attention combined with the benefits of full service foreign rights, subsidiary rights, and contracts departments. We house an accounting department equipped to provide forensic royalty and financial analysis, as well as a digital department focusing on the ever-changing technological landscape of contemporary publishing. Home to more than a dozen senior agents and several rising junior agents, we work individually as well as collectively and take full advantage of the unparalleled depth of experience we embody. Some of our agents started here as assistants, while others have joined us from other parts of the business, bringing editorial, bookselling, writing, and legal experience. We also pride ourselves on the stability of our firm. Many of our agents have been here together for more than 20 years, as have many of our clients. Writers House is a name which reflects our vision for our authors and ourselves. Our goals are long term, and the environment we strive to create is one that invites authors and agents to stay with us for the duration of their careers." (Link)
Web Presence:
Writers House website.
AgentQuery.
QueryTracker.
What He's Looking For: Genres / Specialties:
Children's authors and illustrators, picture book through young adult. 
From a Q & A (07/2019):
"I love coming across a voice I haven’t read before. I love books that open windows into a wide range of experiences. Not many people know it, but I’m a huge fan of mysteries and read them in my spare time whenever I can. I’d love to find a great mystery, especially a mystery with real emotional stakes and a setting we haven’t seen before. I’ve always been a big fan of flawed or unreliable narrators as protagonists. I love music, history, and sports, so I’m always receptive to books that touch on those subjects as well." (Link)

From a Q&A (05/2010):
"My general philosophy is always that I don’t look for specific things, but rather strong, original voices that I haven’t read before, whatever genre they may fall under.  That said, one thing I’ve noticed is that I’m seeing quite a few submissions that seem derivative of books or genres that are popular at the moment, which isn’t as interesting to me.  If anything, I’d much rather find the next Munro Leaf, Ruth Krauss, Beverly Clearly, or Judy Blume; I’m always in search of people who have an appreciation for the classics and are able to identify what was so special about those books, and bring that same quality to their own work, but in a way that’s completely their own and feels unique to them." (Link)
"I do represent fantasy, but it’s hard to specify a certain kind of fantasy that I’m most interested in. As with other genres, I’m just looking for a strong voice and well-developed characters.  I will say that for fantasy, world-building can be crucial, so it’s something that I keep my eye on very closely." (Link)
What He Isn't Looking For:
"I tend to see too much stuff that's derivative of whatever's popular at the moment; stuff that's trying to capitalize on a trend. I want manuscripts that would succeed and stand out independent of any time or place. I have no interest in what's ‘hot’ at the moment." (Link defunct)
His Advice to Writers:
"I can't stress enough how important it is to find the right agent for you as opposed to just any agent. I understand the impulse to want to get your work out there as quickly as possible, but it's important for writers to take a step back and take their time in making the decision about where to submit their work. A writer needs to figure out what he/she wants in an agent, and spend as much time possible trying to figure out who that is, rather than just shooting blind. Ideally, once you find an agent who likes your work, you've already done your homework and know a lot about them...." (Link defunct)
"Be professional. It's amazing to me how many people don't send a SASE, or write their cover letters in pencil with things misspelled, or send me something, then three weeks later send a whole new draft saying, ‘I sent you the wrong story.’ I really like a good cover letter—it makes an impression on me. But your work's going to speak for itself no matter what." (Link defunct)
Editorial Agent?
"Yes, it's quite uncommon for me to send something out - especially by a first-time writer - and not ask for revisions first. The market is more competitive than ever, and it's worth it to me to take the time to make something as polished as possible. The goal isn't just to sell a manuscript; it's to put it in the best possible position to succeed. And the better shape a manuscript is in, the more likely this is to happen." (Link defunct)
Clients:
Mac Barnett, Brian Biggs, Sheela Chari, Lena Coakley, Matt de la Pena, Peter de Seve, Kelly DiPucchio, Jennifer Donnelly, Carson Ellis, AG Ford, Marla Frazee, Gris Grimly, Brett Helquist, Stephanie Hemphill, Deborah Hopkinson, Amanda Jenkins, Jon Klassen, Loren Long,  Colin Meloy, Nikki McClure, Kadir Nelson, Kenneth Oppel, Sara Pennypacker, Greg Pizzoli, Aaron Renier, Adam Rex, Chris Rylander, Cynthia Rylant, Ruta Sepetys, Paul Schmid, Jon Scieszka, Bob Shea, Lane Smith, Sonya Sones, Yoko Tanaka, Amy Timberlake, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Deborah Wiles, Karma Wilson, David Yoo, Michelle Zink, Justina Chen, Jillian Tamaki, Amanda Gorman, Tui Sutherland, David Barclay Moore, Kelly Barnhill, Christian Robinson, Magdalena Mora, Shawn Harris, Luke Pearson, among others.
Query Methods:
E-mail: Yes.
Snail-Mail: Yes.
Online-Form: No.
Submission Guidelines (always verify):
E-mail: Query only.
Snail-mail: Query and SASE.
Query Tips:
"I just look for a query letter to be professional, concise, and to the point. It should include a good description of your work, and show that you have a good handle on your work as well as establish you as a professional..." (Link defunct)
Response Times:
His policy is to respond within two weeks, though response times fluctuate between minutes and several weeks.
What's the Buzz?
Steven Malk has a large list of award-winning and best-selling clients and is consistently a top dealmaker. He is very passionate about children’s literature and a great advocate for authors. You can find him annually at the SCBWI-LA conference and on Twitter @stevenmalk.
Worth Your Time:
Interviews:
What Agents Want at The Writer (07/2019).
Q&A with Children's Book Agent Steven Malk at Publishers Weekly (07/2019).
Steven Malk Podcast at All the Wonders (01/2017).
Steven Malk Podcast at Let's Get Busy (06/2015).
Q&A with Steven Malk here at Literary Rambles (03/2014).
Q&A with Steven Malk here at Literary Rambles (05/2010).
Please see Steven Malk's AgentQuery page or the Writers House website for additional contact and query information.
Profile Details:
Last updated: 12/29/2024.
Agent Contacted for Review? Yes.
Last Reviewed By Agent? 5/15/2020.
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Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7(at)gmail(dot)com

Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found herein is subject to change.