The Barnard Literary Agency is switching gears. As of this moment we will no longer be considered a “Literary Agency”. We will therefore no longer be accepting any submissions for representation.

That being said, all submissions currently on our reading list are released. We will try to send individual emails out to all authors, but this post serves as our official notice to all.

Moving forward, The Barnard Agency will now focus solely on our editing and critiquing services. As a literary agency it was impossible to offer these services to the public due to publishing morals.

This website will be updated soon to reflect these changes.

Also, we will soon be announcing a combined project with our sister site at www.blacklighthorror.ca.

Before the actual project is listed we will be releasing a “request for help” memo. If you are involved in the horror publishing world at all, keep an eye open for that notice hopefully later today.

It’s been fun, but I think what’s coming next will be a wild adventure!

–Wendy

Here is the updated status of submissions as of today for the month of March:

Five Page Rejection:
Bequeathed to an Alien
Boundary Conditions
Family Matters
Keeper of the Sword
RIP
The Princess of Goblins and Elves
Untitled Fantasy

Three Chapter Rejection:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life
Title removed at author's request.

Full Manuscript Rejection:
Title removed at author's request.

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
Demonsaint (In Progress)
The Continent of Laramor (In Progress)
The Gehenna Experiment (In Progress)

Full Manuscript Read:

Client Work:
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

Here is the updated status of submissions as of today for the month of March:

Five Page Rejection:
Boundary Conditions
Family Matters
RIP
The Princess of Goblins and Elves

Three Chapter Rejection:

Full Manuscript Rejection:
Title removed at author's request.

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life (Re-edit Read - In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.
Demonsaint (In Progress)
The Continent of Laramor (In Progress)
The Gehenna Experiment (In Progress)

Full Manuscript Read:

Client Work:
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

Here is the updated status of submissions as of today for the month of March:

Five Page Rejection:
The Princess of Goblins and Elves

Three Chapter Rejection:

Full Manuscript Rejection:
Title removed at author's request.

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life (Re-edit Read - In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.
Demonsaint (In Progress)
The Continent of Laramor (In Progress)
The Gehenna Experiment (In Progress)

Full Manuscript Read:

Client Work:
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

Here is the updated status of submissions as of today for the month of February:

Five Page Rejection:
Goodhalo
Planet Dementia
Retirement Park
Seductions of an Oriental Girl
The Chronicles of Alex Wilde
The Memoirs of an Unrequited Love
The Ravens Folly

Three Chapter Rejection:
Painted Slate

Full Manuscript Rejection:

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life (Re-edit Read - In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.
Demonsaint (In Progress)
The Continent of Laramor (In Progress)
The Gehenna Experiment (In Progress)

Full Manuscript Read:
Title removed at author's request.

Client Work:
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

*Also posted on my website www.barnardagency.ca

Those of you who follow my Livejournal Blog most likely already know what I'm about to say.

I am closing for submissions.

I will continue to read what is currently in my list. If you wish to remove your submission from my reading list, please feel free to contact me with your name, title, and date of submission, and I will delete it promptly.

I have decided not to take on any more than 5 clients at this time. I have 3 now. That leaves room for 2 more very talented writers.

That being said, I am still willing to look at work, if it proves to be absolutely amazing.

How do you prove that?

1. Send me a query that knocks my socks off. Make sure your grammar and spelling is immaculate.
2. Do not; I repeat, DO NOT, attach anything more than the very first page of your manuscript. If it is more than that I will delete it. If you can't follow instructions now, there is no point.
3. Make sure your one page is double spaced with one inch margins and all other proper formatting is in place. Show me that you know what you are doing.

Do you have any questions? Feel free to send me an email. I'm still here...somewhere.

So...I haven't updated in almost a month...

I lost my grandfather a few weeks ago...it hit me a lot harder than I thought it would. My family, we're not close. I used to think I didn't care about that. I was wrong. It hurts that I lost my grandfather, especially without saying goodbye. I won't let that happen again. They might not be perfect, but they are my family, and I missed them very much. It was wonderful, even under the circumstances, to hold my grandmother, and several others, in my arms again. I'm going to try harder.

It also made me look at other areas in my life and forced me to prioritize more. I am going to focus more on what I need, what makes my life better, and what makes me, and my family, happy.

I am completely closed to all submissions unless I am sent a query that knocks my socks off. I will of course continue to read everything in my current list, unless someone wants theirs pulled, which is fine by me. To be honest, I don't think I am going to take on more than five clients until things start picking up. That really only leaves room for two extremely talented writers.

