Kelly Dyksterhouse
Literary Agent, The Tobias Literary Agency | #kidlit | AALA | SCBWI | 🐱and 🐶 | writer-hiker-daydreamer | www.KellyDyksterhouse.com
- Reposted by Kelly Dyksterhouse#kidlitartpostcard ⭐️ Hey there 👋 I’m Caroline, PB author and illustrator with a softly textured style and a love of endearing tales ✏️✨ Rep'd by @kellydhouse.bsky.social 📚 and available for picture books, board books, chapter books, covers and licensing ✨ #kidlit carolinemcphersonillustration.com
- Happy new year! May the words flow sweetly, may you trust the process, and may you wake up ready to fight Resistance so you may pursue your story with relentless curiosity. Bring on 2026!
- I love when I can greet the day sipping coffee and scrolling through illustration art here and on the Gram, especially now as they’re filled with images of wintery wonderlands. Uplifting and inspiring. Keep creating, folks!
- Readers, how many chances do you give a book? For me, if it’s recommended, I will give it several tries. Sometimes it’s clear I’m not in the right headspace for the kind of story it is and need to wait.
- But if I’m just browsing in a store, the book gets less than one try: it gets a first sentence, maybe a first paragraph. If I finish the first page, I’m likely to buy it. Proof of 2 things: that first page is truly weighty, and also that word of mouth recommendation sells and builds books.
- I’m curious if other readers give books several tries and if so, why? If you’re interested reading about why I recently kept trying a book and what I learned about it, you can read my Substack here: open.substack.com/pub/kellydyk...
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseOur interview with awesome literary agent and author @kellydhouse.bsky.social is out! We had a lot of fun asking our burning questions about author/illustrators and how self-publishing is viewed in the industry. www.buzzsprout.com/2533442/epis...
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseHappy #kidlitartpostcard day! I’m reusing my image for this weeks #winterywoodchallenge over on Instagram because I love it! I’m am repped by @kellydhouse.bsky.social @thetobiasagency.bsky.social Happy Holidays!
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseSaying a special December hello to any and all publishing folks who may see this post 👋 🙂 I’m Caroline, an author-illustrator, available for picture books, board books and covers ✏️✨ Literary Agent: @kellydhouse.bsky.social ✨📖✨ carolinemcphersonillustration.com #kidlitart #kidlitartpostcard
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseA.A. Vacharat's THIS MOTH SAW BRIGHTNESS made the New York Public Library's Best Books for Teens in 2025. www.nypl.org/books-more/r... #yabooks #writingcommunity #bookcommunity
- If you’re interested, join us for a few minutes or the whole hour. We’d love to take your questions.
- If you’ve got some free time on Nov. 18 from 1-2, pop on over to IG and join us! We will answer questions, tell stories, and talk all things #kidlit in publishing!
- If you’ve got some free time on Nov. 18 from 1-2, pop on over to IG and join us! We will answer questions, tell stories, and talk all things #kidlit in publishing!
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseHappy #kidlitartpostcard day ✨ l’m Caroline, 🇬🇧🇦🇺 picture book author-illustrator with a softly textured style and a love of endearing tales ✏️✨ Rep'd by @kellydhouse.bsky.social 📚 and available for picture books, board books, covers and licensing ✨ #kidlit www.carolinemcphersonillustration.com
- So from what I can tell this Group 7 thing is for adults what 6 7 is for 5th graders. Is that about right?
- Come spend your lunch hour with us! Bring your questions—we may or may not be able to answer them but will definitely have fun trying!
- BOOK GIVEAWAY! To celebrate the paperback release of THE SEARCH FOR THE SHADOWSOUL, I’m giving away a copy of the book that started it all — THE HUNT FOR THE HOLLOWER! 1. Like and follow me and @thesupercallie.bsky.social 2. What creature would you like to be your familiar? Ends 10/21--US only.
