Agent Spotlight: Wendy Schmalz

This week's Agent Spotlight features Wendy Schmalz of Wendy Schmalz Agency.
Status: Accepting submissions.

About the agent and agency: "Founded in 2002, Wendy Schmalz Agency is proud to represent YA and Middle Grade authors including award-winning bestseller April Henry, groundbreaking authors Julie Anne Peters and Ami Polonsky, acclaimed non-fiction writers, Sarah Miller (also a successful novelist), Seymour Simon and Albert Marrin, and critically-hailed novelist Katrina Leno." (Via email)
What She's Looking For:
Genres of Interest:
Children's fiction and nonfiction including middle grade, young adult (Link)
What She Isn't Looking For:
Adult fiction and nonfiction, picture books, fantasy, horror, science fiction, mysteries, or thrillers (Link) (Link)
Quotables:
"I want an open, honest give-and-take with my authors. It should be a close relationship and it’s just as important for me to like my authors as it is for me to like their work. I’m happy to work with my authors editorially. I’m not a good hand-holder and I don’t want to be anyone’s therapist." (Link)
Dislikes/Peeves:
"I hate it when people send manuscripts or writing samples without asking first. I will delete those without opening them or send them back unread if they’re sent by snail mail. I don’t like it when people start out their queries with statistics. I’m amused by letters that tell me I’ll regret it if I don’t read their novel because representing them will make me richer than rich (I don’t ask to read those –who wants to represent someone with an out of control ego?)" (Link)
Editorial Agent?
Yes. "I’m happy to work with my authors editorially." (Link)
Web Presence:
Wendy Schamlz Literary website.
Publisher's Marketplace page.
AAR page.
AgentQuery, QueryTracker.
Clients: You can find a list of Ms. Schmalz's clients on the agency website. They include
Alice Alexiou, Kathy Charles, Michael Delaney, Erik Esckilsen, Tanya Guerrero, John Maxwell Hamilton, April Henry,Marybeth Kelsey, Marlane Kennedy, Jason Little, Robin MacCready, Albert Marrin, Sarah Miller, Dean Pitchford, Bonnie Shimko, Sue Stauffacher, Leonard Todd, Michael Williams, among others.
Query Methods:
E-mail: Yes.  
Snail-Mail: No.
Online-Form: No.
Submission Guidelines (always verify):
E-mail your query with a synopsis included in the body of the e-mail. Do not enclose or attach the manuscript or sample chapters. She only responds if she's interested. (Link)
See the Wendy Schmalz Literary website for complete, up-to-date submission guidelines. 
Query Tips:
"What gets my attention is when someone says why they want me specifically to be their agent. It shows they’ve done their homework – that they know what sort of writers I represent and think we’d be a good fit." (Link)
Response Times:
Ms. Schmalz doesn't respond to e-mail queries unless interested.
What's the Buzz?
Ms. Schmalz has a good but quiet buzz on the Internet.  She's been representing authors for over 25 years and is taking on very few new clients as a result. She is currently open to submissions.   Her years of experience, sales history, and client list recommend her.  She's also a member of the AAR.
Worth Your Time:
Interviews:
7 Questions for Literary Agent Wendy Schmaltz at Middle Grade Ninja (03/2011).
Interview with Wendy Schmalz at The Five Randoms (05/2009).
Contact:
Please see the Wendy Schmalz Literary website for contact and query information.
Last updated: 5/29/2020.
Agent Contacted for Review? Yes
Last Reviewed By Agent? 6/8/2020.
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Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me atnatalieiaguirre7(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.