Anjanette Barr is a Dunham Literary agent with a background in Japanese Studies and a decade in publishing who pursues idea-driven fiction and nonfiction across all age categories, with a particular current push to grow her nonfiction list.
In brief
Her confirmed deal record is small but telling: all three known sales are children's/illustrated books (a picture book, a middle-grade-adjacent illustrated title, and a chapter book), signaling her children's category is where she is actively transacting — even as she publicly emphasizes building nonfiction.
Her client roster skews toward Catholic and faith-adjacent authors (Meg Hunter-Kilmer, Carmela Martino) and outdoor/lifestyle writers (Tsh Oxenrider), which aligns with her stated interests in faith, nature, and culture — writers in those spaces have a natural fit.
She closed to queries in February 2026 after reaching 2,000 submissions in under a month — a sign of strong writer interest and a reminder to verify the live form before submitting.
Her taste is genuinely eclectic: she name-checks everything from hard sci-fi (Project Hail Mary) to classic picture books (Blueberries for Sal) to upmarket literary fiction (Piranesi) — but the common thread is big ideas rendered in accessible, beautiful prose.
With only three years of agenting experience and a still-developing list, she is an emerging agent worth querying for writers who want a genuine champion; expect a longer runway to submission than a veteran agent might offer.
Lately
Announcing here first: I have decided to open for two standard submission windows each calendar year. Send me your queries in the months of November and April! More information will be posted in early Fall. #amagenting #querytrenches #literaryagent #mswl #opentoqueries #publishing
I hit 2000 queries (in less than a month), so I’m closing for a minute to wade through them. Thanks for sharing with me!
After opening to queries, Barr hit 2,000 submissions in under a month and announced she was closing temporarily to work through them — signaling unusually strong demand for a relatively new agent.
I describe what I'm looking for as popular and genre fiction with substance. More specifically, I'm really drawn to sci-fi, fantasy, magical realism, dystopian, time slip — anything like that. I think genre fiction has the power to draw us into a safe world where we can examine larger concepts while still getting that escapism. I think about C.S. Lewis's idea of literature baptizing the imagination a lot — what kind of writing can spur us to think about big ideas while getting us lost in character and setting and plot.
I'm a bit of a plot reader, so I do like stories that move and aren't just examinations of characters. That said, books that do character really well can still give you that same feel.
Finish your book before you approach an agent. For fiction, you have to have the novel done. Non-fiction can sometimes work with a proposal, but not fiction.
You need to know how to distill your book down into a page or less, because that's your first impression. An agent who doesn't get paid until you get paid isn't going to spend all day reading full manuscripts — they need to see a blurb. The query letter includes a synopsis, a little bit about you, and usually the first five pages or so of your manuscript. Every agent has different submission guidelines, so research each one and follow them exactly.
If you have a connection to an agent — you met them at a conference, a pitch contest, or through a shared community — put that in the subject line of your query email along with your author name and title. That helps it from getting lost and signals that I need to pay close attention to this one.
You really want an agent who understands your vision and who likes to read what you write. If they're not excited about your book, they're not going to be the best person to get editors excited about it either. Use manuscript wish lists — agents and sometimes editors post what they're drawn to — and if you like the same books, you're probably going to get along.
What Anjanette is looking for
This is her stated top priority right now. She wants nonfiction that makes complex or unfamiliar subjects feel vivid and urgent to general readers — think popular science, economics, history, and lifestyle, all written with accessible, lively prose. The key bar: a lay reader should finish the book newly obsessed with the subject. Purely academic writing, straightforward memoir, and religious titles are lower on her list at this time.
Cookbooks, outdoor living, crafting, and similar hands-on lifestyle titles are explicitly on her radar as she builds her nonfiction list. Fresh, engaging prose matters here — she is not looking for formulaic how-to books but for titles with a genuine voice and perspective.
She gravitates toward fiction with immersive settings and characters who embody empathy and self-sacrifice. Historical fiction with sweep, upmarket literary work with wonder or magical realism, and romance with emotional depth all fit her sensibility. Gothic undertones are a genuine soft spot. The goal is always a big idea carried by a compelling story, not genre exercise for its own sake.
She wants speculative fiction that uses the genre's tools — magic, wonder, epic scope — as vehicles for meaningful ideas rather than pure action. Hard SF with a philosophical core and epic secondary-world fantasy are both welcome. Substance over spectacle is the key distinction.
Her confirmed sales are all in children's categories, and MG is where her passion is clearest. She wants books that families can read aloud together and that challenge young readers to think about character, identity, and worth. Adventure, nature, culture, myth, and hope are recurring themes in her taste. Illustrated or hybrid formats are welcome.
She wants YA and NA that empowers young people to examine their own character and worth as they step into adulthood. Hopeful, lyrical, or informative tones are the target — dark for darkness's sake is not a fit. She has a particular affinity for authors who weave faith, culture, or myth into their YA worlds without being preachy.
She seeks picture books that are a genuine pleasure to read aloud — winsome, warm, and rhythmically satisfying. Humor works when it serves the story rather than being the whole point. Engaging nonfiction picture books are especially welcome. Note: her wishlist does not distinguish between author-only and author-illustrator submissions; confirm current guidelines on her agency's form.
She is open to biography and memoir that bridges diverse audiences — stories with universal emotional resonance rather than niche appeal. Straight personal memoir is lower priority right now, but narrative biography or memoir with a strong journalistic or social lens can work. The connective tissue across audiences is the key test.
Not the right fit
On Anjanette's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Anjanette
She is CLOSED as of February 9, 2026 — check the live submission form on the Dunham Literary website before querying; she has indicated she will reopen after clearing her backlog.
Lead with the big idea at the heart of your book. She consistently frames her taste around books that make readers want to immerse themselves in a subject — your query letter should do that work in one or two sentences.
For nonfiction, demonstrate that your writing is accessible and lively, not academic. A sample that reads like a conversation with a smart, curious friend will serve you better than one that reads like a journal article.
For children's books, read-aloud quality matters enormously to her — if you can honestly say your manuscript has been tested with children and reads aloud beautifully, say so.
Her background is in Japanese Studies and she lives in Alaska among the Tlingit people — books that engage authentically with non-Western cultures, indigenous communities, or the natural world of the Pacific Northwest and beyond will resonate with her personal experience.
Tone matters: hopeful, lyrical, and humorous are her frequencies. Bleak, nihilistic, or relentlessly dark work is unlikely to be a match even in genres she represents.
Faith, myth, and fine arts are personal touchstones — weaving these themes into your pitch (where they genuinely exist in the manuscript) signals alignment with her taste without being heavy-handed.
Her three confirmed sales all went to smaller independent publishers (Owl's Nest, Barefoot Books, Gnome Road). Writers expecting placement at the Big Five should calibrate their expectations accordingly for this stage of her career.