April 1, 2019 Interview and Giveaway with Agent Christa Heschke of McIntosh and Otis

About Christa:

CHRISTA HESCHKE graduated from Binghamton University with a major in English and a minor in Anthropology. She started in publishing as an intern at both Writers House and Sterling Lord Literistic, where she fell in love with the agency side of publishing. Christa has been at McIntosh and Otis, Inc. in the Children’s Literature Department since 2009 where she is actively acquiring for all age groups in children’s.

Connect with Christa:
Twitter: @ChristaHeschke
Blog: http://christaheschke.blogspot.com/
Agency website: http://mcintoshandotis.com/

1) What’s a day in the life of literary agent Christa Heschke like?

My days are generally pretty different, though some things carry across most days. Every day when I come in, I look at my to-do list and what is pending, and then prioritize based on what may have a deadline and is more urgent, and add to that what has come in that day. So every day I have to adapt and shift things around a bit based on that! Reading and answering emails is always a pretty decent chunk of my day (and that’s everything from client emails, editor/publisher emails, sending submissions, subrights inquiries, permissions, sending check-in emails on submissions I’ve made, etc.). Some days I’ll be going over/negotiating contracts; other days I may be pulling together an editorial email for a client or going to lunch or coffee with an editor. After the workday, I often do some reading at home.

2) If you could hit the fast forward button on your career – whether it be months or even decades from now – what accomplishments would you like to see under your belt as an agent?

My long- term goal is to continue to help build my current clients’ careers. This to me means that I will help them grow as much as I can from book to book. I want nothing more than to help them meet their writing career goals and hopefully even exceed those expectations. I, of course, want my clients’ books to get to as many readers as possible. And, sure, I dream of my clients’ titles becoming bestsellers, winning awards, too. Sharing good news is always one of the best parts of the job, and I always want to have good news to share with my authors! Past that, I want to continue to take on new clients whose work I am passionate about!

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

When I take on a client, it’s because I see potential and I see a novel that I love and want to read again and again and get out into the world. Past that, I see someone I want to work with from book to book and help build their career. So when it comes to submission time, it can be hard to get rejections. When I as an agent love a project and editors don’t quite seem to be connecting with it, that can be frustrating. Sometimes I ask myself, “Wzhy can’t they see what I see?” But then you find that perfect fit—an editor who sends you a love letter about why they have to have that book—it makes all that time spent in the trenches so worth it!

4) What is it about agenting that you love most?

This may be a bit long as there are many things I love, including: Making the “we sold your book” call; putting together editorial feedback; brainstorming with my clients; seeing a client’s book cover for the first time; selling translation rights and bringing a book that sold in the US to readers around the world in different languages; for picture books, seeing the art come to life from sketches to finished full-color art; seeing books out in the wild at indies, B&N, etc.; getting a revision that simply wows me; reading a next manuscript from a client that shows how much they’ve grown, finding something new in my queries that sparks something in me… I could go on and on!

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

I have very eclectic tastes. I read a lot of fantasy growing up, but I also love a good contemporary. I want to work on books that have something important to say. I want every child to be able to see themselves in the pages of a book. I am definitely a big supporter of the We Need Diverse Books movement.

In terms of age ranges, I work on a fair amount of picture books (nonfiction and fiction) so I’d say that’s one strength/sweet spot. Picture book bios have been a real joy to work on. There are so many stories throughout history that need to be told. So far, I’ve worked on a fair amount of bios featuring women in STEM and women who didn’t lose their determination when they heard “no.” These women fought for what they believed in, and that can be so inspiring to a child. I love working on books that send positive, inspiring messages to children.

I also work on a fair amount of YA. Dark YA is another sweet spot! I have a mix of fantasy and contemporary, with some thrillers, dark humor, and historical in the mix as well. Genre-wise (besides fantasy), I also really enjoy horror (the creepy, eerie variety), vivid, beautifully written historical, and mystery/thriller (if I can’t guess the twists, you’re on the way to winning me over!).

6) What three things are at the top of your #MSWL.

