Thao Le is an agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. She represents picture books and graphic novels by author-illustrators, middle grade fiction, and young adult across genres, as well as science fiction/fantasy and select romance for adults. In the picture book realm, she’s excited to work with illustrators who write their own picture books and is most drawn to art that is emotive and vivid. Her tastes tend towards stories that are character driven, witty, progressive, and end with a twist. In middle grade and YA, whether in prose or graphic novel format, she’s currently seeking contemporary stories that are witty, heartfelt, and authentic. She’s especially drawn to stories about family and friendships from the POV of diverse protagonists. She’s a fan of young characters who are passionate about the arts, sports, STEM, activism, and geeky fandoms. She adores stories with a touch of magic and whimsy, and is a fan of mythology and fairytales. In general, she loves beautiful literary writing with a commercial hook and tight plotting. She is actively seeking underrepresented voices (including, but not limited to, all ethnicity, sexual orientation, mental and physical health, and socioeconomic status) to her client list.
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| Agent Thao Le (lower right) presents at the Agents Panel. (Also pictured is ASL interpreter Joanne Carron.) |
Thao's advice:
Define what success means to you -
- Getting published by a Big Four Publisher?
- Commercial Success? (Preorders, Bestseller lists, Earning Out)
- Awards?
- Film/TV Deal?
- Multiple Books?
and recognize that can change over the course of your career. Set your goal and communicate that with your agent.
If querying agents, look at books you love, who published them? Who represents them? Make your dream list.
If you're doing a cover reveal, include a call to action (have buy links or goodreads links available). For announcements and your website, provide easy buy links -- and diversify those links. Figure out "the shortest distance between you, the reader, and that buy link."
There is no magical number of sales that is "successful". 10,000 copies can mean a lot - but it depends on the size of your advance.
Consider longevity and your career goals. Her goal as an agent is longevity in the publishing industry.
"The best way to succeed in publishing is to keep writing."
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