Wendy Sherman, Literary Agent Wendy is an active literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates, Inc., currently open to submissions.
About Wendy Sherman
Wendy Sherman is the founder and president of Wendy Sherman Associates Literary Management. Before establishing the agency in 1999, she held senior positions at Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Henry Holt, where she served as Associate Publisher. Her publishing experience encompasses editorial, sales, marketing, subsidiary rights, and acquisitions, giving her a broad background on both the publishing and representation sides of the industry.
Sherman represents both fiction and nonfiction. In fiction, she is particularly drawn to strong voices and compelling stories that bridge literary and commercial publishing, including Southern voices, character-driven suspense, family secrets, mother-daughter relationships, and realistic love stories. Her nonfiction interests include memoir, narrative nonfiction, self-help and psychology, parenting, lifestyle, pop culture, health and wellness, spirituality, food, and other projects with a distinctive premise and an author with a well-developed platform.
Wendy Sherman and Wendy Sherman Associates Submission Guidelines
Wendy Sherman Associates considers queries by email only. Send all queries to submissions@wsherman.com. Do not call the agency; they will contact writers if they are interested in pursuing a project.
Submissions must be the original work of the author and must not be generated or written using Artificial Intelligence.
Email Submissions
Send all email submissions to submissions@wsherman.com. Include your last name, manuscript title, and the name of the agent you are querying in the subject line.
Fiction: Send a query letter and the first 10 pages of the manuscript pasted into the body of the email.
Nonfiction: Send a query letter and author bio. The agency also asks nonfiction writers to include a double-spaced table of contents and overview.
Do not send unsolicited attachments. The agency will not open attachments unless they have been specifically requested.
Because of the volume of submissions received, the agency responds only when interested. If you do not hear from the agent you queried within eight weeks, consider the submission declined.
Do not send queries to agents' direct email addresses. Queries sent to personal agency email addresses will be deleted unread.
Do not query multiple Wendy Sherman Associates agents simultaneously. If the first agent passes on your project, you may then submit the project to another agent at the agency.
The agency does not represent:
Poetry
Screenplays
Westerns
Heavy science fiction
Heavy fantasy
Children's picture books
Query Guidelines
Do:
Write a compelling query letter that clearly explains what your book is about.
Explain why your project is a good fit for the agency.
Explain why the book has an audience and, particularly for nonfiction, why you are the right person to write it.
Include relevant credentials, publications, prizes, awards, and conference experience.
Include comparable titles and identify well-known writers whose work is similar to yours.
Limit the query letter to one page.
For nonfiction, include a double-spaced table of contents and overview.
For fiction, include the double-spaced first 10 pages of the manuscript.
Provide your email address, phone number, and mailing address.
Research the querying and representation process so that you are well prepared before submitting.
Don't:
Do not refer the agency to your website for a writing sample.
Do not discuss agents who have previously rejected the project.
Do not call to confirm receipt of your submission.
Do not resubmit a project the agency has previously declined, even if it has been rewritten.
Do not pitch several books and ask the agency to choose among them. Submit one project at a time.
Do not send queries to agents' personal email addresses. All queries should be sent to submissions@wsherman.com.
Do not drop submission materials off in person.
Do not state that your manuscript has been professionally edited.
Do not pitch the project's potential as a movie. Focus on the book being submitted.
Do not focus on being unpublished.
Do not send unsolicited attachments. Paste both the query letter and requested sample material into the body of the email.
Bottom Line: Do your homework, prepare your submission carefully, and follow the agency's submission procedures. Wendy Sherman Associates emphasizes the importance of a compelling, professional query letter and carefully following its stated guidelines.
Hints
Do not send attachments unless requested. Do not query multiple agents at the agency simultaneously.