Success Story Interview - Sean E Avery

An Interview with Sean E Avery (seaneavery on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Jordan Hamessley of JABberwocky Literary Agency.

03/12/2024

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?

Sean E Avery:
The Beary-Bear Woods is a junior graphic novel series starring Strawbeary and Bluebeary, the classic odd couple. Strawbeary is beary grumpy and Bluebeary is cheerfully unaware that his friendship is unwelcome. In terms of word count and style, think of Elephant and Piggy by Mo Willems in a comic format.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Sean E Avery:
Professionally for 12 years, but I've been creating stories my whole life.

QT: How long have you been working on this book?

Sean E Avery:
About a year on and off.

QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?

Sean E Avery:
Always feel like giving up. I don't though, because I know that the only way to truly lose is to quit.

QT: Is this your first book?

Sean E Avery:
No, I couldn't tell you what number this would be. I have 7 published, but I've written somewhere in the realm of 200 +.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Sean E Avery:
Nope! I do have a degree in graphic design and primary (grade) school teaching though.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

Sean E Avery:
Yep – I'm up at 3am 7 days a week, 356 days a year; on the tools making books for 3 hours before my family wakes up and I go to work at my school (I'm an art teacher).

QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?

Sean E Avery:
3 times.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

Sean E Avery:
Nope!

QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?

Sean E Avery:
I'm always from the hip. I'm not a good outliner.

QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?

Sean E Avery:
I started using Query Tracker to find an agent for this book 2 months ago.

QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?

Sean E Avery:
I sent out 10.

QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?

Sean E Avery:
I only queried agents with a very specific graphic novel interest. If they had more than 10 types of books they were looking for, I didn't bother querying them.

QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?

Sean E Avery:
In the first paragraph I did by mentioning their interests and commenting on the creators they represent if I knew them. The rest was pretty standard.

QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?

Sean E Avery:
Make, submit, pivot, repeat. Keep your ear to the ground for opportunities. If you do those things consistently for long enough, you break in.

QT: Would you be willing to share your query with us?

Sean E Avery:
Sure:

Query Letter:

Hi ________,

Greetings from sunny Western Australia! I hope you're well.

I've written a junior graphic novel about a pair of (berry) bears named Strawbeary and Bluebeary. The art and subject matter have a distinct North American feel, so I was looking to connect with a US agent who might be able to help me find the right publisher for this book north of the equator. I was also happy to see you're an Elephant and Piggie fan, because the writing was mostly inspired by this incredible series.

Our tale begins with a beary grumpy Strawbeary strolling through the Beary-Bear Woods. While wandering, he comes across something that makes him a little less grumpy...

A fine log. A BEARY fine log.

Strawbeary decides it will make a fine chair for his cave, but he cannot move the heavy piece of wood on his own.

Luckily, a passing cheerful Bluebeary offers to "help" the beary grumpy Strawbeary ...

A cute odd-couple story for young readers (5 - 7). The pictures do the heavy lifting with comic-esque panels sans the traditional heavy panel outlines so they feel more like vignettes in a picture book. It's written in simple sentences with plenty of repetition in the text to empower emerging readers. Think Elephant and Piggie by Mo Willems in a graphic novel format.

I imagine this would be the first of several Bear-Bear Woods tales. It would be amazing to introduce a Rasbeary, Cranbeary, Elderbeary, etc to Bluebeary and Strawbeary's little universe.

Thank you for your time reading this far – I hope the attached art connects with you and we can talk further about this proposal.

All the best,
Sean E Avery