Guide to Literary Agents - Closings

Sebastian Literary Agency to Close

Chuck — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:07:36 GMT

I recently got a note from the Sebastian Literary Agency (based in Minnesota) saying that, after 28 years of agenting, they are soon to be closed. Needless to say, they are not taking on new clients. The agency is run by Laurie Harper.

Laurie represented many nonfiction
titles, including this one.

The Rappaport Agency Closes

Chuck — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:55:49 GMT

Got an e-mail yesterday from agent Jenny Rappaport with the sad news that her agency is closing. I believe Jenny used to be part of L. Perkins Associates before moving out on her own a few years back. We never did get the opportunity to cross paths and meet.

Take note if she was on your query list.

New Agent Alerts: Stacia Decker and Danielle Chiotti of Firebrand Literary

Chuck — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:13:37 GMT

Editor's Note: Firebrand Literary closed in July 2009. Three agents from Firebrand Literary have broken off to form a new agency: Upstart Crow Literary. It will be headed up by Michael Stearns, who was formerly a prolific children's book editor. Also onboard are agents Chris Richman and Danielle Chiotti. Between the three of them, they handle adult fiction, lots of kids fiction, and some nonfiction, too. Stacia moved on to Donald Maass Literary.

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I got word last week about two new agents at Firebrand Literary, but had to kind of sit on it until the official announcement came this morning. Both of these agents will be attending the Writer's Digest conference on May 27 in NYC and taking pitches from writers. Both have backgrounds in editing, and you can learn more about Stacia and Danielle's backgrounds on the Firebrand Web site.

New Agent: Stacia Decker

To see an updated post on Stacia (now at Donald Maass Literary), click here.

New Agent: Danielle Chiotti

Danielle specializes in a variety of trade fiction and nonfiction books. For nonfiction: narrative nonfiction, memoir, self-help, relationships, humor, current events, women’s issues, and cooking. For fiction: commercial women’s fiction and multicultural fiction (with a slightly “literary” edge), romance, paranormal romance, and young adult fiction for girls.

To contact them personally, it's (firstname)@firebrandliterary.com. However - note that these new agents do not take queries over e-mail but rather through an online submission form on the Firebrand Web site.

Firebrand is another one of those agencies that is still relatively new in the grand scheme of things, but has quickly turned itself into an up-and-coming powerhouse of an agency.

When an Agent Leaves an Agency...

Chuck — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:17:07 GMT

Q. As a rule, when an agent leaves an agency, does she take her client list with her? Or is the author a property of the agency?
- Lori

A. The clients go with her. You see this all the time. An agent will begin at one place, and then either move to another or start her own agency.

Appleseeds Management Closes

Chuck — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:22:41 GMT

Appleseeds Management, a California-based literary and talent agency, is no longer in business. I got a letter from the founder, S. James Foiles, saying so.

Take note if they were on your "To Query" list.

Greystone Literary Closes (But Reopens Later)

Chuck — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:03:20 GMT

Greystone Literary Agency, a relatively new agency based in DC and founded by Michael Mancilla, has officially closed as of early this year.

The Web site was down this morning and a phone call to Michael confirmed the agency is no more.

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2009 UPDATE: This agency is back in business as of early 2009. They specialize in nonfiction. Check out their website.

Closure: Writers in the Sky Lit Agency

Chuck — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:35:11 GMT

I just got an e-mail from someone working at Writers in the Sky Literary Agency, a (practically) brand new agency that was openly looking for clients. They have shut down for good, it seems. I had previously profiled their agency on the blog.

By the way, I have tagged this post "Random Updates." To see more updates, click on this category on the left side of the Web page. "Random Updates" includes changes in information such as
      - Agency closures
      - Changes in address
      - Agents leaving one agency to join another
      - Etc.

Harriet Wasserman Literary Agency Closes

Chuck — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:00:38 GMT

The Harriet Wasserman Literary Agency has closed, as of Fall 2007.

Harriet was a member of the AAR and was based in the New York area. Saul Bellow was a former client of hers, and her current clients are in the process of finding new agents.

Altair Literary Agency Closes

Chuck — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 18:39:05 GMT

Altair Literary Agency, based in Washington, DC, is now closed, according to a note on the agency's Web page. The agency was a member of AAR.

I did some peeking around to see if the agents went elsewhere to other agencies but found nothing. If you have some info on this, please leave a comment.

Helen McGrath's Agency Closes

Chuck — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:56:19 GMT

Helen McGrath, who ran an agency in California (called "Helen McGrath," simply), is no longer agenting as of this past summer. The agency will not be reviewing submissions of any kind. Take note if she was on your short list.

Her agency did not use a Web site.

Leather Bound Words Agency Closes

Chuck — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:44:25 GMT

Leather Bound Words, a newer agency based in St. Louis that focused on nonfiction books, has closed, according to its Web site.

