Julie Just- Agent

Let’s get to know agent Julie Just, of Pippin Properties. I had the chance to meet Julie at the Western Washington Spring SCBWI conference.

First off, what is Julie’s background? Julie spent sixteen years as an editor at The New York Times. In 2006, she veered towards children’s literature when she became the children’s book editor of The New York Times Book Review.  She has been a judge for the Boston Globe-Horn Book awards and is an ongoing member of the Irma Black Committee (which chooses finalists for the Excellence in Children’s Literature Award).

In 2010 Julie became a literary agent at Janklow & Nesbit Associates. This Spring she switched agencies and is now at Pippin Properties. She has almost 3 years as an agent under her belt.

What does Julie like about Pippin Properties? She told us that Pippin is more of a group atmosphere for agents. They all work together and help each other out.

What is Julie’s agenting style- editorial or not? Julie admits to having a very hands-on approach with her authors, after all, she has a background in editing. She understands that an author knows what they want, but points out that agents know the market.

What is Julie looking for? Well, Julie told us that she, “responds to strong writing” and is “looking to be moved”. She focuses mainly on middle grade and young adult. Regarding genres, she has an interest in sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, horror, ghost stories, graphic novels, and mixes of reality with the surreal.

Inside scoop- Julie loves the slush pile. She’s picked several manuscripts from them already.

Her advice to aspiring writers- Have a social media presence and “be positive online”.

If you are interested in sending a query, here are the Pippin guidelines, “If you are a writer who is interested in submitting a manuscript, please email your query to info@pippinproperties.com, including a synopsis of the work(s), your background and/or publishing history, and anything else you think is relevant. Picture book manuscripts may be included in the body of the email. No attachments, please. Unfortunately, we are not a large enough agency to respond to each query individually. If you don't hear from us within three weeks, please understand that we have read and considered your query, and have concluded that we are not the right agency to represent your work at this time. If we do request additional material, we would appreciate the exclusive opportunity to review it for one month.”