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Fairbank Literary Representation

Qugrainne

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Advice please. Received a response to my query to Fairbank Literary. Can anyone tell me about experiences with them? They laid out in detail exactly what they want from me, and their published list looks fabulous. Being a "newbie" all the way around, I would like any info available. Thanks!
 
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Rashenbo

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It does look like they've got quality, frequent activity for a number of clients... at least from what you can see on their site. (that always has to be balanced - some folks make some real whoppers on their sites that aren't real)... I didn't see them on any "beware" lists from a cursory search. But I've not had any personal experience with them or heard of them before (no surrise - my genre is not something they work with).

I wish you luck and congratulations on the potential deal!
 

JennaGlatzer

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Agreed. I have no direct experience with them, but just wanted to say congrats on the bite, and good luck! Their sales look solid.
 

nygirl

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I'll also join the request for personal experiences with Fairbank Literary. I know about the agency's reputation and I know who its authors are. Its requirements are really time-consuming and I'd like to hear from someone who fulfilled them--and lived to tell the story. Thanks!
 

nygirl

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No one? Could it be that every writer who tried to fulfill their incredibly-demanding requirements died in the attempt? Oh, my, now I'm scared...
 

SarahinOhio

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hi nygirl,

I just got a snail mail rejection on a partial yesterday. It bummed me out more than usual because of those stringent requirements--I hadn't outlined my novel for anyone else, so it took quite a bit of extra time. To their credit, it was a very nice form rejection that even apologized for putting a black mark on my new year, and went on to reiterate that they're accepting very few new works of fiction (mine is a literary fiction piece).

I still say Ms. Fairbank is a very professional, if exacting, agent, and I wish you better luck than I had in securing her representation!
 

O hAnnrachainn

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Got the same rejection a day ago, with the additional note that my writing style was disjointed. A slight variation on the form rejection theme, but it's still no.
 

nygirl

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Ughh. Sorry you got rejected, especially after making all that extra effort. That sucksand it's exactly what I'm worried about. I'm having a really hard time fulfilling their requirements. If I get rejected after devoting a not inconsiderable amount of time trying to do what they want, I'm going to be very disappointed. I'm wondering whether it's worth it... Anyway, I wish both of you luck finding an agent.
 
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gettingby

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Fairbank Literary

Any one know anything about Fairbank Literary. I know it is on the small side, but if anyone has worked with them, it would be great to hear about it. Thanks.
 

gettingby

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I am so sorry that I posted this without doing an AW search. I just noticed that the place was talked about last year on AW. If anyone has anything new to add, I would love to hear it.
 

Careann

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For what it's worth, I had an interview with her at a conference in the fall of 2008. She requested a partial but then never bothered to respond with a yes or a no. I took that as a no, but in this age of easy communication I would have expected the courtesy of a brief reply.
 

Qugrainne

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agents in general

Like people in general, there are some polite ones and some not so polite ones. I have sent a couple partials out and not had a response. All part of the game, I guess.
Good luck with your work!
 

Giant Baby

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Sorche's pretty approachable- you might want to inquire. Things do get lost in the shuffle sometimes. I wouldn't let a partial go down without asking!

For what it's worth, I had an interview with her at a conference in the fall of 2008. She requested a partial but then never bothered to respond with a yes or a no. I took that as a no, but in this age of easy communication I would have expected the courtesy of a brief reply.
 

Peachnuts

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I jsut sent her a partial too. I did not enclose a SASE... was I supposed to?
It was not listed in her stringent list of must sends, so I just missed it.
How other way would she reply?
How long did it take to get a reply?
 

Giant Baby

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Actually, she likes to know the writer's preferred manner of response (SASE or by email). It's something she includes in a query workshop she periodically leads at Grub Street. I'm sure she'd be cool with it if you shot her a quick email letting her know you forgot to include SASE with the partial and ask whether she'd like you to send one along or to reply by email.

I sent her a partial with SASE for response only, but we ended up talking about my book in person at a conference instead. A little while later a package arrived with my partial, covered in notes she'd jotted while reading, and she ate the additional postage herself.
 

sciri

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Wow, this thread is old.... anyways... HELP! How do I do a chapter outline??? How long, how many pages?? Has anybody else been requested a chapter outline as opposed to a synopsis?
 

mtrenteseau

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Wow, this thread is old.... anyways... HELP! How do I do a chapter outline??? How long, how many pages?? Has anybody else been requested a chapter outline as opposed to a synopsis?

It looks like their expectations have changed, perhaps? This is on their web site today:

Requirements for query submissions are very specific in the publishing industry, with only modest variation from agent to agent. [SIZE=-1]If you are unfamiliar with query writing, please take time to research the subject through the many excellent websites and reference books available before submitting to us or other agents.

[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]Queries to Fairbank Literary Representation may be sent by either snail mail or email. Your submission should consist of a one page query letter introducing and briefly synopsizing your work. You may include a short sample chapter if [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]querying by snail mail, [/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]but no full manuscripts will be accepted without our request. Include a SASE for any materials to be returned to you; otherwise we will discard them. If querying by e-mail, please note that we do not open email attachments.

[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]If your work is much more than 100,000 words and you are an unpublished author, it is probably too long.

[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]Due to the large volume of material we receive, it may take four to six weeks for us to respond to your query.

We do not charge reading or editing fees, ever.
[/SIZE]
 

sciri

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I don't think so. My outline was requested.
 

mtrenteseau

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Is it non-fiction? Usually they want an outline for non-fiction because the book isn't necessarily finished when you start sending queries.

If she requested an outline, then that's a different matter. I got the impression that she was expecting one with the initial query.

An outline should include major plot points and any significan sub-plots. The length is going to depend on how short your chapters are and how much detail you put in.

For example, my earliest outline for my book included:

Chapter 18: Alex visits Marcy and Andy at their apartment.

Of course, I knew that Marcy and Andy were one of the couples at the dinner party where the hostess was murdered, and this is one of several chapters where the process repeats itself with different characters.

For this request, I'd probably do:

Chapter 18: Alex and Julie visit Marcy and Andy at their apartment. Marcy expresses concern that Elaine's replacement might fire everybody, and Andy reveals that they have money problems related to medical bills for their late son. Alex helps Andy move two heavy lamps.

(The lamps are mentioned because several chapters later Alex notices that one of the lamps was back where it had been, moved to cover a bullet hole in the wall.)
 

Jake

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Request

I got a request for a partial from her today -- I sent the query via e-mail and received the request that way too, although she wants the partial via snail mail.