Melissa Jenson

Thanks for the response! So something in the bio like "I've also written a book about a roller derby robot, and a steampunk blacksmith" would be a plus (assuming neither of those has been subbed)?

Do you consider it a good thing when authors of novels briefly mention other manuscripts they have written besides the main one they're querying? Does it make it better/worse if one of the manuscripts has been on a submission round with a previous agent?

Is there any difference to how you should pitch a potential non-fiction themed series for children (e.g., books about this series of related topics)? Would you just leave the series bit out altogether or would the agent like to know? Thanks!

Cool! Mine is pretty much if those two had a baby, so thanks for the rad comps!

I wasn't aware of that one (I read Lightning Girl, though!). Based on the google preview, I'd say the tone is similar, but I didn't see any illustrations. Mine would feature multiple (simple comic style) illustrations (not by me) on every page.

Hi there, smart people. Imagine an academic X humorous children's manuscript about the history of earth that has illustrator notes for every page and is 4K words. Is that called a PB manuscript? Or is it children's non-fiction? (Think "Kind of a Big Deal" series by Seluk with a bit more content.)

Last August I got blindsided by heartbreaking news, then 2 weeks later found an offer of rep in my inbox. I signed (duh!), fearing my poor agent would never see new work from me. It took time, and many false starts, but I'm a few chapters from the end of a first draft. This (tragic) life barrels on.

I love this. Beautiful and classic.

Hi writers, readers, publishing folk, and world! I'm Melissa. I write MG adventure books with heart and guts. One (on sub!) is about a couple kids who crash an Arctic expedition and have to both foil a saboteur and survive the GLOOM that surrounds them. So, tell me, who are you? #writingcommunity