EQ: 5/17/19
ER? 6/21/19
Nice note from assistant Hannah Mann

EQ: 2/2/19 MG 53,000 words
ER: 3/18/19 (form)

EQ: 1/21/19
(Received immediate auto reply that office closed for Martin Luther King Jr Day and would get back to me after he returns on Tuesday.)
ER: 1/25/19 (A very encouraging, supportive rejection written by Steven.)
57,000 word MG Contemporary Supernatural Mystery

EQ: PB (525 words) 1/1/2019
ER: 1/22/2019

Form letter rejection received from Hannah Mann.

EQ: PB (485 words) 12/6/18
ER: 12/19/18

Hannah sent me a rejection email, but at least it wasn’t (mostly) a form letter.

EQ: 7/27
Full Request: 7/27 - Andrea requested on behalf of Steven, and asked for a 2-week exclusive. I declined because the full is already with a few other agent.
Rejection: 8/2.

EQ: 4/19/18
FR: 4/19/18 (15 minutes later) Out of Office from Steven, but Hannah replied and requested materials.
Nudged on 6/15/18 because they've been fairly quick in responding to people lately.

ER: 7/3/18 (Form) I'm a little heartbroken that it's a form after waiting so long.
---
Ergot,

Thank you so much for the opportunity to consider XXX and for your patience while we read and thought about it. As you know, we think this was a fun and compelling premise and that you are a really talented writer. These great elements considered, we weren’t connecting 100% with everything about the manuscript, and for that reason, it’s best for Steven to pass at this time. I do want to note that his current list is such that he is extremely busy and not taking on anything he can possibly resist, which played the biggest part in our decision.

We wish you the very best finding the right home for your book.

Kind regards,
Hannah

MG Mystery 44k

Closed to inquiries as of right now (6/19/18)

EQ 5/22/18--150-word PB in verse.
ER 6/12/18 (form) "Thank you for your thoughtful email. After careful consideration, Mr. Malk does not feel your work is the right fit for him. I should note that his current list is quite full and he’s not actively seeking new clients at this time. Thanks again for the opportunity. We wish you the very best in finding the right home for your work."

Email Query: 4/25/18
Full Request: 4/25/18

Middle Grade Literary Novel

5/10/18
Received a long personal email from Mr. Malk that encouraged and praised the writing and voice. Even though he thought the manuscript would snag an agent, he chose to pass because his list is full and he didn't connect 100% on every aspect of the story. Nothing but great things to say about him; he's a true gentleman and the industry is fortunate to have him.

Ergotcake, Thank you!

TRAllardice I just sent a query.

Did any of you send sample pages to Mr. Malk? All I found was to send a query letter. Thanks!

11/18/17 EQ (since I had difficulty finding specific instructions as to what he wanted I sent a query only)
11/19/17 FR from assistant Andrea Morrison (who was very polite, professional and kind through the process)
11/27/17 ER (kind, personalized rejection, see below)
5/1/18 - After some changes (I developed a couple characters further; flew to Boston and walked around in ragged clothes and went hungry for a day to put myself in my main character's shoes, which was way out of my comfort zone but very helpful; got accepted into an MFA program, and made some plot simplifications), I reached out to Steve to see if he'd be willing to take a second look. His assistant replied and asked me to send the revision. He's my ultimate dream agent (confirmed after chatting with one of his clients at the SCBWI conference in NYC this winter)... so, fingers crossed!
5/16/18 - ER (kind, personalized... see below)

MG 76k (I also tightened it a bit)

Original rejection:
"Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to consider [title] – while we think you’re a strong writer, we just didn’t connect to the narrative voice enough to move forward. You deserve an agent who feels as passionate about [title] as you do, and who is confident in his or her ability to position it with the right publishing home. Wishing you all the best as you move forward with your search for representation, and we’ll be rooting for you from the sidelines. We hope to see this on shelves one day."

Second rejection:

"Thank you so much for the opportunity to reconsider [title] and for your patience while we read and thought about it. As you know, we think this was a very compelling premise and that you are a talented writer. These great elements considered, we still weren’t connecting 100% with everything about the manuscript, and for that reason, it’s best for Steven to pass at this time. I do want to note that his current list is such that he is extremely busy and not taking on anything he can possibly resist, which played the biggest part in our decision."

We wish you the very best finding the right home for your book.

Kind regards,

Hannah"

I was so thankful they were willing to take a second look. Their clients are extremely lucky.

Onward!

EQ: Nov. 2017 (PB)
Nudge: Feb. 2018
CNR: May 2018