1) Middle grade!!! I love working on middle grade and this is the area of my list I’m looking to grow the most. I’d like everything from lyrical contemporary, to a creepy ghost story or strange small town mystery, fantasy (especially #OwnVoices, non-western), books featuring LGBTQ characters, mental health, loss, and anything with a great sibling/friendship story at its core. I’m always on the lookout for #OwnVoices books. Last, but not least, I’d love something that makes me laugh with authentic dialogue. 2) I’d love a platonic friendship story in YA, that never veers toward romance. 3) YA, of any genre, with a compelling romance at its core. I’m a sucker for forbidden romances! I tend to be a little more drawn to books on the darker side, but I’d also love to work on some lighter romances—something that makes me smile.

7) You mentioned on Manuscript Wish list that you love cute, funny picture books with strong hooks for both children and adults. Can you provide us with traditionally-published picture books that you love and are in the vein of picture books you’d like to rep?

Here are several that come to mind right now. Some are funny, others cute, and some are both! PENGUIN AND PINECONE, TEA REX, UNICORN THINKS HE’S PRETTY GREAT, LEAVE ME ALONE!, BAD SEED, SNAPPSY THE ALLIGATOR, DRAGONS LOVE TACOS, CHILDREN MAKE TERRIBLE PETS.

8) What are some of the most common flaws or mistakes you see in the picture book manuscripts you’re queried with?

One is forced rhyme. First, picture books definitely don’t need to rhyme—but if you go this route, the rhythm and rhyme need to flow perfectly and feel natural! Another is high word count. Most fiction picture books hover around 500-700 words. Board books are 0-100, picture books for younger audiences may be 100-300. Every word counts in a picture book, so if you have descriptive text that can be shown in the art, filler words, or sentences that don’t drive the story, they likely can go. It’s something to be mindful of!

9) 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?

I’m ok with either route. I do think it’s important to show the agent you’re querying why you are querying them. I often see a note on this in the first paragraph, but other times, it’s in the last paragraph. I’d say just include it somewhere. You don’t want your query to feel like a mass email with no thought put into it.  The pitch is the most important bit, though, and should be at the top (or right after the line on why you are querying that agent). What makes your book stand out? What books do you see it sitting next to on the shelf? Use current examples!

10) Is there any benefit or disadvantage to an author mentioning in their bio the type of books they write For e.g. mentioning one’s “picture books can be summed up as [adjective], [adjective], and [adjective,]”?

I think no matter what age range you write for, it’s helpful to include a little info about what genres and age ranges you write in your author bio section (especially if you write for different age groups and/or different genres than what you’re querying me with). Do you write picture books and middle grade? Middle grade and YA? This should be just a line or two, at most. I don’t think you need to get overly specific here, but it is nice information to have. If I’m interested in the book you’re querying me with, I’d ask for more details about your larger body of work.

11) What’s your average response time to a query? To a partial or full? Do you always respond?

For regular queries, we only respond when interested, but we do look at every one that comes in and carefully consider it. I wish I could respond to them all, but the volume is too much currently. At M&O, if you haven’t heard in 8-12 weeks, you can assume I’ve passed. For referrals, requests, contest submissions, and conference submissions, I always respond. I try to respond within a few months, but some times of year are busier than others and I fall behind as a result. If you haven’t heard in 2-3 months, please feel free to check in with me! I never mind getting nudges. In fact, I welcome them! I just ask that authors check in with me via my query email, not Twitter or other means.

12) Aside from a particular manuscript or even the work itself, what qualities in an author might fill you with excitement at the thought of working with them?

I always look for an author who isn’t afraid of revision, and is open to feedback and constructive criticism. I’m a very editorial agent, so I get very involved in this part of the process. And even after the book sells, there’s generally a lot more revision to be done, all the way down to the line level.  It’s important as an author to be honest when you don’t see a piece of my feedback as the right direction for your story, but it’s also important to know when to kill your darlings, so to speak. It can be hard, but it can also make the book all the stronger! I also love to work with writers who are excited to get as involved as they can with promotion (social media, bookstore and school visits, signings, giveaways, etc., etc.). Also, working with authors who genuinely love to write (even when it’s hard!), who are passionate and want to grow and improve, is the best. While I want nothing more to sell as many books as I can for my clients, it feels different to me if an author thinks more about their sales than their craft. I think the passion needs to be there.

