Michael Stearns is a Los Angeles–based agent at Upstart Crow Literary with a focused specialization in children's publishing, particularly picture books.
In brief
Michael Stearns operates out of Upstart Crow Literary, an agency with a strong children's-book identity — a natural home for their picture-book focus.
The available query-status snapshot flags picture books as the active submission category, suggesting a deliberately narrow lane rather than a broad generalist practice.
Writers querying Michael Stearns should treat this as a specialist relationship: the pitch that resonates will speak directly to the picture-book form, not just a story that could work in any format.
Because the status snapshot is cached and may not reflect the live form, writers should verify current open/closed state directly before submitting.
Limited public sales data is available for independent analysis; the picture-book focus is the primary signal writers can act on now.
Lately
The most recent status observation confirms Michael Stearns is open to picture book submissions, reinforcing a deliberately focused, category-specific practice at Upstart Crow Literary.
What Michael is looking for
Michael Stearns is actively seeking picture book projects. Given Upstart Crow Literary's strong children's-book identity, this is the clear center of gravity for their list. Writers with compelling, form-conscious picture book manuscripts are the intended audience for any query to Michael Stearns.
Not the right fit
Taste fingerprint
How to query Michael
Address the picture book form specifically — word count, age range, and whether you are submitting as an author-only or author-illustrator matters enormously in this category; be explicit.
Because Michael Stearns represents a narrow, specialist category, demonstrate in your query letter that you understand what makes a picture book work as a book, not just as a story idea.
Upstart Crow Literary has a well-established children's-book identity; showing familiarity with the kinds of picture books that agency champions signals genuine fit.
Verify the live submission form for any updated category restrictions or formatting requirements before querying — cached status data can lag behind real-time changes.
Keep the query tight and picture-book-specific: a one-paragraph story summary, brief bio, and a clear statement of whether the manuscript includes illustration notes or if you are seeking a separate illustrator pairing.
Do not query Michael Stearns with projects outside the confirmed picture-book lane unless a current, verified update from the agent themselves indicates a category expansion.