Agent Spotlight: Karen Grencik

This week's Agent Spotlight features Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary.
Status: Closed to submissions. As of 5/6/20 Ms. Grencik and the other agents at this agency are closed to submissions.
About: “Karen Grencik became a literary agent because of a man she admired. She wanted the world to know his story, so she set out to make that happen. Within a year she’d accomplished her goal. Double Luck, Memoirs of a Chinese Orphan, written by Lu Chi Fa with Becky White, was published by Holiday House in 2001.
"Over the next few years, Karen signed new clients and sold award-winning titles. Among the awards garnered by her authors are the Parents' Choice Gold Award for Best Non-Fiction, the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Best Picture Book Text, and the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best New Fiction.
"In June 2011 Karen joined forces with Abigail Samoun to open Red Fox Literary. She has been ranked by Publishers Marketplace as one of the Top 10 agents for children's book sales in both 2012 and 2013.
"Karen’s philosophy is simple: “When you choose to write children’s books, it’s just that—it’s a choice. You do it because you love it. You do it because it fills you with passion. You do it because it brings you joy. You are among the lucky ones who live life with purpose. But you also must do everything you can possibly think of to achieve your goals.
“And you must be nice.” (From the agency website)
About the Agency:
“The story of Red Fox Literary began way back in 2002 when a young, novice editor named Abigail Samoun acquired her very first picture book from a talented agent named Karen Grencik. That book, author Sarah Wilson’s George Hogglesberry, Grade School Alien, went on to win the coveted SCBWI Golden Kite Award. Not bad for a first collaboration.
"In 2006, Karen left agenting to pursue adventures in the tropical forests of Costa Rica. Abigail and Karen’s paths didn’t cross again until the Los Angeles 2010 SCBWI National Conference, where Abigail was delighted to discover that Karen had returned to the States and was plunging back into the world of children’s books. Karen and Abigail decided in March 2011 to form Red Fox Literary, a boutique agency specializing in picture books, middle-grade, and young-adult titles.” (From the agency website)
Web Presence:
Red Fox Lit website.
Facebook.
QueryTracker.

Twitter   
What She's Looking For:
Genres/Specialties:
The agency represents children’s book illustrators and authors whose work is aimed at picture book, middle-grade, and young-adult readers.
What She Isn't Looking For:
Adult Projects
Editorial Agent?
Unknown
Clients:
There are lists of authors and illustrators on the Red Fox website.
Ms. Grencik’s clients include: Lana Bloch and Tanya Bloch, Sandra Brug, Amy Dixon, Lu Chi Fa, Julie Musil, Michele Shaw, Mary McKenna Siddals, Sarah Wilson, Natasha Yim, among others.
Query Methods: Ms. Grencik is closed to submissions but these were the submission guidelines.
E-mail: Yes (only).
Snail-Mail: No.
Online-Form: No.
Submission Guidelines (always verify):
For complete, up-to-date submission guidelines see the Red Fox Literary submissions page.
Response Times:
Unknown
Worth Your Time:
Interviews:

Interview at Middle-Grade Mojo (03/2015)
Interview with Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary Agency at Becky Levine’s blog (06/2011).
Contact:
Please see the Red Fox Literary website for contact and query information.
Profile Details:
Last updated: 2/10/2023.
Agent Contacted For Review? Yes..
Last Reviewed By Agent? 10/27/11.
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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.