Agents Andrea Brown President andrea@andreabrownlit.com Andrea Brown is the President of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc. Founded in New York City in 1981, it was the first literary agency to represent both children's book authors and illustrators. Prior to opening her own firm, Andrea was an editor at Alfred A. Knopf, and worked in the editorial departments of Random House and Dell. In 1990, she moved her literary agency to Northern California. Her literary agency has sold approximately 1,500 books to publishers, from toddler board books to serious, award-winning young adult and adult fiction. Andrea has published articles and published a chapter about the children's book field in THE PORTABLE WRITER'S CONFERENCE, published by Quill Driver Books. She has been quoted in the NEW YORK POST, CNN.com, Yahoo News, FORBES, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING and REUTERS NEWS SERVICE. President of the San Francisco chapter of the Women's National Book Association for four years, she was the National Pannell Award Chair that gives awards to booksellers at the Book Expo Association. She is also a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Andrea has had her own cable television show in New York City, "An Afternoon with Children's Books," and has appeared on C-SPAN'S "Book Notes", and public television's "Authors and Critics." She is the Executive Director of the Big Sur Writing Workshops, one for children's books and one for adult fiction. Andrea speaks at many writer's conferences including the Singapore Book Council, Maui Writers Conference, Asilomar, San Diego State University, UCLA, Palm Springs Writers Conference, Southwest Writers Conference, Pikes Peak Writers Conference, Pacific Northwest Writer's Conference, Texas Writer's League, The Society of Children's Book Writers conferences, and more. Some of Andrea's sales include bestselling titles such as MAMA DO YOU LOVE ME with Chronicle Books, THE BEANIE BABY HANDBOOK and TEACHER FROM THE BLACK LAGOON series with Scholastic, the BEVERLY HILLS 90210 series with HarperCollins, the SUNSET ISLAND series with Berkley Books, Olympic Silver medalist, Sasha Cohen's autobiography, FIRE ON ICE (HarperCollins), six-figure deals for Neal Shusterman (DARK FUSION series with Dutton, EVERLOST and UNWIND (Simon & Schuster) and a forthcoming series with HarperCollins. Andrea is also the author of WRITERS' AND ARTISTS' HIDEOUTS: Great Getaways for Seducing the Muse, the only travel/writer's guide available. Laura Rennert Senior Agent ljrennert AT mac DOT com Representative Deals Laura's author website Laura Rennert is a Senior Agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She's been with the agency for ten years, and specializes in all categories of children's books, from picture books to young adult. She also specializes in literary fiction, crossover fiction (works that come out in the YA market and cross into the adult market, or vice versa), mysteries and thrillers, and narrative nonfiction. She represents award-winning and best selling authors, including New York Times bestsellers Ellen Hopkins, Catherine Ryan Hyde, and Jay Asher, and National Book Award Finalist Kathleen Duey, as well as brand new first-time authors. Some of her noteworthy deals include deals for over half a million dollars to both Random House and Simon & Schuster; six-figure YA deals to Razorbill/Penguin, Knopf, Feiwel & Friends, Margaret McElderry/S&S, Scholastic, and Harper; and a film deal to Nickelodeon/Paramount. The common thread in the diverse range of projects Laura takes on is a strong voice. She looks for stories that make you both feel and think, and is drawn to books that create a richly detailed, imaginative world. Her criteria for both fiction and nonfiction is a fresh voice; "round" as opposed to flat characters (to borrow E.M. Forster's term), and a compelling, well-conceived narrative arc. Although she considers herself a literary omnivore, right now she is particularly interested in middle-grade, young adult, and crossover books. In the MG/YA market, she's seeking contemporary fiction with real emotional power; urban fantasy; paranormal with a literary bent; gothic or neo-gothic novels (going back to her 19th Century Brit Lit roots); mysteries, suspense, and thrillers; and multi-cultural fiction. She likes characters with an insider-outsider perspective; books that explore different cultures or worlds the reader wouldn't normally have access to; books that make us see the ordinary in a new way; works that are ambitious in intellectual, emotional, or