Welcome to 2019!
What am I most excited about? Our move to QueryManager! Many of you are probably already familiar with QueryManager, since lots of other agencies use it, too. Here at NLA, we’re especially excited about its ability to help us track our numbers: submissions received (and in which genres), responses sent, requests made, offers of representation, etc. QM will give us one-click access to all things query next year at this time when I’m compiling our 2019 stats!
Interested in submitting a query to us? Here’s a handy link to our brand-new submission guidelines. From there, you can learn more about what each of our agents is looking for this year as well as how to send your query. Please remember that we share queries, so choose only one agent to query. Good luck, if querying is part of your new year’s goals!
As a reminder, we do not represent screenplays, poetry, short-story collections, picture books, early-reader chapter books, or material for the Christian/inspirational market; we also don’t represent most nonfiction (only Quressa is open to reviewing NF submissions).
Now…the moment you’ve been waiting for: NLA’s 2018 end-of-year stats!
4 : Number of agents at NLA
442 : Number of full manuscripts requested and read
110 : Number of manuscripts we requested that received offers of representation, either from us or from other agents/agencies.
14 : Number of new clients who signed with NLA (2 for Kristin, 5 for Danielle, 5 for Joanna, 2 for Quressa)
21 : Number of book deals done (6 for Kristin, 5 for Danielle, 3 for Quressa, 7 for Joanna)
44 : Number of career New York Times bestsellers for Kristin (up from 41 last year). Her latest, Josh Malerman’s Bird Box, hit the list for the first time after the release of the film on Netflix.
1 : Movie released (Bird Box of course!)
9 : TV and major motion picture deals (8 for Kristin, 1 for Quressa)
35 : Books released in 2018
20,000+ : Queries read and responded to (estimated)
64 : Foreign-rights deals done
7 : Conferences attended by Kristin, including ALA Midwinter, RWA, Lighthouse Writers, SCBWI Rocky Mountain, Dallas Fort-Worth Conference
155 : Physical holiday cards sent
835 : Electronic holiday cards sent (up from 788 in 2017)
Not telling it’s so embarrassing : Eggnog chai lattes consumed during November and December
Lots : Late nights reading on my living-room chaise with the very senior and snuggly lady Chutney
All : Great days loving my job!
Creative commons photo credit: Jurgen Appell