LGBTQ Meet and Greet

Always a highlight of the conference, the LGBTQ Meet and Greet was fantastic. Aaron Hartzler set the scene with a great story that really pulled the group together and spotlighted how important it is to talk about LGBTQ issues, and keep talking about them.

Lee Wind did a fabulous job framing the questions and keeping the conversation interesting and enlightening. Joining Aaron and Lee were Ari Lewin, editor at Putnam/Penguin and agent Jim McCarthy of Dystel & Goderich.

While they were talking, Ari said that she would love to see a cute, fun story featuring a gay or lesbian lead. We were all surprised to hear from Jim that only about 2% of his submissions have gay or lesbian themes, but he would love to see more!

Lee opened it up for question from the over 50 attendees. Someone asked if they thought lesbian characters were underrepresented in YA, and Lee mentioned his blog and his thorough list of spotlighted books with gay and lesbian characters.

A great moment came near the end when Lee pointed out to the crowd that writing novels with LGBTQ themes and characters is a huge opportunity in publishing and should be seen as such.
When asked what they were looking for, both Ari and Jim want a book that stands out and is well-written. But Ari did hope to see more teen romance in LGBTQ books.

The event was casual and inclusive and the attendees were engaged in conversation about the current state of LGBTQ literature. Afterwards, many of us hung around to chat--keeping the good vibes going.

Great time! Can’t wait to do again this summer in LA!!

Jim McCarthy: What Makes Your Work Publishable

Agent Jim McCarthy is vice president at Dystel and Goderich Literary Management and he is also doing a fabulous session right now. For aspiring writers this is the place to be! Jim is talking about trends (and the trends that never were) and what he's looking to represent.

Jim is asking for horror--both YA and adult and hoping for a renaissance in the genre. While opening up the floor to Q&A, Jim was asked to distinguish between YA and adult.


"Voice and perspective distinguish YA from adult. And sometimes the material or tone can lift it to an adult level." Then he talked about The Lovely Bones and pointed out the ways it is more adult than YA.

The Q&A feels like an insider's guide to the industry. Jim talks about the inner working of his agency, some of his author's upcoming books, and how he targets editors. And beyond that, he's keeping the tone very fun! Good times.

SCBWI TEAM BLOG Pre-Conference Interview: Agent Jim McCarthy

Author and blogger Suzanne Young bring us the latest in our series of SCBWI TEAM BLOG interviews with Annual Winter Conference Faculty. Suzanne talked with agent Jim McCarthy. (We hope our interviews get you excited for the event!)

Here's a bit from Suzanne's interview with Jim.

In a Team Blog pre-conference exclusive, I'm chatting with fabulous agent (who also happens to be my agent) Jim McCarthy. Jim is vice president at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management and he will be speaking at the SCBWI Annual Winter Conference in NYC being held January 28^th-30^th. Check out the lineup HERE.

Jim, thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. To start, I was wondering if you could tell us what your talk at the conference will focus on?

This one’s easy! I’m doing the same break-out session three times, and it’s What Makes Your Work Publishable: Today’s Market in Children’s Books. I was asked to present on what our agency accepts, what my taste is, what makes something stand out as something I want to represent, how I perceive the marketplace now, and where I see it going.

Click here to read the full interview with Jim McCarthy.

And click here for Annual Winter Conference registration where you can attend insightful What Makes Your Work Publishable sessions with Jim, other agents, editors, and art directors!