narrative terms; and books that make her laugh or cry. Across all categories, Laura's sweet spot is books with "literary voice and commercial conception." Some of her exemplary titles are THIRTEEN REASONS WHY (Razorbill/Penguin Group); SHIVER (Scholastic); CRANK (Margaret McElderry); MADAPPLE (Knopf); THE FIVE ANCESTORS series (Random House); IDENTICAL (Margaret McElderry/Simon & Schuster); REVOLUTION IS NOT A DINNER PARTY (Holt); EVOLUTION, ME, AND OTHER FREAKS OF NATURE (Knopf); BECOMING CHLOE (Knopf); GHOST MEDICINE (Feiwel & Friends/Holtzbrinck); LOVE IN THE PRESENT TENSE (Doubleday); LAMENT (Flux); IN THE PATH OF FALLING OBJECTS (Feiwel & Friends/Holtzbrinck); FAT CAT (Knopf); TRICKS (Margaret McElderry/S&S); and THE BODY FINDER (HarperCollins). Laura is the author of a picture book, BUYING, TRAINING, AND CARING FOR YOUR DINOSAUR (Fall 2009, Knopf) and of two highly illustrated books for young readers, EMMA, THE EXTRA-ORDINARY PRINCESS, forthcoming with Dutton. She speaks at writer's conferences throughout the country and overseas, including the Virginia Festival of the Book, San Diego State University Writers Conference, UCLA, San Francisco State University, Pikes Peak Writers Conference, Book Passage Children's Writing Conference, the San Francisco Writers Conference, the Big Sur Children's Writing Workshop and Fiction Workshop, the Backspace Writer's Conference, the Texas Writer's League, The Society of Children's Book Writers conferences including the annual conference in LA, the Central Coast Writers Conference, the Willamette Writers Conference, the Surrey International Writers Conference, SCBWI Tokyo, SCBWI Hong Kong, and more. She has a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Virginia and has nine years of experience teaching as a faculty member in the English Departments of the University of Virginia, Osaka University of Foreign Studies, and Santa Clara University. Caryn Wiseman Agent caryn@andreabrownlit.com Representative Deals Caryn has been an Agent with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc. since early 2003, and has sold over 85 books. She handles children's books only: young adult and middle-grade fiction and non-fiction, chapter books, and picture books (fiction and non-fiction). She represents two New York Times bestselling authors, first-time authors, and authors at every stage in between. Caryn holds an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA, and a BS from the University of Virginia, and her fifteen years of business experience prior to joining the Agency emphasized editing and writing as well as sales, negotiation and client management. Caryn's particular interests include: humorous chapter books and middle-grade fiction; "boy" books; YA that falls at the intersection of commercial and literary; YA that is edgy without being gratuitous; non-institutional biography and other unique nonfiction for children and teens; and African-American and Latino-themed literature in all children's and teen age groups. She would love to see more contemporary multicultural MG or YA fiction—books that deeply explore another culture, as well as books in which the ethnicity of the character is not the issue; magical realism, urban fantasy, or fantasy that is very much based in reality (no maps needed); sports fiction that has a hook other than the sport, for girls and boys; page-turning thrillers; and realistic fiction with an environmental theme. She is always open to terrific children's work that doesn't fit these categories, however. For fiction, a fresh, unique voice is paramount. A literary bent to a well-crafted commercial story in which ordinary characters find themselves in extraordinary situations would capture her attention. She loves nonfiction that reads like fiction; that has a great "story behind the story". She does not represent adult projects at all. Please do not query her regarding adult work. Caryn represents Nate Evans, co-author of the New York Times bestseller THE JELLYBEANS AND THE BIG DANCE (Abrams), and its forthcoming sequel. Nate's new chapter book series, BEAST FRIENDS FOREVER, is forthcoming from Sourcebooks/ Jabberwocky. She also represents Deborah Underwood, whose chapter book series with Whoopi Goldberg, THE SUGAR PLUM BALLERINAS (Disney*Hyperion), is also a New York Times bestseller. Deborah has several picture books forthcoming. Other recent and soon-to-be-released titles include: B&N 2008 Discover Pick BENEATH MY MOTHER'S FEET (McElderry), MANFISH, A STORY OF JACQUES COUSTEAU (Chronicle), LIFE IN THE WILD: THE GEORGE SCHALLER