@roxananourishad That reads like a form

Edit: I got a rejection too, but it addresses different points than @roxananourishad 's rejection, so Thao really did like your premise! She might have stock responses for common rejection reasons.

BIPOC Form query June 12th, 2021
Form Rejection July 21st, 2021
Adult Fantasy 160K

"Dear raktinope,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to consider TITLE. There was a lot of creativity here, but I'm afraid it's not right for my list at this time. As you know, these decisions are largely subjective and another agent or editor may have an opinion completely different from mine. I hope you will continue to strive towards publication and thank you again for thinking of me. I am wishing you the best of luck in finding that perfect home for your work."

EQ: 4/20/21
ER: 7/20/21

Form rejection

Queried 3/22
Form rejection 7/20

Contemporary YA

Has anyone heard from a March query? Has anyone received a response from a March 18 query/around that time period. (I’m curious about her query status). Hopefully, she sends positive news later in the month.

@JustinJoseph

If you look at the timeline it seems as though she has rejected a few from March but the majority are still unanswered.

BIPOC FQ: 2/18/21
ER: 6/4/21 (Kind and encouraging rejection letter)

Adult Contemporary Fantasy, 123k

She said on Twitter she's been slow with queries because she's expecting. She'll be going into maternity leave end of September up till 2022 and will leave BIPOC queries open but probably won't be able to review them during that time.

(Indigenous author) EQ: 13/05/2021
YA Fantasy - 105,000 words

This is the correct link for one of her clients, Dustin Tran (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Dustin+Thao&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_2) He is publishing under Dustin Thao

According to her post on the submission form she wrote on 4/26 she was on January queries and on fulls that were sent in December.

Don't wait the 6-week response time, this agent has a 30% response rate meaning most end in CNR. Looking at the timeline, most queries from January to present remain without a response. I can check 2020 if you want but basically I'd query and just not hold out for a response.

Bipoc form 3/18
I don’t know if I can trust the 6 week response time especially after she requested material after three months in 2020.

can anyone tell me if this is a form?
Thank you so much for querying me INSERT TITLE and for your patience as I reviewed your work. I was very intrigued by the premise, but after some consideration, I'm sorry to say that I don't have the clear connection to the writing and vision that I need in order to be the right agent to champion this particular work. This is extremely subjective and therefore, I'm stepping aside so that you can find the perfect agent who can passionately advocate you and your story.

I'm sorry I don't have better news, especially after all this time, but I hope you will continue striving towards publication. I will cheer you on from the sidelines and wish you the very best in getting your work placed.

EQ: 4/11/2021

Thao is a great agent! I still "feel safe" to query her even after reading Candlewick's personal comment below.

One of Thao's white clients was recently exposed for antisemitism, making fun of csa/incest victims, racism, and bullying online and in their books. Thao has not responded yet, but as she is only open to bipoc writers, knowing how Ms. Le responds can be helpful for those deciding to query her. I'll try to update if Ms. Le does respond.

Update: Ms. Le hasn't made an official statement addressing what happened, but she has tweeted to condemn those who are leaving 1 star reviews on Rin Chupeco's books. She still refers to Duncan as her client in the tweets. If there is a change, I will update.

On a personal note, I will be withdrawing my query, as I don't think that after the things that came forward, with proof and real, actually harmed victims, is acceptable, especially as Ms. Le is only open to bipoc writers. However, querytracker is not the place for debate, so I implore anyone who wants to discuss Duncan and the situation outside of how it affects your query/decision to leave it somewhere else. This is not a place for debate over this specifically, and I'm only leaving this here to inform writers, as publishing is a professional space and we, as people of color, should feel safe/comfortable with who we choose to work with.