 20 years of Master Class to Masterpiece |
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MOLLY KER HAWN Literary Agent As a former children’s book editor at two major publishing houses, Molly brings a wealth of expertise to her agenting role—and to our workshop.
I. GENERAL TOPICS Why did you become an agent; what do you enjoy most about the work? What’s your personal (and/or agency’s) philosophy or mission? I became an agent in a roundabout way, but the simple answer is that I’d known Jenny Bent for years and she asked me to join her not long after she opened The Bent Agency (TBA). I’d worked in various roles in children’s publishing, but never as an agent; learning from someone like Jenny was a wonderful opportunity. And I took to it quickly! Being an agent plays to my strengths: I really enjoy working with writers to shape their books and find them good homes, and I have an indignant streak that serves me well when I’m negotiating. At TBA, we’re constantly asking ourselves “What’s best for this author?” The publishing industry is complicated and often weighted against the creator, so our responsibility is to help the author make decisions that benefit them most and advocate for their best interests. It’s very satisfying.How many MG and YA novels do you sell per year? How many are debut authors? It varies from year to year. In 2017, I secured deals for 28 books (20 deals) in the US and the UK (I sell directly into both markets). Those deals included six debut authors. Which MG & YA fiction genres are you currently soliciting? I like a little of everything, as long as it’s smart and engaging. I love fantasy and magical realism, realistic historical and contemporary stories, funny books, sad books, books that are controversial and political. I also rep some books for adults, so crossover fiction is right up my street. I’m always keen to see underrepresented characters in the projects I take on and I’m making a conscious effort to make sure my client list is diverse and varied. I lean toward projects that I think will sell in both the American and British markets, and those that have translation potential as well. II. SUBMISSIONS Queries, Craft and Critiques a) Queries Many agents and publishers are closed to unsolicited submissions. Do you consider unsolicited queries; i.e., those without a referral (not a workshop attendee, etc.)? What are your usual response times to queries and requested manuscripts? I’m pretty speedy with queries—I try to answer them all within two weeks—but I take a lot longer to get through requested manuscripts. Right now I have a two-month backlog. Are query letters peripheral for you, or are they an important reflection on the author and manuscript? What makes a query irresistible to you—or not? I find query letters really useful. The best ones give me a sense of the author as well as the book they’ve written—without spending too much time on biographical background. And I like to know whether the author has any writing credentials, and why they think I’m the right fit for their work. I think my favorite line from any query I’ve had was from my client Heidi Heilig for her brilliant time-travel fantasy The Girl from Everywhere. She referenced my peripatetic background and said she was querying me because her main character Nix “is, like you, a traveler.” I got a kick out of that and dived straight into her pages. How many pages do you usually read in a manuscript before deciding to continue reading, request a full, or reject the manuscript? Sometimes I know within a page or two if the author’s voice is really grabbing me by the shoulders; sometimes I need to read all ten sample pages in a query to decide if I want to read more. With requested manuscripts, I read until I lose interest: if I don’t want to keep reading it, I’m not the right person to help shape it for submission to publishers. |
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Like our workshop, these faculty interviews focus on youth novels. To read all years’ faculty interviews, see our 
Molly is director of The Bent Agency-UK, home of nine agents. She works with authors and publishers in the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia, selling directly into all four markets. Per their website, the Bent Agency offers “the kind of representation that can only be born of years of agent experience in the atmosphere of a smaller boutique firm where every client gets our combined and total focus.”