Posts Tagged middle-grade writers

Meet Literary Agent Kelly Dyksterhouse

By Susan Koehler on June 27, 2024 / Articles, Editor / Agent Spotlight

What a pleasure it has been to get to know Kelly Dyksterhouse, a literary agent with the Tobias
Literary Agency. Kelly has her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults and specializes in
building the careers of authors and illustrators who work on a broad range of projects from
picture books to young adult novels, graphic novels, and fascinating nonfiction for the youth
market. I know that all of our Mixed-Up Filers are eager to learn more about Kelly.

SK: Kelly, tell us a little bit about your path to becoming an agent.

KD: While I was pursuing my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, I applied for a
position as a reader at The Bent Agency. At the time, I thought it would be a good
opportunity to learn more about how the business side of publishing worked. In that role,
I read slush and full manuscripts and wrote reader reports on the fulls. That led to an
assistant position for Susan Hawk at Upstart Crow, who was, and remains, a most
fabulous mentor. After working for several years as an assistant, I joined Jacqui Lipton
at her new agency, Raven Quill Literary Agency and began building my own list. In 2022, RQLA
merged with The Tobias Agency.

While every path to becoming an agent is a little unique, this business remains one that
is apprenticeship based, and frankly the relationship-driven part of the industry is a
major part of what I enjoy about it.

SK: What can you tell us about the Tobias Agency?

KD: I love my team at TLA! We work very cohesively and support one another well, and a
win for one of us/our clients is celebrated as a win for all.

The Tobias Literary Agency is a full-service literary representation firm established in
2016. We specialize in shepherding writers and artists from dream to reality. Our literary
agents are nimble and fierce with a collaborative spirit. We take a 360-degree view of
our clients’ intellectual property. Each project receives a targeted plan for execution of
sub rights (film/TV, foreign translations, first serial, graphic novel adaptations, and more).
Authors and artists we represent include debut authors, New York Times and USA
Today bestsellers, multiple Bram Stoker Award winners, distinguished scientists,
Emmy-nominated journalists, Coretta Scott King honored illustrators, LA Times Book
Award winners, and authors selected by Reese Witherspoon Book Club. Our literary
agents represent the gamut of genres, including the finest in horror, children’s,
nonfiction and illustration. Our literary agents and literary managers take pride in investing in
clients’ long-lasting careers.

SK: Here at MUF, we are all about middle grade. What do you love most about middle-grade novels?

KD: I love that they appeal to readers who are on the cusp of independence. Kids who are actively figuring out who they are and where they fit in their world. I think what I love best about middle grade novels is that they really respect this time of life and take it seriously, reflecting all of the beauty and struggle and confusion and joy that are wrapped up in adolescence. Books for younger readers tend to be fairly straight forward, but the middle grade novel wrestles with questions, allowing the reader to ask
questions of themselves. It’s a time in life where readers are forming opinions and can choose their own books to read. We tend to idealize childhood and forget how hard and heavy and very, very immediate and important everything feels at this stage of life. The middle grade novel carries a huge responsibility in this respect—it can open new worlds or offer solace from the real one readers inhabit, creating space to process their own feelings through those of a character, space to dream and ask questions and not be
judged for doing so.

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

KD: Ah, so many! But the books I return to every couple of years to reread I found in 5th
grade: Robin McKinley’s The Hero and the Crown and Michelle Magorian’s Goodnight,
Mr. Tom. As a younger reader, I plowed through C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia,
Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time books, all of Walter Farley’s Black Stallion
books, and of course Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague.

SK: What are some of your favorite current middle-grade novels?

KD: Aside from those of my own clients, of course, I’ve really enjoyed Alyssa Wishingrad’s
The Verdigris Pawn and Between Monsters and Marvels. I love how she uses fantasy to
probe readers to ask questions about their own world, which I think is the genre’s
superpower.

