Erzsi Deak
Hen&ink Literary Studio
My Manuscript Wish List®
Erzsi Deak is the founder of Hen&ink Literary Studio, a boutique literary agency. She represents board books through YA in all genres. She seeks character-driven, voicey stories shared with humor and heart in all categories. Twists are always appreciated. She is open for submissions on “Open Coop Days” or by referral and invitation. Her clients include award-winning and debut authors and illustrators alike: J.M. Lee, Ann Jacobus, Tiffany Rose, Dezh Azaad, Andrea Zuill, Diana Murray, Laura Gehl, Nelly Buchet, Nan Cao, Whitney Stewart, and more… Erzsi is NOT looking for: earnest writing, issue books, high fantasy in any category, nor adult nonfiction, adult general fiction or mystery/thriller/suspense, memoirs, poetry, religious/spiritual books, screenplays, or short stories. Hen&ink is active on Instagram @henandinkliterary
Fun facts about me:
I like to laugh and feel the feels but don’t like to close the book melancholy. I’m a huge fan of snappy dialogue (with heart) à la Derry Girls. I like a good murder mystery with smart, richly drawn, and tricky characters and weaving plots like Knives Out. I’ve been known to re-read Kate DiCamillo’s books, particularly Raymie Nightingale. My barky-baby was named Bingley, so, yes, Jane Austen. I lugged (and read) the 1.47 pound hardback copy of The Thornbirds on a bike trip through southern China. My drooling cat was named Garp, but the only other Irving novel I read was Hotel New Hamphshire. (I might have packed this on the China trip too…) I was Junior Prom Queen (not sure if that’s a title that demands initial caps, but…), editor of my high school newspaper and editor of the Thursday Review, the weekly entertainment section at my university newspaper. I admit to swooning over superb tension-building in romance. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve watched BRINGING UP BABY, THE PRINCESS BRIDE, and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY. I love amazing food experiences (v. plain descriptions) and food-as-character in novels à la Louise Penny in her Inspector Gamache series (murder never made a reader so hungry for Quebecois food as Penny’s descriptions of pain doré and maple syrup back bacon…).
Submission Guidelines
Submissions should be emailed to https://querymanager.com/query/1349
Guidelines:
- Please send only one submission
- Traditionally formatted: 12 pt double-spaced type.
- More than one submission, or anything sent outside of the 24-hour Open Coop Day and/or outside of YA and MG novels, will be deleted unread.
- Submissions must be received between noon eastern time Nov. 3rd and ends noon eastern time Nov. 4th, 2022
Send your pitch + first ten pages via QueryManager.
What we’re looking for
We’re longing for entertainment… YA ROMANCE (Think Sarah J. Maas, Ali Hazelwood, Emily Henry, Mara Rutherford, Susan Dennard, Abigail Own, Ashley Poston…)
- RomComs
- Romantasies
- Romantic Fantasies
- Crossover
- YA Mysteries
MIDDLE-GRADE FICTION MGs of all types (and starring any and all identifying characters) full of heart & humor & characters we fall in love with. We’d love to see grounded MG fantasy.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND PICTURE BOOKS, CHAPTER BOOKS, OR MG DETECTIVE STORIES.
Vital Info
Favorite sub-genres:
Contemporary Romance, Contemporary Young Adult, Grounded fantasy, Humor, Illustrated, Literary Middle Grade, Magical Realism, Narrative Nonfiction
I’d like the next…
Derry Girls All the Girls I’ve Been The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess Inheritance Games Check & Mate YA Dead Romantics YA Book Lovers YA Lessons in Chemistry Raymie Nightingale Persepolis Ariol The Witches of Brooklyn A Pinch of Magic An Abundance of Katherines The Girl Who Drank the Moon YA Bringing Up Baby Hello, Universe
My favorites include…
In no order… Dead Romantics Book Lovers Lessons in Chemistry Derry Girls The Nightland Express Bringing Up Baby The Princess Bride The Philadelphia Story Knives Out All The Girls I’ve Been The Inheritance Games Crown of Coral & Pearl The Witchlands series The Luminaries Twin Crowns Sarah J. Maas Mooncakes Nimona The Beatryce Prophecy The Prydian Chronicles The Last Cuentista
