frequently asked questions

1. Who is Writers Representatives, LLC?
2. What does Writers Reps do?
3. What do you mean by "trade books"?
4. Who have you sold to?
5. Do you have a specialty?
6. Do you represent original screenplays?
7. Why not?
8. Do you accept queries?
9. Do you charge fees to read manuscripts or proposals?
10. What should I send you?
11. Do you review manuscripts sent by U.S. Mail or other physical delivery for over-the-transom submission?
12. How long does it take for you to respond to over-the-transom submissions?
13. Can I call to ask for a status report on whether my material has been read and what you thought about it?
14. Why did you reject my book proposal?
15. Why won't you give me feedback on what I should do to improve my writing or how to construct a proposal?
16. I am going to be in New York. May we schedule a meeting?
17. Will you send me back my physical manuscript if you are not interested?
18. What if I have submitted or am simultaneously submitting my material to other agents or publishers?
19. What are your commissions?
20. On what legal basis do you represent a work and what is the extent of your agency?
21. What expenses am I responsible for?
22. How can I reach you?

1. Who is Writers Representatives, LLC?
   We are a literary agency founded in 1985 by Lynn Chu and Glen Hartley. Glen Hartley's wide experience in book publishing includes top marketing and publisher positions at The University of Chicago Press, Cornell University Press, Simon & Schuster, and Harper & Row (now HarperCollins). Lynn Chu holds a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and is a member of the New York State Bar and of the Bar of the Southern District of New York. Together we provide high-caliber literary representation for writers of nonfiction and fiction. We have sold works to every major, and numerous minor, book and periodical publishers and film companies around the world.
2. What does Writers Reps do?
   We represent authors of trade books and articles in the licensing of rights in all media to appropriate publishers (and other sorts of copyright licensees) on the best possible terms.
3. What do you mean by "trade books"?
   Trade books are books sold in retail bookstores (and, these days, internet bookstores) to ordinary readers — the general reading public who read for pleasure.

   Technically, trade books are books sold at publisher's "trade discounts," (i.e., sold at retail discounts from the books list price), in contrast to "short discount" books (ie, books printed in very small quantities, at very low to no discount from list price). Short discount books are usually books published by university presses or other small specialized presses, often nonprofit, which the publisher expects to sell in relatively low numbers to dedicated target audiences. E-books are obviously up and coming.

