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| Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon represented by Bradford literary |
Bradford Literary Agency
5694 Mission Center
Rd. #347
San Diego, CA 92108
San Diego, CA 92108
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Bradford Literary was founded in 2001 by Laura Bradford.
It represents books for adults and for children, fiction and nonfiction. Four of
the five editors are generally accepting queries.
Katherine Wessbecher is the newest member
of the team She joined the Bradford Literary in January 2020. Like all new
agents, Katherine needs authors.
Prior to becoming an agent, Katherine edited
children’s and young adult books at Putnam, an imprint of Penguin Young
Readers, and was the science and technology editor at an academic book review
journal. She holds a B.A. in English from the College of William and Mary.
As an editor, Katherine worked with
debut and veteran authors, including Sherri L. Smith, Stacey Lee, Keir Graff,
Jeff Seymour, and Eliot Sappingfield. She brings to her work a nuanced
understanding of the publishing industry and a practiced editorial eye.
Katherine is
looking for children’s books (picture books through YA), upmarket adult
fiction, and narrative nonfiction for all ages.
In MG and YA, historical fiction and
fantasy have been favorites since she was young. But more than genre, she’s
looking for the kinds of stories that transport her: to the past, an imagined
world, or a perspective wholly different from her own. She’s drawn to stories
that push readers to question their assumptions of the world. She’s interested
in humorous voices; she’s also a fan of epistolary novels and other unexpected
storytelling techniques, like Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s Illuminae Files
series or Sorcery and
Cecelia by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer.
Her favorite picture books are the
kind that make both kids and grown-ups laugh. Inventive premises, twist
endings, and quirky characters are all good ways to pique her interest.
Katherine is looking for upmarket
adult fiction that straddles the literary and commercial divide. Books that
inspire her list run the gamut from Where’d
You Go, Bernadette to Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing. She loves unexpected
takes on familiar stories and flawed yet endearing characters. Katherine is
actively seeking adult and juvenile narrative nonfiction—particularly projects
that highlight stories the history textbooks left out. In the same vein, she’d
love to work with nonfiction graphic novel projects like John Hendrix’s The Faithful Spy.
For more information
on querying her, see below.
Laura Bradford, founder of the Bradford agency, considers
herself an editorial-focused agent and takes a hands-on approach to developing
proposals and manuscripts with her authors for the most appropriate markets.
During her own misadventures as a writer, Laura came to understand the
importance of having a friendly but critical eye on your side, a career
strategist in your corner and a guide who can lead you through the travails of
publication.
Her recent sales include books placed with Penguin
Random House, Grand Central, Harlequin, Kensington, Simon and Schuster,
HarperCollins, Macmillan, Sourcebooks, Hyperion, and many others.
Laura continues to actively build her client list
and is currently seeking work in the following categories: Romance (historical,
romantic suspense, category, contemporary, erotic), speculative fiction,
women’s fiction, mystery, thrillers, young adult, upper middle grade,
illustration as well as some select non-fiction.
For more information
on querying her, see below.
Jennifer Chen Tran joined Bradford
Literary in September 2017. She represents both fiction and nonfiction. Prior to joining Bradford Literary, she was an
Associate Agent at Fuse Literary and served as Counsel at The New Press. She
obtained her Juris Doctor from Northeastern School of Law in Boston, MA, and a
Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis.
Jennifer understands the importance of negotiation
in securing rights on behalf of her authors. She counsels her clients on how to
expand their platforms, improve on craft, and works collaboratively with her
clients throughout the editorial and publication process. Her ultimate goal is
to work in concert with authors to shape books that will have a positive social
impact on the world – books that also inform and entertain.
Select titles that Jennifer has represented: THE
MODERN CARAVAN by Kate Oliver (Chronicle Books); THE SHARP END OF LIFE by
Dierdre Wolownick (Mountaineers Books); THE PEACHED TORTILLA COOKBOOK by Eric
Silverstein (Sterling Epicure); THE ART OF ESCAPING by Erin Callahan
(Amberjack); A CROWDFUNDER’S STRATEGY GUIDE by Jamey Stegmaier (Berrett-Koehler).
As a person of color and second-generation daughter
of Taiwanese immigrants, Jennifer is very interested in diverse writers and
#ownvoices from underrepresented / marginalized communities.
As a former art major, Jennifer is also eager to
grow her list of illustrators and actively looking for graphic novel projects,
in both MG and YA. She believes that visual literacy is increasingly important
in our interconnected world and that graphic novels help reluctant readers
become voracious readers.
In adult fiction, she also wants to see strong and
conflicted characters who are not afraid to take emotional risks, stories about
multi-generational conflict, war and post-war fiction, and writing with a
developed sense of place.
Basically, surprise her!
In nonfiction, she loves books that broaden her
perspective on a variety of topics, but that also dive deep into worlds unseen.
Books like EVICTED by Matthew Desmond and MAID by Stephanie Land are examples
of the type of non-fiction she is looking for. Additionally, Jennifer is always
interested in cooking, lifestyle, health, parenting, and business titles that
present the author’s expertise and are instructive without being pedantic.
Teach her something new and you will pique her interest!
In short, Jennifer is looking for:
Fiction: Women’s Fiction (Contemporary, Upmarket,
Literary); Select Young Adult (must have distinct voice); Select Middle Grade; Graphic
novels and visually-driven projects
Nonfiction, particularly in the areas of: Narrative
non-fiction (biography, current affairs, medical, investigative journalism,
history, how-to, music, pop-culture, travel); Cookbooks & culinary projects;
Lifestyle (creative life, home, design, beauty, fashion); Business Books
(social entrepreneurship, female and/or minority-led businesses, and
innovation); Health (especially focused on diet, prevention, and exercise); Parenting;
Relationships and Psychology; Mind, body, spirit
For more
information on querying her, see below.
