Literary agent Laura Zats at Red Sofa Literary seeks Middle Grade and YA, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Romance & Erotica

Red Sofa Literary

PO Box 40482

#2; St. Paul, MN 55104

www.redsofaliterary.com 

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Red Sofa has seven literary agents on staff and six of them are accepting new authors. Laura Zats has been with the agency since 2013, starting as an intern but getting hired on as an associate editor that same year. She’s now been promoted to literary agent.

Laura graduated from Grinnell College with degrees in English and anthropology. While completing her studies, she took advantage of her love of Young Adult (YA) literature and wrote a thesis on identity formation in YA. 

She’s been working as an editor since 2011 and has held positions at companies in both the US and the UK. In her free time, Laura likes to craft, swing dance, bake, and binge on Netflix marathons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Doctor Who.

Laura is looking for the following:

Young Adult — Fiction, especially contemporary. I love funny and gritty, especially when the two go together. Interested in geekery, retellings, innovative storytelling, and authentic voices. Please no paranormal romance, contemporary romance, dystopia, Chosen One plotlines, or didacticism.

Middle Grade — Fiction, especially contemporary. Prefers smart, literary writing disguised as adventures. Looking for books that are heavy with STEM and will appeal to girls and boys.

Science Fiction/Fantasy — Must pass either the Mako Mori or Bechdel tests. Love non-traditional settings, fast-paced storytelling, anthropological elements, and smart humor. Please no high fantasy.

Romance/Erotica — Especially contemporary. Must be feminist, have verbal consent throughout, and feature an independent, smart heroine. Please no vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, or mermaids.

Wish list for every genre and category: feminism, diversity (in all forms), unconventional storytelling techniques, and voice-driven narratives.

Query Laura at: Email: laura@redsofaliterary.com

Query only. Laura will request a partial or full manuscript if she’s interested. Full submission guidelines – including what each agent at Red Sofa is looking for – here.

Literary agent Cassandra Rodgers

Brian Henry will lead How to Get Published workshops on Saturday, Oct 15, in Burlington with literary agent Cassandra Rodgers of The Rights Factory (see here), on Saturday, Oct 22, in London with Stacey Donaghy of the Donaghy agency (details here), and on Saturday,  October 29, in Caledon, at the Bolton Public Library, with Martha Web of the McDermid Agency (see here). 

Then on Saturday, November 19, Brian will lead a Writing for Children and for Young Adults workshop in Mississauga with Anne Shone, senior editor, Scholastics Canada as his guest speaker (see here).

To register or for details, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

But the best way of getting your manuscript ready for publication, may be with a weekly writing course. This fall, Brian will offer a wide range of classes:

“Welcome to Creative Writing,” Thursday afternoons Sept 29 - Dec 8, in Oakville (see here).

“Writing Kid Lit ~ Picture Books to YA (new),Tuesday Tuesday afternoons, Sept 27 - Nov 22 (no class Oct 11), in Burlington (see here).

“Intermediate Creative Writing,” Wednesday evenings, Sept 21 to Nov 30 (no class Oct 12), in Burlington (see here)

“Intermediate Creative Writing,” Thursday evenings, Sept 29 - Dec 8, in Georgetown (see here).

“Intensive Creative Writing,” Wednesday afternoons, Intensive Sept 14 - Dec 14 (no class Oct 12) , in Burlington.

See details of all five classes offered this fall here.

To reserve a spot or for more details, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Brian Henry also has a number of other workshops coming up soon:  Secrets of Writing a Page-turner (tips for all story writers), Saturday, Sept 10, in Guelph (see here),  Writing with Style, Saturday, Sept 24, in Toronto (see here), and How to Write Great Dialogue, Saturday, Oct 1, in Kitchener (see here).

Finally, for those who love great food and a beautiful setting with their writing, Brian Henry will lead a Fall Colours Writing Retreat at Arowhon Pines Resort in Algonquin Park, Friday, Sept 16 – Sunday, Sept 18 (see here).

To register of for more information for any of the above, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Read reviews of Brian’s courses and workshops here.

See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, St. John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.