Nelson Literary Agency, LLC (Kristin Nelson)

Yes.

she was fast.
i got a request for 30 pages
2 days after my equery. and
a rejection 4 days after that.

quick and not overly painful.

Kristen is not my agent, but I've heard nothing but good things about her. And when I was in Denver last fall I had dinner with her and publicity consultant Bella Stander. Both of them are sharp and to be recommended.

Her blog is great for ideas on what she is looking for in her writers. If only she was looking for a book just like mine.

There's a new announcement about agency policy regarding queries.

Kristin is my agent.

When I was querying I had other offers of representation, all by NYC-based reps. After talking to each one and checking references, I chose Kristin and have never looked back. What you read from her blog is exactly what you get--driven, passionate, hard-working, well-connected, well-respected--and relentlessly nice. (But don't think that she's a push-over, because she tough in the trenches, but she's tough with a smile).


Caromora--did you hear back?

JamieFord said:

Caromora--did you hear back?

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Yep. It was a very nice no, but still a no, alas. She seems like an amazing agent to work with.

I received a partial request nine days after I e-queried, so that is a great response time I think. I adore her blog and it's definitely one I check every day! She sounds super smart and savvy. She seems to really love her work. It would be fantastic to have someone with her enthusiasm as an agent!

That's exciting! How many pages did she request for the partial?

I had dinner with her, author consultant extraordinaire Bella Stander and 2 other authors (our own John Robison and Kim Reid) recently (Kristen is not my agent) and she's as nice as she appears on her blog, but you can just tell she's sharp and can transform into a pit bull when needed.

Good luck!

Got a form rejection within 24 hours of query; excellent agency, amazing response times.

katrina_wooooo said:

That's exciting! How many pages did she request for the partial?

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Thank you! (and I write about vampires, so it's amazing for anyone to give me a second look LOL) She asked for the first 30-35 pages and no synopsis. I had to log into their submissions database and submit electronically instead of sending an email attachment. Great system, IMO.

Wow, you must be stoked! Keep us updated, alright?

katrina, she asks for the first 30 pages.
don't do what i do and include the prologue.
she digs them not.

Ah, too bad she didn't catch the wonderful and amazing subtleties of my juvie fantasy. Some lucky agent will catch on. Maybe. Sometime. I hope.

Submitted a query to her and got a request for the first 30 pages. I am excited and I am letting myself dream big...I know I know...everyone says not to get your hopes up but incase I get rejected I have a box of See's chocolates on standby. So now I am starring at the box of chocolates waiting for the reply.

She's had my full for 7 weeks.

I queried her before and was politely declined. Then I bought some self editing books and completely revised my ms, then sent her an e-mail explaining that I'd revised it and that if it was the story she wasn't interested in, sorry for taking her time, if it was the writing perhaps she'd like to see it again. She requested the pages again.

Haven't heard anything back, been about a week. I think no quick response might be a good thing, but reading her blog she looks busy. Trying not to get my hopes up too much... It's nice that she's looking for fantasy since that's my genre.

Seems like a great agent. Queried her twice, rejected both times. lol. Disappointing but that's life, eh?

Mr. Anonymous said:

Seems like a great agent. Queried her twice, rejected both times. lol. Disappointing but that's life, eh?

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Aint that the truth....lol

She's had my full for 12 weeks. I'll send a polite nudge to Sara after the 4th.

She just had a sweet little deal announced in Publisher's Marketplace, pretty much cementing her on my list of agents to query.

the chocolate is gone

ahh me, rejection.
My box of See's chocolate is gone. I have sent out multiple queries and I am saving each and every rejection. One day they will see their mistake and I am going to remember their names.

LOL, Kaybi, and do what? Ram a See's chocolate toffee up their nose?

Bad idea. Instead, send them air-express to my address.

Anyone wishing to query Ms. Nelson, she makes it pretty clear on her blog that her sales have been mainly in YA, chick lit (though they say that genre is dead), and women's fic. She doesn't want to discuss inspirational fiction at all, and doesn't sound like she'd be heart-thumped on a straight contemporary romance.

My take.

Send the See's and nobody gets hurt.

Chick lit isn't necessarily dead, but it's definitely much harder to sell these days. You've got to have a very unique "hook" to sell chick lit now (i.e., a setting/storyline that absolutely nobody else has done). As an example, my own agent (not Kristin Nelson) is really looking for a "chick lit book about a stripper" right now.

I have corresponded with Kristin myself and she is a class act. One of the best agents out there for women's fiction, hands down.