I have been waiting my entire life to write this post…
If you missed it, I announced last month that I am represented by Peter Knapp at Park & Fine Literary and Media. I have read so many other writers’ posts about their journey to representation and found them incredibly motivating, so here is my story.
I participated in Pitch Wars in Fall 2018, a competition where writers revise their completed manuscript with help of a mentor, then enter a pitch into the Agent Showcase. Literary agents can peruse the pitches and reach out to the writers for query materials.
I received a handful of requests from agents, including Pete. I recognized him immediately — back when I first made it into Pitch Wars, my Twitter was chaos. But one of the tweets I remembered most was from an agent who said, “This is the most amazing title!” Spoiler alert: it was Pete. I’d been waiting to see if he would remember and request my manuscript when showcase time came. Spoiler alert: he did.
I sent him my query letter and full manuscript, and not long after he asked to set up a call. I went into a conference room in my office with my laptop, wondering if this would be The Call — when an agent offers representation. After discussing what he loved about the story and some ideas he thought could make it even better, Pete offered representation!
Obviously I couldn’t accept on the spot (I had query materials out with a bunch of other agents at the time, so I had to follow up to let them know an offer had been made), but I had a great feeling about Pete. Why? His vision for the book lined up exactly with mine, and I was excited (not daunted) about the changes he wanted to see.
I officially signed my contract in April 2019, but due to the scope of the changes to be made to my manuscript, DROWN THE MERMAIDS, we opted not to announce until revisions were complete. Which wound up being almost two full years later, in February 2021.
Pete pushes me harder than any writing professor I’ve ever had, and I am endlessly grateful. Together we have honed the best version of my book possible, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us next!
Kaitlin Bartlett 