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!

 

 

 

AGENT SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW WITH TRACY MARCHINI and QUERY CRITIQUE GIVEAWAY

Today I’m thrilled to have agent Tracy Marchini here. She is a literary agent at Bookends Literary Agency.

FYI, I’m taking over the agent spotlights from Casey. I will be providing all the same information we’ve shared in the past in an interview format. In addition, one lucky commenter will win a query critique from the agent being interviewed.

7/22/2021 Update: Tracy has been promoted to a senior literary agent.

Status: Update on 12/30/2024: Closed to submissions. Her website says that she is open to submissions February through May, Setember, and October. Check the agency website to find out when she reopens to submissions.

Update on 10/16/2025: Tracy has left Bookends Literary. She has opened her own agency, Tracy Marchini Literary. Her website states that she is closed to submissions but will reopen in 2026. Check the agency website to find out when she reopens to submissions.

Hi¬ Tracy! Thanks so much for joining us.

About Tracy:

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

I started as a Literary Agents Assistant at Curtis Brown in 2006, and was there for four years. I left to start freelance editing and prepared to go to grad school, where I earned my MFA in Writing for Children. After earning my masters, I worked in marketing and continued to edit until I joined BookEnds Literary in June of 2016. So, I’ve been ‘around’ for over a decade, but in various capacities. (Through this time, I also did some work as a newspaper correspondent, children’s book reviewer, children’s copywriter and book proposal writer.)

I’m thrilled to be back in publishing as an agent, where I represent fiction, non-fiction and illustration for children and teens.

About the Agency:

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

Jessica Faust founded BookEnds Literary after working for years at an acquiring editor. BookEnds specializes in representing fiction and nonfiction for adults, young adults and children and can proudly call a number of award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors clients.

What I personally love about BookEnds is how collaborative it is. As agents, we agonize over our submission letters just like an author might agonize over the query. At BookEnds, we’re constantly helping each other refine our pitches, sharing information about editor and publisher needs, and giving each other advice when asked. So while someone might sign with me, they also have the benefit of my colleagues’ expertise.

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?

I represent picture book, middle grade and young adult.

In picture book fiction, I love things that are deliciously dark, or have a great sense of humor. In picture book non-fiction, I love stories of unsung heroes and heroines. (For non-fiction, I’m looking for projects for the trade market, not educational.)

For illustrators and author-illustrators, I’m looking for art that has a certain warmth to it. Something to bring the reader closer. I also love seeing illustrators that work with a variety of mediums in new and interesting ways (though I might not be a fit for all collage work.)

In middle grade, the most important thing is the voice. I’m open to almost all genres (though not a great fit for high fantasy or sci-fi) and would love to see fun, spunky commercial projects as well as more literary middle grade fiction.

In young adult, I’m looking for characters that I can relate to. Stories that are asking some of those big YA questions – who am I? What am I going to be in this world? Like middle grade, I’m open to most genres, though not YA horror, high fantasy or sci-fi.

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

In middle grade, I would love to find a mystery staring a spunky ,underdog heroine. Still haven’t found it yet, but I’m going to keep looking!

In YA, I would love to find a contemporary or historical fiction story that’s relevant to today’s news headlines.

In all genres, I’m open to #ownvoices authors and would love to add more diversity to my list.

What She Isn’t Looking For:

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

I’m not looking for early readers or chapter books for the very young at the moment. I’m also not a good fit for most high fantasy (dragons, elves, etc.) and sci-fi. I don’t want to say never, but my colleagues Beth Campbell (YA) and Moe Ferrera (MG and YA) would definitely be a better fit. (I really prefer magical realism, and love finding hints of magic in worlds that are relatable to our own.)
In picture books, I’m generally not interested in stories written in rhyme (particularly if it’s done all in couplets.) Again, I don’t want to say never, but unless you’re a previously published children’s poet, I’m probably not a great fit.

Agent Philosophy:

5. 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?

As an agent, I want to help my authors grow – both on a career level and on a craft level. The authors I want to work with are professional, committed and open to revising until the book is as strong as we can make it. (By committed, I don’t mean that you have to be a full time writer – as a writer myself, I know that this isn’t the reality for most authors!)

I want to represent books that really speak to children and teens. That honor the whimsy of childhood, or tackle some of the things that real teens might be dealing with. I love books that have a feeling of hope (without being didactic or saccharine). I mean, childhood/adolescence was tough for almost everybody at some point – I want to help put books on the shelves that - on some level - empower, engage and/or inspire their readers.

