Literary Agent Interview: CoCo Freeman Interview and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent CoCo Freeman here. She’s an associate agent at The Linda Chester Literary Agency.

Hi¬ CoCo! Thanks so much for joining us.

About CoCo:

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

 

I graduated from Bard College in 2013 with a BA in Written Arts. I was hired by a production company run by Tom Yoon to edit existing material and develop and write original screenplays. It was extremely instructive and engaging, but also restrictive, so I worked to maintain other creative outlets. I wrote poetry, song lyrics, short and long form fiction. When an opening occurred at the agency and my old friend, Laurie Fox, asked me if I would be interested in joining her, I said yes. I have been at Linda Chester for about eighteen months, and I love the work. I feel lucky and grateful to have found both a second passion and to get to be in the world of my first love, books. I represent commercial fiction that spans a range of genres and age categories, everything from adult and young adult to middle grade, chapter books and picture books. The first of those projects, a picture book called If My Sister Were a Worm written by Julie Hauswirth and illustrated by Jessica Goecke is slated to come out in 2026.

About the Agency:

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

Linda Chester established the Linda Chester Literary Agency in 1989 after beginning her publishing career at Doubleday. We are a full-service boutique agency and we sell all subrights including audio, foreign sales, and film (via co-agents). We take great pride in serving our clients, welcoming authors who are gifted in the areas of fiction, biography, and memoir, as well as experts in their given fields. Our ultimate goal is to liberate writers to pursue and fulfill their dreams.

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 YA, MG and picture book fiction across genres. Fundamentally, I am looking for well-conceived, well-constructed stories from authors who understand their genres and their target audience. In picture books, which I accept from both authors and author/illustrators, I am looking for work that uses humor, whimsy and subtlety to get its message across, work that will appeal to the parents who will ideally be reading it over and over to their children as well as to the children themselves. In middle grade and YA I am looking for stories that explore and address contemporary coming-of-age themes regardless of whether they’re presented through a fantastical lens. I am drawn to immersive science fiction/fantasy and horror, but also appreciate a grounded, resonant modern story.

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in?

One of the most wonderful benefits of the work is that I am frequently surprised by what excites me. I have had lots of impetus to expand my sensibilities and conceptions about what I respond to. A few things I would love to see at the moment include an excellent mystery, for children or adults, humor in all categories, more contemporary, character-driven stories for middle grade and YA, horror for children and teens that runs the gamut between lightly spooky and humorous to properly spine chilling, dark and whimsical fantasy, which can also involve elements of humor, and inventive and well-paced romances and romcoms.

What She Isn’t Looking For:

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

I don’t currently represent nonfiction, memoir, short stories/anthologies or poetry.

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?

The relationship between a writer and agent is uniquely singular. We’re business partners and a creative team. Trust and open communication are crucial. Getting to know my clients and helping guide their trajectories is one of the most wonderful parts of the job.

In the best fiction workshop I ever took, the critique directive our professor gave was to assess a story based on what its author was trying to do as opposed to what we, its readers, wished to see. That’s the attitude I take to the projects I sign. Do I believe in its author’s vision? Can I help them take a story where they want it to go? If the answer is no, then I am unequivocally the wrong agent. There is no editing around that, even if I like an author’s voice or certain elements of a manuscript. I need to be able to get behind the whole.

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 try to do whatever a project needs. Every manuscript is different. I try to blend my vision with my author’s and make sure the two align. I will typically read through a manuscript several times before taking it out to publishers. On the first read, I’m absorbing everything: the voice, the plot trajectory, character development, pacing. If a passage starts to lose me, I pay attention to why and consider what might elevate it. The first run-through is about my undiluted instinct as a reader. Before I sign an author, I always have an open conversation about what I think and what I would be asking them to do during development. I don’t ever want anyone to feel surprised or ambushed. Then on subsequent reads, I’m able to go deeper on the elements I mentioned and approach them from a more primed standpoint.

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?

Authors should review our agency guidelines at https://lindachester.com/submissions-rights/. We ask for a short synopsis and the first two chapters of a manuscript in the body of the email, double-spaced, and please no attachments. I would also appreciate a query that opens with a pitch introducing me to the story and major themes. Please include title, genre, word count, and a short bio. Comp titles can also be useful, though I advise authors to communicate specifically how these titles relate to their work.

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

Consider a query letter as essentially your calling card. It’s crucial to be professional. After you’ve addressed an agent, don’t feel self-conscious about jumping straight into your story’s pitch. The more concise and direct, the better, and a preamble just bogs the process down. Please don’t editorialize or hard sell your work or add blurbs from beta readers. The only opinion I’m paying attention to, at this stage, is my own. Another bugaboo is when an author denigrates other books in their genre or category. Focus on yourself and what your work is offering.

Response Time:

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

I try my best to respond to queries within two-three weeks, and to respond to partial or full manuscript requests within two-three months. I will, in the latter case, let an author know that I need more time with their work if I exceed that. Otherwise, I am responsive to polite nudging.

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 certainly open. As long as you are querying unpublished work that’s unrelated to previously published stories, my advice is the same as what I would offer all authors: present thoughtful, well-developed and polished work.

Clients:

12. Who are some of the authors you represent?

I currently represent nine authors: Julie Hauswirth, Kerry Hansen, Andrew Dykstal, Hannah Strom-Martin, Claire Rako, Vincent Jorgensen, Kai Cooley, Ari Lichtenstein, Frauke Uhlenbruch.

Interviews and Guest Posts:

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

An interview with Writing and Illustrating: https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2023/10/13/october-agent-of-the-month-coco-freeman-2/

And an excellent website with advice on querying:

https://janefriedman.com/

Links and Contact Info:

14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web.

My agency: https://lindachester.com/. Please view the Submissions & Rights page for querying information.

Manuscript Wishlist: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/coco-freeman/

Duotrope: https://duotrope.com/agent/coco-freeman-36655

Additional Advice:

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

Love what you’re doing and creating. This is a process-oriented world and industry. The wins are wonderful, but the process is what you come back to every day. Find the middle ground between being able to hear resonant and constructive feedback and being able to listen to yourself. It is all deeply, fundamentally subjective, and as difficult as rejection can be, remember why you’re here doing what you’re doing. The passion and faith keeps us all going, regardless of what role we play in this business. Hold fast to yours.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, CoCo.

Giveaway Details

CoCo 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 November 23rd. 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 email 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.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Saturday, November 16th I’m participating in the In All Things Give Thanks Giveaway Hop

Monday, November 18th I have a guest post by Elisa Stone Leahy and a giveaway of her MG Mallory in Full Color

Wednesday, November 20th I have an agent spotlight interview with Courtney Donovan and a query critique giveaway

Sunday, December 1st I’m participating in the Holly Jolly Giveaway Hop

Wednesday, December 4th I have an interview with author Lish McBride and a giveaway of her YA Red in Tooth and Claw and my IWSG post

Saturday, December 7th I’m participating in the Let It Snow Giveaway Hop

I hope to see you on Saturday!