Janet Reid

Query Information

I am happy to read material from potential new authors. The following guidelines aim to help you with your submission.

Email (preferred): send a query letter that includes the first 3-5 pages of the novel or memoir
The pages should be in the body of the email, NOT as an attachment.
My email is: <janet@fineprintlit.com>.


If you are querying about a non-fiction project, send a letter telling me about the project,
your credentials, and the market niche the project serves.  If you have an overview or introduction, include that in the body of the email like you would sample pages from a novel.

Memoir, although non-fiction, is acquired and sold like a novel so use the guidelines for a novel.  You don't need to write a proposal for a memoir.

By US Mail:
Send a query letter and the first 3-5 pages of your work and a #10 SASE.
Please do NOT send full manuscripts or anything weighing more than 16 ounces
unless I ask for it.  I will not return it even with an SASE
and do not accept any responsibility for things sent unsolicited.
 
Please do not telephone to pitch an idea or to get an idea of what I am looking for.
Please do not telephone at all.  If you have questions, the ONLY way to get answers is by email.

There is an on-going query letter critique blog at www.queryshark.blogspot.com
It shows query letters, my comments and revised queries based on the comments.


What I am looking for:
narrative fiction and non-fiction. Good stories.

Fiction categories I consider:
commercial fiction, literary fiction, crime fiction, thrillers, women’s fiction,
YA in each of these categories.

Fiction categories I don’t consider:
science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, horror, westerns, romance.


Non-fiction categories I consider:
memoir, biography, history, science, business, pop culture, music, how-to

Non-fiction categories I don’t consider:
politics, religion



Forms I don’t consider:
screenplays, poetry


I am particularly interested in:
the Pacific Northwest, death penalty issues, justice issues,
contemporary (not pop) music, contemporary (not modern) art. 


Bottom line:
When in doubt, query me. I'd rather see something that's not right for me than miss something fabulous. 


 
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