STORY (FSG), MITZI'S WORLD (Abrams), STUPID CUPID (Simon Pulse), CLAIRE DE LUNE (Simon Pulse), A YEAR OF GOOD-BYES (Disney*Hyperion), RIDING INVISIBLE (Disney*Hyperion), OUT OF THE POCKET (Dutton), ESCAPE FROM CAMP DAVID (HarperCollins), The SUPER SLUGGERS chapter books series (HarperCollins), HIS BOY ELROY (Holt), STONEWALL HINKLEMAN & THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN (Dial) and POOP HAPPENED! (Walker). Some of her recent deals include: YA and MG fiction to Simon Pulse Puffin (2-book deal), Clarion, Dutton, Delacorte, Hyperion, Holt, and Atheneum; picture books to Abrams, Clarion, Disney*Hyperion, Greenwillow, Dutton, and Scholastic, and Sterling; and non-fiction to Chronicle, Charlesbridge, Dutton, FSG, Disney*Hyperion, Millbrook, Walker, Zonderkidz, Boyds Mills, and Houghton Mifflin. Caryn is a member of SCBWI and WNBA, and a frequent speaker at writer's conferences, including the Big Sur Writer's Workshop, La Jolla Writer's Conference, SDSU Writer's Conference, Central Coast Conference, and SCBWI conferences. Jennifer Rofé Agent jennifer@andreabrownlit.com Representative Deals Jennifer handles children's fiction projects only, from picture books through young adult, and is particularly interested in literary, multicultural, offbeat, paranormal, and commercial-with-heart material. She enjoys magical-realism and reality-based fantasy; ghost stories (though not gore); stubborn characters who learn lessons the hard way; and unassuming heroes and underdogs. She is currently interested in acquiring commercial, boy-friendly adventures and is always looking for projects that simultaneously tug at her heartstrings and make her laugh out loud. Jennifer considers herself an editorial agent in that she works with her clients to strengthen their manuscripts before presenting them to editors. Some of her sales include THE DOWN TO EARTH GUIDE TO GLOBAL WARMING by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon, Scholastic's lead title for Fall 2007; MILAGROS, THE GIRL FROM AWAY, a magical-realism middle grade by Meg Medina (Christy Ottaviano Books/Holt); FARWALKER, a middle-grade fantasy by Joni Sensel (Bloomsbury); PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE, a commercial middle-grade by Cynthea Liu (in a two-book deal to Putnam/Puffin); BEFORE YOU WERE HERE, a bilingual picture book by Samantha Vamos (Viking); and THE YEAR THE SWALLOWS CAME EARLY, a literary middle-grade by Kathryn Fitzmaurice (in a two-book deal to The Bowen Press/HarperCollins). Jennifer earned a BA in English with a minor in Social and Ethnic Relations from UC Davis and has a background in secondary education. Jennifer has been on faculty for the Big Sur Writer's Workshop, the San Francisco Writer's Workshop, and WNBA, PCCWW and SCBWI conferences. Kelly Sonnack Agent kelly@andreabrownlit.com Kelly Sonnack comes to the Andrea Brown Literary Agency after nearly three years with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency where she agented children's and adult work. Prior to that, Kelly worked for the publishing giant Reed Elsevier, where she served as an Acquisitions Editor under the Academic Press imprint. As an agent, Kelly specializes in all types of children's literature (picture books, middle grade, young adult, and graphic novels). In picture books and middle grade fiction, Kelly looks for a good sense of humor, stories that stretch a young reader's imagination, and an authentic voice. In young adult, she appreciates literary voices and character-driven stories with heart. In non-fiction for children, she enjoys projects that inspire and stimulate the minds of our younger generations. At this time, Kelly is not accepting unsolicited submissions in adult fiction or adult non-fiction. Some of the titles Kelly has represented include include: Steve Watkins' DOWN SAND MOUNTAIN (Candlewick) and GOAT GIRL (Candlewick); Merrily Kutner's ALPHABET MAGIC (Roaring Brook); Jin Pyn Lee's THE ELEPHANT AND THE TREE (Running Press); Candace Ryan's ANIMAL HOUSE (Walker); Heather Leigh's HEY LITTLE BABY (S&S/Beach Lane Books); Neil Johnson & Joel Chin's THE FALLING RAINDROP (Tricycle Press); and James Burks' graphic novel GABBY AND GATOR (Yen Press). Kelly is a frequent speaker at conferences, including the La Jolla Writer's Conference, SCBWI chapter events, San Diego State Writer's Conference, and the Southern California Writer's Conferences. Jamie Weiss Chilton Associate Agent jamie@andreabrownlit.com Jamie Weiss Chilton represents children's books exclusively: teen novels, middle grade fiction, chapter books, picture