Vicky Weber - Agent, Author, Educator 📚

Publishing isn’t perfect. But I stay because I believe in stories, and in the people who fight to tell them.

Every time I see someone say “agents are just in it for the money,” I want to invite them to look at my bank statement.

The publishing industry doesn’t need more people with one kind of perspective. It needs the opposite—different voices shaping what stories get through the door.

There’s a difference between listening to understand and listening to respond. Lately, it feels like the world forgot that.

The hardest part about agenting isn’t the rejections I send. It’s the ones I don’t want to send. The manuscripts I believe in, but can’t take because of time, or list fit, or bandwidth.

Querying is weird. You’re literally sending love letters about your book to strangers and hoping they’ll fall for it.

Some days I feel like I’m wearing 47 hats—mom, agent, author, coach—and not wearing any of them well. Anyone else?

A girl witch and a boy sitting down for tea in a pretty garden next to a cottage. There are a handful of frogs around, including on the table. The girl in her purple witches robes is talking animatedly about something while the boy is smiling nervously as he eyes the green steam from his tea and the frog on the table. The image header reads "Michael Dashow, illustrator, https://mdashow-kidlitart.carrd.co, repped by Vicky Weber @ CMA"

Hi #KidLitArtPostcard day!
I’m Mike and drawing fun, colorful characters is my cup of tea!
I'm repped by @vickyweberbooks.bsky.social & I'm especially looking for middle grade cover work.

See more of my work at mdashow-kidlitart.carrd.co

#kidLitArt #childrensIllustration #witch #middleGrade #MG

Landing an agent doesn’t end rejection—it just changes inboxes. Publishers say no, too. Here are 9 publishing twists you didn’t see coming 👉 buff.ly/4vd0YPU

Publishing isn’t one door. It’s a hallway full of doors: trad, self, small press, or a mix...You don’t have to walk the same one everyone else does.

I’m game for horror ANY time of year 😂

Should I Query Yet? A Brutally Honest Checklist for Writers on the Fence So you’ve got a draft.

Querying too soon = like entering a baking contest with raw dough. You’ll leave with a mess and a sudden desire to throw your laptop into a lake. I wrote the checklist you actually need 👉 buff.ly/uBvGZMt

😔

Query trenches tip: Remember that every “no” means your book is out there, being read. That’s brave.

Decoding Form Rejections (From Someone Who’s Been on Both Sides of the Inbox) Before I was an agent, I was a querying author.

Querying and feeling lost? I wrote about what “not for me” really means—and how to read between the lines 👉 agentantics.substack.com/p/decoding-f...

Overwhelmed doesn’t even begin to cover it. Deadlines stacked, inbox exploding, laundry pile looming. Every time I check one thing off, three more pop up.

I signed my first book contract as an author. I thought I’d scream or cry. Instead, I just sat there staring at the PDF like…wait, this is mine?

Working from a dentist’s waiting room while my husband is under oral sedation. 🫠

What’s one piece of writing advice you think is actually…bad?

That means there is something in the execution/writing holding them back but they don’t know how to fix it.

That means they would love it as a reader, but they are not the best fit as an agent/editor. I don’t rep stuff that’s too campy or cozy because I’m not good at working on those editorially even though I love reading them.

Writers: what’s the most confusing piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten from an agent/editor?

I didn’t sleep last night. Not for any dramatic reason—just a brain that wouldn’t shut off. Today’s words are fueled by coffee and stubbornness.

It's easy to say "don't let rejections get you down" but even if you're a seasoned writer, they sting.

Here’s something nobody told me: you can “make it” in publishing and still feel insecure. Success doesn’t erase doubt.

Your best line might never be the one readers quote. That doesn’t make it less valuable. Sometimes it’s just for you.

My MIL is an immigrant. My dad’s family is Puerto Rican. Immigration debates aren’t theoretical for me—they’re my family’s reality.

Writing is weird. One minute you’re inventing worlds, the next you’re Googling if pigeons can get married.

Your book might not sell right now. Not because it’s bad. But because timing, trend, and list-building matter more than most authors realize. Don’t bury your belief in your story just because the market isn’t ready yet.

No, I’m an agent. I’m looking to represent illustrator and author-illustrators.