Animation Writer FAQ: How to Get an Animation Agent

Q: I've written a feature animation script. I've contacted some animation studios first but they considered it an unsolicited submission. I've also contacted literary agencies, but most agencies represent only action, fiction, sci-fi, horror, and not animation. It seems that it’s very difficult to submit my animated script to the studios, especially that these kind of scripts are generated in-house. May ask you to mention to me, to your knowledge, some agencies that still accept submission queries from animation writers? Or a production company that deals with animation studios?

A: Finding an agent is the best way to go. Many literary agencies have at least one agent who handles animation. Try contacting as many as you can and asking if they have such a person on staff and go from there. If they don't have one, ask if they wouldn't mind pointing you in the direction of an agency that does.  They'll likely say no, but you never know. You can also try contacting TAG (The Animation Guild) and the Writer's Guild of America's "Animation Caucus" and asking them your perfectly reasonable question. 

Two agencies I can think of that are exclusive to animation are Gotham and Natural Talent. I'm sure there are more. You can Google their contact information.

Good luck to you! 

 

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Thoughts about the above question? Got a question about animation writing in general? Leave it in the comments or send it to me via the CONTACT tab.

Saturday Question: Getting an Illustration Agent

From Herb:

Q: I recently completed illustrating my first children's book which is due out later this month. Should I begin to look for an agent to represent me for more work in this field?

A:  First, it's good that you're pursuing this kind of work as once an illustrator catches on, the gigs pour in. I once heard of a very talented illustrator who had some 5+ years of book assignments awaiting his attention. Nice problem to have. That said, you may want to wait to see if the book is a success before beating the bushes for an agent. If it is, then it'll be much easier to get an agent's attention. In the meantime, I would suggest building up a portfolio specifically designed to get book illustration work (scout around on the web to find out what would be in this kind of collection as opposed to other fields such as animation). One way to add to such a portfolio would be to find an old public domain fairy tale or the like and illustrate your own version of it -- with a humorous twist or not. If you have a good book illustration portfolio then you'll be in a much better place when the time comes to seek out an agent. They'll ask for one anyway. That's my non-illustrator take on it.

Illustrators:  You folks (obviously) have a lot more experience in this field and I would welcome any corrections or advice for Herb. Please share your thoughts in the comments.

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Got a question for a self/traditionally published author and TV animation writer (who'd be perfect for that show you're staffing)? I thought so. Leave it here in the comments and I'll try to answer it on the following Saturday.

Copy That

Agent S finished the manuscript and had some very nice things to say about it, including:

"The manuscript you sent is quite good. I enjoyed the tone and the character development, the fun and the action. It’s clever and a genuine page-turner."

Why, thank you very much! Agent S is a tell it like it is sort of person who lets you know right away when something isn't working for her -- in other words, her compliments mean something. She gave some relatively minor notes that included backing off on the self-referential humor. Breaking the fourth wall can be a dangerous gamble and apparently I was laying it on thick at some points. In other words, I was being too clever for my own good and needed to have that pointed out.

Another note was that Leonard needs a copy edit (grammar check, typos, punctuation errors, etc.) as she was distracted by writing bloopers throughout the manuscript. This was a vexing note only in that I'd been through the pages a number of times looking for just those kinds of errors. Oh well. Agent S lets me off the hook somewhat by writing:

"It’s impossible for a writer to do this for themselves in a thorough way, as you just know the manuscript much too well to ‘see’ it. "

She advises that I find a journalist, teacher, or editor to do a copy edit so I'm in the process of trying to find one of those who has some spare time. If you happen to know a trustworthy "red pen fanatic" who's up for a challenge, let me know.

All this leads up to Agent S beginning the submission process for Leonard as soon as I get her a cleaned up manuscript. Yahoo!