That being said, here is the updated status of submissions as of today for the month of February:

Five Page Rejection:
Goodhalo
Planet Dementia
Retirement Park

Three Chapter Rejection:
Painted Slate

Full Manuscript Rejection:

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life (Re-edit Read - In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.
Demonsaint (In Progress)
The Continent of Laramor (In Progress)
The Gehenna Experiment (In Progress)

Full Manuscript Read:
Title removed at author's request.

Client Work:
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

This has been a busy month!

That being said, here is the updated status of submissions as of today for the month of January:

Five Page Rejection:
Extreme Liquidation
Flame Sisters: Mortals and Magic
Full Access
In the Book of Tom
Mister Khan
Nocturnal Illusion
Orlando Tales
The Satan Gene
The Tricicum Project

Three Chapter Rejection:
Joe and the UFO
Lengthening Shadows
The Collector

Full Manuscript Rejection:
Swamp Story (Withdrawn by Author)
The Border Nation
The Jewess

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life (Re-edit Read - In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.
Demonsaint (In Progress)
The Continent of Laramor (In Progress)
The Gehenna Experiment (Email verification sent)

Full Manuscript Read:
Title removed at author's request.

Client Work:
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

Well the bad news is a potential client pulled their submission. The good news is that still leaves room for me to take at least one other client!

That being said, here is the updated status of submissions as of today for the month of January:

On My Plate For This Weekend:
Five Pages of Extreme Liquidation
Five Pages of Nocturnal Illusion
Five Pages of The Gehenna Experiment

Five Page Rejection:
Flame Sisters: Mortals and Magic
Full Access
In the Book of Tom
Mister Khan
Orlando Tales
The Satan Gene
The Tricicum Project

Three Chapter Rejection:
Joe and the UFO
Lengthening Shadows
The Collector

Full Manuscript Rejection:
Swamp Story (Withdrawn by Author)
The Border Nation

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life (Re-edit Read - In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.
Demonsaint (In Progress)
The Continent of Laramor (In Progress)

Full Manuscript Read:
The Jewess (In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.

Client Work:
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

I caught some kind of nasty bug that had me up at 3am. It wasn't pretty. Bad thing...missing work today. Good thing...reading some submissions.

That being said, here is the updated status of submissions as of today for the month of January:

On My Plate For Tomorrow:
Unknown as of right now

Five Page Rejection:
Flame Sisters: Mortals and Magic
Full Access
In the Book of Tom
Mister Khan
Orlando Tales
The Satan Gene
The Tricicum Project

Three Chapter Rejection:
Joe and the UFO
Lengthening Shadows
The Collector

Full Manuscript Rejection:
The Border Nation

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life (Re-edit Read - In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.
Demonsaint (In Progress)
The Continent of Laramor (Verification Email Sent)

Full Manuscript Read:
Swamp Story (In Progress - Holding for response from author for possible client work.)
The Jewess (In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.

Client Work:
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

The "on my plate for tonight" section worked wonders! Not only did I complete what I set out to do, but extras as well!

I also finished reading Louder Than Words by Jenny McCarthy, my first book of 2009! I feel accomplished! I will be posting a review of that soon (hopefully) on www.strangewords.net, but I'll let you know when it goes live.

My son and I are both tracking our books read for 2009, and for fun we will be posting them here at book_it_2009.

That being said, here is the updated status of submissions as of today for the month of January:

On My Plate For This Weekend:
Chapters 1, 2 and 3 of Joe and the UFO
Chapters 8, 9 and 10 of Swamp Story
Five Pages of The Continent of Larramor
Five pages of The Satan Gene

Five Page Rejection:
Flame Sisters: Mortals and Magic
Full Access
In the Book of Tom
Mister Khan
Orlando Tales
The Tricicum Project

Three Chapter Rejection:
Lengthening Shadows
The Collector

Full Manuscript Rejection:
The Border Nation

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life (Re-edit Read - In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.
Demonsaint (In Progress)
Joe and the UFO (In Progress)

Full Manuscript Read:
Swamp Story (In Progress)
The Jewess (In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.

Client Work:
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

To keep things moving more quickly, I am also going to add an "on my plate for tonight" section. I think this will not only show writer's waiting for an answer when they are being read, but also force me to follow through with finding time to read what I have listed in progress.

