Ask The Agent - Jodie Hodges

Simon Whaley chats to Jodie Hodges of United Agents about writing for the graphic and comic book market.

Jodie Hodges joined the Peter Fraser and Dunlop (PFD) agency in 2006 as an assistant to children’s agent, Rosemary Canter. She moved with Rosemary when several PFD agents created the United Agents agency in 2007, and then became an agent in 2010. Jodie took on Rosemary’s clients when her mentor passed away. Since then, Jodie has continuously supported authors and illustrators producing picture books and writing young fiction for eight to twelve-year-olds. Her clients include Rick Riordan, Ali Sparkes, Giles Andraea, Peter Bentley, and Corrinne Averiss.

What drew you to becoming a literary agent, and what do you enjoy most about the job?

It was actually my desire to work in children’s books that led me to becoming an agent as my first publishing job was assisting Rosemary Canter, a doyen children’s book agent (though I have to admit I didn’t really know what an agent did when I went for the interview!). She and I worked together until she sadly passed away, and I inherited her list and grew it from there. I love the fact that this job combines nuanced, granular market and business analysis with creativity, originality and taste.

How has the graphic and comic book market for children and young adults evolved over the past five years?

I’d say that in the past five years the UK publishing and bookselling industry has caught up with something that kids have always loved—comics and visual storytelling. Dav Pilkey was already super popular five years ago—so we knew, from that success, kids loved comics in book form—but the UK market seemed resistant to publishing more or commissioning homegrown talent. Happily, that has now changed, and there’s a lot more choice for children who love comics and graphic novels.

What are you particularly looking for when it comes to comic books?

I’m interested in comic creators who really understand the form. I can tell if someone reads comics and understands how best to tell a story in panels. Then, their writing or illustrating style needs to be accessible and enjoyable for the age group they’re aiming for. As with a creator working in any format, market awareness really helps.

Your clients include writers and illustrators and those who are both. How important is it for a comic book writer to be able to illustrate too?

It’s not important. If a publisher thinks an idea or a script for a comic is good, they’ll find an artist to come and collaborate on the project. And those can be the best ones! Two specialists working together can be magic.

What common mistakes do you see in submissions from first-time graphic book writers?

I find stories can sometimes be rather too complicated or the idea (and especially jokes) not pitched at the right age group. There needs to be the perfect alchemy of content and style to hook the reader and keep them hooked.

How important is diversity in today’s graphic stories?

As important as everywhere in the media landscape. We want all books produced for children to reflect their realities or allow readers to empathise with other people’s realities. This is a fundamental part of what we do in making books for children and a responsibility we take very seriously.

What are the challenges that debut comic novelists face in today’s market?

There’s a crisis in publishing because people are buying fewer books. That could eventually mean publishers become risk averse in commissioning new works. But this isn’t specific to comic creators; we need to work hard to ensure children grow the habit of reading—whatever they’re reading—so the market can continue to seek out new creators and new work.

After the phenomenal success of Heartstopper, are publishers looking for more graphic book series, or is there still a market for standalone graphic books?

I think graphic novels and comics are a format for storytelling, so if a comic or visual story is wrapped up as a standalone, then there should be room for it to exist. Publishers do like working with creators on a long-term basis, but that doesn’t have to mean a series.

What are the foreign rights and film right opportunities for graphic books?

Jamie Smart’s Bunny vs Monkey series is now translated into 26 foreign languages, so if international markets think their readers will like a comic or a graphic novel, there’s no reason it can’t travel. And comics are a gift for selling screen rights—they’re readymade storyboards.

Jodie Hodge’s Top Tip

Be aware of what is being published in the space you’re intending to work in. Does your proposal sit happily alongside successful books in the market? But ensure you are bringing something fresh that only you could create.

Further Information

Jodie is open for submissions and aims to respond within 12-15 weeks. For more information about her current submission requirements, visit:

https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/jhodgesunitedagentscouk

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