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Victoria Strauss@victoriastrauss.com · 7d ago

New #WriterBeware blog post: One writer sued their scammer...and won. The case provides a revealing window into the techniques scammers use to bleed their victims dry, and how they hide behind webs of corrupt businesses and forests of fake names, writerbeware.blog/2026/09/18/l...

Thrilled to announce that I'm representing @emilyholi for her fabulous picture books, verse novels, & more. 🤩 Emily Holi is a disabled author who writes for children & adults. Her debut picture book, Diva, is scheduled for publication in Spring 2027. Welcome to Open Book Lit, Emily! #TeamZampetti

Wishing for a sweet year to come in the New Year! 🍎 🍯 🧿

🚨 Apparently I am being impersonated by a publishing scammer. 😡 Please note that any emails that come from me will ONLY come from an address associated with openbooklit.com. You can confirm communications from me by reaching out through www.openbooklit.com.

Open Book Literary

Welcome!

openbooklit.com

I'm delighted to welcome Lorrie Potvin to #TeamZampetti! Lorrie is a Two-Spirited Citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario, a tradeswoman, artist, & writer who has published two memoirs & has won recognition for her unpublished crime novel by Sisters in Crime and the Crime Writers of Canada.

BREAKING NEWS: Critiques with Brian and literary agent Leslie Zampetti have been extended until 8/27. If you've already registered for one, add a second critique! Select the option for "Second Faculty Critique" to book your spot! www.scbwi.org/events/illus... @literarylesliez.bsky.social

Illustrator Day AND MG & YA Day—LIVE! in Lancaster 2026

Join us live in Lancaster for a full day of learning for illustrators and children's novelists! This in-person event will feature a track for illustrators and a track for MG & YA writers and translato...

scbwi.org

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SCBWI Eastern PA@scbwiepa.bsky.social · last mo.

BREAKING NEWS: Critiques with Brian and literary agent Leslie Zampetti have been extended until 8/27. If you've already registered for one, add a second critique! Select the option for "Second Faculty Critique" to book your spot! www.scbwi.org/events/illus... @literarylesliez.bsky.social

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Phil Bildner@philbildner.bsky.social · last mo.

**Federal Book Ban Bill Update** Thank you to @weneeddiversebooks.bsky.social for creating these useful graphics. Federal book banning bills are currently advancing through both the House and Senate. We are not powerless to stop them. Now is the time to do your part. Speak out. Spread the word.

So excited to see that Wendy Cross's THEN THERE WAS ONE is part of Hong Kong's international schools' Battle of the Books! 🤩 www.hkbattleofthebooks.org/secondary-bo...

Secondary Books | Battle Of The Books

List of the secondary international division's books and authors and includes a pronunciation guide and video introduction.

hkbattleofthebooks.org

Thrilled to see an excerpt of Jane Howard-Martin's WHAT YOU DO NOT SEE on The Black List's Substack! 🤩 substack.com/home/post/p-...

An Excerpt from WHAT YOU DO NOT SEE by Jane Howard-Martin

We're sharing excerpts from high-performing fiction manuscripts on blcklst.com...

substack.com

As promised, I'm re-opening to queries August 3rd-14th! Please note I am only seeking fiction & nonfiction for ADULTS this time - especially upmarket mystery, romance, and book club fiction, from unsolicited queries. Have a special link or referral? You can send me kidlit with those. 😉

It's that time again! @literaryagentsofchange is raising funds to support their work of making agenting more equitable and inclusive. If you're looking for an AskMeAnything call or a query critique: www.32auctions.com/organization...

I'm thrilled to finally announce Sarah Glawar's debut picture book, INSPECTOR M AND THE ATOMIC ALIBIS. Sarah's book was my "white whale" project for a long time, as I had young readers who loved chemistry as a school librarian. 🧪 🎉 📖 Congratulations, Sarah and Daniel!

It's that time again! @literaryagentsofchange is raising funds to support their work of making agenting more equitable and inclusive. If you're looking for an AskMeAnything call or a query critique: www.32auctions.com/organization...

Book mail is the best mail! ARCs arrived yesterday for EVIE WALTERS TAKES THE WHEEL. 🤩 Coming October 8, 2026 & preorders are available at Books-A-Million, Target, & Amazon. (Or request from your local library or bookstore 😍)

Decisions, decisions! Responding to queries is getting harder - because they’re getting better. I got 613 queries when I opened in April. I’m down to 74 - and now I have to winnow those down to 15-20 requests. Wish me luck! 🤞🏻📄 🤞🏻

Wow! Look at this gorgeous cover for Kathleen Fox’s Evie Walter’s Takes the Wheel!

