Paige Terlip is an agent at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She is based in Denver, Colorado and represents everything from picture books all the way up through adult. Prior to joining ABLA, Paige worked at Candlewick Press and Charlesbridge Publishing. If she’s not reading, you'll find her practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, rewatching the Great British Baking Show, or hiking with her adorable pup, Marlow.
We're super excited to have Paige Terlip of ABLA here today! Paige, Can you tell us a little bit about how you got into the industry in the first place?
Absolutely! I had a bit of a circuitous path to agenting, which I think is pretty common.
I had my own business for a while; I did content creation for behavioral health practitioners. I worked at the National Renewable Energy Labs—I got to bowl in the White House, which was super fun! I then decided to flee cube life, and I worked at a ranch in the Rockies. And then I decided that books were kind of calling to me, and I didn't really know how to get into the book arena, so I decided to go to grad school and learn more.
I went to Simmons and I got an MFA and an MA in children's literature and writing for children. It was through my grad school experience that I started doing internships and assistantships with publishers and agencies, and I really loved the flexibility of being an agent and just the variety of the day-to-day life. And…I get to live in Colorado and work remotely which is really fun!
And so that's kind of how I ended up at Andrea Brown. I started assisting executive agent, Laura Rennert, and then had the pleasure of moving into the agent sphere after about 3 years with her.
As an agent, what are the qualities that you see in a children's manuscript that are like, “I have to have that!” What are the standout things?
It's so hard because there are so many pieces of the puzzle that go together to create this very strong picture. All the elements are really important, but…what I find that I'm drawn to the most is voice and character.
👉 Character
I really appreciate a novel that has a character that feels familiar, and yet unique. Someone that I can relate to, but also is like…opening doors and giving a glimpse into other life experiences that I have yet to experience, or that I will never experience!
👉 Voice
And then, I think, for picture books, on a line level, the voice is so important! How are you engaging both the kids, but also the parents, who are potentially reading this book aloud? And so I think voice, especially in picture books. (But I think novels as well...) It can really make a project stand out!
At Home Author Tip:
Just to sneak a tip in here—one thing that I see quite often is a lot of new authors not reading recent publications, and trying to write in a voice and a style that is much older, which can be a barrier to breaking into the industry now. And so, one really easy thing to do is take your idea and go to Barnes & Noble, go to your library, and just look at new releases and read them! There's tons of YouTube read alouds; there's all kinds of places to find newly published books and keep up on those, and I think that that is a great way to get a sense of what is selling today and what readers want.
Absolutely! I feel like the picture book market has changed so much in the past fifteen, ten… even 5 years! It's so quickly evolving, that having a grasp on what's being published today is pretty essential to being published.
What are some of the other common mistakes that you see when something pops up in your inbox?
I mean, aside from the very obvious mistakes like, “I don't represent that!” which I think is just a case of…you know…Do your research...
👉 They don't highlight the story arc.
I see a lot of people that will maybe miss out on the emotional arcs or the emotional stakes in a project. (I know a picture book is slightly different in that it’s such a shorter format. So you’re not gonna necessarily have these big evolved emotional arcs or these super intense global stakes you might get in a YA novel.) But I think it’s still very important, if you're writing a fiction picture book. I really look for a narrative arc, an emotional arc. How is the character changing from the beginning of the story to the end of the story?
And you know, the text might show that, but sometimes that it's not being presented in an enticing way in the query. So I think kind of working that into the query—while still being brief! Because, especially for picture books, you don't want the query to be more words than your picture book submission! So it's a balance of making sure you're hitting the key selling points, but then, also, not overwhelming the agent who's then going to have to read the full text in the submission.
👉 They use comps that are too old.
I also think another thing that I see is comping to titles that are very old. I see a lot of Dr. Seuss comps, or Very Hungry Caterpillar, or some of these seminal works of children's literature— which are great! But maybe if there is an older classic that you feel like your book is tied to, you could potentially mention it, but make sure you're also mentioning more current things. Like you could say, “It has the timeless appeal of X, with the blah blah blah of Y,” which could be a more contemporary comp.
At Home Author Tip:
If you're going to use any comp...but especially an older one, make sure it's an actual fit! Sometimes I'll see people use Dr. Seuss as a comp purely because their story rhymes. But Dr. Seuss has a very specific meter and structure and style! Is your style like that? Because if not, you're kind of giving the wrong impression!
Oh yeah! And if you're comping to something that is such a big book, and your book maybe is a more quiet, lyrical book…the market for those books are very different! And so, understanding who your reader is, is a large part of the comping process. So you may not want to comp a big, commercial, laugh-out-loud book, to something that's quieter, just because they both rhyme.
What would your advice be for an aspiring children's book author to make their manuscript stand out?
👉 Find a critique group.
