We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erik Slangerup a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Erik, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you’ve thought about whether to sign with an agent or manager?
After going the typical (and excruciating) route of multiple cold queries and collecting multiple rejections, I finally landed the agent of my dreams the old fashioned way: by sheer chance! It was a good reminder to always be open—and more specifically, to always say yes to coffee. Because you never know what a coffee will bring. Here’s what happened: I agreed to meet the friend of a colleague at a start-up I was working for at the time, about something completely unrelated to my writing pursuits, or so I thought. Turns out the colleague’s friend was a writer of adult fiction, but was represented by someone who knew someone else who represented middle grade writers, and after I shared the premise of the story I was shopping (“Molly and the Machine”), he got excited about it and offered to make an intro. The dream agent was (and thill is) Elizabeth Rudnick, at the Gillian MacKenzie Literary Agency, and she was the perfect match for me. Funny thing is: the whole reason for the coffee in the first place was that I was supposed to help him, and turns out his connection changes the trajectory of my life. Elizabeth brokered a two-book deal for me with Simon & Schuster, and we’ve had a fantastic relationship ever since. So, pursue every angle, offer help where you can, and always say yes to coffee.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I write action-adventure novels for young readers (ages 8-12). My debut middle-grade novel is “Molly and the Machine,” and the sequel is “Molly and the Mutants.” They’re books 1 and 2 of an 80s sci-fi series by Aladdin/Simon & Schuster (like a Stranger Things for a younger audience). Right now, I’m working on a brand new series, also a sci-fi action adventure. I can’t share any more details on that yet, but should be able to later this year, so stay tuned for more! Before writing middle-grade, I wrote several picture books, including the award-winning “Dirt Boy.”
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I think one thing that might be helpful to artistic growth, at least within American culture, is to uncouple some of the ways we as a society tend to assign value to art (and the artist) with our notions of capitalism, which has become so extreme in the last few decades. Successful art isn’t always synonymous with immediate and large-scale commercial success. That might be one metric, but it’s only one. And many disciplines, like writing middle-grade stories, are by nature slow-builds in the way they’re developed, and also the way they find a readership. I think we could all stand to be a little more okay with that. Art doesn’t need to be thought of in terms of winners and losers. If you’re making art, you’re winning.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
One of the coolest things about writing for school-age kids is that the schools invite you to come visit and talk with your readers about the stories you’re writing, about your process, your craft, your journey—everything. And these discussions are always enriching—especially for me! It’s particularly rewarding because kids, compared to adults, are so much more open and honest about what they like, what resonates with them, and what doesn’t. Young people are the best audiences, because you know just where you stand. That, and they’re so relentlessly curious about everything, it rubs off on you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.erikjonslangerup.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erik_jon_slangerup/