Evie Walters Takes the Wheel: A Novel

Evie Walters Takes the Wheel: A Novel [Fox, Kathleen] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Evie Walters Takes the Wheel: A Novel

amazon.com

Happy book birthday to SUMMER SOLSTICE WISH! Kate, Elisa, and Naomi are the dream team reunited for this absolutely gorgeous book which will bring sunshine and joy to readers, no matter the weather! 🥳🤩🥳 www.beamingbooks.com/store/produc...

Summer Solstice Wish

A community comes together to savor the golden days of summer and celebrate the summer solstice, by gathering in a large community flower garden.

beamingbooks.com

Reviewing queries in between meetings this morning, and I've noticed a micro-trend - folks querying MG and YA novels when I am not open to fiction in those categories. That's an automatic pass at this time. 🙁

Happy book birthday to GO PLAY! Congratulations to Kate Allen Fox, Gennie Gorback, and the team at Broadleaf Books! 🎉🎉🎉 www.broadleafbooks.com/store/produc...

Go Play: How Parents Can Empower Kids to Build Their Own Worlds

We live in a society that undervalues play, but open-ended play is a key building block for children's well-being. Part urgent call and part friendly guide, this book is full of easy and meaningful st...

broadleafbooks.com

Open BookLiterary stands alongside over 100 grassroots & national advocacy organizations, publishers, booksellers, parent groups, professional associations opposing HR 7661. Use the EveryLibrary action center to urge your representative to vote NO or not take it up for vote! tinyurl.com/hapf2m9r

Stop the Federal Book Ban Bill!

We made it easy to take these four actions to fight against HR 7661 and stand up for your right to read!

tinyurl.com

Laura Shovan has some good advice for verse novelists and those who love reading them! 👇👇👇 teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2026/04/10/w...

What Comic Book Theory Taught Me about How We Read Verse Novels, a guest post by Laura Shovan

As they move from poem to poem, the reader makes connections between fragments of a story, filling in the gaps with their own imagination. That’s powerful, engaged reading.

teenlibrariantoolbox.com

My client bookshelf is looking good these days with new books for young and old(er). 🤩 Patience is a virtue, and I often say it's not one of mine. So hard waiting for more upcoming books! 😉

Opening up to queries from April 6-17th in QueryManager! 😃 I'm focusing on my adult list: book club or historical fiction, upmarket mysteries, romance, or women's fiction. For kidlit, I'm only seeking narrative nonfiction - MG/YA. manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/le...

I'm delighted to welcome @jessicabraindelhoffman to Open Book Literary! Jessica Russak-Hoffman is a Seattle-based reporter for Jewish News Syndicate & winner of the 2026 Sydney Taylor Manuscript Award for HOW TO CATCH A MERMAID (WHEN YOU'RE SCARED OF THE SEA). Welcome to #TeamZampetti, Jessica!

If a rejection says "I'd love this, but it's too close to another client"--that is a HUGE vote of confidence. It means they took on something similar because they loved it. And someone is likely to love yours, too. The right agent is still out there. Keep looking.

Agents don't just read for quality. They read for urgency. New post on how to make your query feel like a book they need to read Right! Now!--before someone else gets it first. manuscriptacademy.com/what-makes-a-query-feel-like-a-big-book

What Makes a Query Feel Like a "Big Book"? | The Manuscript Academy

Agents don't just read for quality — they read for urgency. Here's how to make your query feel like a book they need to read right now.

manuscriptacademy.com

Book bans are silencing diverse creators and their stories. As of this writing, there are just nine states that have passed a Freedom to Read Bill: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.🧵

👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 Listen to Susan!

Susan, A Cabbage Man, Graham@grahamophones.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Because it's worth saying #mswl send me your LGBTQIA2+ stuff. Whatever is happening in the world rn, there are soooo many LGBTQ+ editors and agents trying to do THINGS & we'll be asking ourselves & each other (& you, creators) how to do things. It's not over til it's over & even then it's not over.

Hello Friends! Welcome to #MSWL Day 2026! 🎉 This is our second ever #MSWL Day on Bluesky. We’re happy you’re here! You can, as of TODAY, search Bluesky and ManuscriptWishList.com posts at once: manuscriptwishlist.com/smart-search. All posts are verified by a human who works in publishing. ☕