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Mr. James McGowan
BookEnds, LLC
136 Long Hill Rd.
Gillette, NJ 07933
Website: www.bookendsliterary.com
AAR Member: No
Accepts Queries Via...
Snail-Mail: No
E-Mail: No
Online Form: Yes
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Leave comments about your experiences with this literary agent, or read what other authors have to say.
EQ: 04/07
Full request: 04/08
PB - 980 words
ER: 04/04
Disappointed, but truly appreciate the quick response.
Form rejection (same day!): 3/23
Received form letter rejection 3/19/2021
Here is the text of the form rejection:
I want to thank you for querying BookEnds and giving me a chance to read your work. It's been great to escape into my inbox each day, and your query was no exception. I'm afraid, though, that after giving careful consideration to your work, I've decided I’m not the best fit for this project at this time.
As you know, the publishing industry is incredibly subjective; just because I didn't ask to see more doesn't mean other agents won't be interested. You can also query any of my colleagues that may be a fit, if you wish. Good luck, and most importantly, please stay safe and healthy.
FR just a couple hours after query submission. *Fingers crossed*
ER 3/15 Personalized email specifying what he liked and what he didn't. His take was quite different from other agents who've read the full, so he certainly gave me some things to think about! He seems like he'd be great to work with.
PB - 900 words
FR - 3/14/21
FR: 2/24
Queried Mr. McGowan after a rejection from a colleague at Bookends who suggested another agent there may be a good fit. Letter seems to be form, but I do appreciate the quick response time.
FR: 2/01/21
Submitted additional materials: 2/02/21
ER: 2/19
Sent me a personalized, four paragraph explanation for the delay and his pass. Here's part of it:
There was a lot to love in all of these manuscripts. I particularly loved the play on [redacted]. And the [redacted] setting was a lot of fun. Overall, though, your voice in the playful manuscripts was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the conversational tone and accessibility for a younger reader. With that said, I enjoyed seeing how that carried over to your non-fiction work about [redacted].
In the end, though, I’m afraid that my picture book list is quite full at the moment, and I’ve become a bit more selective. Though I enjoyed a lot about these manuscripts, I’m afraid that I wasn’t feeling the editorial spark necessary to confidently offer representation at this time. Again, I’m grateful you thought of me in your search for an agent. I’m confident another agent will disagree, but I did want to offer my reasoning for stepping aside.
Picture Book
632 words
Rejection 2/18/2021
FR: 2-17-21 (submitted 2-18-21)
ER: 2-19-21
Crazy fast response times. Although the decline was a disappointment, I appreciate the quick turnaround and personalized explanation for passing. Check out Book Ends YouTube series on agenting. Lots of helpful insider tidbits for authors.
FR: 2/19/21 (few hours after submitting)
Adult Psychological Suspense 95k
Picture Book
ER 2/17/2021
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