Mary Cummings

About

"Great River Literary" was the clear name choice for the new agency established by Mary Cummings in 2021, after thirteen years as an agent for books for children and teens at Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises.
Except in the depths of winter, nearly every evening Mary goes down to the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Paul to see the passing scene of trees and birds, barges and boats, kids and lovers - and always the play of light on the flowing water.
Mary finds great joy in helping her clients polish their stories to stand out for editors and to become books that will make a difference in kids' lives. Before becoming a literary agent, Mary was Education Director at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis where, among other accomplishments, she curated an annual festival of children's literature and selected judges for the McKnight Award from leading editors in children's publishing.

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Country

United States

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

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Collapse section Fiction Open

Audience:

Children, Middle grades, Young adults, All ethnic groups/populations. Excluding: Adults.

Genres:

General Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Historical
Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres
Mystery/Crime Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Novel

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Humorous, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

Audience:

Children, Middle grades, Young adults, All ethnic groups/populations. Excluding: Adults.

Lengths:

Book

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

History: Biographies.
Nature/Environment.
Science.
Society/Culture: General, Social issues.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

Collapse section Poetry Open

Audience:

Children, Middle grades, Young adults, All ethnic groups/populations. Excluding: Adults.

Genres:

General Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Historical
Fantasy Open to all/most Subgenres
Mystery/Crime Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Poetry Collection

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Humorous, Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

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Mary Cummings Submission Statistics

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Accuracy

We have received 2 reports from 2 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Pending

1 response is pending (252 days waiting).

Other Information

This agent may not respond to all queries. After waiting a reasonable amount of time, assume your submission will not be accepted.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 05:37 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Dates

Last Updated: 02 Jul 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.