books, and narrative nonfiction. Her specific interests include literary fiction with intense emotional content (character-driven, not issue-driven plots); smart thrillers and mysteries; science fiction; surreal stories and magical realism; sweet, funny, quirky chapter books and picture books. Jamie's career in children's books began in 1998, with an editorial internship at Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, followed by positions as an Editorial Assistant and Assistant Editor at Bantam Delacorte Dell, Wendy Lamb Books, and Knopf & Crown Books for Young Readers, all divisions of Random House Children's Books. After returning to her hometown of Los Angeles, Jamie pursued her love of children's books in a new arena, as Conference Manager and Golden Kite Award Director at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Jamie believes that one great way to get to know someone is through their taste in books. Favorites that she worked on in an editorial capacity while at Random House include ACCELERATION and SPARKS by Graham McNamee, TROUBLE DON'T LAST and CROOKED RIVER by Shelley Pearsall, ZIPPED by Laura and Tom McNeal, DAUGHTER OF VENICE by Donna Jo Nappoli, and THE GIANT HUG by Sandra Horning, Illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev. Jamie holds a BA in English from Columbia University, and has completed a series of editorial workshops at the Center for Children's Books. Jennifer Laughran Associate Agent JennL@andreabrownlit.com Representative Deals Jennifer is looking for YA and middle grade realistic fiction, science fiction, mystery, adventure and humor. She adores simplicity, but she is not interested in the conventional, predictable, mechanical, gimmicky or ordinary. She seeks books that have not only voice, but blood, temperature and a pulse--they can be messy and idiosyncratic, but never weak. If you need to be reassured that your writing is vital, you are probably not an author to interest her. At this time Jennifer is NOT looking for picture books, early readers, non-fiction, adult fiction, high fantasy, religious stories, or stories about talking animals. Jennifer is new to the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, but not to the world of children's books. She's been a children's bookseller for more than a decade, and is the founder of the extremely popular YA event series "Not Your Mother's Book Club". Her knowledge of the market and extensive experience working with publishers will be a definite asset for her clients. Jennifer Mattson Associate Agent Jmatt@andreabrownlit.com Jennifer comes to Andrea Brown Literary Agency after nearly five years of reviewing children's books (preschool through YA) as part of the Books for Youth staff of Booklist magazine. Roughly speaking, that adds up to close readings of around 1,000 books, lending Jennifer a wide-angle view of publishing trends and the tastes of individual houses. As a Booklist editor, Jennifer worked as a consultant to the Best Books for Young Adults and the Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers committees. Prior to Booklist, Jennifer was an Associate Editor at Dutton Children's Books, where she acquired and edited picture books, including Chico (2005) by then-Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor; middle-grade novels, and YA novels. (She also enjoyed an amusing turn on the other side of the desk as a coauthor of The Official Easy-Bake Cookbook, 1999). She was a featured editor and speaker at SCBWI Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia chapter event, 2001; and a guest editor at Rutgers University's One-on-One Plus Conference, 2001. Jennifer loves picture books that are real, storytime-ready stories (no one-joke tales or mood pieces), and has a particular fondness for stellar easy reader manuscripts in the deadpan tradition of Arnold Lobel. Fables and folktales tend not to be for her. For the older set, she is drawn to richly imagined fantasies that depart from old-hat heroic quests (alternate realities, magical realism, and steam-punk are all styles/premises to have recently caught her notice). She has a special interest in dystopian fiction for middle graders and in sprawling, atmospheric tales with Dickensian twists and satisfying puzzles. But as much as high-concept novels pique her interest, the most mind-blowing premise can't hide a flat narrative that rarely reaches for unexpected descriptions, fully fleshed characterizations, or a zinging narrative voice. A native of California, Jennifer has a degree in English from Amherst College.