I also really loved Dan Gemeinhart’s The Midnight Children—It was brilliantly structured,
written with so much respect for the reader, and it was a surprise to read. (I love books
that surprise.) I never would have suspected that a book that wrestled such heavy
subject matter would have me laughing out loud on an airplane at the climax. (I also
love books that make me laugh!)

Finally, I recently read Erin Entrada Kelly’s We Dream of Space and was really blown
away. Perhaps because it recalled so much of my own childhood—I was the same age
as the protagonist when the Challenger exploded and vividly remember watching it live
in our school auditorium, so the book hit home in that regard. But the character work in
that book is spectacular, and it’s a wonderful study for anyone who is seeking to deepen
their craft in terms of writing character.

SK: You seem to enjoy your work, but we know it has its tough parts. What would you say are the best and worst parts of being an agent?

KD: There are so many best parts! Every day, depending on what I am doing that day, my
answer will be different. I love the excitement of finding a new project that I can’t wait to
gush about. I love that no day is the same. I can start a day working on a picture book,
break to meet with clients and editors, and then end the day working on a novel, or a
nonfiction proposal. I love, love, love getting to call a client and tell them we have an
offer! And it is just amazing to hold a book in my hands that I helped shepherd into
existence.

So in a nutshell the best part of the job is working with creative people to bring fantastic
stories into the hands of children.

The worst part is easy—waiting and rejection. It’s part of the business, but that doesn’t
mean that it ever gets easy.

SK: What do you look for in a query?

KD: A strong query tells me what the book is about (who the character is, what they want,
and what the stakes are if they can’t get it, so the major dramatic question), with strong
comps to tell me where it will sit in the market, and does so clearly and succinctly in an
engaging tone or voice.

A query is a first impression, which I liken to an initial handshake in a job interview. It
needs to be professional, confident and show the writer’s competence and
understanding of their work and craft. The primary job of the query is to make me want
to read the book!

SK: What are the top reasons you pass on a submission?

KD: The number one reason I pass is that the writing is not ready. The concept and story
may be great, but it is clear that the writer sent it off before revising deeply or taking the
time to really refine their writing craft.

Another common reason I pass on projects is that the concept feels overly familiar—not
a fresh enough take to be able to stand out in the market.

SK: What is your best guess on where the middle-grade market is headed?

KD: I am seeing a lot of calls for books that could fill the audience “gaps”—younger middle
grade and older middle grade. Shorter, illustrated books that appeal to the 8-9 year old
reader, and then books whose subject matter appeals to the older middle grade reader
who is not quite ready for YA. (Some would call those books young YA, but I’ve been
seeing them announced as middle grade—books with characters as old as 15, yet
whose story might feel younger.) And there is still a great need for books that reflect a
diversity of experience and representation.

SK: Before you go, let’s have some fun with a lightning round. Please name your favorites!

Dessert: bread pudding with vanilla ice cream

Type of weather: a crisp, clear spring or fall day

Genre of music: depends on what I’m doing. Editing, I listen to classical instrumentals,
when writing I listen to movie soundtracks (instrumental), and when running I listen to
classic 80’s rock.

Season: Spring or Fall.

Game: I am enjoying a board game called Azul right now—it’s a fun strategy game with
tiles, and it’s really pretty. I also enjoy playing Hearts and Spades and Rummikub.

SK: I know that our MUF readers are going to want to learn more about you. Where can we do that?

KD:
● @kellydhouse is my SM handle for Instagram, Threads and Twitter.
● Kellydhouse@bsky.social.com
● Website: www.KellyDyksterhouse.com
● MSWL: Kelly Dyksterhouse

Thanks so much for sharing your time and wisdom with us, Kelly. We wish you great success in
your career as an agent. I’m sure a lot of new queries are about to head your way!

For Those Who Write Short: How to Lengthen Your Manuscript

By Kate Hillyer on July 17, 2019 / For Writers, Writing

In online and in-person writing circles, I often hear fellow writers bemoan having to cut down their lengthy manuscripts. “Oh no!,” they wail. “I have to cut 30,000 words!” My problem is a different one. I write short. My first drafts tend to be one-half to two-thirds the suggested word counts. I used to feel insecure about this, but now I think this is my process. I feel a little like a painter—I do the broadbrush outline first, then with each draft add more detail and depth. I’ve come up with a few ways to add, so in case you are my fellow traveler on this narrow road, I share them with you.

