Today I’m thrilled to have agent Kristen
Terrette here. She is a literary manager at Martin Literary Management.
Hi
Kristen! Thanks so much for joining us.
About
Kristen:
1.
Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been
doing as an agent.
A
few years ago, I started joking with friends that agenting would be my dream
job—getting to work with authors and books all day sounded amazing! Eventually,
the thought settled and took root. I started asking, “How can I make that
happen?”
And
I’m still asking myself how it did, how I got so lucky being hired last
fall by Martin Literary and Media Management. I truly believe my Writers House Intern
Program (summer of 2022) moved me up amongst the applicants, then my
background, once pieced together from all my different publishing jobs and
career opportunities paved the way for an interview with Sharlene Martin.
The
array of things I’ve done—teaching, children’s ministry, writing (fiction,
nonfiction, articles/blogs), editing, social media and blog managing—gave me the
skills needed. Sharlene is wonderful and confident in her ability to train and
take on new and eager managers, and she wanted to fill some gaps in the genres
her company represented.
I
was able to fill the faith-based submissions gap for her. Combined with women-focused
crime thrillers, taking on kid lit submissions (which there are a lot of), and
my other wishlist genres, the timing was just right! I hit the ground running
and have taken on twelve clients, and a few I’m hopeful to sign soon. J I’ve gotten quite a few submissions out already and hope to make
some big announcements soon!
About
the Agency:
2.
Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors.
Martin Literary & Media Management just hit their twenty year
anniversary!
Here’s the lowdown on us: We’re a full service literary and media
management agency. We focus on representing authors of adult nonfiction,
fiction, and books for children and young adults. Our clients’ titles have
appeared on the New York Times bestseller and other national
bestseller lists, earned strong reviews, received many awards, and garnered
national media attention. Many of our clients’ works have been optioned and
developed for film and television projects and have helped promote speaking
engagements.
We pride ourselves on providing thoughtful and considerate
management of our clients. We also pride ourselves on being a modern literary
agency capable of developing the many potential ancillary opportunities that
exist outside of the book world.
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’m looking for
Kidlit in all age ranges and for both fiction and nonfiction. I will say my PB
lists feels tight right now, and Middle Grade is getting there, but as long as
I find projects fundamentally different from what a client’s already bring to
the table, I’m game to look at it with excitement. And a great book is a great
book! I haven’t signed any MG or YA Fantasy novels yet, so I’d love to fill
that gap. I’m not the best for HIGH fantasy, and it MUST stand out from my
other submissions, but send it! Also, note, I’m not drawn to weak female
protagonists. I’d also love more supernatural or scary stories in MG and YA. As
well as genre mashups. J
I am also really
looking for some Christian Women’s fiction, Suspense, or Romance. Please send
me some of this! And also in the Christian lane, I’d love devotionals for all
ages. (Note, this needs to some from an author with a platform to leverage.)
In the adult fiction
genre, I want women’s crime thrillers, suspense, supernatural, horror,
speculative… I don’t read true science fiction, so I’m not the best for those
submissions.
4. Is there anything you would be especially
excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in?
Scary, ominous
stories! I’m not into lots of gore, but I wish had more creepy manuscripts in
my inbox.
What
She Isn’t Looking For:
5.
What types of submissions are you not interested in?
Science Fiction.
Self-published books where the author is now trying to find representation for
that book (it’s too late). Political Agenda Plots. Extremely foul-mouthed
characters. Books over 100,000 words.
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?
My philosophy is to
work with authors who represent a wide array of genres/subgenres and
ways of life with books that speak to this. No matter the genre, I want my
client’s book to remain on a reader’s shelf forever, because it’s
unthinkable that they could part with it, unthinkable they wouldn’t read again
or for the tenth time because it has impacted them so greatly. The shelves at
my house have limited space, so I’ve had to donate many books over the years,
but those ones that remain are ones I could never let go of. This is what I
want to be a part of.
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 100% an
editorial agent. I feel my own writing career—being in the query trenches,
having critique partners, going through edits with my own editors—have only
enhanced my ability to serve my clients in this way. All my clients have gone
through an edit with me. Some have been quick, some longer. I feel like as
their agent, it’s my job to take their manuscript as far as I can take it, so
it’s polished and, hopefully, an editor can grab onto a vision of where they
can take it next.
