Submissions

The August Agency is always on the hunt for exceptional writers to represent. We have many ways of finding our clients, primarily through meeting writers at conferences or by referral. Only rarely do we accept unsolicited queries occasionally through our Submission Form found below.

We welcome submissions of:

mainstream fiction

creative nonfiction

narrative nonfiction

memoir

history

biography

business

crime fiction and true crime, including historicals

popular culture, arts, & entertainment

media/current events (seasoned journalists receive special favor here)

political & social sciences

fiction & nonfiction with an international flavor

We favor persuasive and prescriptive works, each with a full-bodied narrative command and an undeniable contemporary relevance.

We have never accepted submissions of:

screenplays

children's books, young adult

genre fiction, romance, horror, westerns, fantasy, or sci-fi

poetry

short story collections

self-published or already published works

projects by blowhards, bigots, bitches*, or bastards*

*Female canines (so long as they can write well) and children born out of wedlock (so long as they can write well) are not excluded from submitting. (Yes, we have a sense of humor, and a low tolerance for unnecessarily difficult people.)

Our staff is made up of highly selective, seasoned publishing professionals who will give serious consideration to original, creative, and quality manuscripts from extraordinary writers.

We do not charge a reading fee.

PRIOR TO SUBMITTING

If you want to be an ordinary writer, write an ordinary book. But if you want to be an extraordinary author, be prepared to go the extra mile. Be sure you have:

completed your novel and prepared a comprehensive submission package or produced a comprehensive nonfiction book proposal with sample chapters

achieved publishing credits

written a snappy bio accompanied by a dynamic author photo

written a synopsis to sum up your book

identified your target audience

planned your author-driven promotion

read numerous books on writing craft and how to prepare your work for submission

kept yourself current with publishing news through social media and by reading newsletters & blogs

established your platform and can show how you are connected to your target audience

attended writers schools, conferences, workshops, or retreats

vetted your work using peers, a critique group, and/or an independent editor

established your website, exclusive to your writing work

established a working knowledge of social media

Upon review of your query, if we wish to see more we will request it. Understand, however, at that time you will be in the deep end of the publishing ocean and are expected to be able to swim on your own. We expect to be working with a confident professional who can produce the professional-level materials and information necessary for us to do our job effectively, such as emails, proposals, manuscripts, photos, submission packages, etc. Our agency services, paid from publisher advances: representing your interests as your literary agent, marketing your work to publishers, negotiating publishing agreements, processing royalties, and handling related financial and contractual paperwork.

WE ARE CURRENTLY

CLOSED

TO OVER-THE-TRANSOM SUBMISSIONS

We will always accept queries by referral or

by request at a writers conference.

Submissions