15 Agents Looking for Young Adult and Middle Grade Novels
Where to Query This Week (4.30.25) | Plus, what happens if your agent doesn’t sell your book?
Welcome to Sub Club’s Where to Query This Week!
When an agent signs a book, they fully believe in it. But even then, there are so many factors outside their control that can cause a project to die on submission.
Today,
of shares her expertise as a literary agent and published author, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at what happens if your book doesn’t sell, why it’s not always about the book itself, and how you can move forward without losing heart.
What Happens If Your Agent Doesn’t Sell Your Book?
Woof. This is never something that any agent intends, but it does, unfortunately, happen.
First things first. I am coming at this both as an agented author and as a literary agent. As an agented author, I have had several of my own personal projects die on submission over the years (RIP). As a literary agent, I’ve also had client projects die on submission. It’s never a fun feeling.
There is a lot to unpack, so let’s get into it.
Most agents consider whether to sign an author after assessing these questions:
Is this book viable in the marketplace right now, meaning is it something publishers will want to buy?
Does the author, especially non-fiction authors, have a “good” platform? (Note: what constitutes a “good” platform is an entirely different conversation and from experience, subjective to both literary agents and publishers.)
And of course, the most important question most agents ask: Do I love the writing, connect with the material in some way, and connect with the author?
Even when there’s a resounding “YES!” on all the things above and more, there are many factors outside of an agent's control when it comes to selling a project. For example, a publisher might have just bought a similar type of book, and they don’t want to saturate their list. An editor who absolutely loved your book and wanted to champion it suddenly got laid off or made a career change. Or, the editor might love the idea, but they don’t feel the platform supports it. Most recently, I’m dealing with tariffs that are impacting some of my gift and lifestyle books that are currently on submission.
Career changes, market changes, reader changes, society changes, political changes, and company changes are just some of the outside factors that can play into a publisher’s decision. And these things can change at any second, impacting how fast or how slow a deal may come through—or whether the deal comes through at all. I’ve seen it myself: As a literary agent, I’ve sold books in record speed (two weeks), while others took almost two years.
All in all, the unpredictability and instability of all these factors can be overwhelming. As an agent, it can be hard to explain all the nuances of publishing we see on a daily basis. And as an author, I totally get the insane waiting game and anxiety it brings.
If you and your agent find yourself at the end of your submission list, here are some things to consider.
Remain adaptable
Of course, you never want to compromise your story or your ethics, but remaining open and adaptable can be very helpful in this industry. For example, author K.L. Walther wrote a new book in 2020 and shared it with her publisher. They passed on that particular book because they didn’t think it was the right fit as the next one to follow her book, The Summer of Broken Rules.
So she adapted. She delivered a different book to the publisher in alignment with what the publisher was hoping for, and they accepted. However, she still had this other book that she absolutely loved and didn’t want to give up on. Her agent, Eva Scalzo, took that book, While We’re Young, on submission and landed a deal. Most recently, that book hit the New York Times list. Yes, even books that go on to hit the NY Times bestseller list likely had to adapt along the way. More importantly, K.L. and her agent, Eva, never gave up on that book.
Know when to shelve your project
Maybe it’s time to shelve that project that isn’t selling and work on another book altogether. This can often shake off the submission cobwebs and give you something fresh and new to focus on. This tactic can be especially helpful for debut authors, as many will tell you that their first book wasn’t the one that actually made the first sale. Oftentimes, it was their second or third.
Shift your proposal or manuscript
Sometimes it’s apparent what’s working and what’s not based on the rejections you might be receiving. If feedback seems consistent across the board, it might be worthwhile to pull the book or proposal to shift or adapt based on the feedback to ensure it is the strongest it can be.
Focus on your platform
If the feedback you're getting is that your platform isn't big enough to support the project, consider dedicating more time to building it. This can pay off in the long run, even though it can be annoying at the moment.
HarperCollins editor and author Stephanie Duncan Smith, of Even After Everything: The Spiritual Practice of Knowing the Risks and Loving Anyway, had to do this when her agent was shopping her book and rejections kept coming in. They eventually pulled the proposal and re-worked it before going on submission again.
During that time, Stephanie also invested more time in growing her Substack,
, to build her author platform. The proposal refresh and her updated platform ended up landing her a deal in her second submission round.Fun fact: Just because you are an agent or editor at a Big 5, doesn’t mean you automatically get a book deal. Both Stephanie (and myself) have to go through the same process as authors, too, so we truly feel the pain of all of this.
Get clear on your back-up plan
If you've exhausted all the Big 5’s and larger independent publishers, do you want to start targeting smaller publishers, such as university presses and independent publishers? Are you in a place where you can and would be okay with self-publishing? Or do you want to work on something else and maybe come back to that? Only you can ultimately make that call on what your backup plan entails.
Don’t compare yourself
Imagine a person you kind of know posts their “Publishers Weekly” announcement on social media. You scroll their social media and see they have less of a following than you, and feel like the deal happened faster than yours is happening. It feels a bit like a gut punch.
It’s very easy to compare deals posted on the Internet. But I assure you, everyone’s publishing journey is unique and different, with so many factors at play. While it’s important to educate yourself about the industry, remember that your journey is your journey.
Keep calm and write on
It’s hard waiting in the “not knowing” area. Oftentimes, so many of my clients feel ready to give up before the deal news comes in. I find healthy distractions while you are on submission are a great way to keep going. But ultimately, this is your book, your story, your career. Consider all your options and take the steps that feel right for you. And no matter what, keep writing.
Lindsey Smith is an author, literary agent, publisher, book coach, and bookstore owner. She loves writing books and gift products that inspire, entertain, or make people laugh, smile, and maybe cry. Her writing has appeared in Parade Magazine, The Belladonna, and her parents’ junk drawer.
Her current projects include: Pup Talks: 50+ Pep Talks From Your Favorite Furry Friends, MockTales: 50+ Literary Mocktails Inspired by Classic Works, Banned Books, and More, and The Bibliophile Oracle Deck: A 52-Card Deck and Guidebook for Book Lovers.
When she's not helping people write and publish books, she can be found reading her old American Girl magazines, listening to Taylor Swift, or playing with her dog, Winnie Cooper.
Okay, I’m giving a little plug to myself today because I’m so excited about a new offering I’ve created for those of you who have a novel you want to write. Maybe it’s just an idea, a voice, a fragment—or maybe you’ve started this novel before but never made it all the way through. Are you craving structure, creative momentum, and the kind of community that makes writing feel alive again?
I’ve got you! Check out my The Wild Draft: 6 Month Novel Writing Cohort! It might be just what you need.
15 Agents Looking for Young Adult and Middle Grade Novels
Middle grade fiction is aimed at 8–12-year-olds, featuring younger protagonists and lighter themes like friendship, family, and adventure. Popular examples:
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Young adult fiction targets 12–18-year-olds, with older protagonists and more complex, emotional themes like identity, love, and growing up. Popular examples:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
If you’re currently querying and want a curated list specially made for your manuscript, be sure to check out my Personal Agent List service. I’m rolling over enrollment to May!
»» Get your own agent list here ««
This part of the column is for paid subscribers only. Paid subscriptions are the only way we fund this newsletter. We are 100% human-made and paid. So if you have the means, please consider signing up for more content like today’s column.
 | A guest post by
|