I think having a critique group is going to be huge; having other people take a look and give notes. Obviously, you want to have a critique group that you feel safe with, that you trust their judgment. And I think it's also important to use your own discretion about the comments coming in. You might get a mixture of things—one person saying, “This is working really well!” One person saying, “It's not working well.” So you'll have to use your own discretion about what is true to your vision and the story. But having other eyes on it is invaluable!
And not just your kids! Not just your spouse! Pick people who are in the writing community who can give constructive criticism.
👉 Read it out loud.
And then, especially for picture books, reading it out loud is going to be a huge tool! Even if your book's not rhyming, I think you catch so much of the flow of the line-level language. Because when I'm reviewing a picture book submission, I am a bit more critical about that line level flow than I might be in something like a novel, because it's shorter! And it's like more of a “polished” situation.
👉 Have multiple projects.
I think, too, having multiple projects that are in querying shape is helpful. If an agent is saying, “I like your work! What other ideas do you have?” sharing other picture book projects that are in good shape is very useful, because, especially for picture books, sometimes it can be a bit of a numbers game! The first one might not sell, and as an agent, I want to work with you, hopefully, for a very fruitful career. So, I like to know that you have other ideas, and you have other things you know ready to go, or in the pipeline, in progress.
Let's go back to query letters. When you have something pop up in your Query Manager, what makes a query letter stand out…or not?
I think, especially for picture books, it's the content. I'm very selective on the picture book clients that I take on, and so for me, it really has to be a premise that I am hooked into. It needs to be something that is really enticing, and feels unique and sellable. And that’s a hard thing to know, because it is so subjective, so that might not be the most useful answer to that question! But it is something I look for above all else—am I hooked by this premise?
Are there any trends you're currently seeing in children's literature?
I definitely think for picture books we're seeing a lot of humor! People want to laugh; they want funny! They want a big character to carry a property…like a new Grumpy Monkey, or a new Little Blue Truck. Something that's going to be big and commercial. I've been hearing that as a request from editors a lot.
And I think the nonfiction biography market has sort of surged, and now we're seeing that sort of be lower. So, it seems like humor is really taking the day. I mean, I know people are still buying the beautiful, “I love you” books, the lyrical, introspective books. But, it does seem like they got a bit saturated.
And I think, as potentially a response to the trials of our worlds, people want to laugh! And so, I think that's really something that folks are looking for.
At Home Author Tip:
Definitely, and I also always remind people that the industry, as a whole, is based on what readers want, and what readers are buying, and that's what trends are based on. And so, just because you have something that's an “I love you” book, doesn't mean necessarily to shelve it! It doesn't mean it's not going to happen, and you have to go write something funny right now! It just means that that could impact what agents are looking for right now, and that could change next week or next month or next year!
Right! And trends are so hard! I think we see them, but we see them in a lag, almost, because publishing just takes so long to get a book from conception to publication. And so it's sometimes hard to say, “Oh this is the trend. You should write this book,” because who knows what it’s going to look like in two years when that picture book actually pubs! And so I think writing what is calling to you, what you want to write, and then hopefully the trends flow around that. But stuff still sells, and the markets are always shifting. The pendulum swings back, and it's not to detract people from writing the book of their heart!
What advice would you give to somebody just starting out, at the very, very beginning? What would you tell them?
I think, “Buckle up?”
Ha! I don't mean that in a cruel way, but I just think a lot of people get into publishing because it's a dream, and they don't really realize the hard work, and sort of the roller coaster effect of publishing. And so going into it, being creative, being excited, is important… but also having this perseverance through the ups and downs.
I really value a client that is THERE. Like, we get rejections, but they're still wanting to chug along and and keep on keeping on. Everyone gets told “no” in publishing, so it's an unfortunate reality that you have to sort of develop a thick skin. And I think part of that is not just being resilient, but also knowing what you want in your career. If you really want to be a prolific picture book writer, it's going to mean that you just have to be along for the ride! This is your goal, and you just look towards the goal, and you just keep on keeping on! But if your goal is, “I just want to publish one book, and this is the book!” then I think that's a different scenario. So, knowing what you want, I think, can also help navigate the roller coaster of the industry.
Is there anything else you'd like to add? Any other tidbits you'd like to share?
That’s like, such a negative note to end on! I didn't mean it to sound so demoralizing!
I think the other thing to know is just that if you do work hard, it will happen! It may take time, and it could be your twentieth manuscript, and not your first manuscript that finds the perfect agent or the perfect publisher. But it just takes one YES! And finding that one “yes,” that’s an enthusiastic “YES,” that will champion you and who sees the value in your work is priceless. And so, don’t settle; know your worth! There are so many creative, beautiful projects out in the world…and there’s room for more!
Thank you so much for joining us!
If you're ready to pursue traditional publishing and want to kickstart your querying journey, check out our Kid Lit Query Kit! It has everything you need to get started on the right foot.
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