Austin SCBWI

Announcing a new literary studio and transmedia company: Erzsi Deàk launches HEN & INK

With a growing list of prize-winning clients and new voices from around the world,  president and founder of Hen & Ink, Erzsi Deàk, meets often with publishers in the US and UK and aggressively markets domestic and foreign rights. In addition to independent meetings (lunch!), she attends the Bologna, London and Frankfurt rights fairs. Erzsi sees HEN & INK as an opportunity to push the boundaries of traditional literary and artistic representation into the transmedia world. 

For the last two years, Erzsi has worked with La Martinière Groupe in France, acquiring approximately 40 titles a year (English language) for their Le Seuil and La Martinière Jeunesse imprints.

Erzsi’s book, PERIOD PIECES: STORIES FOR GIRLS, was a Bank Street pick and her articles on the world of children’s publishing regularly appear in CHILDREN’S WRITERS & ILLUSTRATORS’ MARKET. Starting the French chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) in 1995, Erzsi eventually ran the international arm of the SCBWI for nearly ten years, developing and mentoring writers, illustrators and publishing programs in 28 countries. She founded and organized the SCBWI Bologna Conference and was awarded the SCBWI Member of the Year in 1999 and 2008. Erzsi edits the SCBWI BULLETIN international page, “Here, There & Everywhere,” and interviews writers and other publishing professionals on her blog at http://erzsideak.com

 Hen & Ink Submission Guidelines

Seeking authors and illustrators for new literary agency and growing transmedia company. 

Open to single-page queries for all genres listed below (and maybe some not yet invented). 

On one (typed) page, please include a synopsis, a short bio with your credentials, and why your book is special. We respond well to finely tuned writing that has been clearly worked/revised and that is balanced with a sense of urgency and humor. 

Please send one-page query via email to: henandinkquery@gmail.com

 Due to volume, queries over one page (approximately 500 words) will not be considered. 

Definitions:

Middle-grade = age 9+

YA =  generally age 14+

Crossover = YA/middle-grade project that has the potential to cross over into the adult market or vice-versa

 Children’s & YA

Open to practically anything YA (ideally with crossover potential), but definitely contemporary, fantasy, steam punk, paranormal romance with an original twist – as long as we care about the character(s), we’ll keep reading. Sweet spot is middle-grades with characters to die for and tons of atmosphere and picture books to be read again and again until the bindings fall apart. 

Illustrated books and apps for the very young

Sparely-written picture book texts with a real story

Chapter books for boys and girls ages 6-7

Middle-grade mysteries

Middle-grade adventure stories for girls

Laugh-out loud middle-grade stories for boys

Potential middle-grade series with characters and storyline we can’t let go of, nor forget

YA thrillers (with terrific romantic leads and entanglement)

YA dystopian and sci-fi with spark-filled romance element 

YA supernatural/paranormal that challenges the status quo

Graphic novels

Adult

Narrative nonfiction: food, science – anything to do with the brain — literary history, travel, farms, lifestyle…  

Filmic or cinematographic fiction writing that doesn’t go in for self-involved narrative description.

Fiction and nonfiction projects with crossover appeal in YA or children’s market.

Not interested in:

Didactic or message-driven stories

Picture book texts over 1000 words

Long passages of descriptive narrative fiction or nonfiction

Projects specifically for educational or institutional markets

Academic writing

Traditional fables, folklore or fairytales

Poetry, stories that drift, “mood pieces”