Agent Spotlight: Peter Knapp

This week's Agent Spotlight features Peter Knapp of Park & Fine Literary and Media. 
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Status: Open to submissions.

About: Peter Knapp is a partner and agent, representing adult, young adult, and middle grade fiction.

Peter’s clients include the New York Times bestselling authors Soman Chainani, Ayana Gray, Adalyn Grace, Rachel Griffin, Shelby Mahurin, Ginny Myers Sain, and Amélie Wen Zhao, and award winners and critically-acclaimed authors such as Emily Bain Murphy, Julia Drake, Ryan La Sala, and Kate O’Shaughnessy. He loves to work with both established voices and up-and-coming talent, and also represents Daniel Aleman, Adi Alsaid, Lane Clarke, K.A. Cobell, Francesca Flores, Isi Hendrix, Maiya Ibrahim, Petra Lord, Sarena and Sasha Nanua, Danielle Parker, Kate Pearsall, and LaDarrion Williams, among others. He is looking for both emerging voices and established authors, and what drew him to the agenting side of the business is not just what he likes working on, but also who he likes working with: Peter’s clients are ambitious storytellers who have something they want to say, and something they want to build, and he is excited to help them do it.

Peter first began his foray into publishing while interning in the book-to-film departments of several film studios and production companies, including New Line Cinema and Overture Films. Upon graduating, he began work as a story editor at Floren Shieh Productions, a literary scouting agency that consulted on film and TV adaptations for Los Angeles-based studios and production companies. He joined Park & Fine, then Park Literary Group, in 2011. Peter is a graduate of New York University, and now lives in Brooklyn with his husband." (From the agency website)

About the Agency:
 “Home to dozens of #1 New York Times bestsellers, Park & Fine Literary and Media is a literary agency designed to discover and support bestselling authors across categories and genres, who require a uniquely robust kind of representation. Park & Fine is independently funded and founded by Theresa Park and Celeste Fine." (From the agency website)

Web Presence:

Agency website.

Website.
Twitter @petejknapp.
Instagram.
Pinterest.
Youtube.

Tumblr.
LinkedIn.
Publishers Marketplace.
AgentQuery.
QueryTracker. 

Manuscript Wish List.

MS Wish List.

What He's Looking For:
Genres/Specialties:
Middle grade, young adult fiction, and adult fiction.

"The word that I'd use to describe my clients' books is sharp: they have strong points of view, are smartly written and are compulsively readable. Some are commercial, some are literary, but all of them have a bit of edge: they stick out, demanding to be noticed. My clients include the New York Times bestselling authors Soman Chainani, Lindsay Cummings, Brenda Drake, Adalyn Grace, and Sara Holland, and critical darlings like Emily Bain Murphy (whose debut was an ALAN Pick, among other accolades) and Julia Drake, whose debut has received six starred reviews...and counting! I love to work with both established voices and up-and-coming talent, and also represent Daniel Aleman, Adi Alsaid, Francesca Flores, Maiya Ibrahim, Rebecca McLaughlin, Sarena and Sasha Nanua, Kate O'Shaughnessy, Crystal Smith, and Amélie Wen Zhao, among others.

 I am eager to find and develop more new and established voices as part of my growing list in the middle and young adult space. I look for clients whose books have a strong perspective on their subject -- whether it be a romantic comedy with a queer point-of-view or a sweeping fantasy that examines socioeconomic disparities, such as Francesca Flores's DIAMOND CITY. With my background in film and television and my love of action and speculative films, I gravitate toward highly cinematic and high-concept stories, but I also can never resist a simple but brilliantly told coming-of-age or slice-of-life story in both YA and middle grade. I'm also actively seeking graphic novelists with wonderful, heart-filled stories across genres. And I'm particularly eager to find not just great books, but great people: authors who are ambitious both on and off the page, and who want to forge a collaborative relationship with an agency in order to say what they want to say, and build what they want to build." (From his website)

See his Manuscript Wish List and Website or much more information on what he is looking for.

What He Isn't Looking For:
Poetry, screenplays, non-fiction, picture books.

Editorial Agent?
Yes.

Clients:
See his bio. 

Query Methods:
E-mail: Yes (only).
Snail-Mail: No.
Online-Form: No.

Submission Guidelines (always verify):

"Please specify the first and last name of the agent to whom you are submitting, as well as the category and genre of your submission (i.e.: “Abigail Koons – Adult Nonfiction” or “Pete Knapp – YA Fantasy”) in the subject line of the email. Send your query letter and accompanying material to the email address above. All materials must be in the body of the email, as we are unable to open attachments. Due to the volume of email queries we receive, we will only respond if we are interested.

For adult fiction submissions, please include a query letter and approximately the first 25 pages of your work. For YA & children's fiction submissions, please include a query letter and the first chapter or approximately the first ten pages of your work. For non-fiction submissions, please send a query letter, proposal, and sample chapter(s). We do not review poetry or screenplays. 

For graphic novel submissions, please submit a query letter and attach a low-res sample of your graphic novel + links to your portfolio OR attach a pitch packet as a PDF." (From the agency website)

See the Park & Fine Literary and Media website  for complete, up-to-date submission guidelines. 

Query Tips:

See this interview at I Write for Apples for more great query information.

Response Times:

While Park Literary’s official policy is “no reply means no,” Peter aims to respond to all queries within 12 weeks.  

What's the Buzz?

Peter Knapp maintains a small, successful list of clients and has been an agent since January 2013. I recommend following him on Twitter @peterjknapp and his website for current query info and wish list information. 

Worth Your Time:

Interviews and Guest Post:

YouTube Interview with Lindsay Cummings (2018)
Q&A With Peter Knapp at Literary Rambles (02/2018).
Peter Knapp and Emily Bain Guest Post at Literary Rambles (06/2017).
Peter Knapp and Melanie Conklin Guest Post at Literary Rambles (02/2016).
Query Questions with Peter Knapp at Michelle 4 Laughs (05/2015).
A Cafe Chat with Peter Knapp, Agent with Park Literary, by Lindsay Bandy at Eastern Penn Points (10/2014).
Query.Sign.Submit. with Peter Knapp at I Write for Apples (11/2013).

Contact:
Please see Park Literary & Media and Mr. Knapp’s site for contact and query information.

Profile Details:
Last updated: 3/24/2024.
Agent Contacted for Review? Yes
Last Reviewed By Agent? 4/4/2024.
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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 profiles feature agents who accept children's and/or young adult 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.