Friday, March 31, 2017

TBA Monthly Wishlist - April 2017

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist! Here's the project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

YA Dark Epic Fantasy, whether gritty and urban, or sweeping and otherworldly. High stakes and taut emotions please, with strong females I would stand and fight beside! - Heather Flaherty


A fun YA romance that still has a hooky concept. I want to read about first love and romance; lots of kisses an added bonus. Think LOVE & GELATO, or LOVE, LIES & LEMON PIES - Gemma Cooper

I want reading group women’s fiction with lots of heart and preferably set in the UK; a love story that makes me cry, or something a little darker in the vein of Liane Moriarty - Sarah Manning  

I’d love a super suspenseful, atmospheric suspense/procedural novel like the ones in Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series - Victoria Cappello

Friday, March 24, 2017

Deal Announcement - DEVILS UNTO DUST by Emma Berquist

Huge congrats to Emma Berquist for her awesome new YA, DEVILS UNTO DUST, with Greenwillow/HarperCollins. Pitched as True Grit meets 28 Days Later, details here at Children's Bookshelf:



What's not to love? Old West, virus strain, the rabid-dead, and a hard girl fighting for her family… 

Twitter:  @eeberquist

Friday, March 3, 2017

CLOSED -- Generalist & YA/MG Interns needed!

We have intern positions open for an adult fiction reader and for a young adult/middle grade reader.  To become an intern reader for the Bent Agency, you do not need to have any kind of publishing experience, but you should love to read and be familiar with all sorts of fiction in these categories.  In particular, it’s helpful to be familiar with the books on the New York Times bestseller list. 

Additionally, for adult fiction readers, we’re looking for someone who enjoys books by authors such as:

- Erin Morgenstern
- Tana French
- Eleanor Brown
- Jacqueline Sheehan
- Jodi Picoult
- Gillian Flynn
- Lori Roy
- Laurie Notaro
- Celia Rivenbark
- Elin Hilderbrand
- Kristin Hannah
- Jeannette Walls
- Kate Atkinson

This is an eclectic list, so obviously you don't need to like everyone on it. But basically, you should like at least two of the following genres: humor, memoir, upmarket women's fiction and literary suspense. 

You do not need to live in New York since this is a remote internship. We do ask for a ten-hours-a-week commitment. Please note that it is unpaid. 

The internship is a great way to learn more about an agent’s work and decision-making process. Past interns have been writers for children, children’s librarians, elementary school teachers, MFA students, and passionate readers.

The agency runs a monthly educational chat for all of our interns, led by a different agent/on a different topic each time. (Past and upcoming topics include: How publishers create marketing plans, Do we need literary agents anymore?, Digital and social publishing, Literary scouts: What do they do? What are the entry-level jobs in publishing? -- we try to make them as useful as we can.) These are optional, and the days/times vary because all the interns have different 'day job' schedules.


Interested?

1. Send an email to intern@thebentagency.com and put “Adult Fiction intern” or "YA/MG intern" in the subject line. If you’d like to read for both, put “Adult/YA/MG intern” in the subject line.

2. Tell us why you want the internship and something about yourself, or include a resume if you have one (although it's not necessary). 

3. Include two lists: the last ten adult fiction or YA/MG books you've read and your top ten favorite adult fiction or YA/MG books of all time.




If you've applied in the past, you're welcome to apply again. We usually get a great many applicants and the application period will close fairly quickly; watch this space for details! 

UPDATE on March 29th: Applications for this internship are now closed. Thank you so much to all who applied, I'll answer you shortly! -- Sam

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

TBA Monthly Wishlist - March 2017

It's time again for the Monthly Wishlist! Here's the project that each TBA agent would love to see in their submission inbox. If you have something that fits with the below, please check out our submission guidelines and send it over. We can't wait to read!

I need some FUN in my inbox. Chapter books and middle grade that will make me laugh, and young adult books that read like a rom-com - Gemma Cooper

I want reading group women’s fiction with lots of heart and preferably set in the UK; a love story that makes me cry, or something a little darker in the vein of Liane Moriarty - Sarah Manning  

I’d love to see YA fantasy with high political stakes and a smart, courageous protagonist (like Kestrel in THE WINNER’S CURSE) or a YA contemporary with a demonstrably strong feminist main character. And I’m always looking for MG contemporary, historical, or fantasy that feels timeless and emotionally powerful - Molly Ker Hawn

YA Dark Epic Fantasy, whether gritty and urban, or sweeping and otherworldly. High stakes and taut emotions please, with strong females I would stand and fight beside! - Heather Flaherty