13) In your opinion what makes for a successful author-agent relationship? Communication is key!!! It’s so important to me that my clients feel comfortable talking to me about any concerns they have throughout the process. I am always here! Most authors will feel a range of emotions throughout the submission process and beyond. Are you feeling disheartened? Would you like to talk strategy? Do you have editors you’d like me to submit to? Are you confused about contract language or what something means? I am always open to suggestions as well. It’s a partnership! Every author is different as far as how often they want to communicate and in what way (phone, email, etc.) and how involved they want to be in particular aspects of the process. So, I always like to be as clear on those details as possible. I want everyone I work with to be happy, know that I have their back, and be comfortable talking through things with me.

It’s also important to understand what each author’s goals are career-wise and beyond so I can do my best to meet them.

14) What’s your communication like with clients?

As I mentioned in my answer to the last question, communication is so important to me. I try to answer emails very quickly. If not that day, by the next. If anything is more in depth and will take longer, or I am unable to respond as quickly as usual (out of town, at a conference, etc.), I will let you know. But sometimes emails don’t come through and things happen, so my authors can always nudge me. I think phone works best for more in-depth conversations like brainstorming sessions, going over editorial feedback, etc. Others are best over email, such as sending along editor passes, brief check-ins, etc. But my communication style varies depending on the client’s preference. Some authors like occasional phone check-ins, others might like less communication for a bit while they go into revision mode, and some may prefer email for most things over phone calls.

15) What are some of the ways in which you champion your authors?

Well, other than gushing about their work to editors, friends, and anyone who will listen J, I typically get pretty involved on the promotional side. That could be anything from doing an author interview and giveaway on my blog, helping with their author website or setting up their Twitter, setting up phone calls with their publicist to talk strategy, setting up cover reveals, helping set up launch parties, book signings, school visits, etc.

I also am persistent and dedicated to making that sale happen, and afterwards selling subrights. It can be a LONG process, but that’s not always a bad thing. We may be on submission for quite some time, with multiple submission rounds and different edits along the way. We may get many passes, but as long as there are still good options to land the book with reputable publishers that both client and agent are happy with, I keep trying! Passes definitely don’t dissuade me from fighting for a book! And if that first book doesn’t sell, we get the second one ready and I fight for that one.

Once the book sells in the US, I pitch my clients to my subagents for translation rights before every international fair (Bologna, London, Frankfurt) and send regular updates to my subagents (reviews, awards, buzz, etc.) I also attend the Bologna Children’s Book Fair every couple years and pitch directly to international publishers there.

I also work with a film agent, and we regularly go over my list and see what may work for the film/TV world.

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

I’ll be at the SCBWI Arkansas conference in Little Rock this June and am participating in an Inked Voices critique event, also in June. I’m always participating in the various Twitter pitch events like PitMad, DVPit, SFFPit, etc.

WILDCARD QUESTIONS:

What three adjectives would you use to describe yourself?

Optimistic, creative, stubborn.

Who is your favorite movie character of all time?

This is hard as I am a big movie person! One of my favorites is Ariel from THE LITTLE MERMAID. I wore out that tape (yes, it was a VHS) as a child and I still love how free-spirited and determined she is.

You get to live in the literary world of your choosing, which world would it be and why?

It would definitely be a fantasy world, though many of my favorite fantasies take place in worlds that are on the dangerous side. Hmm…where can I hang out with unicorns and talk to friendly dragons?

In the end, I’d go with Wonderland. It’s just so strange, fascinating, and colorful, filled with amazing characters and creatures. Sign me up!

You’re given the opportunity to speak one sentence to the entire world, a sentence that will somehow change the world for the better. What would you say?

This is not anything groundbreaking, but “Be kind to one another.” It seems like such a simple thing, yet so many judge other people negatively before they know that person, give in to negative stereotypes, and say/think so many hateful things. How can you hate an entire group of people or even just one person you don’t know? Don’t be afraid to get to know people who are different from you. We should embrace and love that we live in a diverse world with so much beauty.