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[Agency] J. A. Weber Literaturagentur GmbH

HapiSofi

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There's not a lot of info on that site. The "about us" page says:
Established in late 2011, we are a small, young, dynamic and highly creative literary agency that sets a high value on paying personal and hands-on attention to the needs of authors and publishers alike.

With backgrounds in media, communication, creative writing and publishing, we not only love books but also have the necessary industry knowledge and professional competence as well as the organisational, editorial and interpersonal skills to shape your proposal for the market, to pitch your book to editors at suitable publishing houses and to negotiate the best possible deals for you.
One wishes there were fewer adjectives, and more dates and job titles.

There's no list of their clients, and no mention of sales they've made. I don't know why you're looking at a German agent, but it wouldn't hurt write and ask who they represent, and what sales they've made.

If they won't tell you, avoid them.
 

shaldna

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The person in charge seems to be one Julia Alexandra Weber -

from site:
Master of Arts in Media and Communication Studies, Alpen-Adria-University Klagenfurt, Austria.

Master of Arts in Creative Writing, London Metropolitan University, UK.

Master of Arts in Publishing (Book Pathway), University of the Arts London (London College of Communication), UK.

Practical experience: Toby Eady Associates and David Higham Associates, London, UK.

But it doesn't say anything about what she DID in terms of practical experience - there's a big difference between being a junior agent and being a work experience girl making coffee.

The submission guidelines are ringing a couple of alarm bells:

We represent fiction and non-fiction for adults, including: literary and commercial fiction; women's fiction, chick lit, thriller and crime novels, fantasy and science fiction, romance, mystery, adventure novels, historical fiction and memoir.

We also have a special interest in Young Adult fiction.

Please note that we do not look at submissions for poetry, screenplays as well as film/TV scripts, short stories, picture books or non-fiction (except memoir). 

That's a lot of genres for, seemingly, one person to make a mark in and build contacts with editors etc. Many agents represent several genres, but not ALL the genres.

They mention that they are visiting book fairs and looking forward to meeting with national and international publishing houses - which sounds very much like they don't already have contacts or relationships with publishers - I could of course be wrong, but the lack of any sort of client list or sales records available would back that up - enough cause for caution.
 

FalconMage

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The quote on genres almost seems self-contradictory. It starts by claiming they "represent fiction and non-fiction..." and ends with a denial of non-fiction (except memoirs). They tuck memoirs in at the end of the first paragraph.

To me, that's a strong hint to not submit there.

Not that I'm ready for a German market. :)
 

Tromboli

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They have three authors listed as clients. Only one of which seems to have a book deal. That one is through J. Taylor publishing which doesn't require an agent. I don't know much more about them though, like if they pay advances. (but the covers look very nice:))

I'm curious about them since they are involved in a contest I entered. If I make it to the next round Judith Weber will be one of the agents looking at the submissions.

She's also pretty active on twitter @jawlitagent

I guess we'll see.
 

robinhallwrites

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Julia is my agent:)

I had never heard of Julia Weber until she requested from me on Cupid's Lit Conn. CAGI contest, but I went ahead and sent to her. When I got another offer (from a great agent), I informed Julia along with my other outstanding queries etc.

And here is the truth guys: I was planning on signing with the other agent, she was awesome and has a great sales record, but when Julia's offer came week later I was blown away. She was personable, she was funny, she believed in my book, she was highly editorial, and she knows the market. Even though she is based in Germany and London (and had yet to sell!), I liked her so much that I signed with her. I'm Julia's 5th client. After working with Julia for two months and through two rounds of revisions I know Julia is a savvy, hardworking agent.

So if you're thinking about querying her or wondering if she's legitimate, the answer is yes. Whether or not you want to take a chance with her, well, that's up to you.

Also, her site has changed as I never saw the above posted. Here's her about page:

Established in January 2012, we are a small, young, dynamic and highly creative literary agency, specializing in representing authors of unique and captivating thrillers as well as MG, YA, NA and women's fiction of all sub-genres.



We not only love books but also have the necessary industry knowledge and professional competence to shape a proposal for the market, pitch the book to editors at suitable publishing houses and to negotiate the best possible deals for our authors.

