Agent Erica Bauman of Aevitas Creative Management brought her full self to the evening: sharp editorial instincts, genuine warmth, and the kind of honest, practical guidance that only comes from eleven years of building a list she truly loves. Whether you write middle grade, YA, or adult fiction, there was something in this session for you.
Erica walked us through her #MSWL — she’s actively seeking nerdy MG friendship stories, mysteries across age categories, spooky middle grade, and adult horror with that particular A24 quality: unsettling, grounded, and quietly devastating. She broke down what makes a query letter work, how to think about the difference between a query and a synopsis, and how to build an empathetic connection with a protagonist from the very first page.
The Q&A brought out some of her best insights — on champagne passes, on reading your manuscript aloud before you submit, on why no writing is ever wasted, and on publishing as the long, strategic, patience-testing game it truly is.
And yes, there was a story about a very slow-moving creature that got an offer in 24 hours. We love this story.
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