NONFICTION NINJAS
  • Home
  • Meet the Ninjas
    • Lisa Amstutz
    • Stephanie Bearce
    • Nancy Churnin
    • Susie Kralovansky
    • Pat Miller
    • Christine Liu Perkins
    • Linda Skeers
    • Peggy Thomas
  • Ninja Notebook
  • NF Fest
  • Contact

Agent August with Caryn Wiseman

8/10/2020

18 Comments

 
Picture

Caryn Wiseman know her business! With a an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA, Caryn knows how to negotiate a great deal for her clients and help them understand the book business. As an agent For Andrea Brown Literary, Caryn has sold over 450 books including the New York Times bestseller THE STRANGE CASE OF ORIGAMI YODA BY Tom Angleberger.

Caryn joined the agency in 2003 after spending over a decade in the business world. She is a senior agent and exclusively represents children's authors. Caryn is always on the look out for great nonfiction writers.
Nonfiction ninjas were thrilled to catch up with Caryn and learn a little more about her.

 Why did you become a literary agent?  I have been an agent for 17 years, and it's a second career for me, but it's definitely the one that I was meant to do!  I have been a voracious and critical reader all my life, and agenting was the perfect way to combine my love of books and reading, social justice, and my business education and background.
 What excites you most about working in publishing? Three things:  1)  That I actually get to make a small difference by bringing children's books that matter into the world 2)  that I still get a thrill when I walk into a bookstore and see a book that I represented on the shelf 3)  that every day is different, so I'm never bored
 What are you looking for in nonfiction projects? Nonfiction that reads like fiction, whatever the category
Are there specific topics that interest you? Social justice in any form is my number one interest
 What trends are you seeing in the industry? The market for picture book bios (a particular love of mine) is saturated; there's a growing market for older nonfiction and graphic novel nonfiction; a market for narrative nonfiction for younger kids that isn't picture book bio, but is fun and non-institutional; also a great interest and respect for getting the historical facts right, rather than whitewashing them
 Who is your ideal client? Someone who does their homework; who understands the research and permissions process that's involved with nonfiction; someone who understands issues of diversity and inclusion, and who is willing to look at a question from more than one angle; someone who is willing to ask the hard questions about who should tell a story;  someone who is willing to take narrative or format risks to tell a story in an interesting way
 Are you more interested in PB, MG, YA, or all three? All three, and graphic novels in particular
 What do you want to see in a nonfiction proposal? All of the standard proposal stuff, including sample chapters.
What are some of your favorite kidlit nonfiction books? All of my clients' books, of course, like those by Debbie Levy, Don Tate, Kelly Starling Lyons, Sarah Albee, Jennifer Berne, Amy Novesky, Sarah J. Marsh, Susan Wood, or the forthcoming TRUE OR FALSE by Cindy L. Otis.  For nonclient books, I'd say The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater, Unpresidented by Martha Brockenbrough, March by John Lewis and Nate Powell, They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, anything by Steve Sheinkin
 And last but not least – are you a dog person or a cat person? And do you have a pet? Definitely dog, but small dog.   I have a cockapoo named Olivia, who serves as my office assistant.

If you have a project that you think would be right for Caryn - you can contact her through her query manager account. 
Happy querying!



18 Comments
Linden McNeilly link
8/10/2020 09:10:27 am

Love many of the authors and books mentioned here.

Reply
Brandon Marie Millet link
8/10/2020 10:21:25 am

I love your clients’ books!!

Reply
Emily Goodman
8/10/2020 10:33:22 am

I'm a big fan of Steve Sheinkin's too -- nf that reads like fiction! Thanks.

Reply
Jessica Coupe link
8/10/2020 10:45:44 am

I like looking at things from different angles. So often only one angle is shown in books.

Reply
Teresa Robeson link
8/10/2020 11:27:34 am

Those are some of my favorite NF books, too! I almost queried Caryn again recently but I figured she was too much out of my league. Her clients are very lucky to have her.