Add Physical Descriptions

I’ll can get all the way to the end of my first draft and realize I have never given my main character a physical description. Not a hair color, eye color, even a race. Part of me thinks, it shouldn’t matter! The reader can fill in whoever they want! But it can be distancing for the reader if they can’t picture your character. Not only should you include a physical description, but you probably need to mention that physical description more times than seem appropriate. Do you know how many times JK Rowling told us that Ron has red hair? A lot, my friends. A whole lot. Even in book seven. When reading, I didn’t even notice it, but when I started looking for it, it seemed absurd. All of those reminders, though, make Ron seem like a living, breathing person, whom I might run into at the Leaky Cauldron.

Describe Places

Your main character’s home, school, soccer field, favorite spot in the woods—all of the important places where he or she experiences events–should be described. This is a great opportunity to use the setting to show us more about the character. Does the soccer field feel like freedom or dread? The description should show us that.

Check the Calendar

It is likely that some holiday happens during the timeline of your book. Have you included it? If it’s the start of the school year, you’ve got the major Jewish holidays, and then Halloween. Summer includes Fourth of July. Your character has a birthday, right? Or his or her friends or family members do? Think about writing those up. They might be interesting scenes to play around with.

Give Your Main Character Friends

I heard an editor mention that one of the consistent issues she sees in middle grade and young adult manuscripts is that the main character doesn’t have friends. “You guys, it’s really weird if they don’t have friends,” she said. “If they don’t, there needs to be some explanation for that.” Even if your character is alone on a spaceship, he or she should remember friends from back home, and if you can find a pet or at least a pet rock, that would be good. Side characters in general are a great opportunity to flesh out your character and introduce new conflicts.

Figure Out Where You’re Cheating

Sometimes, the reason my book is short is because I’m gliding over the hard parts. I want to get from A to B, but I’m not entirely sure how it would happen, so I just skip that part. This type of thing drives readers crazy. You have to do the work. But you don’t have to do it alone. This is a great spot to phone a friend. Ask a fellow writer (or anyone, really) to brainstorm with you. “Here’s what’s happening and where I need to go,” you’ll say. “What do you think might get them there?” It’s amazing what people who haven’t been living in the book like you have will come up with. Even if they don’t have the magic bullet solution, their fresh ideas may spark something in you that will get you to the answer you need.

Fix a Problem

There is likely some issue with your manuscript that you’ve identified, or that beta readers point out consistently. Maybe people aren’t connecting with your main character, or the conflict doesn’t seem intense enough, or the pacing is too slow. It may be possible to address that problem through a subplot, or adding another character. Brainstorm solutions; try to come up with at least twenty possibilities. Talk them over with other writers, and get their ideas, too. You’ve got the space! Consider yourself lucky, and use it to your advantage.

Finally, maybe writing short isn’t all bad. The book that made me cry most recently (Kate DiCamillo’s Lousiana’s Way Home) comes in at a slim 40k. One of my all-time favorite books, David Almond’s Skellig, is just shy of 34k. You can pack an emotional wallop–and plenty of laughs–without oodles of words. Don’t add text just to lengthen. Say what you need, and trust that it’s enough.

Promoting Summer Creativity: The Historical Fiction Premise for Middle Graders

By Jenn Brisendine on May 22, 2019 / For Librarians

Most middle grade readers will soon have a months-long opportunity to reboot their imaginations after a busy school year. Summer is a great time to offer up creative writing activities to MG readers: through summer programs at the local library, at camps or enrichment workshops, in the homeschool activity center on a rainy day, or as a mid-summer pick-me-up when boredom starts to creep in. Many kids pursue their own writing projects when on break from school, free of classroom guidelines and assessment rubrics… but others might need an idea or two to ignite the creative fire. This post details a writing activity for middle grade readers and writers that has worked well for students in my 5^th through 8^th grade classes—and it can be adapted for younger or older writers as well.

