Posts Tagged middle grade books

According to the LKG Agency website, Lauren Galit is “a story cheerleader, a contract negotiator, and a champion of unforgettable kidlit books.” And according to client Clinton Kelly, she’s “a totally chill agent who’s not even a jerk.”

 

Lauren opened LKG Agency in 2005 and has worked hard to build a thriving agency with a robust client list. She loves working with middle-grade authors, and we know that our MUF readers will love getting to know Lauren!

 

Lauren, tell us a little about your background and how you found your way to agenting.

I was the kind of kid who read constantly, and I always knew I wanted to work with words and language. I initially focused on magazines — Tina Brown was my idol — but eventually realized it was the writers themselves I adored and wanted to support, so a move to books made sense. I began agenting nonfiction because it was a natural extension of my editorial work, but I pivoted to kidlit after my assistant asked me to represent her middle-grade novel, and we grew from there. Now I can’t imagine doing anything other than fiction. I primarily specialize in middle-grade, young adult, and now new adult, but I’ve also realized I will go where my authors go — my main job is to support their writing journeys.

 

LKG Agency has been going strong for 20 years now! What’s the secret to your success?

As a boutique agency of one, with support from a foreign rights agent, I focus on offering a highly personalized experience. I may not have the size of a major firm, but I make up for it by being deeply responsive and very editorially hands-on. When an author is struggling with a scene, plot point, or character arc, they know they can send me questions or pages — or we can hop on the phone and strategize together.

 

What excites you most about your job?

While I love many parts of my job, my favorite thing by far is brainstorming with authors as they work through their projects. We talk worldbuilding, how that world influences the plot, who the characters are and how that shapes their choices, and then we dig into craft — how to make all those elements sing. When they send me a revision and I can see the transformation, I get downright giddy.

 

I read that you got your start as a magazine editor. How did that prepare you for the shift to agenting?

Working in magazines taught me the mechanics of editing — I used to constantly ask the copyeditors to teach me every rule of the road. Being an obsessive reader helped me develop a sense of what works on the page. And working closely with so many talented editors across publishing — learning not just their wishlists but their tastes and approaches to craft — has been an education in itself.

 

It’s clear that you love books! If you could be described as a champion of any particular type of book, what type of book would that be?

I tend to be a middle-grade maven. I gravitate toward it maybe because it feels like such a pivotal time in a child’s reading life — hook them then, and you may have them for life. I’m especially drawn to magical realism or contemporary fantasy; those genres create incredible opportunities to explore the emotional changes young adolescents go through. A perfect example is Wendy McLeod MacKnight’s The Change Up. When her protagonist enters adolescence and discovers she’s a shapeshifter who can’t control her transformations, it becomes a powerful metaphor for how kids are still figuring themselves out; they are easily influenced until they learn who they want to be.

 

You’re speaking our language. Here at MUF, we’re all about middle-grade novels! What do you like most about this category?

The sense of wonder. Everything feels new to these readers, and I love seeing a book crack open a world for them. Even an adventure series like Percy Jackson shows kids that it’s okay to be different — that maybe their differences are actually strengths.

 

What are some of your favorite middle-grade novels?

From my childhood, I adored The Chronicles of Narnia, The Chronicles of Prydain, and Anne McCaffrey’s Harper Hall trilogy. In the present day, there are so many of my authors’ books I could name, but I do remember reading Steven Banbury’s Pumpkin Princess submission and immediately thinking, “I must represent this.” That feeling of joy and excitement is unmatched. I recently had that same reaction reading my new author Laura Boggs’s Margot of Manhattan — her voice is so unique, and it’s a love letter to my dear city of New York.

 

What types of books are you drawn to?

As I mentioned, I have a soft spot for magical realism, but my range is fairly wide —contemporary, thriller, mystery, sci-fi, high fantasy, even nonfiction. While not MG, my young adult nonfiction project Obsessed, about the author’s experience with OCD, remains one of my proudest editorial moments. Typically, I’m not a big fan of horror, but after meeting some truly wonderful horror writers at a retreat, I might be softening on that front.

 

Are there any current projects you’re excited about?

So many! I’m not sure what was in the air this summer, but all my authors seemed to finish projects at once and place them lovingly in my lap. I mentioned Margot, which is on sub. I just put the finishing touches on Jaime Formato’s Rogue Richardson and Sly Silver Take Back the Golden Age, an homage to comic books and geek culture. And I’ve been working with Mike Thayer on his older MG A Place Among Heroes, which has one of the best concepts I’ve seen in a while — a boy and his father competing in a reality show that’s essentially a real-life role-playing game, complete with experience points and side quests. The emotional arc is even more compelling than the fictional one.

 

Prospective clients are reading this and asking one question: Are you currently open to submissions?

Yes — though as mentioned above, I’m working through a small backlog thanks to the summer wave of manuscripts.

 

Can you describe any “dream submissions” you’d like to find in your inbox?

OMG, so much pressure! I hate this answer, but it’s the truth: I know it when I read it. What I’ve learned is that when an author LOVES their work, that comes through. When they have a clear vision, a deep understanding of their characters, and genuine joy in the story they’re crafting — that’s what I want to see in my inbox.

 

Will interested authors ever find you participating in pitch parties?

I have participated, and I enjoy seeing what authors are working on, how they distill their stories into just a few lines, and what trends are emerging. I don’t do pitch parties too often because my submissions portal stays busy, and I want to make sure those writers receive proper attention.

 

Where can authors learn more about you?

Mostly through my website and interviews like this. I keep meaning to do more on social media, so stay tuned!

 

What are your favorite things to do that have nothing to do with being an agent?

Other than reading? Hanging with my dog, Luna (whom my 12-year-old named after Luna Lovegood — though personality-wise she’s much more of a Katniss), spending time with my kids when they’re home from college, and traveling with my husband.

 

Lauren, it’s been great getting to know you! Is there anything else you’d like to say before we close out our interview?

Just a thank you to you — and to all the writers out there who keep creating, even as the middle-grade landscape becomes more challenging. With attention spans shrinking and reading levels dropping, we need to work smarter to turn kids into lifelong readers. As research shows, reading builds empathy and has a direct correlation with success. What could be better than that?