Nancy Gallt is a veteran children's and young adult literary agent at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency with a track record of championing breakout middle-grade and picture-book talent, including Caldecott Medal winners and series with global franchise reach.
In brief
Nancy Gallt's sales record skews heavily toward middle-grade fiction and illustrated picture books — the roster includes Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson world, Jeanne DuPrau's City of Ember series, and Sophie Blackall's Caldecott-winning work, signaling that Gallt gravitates toward concept-driven, high-stakes MG adventure and picture books with distinctive illustration-driven storytelling.
The roster demonstrates Gallt's strength in long-running series: Riordan and DuPrau are both multi-book franchise clients, suggesting Gallt has real appetite for world-building that can sustain sequels — a signal worth baking into any pitch.
Sophie Blackall is a two-time Caldecott Medal winner; the presence of two separate Blackall titles in the client corpus indicates an ongoing, deep partnership with one of picture-book publishing's most decorated illustrators, giving Gallt credibility in the prestige picture-book space.
As of the last observed check, Gallt's submission form was closed to new queries; writers should verify current status directly with the agency before attempting to submit.
Gallt & Zacker has issued a public fraud warning: no one from the agency will ever solicit money — always verify emails end in @galltzacker.com.
Lately
The agency's live submissions page has carried a public security notice warning writers about impersonators fraudulently soliciting money while claiming to represent Gallt & Zacker agents; the agency has reported the matter to federal authorities and urges writers to confirm any email address ends in the agency's official domain.
What Nancy is looking for
Gallt's sales record makes middle-grade the clearest priority — concept-rich, high-stakes adventure with strong world-building is the sweet spot. Series potential appears to be a meaningful plus, given the multi-book franchise history on the roster.
The roster features Caldecott Medal-winning picture book work, including both narrative-driven stories and illustrated nonfiction, indicating Gallt is drawn to picture books with a strong, singular visual vision. The presence of both a celebrated illustrator-author and a standalone illustrator as clients signals openness to illustrators in addition to author-illustrators.
YA appears in Gallt's listed categories, though it is less prominently represented in the confirmed sales record than MG. Writers with high-concept YA — particularly adventure, dystopian, or speculative — may find alignment, given the genre affinities visible in the MG roster.
Broader children's fiction beyond MG is listed as a represented category. Betty G. Birney is a client associated with series work for younger readers, reinforcing that Gallt is comfortable across the children's spectrum.
Not the right fit
On Nancy's list
Taste fingerprint
How to query Nancy
Confirm the form is open before investing time in a query — the last verified observation was a closed status, and that was several years ago; the situation may have changed.
Gallt's roster is dominated by high-concept, world-rich MG adventure and prestige picture books — lead your query with the central concept and the stakes, not the backstory.
Series potential is a meaningful signal from the sales record; if your MG project has sequel potential, say so briefly and credibly in the query.
For picture books, a distinctive visual sensibility matters — if you are an author-illustrator, make sure sample art or a portfolio link is part of your submission package where the form allows it.
Gallt & Zacker has issued a fraud warning: if anyone contacts you claiming to be from the agency and asks for money, it is a scam. Legitimate communication will only come from an @galltzacker.com address.
Do not reference competing agencies or query multiple agents at Gallt & Zacker simultaneously unless the submissions page explicitly permits it.