Your group might include middle graders for whom the task of writing a whole tale is too daunting, along with those who would happily write an entire novel if given the chance, as well as everyone in between. Here is a plan and suggestions for kids of varying interests and language skill levels: Creating historical fiction premises.

Just a cautious word before we proceed: Kids generally don’t want to hear assignment or work while on break from school, and even activity and writing can send up flags of alarm. So take care with the pitch (story crafting, authoring, and premise design are upbeat and interest-piquing descriptions) and the stakes (no grades…no deadlines…sharing aloud is completely optional).

Step One. Explain that a premise is the idea behind a story, without the details or the actual words of the tale. Premises can take lots of shapes, such as the blurb on a paperback, or the inside jacket copy on a hardback. In a short form, writers try to sum up the premise of their story in a logline or “elevator pitch.” A tagline on a movie poster or book trailer can serve as a hint of the story’s premise.

However, a good premise reveals attention-grabbing info about each part necessary for a well-developed story. These parts are the story elements: Plot (Conflict), Character, Setting, Theme, and Point of View. Middle grade readers will be very intrigued at the notion of dreaming up a story idea…without having to write the story itself. (Of course, there’s nothing to stop those interested in penning the actual tale from doing so; it’s summertime, after all!)

Step Two. Provide a quick rundown of the story elements:

Plot (Conflict): Remember, it’s just the idea of a story, so no need to get bogged down in plot details or structure! Just an explanation of the big conflict the main character faces: what’s the problem? How does it worsen?

Character: A brief character design is enough for a premise: age, gender, name, background, occupation or talents; any character traits that are important to the conflict.

Setting: Here’s where you get to add a bit of history! Have writers brainstorm historical events they recall from recent studies, movies, documentaries, or books. Then they can narrow their list, and choose a time, place, and historical event for their premise. This is a great chance to do a bit of searching or use library resources for research, depending on skill and interest level. Let your MG-aged writers know that a historical element can add to (and not limit) speculative genres like sci-fi, fantasy, and action/adventure (examples include The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz, historical fantasy set in 1242; and several superhero blockbusters in recent years set during historical wartime).

Theme: In language arts classes, students learn about theme topics (“love,” “friendship,” “loyalty,” “pride”) and their more didactic accompanying theme statements (“True friendship can withstand tests over time.”) Simple, one-word theme topics work well for premise design.

Point of View: Remind middle graders that some stories are best told in the “I-voice” and others in 3^rd person. As the premise designer, he or she gets to choose.

Step Three: How will your middle graders note their ideas and communicate their creative, original premise? This depends entirely on the size and abilities of your group. A handy activity sheet that you type up for distribution could list the story elements and allow lots of room for writers’ ideas, sketches, lists, and notes; this might be most efficient. Some writers might prefer to design their premise on blank, oversized paper, sans “worksheet,” keeping in mind the story elements.

Don’t forget that middle graders can also communicate a story premise without writing a single word: they can cut and paste magazine images in a collage to represent each element. Drawings, iMovies, storyboards, and photo-journals all lend themselves to story premise design as well.

Step Four: Middle graders can share the premise aloud to the group, if they would like.

Extensions and adaptations:

Pose the premises of popular books or movies and have readers deduce the title. Or, have the readers tell a premise of a popular book or film (without character names or giveaway details) and see if others in the group can guess the work.
After a read-aloud session of famous opening lines–and the fun of guessing the book that is opened by it—have middle graders write the opening line of the story for which they have designed a premise.
Early finishers can dream up multiple premises while they wait for the group to finish. More methodical writers, ELLs, or anyone who finds the premise-design task too daunting might try focusing on just one or two story elements.
Story premises can easily drive drama exercises in the form of scene tableaus, character creation and development, monologue writing, or (if you provide plenty of guidelines) improv activities.