Let’s flip the script on “How I Met My Agent”! Today, I’m interviewing my agent, Lary Rosenblatt, Publisher & Creative Director of 22MediaWorks, on how we met. Before we begin a few fun facts about Lary!
- He’s made more than 300 children’s books. Not sold. Actually created.
- He plays/played tennis every day.
- Working on Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! convinced him to try pickleball. So now he plays either tennis or pickleball every day!
Let’s meet my agent Lary Rosenblatt!
What was your journey to becoming a literary agent?
I have to thank my partner and sister Barbara Stewart. She came across a book called Commotion in the Ocean by Nyasha Williams. It was the story of a black mermaid. I read it and told her we should contact Nyasha and try and sell her book. To make a long story short, Nyasha wanted to keep that book independently published but she had others if we were interested. We were and she became our very first client. And guess what? On our first pitch to publishers, we sold that book and have sold many more of hers. We now represent between 10-15 authors.
What’s your day job?
That’s a great question. What I do changes each day. I rarely do the same thing. Some days I read manuscripts, while others I attend marketing meetings with the author and an editor, and on other days Barbara and I create pitches to send out to publishing companies. That’s the beauty; you never know what the day will bring. You just have to prepare for anything.
It’s very typical to see “How I Met My Agent” but let’s flip the script. “How did you meet your client, me”?!
Another part of what I do is book packaging. As a book packaging company, we come up with an idea for a book, or help develop it, and then try to sell the book to a publishing house. Sometimes publishing companies come to us with an idea that they want to create. Scholastic had contacted me about doing a book on Asian American athletes. They wanted an Asian writer for the book. At the time I had worked with lots of writers but none that were Asian and/or Asian American. So, I hit the Internet and searched. I looked at a lot of author’s websites and read tons of books by Asian authors, but none caught my eye until I came across Pragmatic Mom. And I knew I found the right author – you! You had the right combination of skills, storytelling, and an interest in promoting diversity. The book was called: Changing the Game: Asian Pacific American Female Athletes. That collaboration worked out so well and when you told me that you had manuscripts that you were trying to sell and could I help you. You became our second client. I think that it has worked out pretty well. I think we have sold a total of 10 books to publishing companies so far.
Are you taking new clients? If so, what are you looking for?
No
What do you like to do in your free time?
Here’s what I like to do in no particular order:
Play pickleball
Gardening
Cooking
Hiking
Lary Rosenblatt is President and Chief Creative Officer and the driving force behind 22MediaWorks. Among his many talents honed during the past 25 years is the ability to put together a seasoned team to attain the best result. Working with trending ideas and topics, he can see the big picture and solve problems with creativity. Lary is fair and easy to work with, and he offers pricing structures compatible with every client’s budget. Lary’s various personal interests reflect his creativity. When he isn’t working, he is playing pickleball, cooking, or gardening.
22 MediaWorks is a full-service developer of content and design for most delivery systems. We make each client’s vision come to life by listening, collaborating, and creating the best possible product. Whether that vision entails the web, mobile phones, educational materials, trade books, or special interest publications and magazines, 22MediaWorks adds value to both the development and the outcome. We partner with clients or manage the entire process from concept development to delivery of digital files.
p.s. Related books:
Cover Reveal of My Newest Book: Asian Pacific American Heroes!
Changing the Game: Asian Pacific American Female Athletes Resource Page
First Reader Review for BOXER BABY BATTLES BEDTIME!
Review of Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime! from Read, Teach, Write
Meet Kai Gietzen, illustrator of Boxer Baby Battles Bedtime!
To examine any book more closely at Amazon, please click on image of book.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Multicultural Books for Kids on Pinterest.
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Children’s Book Activities on Pinterest.
My books:
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal!
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Massachusetts Book Award Long List
- dPICTUS 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award Long List
- Nautilus Silver Winner, Nonfiction Children’s Picture Book
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me