Kristy Hunter and I discuss her career thus far from her education at the Columbia Publishing Course to her time as an editorial intern as well as a publicist to being mentored by Deidre Knight and becoming a successful literary agent with The Knight Agency. We talk about how she evaluates queries and submissions and her approach to working with her clients. She offers excellent advice on author voice, creating atmospheric settings, strengthening characterization, and so much more. And we can’t help chatting a little about quarantine for COVID-19 and its potential impact on publishing.

As a graduate of Vanderbilt University and The Columbia Publishing Course, Kristy Hunter began her publishing career in New York City—first as an editorial intern at Bloomsbury Children’s Books and then as a book publicist at Grove/Atlantic and Random House Children’s Books. When she moved to the agenting side of the industry, she was closely mentored by Deidre Knight, president and founder of The Knight Agency, and her first co-agented project sold at auction soon after. As an associate agent, Kristy enjoys being able to bring a unique perspective to her clients thanks to her diverse publishing background. When she’s not curled up with a fantastic book or manuscript, she can be found kickboxing or hiking with her dog and is an active member of SCBWI.