Congratulations to Ann Koffsky! After years of working on the other side of the publishing desk as an editor, Ann quit her job to focus on being a writer. If you think that made her journey to find an agent any easier, think again. Ann’s story proves that no matter where you start the journey, you need persistence and a belief in your writing abilities to keep going. Welcome, Ann!

How long had you been writing before seeking an agent, and what made you decide it was time to look for one?  

I have been writing for about 20+ years. For the past 8 years, I had been working as an editor at Behrman House publishers. Unbeknownst to me, I was on trend and was part of the “Great Resignation”. I decided to leave my (wonderful) position at Behrman House, to concentrate more on my writing and illustration. And part of that was the decision to pursue an agent.

What kind of research did you do before submitting?

Lots of different kinds. I got lists from fellow authors who were going through the same journey. MSWL and I became buddies. I looked at what agents were speaking at events like SCBWI.

The dreaded questions: How many queries? 

How many rejections? Oh gawd. I just pulled up my excel spreadsheet and counted to be able to answer this. Looks like I had about 76 queries to agents out there. Wow. (And I’m still waiting to hear back from some of them lol)

Was it difficult to find an agent who wanted to represent an author focusing on picture books?

See above. It was difficult to find an agent who replied at all!

Who is your new agent? Tell us about getting the news.

Joyce Sweeney is my agent. (!) I couldn’t be happier. Once she expressed interest we had a couple of zoom conversations—I think I did a little jig after that first email, then after the next email, and after each zoom conversation. There was lots of dancing!

How did you know your agent was “the one”?

Those zoom conversation gave me a lot of confidence that we would work well together. They were kind of like two-way interviews—she was getting a feel for me and I her. And it felt so comfortable right from the start—like a great first date.

If 12 x 12 helped you in any way during your agent search/development of craft, can you tell us how? (P.S. It is TOTALLY okay if the answer is no. I am not trying to “lead” you 🙂 )

12 x 12 helped me understand the expectations for this process. Without it, I’m sure I would have made some horrifying newbie faux pas.

Has your writing process changed at all since signing with an agent?

Joyce gives me another amazing look at my mss. that I didn’t have before. So now in addition to my writing group, I know have another great set of eyes on my work, that points out ways to help make things stronger.

What advice would you give to picture book writers looking for agents today? 

My advice is: Remember that the nos aren’t personal, and don’t reflect your worth, or the value of your writing. They just reflect what that particular agent is or isn’t looking for in that moment. (They also might reflect how much coffee they’ve had that morning!)

Do you think your platform (blog, social media) helped you find your agent?

I think they were useful once I got an agent’s attention. I think it’s something that the agents I actually managed to get interest from looked at to find out more about me

Tell us something that is on your “bucket list.” Something you’ve dreamed of doing all your life but have yet to accomplish.

I really want to try doing ceramics someday, and maybe learn to make a pot on a wheel. I follow a bunch of ceramicists on insta and I just think it’s a beautiful art form.

What’s up next/what are you working on now?

I’ve got a bunch of books coming out soon! WHAT’S IN TULI’S BOX?  is about a cat who discovers a charity box and explores it in kitten-like fashion. That’s out in Sept, 2022. Then in 2023, I’ve got UNDER THE SEA SEDER coming, about a girl who gets bored at the Passover table, so she climbs under it…and her imagination takes her on a journey.

Plus: I have set of board books coming out with Apples and Honey Press: MY MEZUZAH, MY MATZAH, MY DREIDEL, and an accordion book from Greenbean Books, called SHEEP SAYS SHALOM.

(I’m actually in this fantastic board book promo group where we are sharing info about each other’s upcoming board books in 2023. It’s called #Jewishboardbooks and it’s got a couple of other 12×12’ers in there… Can I give them some shout outs, too? Vivian Kirkfield, Nancy Churnin, Varda Livney and Sarah Aroste all have really fun board books coming in 2023! So there are lots of fun stuff to look out for.)

Thanks so much for this opportunity to share my agent story. I hope everyone reading this finds it useful, and I wish everyone  much success with their writing and their career!

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