Jas Perry is an Agent with KT Literary representing MG and YA fiction and Graphic Novels for all ages. Jas is Black/Japanese and represents a diverse range of strong voices with a focus on (QT)POC, and/or disabled creators. She is the Dir. Special Projects at POC in Publishing, and was previously in editorial with Scholastic and Levine Querido. Jas writes as J.P. Takahashi and her debut picture book TOKYO NIGHT PARADE (HarperCollins/Tegen, Fall 2023) is upcoming with illustrator Minako Tomigahara.
A combination of independence and freedom to choose who I work with, the capacity for direct action—amplifying new voices and bringing transparency about publishing to the communities it fails to serve—and a growing self-awareness that my lack of patience for beating around the bush means that I wouldn’t last full-time in-house.
Just like our parents always say, working twice as hard...
Knowing that my authors will continue facing extra hurdles is a challenge too, since my focus as an agent won't stray from representing (QT)POC. Systemic issues, of which there are many, won't be resolved after finding rep, but it's a wildly different experience to navigate this industry with an agent beside you, whom you never have to justify, defend, or explain your Blackness to.
I've been getting queries that are addressed to a Slush Reader or Assistant, and include mentions of how the submission will never reach the agent's eyes. Speaking for KT Literary, at least, we all read and respond to our own queries!
Oh, too many to count, but the titles that immediately come to mind are THE TAKING OF JAKE LIVINGSTON by Ryan Douglass, THE WICKER KING by K. Ancrum, FELIX EVER AFTER by Kacen Callender, ME (MOTH) by Amber McBride (and, okay, it was self-published but THE BLACK VEINS by Ashia Monet), etc. etc. etc.
Although it can be motivating, try not to get too caught up in landing who you think is your Dream Agent. Build a list of agents you can see yourself working with long-term as a business partner, and if your gut tells you on The Call that it's not a match, ask more questions—but don't force it; aligned values *and, most importantly, a strong record of follow-through* tells all.