Agentopia: Jen Hunt and a Pitch Party!

This month Jen Hunt from the Booker Albert Agency is in the Agentopia spotlight, and things are working a little differently!

Check out Jen's interview below. If you think your manuscript is a good match, feel free to leave a short pitch of approximately 35 words (and only the pitch!) in the comments.

Set it out with:

Title:
Category & Genre:
Word count:
Pitch:


If Jen wants to see more, she'll let you know. You can then send Jen your query along with any other requested materials to the submissions email below. Don't forget to put 'Agentopia' somewhere in your subject line!

Although she became an agent only recently, Jen Hunt has been in the publishing world for quite some time. With  B.A, In English Literature from the University of Reno, Nevada, she started out as a reviewer for Divertir Publishing and ended as the Acquisitions Editor where she saw several books from start to publication. Even though that process was rewarding, Jen always had the desire to not be a step in their journey, but apart of it. To share an author's highs and lows, through every project. Thankfully, Jordy and Brittany gave her that opportunity to live her dream and it is amazing. 

To query Jen:  query[at]thebookeralbertagency[dot]com

1. What are you looking for in YA/MG submissions right now? 

I want strong characters that don't cry all the time. Angst is fine but I don't want a lovesick teenager. Why? Bookstores are drowning in those. They're a dime a dozen. Let's not chase genres, let's trend set! I want something clean for the age range. Also, and this might ruin a lot of my submissions, nothing in high school. I know, I know - but I hated high school growing up. Put that environment in a different era/time/place and I am very interested. At Divertir, Tony Russo is about to put out YA Diesel-punk where the female lead goes to flight school and it has a high school feel. THAT'S what I want (I was VERY lucky to edit that one). Give me scene setting with unique detail (as in not cliche) and a decently flushed out world.  

2. What's an immediate turn-off in a query, something guaranteed to get the author rejected? 

Let me approach this a different way. If a query is straight forward, clean, and linear, I will most likely read the first few lines of the attached story. A query all over the place without any idea who the main characters are, their plight, and what they need to overcome usually results in me clicking over to the next email. I like simple and straight forward. Also, submitting to me what's not in my genre. No horror, straight thriller, sex, etc. As an author, I understand how important and special it is to be championed by an agent, but if an author cannot take the time to write a clean query, I won't give them my time. Do your homework.

3. What's the story got to have to make you want to represent it?

That is a tough one. I don't want retellings of the same plot lines. Give me age ranges in places we normally don't see. Give me unique descriptions, things described in your own voice. Keep one POV per chapter/section. 

If Jen sounds like the agent for you, please leave your pitch below in the comments. Good luck!