Literary Agent Interview: Sophie Sheumaker Interview and Query Critique Giveaway

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Sophie Sheumaker here. She’s a literary assistant at BookEnds. 

Hi­ Sophie! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About Sophie: 

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent. 

I came to BookEnds in March of 2022 as a literary assistant. I still assist the wonderful Naomi Davis and work in our global rights department, but in 2024 I began quietly agenting. I started out with illustrators (who I met by referral, or by coming across their portfolios independently), taking on just one or two at a time. But in 2025, I began actively building my list, selling projects, and really finding my place. Now, I work with illustrators and authors alike, from picture books all the way up through adult. 

About the Agency: 

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors. 

BookEnds was started in 1999 by the president of our agency, Jessica Faust. It started small, and has grown over the years, and now I think it offers an incredible space of collaboration for authors. Not just collaboration between author and agent, though that’s definitely a part of it, but collaboration between the agents themselves. I never feel like I’m on my own in anything—I always have the wealth of knowledge, experience, and support from the agents here who understand the publishing world in a way that only someone with years under their belt can. 

What She’s Looking For: 

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent, and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres? 

In the children’s department, my focus is middle grade and YA for right now (with a few author-illustrator picture books thrown in!). I’m looking for anything speculative—anything magical, anything transportive, anything that reads like it could be the basis for a Studio Ghibli movie.   

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in? 

I’d be particularly excited to see queer stories in any format (including middle grade! Show me your queer first crushes!). Stories that have a strong third person narrator that feels like a character. And horror! I’d love to see more creepy, atmospheric horror.  

What She Isn’t Looking For: 

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in? 

I try not to emphasize submissions I’m not interested in, because there could always be something I think I won’t like but will surprise me, but a good rule of thumb: no hard sci-fi, no nonfiction, nothing really war central, nothing with detective/cop characters, nothing written with AI. 

Agent Philosophy: 

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent? 

Communication is KEY. I try to openly communicate with all of clients, whether that means replying to emails quickly or openly sharing information with them such as my nudge timelines, editor responses, and my own editorial feedback. It’s the foundation of trust between author and agent, and using it properly allows me to work on the books I think are going to launch a client’s career. 

Editorial Agent: 

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors? 

Yes! Typically, when I take an author on, I open our submission call with a short editorial letter. After they accept representation, I’ll send them a longer editorial letter. The next draft will usually be a line edit and after that we’re almost always ready to go out on submission. I have had a couple instances where I’ve shown up with very few editorial thoughts, and in those cases we do a small line edit before submission. I always note with my clients that my edits are suggestions, and are here for brainstorming. They should never be taken as directives! I usually read a client’s book multiple times before sending it out. 

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting) 

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter? 

Please query me via QueryTracker. I want to see a short, one page query. The first paragraph should include the title of your book, the word count, any comparable titles, and a one sentence logline. The next two paragraphs should pitch me the most important parts of your story and the last paragraph should include a bit of information about yourself. I also always ask for a full synopsis of the book alongside my queries. 

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you?

Queries that are very long or very short—it can be just as frustrating to read a query with absolutely no information as it is to read one that has so much information in it that you can’t tell what the book is really about. 

Response Time: 

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript? 

I’m trying to respond to all queries within 8 weeks. I’m still working through the pile up I got from when I first opened queries, but my goal is to have an 8 week response for queries and a 12 week response on requested material (I’m behind right now, but hope to not be soon!). 

Self-Published and Small Press Authors: 

11.  Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them? 

I am open to self-published authors/authors who have been published by a smaller press! I remember when I was in college, my publishing professor insisted that it was near impossible to get traditionally published if you’d been self-published before, but I don’t think that’s true at all in this day and age. You may be asked to publish new material under a pseudonym, but otherwise you should be okay. I’ll note, though, that while it’s not a problem at all for me to take on an author who has self-published in the past, it is very rare for me to take on a submission for a book that is already self-published. 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

Lilibeth Jimenez is an author-illustrator I work with whose work never fails to make me smile! She’s got a few things coming out in the next two years, and I’m so excited about it. Another one of my clients that I think is a star to watch is author-illustrator Keiko Hayner. She has the most whimsical, stunning work, and the stories she comes up with will transport you to another world. She has two books she’s under contract for and I’m thrilled to get to see them out in the world. 

Interviews and Guest Posts: 

13. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you. 

Not to plug BookEnds, but I do think we have some great resources for writers who are querying (or even just looking to take the first steps in the publishing world). I particularly recommend our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BookEndsLiterary/videos . I’ve had so many calls with clients who reference the YouTube channel and note it being very helpful to them.  

Links and Contact Info: 

14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web. 

Please find my wishlist and query guidelines here https://www.bookendsliterary.com/sophie-sheumaker. 

Additional Advice: 

15. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered? 

Keep trying. A good part of an agent’s job is finding that perfect editor for their client—we get a lot of no’s before we find that elusive yes. But just like we’ll find our client’s their perfect editor, you will find your perfect agent. And maybe it’ll be me! 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Sophie. 

Giveaway Details

­Sophie is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through October 25th. If you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me know in the comments. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway. 

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com 

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change. 

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops 

Tomorrow, October 16th I’m participating in the Silly Pumpkin Giveaway Hop 

Monday, October 20th I have a guest post by author Claudia Mills and a giveaway of her MG The Last Apple Tree 

Monday, October 27th I have an interview with author Dusti Bowling and a giveaway of her MG Holding on for Dear Life 

Saturday, November 1st, I’m participating in the Thanks a Latte Giveaway Hop 

Wednesday, November 5th, I have an interview with Pamela N. Harris and a giveaway of her YA Through Our Teeth and my IWSG post 

Monday, November 10th, I have a guest post by Darlene P. Compos and a giveaway of her MG The Center of the Earth 

Wednesday, November 12th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Mara Cobb and a query critique giveaway 

Sunday, November 16th, I’m participating in the In All Things Give Thanks Giveaway Hop 

Monday, November 17th, I have a guest post by Mike Steel and a giveaway of his MG Not Lucille 

Wednesday, November 19th, I have an agent spotlight interview with Carter Hasegawa and a query critique giveaway 

Monday, November 24th, I have a guest post by R.M. Romero and a giveaway of her MG The Tear Collector 

I hope to see you on Thursday!