Guest Post: Agent Allison Hellegers and Debut Author Sam Taylor and We Are the Fire and Query Critique Giveaway

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have debut author Sam Taylor and her agent Allison Hellegers here to share about Sam’s debut YA We Are the Fire. It sounds like a story with fantastic world building and a unique magic system. I’m excited to read it.

Here’s a burb from Goodreads:

As electrifying as it is heartbreaking, Sam Taylor's explosive fantasy debut We Are the Fire is perfect for fans of An Ember in the Ashes and the legend of Spartacus.

In the cold, treacherous land of Vesimaa, children are stolen from their families by a cruel emperor, forced to undergo a horrific transformative procedure, and serve in the army as magical fire-wielding soldiers. Pran and Oksana―both taken from their homeland at a young age―only have each other to hold onto in this heartless place.

Pran dreams of one day rebelling against their oppressors and destroying the empire; Oksana only dreams of returning home and creating a peaceful life for them both.

When they discover the emperor has a new, more terrible mission than ever for their kind, Pran and Oksana vow to escape his tyranny once and for all. But their methods and ideals differ drastically, driving a wedge between them. Worse still, they both soon find that the only way to defeat the monsters that subjugated them may be to become monsters themselves.

Now here’s Sam and Allison!

Sam’s Story

My journey to traditional publishing is anything but traditional, because I signed with my literary agent (and for a different book!) after I had my book deal for WE ARE THE FIRE.

I’d tried querying WAtF with agents and while there’d been some interest, I didn’t receive any offers of representation. But I still believed in this book and wanted to give it another chance—and my critique partners and beta readers had loved it. I thought, “Readers enjoy this book, maybe readers can help me get it published.” And they did! I posted WAtF to the Swoon Reads website, where readers could rate and comment on manuscripts… and stories with positive reviews could grab the attention of an editor. Mine did, and Emily Settle, an editor with Swoon Reads (and its parent imprint, Feiwel & Friends) reach out to me saying Swoon Reads wanted to publish my book!

So I had that book deal I’d been chasing for years, but I knew I still wanted an agent partner: someone experienced in the business side of publishing, who knew contracts, markets, and the right questions to ask to ensure that my books received the best support. When I had another manuscript ready, I was back to querying… and it was thanks to my Swoon Reads contacts that I finally found and signed with my (amazing!!) agent, Alli Hellegers.

A few months after joining the Swoon Reads team, one of my fellow authors mentioned that a longtime

friend of hers, who’d been in publishing for 17 years at the time, had decided to become a literary agent (and with Stimola Literary Studio, no less). Though Alli was still a couple months away from officially opening to queries, any of us Swoon Reads authors were invited to query her in advance.

Yes, please! I’m a big believer in taking any opportunity that comes your way, no matter how unusual, because you never know where it might lead. I queried Alli with my new manuscript, an Icelandic historical fantasy packed with witches and Viking-age magic. Turns out Alli adores Iceland as well (yes!!!) and quickly asked for the full. A few weeks later, she made that unicorn offer I’d chased for years: agent representation.

Though Alli is new to agenting, because she’s been in the industry for so long, she has the experience I’d been looking for: she’s well-versed in the market, she has both US and foreign connections, and She. Knows. Contracts. While I can craft entirely new worlds from a blank page, with magical characters and wild adventures, pouring through a 20+ page contract full of legalese is overwhelming. There, I wanted someone who knew what they’re doing.

And even though my partnership with Alli began with a different book, she’s still been amazingly helpful when it comes to WE ARE THE FIRE, joining in conversations with my team at Swoon Reads, especially when it comes to the all-important marketing and publicity. That’s a good agent! I’m beyond lucky to have Alli on my team.