4. Who have you sold to?
   We have licensed nearly every conceivable type of right in copyrights and trademarks and contracted for most kinds of client services, to all major publishers in the U.S. and abroad, to many small presses, to film, play, and television producers, to periodicals, audio houses, e-book publishers, book clubs, merchandisers, websites, corporations, non-profits — in short, to every sort of buyer of copyrights, trademarks, or of writing, editing, speaking, performance, and translation services. Our legal background and long industry experience gives us unique ability to manage our clients’ rights and interests properly in light of the rapidly changing market.
5. Do you have a specialty?
   We are best known for serious or literary non-fiction and fiction: books, articles, and, major poetry. While we are open to non-literary or non-"serious" genres like self-help, humor, reference, mysteries, thrillers, and cookbooks, our tastes usually run to high-quality or literary writing, and to history, literature, politics, economics and business or personal finance, law, science, criticism, philosophy, memoir, biography and current affairs (where the aspiration may be more scholarly or polemical than literary). We generally will not consider science fiction or children’s or young adult fiction unless it aspires to serious literature.
6. Do you represent original screenplays?
   No.
7. Why not?
   We're book people dedicated to reading over watching. Screenwriting is a very different art.
8. Do you accept queries?
   No. However, you are still free to write us a coherent letter or email or send your material and CV (see 10. below). Queries with rambling plot summaries are generally deleted as spam.
9. Do you charge fees to read manuscripts or proposals?
   No, we do not. As a result, we cannot promise to read whatever you might send. It may take a while for your material to rise to the top of the transom heap for review.
10. What should I send you?
    You need to send: (i) your manuscript, (ii) your full CV (a curriculum vitae or professional resume), (iii) a complete list of citations of all previously published works (indicating publisher, date, edition or publication type, and, as relevant, sales, hits or uniques, and links to any articles online), and (iv) a full Table of Contents. Feel free to send a so-called "book proposal" or "outline" if you feel it summarizes usefully. What matters is what you have written, not a description of what you intend to write.
11. Do you review manuscripts sent by U.S. Mail or other physical delivery for over-the-transom submission?
    No, not unless we have otherwise agreed. If we have, then you must enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope or prepaid FedEx or other delivery service packet that is large enough to accommodate return; otherwise, the material will be thrown out the moment we determine that we are not interested.
12. How long does it take for you to respond to over-the-transom submissions?
    We may not respond, in which case, after two months, you can assume that we are not interested. If we are, someone will call or write. Understand that you are always free to send your work to whomever you like.
13. Can I call to ask for a status report on whether my material has been read and what you thought about it?
    Please don’t. Of course, if you are known to us, or there is some reason to think we have overlooked your communication — always of course possible in these days of evanescent email — feel free. But, tracking down over-the-transom material tends to be impossible over the phone. Usually, if we have any interest in representing you or your work, we will call or write.
14. Why did you reject my book proposal?
    The agency is small and highly selective. Because we give intensive, personalized, sophisticated services to our existing clients, we must be careful of what we take on.
15. Why won't you give me feedback on what I should do to improve my writing or how to construct a proposal?
    We only have time to advise our clients, not authors of over-the-transom material whom we have not yet agreed to represent. Like doctors, lawyers, carpenters, and plumbers, our advice and counsel has professional value which we render on a professional basis.
16. I am going to be in New York. May we schedule a meeting?
    Again, unless we are already familiar with your work and have asked to represent you, please do not call and ask to come in to the office to meet us. After we have asked to represent you and expressed interest in your work would be the appropriate time to ask to meet.
17. Will you send me back my physical manuscript if you are not interested?
    We will, but only if you have sent your material with prepaid postage and packaging large enough to accommodate return per 11. above. If you haven’t, the material is thrown away on review and rejection. Please do not call to ask us to search for your material and send it back. We also do not accept checks for U.S. postage sent with submissions — checks for postage are thrown out with rejected material.

    This is standard agency policy because tracking and mailing back rejected materials is too onerous an administrative task to do without charge. We will return your materials only if you make it easy for us to do so at the same time the manuscript is reviewed.

18. What if I have submitted or am simultaneously submitting my material to other agents or publishers?
    You must advise us on submission if a project has been sent to another agent or agents, so that we can decide if we want to spend the time and energy to review it. We may not. It depends on our schedule at that particular time, and our interest.

    You must also tell us if your project, in any form, has been previously submitted to publishers and what their response was, precisely. In general, we will not represent any work which has been previously marketed to publishers in any form whatever.

19. What are your commissions?
    Our commission is 15% of all proceeds of a work we represent including all subsidiary rights.

    If we negotiate screenwriting or other consulting services agreements for you, our commission is 10%.

    Co-agents are sometimes used to effectuate subsidiary rights sales in specialized markets. Their commissions are in addition to the agency's and are usually 10%.

20. On what legal basis do you represent a work and what is the extent of your agency?
    We only agree to represent works on an exclusive basis and as to all rights in the work. This is known as "an agency with an interest" in the work. If we undertake to represent you, we do so on the basis that that the agency is to be your sole and exclusive agent for sales, licenses, or other forms of disposition ("sales") of the project and any project that may be derived from it, such as rights retained for the author from the initial sale; that our interest in the work upon undertaking to represent it is irrevocable and non-terminable; and that the agency is entitled to receive all proceeds from its sale and to deduct its commissions and expenses before any balances are remitted to the author. Exclusivity means an author may not submit a work the agent has agreed to represent to another agent or make an independent deal omitting the agent. Potential buyers approaching the author directly should always be referred to the agent. After the agency undertakes to sell a project, we would have the right to receive all proceeds from any sale, and to commission it, regardless of who contacted whom, or who made the final sale. The agency has the exclusive right to appoint co-agents for the sale of subsidiary rights.
21. What expenses am I responsible for?
    We may charge clients the costs of out-of-house photocopying or for buying books or galleys for manuscript or proposal submissions, messengers, long-distance telephone and long-distance courier services such as FedEx. Any other expenses must be approved by the author. We do our best to minimize all expenses.
22. How can I reach you?
    Visit our contact us page.

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