MICHAEL STEARNS started his career on the publishing side of the writing business at Harcourt Children’s Books, where he worked off and on for 15 years. He then moved to HarperCollins Children’s Books, where he served as editorial director and foreign acquisitions manager. In April he became an agent with Firebrand Literary. “I’d done well enough in publishing that I was no longer doing much of what I most loved: working closely with writers I admire and helping shape their books,” Stearns says. “I wanted to get closer to the process, which is what I think I’m best at.” Read on to find out more about Firebrand and what Stearns—who is actively seeking clients—wants.
creators, but I intend to focus on teen and middle-grade fiction.
of plot. I like for things to happen in a story and I like wit.
Is the picture-book market gloomy right now? I certainly hope not, as I’m working on a bunch of picture books I want to take to market. These obviously aren’t the boom times of the
What are the three most important things a writer must remember when writing a query letter? I like to know if the writer has been published, and where. I like to know if the writer is a member of a workshop, the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, or does anything that indicates she takes writing seriously and is in it for the long haul. Other than that, I look to the writing itself, and that’s where the decision gets made.
What separates Firebrand Literary from other agencies? We’re growing fast. We plan to hire a person devoted solely to marketing. We have some clever ideas about how to complement the marketing efforts of publishers, who too often can’t create tailor-made campaigns for all the books they publish. We feel a duty to help our authors sell their books and build their careers, and that means helping to market them.
late 1980s and early 1990s, but good picture books are being published, and many of them are succeeding.
What advice do you have for a writer who plans to approach you at a conference? Just say “Hi,” that you enjoyed my talk—assuming it’s true—and don’t try to pitch me. I likely won’t recall the pitch weeks later when I look at your submission, but I’ll remember that you talked my ear off about—what was it again?—when I was trying to get to the bathroom.
Are you currently looking for new clients? But of course! I’ve only just started on this end of things, and I’m eagerly building a client list. [WD]
What types of books do you represent? I’ve signed up picture-book
What types of young-adult and
middle-grade novels draw you
in? The books I tend to go for are
like the ones I published as an
editor— Tangerine, A Northern Light,
Skulduggery Pleasant, Fly by Night,
Whales on Stilts and so on—novels
that have fine writing but aren’t afraid
KARA GEBHART UHL (karagebhartuhl. com) is a freelance writer and editor.
PHOTO © ANNA TH YLIN
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