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Barry Goldblatt Literary

Sera Phyn

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Is anyone else having trouble uploading his site? I've tried a few times, but it simply won't come up. If it's down, does anyone have the submission guidelines? I'd like to add him to my list of possibilities, though, as els pointed out, it's kind of disappointing that he only handles YA/kidlit.
 

juneafternoon

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Hey did you get your response yet?

Nope not yet, don't have a manuscript fully in shape! This guy will only get pitch-perfect queries from me, lol.
 

Asakiyume

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response to initial queries

As far as people know, he does respond to reject as well as to ask for samples, right? So even if it's been more than two weeks since my query, I shouldn't necessarily take lack of a response for a rejection--or should I?
 

Momento Mori

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Asakiyume:
he does respond to reject as well as to ask for samples, right? So even if it's been more than two weeks since my query, I shouldn't necessarily take lack of a response for a rejection--or should I?

I agree with caromora. You need to give the agency at least 3 months before you get in touch to see if your manuscript is still under consideration.

MM
 

caromora

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Did you all see the announcement in PW? Here's part of the press release and a link to the rest:
BARRY GOLDBLATT LITERARY LLC HIRES TWO NEW AGENTS

Barry Goldblatt Literary LLC hires Joe Monti and Beth Fleisher as agents.

Brooklyn, NY – March 16, 2009 – For nearly ten years, Barry Goldblatt Literary LLC, an agency representing authors of children’s and young adult books, has been a one-man show. Now, it has tripled in size, welcoming two new agents—Joe Monti and Beth Fleisher.
 

Senora Verde

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Does anyone know if Joe Monti or Beth Fleisher are looking for new clients or what the best way to query them is? At first the Barry Goldblatt website was updated with the news of the new agents, but now its news is from 2006.
 

waylander

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In the absence of any hard information about the two new guys I would stick to the submission guidelines detailed up the thread.
 

Tuuli

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I mailed Beth a query yesterday as per agency guidelines. It would be nice, though, to have some idea what the new agents are looking for. But based on my subject matter, I didn't think the two guys would be the best choice, hence why I queried Beth.
 

Tuuli

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Their website is updated with all three of them and email submission guidelines.

Thanks for the update. I just sent mine via email with the sample pages.
 

Laura Lond

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I have just emailed a query with 5 sample pages as well. :)
 

Tuuli

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I have just emailed a query with 5 sample pages as well. :)

From what I'm hearing, a lot of writers have been querying the agency this week. Yes, we're definitely in for a long wait now. ;)
 

AKB

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I mailed a query to Barry Goldblatt on 4/13/09 (no sample pages, just the query) and received an email from Beth Fleisher yesterday asking for the full by email. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, legs, arms...oh damn! I can't move!
 

AKB

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Thanks for the congrats!

The ms is about a 16 year old boy who is trying to change his life around, starting with leaving the gang he's been hanging with. But when he can't convince his best friend to leave the gang, too, the mc joins the gang for one last stint; while only participating to watch out for his friend, the mc ends up embroiled in a horrible bullying incident, resulting in a kid falling through a window to his death.

The main thrust of the ms is how each of the gang member's personal lives drive their horrible actions that lead to the death; e.g. - one has a jet setting dad who cares more about his Porsche than his son; another has a pedophile uncle masquerading as the family’s savior. It was just a matter of time before their anger exploded, the kid who died just being in the wrong place when it did.

I think what makes it really different (at least I hope so) is how it's told. The story is presented while the mc is attending a funeral. Each chapter is preceded by dialogue and events from the funeral that highlight the situation’s hypocrisies and ironies, as observed by the mc. Initially they lead the reader to believe the funeral is for the kid who fell through the window. However, it later becomes clear that the funeral is actually for someone else. At the very end it's clear the funeral is for the mc.

Hopefully I won't be the only one who thinks it's a good read!
 

Tuuli

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That does sound cool. Fingers crossed for you, too.

I have a feeling, now, that my urban fantasy romance won't appeal to Beth after all. And I'm positive it won't appeal to the guys, either. :D
 
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AKB

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Tuuli - if you're interested in querying those guys and you don't see anything on their websites indicating they don't want to see a particular genre I would just go for it. Ultimately, it's the writing that will get them. At least, that's my hope. Besides, there's really no way to know exactly what these agents will go for...just look at the whole query process. You send the same letter out to everyone - some people reject it immediately whereas others ask for more...go figure...
 

Tuuli

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LOL. My novel has a YA chick lit voice and deals with the topic of rape. Not exactly guy material, hence why I've pretty much avoided male agents. Men (sorry to stereotype here) just don't get the psychological ramifications of rape. And nothing on Beth's profile indicated she's into chick lit. But here's to hoping I'm wrong. ;)
 

indigirl

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I sent a query to his agency in mid-March with a SASE and still no response. What should I think of that?

I thought I would hear something back -- especially making it easy by sending a SASE.

Anyone come across that?
 

caromora

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I don't think it's been long enough to worry yet, indigirl. My responses have varied from 8 minutes to 14 months (from various agents, not just BG Literary, of course ;)). Publishing is a pretty slow business, so hang in there!