Posts Tagged authors

Meet Katie Monson, Literary Agent

By Susan Koehler on March 31, 2025 / Articles, Editor / Agent Spotlight / Leave a comment

Katie Monson loves kids, and she also loves books. For 12 years, Katie was a self-employed childcare provider, watching children in her home and enjoying the privilege of being home to raise her children. But recently, she decided to massively change up her life and find a new path that still allowed her to work from home and be with her kids. That new path led her to SBR Media.

SBR Media is a literary agency for all genres. It was established in April 2016 by Stephanie Phillips. Today, SBR Media has 11 agents representing over 300 clients. As one of those agents, Katie Monson is known to be self-motivated, organized, and ready to represent clients and help lead them to success. We’re grateful she took the time to share a little bit about herself and her work with our MUF readers.

Welcome, Katie! Your path to becoming an agent is fascinating and not all that typical. What led you to the world of books and publishing?

I’ve always had a passion for reading, ever since I was a little girl. Over the years, I developed a strong interest in reading indie romance books, which naturally led to blogging, beta reading, and editing small manuscripts for authors.

It sounds like agenting was a natural fit. Now that you’ve been in this role for a while, what do you find to be the best and worst parts of being an agent?

The best part about being an agent is working with my authors and making their dreams come true!

The worst part is how I cannot possibly take on all the manuscripts that I read. I would love to be able to help everyone but it’s just not possible. Sending the rejection letters and knowing how the author is going to feel is the worst.

Here at MUF, we’re all about middle grade. As an agent who represents this category of work, what do you love most about middle grade novels?

I love middle grade novels because they are multifaceted. They can be for pure entertainment, but while they are being enjoyed, there can also be underlying themes that help kids navigate through life and challenges they may face. Middle grade books can help make kids feel less alone and know that what they are going through is normal!

Which middle-grade book(s) influenced you most as a child?

I loved the Wayside School books! They were so funny to me, and I still remember them to this day. I shared them with my own kids, and they loved them too!

What are some of your favorite current middle grade novels?

I really love any of Raina Telgemeier books! My kids loved them too!

Which genres/themes/subjects are you drawn to/not drawn to?

I am not a big sci-fi and fantasy reader, so I lack the experience needed to represent these. I love themes of being true to yourself, being a great friend/person, subtle lesson-teaching (not being in your face about it). I also love when a novel explains big feelings!

What do you look for in a query, and what types of queries do you hope to find?

A query needs to be brief and engaging. I want to be drawn in so quickly that I can’t wait to get my hands on the manuscript. Don’t give away too much, but don’t be vague either.

I’m on the hunt for another middle grade to add to my list. I’m looking for an engaging plot with a twist no one sees coming. I want to keep the kids reading on their toes (as well as the editor we are pitching to).

What are the top reasons you pass on a submission?

There are many reasons why but the top ones I would pass on are:

Word count is not where it needs to be
Not an exciting query that makes me NEED to read more
I couldn’t connect with the writing/story/characters

Do you ever participate in pitch parties, and if so, what do you love about them?

I participate in events when I find the time! LOL! I love to see how authors are able to explain their entire manuscript in such a short amount of words. I love these events so much that I have even set up a pop-up event of my own!

That sounds interesting! Can you tell us a little more about this pop-up event?

YES! I will randomly set up my own personal pop-up pitch event. I ask for a brief description of their manuscript (I usually have these open to all authors) and a mood board if they have one. From there, if I like their post then I have them contact me for more information on how to submit to me.

We know you’re closed to submissions right now, but can you give us an idea of when you’ll reopen?

The plan is this spring for a week. This is a really busy season for me, so I am unsure of the exact time, but it will most likely be sometime in May. My best advice is to watch my socials!

You can check out my Manuscript Wish List here: https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/katie-monson/

My Instagram handle is https://www.instagram.com/litagentkatiem/ and you can follow me on X at https://twitter.com/.

Before you go, we’d love to learn about your life outside of work. What are your favorite things to do that have nothing to do with being an agent?

I love to get lost in a good book. What agent wouldn’t love reading for pleasure? (Although, it’s harder to come by these days!) I also love traveling! Seeing the mountains in Tennessee and the beaches in Florida are two of my most favorite things. And I love spending time with my family.

So, when I’m not reading, sitting by the pool, or complaining about the cold Rochester winters, you can probably find me traveling to the beaches of Florida, the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, and spending time with my husband and four children in Rochester, New York.

Books, beaches, mountains, and family – that sounds great! Thanks so much for joining us, Katie. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you, and we’ll be watching for you to open for submissions.

Join the Mixed Up Files — We are looking for a few good bloggers!

By Jennifer Swanson on August 16, 2024 / Articles

Hello to all of our amazing subscribers, readers, and fellow middle-grade children’s book enthusiasts!