- A fun perk of being a literary agent is that we get copies of our clients' books! My shelves are currently bursting with those copies, and I need more room (for more copies of more clients' work, yay!) So be on the lookout in the coming weeks for some amazing #FREEBooks!
- Many #writers get stuck because they mentally treat their #roughdraft like a more finished draft. Let go of that. It’s called a ROUGH draft for a reason. Give yourself permission to write poorly, explore the story, go down rabbit holes. There will be time to perfect the story later. #writinglife
- Reposted by Kelly Dyksterhouse"They like my journal!" - Tina www.dionnalmann.com/interviews-b...
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseI'm so EXCITED to reveal the cover of WHEN DEALING WITH DRAGONS!!! Illustration by the talented Charlie Bowater & the cover design by the amazing Anto Marr. WHEN DEALING WITH DRAGONS comes out 6/30/26 with @wednesdaybooks.bsky.social! You can preorder now! tinyurl.com/4eh2xyeb
- Okay, Swifties. Is it everything you thought it would be?
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseHappy #kidlitartpostcard day! Does anyone else find #owls fascinating? I am repped by @kellydhouse.bsky.social @thetobiasagency.bsky.social
- I’m coming off 2 weekends with book people, and I’m in awe of the contagious nature of creativity. It’s not jealous or possessive, but giving and uplifting. My mind is swirling with possibility and I’m reminded of the value of surrounding myself with those who seek wonder and the joy of Story.
- Is there anything more disappointing than biting into a cookie expecting a chocolate chip and getting a raisin? Nothing against raisins. They’re fine. It’s all about expectation.
- I’m enjoying a quiet morning at the SCBWI Carolinas fall retreat watching these three fishermen cast in one direction, oblivious to the fish jumping consistently behind them. Perfect snapshot of narrative distance working in real time. #povmatters #writingcraft #writinglife #morningmeditation
- “The answer is always no until you ask.” (Nora Robert’s? Maybe?) But it only takes one yes for the door to open. Sometimes it feels like that door has a million padlocks, but find your passion, be your bravest self, and pursue it recklessly. I needed to hear this, so maybe someone else does too.
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseHappy #kidlitartpostcard day! I am a #kidlitart illustrator and writer from picturesque Stillwater, Minnesota, repped by the amazing @kellydhouse.bsky.social @thetobiasagency.bsky.social
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseHi #kidlitartpostcard ! A little cat art for today. I think it captures the current emotional moment 🙃 I’m Amanda. I especially love making illustrations in greyscale, with pen and ink. Rep @kellydhouse.bsky.social at @thetobiasagency.bsky.social
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseHappy #kidlitartpostcard day everyone 💌 l'm Caroline, 🇬🇧🇦🇺 picture book maker with a softly textured style and a love of endearing tales ✏️✨ Represented for writing and illustration by @kellydhouse.bsky.social 📚 #kidlit #kidlitart PORTFOLIO www.carolinemcphersonillustration.com
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseMeet illustrator and author Jack Keely. His art across 30+ books blends traditional and digital elements. Jack is available for picture books,chapter books, graphic novels, and middle grade illustration. He is represented by @kellydhouse.bsky.social
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseHappy #kidlitartpostcard day! #kidlitart I love painting nature, animals, birds and trees. Check out my newly updated website.
- #writingcommunity beware! There's a Twitter account and its corresponding website using my photo (@jesslitpro and jessicalitpro.systeme.io/f5933e61). It's unsettling to see my photo on someone else's account. Even worse is knowing someone is trying to take advantage of aspiring writers/authors.
- PLEASE if you want to hire an editor or a publicist or help with marketing or design or newsletters or ANYTHING related to publishing...do your due diligence and make sure they are a real person with the verified credentials and skills to help you.
- AI makes it so easy to make websites and accounts that look professional, and I am sure that there are many of these out there. Be careful. And many thanks to @reesaguerra.bsky.social for the heads up. It's good to know there are people out there looking out for others. Pay it forward, my friends!