While we consider Germany and the UK as our home territories, we also work hard on our relationships with overseas publishers to ensure fruitful translation deals and, ultimately, the maximum possible exposure for our clients' works throughout the world.



We represent people, not just projects, which means we are seeking long-term relationships with authors and set high value on paying personal and hands-on attention to the needs of our clients.
 
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CallMeIshmael

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Congratulations and thanks for the info, robinhallwrites! She comes across as very personable and energetic, and I'm sure she's great to work with. Can you tell us anything about Julia's experience?

Thanks in advance.
 

gingerwoman

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Any more news on this agent? Anyone knows who she has sold to?
 

EMCaines

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Any more news on this agent? Anyone knows who she has sold to?

I'm another one of Julia Weber's clients.

I've been with her since February 2013, and I can say with sincerity Julia is definitely reputable. She recently had a deal announced in Publisher's Marketplace with Aladdin for a MG novel by Gail Nall and is carefully cultivating her list. I met with her in May just before BEA, and I found her personable and witty but also very professional.

She's an editorial agent who is looking to represent the author for the duration of his/her career, not just a single work. Her editorial notes are spot-on and insightful. She's responsive and thorough, and she's quite knowledgeable about the industry, specifically the genres she represents.

Julia was recently interviewed with a writing blog; you can find it here. And she's also joined the YA Stands group where she will be posting answers to querying and publishing questions and provide writing tips.

She's a fantastic woman and I'm incredibly lucky to have her representing me. So I will second Robin's remarks: Julia is absolutely 100% legitimate. If you write the kind of things she represents, you should absolutely submit a query.
 

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The sale to Aladdin is great; congrats to the author and to Ms. Weber.

I'm concerned, though, that Ms. Weber started agenting in January 2012 (per her website), and nearly two years later, this is the only sale she seems to have made (I checked Publishers Marketplace and her client list to make sure). It's a worry when a new agent goes longer than a year without building up some sales momentum. It raises questions about her contacts (I know everything is done electronically these days, but it's still tough to do business in overseas markets when you're based in another country), the level of her expertise, the quality of her list--or all three.

Don't get me wrong--I hope this is the start of a successful track record for Ms. Weber. But in my opinion, the jury is still out on this agency, and authors need to take that into account when querying.

- Victoria
 
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Moonchild

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Anyone with more recent info on this gal? She seems to have more sales now, according to her website, and she's very active on Twitter and on some Internet contests.
 

Smiley0501

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Julia recently sold a YA to HarperCollins and two MGs to Aladdin (S&S). I'd say she is slowly making her sales. :)

I queried her back in 2014 and nudged when I had an offer. She unfortunately couldn't read within the time constraints and wished me the best. I found her personable and polite.
 

Krista G.

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Julia recently sold a YA to HarperCollins and two MGs to Aladdin (S&S). I'd say she is slowly making her sales. :)

I queried her back in 2014 and nudged when I had an offer. She unfortunately couldn't read within the time constraints and wished me the best. I found her personable and polite.

One caveat would be that all three of those sales were for the same author. In other words, Ms. Weber's leading client is doing extremely well, but it's hard to say whether that has more to do with the author's writing or Ms. Weber's agenting.
 

ClockPrince

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Any updates for Ms. Weber, from querying to representation to new sales?
 

lucamp

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I've been thinking about querying this agent and maybe using her editing services for my romance novel, but now I'm not so sure anymore.
She recently announced on Twitter that her publishing experience is a 3 months internship at an agency in London.
I'm a little worried about that. If that's all she did, I'm not sure that qualifies her running her own one-man agency and providing editing as well?
I follow her on Twitter, and she seems like a nice person, but it is a bit weird.
 
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queen13

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I have just reached out to her as well. After reading these posts, I am a little concerned about hiring for an edit. Has anyone had her edit their manuscript?
 
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Pisco Sour

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I just clicked on the link to her website and got this message:
[h=1]Thank you for visiting this homepage. Please note that I have decided to leave my agenting days behind me and focus on my work as a freelance fiction editor instead. You can find me onwww.jaw-editing.com. [/h]