March 12, 2019 Interview with Agent Rebecca Angus of Golden Wheat Literary
About Rebecca:
Rebecca Angus is a Senior Literary Agent with Golden Wheat Literary. Rebecca has over five years of experience in publishing, and she’s excited to work with new authors and illustrators. She started as an editorial intern in early 2014, and from there she moved into an agency assistant position. After interning on both the publishing side, and the agent side, she set her sights on becoming a Literary Agent, finding her home at Golden Wheat Literary.
When she’s away from books, she is an Army wife, teacher, toddler chasing Mom, and Equestrian. Rebecca graduated from Texas A&M University with a BA in Science. Since then she’s earned her Master’s Certificate in Children’s Literature, and her Master’s in Early Childhood Education and Literacy. She has a love for Children’s Literature, and Education. The military moves her family way too much, but they currently live in El Paso, Texas.
Connect with Rebecca:
Twitter: @R_Elisewrites
1) What’s a day in the life of literary agent Rebecca Angus like?
I think it varies from day to day, but the majority consists of emails, submissions, and client manuscript reading. I spend the first few hours of the day going through new emails, and sending responses. Those could be client emails, publisher emails, or agency emails. 80% of my day is spent in front of my computer screen, or on the phone. It can feel a bit like running in a hamster wheel every day, so to change things up I spend my evenings working on edits for my client’s projects, or reading new manuscripts. I am currently closed to queries, but when I’m open I do try and peek at the query inbox at least once a day.
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?
I have been extremely fortunate over the last 18 months as my client list has grown. My authors and illustrators are creating incredible projects, and I’m very excited about the things going on behind the scene. If I could fast forward my career, I would love to see continued growth and success for my clients. I also have a growing illustrator list of fantastic artists who have amazing ideas and visions. I would love to see their illustration credits expand over the next five years. It’s always a goal to have my clients win awards for their writing, or illustration work. That goal is something I would love to accomplish!
3) What’s something you as an agent face that’s especially difficult or frustrating that writers may not know?
I’m sure this answer is used frequently, but for me it would have to be the unpredictable speed of the publishing industry. For an Agent, this is specific to responses on submissions, publication timelines for upcoming titles, the length of time it takes to negotiate or finalize a contract, and even the amount of time we have to wait to share amazing book news. I wish I had the ability to speed things up, but the majority of these moving pieces inside the publishing industry are out of my control. As soon as I get news, I always share it with my authors. The waiting part can be especially frustrating.
4) What is it about agenting that you love most?
Discovering incredible new projects! These could be projects my authors are creating, or a project I discover in my query inbox. It’s the feeling of finding something extraordinary that drives me every day.
5) What do you love most about working within children’s literature?
For me it’s imagining these books in the hands of young readers, or in a classroom setting. I have a Master’s in Education which specifically focuses on early literacy. My experiences as a Teacher allow me to have a better understanding of how projects can connect to a particular readership, or fit into an educational setting. It’s the process of discovering how a book can connect with a young reader that I love the most. These books have the ability to make a lifelong impact for readers.
6) When it comes to children’s literature, what audience and genre(s) would you consider your sweet spot?
Definitely Picture Books and Middle Grade! I love books that incorporate science in some form or fashion. This could be a SFF twist, or it could be a non-fiction science type story. I have quite a bit of non-fiction on my list, and I am always on the lookout for PB and MG stories with science or non-fiction themes.
7) What three things are at the top of your #MSWL?
- A Spy themed Chapter Books or Middle Grade project (especially with series potential).
- I would really love a quirky Chapter Book or Middle Grade series with geeky kids, weird monsters, or strange animals.
- A Middle Grade or Young Adult sports themed project with culturally diverse characters. I would be even more exited if the project was set outside of the U.S., or even in a Latin America, Central America, or Caribbean setting.
8) Are you open to picture book writers who are non-illustrators?
Definitely! While I do have author/illustrators on my list, I am always looking for picture book writers. Especially those who have non-fiction projects (science, history, cultural).
9) 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?
Anything by Jess Keating! She is a science picture book writer who I LOVE, and she’s published by Scholastic.
I also love THE FIELD (NorthSouth Books) by Baptiste Paul, and MARY HAD A LITTLE GLAM (Sterling) by Tammi Sauer.
10) When reviewing an author/illustrator’s portfolio, what are you looking for in their illustrations? What are you drawn to?
