Back in October 2020, I received a FR with a response time of 5 days. Email rejection 90 days later detailing many things she liked + reasons for passing. All in all seems like a wonderful agent, and I appreciated the time she spent to send me a thoughtful rejection. Would definitely have queried with future projects if I didn't find an agent already on the book she passed on.

I got a bounceback saying my email was 'blocked'...I've never emailed her before. Has anyone else experienced this? Is mrk@wmeagency.com not the correct address?

mnk277,

What do you mean by "Covid"? She used that as a reason to pass after working on your MS for 8 months?..

Hi all, just wanted to give a heads up about her. I worked with her on my manuscript from 2020 to April 2021 (so 8 months). We did three rounds of revisions. With each revision, I changed the book according to her instructions, and then she read it and suddenly found new things that she wanted me to change. Each time, she spoke about how she could get me the highest possible deal for the book, but she didn't offer rep because the book "wasn't quite there yet." And then...April 2021 came. I had submitted my last version to her at the end of February (I think the 26th) and she passed the first week of April. Covid.

Claxton,

Well a google search did reveal her clients, which means by reviewing their books you have at least an idea of what she likes. Then I guess to personalize your query you would try to comp your book to one of them? That's what I'm going to try anyway. Seems like she wants the query and first three chapters.

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin seems like an interesting piece of literary fiction based on modern day prophecy and a group of people who are told the day they are going to die . . .

Got a non-fiction about the way Christianity shames people about sex. Another non fiction about yoga. Austin Channing Brown - important civil rights advocate.

Untamed - an inspirational Memoir I guess, Rage Against the minivan - a memoir by a family therapist. The secret life of Bees is a literary civil rights era coming of age.

A couple of inspirational podcasters who might have books . . . a famous chef, famous soccer player.

Just Breathe is sort of a Fault In our Stars tragic young adult romance . . . And we also seem to have sort of a feminist Great Gatsby story in the 1920's ...

We're leaning heavily into the literary and memoir folks, its not looking good for a more commercial author like me to query.

Hey! Here we go . . . got an R.L. Stein spooky mystery style author for middle grade.

And thrillers seem to be phycological thrillers written by a former investigative journalist duo.

So . . . some real specific tastes with maybe a guilty pleasure for spooky mystery for kids. Not in my wheelhouse.

She did a recent interview where she talked highly of authors who had "Done their research" before querying her. That'd be fine if she had, say, an MSWL, a public Publisher's Marketplace page, or even a public Twitter account. But she has none, and her agency famously doesn't make it easy for authors to even find submission guidelines. To find anything out about her, you have to dig pretty deep into google for anything beyond the absolute bare minimum. Why make authors do this if she wants personalized queries, when the most likely scenario is a CNR or Form Letter?

If she want's personalized queries and for authors to "Do their research," maybe give authors some resources to learn about you in a way that respects our time...

EQ: 11.3.21

91K adult thriller