Kari Sutherland
joined the Bradford Literary Agency in 2017 after a
decade of experience in publishing from the editorial side. Previously a Senior
Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books, she has worked with bestselling and
critically acclaimed authors on projects such as the #1 New York Times bestselling
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and the #1 New York Times bestselling
Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard.
Kari graduated from Williams College with a B.A. in
English and Psychology, which she considers the perfect combination for working
with authors on character and plot development. With her editorial insight and
experience with the entire publishing process, Kari is passionate about helping
to polish each manuscript and equip her clients for success.
Open to genres from picture books through adult,
Kari is most interested in finding stories full of heart; ones that carry
readers to faraway places or deep into a character’s mind; action-packed
page-turners that surprise her; dark dramas with touches of humor; and, above
all, a voice that leaps off the page. She is actively seeking diverse voices
across all genres.
In children’s books, Kari is interested
in character-driven stories, new twists on classic tales, empowering themes,
epic fantasy, fresh voices and experiences, inventive mysteries, humor, and
magical realism.
In YA, which is near and dear to her
heart, Kari is drawn to compelling voices, tight pacing, and clear
world-building regardless of whether it’s a space drama, an underground
dystopia, a small town, or a big city contemporary. She is open to any genre
within YA.
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| Yasmin the Writer by Saadia Faruqi represented by Kari Sutherland |
Kari is interested in adult fiction including
general fiction; upmarket women’s fiction; intergenerational tales; magical
realism; historical dramas; and light-hearted contemporary fiction.
A firm believer that truth can be stranger than
fiction, Kari is seeking nonfiction in the following
categories: quirky topics; history and biography; pop science and psychology;
humor; and parenting. Most important to her are a concrete platform, an
engaging voice, and well-researched material that will broaden readers’
understanding of themselves, the past, and the world around them.
Kari is not seeking: horror,
romance, erotica, memoir, adult sci-fi/fantasy, thrillers, cookbooks, business,
spiritual/religious, poetry, or screenplays.
Kari
is temporarily closed to queries, but will begin accepting them again after
January 20, 2020. After January 20, Query Kari using the online form here.
For more information
on querying her, see below.
For querying all agents at the Bradford agency:
For fiction, paste your first
chapter and a synopsis into the body of your email.
For picture books, include the
entire manuscript in your submission and feel free to submit 2 – 3 PB manuscripts
at once. Writer/illustrators or artists seeking representation for their
artwork should include a link to your online portfolio and a link to your
online dummy. Do not attach
artwork to submission.
For nonfiction, include a full
proposal and a sample chapter.
Full submission guidelines
here.
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| Literary agent Martha Webb |
If you’re interested
in getting published, now or sometime in the future, don’t miss our
upcoming How to Get Published workshop
with literary agent Martha Webb of the CookeMcDermid agency, Saturday, April 25, 2020, in Guelph. (see here).
In the meanwhile, starting this
month, a full range of weekly courses is on offer:
See details of all
winter courses here.
To reserve a spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca
A full range of courses will also be offered in the
spring:
 |
| Author Sylvia McNicoll will be one of the guest speakers for the Kid Lit coursethis spring |
Burlington: Next Step in Creative Writing, Tuesday
afternoons, April 14 – June 23. No class June 9. For details, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca
Georgetown: Intensive Creative Writing, Wednesday evenings, March 25 – June 24.
No class April 8. For details, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca
Burlington: Writing Kid Lit, Thursday afternoons, April 23 – June 25. No class June 4. For details,
email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca
Oakville: Welcome to Creative Writing, Thursday
evenings, April 16 – June 25. No class June 4. For details, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca
Toronto: Intensive Creative Writing, Friday mornings, March 27 – June 26. No
class June 5. For details, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca
Toronto: Welcome to Creative
Writing, April 10 – June 19. No class June 5. For
details, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca
Also check out Writing Conflict: Fight scenes, Dialogue scenes
& Love scenes, Saturday, Jan 18, in
Oakville (see here), Raising the Stakes: How to Increase Your Story's
tension, Saturday, Jan 25, in Toronto (see here) and Saturday, Feb 22, in Kitchener (see here),
and Writing & Revising, Saturday,
Feb 29, in Mississauga (see here).
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| Jumping off the dock at Arowhon Pines Resort in Algonquin Park |
Plus …
Algonquin Writing Retreat, Friday, June 5 – Monday, June 8,
2020. Four days of luxury and writing at Arowhon Pines Resort in Algonquin Park – one of most beautiful spots in
Ontario. This is the area that inspired the Group of Seven; come and let it
inspire you, too. Still room. Details here.
Windsor International Writers Festival, Friday,
July 10 – Sunday, July 12. Brian will lead a Round Table
critiquing your opening pages on Friday morning, will give a talk
about writing query letters, and will meet attendees one-on-one to help
them write a query that will get a yes. Details here. More
details of the conference here.
Southampton Arts Centre School: Join me in cottage country
for a weekend of workshops this summer – How
to Build Your Story, Saturday,
July 25 {details to come} and How
to Write Great Characters, Sunday, July 26 {details to come}.
To reserve a spot in any upcoming weekly course,
weekend retreat, or Saturday workshop, email Brian at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca
See Brian’s full schedule here, including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Southampton, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.
Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for more interviews with literary agents or a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.
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