I am really drawn to a portfolio which shows different colors, characters, and styles. There are many illustrators who are strong in one particular area, and that area is showcased in their portfolio (ie; animals, scenery, expressions etc). What I look for is an illustrator’s ability to develop many types of characters, settings, or expressions. A great example of this would be LeUyem Pham, or Dow Phumiruk. I also love difference color pallets. What I need to see is an illustrators range of style, texture, character, and settings. I would also LOVE to find an illustrator who can transport me into another world the way Tran Nguyen can do with her illustrations.
11) What are some of the most common flaws or mistakes you see in the picture book manuscripts you’re queried with?
Picture books without conflict, or without a strong plot arc. Essentially, they have a really fun story, but there is no pivotal moment, or character development from beginning to end. I also so frequently see picture books queries with way too high of a word count. My comfort level is between 400-600 words. A project that I really love/connect to that has a word count around 700-800 I will likely send back a revise and resubmit request with specific notes on where I think the story could be tightened to help save on word count.
12) What are some recent middle grade and young adult titles that you’ve especially enjoyed or are in the same vein of stories you’d like to be queried with?
For Middle Grade, I love the Serafina series by Robert Beatty. I just finished WATCH HOLLOW, by Gregory Funaro, and now I would LOVE to find a charmingly spooky and dark Middle Grade project to work on. WISHTREE (Katherine Applegate) is also another MG that I can read time and time again. I know this isn’t a particularly recent title, but I would still love to find a MG project which gives me a similar experience to A MONSTER CALLS (Patrick Ness).
In Young Adult, I especially enjoyed Samira Ahmed’s LOVE, HATE AND OTHER FILTERS. I’m especially excited to read her newest book, INTERNMENT. I also loved RAINBIRDS (Clarissa Goenawan), THE ASTONISHING COLOR OF AFTER (Emily X.R. Pan), and STARFISH (Akemi Dawn Bowman). I will forever and always read anything by Julie Murphy. She writes the characters I needed as a teen, but could never find on shelves.
I would also love to find the next Samantha Shannon. Her world building ability is incredible, and I’m always looking for projects that can transport me the same way THE BONE SEASON and THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE can do. She’s spectacular!
13) I see you’re open to chapter books. Are they something you’re actively seeking? If so, what are you looking for in chapter books?
YES! I would love more chapter book submissions! I am especially looking for STEM or Science themed projects, and projects which feature quirky and comical characters. I really love THE BAD GUYS, CATSTRONAUTS, and NARWHAT: UNICORN OF THE SEA. These are projects that really break the chapter book mold, and I would love to see more of these.
14) It seems the Chapter book market is a difficult one. Why do you think that is and is there anything you feel writers should know when considering writing a chapter book?
Chapter books are a kind of grey area in Kidlit. Early Readers, or leveled type readers, are great progression books, but we see a jump from these books straight into Middle Grades. I think chapter books need to be engaging and unique to really draw the reader in. We have amazing projects right now like THE BAG GUYS CLUB which is a great blend between a chapter book and a graphic novel. I think that style of project can be a great part of the chapter book market.
15) 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?
It’s always nice to have a personalize query, but I don’t think it will make or break a query. If I connected with you through a pitch contest, workshop, or conference, those details are essential, but sometimes the personalization of a query can take away from the actual pitch. I would prefer any personalization be included after the pitch.
16) What’s your average response time to a query? To a partial or full? Do you always respond?
Right now I’m still closed to unsolicited queries, but when I’m open to submission, I do try and respond back with 3-4 months. For requested material such as a partial for full, you can expect 6 months. However, sometimes that’s not possible, and I know slow response times are not ideal for authors. I am full time working mom to a very busy 2 year old, and I am also a military spouse. There are frequent times where I’m balancing my Agent responsibilities, as well taking care of a toddler while my husband is deployed, or in the field for weeks at a time. These responsibilities make it difficult for me to stay on top of my query inbox. I am hoping to open back up for submissions this summer. I know that some queries have not received a response, and I am so sorry! Authors deserve responses, and I wish I had enough hours in the day to send a personalized response to everyone.
17) 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 am very fortunate to have a FANTASTIC list of clients who are incredibly supportive, encouraging, and work hard to build one another up. The writing community can be intimidating, and the publishing process can be heartbreaking as well as life changing. It’s a rollercoaster! I really love to have these types of authors on my list. Many of them have formed lifelong friendships, and are even CPs for their different projects.
The initial phone call I have with an author is the best way for me to get an idea of what it would be like to work with them. We need to have a similar communication style, and a mutual understanding of respect and trust. If I get the feeling that an author would not work well with my communication style, or would try and micromanage my job, I will not offer representation no matter how much I love a project. I really want my author/agent relationship to be a partnership.
