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Van Haitsma Literary (Sally Van Haitsma)

surviva316

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I don't see much around here about Van Haitsma Literary, and there isn't much on Preditors and Editors. According to her book list, she's had authors published with some of the big boys (Random House, Penguin, Simon & Shuster, HarperCollins, etc), some published with indie presses I like (Soft Skull, Unbridled), and then several as "eBook originals."

She says she represents commercial and literary, but not genre. I take that to mean the old "literary and quality commercial fiction."

Anyway, that seems like plenty to send a query off to her, but since the agency's only been around since 2010 and I haven't found 3rd-party yay or nays on the agent, I thought it was worth a Background Check.
 

VonAngel

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The agency may have been around only since 2010, but it looks like she's been agenting for quite some time. According to an interview she did with Chuck Sambuchino, she "apprenticed at Sandra Dijkstra’s agency and caught the bug to become a literary agent. Julie Castiglia offered [her] this opportunity, and [she] agented for her [for] six years before launching [her] own agency in March 2010."

As for what she represents and what she means by "literary and commercial fiction but no genre", "I definitely look for upmarket fiction that has book club potential. Michael Zadoorian’s The Leisure Seeker is an example of a work that bridges literary and commercial fiction. At its core, it’s a classic American road trip and love story with a nod to Raymond Carver. That it just so happens to broach end-of-life questions (the main characters are in their 80s) makes it all the more book club worthy." As the OP stated, Ms. van Haitsma doesn't represent genre fection, but she also doesn't represent YA or children's fiction.

http://www.writersdigest.com/editor...ice-sally-van-haitsma-of-van-haitsma-literary
 

CaoPaux

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Closed to queries in '15. No activity after '16. Anyone have recent contact?