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Helen Heller Agency, Inc.

Belle_91

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I tried to query Sarah Heller but it said that the email was invalid...did anyone else have this problem??
 

kayreno

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Hello History gal
I sent my query to the email address info (at) helenhelleragency (dot) com
I addressed it to Helen but it was Sarah that responded and requested a partial.
That was on 07/22/09 and I haven't heard anything back on the partial yet, but I know the query went through hope that helps!
 

rathhaven

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I just noticed I didn't hear back from a partial to Sarah in April. (Don't usually miss things for that long...I relocated a family of 6 across the country) On QT it seems no one has had responses to submissions to her. I sent the pages over again today (works out well for me, I got some feedback from other agents and did some revisions) Has anyone ever actually gotten a response from a submission to her? Looks like Helen isn't taking any submissions. Possibly they've been in transition?
 

katpaws

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Hi rathhaven. I never heard back from Sarah on my June partial despite multiple follow-ups. I'm not sure what to think. I've written it off as a no-reponse in my log, but it's always disheartening to mark something more substantial, like a partial or full, off without a word. Oh well.
 

illiterwrite

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I had a long chat (argument) with Helen the other day about her query process. I thought I would post the gist here for anyone querying.

She reads queries as they come in. She gets 60+ a day. If she is interested, she will respond immediately. If she is not interested, she simply will not respond.

If you send in a query & don't hear within a week, assume the answer is no.

(I don't know how it works with partials. I would like to think she'd respond to those, but if you have sent multiple follow-ups without response, assume the answer is -- again -- no.)

She is very specific about what she likes in query letters, and it is generally not the format you find in "how to write query letter" articles. She wants to see that you can write a good query, telling her how you found her, a bit about yourself, and a bit about the novel in question. She does not want "hooks" or rhetorical questions.

I really don't know how I landed her as an agent. She must not have been so picky 10 years ago. ;)
 

Roly

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Does Sarah have the same policy or is that the agency's general policy? A no response on a partial would totally be heartbreaking...but I guess that's just the way it works. It's a cruel business man.
 

simplyaven

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Hellen rejected me quite soon after I quieried her, may be a week or two, she stated she is not taking any fiction presently except if it's really amazing. Mine is not in this category anyways. :))
 

Roly

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I'm confused about something: "please write or email us a query including a brief synopsis of your project, and relevant credentials if applicable."

Does this mean they want the query AND a synopsis (as in THE synopsis) or are they just saying that the query should have a brief synopsis of the plot (the pitch part) and then a bit about your credentials. So am I sending two documents or just the query here?
 

Vandal

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I'm confused about something: "please write or email us a query including a brief synopsis of your project, and relevant credentials if applicable."

Does this mean they want the query AND a synopsis (as in THE synopsis) or are they just saying that the query should have a brief synopsis of the plot (the pitch part) and then a bit about your credentials. So am I sending two documents or just the query here?


I'm pretty sure it means just the query. At least, that's all I sent in and it nabbed me a partial request.
 

simplyaven

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In most cases it means the query which explains your book in just two paragraphs + a synopsis which explains far more than that. Synopsis is not the short reference in the query, even if it's requested as "brief synopsis" it should go longer - about a page. In all cases when I've seen these instructions, it's been as I described it above and I wrote a separate synopsis which is about two pages long to send along with the query. I sent the same combo to Hellen too but in her case it was in the query and it just made the query longer. I think the synopsis ran for about three paragraphs. At the end of the day, it will be the book not the technics she will like/dislike though. :)
 
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illiterwrite

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She just wants a query letter with a very brief paragraph about your book. She does not want a complete synopsis.


I don't know about Sarah but would assume her policy is the same.
 

Krista G.

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Quered Sarah Heller 11/19 after one of her clients recommended my manuscript to her
Full request received 11/19

YA science fiction
 

AngelaA

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Wow - great news Krista - Sarah is my agent and she's totally awesome! That's how I got in with her too - queried after a recommendation.

Good luck!
 

Krista G.

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Quered Sarah Heller 11/19/2010
Full request received 11/19/2010
Revised full sent 1/18/2011 (I e-mailed to see if she'd be interested in a revision I had just finished, and she got back to me the same day asking me to send it)
Revision request received 3/2/2011

YA science fiction

She had some nice things to say about the manuscript and wondered if I'd be interested in revising. When I mentioned I was already working on a revision for a couple of other agents and gave her a summary of the changes I planned to make, she asked to see the revision, too.
 

Krista G.

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Just wanted to let everybody know Sarah Heller will be answering questions on my blog this Monday, May 9. If you have a question for Ms. Heller, we'd love to see you there!

I'll be back that morning to post a direct link.
 

Anna L.

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I queried Sarah on March 21 and received a partial request the same day. No news since. I'll update if I hear back, but I see others here never got an answer so I might not either. We shall see.
 

Kmarshall

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I queried after the interview. She said she was open to my story. Haven't heard back.
 

henry_krinkle

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Hi all,

This is my first post on this board and I owe it all to this thread! I know this is old but has anyone had any recent dealings with the Helen Heller Agency? I am interested in contacting them.

illiterwrite, are you still represented by them? If so, how are things going?
 

Anna L.

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I've had a partial with Sarah since March 2011 but I never got an answer. I wrote it off a long time ago. I sent a query for my new novel this year, no answer either.