- Middle Grade is very much not dead…so many fantastic books to read and no where near enough time!
- 42 Stellar Middle Grade & Hi-Lo Titles | SLJ 2025 Stars So Far www.slj.com/story/42-ste...
- An update for #amquerying #writers: I am currently working through May queries and have responded to all sent prior to that. I do read and respond to every query and nudges are fine! Given that I still have several hundred to work through, I don’t plan to open in August.
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseWhen a Native American woman learns of the disappearance of one of her own, she decides enough is enough. For a limited time, you can get Marcie R. Rendon's acclaimed WHERE THEY LAST SAW HER on Kindle for $2.99! Enjoy! www.amazon.com/Where-They-L...
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseTwo years ago my debut novel THE HUNT FOR THE HOLLOWER hit shelves! This is the book of my heart and I still love every word of it. So much of me is in this. I learned so much about writing, and being a writer, because of it. Whenever readers tell me they loved it I am delighted and honored. 1/5
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseAll aboard for a high-speed new case in the third installment of this middle grade mystery series for fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events and Enola Holmes. Grab your copy and get ready for an action-packed ride! Repped by @annmrose.bsky.social #middlegradebooks #middlegrademystery #outnow
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseCongress? You awake?
- It is always an honor to help bring amazing books into kids’ hands. Every now and then those books get noticed by grownups, and that’s nice, too!
- Congrats to all who were mentioned in @bankstreet.edu's The Best Children’s Books Of The Year for books published in 2024, including these authors and titles from TLA!
- “How many times should I revise my work?” I get this question a lot. My answer: As many times as it takes. Sometimes (rarely) a story comes out close to fully formed. Sometimes it will take dozens upon dozens of drafts and years of work to separate the wheat from the chaff to find the story.
- In those cases, it’s just as much about the story honing you into the writer you need to be as you honing the work. Remember: a writer is but a servant to the story. If it’s worth being told, it’s worth being told well. Trust the process.
- My daughter just told me that this morning she read her entire 85 page masters thesis out loud before turning it in and managed to trim a ton of excess and I have never been so proud as a mom. Read your work out loud, people! It’s such a free, easy revision tool! #amrevising
- Today June 1! Wow, that has snuck up on me. Due to some unexpected medical issues, I am behind on queries (March queries, I see you—if you haven’t heard from me, I’m still considering!). I will remain open June 1-7 nonetheless and my #mswl hasn’t changed. I am excited to read what comes my way!
- Watching my puppy love life and wish I had it in me to get the zoomies.
- Starting in 3…
- Tonight! Bright your writing, querying, and publishing questions to our AMA LIVE! Join us at 7:00 p.m. EST to get your questions answered! www.youtube.com/live/OjFff9c...
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseTHIS MOTH SAW BRIGHTNESS is here! Congrats to A. A. Vacharat on a remarkable debut. Repped by @kellydhouse.bsky.social #booksky #yabooks #amreading
- The new assistant working hard through editor calls today. #muggsypup
- The new assistant working hard through editor calls today. #muggsypup
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseHello 👋 l'm Caroline, 🇬🇧🇦🇺 picture book author-illustrator with a softly textured style, and a love of endearing tales ✏️✨ Represented by @kellydhouse.bsky.social of @thetobiasagency.bsky.social & available for picture books, board books, covers and licensing ✨ #kidlit #kidlitart #kidlitartpostcard
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseDionna Mann is super excited to share that her MG Mama's Chicken & Dumplings was recently listed as a 2025 Children's Book Councli Librarian's Favorite! Congrats, Dionna! @kellydhouse.bsky.social @thetobiasagency.bsky.social
- Reposted by Kelly DyksterhouseLazy dogs can jump if they want to! 🐶🦊 No need to live by the expectations others have set for you. 🩵 #kidlitartpostcard Rep: @kellydhouse.bsky.social At @thetobiasagency.bsky.social
