Agent Spotlight: Linda Pratt

This week's Agent Spotlight features Linda Pratt of Wernick & Pratt Agency.
Status: Open to submissions.
About: “Linda Pratt received a BBA in finance from the University of Texas in Austin. After briefly exploring a career on a bond trading desk, she began working at Sheldon Fogelman Agency. In working at the agency, Linda finally found “her people” in the world of children’s publishing, and has never looked back. Initially working primarily on the operations side of the business, doing everything from royalty analysis to annual accountings for literary estates, Linda was later promoted to agent. This opportunity allowed her to combine her business acumen with her love of the artistic side of creating books, including working with clients editorially. She works with both authors and illustrators who create work in all genres of children literature, both fiction and nonfiction. Among Linda’s clients are Amy Young, Steve Light, Kathryn Erskine, Richard Peck, Charise Mericle Harper, and Amy June Bates. Linda has also enjoyed introducing new talent, and has worked with clients like Aaron Becker, Augusta Scattergood, and Angela Dominguez (as both author & illustrator) since placing their debuts.” (Link)
About the Agency:
“Wernick & Pratt is a full-service literary agency focused exclusively on the children’s book industry. Founded in 2011 by industry veterans Marcia Wernick and Linda Pratt, the agency represents established and emerging authors and illustrators whose work ranges from fiction to nonfiction, from very young picture books and novelty books, through early readers, middle grade, and young adult."Our philosophy is to represent people and not just the books they create, so our approach to representation is to create strategies for our clients’ long-term careers.” (Link)
Web Presence:
Wernick & Pratt Agency website.
AAR Profile.
QueryTracker.
AgentQuery (not up-to-date). What She's Looking For:
Genres/Specialties:
Children’s books of all genres, fiction and non-fiction, as well as author/illustrators. (Link)
From the Website (as of 5/2020):
“We are most interested in the following: people who both write and illustrate in the picture book genre; humorous young chapter books with strong voice, and which are unique and compelling; middle grade/YA novels, both literary and commercial."

From Ms. Pratt’s Website Q&A (02/2020):
"—A broad description of my likes are: stories that explore other cultures; fish-out-of-water stories; larger-than-life supporting characters who contrast with the protagonist; smart and witty dialogue; historical fiction where the stakes for the protagonist are palpable and have a sense of urgency; elements of magical realism; and above all else, emotional truth in all stories. I love encountering the unexpected on the page, as long as it is done in a way that makes sense for the character(s). Quirky, odd, or unpredictable simply for the sake of being so tends not to work for me: it has to fit within the character’s personality or the context of the story."You can find a lot of other useful information in Ms. Pratt's Q&A.
What She Isn't Looking For:
Adult projects. “Picture book manuscripts of more than 750 words, or mood pieces; work specifically targeted to the educational market; fiction about the American Revolution, Civil War, or World War II unless it is told from a very unique perspective.” (Link)
“The kinds of stories that are probably not the best match for me are: stories in all genres that are written to convey an overt lesson to the reader; high fantasy; the now well-trod plot lines involving love among vampires, werewolves, and the like (unless of course, it offers a fresh and unique point of view); and ‘listy’ picture books (i.e. those where there is no story arc created for the series of events or hypothetical situations being posed).” (Link)
Quotables:
“Although I tailor my style to each individual client, overall I take a long view in working with clients since I want to work with them for their careers.  So there are a series of things I need to know. What are their goals - both immediate and long term? What are their financial needs? What time do they have to devote to their creative lives with their other professional, family and or personal commitments? What’s realistic once we start putting all these pieces together?  Then it comes down to the nuts and bolts work. How do we try to get them where they want to go?  This tends to involve a lot editorial work, as well as, advising on what projects to pursue, possible networking opportunities, scheduling issues, and many other day to day decisions that fit into the long term career picture. It’s a work in progress that isn’t written stone since life and business are ever-changing.” (Link)
Editorial Agent?
Yes. See editorial mentions in bio, about the agency, and quotable sections.
Clients:
There is a list of clients on the agency website. Ms. Pratt’s clients include: Amy Young, Steve Light, Kathryn Erskine, Richard Peck, Charise Mericle Harper, Amy June Bates, Augusta Scattergood,
among others.
Query Methods:
E-mail: Yes (only).
Snail-Mail: No.
Online-Form: No.
Submission Guidelines (always verify):
From the Submission Page on the agency website:
"We are accepting submissions via email only. If you are interested in submitting, please follow these guidelines:
Please send us your contact information, including your email address, your mailing address, and your telephone number. Please indicate if you were referred to us, and if so, by whom.
Please indicate if this is an exclusive or non-exclusive submission. We prefer exclusive submissions for at least one month, but it is not a requirement for submission.
Please include your background, including any publishing history, and if you have any other work available for consideration.
For novels, please send as an attachment the first three (3) chapters of the work and a very brief synopsis; please do not submit the entire work or include chapters from more than one work unless specifically requested.
For picture book manuscripts, please send as an attachment two (2) different manuscripts (NOT two versions of the same manuscript). Please do not submit any additional manuscripts unless specifically requested. Nonfiction picture-book submissions should follow these guidelines as well. Your submission could be one fiction and one nonfiction manuscript, or any other combination.
For chapter books (books such as JUNIE B. JONES, with fewer than 7500 words total), please send the full manuscript.
For MG or YA nonfiction, please send a synopsis or proposal and three (3) sample chapters.
If you are an illustrator, please send as an attachment PDF samples of your work, as well as a link to your website or to a portfolio of your work. Please do not mail any original artwork, as we do not assume any responsibility for original artwork that is submitted.
Please send all submissions to submissions@wernickpratt.com. Please indicate if you are submitting to Marcia Wernick, Linda Pratt, or Emily Mitchell, and please do not send the same submission to all of us simultaneously. A rejection from one of us should be considered a pass from the agency. Please do not resubmit that same project to another agent. We do not accept submissions via snail mail or
social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Any submissions sent this way will not be responded to."
See the Wernick & Pratt Agency website for complete, up-to-date submission guidelines and
Ms. Pratt’s website Q&A for a great list of query preferences and peeves.
Response Times:
They agency only responds if interested. If you do not hear back within six weeks, assume rejection.
What's the Buzz?
Linda Pratt is a very well respected industry veteran. After 20+ years with the Sheldon Fogelman Agency, Pratt and long-time colleague Marcia Wernick founded the Wernick & Pratt Agency, specializing in quality children’s literature. She has a fantastic list of clients who seem very happy with her representation and is always looking for amazing new talent.
Worth Your Time:
Interviews:
Q&A with Linda Pratt on the agency website.
Interview with Literary Agent Linda Pratt at GetItBeacon (05/2018)
Literary Agent Interview with Agent Linda Pratt at Color Me a KitLit Writer (04/2018)
7 Questions for Literary Agent Linda Pratt at Middle Grade Ninja (02/2013)
Contact:
Please see the Wernick & Pratt Agency website for contact and query information.
Profile Details:
Last updated: 5/22/2020.
Agent Contacted For Review? Yes.
Last Reviewed By Agent? 5/17/12.

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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 and/or teen 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.