We now only accept queries via email.  Please send all queries to submissions@wsherman.com. See below for instructions.

We strongly discourage phone calls and fax queries.

E-Mail

Please send all e-mail submissions to submissions@wsherman.com.  We ask that you include your last name, title, and the name of the agent you are submitting to in the subject line.  For fiction, please include a query letter and your first 10 pages copied and pasted in the body of the email.  We will not open attachments unless they have been requested.  For non-fiction, please include your query letter and author bio.

Due to the large number of e-mail submissions that we receive, we can only reply to e-mail queries in the affirmative.  We respectfully ask that you do not send queries to our individual e-mail addresses, and any that we receive will be deleted unread. 

Guidelines for your query:  
 
DO:

  • Write a fabulous query letter
  • Tell us why you chose our agency
  • Tell us why this book has an audience, and why you're the one to write it
  • Include information about your credentials to write this book, publications and prizes, awards, and conferences
  • Know the competition and describe those titles
  • Tell us which well-known writer's work yours most clearly compares to
  • Keep your letter under two pages
  • You can include a double-spaced table of contents and overview (non-fiction)
  • You can include a double spaced 1st chapter (fiction)
  • Tell us if you are submitting to more than one agency
  • Always include a SASE for snail mail queries
  • Please be sure to provide us with your email, phone number, and address.
  • Read the books on how to find an agent - there are several. There is much valuable information that will help you throughout this process.

DON'T

  • Refer me to your website for a reading sample.
  • Tell me about all the agents who have turned you down
  • Call to see if we received the material
  • Send me a query for something I turned down before (even if you rewrote it)
  • Tell me about several books I can choose from. Pick one!
  • Send anything that is single-spaced or in type less than 12 pt.
  • E-mail to our personal addresses.  We no longer accept e-mail queries to these accounts.  Please use submissions@wsherman.com.
  • Fax. We do not accept fax queries
  • Drop it off in person

The bottom line is: do your homework. Be as well prepared as possible. Read the books that will help you present yourself and your work with polish. You want your submission to stand out.

Thanks for your interest in our agency. We wish you all the best!