• Guest please check The Index before starting a thread.

Erin Murphy Literary Agency

Montage

Registered
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Website
www.sydneywakefield.com
Does anyone have any experience working with this Literary Agent? I haven't found a thread on her yet -- she's got a full of my MG/YA and I'd love to hear some thoughts!

Thanks!
Kim
 
Last edited:

cwgranny

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
344
Reaction score
201
Location
New England
Website
www.janfields.com
She is the agent for a couple authors I know. She's sold a number of books for one of them, not so much for the other. She's bright and professional. I've never heard anything negative about her work or client/agent relationships.
 

litgirl

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 16, 2007
Messages
170
Reaction score
12
From what I hear, she's the second-highest selling agency for children's lit? (And that's being a solo agent, not located in NYC.) If you have a subscription to Publishers Marketplace, you'll see her name all over the place. I know a lot of her clients, and they all love her. And I haven't ever run across anyone disgruntled by their contact with her, either. She knows children's/YA and loves it and has a wide range of interests within that age range. She'd be an AWESOME agent!!
 

litgirl

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 16, 2007
Messages
170
Reaction score
12
Good luck, Montage! As you might infer, Erin Murphy is my dream agent. :)
 

juneafternoon

Return of the Jedi
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 4, 2008
Messages
358
Reaction score
101
Aww too bad she's not accepting unsocilited queries for the time being. She would quickly make her way to the top of my list.

Good luck, Montage!! Keep us posted :)
 

litgirl

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 16, 2007
Messages
170
Reaction score
12
Thanks, Montage! I'm waiting on a full, too. I hope we both wow her!
 

Hopcus

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Messages
193
Reaction score
13
Location
Austin
Website
www.anastasiahopcus.com
She is going to be here in Austin soon and you can get a sticker to submit to Erin if you go to the conference---does she seriously look at all the mss submitted from those? Any info would be appreciated.
 
Last edited:

litgirl

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 16, 2007
Messages
170
Reaction score
12
Well, since she is completely closed to queries unless you either meet her at a conference or have a personal recommendation (as in, cleared by her in advance), I'm sure she does look at all the "stickered" ones.

Enjoy the conference--I hear she's awesome!
 

Montage

Registered
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Website
www.sydneywakefield.com
Hope litgirl was more successful than I...

I'm so disappointed that Erin passed, but she did give me awesome feedback which I took to heart and reworked the sections she felt were issues. She's incredibly friendly, professional and I would have LOVED to work with her. Ah well.... litgirl... any response?
 

litgirl

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 16, 2007
Messages
170
Reaction score
12
Oh, Montage, I'm so sorry to hear! I haven't heard back yet...getting nervous. I'm glad she gave you some good feedback, though--so often people get little more than a form on requested fulls. I understand that agents don't have time for more. So when they do give you that extra gift, it's a nice thing. There are a few other kidlit-only agencies--have you tried them? (Tracey Adams is closed to unsoliciteds, but she goes to a fair number of conferences. And then there's Pippin Properties--reps Kate DiCamillo--and a brand spankin' new one, Greenhouse Literary, here: http://www.greenhouseliterary.com/.)

Anyway...not trying to hijack the thread, since it's hard to find info on closed agents. But I'm at 2.5 months (1.5 if you discount December, which I think you basically have to), so I've got a while yet before I need to haunt the mailbox. I keep meeting people who know her, and...I'm trying to control the hope monster.

MUST work on another project quickly and get this out of my mind for now!
 

litgirl

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 16, 2007
Messages
170
Reaction score
12
ExposingCorruption, from what I understand, they ARE one and the same person.

Back to Erin--does anyone know how long she takes with a full? Montage, how long did she consider yours?
 

Montage

Registered
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Website
www.sydneywakefield.com
Let's see, I queried her on 12/10, she req. the first chapter four days later (which is pretty darn good for December I thought)
requested the full (by snail mail) on the 8th of Jan, so almost a month, but the holidays were in there.
Then she finally passed on the 6th. So entire process was about two months.

Thanks for the kind thoughts, litgirl, I have had some excitingly good response from another agent, and will know more in a couple of days. Fingers crossed. don't want to "jinx" it... but will update when/if it comes to pass.

And yes, Erin was just wonderful in her rejection -- so kind and constructive. I actually emailed one of her clients while I was waiting, who is also a member of my SCBWI chapter, and she had nothing but great things to say about her.
 

litgirl

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 16, 2007
Messages
170
Reaction score
12
I think the mark of a good agent is when even their rejection send you away with something useful and encouraging. (I'm glad you have someone else interested, though!)

For the record, I queried at the tail end of November, had a partial request within a day, and a full request a couple days later. I figure the month of December is a washout--I know how little I got done then, anyhow!--which puts me at two months you can actually count.
 

Montage

Registered
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
Website
www.sydneywakefield.com
I had heard from a couple of people that she was super busy, has a ton of clients... so may not mean anything except she is swamped. And I think she was also on vacation a couple of weeks ago...
 

litgirl

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 16, 2007
Messages
170
Reaction score
12
I finally heard back on my full after around four months. An incredibly nice, personal, helpful rejection. Of course I'm crushed--but once I've eaten enough chocolate I'll print out the letter and study it to see what I can learn from it, because I have a feeling whatever "it" is is something that's going to affect all of my writing.

Um, but first I need some more chocolate.
 

emandem

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 15, 2008
Messages
177
Reaction score
21
Location
Hurricane Country
Just a note on this agent. My experience with her was very positive, and she strikes me as a very experienced and intelligent, yet kind, person. She took the time to give me a couple of lines of feedback which helped tremendously even though she declined representation.

Unfortunately she is only open to queries by referral/conference meetings-- if any writer has the opportunity to work with her, they should count themselves very fortunate--I really appreciated this agent!
 

litgirl

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 16, 2007
Messages
170
Reaction score
12
Has anyone heard from her lately?
 

litgirl

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 16, 2007
Messages
170
Reaction score
12
Full request in July 2009 on a second ms she'd expressed interest in when it was a WIP. We'll see what happens...
 

nash

nom.nom.nom.nom
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Dec 4, 2008
Messages
93
Reaction score
1
I'm thinking of attending the Central Ohio SCBWI conference so I can meet EM. Does anyone have any new news to share?
 

Madison

summertime...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 28, 2007
Messages
854
Reaction score
133
Location
and the livin' is ea-sy
Any recent information? (not necessarily query stuff, but info about/experience with this agency?) I have a full with one of the associate agents.