Reply
Susan Johnston Taylor link
8/10/2020 12:47:58 pm

I really admire the work of Sarah Albee and several of the other authors mentioned. Thanks for sharing!

Reply
Susan Latta link
8/10/2020 12:55:16 pm

Love the nonfiction authors and books you mention, and use many of them for mentor texts. Figuring out the puzzle of how best to tell the nonfiction story is one of my favorite things to do. Thanks for the post!

Reply
Janice Woods
8/10/2020 02:37:40 pm

Great interview! Thanks for sharing☺️

Reply
Doreen Robinson
8/10/2020 04:30:54 pm

I love your three reasons for being an agent - and thank you for bringing books that matter into the world - especially for children!

Reply
Melissa Miles link
8/10/2020 04:58:19 pm

Great interview! I love that agenting was a second career but a great fit! I love her client’s books!

Reply
Jennifer Phillips link
8/10/2020 07:45:59 pm

I have a picture book biography I’m passionate about and have labored over for many years, so I hope the market won’t get or stay so saturated that I can’t place it at some stage. Thanks for the insights!

Reply
Maria Marshall link
8/10/2020 10:47:02 pm

Caryn, I am excited that you are seeing a market for narrative nonfiction that is "fun and non-institutional." What an honor to be an agent for those authors, they are all so amazingly talented.

Reply
Melissa Stoller link
8/11/2020 03:21:45 am

Thanks for a great interview. I love nonfiction that reads like fiction and I use many of the books you mentioned as mentor texts. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Reply
Linda Bozzo link
8/12/2020 05:53:07 am

Thanks for taking the time to help us get to know you better. I appreciate your thoughts on narrative nonfiction.

Reply
Susan Benton link
8/12/2020 01:12:19 pm

Always appreciate a closer look into the backgrounds, wants, and needs of successful agents.

Reply
Ann Magee
8/13/2020 07:38:36 am

Thanks for this glimpse into Caryn’s world. I love that her passion matches my own in “bringing children’s books that matter out into the world”.

Reply
Elizabeth Pagel-Hogan link
8/16/2020 05:45:20 pm

"Anything Steve Sheinkin!" 😍😆 So true!!!

Reply
Tara Cerven
8/24/2020 02:58:15 pm

Caryn is one of my dream agents! I would love a critique of my non-fiction piece by Caryn!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    We are nonfiction authors who support readers and writers through our writing, author visits, and workshops.

    RSS Feed

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018

    Categories

    All
    Agent
    Andrea Somberg
    Back Matter
    Bibliography
    Biographies
    Book Dummy
    Book Promotion
    Bookstore
    Breaking Writers Block
    Deadlines
    Editing
    Editors
    Ghostwriting
    Hidden History
    Holidays
    Holiday Stories
    Humor
    Inspiration
    Linda Skeers
    Magazines
    Market Analysis
    Mentoring
    Mentor Texts
    Middle Grade NF
    Nancy Churnin
    Nonfiction
    Open For Submissions
    Organization
    Pat Miller
    Peggy Thomas
    Picture Books
    Primary-sources
    Publishers
    Questions
    Reluctant Writer
    Research
    Rhyme
    Seasonal Stories
    Selling Books
    Stephanie Bearce
    Submissions
    Twitter Pitches
    Why
    Word Count
    Work For Hire
    Writing Ideas
    Writing In Sprints
    Writing Protocol
    Writing Strengths
    Writing Tips

    Disclaimer: The Nonfiction Ninjas are a group of writers with diverse ideas . The views expressed in each post are those of the author and may differ from others in the group.​
Copyright @2022
  • Home
  • Meet the Ninjas
    • Lisa Amstutz
    • Stephanie Bearce
    • Nancy Churnin
    • Susie Kralovansky
    • Pat Miller
    • Christine Liu Perkins
    • Linda Skeers
    • Peggy Thomas
  • Ninja Notebook
  • NF Fest
  • Contact