THANK YOU for helping us to achieve:

#3 on the 100 Best Middle Grade Book Blogs and Websites in 2024 on Feedspot

https://books.feedspot.com/middle_grade_book_blogs/

A few fun facts:

The Mixed-Up Files blog has been running continuously for 12 YEARS, since 2012

During that time we have had almost 1.2 MILLION views

Our average views per month run between 6,000 and 10,000

We are constantly contacted by many trade publishers who request interviews for their authors

Our posts include:

Author interviews of exciting new trade and educational middle grade books (both fiction and nonfiction)
A weekly STEM Tuesday blog that provides writing tips, activities, and focus on STEM/STEAM books
A fabulous We Need Diverse Middle Grade (WNDMG) monthly post
Editor and agent interviews
Writing tips
Book lists
Giveaways and MORE!

We are looking for NEW BLOGGERS! This opportunity is open to authors, writers, teachers, librarians, or anyone who is excited about trade middle grade books. If you love talking about middle grade books, giving tips to authors, want to support the We Need Diverse Middle Grade team, or interview awesome agents and editors, WE NEED YOU!

Our bloggers are eligible to have their books highlighted in a new release post, a cover reveal, and even an interview post. And every post you write will be seen by thousands of people, too.

To Apply, please fill out the Google form Here –> https://forms.gle/hfZDPLBm1t8V2naKA

Let’s keep this blog going by continuing to shine the spotlight on everything that’s AWESOME about Middle Grade! A focus like this is needed more than ever!!

For any questions, please contact us below.

We LOVE Middle Grade Books!!!

Book Renovations

By Chris Low on September 27, 2023 / Articles

My three little boys are very vigorous tub-takers. They jump, splash, stick things to the walls, and in some cases, tear those same things off the walls with enough force to pull tiles straight out of the mortar. To their credit, they began the repair work right away, and by the time they confessed to my wife and me, the tiles in question were expertly smooshed back into place.

our lovely bathroom in mid-edit

Anyone who lives in an old house knows that when something breaks, it’s usually just the beginning of a much larger project. In my case, the wall behind the tiles was damaged, so those tiles couldn’t be repaired, which meant other tiles had to come out, which meant the whole wall was coming out. I’m planning to petition my state senator to outlaw all toys with suction cups.

Around this time last year, I wrote an article about new beginnings and the editing process. I was redrafting the opening of my new book at the time, and I’m happy to say I’m now wrapping up what I hope is the last major round of revisions before that book goes out on submission. Between that process and the bathroom renovation, I’ve got edits on the brain again, and I honestly don’t think the two projects are all that different. Sometimes you start an edit thinking you’re just replacing a few tiles, only to find that there are issues that run deeper into the plot. Before you know it, you’re redrawing characters and reorganizing scenes, taking everything back down to the studs.

In the world of home renovations, there are thousands of very helpful YouTube videos for this purpose (I’m shocked at the number of channels devoted entirely to tiling bathrooms). But editing a book is a lot more nuanced, and much more specific. No one can tell you exactly how to shift the tone of a scene and make it work better for your main character’s overall arch.

Of course that doesn’t mean there aren’t resources available, so for this post I thought I’d share a few of my favorite books on the subject (and if you’re looking for tiling guidance, shoot me a message and I can probably help there, too).

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Brown and Dave King

Hitting its 30th anniversary this year, this classic text is a highly engaging one-stop shop full of examples and non-examples (think features like “what’s wrong with this paragraph?”). Even if you’re not an avid writer, there’s something tantalizing about peeling back the curtain on famous books and getting at the heart of why they work (or in some cases why they don’t). The authors even cover complex and difficult to articulate topics like character voice and beats in dialogue.

The Plot Clock by Jamie Morris, Tia Levings, and Joyce Sweeney

Full disclosure — Joyce is my literary agent, but that’s not why I shamelessly promote this book whenever I get the chance. I’ve been through three novels with Joyce in the last three years, and each time, my first round of notes on the manuscript is an echo of the themes in this text — things like timing and setting up the third act. The plot of a story can feel like a monstrous, unapproachable thing, but this book reigns it in and gives writers a much-needed confidence boost, not unlike a friendly email from your favorite literary agent.

The Magic Words by Cheryl B. Klein

Cheryl has been a kid lit authority for many years now, and she has had many roles in the writing and publishing world. What makes this book especially exciting for us middle grade folks is that her advice is tailored to writing for young audiences. Concepts like pacing are highly specific to the audience (most adolescent boys aren’t crazy about the slow-burning whodunit). Cheryl also covers very practical concepts like using other people as a lens on your characters and turning a situation into a story. It’s the sort of book you can open randomly and learn something, which I frequently do.

Hopefully by the time you’re reading this, I’ve finished renovating my bathroom walls. Maybe I’ve even finished editing my book and sent it off to Joyce. But of course there are more stories and more inevitable edits waiting around the bend, so these books will stay where they’ve been for the last few years — right in the corner of my writing desk. Maybe I’ll add a porcelain tile to the collection as a reminder that big or small, every fix brings me closer to a finished project.