(This sounds really cheesy, doesn’t it? But it’s true.)

Editorial Agent:

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

I am definitely an editorial agent, but the process changes for each manuscript. Some manuscripts will require a couple rounds of developmental editing before we get into a line edit. Some will be more heavily focused on a round or two of line editing. It really depends on what that particular manuscript needs in order to make it as submission-ready as possible.

When I make that first call to offer on a book, I always talk a bit about what is working and what could be stronger in a manuscript, and try to estimate what the revision process will look like (e.g. two rounds of developmental and a line edit). Again though, every book is different, and the goal is always to get to the point where editors are going to want to say “yes!”

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?

BookEnds uses QueryManager, so you can query me here: https://querymanager.com/query/tmarchini

In a query letter, I want to see a short one or two paragraph summary/pitch for the book (what the protagonist wants and what or who is going to stop them from achieving their goals); a short bio with any relevant writing credits; and whether or not the book has been previously published or seen by editors (if applicable).

Above all, I’m looking for a professional tone and manuscripts that would be a good fit for my list!

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

I talked a bit about first pages on another blog (I’ll link below), but in query letters I think the worst thing an author can do is be overly verbose. When an agent sees a wall of text or two page query letters, it gives the impression that the author is new to the field or hasn’t done their research. It also raises questions about the manuscript they’re pitching.

For example, if it takes an author seven paragraphs to explain their story versus one or two, that makes me wonder why they can’t distill the heart of their manuscript into a paragraph. Does that point to a manuscript with structural issues, e.g. too many unrelated subplots?

Response Time:

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

At BookEnds, we try to answer all queries within six to eight weeks. My requested manuscripts are, unfortunately, several months behind at the moment. But I am still reading and responding to everything as soon as I can.

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 authors that have previously self-published or been published by smaller presses, but I am less open to trying to shop a manuscript that has already been self-published unless the sales numbers are phenomenal.

Because most publishers are hesitant to relaunch a book that’s already been published, my advice to authors would be to write a new book that is not in the same series as your self-published books and shop that to agents.

12. With all the changes in publishing—self-publishing, hybrid authors, more small publishers—do you see the role of agents changing at all? Why?

I think the basic role of agents is the same – to guide an author in their career, act as their advocate, and help them make the best decisions for their books.

I think self-publishing, more small presses, digital only imprints, etc. gives authors and agents more options, but also more things to consider when moving forward (e.g. how long has that small press been around and what feedback are you getting from other agents/authors who’ve worked with them? If self-publishing, then what happens if your primary distributor shuts down? How much marketing can the author successfully do on their own?)

Not every book may be right for a big 5 publisher or established independent press, and so the role of the agent is to help layout an author’s options and help them make the best decision in both the short and long-term.

Clients:

13. Who are some of the authors you represent?

I represent Tara Luebbe and Becky Cattie (Shark Nate-O, Little Bee), Lee and Low New Voices Award winner Rita Lorraine Hubbard, illustrator Charlene Chua, as well as some new voices in children’s literature that I hope you’ll be hearing from soon!

Interviews and Guest Posts:

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

I mentioned the first pages post earlier, and you can find that here.

You can also find my interview on BookEnds Literary’s blog for a bit more about me and what I’m looking for.

Links and Contact Info:

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

To query, please submit using https://querymanager.com/query/tmarchini

News and updates about my #TeamMarchini clients at BookEnds can be found here:
http://bookendsliterary.com/category/our-team/marchini/

I can also be found at:
www.tracymarchini.com

Update on 12/30/2024

Manuscript Wish List

QueryTracker

Publishers Markeplace

Interview at Writing and Illustrating Part 1 Part 2 (03/2017)

Additional Advice:

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

I think the only thing that I would add is that you’re never too far along in your career to learn something new. As a writer, I think that means continuing to work on the craft with the same intensity as when you first started.

I know there are times where I give advice to clients about a manuscript, and then I’ll realize that I have the exact same problem in my current work-in-progress – be it a character issue, dialogue issue, etc.!

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Tracy.

Tracy is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follower button if you're not a follower) and leave a comment through April 29th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter either contest. If you do not want to enter the contest, that's okay. Just let me know in the comments.

If you 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.

Profile Details:
Last Updated: 12/30/2024
Agent Contacted for Review? Yes
Last Reviewed by Agent? N/A

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or e-mail 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.