Today I’m thrilled to have agent Ann Rose here. She is a literary agent
at Prospect Agency.
11/9/2022 Update: Ann has left Prospect Agency and is now at The Tobias Literary Agency.
Hi Ann! Thanks so much for
joining us.
About Ann:
1. Tell us how you
became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an
agent.
I
didn’t become an agent the “typical” way for sure. I wasn’t a creative writing
major. I didn’t always dream of being a writer. Actually, I never thought
either of these things were in the cards for me. But I couldn’t be more happy
with how I ended up here. It all started about a million years ago (okay, maybe
not that long, but go with me on this) my niece asked me to read some books
with her. She was a vivacious reader, and her friends really weren’t, but she
wanted someone to fangirl with over books. I told her to tell me what to buy,
and we started our own little book club. After one of her favorite characters
died, and she called me sobbing, (ten points if you can name the book and the
character) I told her I’d write her a book. This is where my story truly
begins. I decided if I was going to write her a book I was going to learn
everything there was to know about the publishing industry which included
getting an internship at an agency on top of my forty hour(+) a week job
managing a portfolio of applications for all of America and part of Latin
America.
I
found agenting to be fascinating, and I loved how each day brought different
challenges to conquer, so after a few years, and my day job being eliminated
(thanks corporate America) I took to agenting full time and found a home with
Prospect Agency. I call it serendipity because really all the stars aligned to
make it happen, and I haven’t regretted it a day since.
As
an agent, I do all the things agents do. I represent my clients work to
publishers. I work with them on edits to make sure they have the best chance at
getting their books picked up. Since I’m remote, I schedule calls with editors
to connect with them and discuss projects they are interested in. I’m a
sounding board for my client’s ideas and also a shoulder to cry on when
imposter syndrome hits hard. There’s probably not a lot of things I wouldn’t do
for my authors, really.
About the Agency:
2. Share a bit about
your agency and what it offers to its authors.
Prospect Agency has a motto: We see the forest and the
trees. Basically, meaning that not only do we notice the small things, but we
are always looking at the bigger picture. It’s not just one book, it’s an
author’s whole career we are interested in. Prospect has a solid reputation in
this community, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.
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 rep MG and YA of all genres. And in the adult realm, I
enjoy light sci-fi/fantasy, romance, and stories with humor and heart. Overall,
I’m always looking for great writing, and for stories I haven’t heard a million
times before. I love stories that will keep me guessing. I enjoy thriller but
not horror. (I’m not into all the blood and gore.) I’m excited to be opening up
to Author/Illustrator graphic novels as well. For a more comprehensive list of
what I’m looking for, check my website at http://www.prospectagency.com/agent.html#ann_rose
or https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/ann-rose/
4. Is there anything you would be especially
excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in?
I’m very excited to be opening up to graphic novels so I
can’t wait to see what comes my way. I’m still very interested in a YA version
of CLUE with the same kind of wit and humor. I’d love more LGBTQIA stories, and
would love a story about two girls who are both running for class president
that fall in love. Stories that take me to new places I’ve never been before
whether in contemporary or fantasy.
What She Isn’t
Looking For:
5. What types of
submissions are you not interested in?
This is much easier than what I am looking for as sometimes
I don’t know unless I see it but this list is pretty solid below on what I
don’t really want…
Horror
(I don't love all the blood and guts stuff)
Erotica
Non-fiction
Picture
Books
Poetry
(books in verse are the exception)
Screenplays
Novellas
Stories
that start with a character waking up
Stories
with graphic rape
Misogynist stories
Stories
that depict animal cruelty - if the dog dies, I don't want it
Books
set in the 80s-90s - Unless there's a darn good reason. If you can pick up the plot
and move it present day, you probably should.
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 want to work with career authors. Authors who understand that
sometimes the first book isn’t the breakout they dreamed it would be and they
have to write two or three or four… more. I want to work with professionals who
are able to understand we need to value each other’s time. All my clients have
my cell number and are open to text when they need, but not one single one of
them has ever abused this.
I want to rep books that represent the world we live in and
also books that explore new worlds and ideas. Books that challenge the norms of
today. Books with strong, capable women that don’t need men saving them. Books
that make me think and keep my on the edge of my seat and guessing until the
very end.
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’m very editorial, any of my clients would tell you this.
We will go through a number of rounds of revisions—as many as it takes—to get
the best book possible. In the end we both have the same goal, sell books, so I
want to give each client/book the best chance possible.
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?
I want to see letter that shows me the author has at least Googled,
“How to write a query letter.” They don’t have to be perfect, rarely they are,
but it is obvious when an author has done their homework and when they haven’t.
Make sure to follow guidelines which means for our
submission process that you include the query, a synopsis (preferably not
longer than 2 pages) and the first 3 chapters or 30 pages in one document that
you will attach right there on the submission site. I get so many submissions
that are just pages because maybe authors think the Q&A part of the
submission is their query. It isn’t. You still have to send a query letter. Lots
of authors also love to leave out the synopsis—which I get they suck, but for
me, I need to see where you think the story is going and how it ends before I
can commit to reading it. And yes, the synopsis has to tell the ending,
spoilers and all. A lot of authors think the query and synopsis are the same
thing, and they are not. So do your homework.
