February 11, 2019 Interview with Agent Linda Camacho of Gallt & Zacker

I’m excited to welcome to the blog this week, Agent Linda Camacho of Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency.

About Linda: Linda was always a fan of escaping into a good book, so the fact that she gets to make it her career is still surreal. She graduated from Cornell with a B.S. in Communication and has seen many sides of the industry. She’s held various positions at Penguin Random House, Dorchester, Simon and Schuster, and Writers House literary agency until she ventured into agenting at Prospect. She’s done everything from foreign rights to editorial to marketing to operations, so it was amazing to see how all the departments worked together to bring books to life. Somewhere in between all that (and little sleep), Linda received her MFA in creative writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Now at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency, Linda continues to work with colleagues and clients who inspire her every day in both the children’s and adult categories.

Connect with Linda:

Twitter: @LindaRandom

1) What’s a day in the life of literary agent Linda Camacho like?

There’s no such thing as a typical day for me. I tend to start my day with checking emails, but then beyond that, I might be meeting/having phone calls with editors,

2) What’s the communication and overall environment like at Gallt & Zacker?

Gallt & Zacker Literary has an open, collaborative environment. We respect and genuinely like each other, so I feel very lucky to be part of our recently expanded team.

3) If you had to sum up Gallt & Zacker, its mission, philosophy, and/or team in three adjectives, what adjectives would you select?

Caring, passionate, and savvy.

4) What’s something you as an agent face that’s especially difficult or frustrating that writers may not know?

It can be very frustrating when a manuscript doesn’t sell. I take on work that I fall in love with, but publishing is very subjective, so there’s never a guarantee that everything I submit will get acquired. I push as much as I can, but sometimes, I have to give up and move onto my client’s next project.

5) What do you love most about working within children’s literature?  

There’s something special about the transformative nature of children’s books. Those are the stories that make such an impression early on, one that children will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

6) When it comes to children’s literature, what audience and genre(s) would you consider your sweet spot?

I like so many things, so I always say: Surprise me! I’m skewing older these days, so I’m focusing on more MG and YA, but across all fiction genres.

7) I see you only rep author/illustrators for picture books and graphic novels. When reviewing an author/illustrator’s portfolio, what are you looking for in their illustrations? What are you drawn to?

Much like with writing, it’s pretty much an “I know it when I see it” sort of thing. I don’t often know what I’m looking for until I find it, some quality that catches my attention and keeps it.

8) I see you also accept graphic novels (and I’ve noticed a greater calling for them). Do graphic novels appear to be on the rise?

Graphic novels are definitely on the rise, so I’m very glad that the trade book publishers are getting in on it more. With the big 5 houses in particular, while they still tend to focus on literary graphic novels, I’ve started to notice that they’re becoming more open to different genres as well.

9) Similar question as above. There appears to be growing requests from agents and editors for middle grade. Why do you think that is and is the golden age of middle grade drawing near?

It’s certainly possible that the golden age of middle grade is nearing (I’d love that!). The over-saturation of the young adult category has had editors seeking to balance their lists with more middle grade, so I’m curious to see how the next few years play out.

10) What do you read first, the query letter or the pages?

I start with the query letter, to see if the hook intrigues me.

11) In a query letter, do you have a preference regarding whether the author first dives into the pitch or a short personalization about why they specifically chose to query you?

Personalizations are definitely a nice touch, but there’s something to be said for diving straight into the story. I prefer the pitch first.

12) What’s your average response time to a query? Do you request R & Rs. And do you always respond? 

When I’m not behind on submissions, I try to respond within 4-6 weeks to a query letter. I do respond to all queries. I don’t really do R & Rs these days because I don’t really have the time, but never say never!

13) When you’ve rejected a writer’s work in the past, you’re rejecting the work and not the writer. But if that writer queries you again, do you put on blinders and approach them as a first-time querier, or are you somehow going or thinking back to why you rejected their work the first time around? 

When I’ve rejected a writer and they query me with new work, I generally approach them as a first-time querier, unless there was something that stuck out in their initial contact.

14) In your opinion what makes for a successful author-agent relationship? 

The two main things that make for a successful author-agent relationship are open communication and trust. Without that, it just won’t work.

15) How does having your MFA in creative writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts inform your editorial process?

I’ve become stronger editorially, which was one of my aims in enrolling in the program. Mostly, though, I’d say that having gone through the workshopping process with my own writing has made me even more sympathetic to my clients. It isn’t easy putting your work out there, so I absolutely admire creatives who do.

16) What’s your favorite part of the publishing process? Least favorite part?

My favorite part is when I start to see the cover concepts. That’s when the book starts to feel more real! My least favorite part is waiting to reveal certain things, like the book deal itself, the cover reveal, or any other exciting news that requires a lot of waiting.

17) Are there any upcoming conferences or twitter events you’ll be participating in?

This year, I’ll be faculty at the Miami SCBWI conference, the NY SCBWI national conference, New England SCBWI conference, Utah Storymakers conference, Arizona SCBWI, SCBWI Iowa, and Maryland Romance Writers of America.

WILDCARD QUESTIONS:

What mythical creature do you wish actually existed? 

People are obsessed with unicorns, which are cool, but why doesn’t the Pegasus get mentioned enough? A flying horse? I’d be on board with that!

What movie, picture, or video always makes you laugh no matter how often you watch it?

Monty Python and the Holy Grail  cracks me up each time 😊