BookEnds Query and Submission Update
- By: Jessica Faust | Date: Jun 15 2016
If you’ve queried BookEnds anytime this week you might have noticed one very big change. We are no longer accepting queries via email, instead we are now taking them via Query Manager, a very exciting new platform by the creator of Query Tracker.
If you’ve already queried any of us via email do not worry. We still have your query or submission and we’re still considering it.
In my many, many years I’ve been in publishing there have been a number of services that offer agents an “easy” way to find new clients. Usually they forced an author to pay to upload their material to their websites so agents could peruse it. They never worked. In a world where agents receive hundreds of queries a week there is no need to add an extra step to the process. Query Manager however presented an entirely different platform. It’s something I’ve never seen anyone else do and it contains all sorts of great features that we couldn’t resist. In addition, the owner, Patrick, has been wonderful about adding and modifying things based on our feedback.
All of our submission information is always on the Submissions page of our website, but if you’re looking to query any agent at BookEnds, here are the direct links to our Query Manager submission forms:
Jessica Faust
Moe Ferrara
Tracy Marchini
Kim Lionetti
Jessica Alvarez
Beth Campbell
We are super excited about this change and I know the powers-that-be at Query Manager, as well as the agents-that-be at BookEnds welcome any input authors might have about how the new process works for them.
Happy querying!
Hello Jessica.
Will Requested Materials still be received at your email addresses? When I sent mine in yesterday, I got an automatic response directing me to the online form. Should I assume my material was received via email?
Thank you for the clarification.
Marie
Yes, please assume it was received and we’re looking forward to reviewing it.
Great. Thank you.
I was looking at the submission form just out of curiosity and I see that “website address” is a required field. What if new authors don’t have a website set up already? Seems like it might discourage some otherwise good queries :-\
ETA: Looks like that’s just on Moe’s form.
This is a good point. We’ll likely change it so it’s not required. The feedback is great! Thanks
Current clients should contact their agents in the same way they always have. This is a form for those querying BookEnds only.
Thanks for the tip about this platform! I’m passing this information along to the small press I work for, Jolly Fish Press.
We are really loving it. Only a few days in, but so far it’s been fabulous. There are a ton of great features and Patrick has been incredible to work with. We’ve already asked him to implement more features to make it even better.
Hello,
I’ve already sent my query letter about a week ago to agent’s e-mail. Do I have to send it again to this Query Manager?
No. Anything previously sent to email will still be answered. No need to resend.
I’ve seen other agents are also test-driving the new submission system. My comments from just looking, not using…
It looks really simple to use from my side of the fence. Does it auto-send a reply so we know it has been received?
Does the drop down menu for genre reflect the genres each agent is currently accepting? It appears so (because you all have a different selection).
If that’s the case, does it mean it will be fluid and change as needed? In other words, is that a place to look when checking what genres you represent and are accepting?
Do you differentiate cozy from mystery, or is cozy bundled within mystery for genre? I would have thought they were different enough to separate, particularly as I’ve seen agents split them when listing what they represent.
I find it interesting the different information each agent here has requested. Changes things from the standard agency requirements and personalises it for each agent. For example, Moe wanting a biography. Just a comment from someone who has been in the query trenches and will be back there later this year, asking for more than the query letter and sample pages (which is what we are used to) is going to add another level of freak out for us. You can’t see in our heads, but trust me when I say a wannabe client is going to stress over the details to include. Think along the lines of OMG she wants writing credentials, I don’t have any, well other than my 3rd grade story I got a #1 sticker on. Does that count? etc. If you want to see how much angst a ‘woodland creature’ can put themselves through ask Janet Reid (or read the comment trail on her blog)!!
A positive for those querying is it means you can’t mess up the email address, formatting, accidental attachments etc
Non-form related: I realise this now means on the submission page of your website there are no longer any contact email addresses. Is the email address you had previously listed still valid for use such as blog questions, JF?
It does send an autoreply to let you know if material was received.
Each agent was able to choose the genres she wants in her drop down menu. So yes, presumably we will remember to change that as our tastes or preferences change. That being said, I would always look at the website or #MSWL first to see what we’re looking for.
The site does not differentiate between cozy and other mysteries. That category, in fact, has few sub-genres. It was the way it was initially set up and certainly something that can be changed over time I’m sure.
To be honest, most of what is asked for, even additional information, should already be in your query letter. As for sample pages, I never asked for sample pages anyway.
There is an email address on the website for blog questions. And yes, you can still use my old submission email. That works fine as well.
Thanks for the explanation, Jessica.
Hi Jessica,
After I gained access to view my query submission, I discovered that the white spaces between my paragraphs were gone. Should I be concerned?
No. We will figure it out. We’ve also been working closely with them on bugs
Oh, okay. Thanks, Jessica! Besides that, I had no problems with the system. ^_^
Greetings, Jessica!
I wanted to let you know how simple and helpful the new submission system is. My only qualm was a common one. My MS is cross-genre, so I had to play a bit with the drop-down and am not completely satisfied, but I was able to resolve that with an addition to my query letter.
Thanks for making author lives easier!
Wow! Thank you so much for this. I’m going to pass this along to everyone. That’s absolutely wonderful to hear. We’re still actively working with the developer to add necessary bells and whistles, but so far we’ve been happy. Please note that the system is available to all agents so spread the word.