9. Do you have any specific dislikes in query
letters or the first pages submitted to you?
For queries, I don’t love it when people don’t even address
the letter to me. Not even that they get my name wrong, because yes, this
happens a lot, but that there is nothing. No greeting at all—like they just did
a quick copy paste, and I wasn’t even worth the time to say hi to.
I don’t love queries that spend more time talking about the
author than they do talking about the story.
When they pitch me multiple books at a time, and I don’t
mean “series potential” but saying book 1 is this, and book 2 is that, and so
on. Or after they pitch book one they say, I also have this other book about
XYZ if you want. Pitch me your best book.
Queries that don’t tell me the word count or genre of the
book. (And for kidlit the age group.) I need these details.
For first pages my biggest pet peeve is a character waking
up. I see it ALL THE TIME. Yes, there are exceptions to every rule, but my rule
of thumb is—don’t think you are the exception. Try starting in a different
place, and who knows, you might surprise yourself how much more awesome your
story is.
I’m also not a huge fan of prologues as most of the time
they aren’t needed. This won’t make me immediately reject or anything, but I
would suggest asking yourself—does the reader need this information now? Or do
I just think they do?
Response Time:
10. What’s your response
time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript?
Prospect has a no response is a no because of the number of
queries we receive. I average at least 40 hours a month just reading query
letters if that give you any idea how many I personally see.
When I request pages, it takes me more time than I like, and
I’m working on picking up my speed. But I want to make sure I give each
submission the time and attention it deserves. I don’t mind an occasional nudge
email to check on the status—I just suggest not doing it the week after pages
are sent.
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?
Yes, I’m open to
previously published authors whether they are small press or self-published.
The only caveat would be that they must submit a new project, meaning one that
hasn’t been published before. If it is or has been on Amazon for sale, it’s
published.
Be upfront with
agents on what you want is the advice I can give. If it’s “I need someone to
market my self-published books for me” then they haven’t done their homework on
what agents do.
Clients:
12. Who are some of
the authors you represent?
In the YA space, I represent C.M. McGuire who’s book
Ironspark will be coming out this fall! Be on the lookout for this amazing
story—seriously go add it to your Goodreads
List right now.
Amalie Jahn, USA Today Best Selling Author of The Clay Lion
Series, and The Next to Last Mistake is also on my list. If you want heartfelt
contemporary YA, she is your girl.
Honestly, I’d love to shout out about all my authors, but I
don’t think we have the time. If you are curious to know more check out the
#RosebudAuthor hashtag and you’re bound to find them.
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.
Links and Contact
Info:
14. Please share how
writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web.
If people want to query me, they should go to the submission
page on the prospect agency website.
If people just want to know about my shenanigans, I’m best
found on Twitter @annmrose
Additional Advice:
15. Is there any
other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered?
Keep writing. This industry is so subjective and what
doesn’t work for one person might be exactly what someone else is looking for.
If this is your dream don’t give up.
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Ann.
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.
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.
22 comments:
I feel like such a loser reading that bio. Interning to learn on top of a full time job? That's taking hard work to a new level. No wonder the stars lined up for her!
Great interview. I learned a lot. :-)
Anna from elements of emaginette
What an interesting interview. It is always helpful to hear from agents and others in the industry. Great to learn what Ann does and doesn't want. :)
~Jess
I really enjoy reading these agent bios and seeing the many different routes to a career in publishing. Lovely story about reading with her niece :)
Forgot to add that I tweeted this opportunity this morning!
Excellent interview, Ann sounds very dedicated to authors and I love that her career started by writing for her niece!
How wonderful that you're an agent because of an act of love for your niece. Harry Potter 5, 6 or 7? LOL Did you ever publish your book?
Thank you for this informative interview, even though my book starts with my MC waking up. Must rethink that
Great interview, thank you! I have shared this on twitter and would love to win a query critique :)
Great interview! I’m not a horror fan either. Actually I’ve never sat through a whole scary movie before and I’m 35.
I really like that both Ann & Prospect take a 'forest and the trees' approach when it comes to authors and their careers. It is (to me) a full-some and balanced perspective. Thank you for a wonderful interview! Ann is definitely perfect for her career! Cher :)
I love the way she started her own book club and that was the beginning of her story. Interesting interview. Thanks ladies.
Interesting, thanks.
I'm glad to hear about your interest in contemporary YA and will definitely need to check into Amalie John's books. Thanks!
Another great interview. This is really rich with excellent details. Thanks for the post.
Great interview! Love both the agency motto and that she has a hashtag for her authors :)
I knew about Ann Rose and the Prospect Agency, but the interview makes her so real and nice.
Loved this interview, it's nice to have some clarity from agents about what they do and don't like!
Posted on Twitter
Great interview! I love your story about how you became an agent.
I enjoyed reading this interview.
{SPOILER ALERT}
Did your niece sob over Tris' death in Allegiant?
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