Paying it forward: Part 8

• Colleen
• Paying It Forward Series
• 0 Comments

Next installment of Rutgers Conference info.

*Remember to check editors/agents submission requirements

Leila Sales is an Editorial Assistant at Viking Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group. Leila has worked in both School and Library Marketing and Editorial at Penguin Young Readers Group. She was part of the editorial team that worked on the upcoming chapter book Horrible Harry Goes Cuckoo, by Suzy Kline; the upcoming YA novel Jump, by Elisa Carbone; and the upcoming YA novel For Keeps, by Natasha Friend. While open to projects for all age groups, Leila is particularly looking for smart, funny, thought-provoking novels with stand-out voices—think John Green, Meg Cabot, Gabrielle Zevin… In general, she’s not the best match for easy readers or otherworldly fantasy.

Kelly Smith is a Senior Editor at Sterling Publishing. Kelly edits a varied list of books—everything from easy readers to sticker books, activity books, and board books. She edited the Sterling Biographies series and co-edited the Mysteries Unwrapped series. She is currently developing children’s books with the American Museum of Natural History and is interested in nonfiction projects that relate to natural history topics. Kelly is fascinated by giant squids.

Joanna Stampfel-Volpe is an Agent at Nancy Coffey Literary and Media Representation. Interests: chapter books to upper YA (non-fiction, romance, dark, literary, horror, contemporary, humor, historical and fantasy *fantasy/sci-fi needs to be unique!). I would love to find a dark read with a strong voice for teen boys. Think Catcher in the Rye meets Stand by Me, but taking place today. Maybe with a Southern Gothic feel? I recently heard about “hog harvesting” at a conference—think along those lines!

Kiffin Steurer is an Assistant Editor at Philomel Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group. Kiffin edits and assists with both PBs and novels ranging from literary to adventure. He has edited the upcoming superhero adventure Super Human by Michael Carroll, and the upcoming PB Pirates Don’t Take Baths by John Segal. While open to books for all age ranges, he is interested in literary as well as action/adventure novels with strong protagonists and a unique voice; he is also looking for humorous, quirky PBs. Generally speaking, Kiffin is probably not the best match for high fantasy.

Becca Stumpf is an Agent at Prospect Agency. Becca joined Prospect Agency after working as an assistant at Writers House. She is currently looking for adult, YA, and MG literary and commercial fiction, with a special interest in scifi/paranormal/fantasy/steampunk and romance books with broad appeal. (Genre fiction is not just for nerds anymore, huzzah!). She falls hard for high concept plots that balance drama, wit, and intrigue in equal parts, and has a long-standing weakness for anti-heroes, fringe-dwellers, and the occasional scoundrel…provided such characters are richly drawn and demonstrate some serious soul (and a sense of humor doesn’t hurt!). For more about Becca, check out her agent biography at http://www.prospectagency.com/zoo.html.

Kate Sullivan is an Assistant Editor at poppy, and imprint of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Kate’s current projects on the Poppy list include The A-List Hollywood Royalty, Secrets of My Hollywod Life, and, coming in 2010, The Daughters series and the DUFF (Designated Fat Friend). On the Little, Brown list she is working on the Darren Shan program, including Cirque Du Freak, and Ash by Malinda Lo, an empowering retelling of Cinderella. Prior to working at Little, Brown, Kate was an editorial assistant at Walker/Bloomsbury Children’s books, where she worked on many nonfiction and fiction PB titles. She is primarily looking for novels that make her laugh aloud on a crowded subway, show a cynical or quirky world view, are smart without being boring, or have strong, defiant characters (who may or may not have a penchant for monstrous behavior). Fun fact: Kate grew up in Brussels, Belgium, thanks to the US Air Force.

Tamra Tuller is an Editor at Philomel Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group. Tamra works on hardcover MG and YA novels as well as PBs. She has edited Here Comes Gosling! by Sandy Asher as well as the upcoming Dancing in the Wings by Kristy Dempsey, Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, and Lemuel by Carter Crocker, among others. She has contributed editorially to books by Mike Lupica, Brian Jacques, Patricia Polacco, Kathryn Erskine, and Jane Yolen. Currently, Tamra is primarily seeking modern, reality-based fiction—character-driven stories with heart that are commercial yet somewhat literary. She is also seeking smart, imaginative PBs and graphic novels. Tamra does not hold an interest in high fantasy or comedy that is slapstick in nature.

Juie Tibbott is an Editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group. Julie works on MG and YA titles. Some recent books she has edited include Marlene Perez’s Dead Is paranormal mystery series (Dead is the New Black, Dead is a State of Mind, and Dead is So Last Year), My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters and Jungle Crossing by Sydney Salter, and the upcoming titles The Bad Queen by Carolyn Meyer and The Clearing by Heather Davis. She is particularly interested in high concept MG and YA fiction, and projects with a series potential for original paperback publication.

Christian Trimmer is an Assistant Editor at Disney * Hyperion Books. Christian edits books for kids of all ages, focusing on MG, graphic, and YA novels. Published books from his list include: Just Like Bossy Bear by David Horvath, the Young Bond series, The Market by J.M. Teele, the Center for Cartoon Studies series of graphic biographies, and Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford. Upcoming titles include Riding Invisible: An Adventure Journal by Sandra Alonzo, The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade, Carter’s Big Break (the sequel to Carter Finally Gets It). And graphic novel adaptations of The Lightning Thief and The Amulet of Samarkand. He’s looking for MG manuscripts (with series potential) and is a sucker for a good coming of-of-age novel.