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 take queries via
Query Manager (https://querymanager.com/query/KristenTerrette). And please fill
in all the blanks. They are there for a reason. Sometimes I scroll right to the
pitch (should be short and grabbing). If I like the pitch, I’ll go to the query
letter, then proceed to the sample pages. If I like the sample pages, I’ll go
to the bio and see if there are links to the author’s Twitter account or
website, etc.
It’s a process for
me, and if boxes aren’t filled out it makes me wonder if they’re serious
writers or… lazy. I know (I’ve submitted many queries myself!) that it's
annoying to fill in all the boxes, but they’re there for a reason. J
9. Do you have any specific dislikes in query
letters or the first pages submitted to you?
I’d say to be sure of
your genre (and subgenres) and that your word count is within industry
standards. This can be a quick red flag that your manuscript isn’t ready yet. I
also will add heavy block text says you may not organize your thoughts well
(this applies to the query and the first pages).
In the ten pages,
don’t send me your Prologue. I’ll skip it and go right to the first line
of the first chapter. That’s the most important one, and it better grab
me.
Response
Time:
10.
What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a
manuscript?
Most of the time, I’m able to respond to
queries within six weeks. If I’ve requested material, it’s been quite a bit
longer. I’d love to say, three months, but in truth, it’s likely more like six
months. I do ask that anyone who receives an offer of representation to inform
me immediately and give me a deadline to respond. Their material will move to
the top of my reading list.
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?
I am, especially
those published with smaller presses. It is harder for self-published
authors. Did they put a book on the market before it was ready? (Sadly, this is
almost always the case.) Did it have low sales numbers?
If you have a dream
of being traditionally published, my standard advice is not to self-publish.
Just work hard at your craft and be patient. Publishing is a long and slow
journey. It takes tenacity and tough skin, which means self-publishing can be
seen as the easy way out.
However, if you are
a fantastic writer and businessman, then go for it. Show me your amazing sales
record and lots of five-star reviews. Then, this could become a selling point
for you in getting a traditional publishing contract.
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 don’t, only because editors count on us to
vet and stand by the submissions we send their way. I think this buffer will
always have a place in this field, and I’ve found many authors simply want to
write. They love that they have someone committed to their success and not only
routing for them but guiding them through the sales and contractual process
which can be overwhelming.
I pray constantly for my clients and my
ability to lead them to the right editors for their manuscripts. I also pray
for the editors that will be opening my submissions. I think agents will always
be a key component linking these two creatives.
Clients:
13.
Who are some of the authors you represent?
No one you’d likely
know YET! But many coming. J I do keep my client page up-to-date on my
website. https://kristenterrette.com/clients/
Interviews
and Guest Posts:
14.
Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think
would be helpful to writers interested in querying you.
I can’t think of any
right now, but always pay attention to Publisher’s Marketplace for trends,
news, and sales.
Links
and Contact Info:
15.
Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on
the Web.
Query Me via Query
Manager: https://querymanager.com/query/KristenTerrette
My website: www.kristenterrette.com
Agency website: www.martinlit.com
My #MSWL listing: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/Kristen-Terrette/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KTerrette
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kterrette/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristen.terrette/
Additional
Advice:
16.
Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we
haven’t covered?
If you are pursuing
a career in writing, view it as an on-going learning process with continuing
education courses. Go to conferences, join writing groups, get critique
partners, follow and interact with writers (published and unpublished), agents,
editors, and imprints online via Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. Make
friends and connections everywhere.
I’ve learned
everyone in this business is incredibly kind and generous, and a lot of us are
book nerd, introverts at heart, so step out of your bubble and meet people.
They will be happy to engage! These relationships will challenge you and your
writing will show that you’ve invested in your craft. I see submissions all
day, and it’s obvious who has done these things because they shine. J
Thanks for sharing all your advice, Kristen.
Kristen is generously offering a query critique to one
lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower
gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through
April 1. If your email is not on your Google
Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. If
you do not want to enter the contest, that's okay. Just let me know in the
comments.
If you follow me on Twitter or 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.
