AGENT SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN SPIELLER and QUERY CRITIQUE GIVEAWAY

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Lauren Spieller here. She is an assistant literary agent at TriadaUS Literary Agency.

Update on 2/12/2023: Lauren is now an agent at Folio Literary Management. 

 

Status: Open to submissions.

Hi¬ Lauren! Thanks so much for joining us.

About Lauren:

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent.

I joined TriadaUS in July 2016, having worked in children’s scouting and as a freelance editor, and it’s been a wonderful first few months! My focus has been on building my client list, so I spend most of my time reading submissions, meeting with editors, and pitching projects! In fact, my first sale was finally announced earlier this month—a YA Fantasy entitled The Weight of Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth, which sold at auction to Harper Teen and has already been picked up by publishers in France and the UK. I’ve wanted to tell the world about Laura’s gorgeous novel since December, so it’s fabulous for both of us to finally get to talk about it!

About the Agency:

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.

TriadaUS is a close-knit agency lead by Uwe Stender. We support one another’s clients every step of the way, from the moment we first consider a project, through contract negotiations, all the way to publication and beyond. This means clients not only get my full attention, they’re getting the attention of all TriadaUS’ agents. We’re also eager to pursue film and foreign rights, and so we work closely with subagents abroad and in Hollywood. Our clients work hard on their books, so we work hard for our clients!

What She’s Looking For:

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres?

I represent all genres of Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction, and select Adult projects (thrillers, non fic w/ a platform, diverse romcom, and SFF). At the end of the day, I’m looking for a strong hook, a killer voice, and a story that can stand the test of time. If your book fits that description, I’d love to see It! For my full wishlist, you can check out the TriadaUS website (www.triadaus.com), ManuscriptWishlist.com, or my tweets tagged with #MSWL!
4. Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in?

I’d love to find a fun, heartfelt Middle Grade with a touch (or more!) of magic, a YA romcom with a fabulous voice, and upper YA/crossover Fantasy. I’m also always on the hunt for underrepresented voices, so I welcome those projects in absolutely any age category or genre.
What She Isn’t Looking For:

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in?

I’m not a good fit for dystopian fiction right now, not because I don’t enjoy it (I do!), but because it’s very difficult to sell. I’m also not looking for paranormal romance or women's fiction.
Agent Philosophy:

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent?

I need to love a book with all my heart, and I want to work with authors who are hardworking, compassionate, and committed to writing the best stories possible.

Editorial Agent:

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors?

I am, though what that means differs depending on the manuscript. Sometimes that means brainstorming the way to address a specific problem in the manuscript—slow pacing, clunky dialogue, an unbelievable plot point—while other times it means line editing. Ultimately the book belongs to my client, however, so they have the final word on revision.

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting)

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter?

Please send a query letter and the first ten pages of the manuscript with the word QUERY in the email’s subject line, along with the age category and genre (ex: QUERY YA Fantasy) to lauren@triadaus.com.

9. Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you?

It’s frustrating when authors don’t include pages, or when they lead with a long explanation for why they wrote the book, or with a lengthy biography. It’s always best to let the book speak for itself. That means telling me why you’re querying me (short and sweet is best), what your book is and how long it is (YA Fantasy? 80k words? Check!), giving me a 1-2 paragraph summary of the premise (not a full synopsis!), and then a quick bio and signature. That’s it!

Response Time:

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript?

It’s our policy at TriadaUS to respond to queries within two weeks, so I do my best to do just that! Manuscripts take longer, though I try to respond within 2 months.

Self-Published and Small Press Authors:

11. Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them?

Absolutely, as long as their new work has not yet been published. My advice is to make sure your new manuscript is very strong, and that they have their existing contracts at hand in case the agent has questions about their existing commitments.

12. With all the changes in publishing—self-publishing, hybrid authors, more small publishers—do you see the role of agents changing at all? Why?

I think agents need to wear a lot of hats: editorial, sales, branding—you name it. For me, it all comes together in one package: advocate. I’m going to do my best to provide whatever each individual client needs, be in a bulldog when it comes to contracts, a editor when it comes to revisions, or a cheerleader when it comes to their very first sale. That’s my job, and I love it!

Interviews and Guest Posts:

13. Please share the links to any interviews and guest posts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you.

Here’s a sampling:
-Literary Rambles: http://www.literaryrambles.com/2018/09/agent-lauren-spieller-and-laura.html
-Writer’s Digest: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/lauren-spieller
-Manuscript Wishlist: http://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/lauren-spieller/
-First Five Frenzy: https://chasingthecrazies.wordpress.com/2016/10/28/first-five-frenzy-with-lauren-spieller-of-triada-us-literary-agency/
-Michelle4Laughs’ blog: http://www.michelle4laughs.com/2016/07/query-questions-with-lauren-spieller.html
-Valerie Cole’s blog: http://valeriefm80.blogspot.com/2017/01/agents-like-us-lauren-spieller.html

Update as of 3/4/2022

Writing and Ilustrating: Intro, Part 1, Part 2

Additional Advice:

14. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered?

The best advice I can give is to build your writing community. Publishing is a hard business, and we all need someone to rely on, someone to hold our hand when things are tough, and to celebrate when things are going our way. Find your community, and cherish it.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Lauren.

Lauren is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follower button if you're not a follower) and leave a comment through May 13th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter either contest. If you do not want to enter the contest, that's okay. Just let me know in the comments.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway.

Profile Details:
Last updated: 6/2/2020.
Agent Contacted for Review? Yes.
Last Reviewed By Agent? 6/2/2020

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change.