Black Lives Matter
We are experiencing an extraordinary moment in our nationâs history. I believe that the creation of art and the dissemination of stories goes hand in hand with the work of activism and protest; that we must commit ourselves to ensuring that the better worlds we imagine are brought to life in reality. I support the protests happening in response to the epidemic of police brutality against Black lives in America, and I encourage everyone to contribute in as many ways as they can. In addition to aiding the protests, I have been seeking ways that I personally can contribute within the publishing community. I have always sought to focus on diverse books, and I am so proud of the authors I have been fortunate to work with thus farâbut I realize I must do better. To that end, I am dedicating myself to not just soliciting work for representation, but actively aiding and supporting marginalized voices in navigating the world of publishing. I have implemented the following initiatives to start, and will continue to brainstorm and collaborate with my peers for more possibilities for change. These are effective immediately, and have no deadline.
I will remain open to queries, and I am committing to giving personalized feedback to queries from Black authors as much as I can. I am asking non-Black authors to please refrain from submitting at this time, to give space and priority to Black voices in support of Black Lives Matter.
I am offering free 20-30 minute lunchtime phone chats for Black creators and aspiring publishing professionals. I can answer questions about the industry and market, the publishing process, query critiques, agenting as a career, or anything you might want to ask. Just DM me on Twitter or Tumblr to set one up.
My DMs are also open both on Twitter and Tumblr to any Black creators with questions or who are seeking advice on writing, querying, publishing, agenting, or any other aspect of the book world.
And because it is not enough to open my DMs and ask marginalized creators to come to me, I also commit to seeking out Black voices and creators on my own, to offer support and elevation and opportunity both within and beyond my role as a literary agent.
As you may have noticed, Iâm not on Tumblr all that much anymore, so I apologize for the lack of boosting and BLM resources currently on my page. Any future posts I make this month will be in service of elevating Black voices and answering questions/aiding Black creators. In the meantime, I have dedicated my Twitter to boosting and promoting Black voices, and I look forward to doing the same here, too. Black Lives Matter. Black voices matter. Please support. Please donate. Please listen.
2021 UPDATE: I'm leaving this post pinned because it is still so very important, but I do want to make a quick update about query status. Due to volume I have had to close to queries completely for the time being and will not reopen until I've gotten through my entire existing backlog. I am extremely behind on my query queue and have been fully busy with existing clients this year, but I will be responding to every query once I'm able to do so--and, as promised above, I will be giving personalized feedback to queries from Black authors as part of that process.
When I reopen (whenever that may be), it will be to all queries, but I will continue to prioritize and offer feedback for BIPOC authors. I do not intend to ever discontinue this, but I'm just one person, which is why I thank you all for your continued patience! Queries are already very time-consuming, and giving feedback exponentially so.
In the meantime, all other offers listed above remain open. My DMs are open to Black creators and aspiring professionals for any sort of industry question you might want to ask, or to set up a phone or Zoom chat. I do strongly recommend DMing me via Twitter instead of Tumblr if possible, as I'm far more likely to see that in a timely manner!