From Agnes Birnbaum
The following is from Agnes Birnbaum, of Bleecker Street Associates. (Please note: she is not my agent, but she is a very cordial person; I'm happy to post this for her. I didn't change a thing; the following is from her email to me today, verbatim, and with her permission.)
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I am Agnes Birnbaum of Bleecker Street Associates. In view of various comments about this agency and about me from people at Absolute Writer, I believe it very worthwhile to learn that....
Bleecker has been in business since 1984, with a pristine record. We belong to AAR, the Association of Author Representatives, the national agents group that requires its members to follow a strict code of ethics---among other things, never charge a reading fee. AAR is much respected by publishing professionals; please check its web site.
Before I became an agent, I was senior editor at S&S/Pocket Books, Dutton/Signet, Dell; also, editor-in-chief of Award Books, a house acquired by Putnam. As a former editor, I am in excellent position to provide editorial input to clients.
The agency has a particularly good track record with first time authors. Sara Shandler's OPHELIA SPEAKS (Harper) spent five months on The N.Y.Times' bestseller list. Kim Wong Keltner's THE DIM SUM OF ALL THINGS (Avon) was on the San Francisco Chronicle list. Andrew Mishkin's SOJOURNER (Berkley hardcover and trade paperback) hit the L.A. Times list. And David Grafton's THE SISTERS (Random House) appeared on the Chicago Tribune bestseller list.
As for client relationships, I'm including Acknowledgments from a sampling of Bleecker books:
From The N.Y. Times' bestselling Sara Shandler: "Agnes Birnbaum, my incredible agent at Bleecker Street Associates, nurtured my proposal and launched it into the publishing world. I am grateful for her sweetness, her ability to play hardball, and her thoughtfulness."
From Simon and Schuster's STORM ON THE HORIZON by David Morris: "I wish to express my sincerest gratitude to my literary agent, the estimable Agnes Birnbaum of Bleecker Street, whose wise counsel has been beyond measure."
From McGraw-Hill's THE BLOODSTAINED SEA by Michael Waller: "Without the great good fortune of finding Agnes Birnbaum of Bleecker Street Associates, the work would not have made it to publication. Her faith and mentoring has been and still is invaluable to me. She is a literary agent beyond compare."
From Kensington's hardcover title, THE FACE BEHIND THE VEIL by Pulitzer Prize winner Donna Gehrke-White: "This book simply would not exist without my agent, Agnes Birnbaum. Everyone should have an Agnes in their lives. Thanks, Agnes, for always inspiring me."
From Dell's THE WOMEN'S PHARMACY by Julie Catalano: "Many thanks to Agnes Birnbaum, the most patient, understanding and persevering literary agent in the world. Without her, this book would not exist."
There are many more but I believe the point has been made. Please note that all of the above (with the exception of Sara Shandler -- recommended by another Bleecker client -- but including every writer whose work hit major bestseller lists) came to us via unsolicited query.
Bleecker receives over a hundred unsolicited (I.e unrequested) submissions by regular mail each week. As a time-saver, we use a pre-printed form letter to respond when there is any interest, although the letter is personalized. We've used the form for over 10 years with never a complaint. Like many agents, we do not accept submissions, including queries, by e-mail; even so, about forty of these show up weekly. Otherwise we function via 21st century technology.