For more information, contact:

Ayanna Coleman, ayanna@quillshift.com, (585) 902-8548

New Digital Literary Agency Utilizing Crowdfunding Now Open for Author Submissions

Quill Shift Literary Agency LLC asks readers to decide what manuscripts it sends to publishing houses by putting money behind their favorite choices

New York, NY – December 10, 2013 – Ayanna Coleman launched Quill Shift Literary Agency LLC quietly on Sunday, December 1^st, 2013 by opening her website for submissions and starting an Indiegogo campaign to gain support. Quill Shift embraces social media and crowdfunding to empower readers to join in on the publishing process and, through this engagement and empowerment, expand and strengthen the reach of authors’ work while demonstrating their market appeal to publishing houses. Books will be publicized before publishing houses even decide to buy them and readers will be given the chance to dictate what’s sold in the market before the story sits on the bookstore shelves.

“Through my work connected to diversity initiatives in the children’s publishing industry, I’ve realized that if I want to see change in the publishing industry I can’t just ask other people to do it, I’ve got to stick my neck out there and make it happen,” Coleman explains. “The industry is changing quickly, readers’ preferences are changing even faster, and publishing houses need help to achieve the dynamism to profit from these shifts. I want to make sure that representative stories aren’t falling to the wayside, especially because the makeup of our country is so diverse.

What I’m seeing is that children’s publishers are hesitant to take a chance on new authors featuring nonwhite characters because they don’t think readers will buy those books. That’s why Quill Shift Literary Agency is so important. Readers need the chance to say that they want to read those stories before publishers have a chance to say no.”

For the past two years, Coleman has organized educational and social events for children’s book publishers. During her time organizing, attending, and moderating panels, discussion groups, and industry meetings, she realized that the children’s publishing industry needs a serious shift to find more diverse and broad work.

Coleman claims, “I’m a librarian at heart. I’ve been taught by some of the best that you have to ask the readers questions–and really listen to and extrapolate from their answers–to fully understand what they truly want to devour next. I’m ready to ask the questions and I’m excited to see what kind of answers I receive.”

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For more information about the spirit behind Quill Shift Literary Agency, visit the Indiegogo campaign athttp://igg.me/at/quillshift/x/5421736.

For more information about whom Quill Shift Literary Agency represents, how to share reading preferences with the Agency, and how publishers can get involved, visit www.quillshift.com.

About Quill Shift Literary Agency LLC

Quill Shift Literary Agency LLC is a boutique agency representing the intellectual property rights of authors who create children’s and young adult books. Quill Shift executes traditional representation services such as editorial consultation, contract negotiation, and business management as well as services beyond the traditional, including establishing a solid platform and buzz for an author before their manuscript is sent to a publishing house.