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Monday, July 6, 2009

First responses are in....

Thank you for the interest you've expressed in Books & Such representing your work. We understand that your query is a statement of trust in us to treat your creative work with care and respect. In turn, we assure you that every query we receive is read and evaluated.

However, the number of queries we receive has grown by 100% each year for the past three years, causing us to spend a large percentage of our days responding to queries. As we considered how to remain responsive to submissions while being good managers of our time, we concluded that we will only contact those writers from whom we want to see more material. If you don't hear from us asking to see more of your writing within 30 days after you have sent your email, please know that we have read and considered your submission but determined that it would not be a good fit for us.

We appreciate the work you put into your creative efforts, which is why we handle your submission with care.

Janet Grant
The Books & Such Staff

First responses are in....

Thank you for writing to me about your work. I am currently overwhelmed with commitments to my present clients and am unable to take on new material. However, I appreciate your thinking of me, and wish you success.

Sincerely, Evan Marshall

First responses are in....

Dear Author:
Thank you so much for sending the Nelson Literary Agency your query. We’d like to apologize for the impersonal nature of this standard rejection letter. Rest assured that we do read every query letter carefully and, unfortunately, this project is not right for us. Because this business is so subjective and opinions vary widely, we recommend that you pursue other agents. After all, it just takes one "yes" to find the right match. Good luck with all your publishing endeavors.

Sincerely,
Kristin Nelson
Sara Megibow
Nelson Literary Agency

First responses are in....

Thanks very much for this query, but I'm afraid I am taking on so few new clients right now that I'll have to step aside on representing this. I wish you the best in finding a match.

Stephanie Kip Rostan
AgentLEVINE│GREENBERG LITERARY AGENCY, INC.

First responses are in....

Thank you very much for your query, which I have read with interest. Unfortunately the project does not seem right for me, and I am sorry I cannot offer to read your work.
I do wish you all the best on finding more suitable representation, and thank you again.

Sincerely,Pam Strickler

First responses are in....

Thanks so much for sending your query, your link to your webpage, and for offering me the chance to consider your material. Unfortunately, your project does not seem right for me. It's important that you find an agent who will represent you to the best of his or her ability, so I'm going to have to step aside from asking to represent your manuscript.You should know that my decision reflects my present work-load, and the type and amount of material which I'm presently representing. It does not reflect on your material, and I certainly encourage you to continue to seek representation, especially since this is such a subjective business -- what works for one agent or publisher may not work as well for another.

Best of luck! Paige Wheeler
FOLIO Literary Management

First responses are in....

I am sorry to respond with an impersonal reply, but the volume of submissions to our office does not permit me to read email submissions. I am not currently taking on any new clients for my list. I appreciate your thinking of me, and hope you are successful finding the right agent for your work elsewhere.

Good luck and good wishes, Deborah C. Schneider
Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents, Inc.250 West 57th StreetNew York NY 10107

First responses are in....

Dear Ann Marie,

Thank you for querying me, but unfortunately I am going to have to pass at this time.
Please don't take this rejection as a comment on your writing ability, because it isn't intendedto be one. I'm sure another agent will feel differently. Best of luck to you with the submission process.

Joanna Stampfel-Volpe
AgentNancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation

First responses are in....positive

Not a rejection....and the first response I received....not a bad way to start the trip....

Dear Ann Marie:

Thank you for your recent query. I'd be happy to read a sample of your work. Please send a .doc attachment of your first three chapters or first 50 pages to me at this address, bearing in mind that I do request a temporary period of exclusivity while considering your work. Also-- please make sure that your title, name, and e-mail address are included on the first page of your document so that I can get back to you with feedback after I've read the material.

All best wishes, Mollie Glick Foundry Literary + Media