Susan Hawk is an active literary agent with Upstart Crow Literary. She is currently closed to submissions.
About Susan Hawk
Susan Hawk is a literary agent at Upstart Crow Literary, where she represents books exclusively for children and teens. She has worked in children's publishing for more than 25 years, with experience in marketing, editorial, bookselling and librarianship before becoming an agent in 2010. Her clients include authors and illustrators working across picture books, chapter books, middle grade, young adult, graphic novels and children's nonfiction.
Hawk is particularly drawn to layered characters, distinctive voices, vivid writing, humor, strong settings and stories that combine commercial appeal with emotional and thematic depth. Her interests include historical fiction, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, horror, romance, graphic novels and nonfiction for young readers, with particular enthusiasm for overlooked perspectives and stories that make young readers feel seen.
Susan Hawk — Literary Agent
Submitting Your Work to Susan Hawk
Before querying Susan Hawk
The Market List recommends you verify this agent is still active and open to submissions before sending a query. Check the agency website, recent deal announcements, and any posted guidelines.
To be sure your project is a fit, we recommend you familiarize yourself with Susan Hawk's list by reviewing recently represented titles and the agency's current submission guidelines before querying.
If you have recently queried Susan Hawk or have experience with this agent, please submit a comment below. Recent response times are always welcome and helpful to other writers.
From the Susan Hawk Submission Guidelines:
Susan Hawk only accepts submissions through QueryTracker only.
Novelists should submit a query and paste the first 20 pages into the form; picture-book writers should submit the complete manuscript.
Author-illustrators should also include a link to an online portfolio or dummy.
Upstart Crow asks writers to query only one agent at the agency at a time. If that agent passes, another agent may then be queried.
The agency does not accept postal submissions and generally responds to queries within 12 weeks.
Writers should check Hawk’s agent page for her 2027 reopening schedule.