Lucinda Literary / Lucinda Blumenfeld Literary Consulting

I wonder if they're aware their Representation page is 404-ing.

ETA: At least for me it is.

The representation page seems to be working for me. I notice they never seem to say what all this "branding" and "marketing" is going to cost you. And why, exactly, would you need it?

We work with authors as strategists and partners with your larger profile in view.

Lucinda Literary offers a comprehensive service that includes:

- national print, online, and television publicity
- social media consulting, online marketing, blog outreach
- speaking and events
- author websites and advertising

Our objective is to execute the most creative and effective marketing program that builds your audience throughout a multi-book career.

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Publicity? I'd hope my publisher would have a handle on that. Social media consulting, online marketing and blog outreach? I really don't need a media coach and I'd hope my publisher would be working on online marketing as well as getting ARCs to major review blogs. As for online marketing, I looked at their Twitter feed. Oof. Speaking and events? Once again, isn't that something your publisher would normally shove you towards? Author websites and advertising? If I felt a deep, passionate need for a website, I can code my own, thanks.

As for representation, neither Lucinda Literary nor Lucinda Blumenfeld show up on P&E. Neither the agency nor Ms. Blumenfeld show up on QueryTracker. Ms. Blumenfeld and "Lucinda Blumenfield Literary Consulting" (the site link goes to Lucinda Literary so I'm assuming it's an earlier incarnation) show up on AgentQuery where it states she is not a member of AAR and that the agency is closed to queries.

ETA: I misspelled Ms. Blumenfeld's name for which I sincerely apologize. It's fixed now.

ETA #2: Ms. Blumenfeld didn't show up on QueryTracker, but I did get a QT hit via Google--it might be because they also have her listed as closed to queries. http://www.querytracker.net/agent.php?agent=2809 A comment posted there states that she was with Fletcher and Company, apparently leaving that agency sometime in 2011 or thereabouts.

ETA #3: Ms. Blumenfeld *does* have a listing on P&E. How I missed it, I don't know, but my apologies. Maybe more sleep would help. In any case, it's listed under Lucinda Blumenfeld Literary Consulting (LBLC). P&E describes it as, "Lucinda Blumenfeld Literary Consulting (LBLC): "An editorial and marketing firm for writers and authors."

I saw this thread back when it was first started and checked out their site. Can't give you a solid reason why, but I had alarm bells going off in my head as I scrolled through it.

Something just didn't feel right to me so I decided to pass on querying them for now.

I agree, PRDavid. I get the impression that they offer representation and marketing/media coaching/website building as separate things. The site isn't terribly clear. If they're offering the other things as "value added" to representation, fine, but if it's a separate fee-charging part of the agency, that just doesn't feel right. Nor does it seem terribly useful to me, but then I'm a reclusive curmudgeon on the topic.

ETA: In case the AgentQuery information was out-of-date, I checked the member directory on the AAR website. Ms. Blumenfeld is not listed as a member.

Lucinda and Lucinda Lit followed me on twitter yesterday. Is there anything new about this agency out there. The quantity of "services" offered on the website gives me pause.

The people involved have genuine publishing industry experience, so that's one thing in their favor. (Not an endorsement; just an observation.)

- Victoria

Thanks for looking, Victoria. I'm such a small fish that it always surprises me when I get followed by a literary agency.

I got a #pitmad favorite from their literary assistant today. I'm not sure if I want to follow through on it.

I ended up sending the requested information to test the waters and I got a response today.

They rejected me due to the fact they're pulling away from commercial fiction to "sharpen their focus" on nonfiction. Then, I was informed that my manuscript was "right up the alley" of James Frey's Full Fathom Five Digital and if I sent my full they would forward it to their editor. Anything that has Frey's name attached to it has me turning the other way. And then there was this sentence - "I must note that their publishing model does not provide an advance, and the royalties would be split on a 50/50 scale between the author and publisher."

So, I won't be pursuing this any further but I wanted to share this information and let you do with it as you wish.

Anything new on this? I notice On PM that they now have 37 sales, some six figure.

Queried Roseanne Wells with MG fantasy: 8/2/22
Rejection: 9/2/22

I am unclear if this is a legit agency. There were all kinds of market-y salesmany things on their website, the submission form was weird (have to check a box for challenges you are having, even if you just want to query), and they seem to be selling some kind of a service. I'm now getting a bunch of emails. Seems sketch to me.

Someone with more industry experience please comment but I'm getting bad vibes from them. They are offering a $400 USD course on how to get an agent. They're also selling a $150 monthly Q&A session with their agents. My money-flows-to-the-author alarms are going off. Looks like they have legit sales to legit publishers so what do I know.

jonxihama said:

Someone with more industry experience please comment but I'm getting bad vibes from them. They are offering a $400 USD course on how to get an agent. They're also selling a $150 monthly Q&A session with their agents. My money-flows-to-the-author alarms are going off. Looks like they have legit sales to legit publishers so what do I know.

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Yeah I kind of want to withdraw the query I sent.

Just got an email from this agency whereby Lucinda announces that her new book on how to get an agent is coming out. And then she says, "Let’s be clear, I haven’t published anything successfully yet! . . . I have the most incredible team at Lucinda Literary behind this; but I don’t have the same resources that several of the authors I work with will invest. Will success still be possible? And how will I define that?"

I'm not at all clear what this is about.

Is she an agent, or a struggling writer?

Or maybe a scam of someone pretending to be the real agent?

Mighty peculiar.

railroad said:

I don’t have the same resources that several of the authors I work with will invest. Will success still be possible? And how will I define that?"

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I am suspicious of the whole 'resources - authors - invest' combination. All in one sentence.

Unimportant said:

Sounds scammy as all heck to me. Or, as is happening elsewhere, somebody is pretending to be them.

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Except that their website shows similarly sketchy behavior.