This week's Agent Spotlight features Kendra Marcus of BookStop Literary Agency.
Status: Accepting submissions, actively building her client list.
About: “Kendra Marcus started BookStop Literary Agency in 1984 and since then the agency has grown to be one of the most well known and well respected agencies for children’s book writers and illustrators.
“Kendra gravitates toward texts and illustrations for quirky and funny picture books, fiction and unusual non-fiction. She is also interested in stories with Hispanic or Latino characters, and is always thrilled to find unforgettable and vivid voices or stories that will bring her to tears. BookStop Literary Agency is dedicated to promoting authors and illustrators of children’s and young adult books. We guide our clients (and their books) in their careers and act as their liaison with publishers.” (Link)
About the Agency:
“BookStop Literary Agency is dedicated to promoting authors and illustrators of children's and young adult books. We guide our clients (and their books) in their careers and act as their liaison with publishers. We sell quality picture books, fiction, non-fiction and illustrations to major children's book publishers in the US and abroad.” (Link)
Web Presence:
What She’s Looking For:
Genres / Specialties:
Children’s fiction and non-fiction, middle grade, young adult, illustrations.
From Her Bio (as above):
“Kendra gravitates toward texts and illustrations for quirky and funny picture books, fiction and unusual non-fiction. She is also interested in stories with Hispanic or Latino characters, and is always thrilled to find unforgettable and vivid voices or stories that will bring her to tears.” (Link)
From an Interview (03/2010):
“In a picture book, I am eager to read a fresh approach to any of the myriad of familiar topics that kids can relate to–early concepts, daily life, siblings, family, friends, or even aliens. I love quirky and well-developed characters in any book, but especially in a picture book. We would never reject a great manuscript.
“I also like to work with books that tell a socially important or interesting story, despite the fact that they may not experience great sales.” (Link)
What She Isn’t Looking For:
Adult projects, screenplays.
Editorial Agent?
“We enjoy the editorial process, and if we think you’ve got a good strong character, we're more than happy to work with you to integrate that character into an equally strong plot.” (Link)
Clients:
There is a page of selected client titles and illustrators on the website.
Ms. Marcus has worked with such well-known authors and illustrators as Kathryn Erskine, Gary Soto, Lela Nargi, Gerald Morris, Frank Remkiewicz, Pam Mu簽oz Ryan and Corey Rosen Schwartz, among many others.
Sales:
Ms. Marcus keeps a list of recent deals on her public PM page. You can also view the author page on the website for a sample of past and current titles.
Query Methods:
E-mail: Yes.
Snail-Mail: Yes.
Online-Form: No.
Submission Guidelines (always verify):
See the BookStop Literary Agency submissions page for complete, up-to-date submission guidelines.
Query Tips:
“Both my associate, Minju Chang, and I are actively seeking new talent. We work closely together so it doesn’t matter to whom you submit your work.” (Link)
Response Times:
The agency tries to respond within four to six weeks. Stats on the web show Ms. Marcus usually does respond within this timeframe.
What's the Buzz?
Kendra Marcus has a great stable of children’s authors who seem happy with her representation. She tends to be drawn to work for younger children, especially picture books, but does accept submissions for kids from 0-18.
Worth Your Time:
Interviews:
SCBWI Bologna 2010 Agent Interview: Kendra Marcus on BookStop Literary Agency at Cynsations (03/2010).
Around the Web:
BookStop Literary thread at AbsoluteWrite.
Round Table with Veteran Agent, Kendra Marcus at North Writer (03/2010).
Monster List of Picture Book Agents - Kendra Marcus, Bookstop Literary at Frolicking through Cyberspace
How I Got My Agent: Corey Schwartz at Julie Hedlund’s site (12/2010).
Kenrdra Marcus: The Picture Book in 2010 at D.L. King (2010)
How I Got My Agent: Kristyn Crow at Guide to Literary Agents (11/2009).
Meeting my Secret...errrr....Literary Agent at A Mime in Times Square (11/2009)
Kendra Marcus Answers, “Who owns the rights to a character?” at Raab Associate (2009).
Peggy Collins and Kendra Marcus and the pursuit of representation at Just One More Book (11/2008).
Contact:
Please see the BookStop Literary website for contact and query information.
Profile Details:
Last updated: 8/22/12.
Last Reviewed By Agent? 8/23/12.
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Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail me at agentspotlight(at)gmail(dot)com
Note: These agent profiles presently focus on agents who accept children's and/or teen fiction. They are not interviews. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found herein is subject to change.
Thank you so much for your agent spotlights! What a great resource for writers reaching the query process. I just stumbled across your blog yesterday and I will definitely be a frequent visitor :)
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Your agent spotlights are excellent, thanks. Wish you did this for adult fiction! :)
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After all this time, it's hard to believe that you're still finding lots of agents to write about! Thanks for another great spotlight.
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