Updated November 6, 2009
| Michael Larsen – Elizabeth Pomada Literary Agents is Northern California’s oldest literary agency, helping writers launch careers since 1972.Members of the Association of Authors’ Representatives, Elizabeth, who represents commercial and literary fiction plus narrative non-fiction, and Michael, who handles non-fiction, have sold hundreds of books to more than one hundred publishers. They are also the co-founders of the San Francisco Writers Conference and the Writing for Change Conference. Laurie McLean joined the agency in 2005 to represent adult genre fiction and children’s books.This site is full of helpful information for writers. Feel free to browse and enjoy.
Click here to find out about Michael’s new service for nonfiction writers: Larsen Literary Consulting! And click here to learn more about Michael’s new nonfiction book proposal service. From November 1, 2009 to February 1, 2010, Laurie McLean is taking a hiatus from submissions. Please query her after 2/1/10.
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We represent: Fiction Non-Fiction |
We do not represent: |
Submission Guidelines |
Fiction Submission Guidelines
Elizabeth Pomada handles literary and commercial fiction, romance, thrillers, mysteries and mainstream women’s fiction. If you have completed a novel, please mail Elizabeth the first ten pages and synopsis with SASE, mailed flat, not folded. Be sure to include your phone number and email address. You must enclose an SASE with your submission if you expect a response. Do not mail separately, as we cannot mix and match mail. Only international authors can email a submission to Elizabeth as double-spaced 14-point text in the body of your email. Do not email attachments. Elizabeth responds with your SASE approximately eight weeks after receipt. Please note: Elizabeth cannot take the time to read a full manuscript if other agents are reading it. That’s why she asks for complete manuscripts, on an exclusive basis, when she is interested in a project. Always include a 2-page synopsis, SASE and phone number with a requested manuscript. ALL THE DETAILS TO SUBMIT TO ELIZABETH: To receive the best treatment from an agent and editor, your manuscript should look like it’s worth the advance you want for it. Please don’t send disks of any type. Number pages consecutively. Type your manuscript immaculately on 20-pound white bond paper. Avoid erasable bond paper. Use the spellchecker. “Butt two bee ore knot too bee” is spelled correctly! Also proofread your work thoroughly, and get a second proofreader to go over it. Typos can be a fatal flaw. Your printer should be letter-quality and have fresh ink or toner. Use a 12-point serif typeface such as Courier or Times Roman that produces 10 characters to an inch. Limit each page to 25, double-spaced 60-character lines or about 250 words on a page. Do not justify the right margin. At the left margin of the page, half an inch from the top, place your last name/first key word from the title. On the same line, flush right, type the number of the page. Number pages consecutively from 1 to the end of the proposal or manuscript. Use one side of the paper only. Submit material unbound, without paper clips or staples. Submit high-quality copies of text and illustrations. Include your name, your snail and e-mail addresses, and day and evening phone numbers in all correspondence on the title page. Include what you want us to know about you and your work in your one-page cover letter. You may save yourself time and money with a letter query before submitting your material. If you want to do a multiple submission, mention that it’s a multiple submission in a brief cover letter that includes what you want the reader to know about you and your work. If you’ve finished more than one novel, please choose your strongest work and tell us briefly about your other books. Like editors, agents aren’t looking for literary one-night stands. They want writers who can keep turning out books. If you have ideas for other books, very briefly mention up to three of them in your cover letter. Agents and editors cannot assume responsibility for submissions so package your material carefully. For sample material, use a manila envelope or a #5 mailing bag. Enclose another stamped, self-addressed return mailer for its return. Don’t use metered postage which can only be used on the day printed. If you’re sending a complete manuscript, place it in a box and then in a #6 mailing bag along with a stamped, self-addressed return mailer. Six staples will seal a mailing bag effectively; avoid string or tape. If possible, use mailers with peel-and-seal strips. Please don’t use “popcorn.” If you want us to recycle your submission, say so, but enclose a stamped, self-addressed #10 envelope–not a small, personal correspondence envelope–with stamps affixed to the envelope, not loose, to ensure a response. Packages weighing more than a