We are thrilled to welcome Sara Sargent, Senior Executive Editor at Random House Books for Young Readers, to the podcast. In our cozy member lounge format (rather like a neighborhood potluck, we think, that happens to feature publishing experts), we asked her questions about how editors choose books, how writers get book deals without agents, and the inner workings of a publishing house—and what this means for you when you pitch your book.

Want to try out our new “leave a voicemail” feature (in beta)? Check it out here. We can’t wait to hear from you: https://www.podpage.com/the-manuscript-academy/

You can book a meeting with Sara here: https://manuscriptacademy.com/faculty-members/sara-sargent

Sara Sargent is a Senior Executive Editor at Random House Books for Young Readers. She has previously held positions at HarperCollins Children’s Books, Simon & Schuster, New York Magazine, and Meet the Press. Sara has worked with New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USAToday bestselling authors such as #1 New York Times bestselling authors Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, plus TV star Daymond John, celeb power couple Ciara and Russell Wilson, Olympians Laurie Hernandez and Karen Chen, TV personality Ainsley Earhardt, YouTube star StacyPlays, and fiction writers Abbi Glines, Rosamund Hodge, and Lisa Maxwell. Sara has also worked with internationally bestselling author and actress Lily Collins; National Book Award finalist Deb Caletti; and social media influencers Laci Green, Matthew Espinosa, Baby Ariel, and Arden Rose. Sara received her Master of Science in journalism from Northwestern University. She lives in Brooklyn.

Sara is looking for picture books that serve a true purpose—perhaps the perfect bedtime, holiday, potty-training, other-growth-moment story. She loves funny stories with great rhythm and cadence. And she especially loves stories about both identities and childhood experiences that are under-explored and under-served in the current market.