Updated September 4, 2011
| The John Talbot Agency, Inc.
At the Talbot Fortune Agency our authors receive full-service literary representation and long-term career management advice delivered with passion and savvy. Agents John Talbot and Gail Fortune are former book editors with over two decades apiece in commercial book publishing. Likewise our rights director Eileen Laverty licensed audio, first serial, and translation rights for over a decade at top publishing houses before coming to our agency full-time. Our collective advice is based on years of real-world experience with major publishers and our contacts are excellent. We have taken first-time novelists onto the bestseller lists and we have coached established authors into some of their most meaningful and successful books. Our clients’ books are balanced evenly between fiction and nonfiction, and include a wide range of genres. We have represented several New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, a National Book Award Finalist, a National Book Critics Circle Award Nominee, and a New England Book Award winner. My goal is to ignite a passion for my clients’ work, then secure for them the kinds of deals that will sustain successful, long-term careers. – John Talbot Every day I hope to find great new voices, writing that jumps off the page and stories that linger long after I finish reading. – Gail Fortune Working from separate but nearby offices in New York’s Westchester County, John and Gail each run a division of the company that reflects their personal vision. We work with aspiring authors as well as established professionals, and encourage all who might be interested in our services to get in touch with us via the contacts page
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CATEGORIES WE REPRESENT (if you’re not sure, please do go ahead and send us a query!): NONFICTION: The agency represents authors of narrative nonfiction across a wide range of categories, including but not limited to history, immersive journalism, and current events. FICTION: In fiction we represent romance and women’s fiction, thrillers and mysteries, and literary fiction.
WHAT WE DON’T HANDLE: We don’t normally handle children’s books, westerns, science fiction, fantasy, poetry, or screenplays.
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Submission Guidelines |
| PLEASE QUERY VIA EMAIL using the email address on the bottom of this page. Be sure to include the word "query" in the subject line, and specify whether the query is addressed to John Talbot or Gail Fortune. Below your query letter PLEASE PASTE IN THE FIRST FIVE PAGES of your manuscript (but do not attach those pages as a separate file). While queries are important, sample text is the best way for us to get to know your writing and to evaluate your work.TIPS & REMINDERS: If you have been referred by someone please note this by including the word "referral" in the subject line of your email. Please remember to include your daytime phone number and return email address as well as your physical mailing address. Also remember to include the title of your book and the approximate word count. Note any previous publications you have had, plus any relevant writing experience.
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE SINCERELY APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS TO CONTACT US, AND WE WILL ENDEAVOR TO RESPOND TO EVERY QUERY WE RECEIVE. IF WE REQUEST YOUR MATERIAL: Please send proposals, partials, or complete manuscripts as email file attachments in Microsoft Word to the return address of the email you receive. We do acknowledge receipt of proposal and manuscript submissions, so if you don’t hear from us within a few days please do send a follow-up email (without attachments) to confirm receipt. Thank you and good luck. Happy writing! John Talbot and Gail Fortune The Talbot Fortune Agency, LLC |
