The Bukowski Agency

[Al Davis]

I am brand new to this forum. I am looking for an agent for my completed manuscript (my first). Has anyone heard of the Bukowski Agency in Toronto, Canada? Any bewares I should know about?

[Chris P]

Welcome to AW, Al! Kudos to you for getting background info before you submit. I could have saved myself TONS of heartache had I done that a few years ago.

Whenever you have a question about an agent, publisher, or magazine, check the index thread or do a search of the BR&BC forum here. If the person doesn't show up (as is the case here), start a new thread using the name of the agency as the thread title. It is helpful to provide a link to the webpage. I'm sure a moderator will be able to help you with this if you have trouble.

All that to say no, I've not dealt with them

[aliceshortcake]

Link: http://www.bukowskiagency.com/

[Chumplet]

I have plans to submit to them -- I have the address sheet & requirements all printed out. I just haven't worked up the nerve yet. They do NOT take email queries and you have to be a resident of Canada to submit.

First 50 pages, brief synopsis and an SASE.

[Al Davis]

Thanks guys. So far I'm still liking this agency. How do I go about checking the "Index Thread"?

[Chris P]

Thanks guys. So far I'm still liking this agency. How do I go about checking the "Index Thread"?

The Index Thread is one of the sticky threads when you click on the "Bewares, Recommendations, and Background Checks" forum. I linked to it in my post above.

I hope you have good results if you query them!

[James D. Macdonald]

INDEX TO AGENTS, PUBLISHERS, AND OTHERS

It's a sticky at the top of this forum. Go there and use your browser's search function to look for particular agents/publishers.

[Al Davis]

Thanks again ... you guys are great!! Bukowski is not listed in the index. Is that a bad thing? I took their list of titles to a major book retailler in Toronto, and most of them were listed there. Many were in stock and on the shelf.

[CaoPaux]

Not being listed only means that no one's asked about them before. They'll be added in the next update.

[Al Davis]

another dumb question ... What's a sticky?

[Chris P]

another dumb question ... What's a sticky?

There are no dumb questions. A "sticky" is a thread that is always at the top of the list of threads within a forum. When you click to come to this (or any forum) the top few threads will say "Sticky: Chris P is awesome" or whatever. The topics come up frequently, so it's easier to have them always at the top.

[Al Davis]

Thanks Chris and Caopaux. I think I'm fairly satisfied that this is a legitimate agency. I guess I'll start preparing a submission.

[Mandel]

They're definitely a legitimate agency. Denise has been in the business for many years in Canada and has signed and represented many well-regarded Canadian literary writers. She has a reputation as a hard-nosed negotiator who works hard to get good deals for her clients. I know she's irked some publishers in the past because of this.

I actually queried her about 12 years back when I'd had a fairly big story publication and she talked to me on the phone, which was quite generous of her. She explained that I'd need more than a few stories to sign with an agent, but was open to me once I had a novel ready to go. (I knew nothing about agenting at that point). The novel ended up being a lot further away than I'd imagined, so I never did approach her again, but it had nothing to do with her reputation.

She mainly (perhaps only) represents Canadian literary authors in fiction and nonfiction. One last thing - I've been involved in writing education for some time and I remember one of her clients told me once that Denise had wanted all requests for her time (reading, teaching etc) to go through her, and would have refused anything that was too low paying (which my program was at the time). So she had to make it clear to Denise that she'd be in charge of that part of her career. So definitely a tough cookie who fights for her authors, which is what you'd want in an agent.

[merlot143]

I am brand new to this forum. I am looking for an agent for my completed manuscript (my first). Has anyone heard of the Bukowski Agency in Toronto, Canada? Any bewares I should know about?

According to her website, she sees fiction only by referral. Open to non-fiction.