How to Find a Literary Agent for Children’s Books

You’ve written a killer query that focuses on who the main character is, what stands in their way, and what choices they make in the plot. You’ve researched recent comps and crafted a breezy, professional bio. Your opening pages are polished, and even if the synopsis was a slog to write, you’ve got it done! Now the only problem is who you should send it to.

You don’t need Sherlock skills to find a literary agent for children’s books!

First, Make a list

Discovering how to find a literary agent for children’s books can be daunting, but we’re here to help! I suggest first making a list of possibilities, then narrowing it down as you research agents.

So where does that list of possible agents to query come from? Start with those perfect comps you researched. Look up the agents who sold those books. Often they’re mentioned in the author’s thanks at the end or on the author’s website. #MSWL, which stands for Manuscript Wish List, is a Twitter thread where authors can search for agents who represent certain genres or who have expressed interest in different types of stories. It can be so useful.

Query Tracker is a wonderful resource to generate a list of agents. You can search by all sorts of filters, such as genres they represent or what their response time is like. There’s a free function that works really well with additional paid offerings.

Then Check it Twice

Literary Rambles is one of the best websites in identifying how to find a literary agent for children’s books in particular. It’s been around for years, and they both interview literary agents and compile other interviews and manuscript wish lists from around the internet. You can search through the agents by name or by agency and learn more about whether your potential agents to query might be a good fit. Wonderful resource!

One of my favorite resources is Publishers Marketplace. It does cost money—$25 a month right now, although they sometimes run sales, and you can cancel at any time. But it can’t be beat as a repository of up-to-date information about which agents are selling what kinds of books. You can search it to see top dealmakers, to find out whether an agent sells mostly to big presses or smaller ones, and what the range of those sales are. Since it does cost money, I suggest signing up for one month after you have done some research and come up with a preliminary list. You can then make the most of your membership by having more focused research.

Ask yourself a few questions…

Your own particular list will reflect your preferences. Do you want a top-name agent, or are you willing to take a chance on someone just breaking into the business? Are you okay with a newer agent only if they’re affiliated with an established agency? Do you want a boutique agency with a smaller client list and more personal attention, or a large agency with more resources to support your career? Do you care if the agent lives in New York City? Do you want someone who does business over the phone or someone who emails only? Do you want someone who only represents one type of manuscript, like picture book or middle grade, or do you prefer someone who sells the gamut of adult thrillers to nonfiction board book? Do you want someone who signs you as a client or just this one particular project?

Those questions can seem overwhelming, and honestly, you might not have answers for them all until you get a bit more experience. That’s okay! The main question you need to answer is whether an agent on your list is currently selling manuscripts like yours. If they are, then it’s definitely worth a query!

I feel strongly that it’s tough to know a “dream agent” from their presence online. Yes, you can get a sense of someone’s personality, read about their response time, see their sales record—but you can’t tell whether they’re going to fall in love with your particular manuscript at this point in time. And that’s really what makes a dream agent. The best agent for you is the one who catches the vision of what you’re trying to accomplish and will champion your manuscript all the way to publication.

The process of querying can be so disheartening, but I hope knowing how to find a literary agent for children’s books will help make the path a bit less bumpy.

Happy querying!

I teach a writing intensive for picture book writers with Mary Kole at Story Mastermind. Join us to get submission ready in just six months!