See the Web site to see the closure notice.

New Agency Alert: Spiridon Literary Agency

Chuck — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 14:18:46 GMT

Update: As of April 2009, it looks
like this agency
is closed.

- Chuck

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Reminder: Newer agencies are golden opportunities for new writers because they're likely building their client list; however, always make sure your work is as perfect as it can be before submitting, and only query agencies that are a great fit for your work. Otherwise, you're just wasting time and postage.

The Spiridon Literary Agency

P.O. Box 47594, 946 Lawrence Ave. E., Unit 2, Toronto ON M3C 1P0, Canada. Phone: (416)850-8767. E-mail: spiridon@rogers.com. Contact: Alethea Spiridon. Seeking new and established writers. Prior to becoming an agent, Ms. Spiridon was an editor for Harlequin Books in Toronto. Established: 2007. This agency specializes in romance and women's fiction. "I lived and breathed romance fiction for 6.5 years while an editor. I know what editors are looking for and can guide writers so they can land that much coveted first or next contract."

Currently Handles: 25% nonfiction books, 25% novels, 25% short story collections, 25% juvenile. Nonfiction subjects of interest: Business/Economics, Child Guidance/Parenting, Cooking/Foods/Nutrition, Current Affairs, Health/Medicine, History, How-To, Juvenile nonfiction, Language/Literature/Criticism, Memoirs, Nature/Environment, Popular Culture, Self-Help/Personal Improvement, Women's Issues/Studies. Fiction subjects of interest: Action/Adventure, Confession, Erotica, Experimental, Family Saga, Fantasy, Feminist, Glitz, Historical, Humor/Satire, Juvenile, Literary, Mainstream/Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense, Picture Books, Romance, Young Adult.

How to contact: Query with SASE. Submit:Outline/Proposal, Synopsis, Author Bio, 50 pages if submitting fiction, SASE. Accepts e-mail queries. No fax queries. Accepts simultaneous submissions. Responds in 4 weeks to queries. Responds in 6 weeks to manuscripts. Returns materials only with SASE. Actively seeking: Actively seeking romance, women's fiction, young adult, middle grade, nonfiction, mysteries, literary fiction and commercial fiction.

Terms: Agent receives 15% commission on domestic sales; 20% commission on foreign sales. Offers written contract. This agency charges for office expenses, such as postage and photocopies. Tips: "Think of the agent as your first reader. Do a meticulous self-edit of your work to ensure you present your best possible writing. Observe how other books are marketed by reading tons of back cover copy and then write a blurb for your own book. If you’re struggling, you might not have a clear sense of direction for your work. You need to have a solid sense of your manuscript so you can present it seamlessly to agents (and then editors). Be clear. Be concise."

New Agent at Firebrand Literary

Chuck — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 18:10:54 GMT

Editor's Note: Firebrand Literary closed in July 2009. Four agents from Firebrand Literary have broken off to form a new agency: Upstart Crow Literary. It will be headed up by Michael Stearns, who was formerly a prolific children's book editor. Also onboard are agents Ted Malawer, Chris Richman and Danielle Chiotti. Between the three of them, they handle adult fiction, lots of kids fiction, and some nonfiction, too.

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Firebrand Literary, a relatively new literary agency based in New York, has a new literary agent: Ted Malawer.

On children's writer Verla Kay's message board, Ted recently gave a great introduction of himself as well as what kind of submissions he's interested in. I have pasted a lot of his post below.

Good luck submitting!

"I'm Ted Malawer, a new agent at Firebrand Literary. I wanted to say hello to all the members here and introduce myself, as I am actively looking to build my client list. As many of you know, Firebrand loves books for young readers. I am looking to build upon our success with YA fiction (recent sales include novels to Random House, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, and Flux) and also expand our middle grade, chapter, and picture book list.

For YA, I am really looking for books that walk the line between commercial and literary. I like high concept novels with great 'hooks,' unique premises, and great humor. I also enjoy lyrical fiction, as long as it has an authentic and compelling voice. I'm a huge fan of mysteries, smart historicals, and urban fantasy about original topics (no vampires, please). I'm not so much into the snarky 'chick lit' voice, but great writing trumps everything...

For middle grade, I am drawn to unique coming-of-age stories. I like stories that make me laugh, but if you can make me cry, even better. I like projects with fantastical/supernatural elements, too, and action/adventure plots.

I love fun and exciting chapter books, especially with multicultural characters. I'm always on the lookout for the next amazing picture book, but I'd rather not consider anything over 1,000 or so words, and I'm not interested in bedtime or food stories. Additionally, I do a select amount of adult books, so if you write in both genres that's not a problem for me.

Writers interested in querying Ted should check out the Firebrand Literary Web site. Ted and his co-agent, Nadia, work very closely together and often review submissions together. Therefore, a "no" from Ted is a "no from Firebrand."

News hat tip: Nancy Parish