UPDATE ON INTERNSHIP SPOTS! (1/26 posting)

On January 26, we posted a call for interns. Because of the volume (and quality!) of the applicants, we must close the YA/MG Intern position.

However, we are still taking applications for the Generalist Intern position. Please continue to apply to intern@thebentagency.com and see the original post for more details!

Welcome agent Heather Flaherty to TBA!

I'm so excited to announce that the fantastic Heather Flaherty has joined our agency! Heather was formerly a YA and Children's Literary Scout, and you can read all about her on our website here. Everyone at TBA has loved working with Heather in her previous role and we are thrilled to have her on board.  And now, for a word from Heather...   —Jenny 

I am beyond psyched to join the incredible crew at the Bent Agency. I’ve worked with the agency during my time as a literary scout, and they remained among my absolute favorite people ever. Moving from scouting to agenting is a pretty expected jump, and I’m thrilled to bring that industry knowledge to the agent table. I’ll be focusing on MG and YA fiction and non-fiction… but I’ll also be looking at select New Adult, as well as humor and pop culture non-fiction. My current wish list looks something like this:

• Dying for some dripping, twisted, ghost stories and horror — I really want to see something like ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD done so sickly well they make a video game out of it – a la American McGee’s Alice Madness Returns.

• Issue-related MG/YA that’s stripped and real… not broody or self-indulgent. Can be straight or humorous. Along the lines of Nic Sheff’s SCHIZO, Corey Ann Haydu's LIFE BY COMMITTEE, and Meg Wolitzer’s BELZHAR.

• I want to see more extreme contemporary stories with hard punch and a twist. Hot-Pink, Punk-Rock, Fangirl, Totally Unreliable Narrator, Space-time Continuum, you-name-it-you-own-it YA.

• Contemporary YA with sci-fi elements – not high sci-fi, but as part of a contemporary story, like Kimberly Derting’s THE TAKING.

• For MG/YA fantasy, and historical or period fiction, I’m looking for worlds that feel real, not obviously fabricated — a place you’re immediately part of, without any use of brainpower to get you there. Like Vicky Alvear Shecter’s CURSES AND SMOKE, or Saaba Tahir’s EMBER IN THE ASHES. I also enjoy cleverly respun classic tales like Gregory Maguire’s CONFESSIONS OF AN UGLY STEPSISTER or WICKED.

• I love teen memoir about overcoming traumatizing situations, especially when they involve bullying. One of my must-reads is POSITIVE by Paige Rawl.

• But above all, GIVE ME VOICE! I crave authentic teen voices, a unique personality, no faceless ingenue the reader can “fit themselves into.” Let’s hear about a specific boy or girl that the reader can actually relate to instead (even if it’s in the smallest way).

Thank you for reading, and again, I’m so very happy to be part of this stellar agency. I look forward to hearing from all you wonderful writers out there, and heartily thank you for sharing. Query me at: flahertyqueries@thebentagency.com

:) Heather Flaherty

(CLOSED) TBA needs interns!

We are once again looking for interns! There are reading positions open in TWO separate categories. Please read the descriptions below. 

And please note: you don't need to have any kind of publishing experience or even publishing aspirations. We're just looking for people who love books and love to read. You do not need to live in New York; our internships are remote. We ask for a commitment of at least a ten hours a week. Please note that our internships are unpaid.

***

GENERALIST INTERN (Still open!) 

We're looking for people who enjoy books by authors such as:

- Erin Morgenstern
- Tana French
- Eleanor Brown
- Jacqueline Sheehan
- Jodi Picoult
- Gillian Flynn
- Lori Roy
- Laurie Notaro
- Celia Rivenbark
- Elin Hilderbrand
- Kristin Hannah
- Jeannette Walls
- Kate Atkinson

This is an eclectic list, so obviously you don't need to like everyone on it. But basically, you should like at least two of the following genres: humor, memoir, upmarket women's fiction and literary suspense. (Please do not apply if you are primarily a young adult/middle-grade reader.)

To apply, please email intern@thebentagency.com and put "Generalist Intern" in the subject line. Tell us:

• Why you want the internship
• The last ten books you've read
• Your ten favorite books

Attach a résumé if you have one, although it's not essential.

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YA/MG INTERN (Now closed!)

We are also looking for Young Adult/Middle Grade fiction interns. Again, you do not need to have any kind of publishing experience, but you should love to read and be familiar with all sorts of fiction in these categories, particularly with Young Adult and MG books on the New York Times bestseller list. 

Interested? Send an email to intern@thebentagency.com and put "YA/MG Intern" in the subject line. Tell us why you want the internship and something about yourself, or include a résumé if you have one (although it's not necessary). 

Please include two lists: the last ten YA/MG books you've read and your top ten favorite YA/MG books of all time.

***

If you've applied in the past, you're welcome to apply again. We usually get a great many applicants and the application period will close fairly quickly; watch this space for details.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Deal Announcement: Kat Ellis's BREAKER to Running Press

Congratulations to Kat Ellis, whose new YA suspense novel, BREAKER, has been snapped up by Running Press, the publisher of her glowingly-reviewed debut BLACKFIN SKY!

Kat's new one has everything you could want in a YA thriller. Brooding bad boy? Check. Smart, resourceful female lead with a sharp sense of humor? Check. Menacing suspects, spooky setting, tons of tension? Check. Teens are going to love this one! 

Children's: Young Adult

BLACKFIN SKY author Kat Ellis's BREAKER, about an executed serial killer's son who enrolls in a new school and finds his irresistible new classmate is the daughter of one of his father's victims, again to Lisa Cheng at Running Press Kids, for publication in Spring 2016, by Molly Ker Hawn at The Bent Agency (World).

Congratulate Kat on Twitter at @el_kat, won't you?

Deal Announcement: Subsidiary Rights Sales

Congratulations to the following Bent Agency clients on their subsidiary rights deals!

Francesca Zappia's MADE YOU UP sold in Slovakia to Ikar and in Brazil to Verus.

Lynsay Sands' THE HEIRESS and THE HUSBAND HUNT sold in Germany to Lyx, and TO MARRY A SCOTTISH LAIRD and THE HIGHLANDER TAKES A BRIDE sold in Japan to Futami Shobo.

LH Cosway's SIX OF HEARTS sold in Turkey to Yabanci Yayinlari.

Robin Stevens' MURDER MOST UNLADYLIKE and ARSENIC FOR TEA sold in Taiwan to Eastern.

Lori Nelson Spielman's THE LIFE LIST sold in Estonia to Eram Books and SWEET FORGIVENESS sold in Russia to Centrepolygraph Publishers and in Norway to Cappelen Damm.

Lynne Raimondo's DANTE’S POISON sold in Thailand to Jamsai.

Audio rights to Jen McLaughlin's OUT OF MIND, FRACTURED LINES, BLURRED LINES and BETWEEN US: SEX ON THE BEACH sold to Audio Realms.

Film rights to FIRE & ICE by Michele Barrow-Belisle sold to Khando Entertainment.

Dear Book Nerd #26: Tips for Getting Published

Many of you may already be familiar with the Dear Book Nerd podcast. For those of you who aren't, it is a bi-weekly show featured on the popular website Book Riot "that answers YOUR questions about life, love, and literature!"

The show's host is children's librarian and children's book author Rita Meade, and her guest host for this week's episode was her agent, Brooks! Together, they answered questions about how to get traditionally published, whether self-publishing is right for you, how to get an agent, and much, much more! Check it out here.