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Books & Such Literary Management

A full-service literary agency that focuses on books for the Christian market.

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  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Books & Such
    • Our Agents
    • Our Behind-the-Scenes Staff
    • Our Travel Schedule
  • Our Authors
    • Author News
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Queries

random agent thoughts

Random Agent Thoughts

April 27, 2025 //  by Cynthia Ruchti//  23 Comments

Cynthia's dadYes, this is a blog post of random agent thoughts.

A few weeks after my father’s heart stopped beating for the last time, we discovered among his office files a three-ring binder labeled “497 Random Thoughts.” Over the course of …

Random Agent ThoughtsRead More

Woman looking at pictures on pages

What Are Literary Agents Looking For in a Writer?

May 12, 2024 //  by Debbie Alsdorf//  2 Comments

As a writer getting published can be a frustrating task, especially when it comes to finding a literary agent to represent your work. A literary agent plays a crucial role in the publishing process, acting as a bridge between writers …

What Are Literary Agents Looking For in a Writer?Read More

Four Questions to Ask Yourself When Writing BIPOC Characters or Stories

February 4, 2024 //  by Barb Roose//  9 Comments

“If I add a BIPOC character to my novel, will it improve my chance of finding a traditional publisher?”

I’ve been asked that question several times over the years. There are several motivations behind posing it. However, I believe that …

Four Questions to Ask Yourself When Writing BIPOC Characters or StoriesRead More

ready set send

Ready, Set, Send

October 23, 2022 //  by Cynthia Ruchti//  15 Comments

It’s not far into childhood before we learn the “Ready, Set, Go!” game. Parents, arms extended, could simply say, “Jump!” and the toddler would happily respond. But even the rhythm and anticipation of “Ready” (not yet), “Set” (not quite), and …

Ready, Set, SendRead More

How to Make a Literary Agent Smile

January 30, 2022 //  by Barb Roose//  14 Comments

When you imagine a literary agent behind his or her desk, what kind of expression do you see on their face? Depending on how you feel about your recent interactions with a literary agent,  you may imagine a grumpy face, …

How to Make a Literary Agent SmileRead More

Hidden Treasure on Back Covers

August 11, 2021 //  by Barb Roose//  9 Comments

While Amazon or other online retailers can deliver our books in one or two days, there is one experience that online retailers will never be able to deliver: the thrill of flipping our wrist to see the back cover. 

When …

Hidden Treasure on Back CoversRead More

Six Phrases to Avoid in Your Query

May 19, 2021 //  by Barb Roose//  8 Comments

Finishing a query is big deal! You’ve spent hours in front of your computer wrestling the words that capture your passion, imagination and life experience into a query letter.

To give your dream the best chance of  getting an agent …

Six Phrases to Avoid in Your QueryRead More

Getting an Agent to Read Your Entire Query

March 17, 2021 //  by Barb Roose//  8 Comments

As a literary agent, I love seeing stacks of queries in my inbox. Like the other agents at Books & Such, I enjoy discovering unique book ideas, moving memoirs and fresh new voices. However, all literary agents must balance limited …

Getting an Agent to Read Your Entire QueryRead More

agent respond

When An Agent Doesn’t Reply

September 3, 2020 //  by Cynthia Ruchti//  19 Comments

blogger: Cynthia Ruchti

When an agent doesn’t reply to your query, proposal, burning question, or manuscript submission, is it because she/he doesn’t care?

Admittedly, sometimes writers–whether aspiring or veteran–choose the default answer, “Yes! That must be it! I’m not important …

When An Agent Doesn’t ReplyRead More

The “Perfect” Query

September 8, 2019 //  by Wendy Lawton//  12 Comments

Blogger: Wendy Lawton

You’ve seen a number of agent blogs and agent twitters talking about query tips and #queryfail. Agent websites are filled with instructions on how and how-not to query. Nearly every writers conference offers a session or two …

The “Perfect” QueryRead More

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