Alli’s Story

Thanks, Sam for those comments! It was such a pleasure to get Sam’s YA novel, WICKED IS THE WITCH, previous to opening up widely to submissions in North America. Most of my background in publishing has been in foreign sales, having worked in rights for the majority of my publishing career. Scandinavia was one of the markets I sold in directly for my previous job, Rights People, and I had the opportunity to travel to all countries there, including Iceland. I fell in love with the country, the nature, and the magic of the landscape. On top of that, I’ve always had a love for all things witchy, so it felt like Sam’s story was made just for me (and also for that younger version of myself). She was one of the first clients I signed, and it’s been such a pleasure to represent someone so creative, hard-working, and focused on always growing as a writer. I could read her fantasy worldbuilding, including her descriptions of baked goods from said world, all day!  

Although I’ve been working in rights for 20 years, I didn’t make the switch to agenting authors directly till I joined Stimola Literary Studio in August 2019. While I adored getting to know the foreign market and helping to launch so many author’s careers around the globe, I also was so drawn to representing authors myself. I had been working on behalf of UK, foreign, and Australian agents and publishers to sell rights back to North American editors, so I was fortunate to know the landscape before I made the switch. Rosemary Stimola (who I knew since my job as a literary scout) happened to be an agent whose career and perspective I greatly admired, and I was over the moon when she asked me to join the Studio. I’m also delighted to be helping other Studio clients with foreign rights as part of my new role.

So far, I’ve been selling mostly middle grade and YA novels, and I’m taking on a few picture books and also adult fiction and non-fiction. It would probably be easier if I specialized in one thing, but my passions are broad, and I love to fall for projects that I’m not expecting to arrive in my inbox. I’m a big fan of voice-driven, boundary-pushing fiction that can fit in multiple categories and cross age-groups, but I still need to have a vision for how it will fit in the current marketplace. I’m drawn to things that are joyful and offer meaning, but I don’t stray from darker storylines and genres. So, twisty mysteries, thrillers, and horror are fine – but the writing has to evoke multiple feelings and emotions, including humor and/or joy in order to appeal. As a very visual person, I always enjoy unique storytelling structures, graphic novels, and novels in verse, as they tend to work well for my way of processing story. And with so much competition to devices these days, I’m excited to help find creative ways to captivate children, including my own videogame obsessed eight-year-old boy.

Overall, I strive to have a nurturing and transparent relationship with my clients. I can provide both editorial and/or big picture notes, depending on client and need, and it would be a big joy to also sell my own client’s works widely around the globe. Mostly, I’m looking to help good people make good books, and if I can help propel diverse and #ownvoices creators, then it’s just all the more rewarding!

Sam on Instagram: @jsamtaylorauthor

Sam on Twitter: @jsamtaylor

Sam’s Website: www.samtaylorwrites.com

Buy WE ARE THE FIRE!

Alli on Twitter: @allidhellegers

Stimola Literary Studio: www.stimolaliterarystudio.com

Giveaway Details

Sam’s publisher has generously offered a hardback of We Are the Fire and Allison has offered a query critique for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by March 6th. If you do not want to be included in the critique giveaway, please let me know in the comments. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address. 

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog and/or follow me on Twitter, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The book giveaway is U.S. and the query critique giveaway is international. 

Upcoming Interviews and Giveaways

Tuesday, March 2nd I’m participating in the Let’s Get Lucky Giveaway Hop

Wednesday, March 3rd I have an interview with debut author Tirzah Price here to share about her YA historical mystery Pride and Premeditation and my IWSG post

Monday, March 8th I have an interview with author Donna Galanti and a giveaway of her MG fantasy Unicorn Island

Monday, March 15th I have a guest post by debut author Merriam Sarcia Saunders and her agent Caryn Wiseman with a query critique giveaway by Caryn and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Trouble with a Tiny t by Merriman

Wednesday, March 17th I have an agent spotlight interview with Jennifer Herrington and a query critique giveaway

Monday, March 22nd I have an interview with debut author Christina Li and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Clues to the Universe

Wednesday, March 24th I have an interview with publisher Maria Dismondy of Cardinal Rule Press

Monday, March 29th I have an interview with debut author Jessica Olsen and a giveaway of her YA fantasy Sing Me Forgotten

Hope to see you Tuesday, March 2nd!