18) How has having a Master’s certificate in Children’s Literature and a Master’s in Early Childhood Education and Literacy informed your editorial process?
I love this question! For me, my educational goals really bridged my two working environments together. I have so much classroom experience that I have an insight into the need for particular projects which would make a positive impact on literacy and reading comprehension. My Master’s in Education is focused on early literacy development. My Master’s Certificate in Children’s Literature has given me the ability to think about projects from an educational POV, and a publishing POV. I think both of my degrees really parallel one another well. From an editorial perspective, I can identify changes, or problems with projects based on readership, literacy etc. I am a definitely a strong developmental editor when it comes to working on projects with my clients. I think my clients love/hate that about me. I can easily find the connection piece they are missing, but I can also find a long chain of plot problems just as easily.
19) About how many new clients do you take on a year?
Last year I was actively building my client list. This year, while I’m still looking for a few clients to add, I am focused on the incredible projects my authors and illustrators are developing so I will not be adding as many new clients. I would love to find a few chapter book authors, a YA author with a strong literary style, and I’m always on the lookout for books with science themes. I’m also still open to Illustrator submissions.
20) In your opinion what makes for a successful author-agent relationship?
Communication, trust, and mutual goals. I think all three are important to establish from day one. If an author knows what to expect from the agent, they are less likely to feel out of the loop. That being said, it’s just as important for me as an Agent to follow through with the expectations I have promised the client. I am also very big on transparency. My clients have access to all of their submission info, including editors, publishers, and dates of contact. I forward them email copies of responses from editors, and they have access to their submissions spreadsheet tracker at all times. I feel that the transparency with submissions helps put their minds at ease during the submissions rollercoaster.
21) What’s your communication like with clients?
I create a really unique PDF proposal for each project that goes out on submission. This proposal is really a way for me to showcase the amazing project(s) my author has developed. Their work really shines here, and I really love this format for submissions. Publishing is hard, and the hardest part is falling in love with a manuscript, and not understanding why others don’t love it as much as I do. I want my client’s projects to be in the hands of readers who will love them as much as I do. They each bring something important to Children’s Literature, and I’m the type of Agent who fights to put these projects in front of the right people. When I fall for a book, I fall hard. It can bring so much excitement to my job, but there is also a risk for heartbreak.
22) What level of contact do you maintain with your authors during the acquisition process? Does it vary according to the author and their wants and needs?
Each client has a submission spreadsheet tracker which they have access too. They are given the names, dates, and specifics of each submission, and when a response comes in, they are sent a copy of the email as well as a spreadsheet notification. Some of my authors want a weekly update, even if there are no changes. Others only want an update when there is news to share (bad or good).
23) What are some of the [unique] ways in which you champion your authors?
I create a really unique PDF proposal for each project that goes out on submission. This proposal is really a way for me to showcase the amazing project(s) my author has developed. Their work, really shines here, and I really love this format for submissions. Publishing is hard, and the hardest part is falling in love with a manuscript, and not understanding why others don’t love it as much as I do. I want my client’s projects to be in the hands of readers who will love them as much as I do. They each bring something important to Children’s Literature, and I’m the type of Agent who fights to put these projects in front of the right people. When I fall for a book, I fall hard. It can bring so much excitement to my job, but there is also a risk for heartbreak.
24) What’s your favorite part of the publishing process? Least favorite part?
My favorite part would be finding unexpected gems in the query slush, reading amazing client manuscripts, holding a client’s book in my hand for the first time, and sharing offer news with my clients.
My least favorite part would be sharing bad news with my authors, the unpredictable speed of publishing, and the drama that can sometimes occur in Children’s Literature (especially on social media).
25) Are there any upcoming conferences or twitter events you’ll be participating in?
I have conference availability this summer (in TX, NM, AZ, and CO), and I am always looking to schedule events for future dates. I primarily teach emerging literacy workshops to teachers and school districts during the school year, so my conference schedule is limited from fall-late spring. I do try to peek at the twitter pitch events going on throughout the year. I’m also judging a few AMAZING writing contests this year, but the judges haven’t been announced yet so I can’t share more info on that until later.
WILDCARD QUESTIONS:
If you could be a character in any television show or film, what show or film would you choose and why?
I would be a cross between Miss Frizzle (from the Magic School bus) and the amazing Jodie Whittaker (Dr. Who).
If you could find out the answer to any question in the world – big or small – what would it be and why?
Did the spinning top fall at the end of the movie, Inception?
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