pound must be brought to the post office which may delay their return, another reason to enclose just a #10 SASE. Because we receive a few thousand submissions a year and because we may be away when your submission arrives, please allow eight weeks and mailing time for a response. We read submissions as quickly as we can in the order we receive them. Please don’t call to see if your submission arrived because we don’t keep track of every submission we receive. If you want to be sure, send it registered or with delivery confirmation, use UPS or FedEx, or enclose a self-addressed postage-paid postcard (SASP) ready for us to return to you. Since we can’t mix and match mail, please don’t send follow-up additions to a submission. Many thanks for your patience. Hope we can help! Nonfiction Submission GuidelinesFor nonfiction, please read Michael’s How to Write a Book Proposal book–available through your library or bookstore, and through our website–so you will know exactly what editors need. Then, before you start writing, send him the title and your promotion plan via conventional mail (with SASE) or email. If sent as email, please include the information in the body text of the query letter, not as an attachment. Please allow up to two weeks for a response.Please use conventional mail for all other submissions: your proposal, the first three chapters of a narrative book and a two-page synopsis after the text, or the complete manuscript on an exclusive basis with SASE and phone number. ALL THE DETAILS: To receive the best treatment from an agent and editor, your manuscript should look like it’s worth the advance you want for it. Don’t submit diskettes. Type or print your manuscript immaculately on 20-pound paper. Avoid erasable bond paper. Use the spellchecker. “Butt two bee ore knot too bee” is spelled correctly! So also proofread your work thoroughly and, get a second proofreader to go over it. Typos can be a fatal flaw. Your printer should be letter-quality and have a fresh ink or toner cartridge. Use a 12-point serif typeface such as Courier or Times Roman that produces 10 characters to an inch. Limit each page to 25, double-spaced, 60-character lines or about 250 words on a page. Do not justify the right margin. At the left margin of the page, half an inch from the top, place your last name/first key word from the title. On the same line, flush right, type the number of the page. Number pages consecutively from 1 to the end of the proposal or manuscript. Submit material unbound, without staples, paper clips, or any form of binding. Keep original materials; submit high-quality copies of text and illustrations. Type your name, address, and day and evening phone numbers on the title page. You may save yourself time and money with a phone call or letter query before submitting your material. If you want to do a multiple submission, mention that it’s a multiple submission in a brief covering letter that includes what you want the reader to know about you and your work. Like editors, agents aren’t looking for literary one-night stands. They want writers who can keep turning out books. If you have ideas for other books, mention up to three of them in your covering letter. Agents and editors cannot assume responsibility for submissions so package your material carefully. For a proposal or sample material, use a manila envelope or a #5 mailing bag. Enclose another stamped, self-addressed return mailer for its possible return. Don’t use metered postage which can only be used on the day printed. If you’re sending a complete manuscript, place it in a box and then in a #6 mailing bag along with a stamped, self-addressed return mailer. Six staples will seal a mailing bag effectively; avoid string or tape. If possible, use mailers with peel-and-seal strips. Please use envelopes and mailers with peel-and-seal strips. Please don’t use “popcorn.” If you want us to recycle your submission, say so, but enclose a stamped, self-addressed #10 envelope–not a small, personal correspondence envelope –with stamps affixed to the envelope, not loose, to ensure a response. Packages weighing more than a pound must be brought to the post office which may delay their return, another reason to enclose just a #10 SASE. Because we receive a few thousand submissions a year and because we may be away when your submission arrives, please allow eight weeks and mailing time for a response. We read submissions as quickly as we can in the order we receive them. Please don’t call to see if your submission arrived because we don’t keep track of every submission we receive. If you want to be sure, send it registered or with delivery confirmation, use UPS or FedEx, or enclose a self-addressed postage-paid postcard ready for us to return to you. Since we can’t mix and match mail, please don’t send follow-up additions to a submission. Many thanks for your patience. Hope we can help! How to Contact Us1029 Jones Street |
