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Website: stormliteraryagency.com
Twitter: Michelle4Laughs
AAR/AALA Member: No
Snail-Mail: Closed
E-Mail: Closed
Online Form: Closed
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6-15-22 : Full Request! Yay!
YA Psych thriller
Full Request: 6/14/22 Woohoo!
135k Adult High Fantasy
Rejected 6/6/2022
Really, really, really bummed about this one...she was a dream agent :(
Form Rejection: 6/2/22
MG SF 45K
Full Request: 5/27/22
YA Contemporary 79k
Form Rejection: 5/19/22
YA Contemporary Fantasy 92k
Thanks Mpspeegle
ER 5/5 form
42MG adventure
Polite form rejection on May 3
MG fantasy 26K words
Form Rejection: 5/2/22
YA Fantasy, 90k
Rejected 5/2
Scifi, 75,000 words
Helpful rejection, stating that she already has a client who does similar work. Very polite
Rejected: Apr 28, 2022
Fiction, Young Adult (unfinished)
Customized email (that I much appreciated!)
"I love getting queries from young writers and you've done a very professional job with your query letter and sample. However, I’m afraid this project isn’t the right fit for me at this time. I'm not the biggest fan of assassins as main characters." This proves that she did indeed read the story, at least, because she brought up details about my query letter and story that only one who had read it would know.
If you're reading this, Ms. Hauck, thank you for reviewing my story and taking the time to write back.
Cons:
Form Rejection.
No explanation.
Pros:
Prompt Review - but that comes with a caveat (see below)
The lack of an explanation seems to be her modus operandi. It's unclear if she actually reads all of the submissions, if she is a speed reader (which is almost as bad as not reading), or if she actually read it. The fact the rejection was so prompt is a double edge sword in her evaluation. She may have read it, in which case: "Rejections happen"; or she may have just decided to clear out her mailbox for the week and decided to "see if the first sentences grabbed her before tossing a rejection".
The difficulty with believing she read it is her assessment turnaround was faster than FedEx, despite the fact her literary agency clearly states they are inundated with emails. The size of submission required and responses of others who have been rejected seem to suggest that she is the type of agent who "Reads what she can" and after a timer has reached on her calendar, goes through and just mass rejects everything.
In addition to this, I'm seeing other assessments of her (on this site and elsewhere) all show the same dates of "rejections" vs "submissions". It's difficult to see how and why the dates could match up all within 1 day if this isn't what she's doing.
In checking all dates going months back, he cycles appear to be as follows:
People who submit first week of that month, are rejected in the final week of the same month. Those who submit middle of the month tend to not be rejected until the end of the following month. This site reflects this cycle, as do other reviews. In addition Form Rejections appear to be more frequent with those who are non-minority/protected classes. Personalized rejections and considerations seem to be more common with those who are minority/protected classes.
This is just an assessment of how things seem, no vitriol is intended, and it may be wrong.
Her form rejection is polite, for what that's worth, but in my experience, an agent who is unwilling to write anything that indicates they read the material 9 times out of 10 never read the material. Considering her apparent turnaround cycles, and reviews from others, it seems she is a "slush pile agent".
As I said above, I waited to write this assessment. I won't say how long. I waited specifically to see if my theory was correct, and in checking reviews, my prediction of her rejection cycle seems to have been accurate.
The only good thing about this cycle of hers: It doesn't waste your time any longer than it already has, and it allows you to seek another agent pretty quickly. It's still 1-2 months down the drain, but at least it isn't like some other agents who sit on their reading pile for 6 months before replying.
Full Request: 3/3/22 - Sent same day
Personalized Rejection: 4/25/22 - very pleasant and complimentary, but wasn't getting the characterization she wanted midway through the book. Bummer!
Dark Fantasy 96K
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