That being said, here is the updated status of submissions as of today for the month of January:

On My Plate For Tonight:
Chapters 2 and 3 of Lengthening Shadows
Chapters 4 and 5 of Border Nation
Chapters 4 and 5 of Swamp Story
5 Pages of Flame Sisters: Mortals and Magic

Five Page Rejection:
Mister Khan
Orlando Tales
The Tricicum Project

Three Chapter Rejection:
The Collector

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life (Re-edit Read - In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.
Demonsaint (In Progress)
Joe and the UFO (In Progress)
Lengthening Shadows (In Progress)

Full Manuscript Rejection:

Full Manuscript Read:
Swamp Story (In Progress)
The Border Nation (In Progress)
The Jewess (In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.

Client Work:
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

Happy New Year to anyone who happens to follow this Blog!

I have been a little stressed out lately. One of my clients is very ill. I am very worried about her. I keep checking her Blog to see if there are any updates.

A young boy I taught dance to may years ago passed away due to complications with CF this weekend. He was still so young. It's scary how fast life can end, how fragile it can be.

Then today, someone who had submitted something to me back in August sent me the following email:

"Dear Ms. Barnard -

As the attached correspondence indicates, nearly 6 months ago, I submitted three chapters for your consideration; as of today, I've not received any feedback from you regarding my work. I realise the 4 month timeframe you mention is only a guideline, but I'd be most appreciative if you could advise as to whether or not I'm still in the queue and when I could potentially receive any comments from you."

Seriously? The attached correspondence he refers to was dated August 27th, 2008. That means the four month period ended December 27th, 2008. And even though I understand it has passed the approximated four month period, it was no where near the six months they claimed. Needless to say I responded with an email that stated exactly that, along with my rejection. After forcing a closer inspection of their submission I realized it's not something I would be interested in dealing with at this time.

At least that person has their answer now.

That being said, here is the updated status of submissions as of today for the month of January:

Five Page Rejection:
Mister Khan

Three Chapter Rejection:
The Collector

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life (Re-edit Read - In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.
Demonsaint (In Progress)
Joe and the UFO (In Progress)
Lengthening Shadows (In Progress)

Full Manuscript Rejection:

Full Manuscript Read:
Swamp Story (In Progress)
The Border Nation (In Progress)
The Jewess (In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.

Client Work:
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

The third portion of the Canadian Women Horror Writers series is now live at strangewords.net. This time we get to hear what Nancy Baker has to say. Go check it out!

The good news is, I spent less than $100 at the previous mentioned book sale.

The bad news is, at least for anyone in the reading queue, that the agency is closing temporarily for Christmas Break. We will return to a regular schedule (hopefully) January 5th, 2009. This gives me a chance to become completely healthy and well rested.

I will still deal with some submissions as time permits, but don't expect it. Most of the time will be spent on client work.

That being said, here is the status of submissions as of today for the month of December:

Five Page Rejection:

Three Chapter Rejection:
Earth Shaker
Jungle Rot

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life (Re-edit Read - In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.
Demonsaint (In Progress)
Joe and the UFO (In Progress)
Lengthening Shadows (In Progress)
The Collector (In Progress)

Full Manuscript Rejection:

Full Manuscript Read:
Swamp Story (In Progress)
The Border Nation (In Progress)
The Jewess (In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.

Client Work:
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

Somebody hide my wallet...

As per my last post, I have done some restructuring to the agency. I haven't closed to submissions, although that might be next, but I have released some clients that I felt didn't quite fit in the new structure. It didn't go quite as smoothly as I hoped...

That being said, here is the status of submissions as of today for the month of December:

Five Page Rejection:

Three Chapter Rejection:
Earth Shaker

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life (Re-edit Read - In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.
Demonsaint (In Progress)
Joe and the UFO (In Progress)
Lengthening Shadows (In Progress)
The Collector (In Progress)

Full Manuscript Rejection:

Full Manuscript Read:
Swamp Story (In Progress)
The Border Nation (In Progress)
The Jewess (In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.

Client Work:
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

Reading for Fun:
Does Client Work Count?!
Sexy smutty stuff for research purposes!
The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman (With my son - I'm never going to finish this...)

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

The Canadian flu of doom is stomping all over my productivity...

I also feel like my workload is starting to get a little overwhelming...I am currently weighing the options of closing to submissions...I'm just so afraid I'll miss something really great!

That being said, here is the status of submissions as of today for the month of November:

Five Page Rejection:

Three Chapter Rejection:
Deadly Steam
Eulenspiegel Hall
The Legend of Marko Kraljevic
Time Dancer

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
An Extraordinarily Ordinary Life (Re-edit Read - Verification Email Sent)
Title removed at author's request.
Demonsaint (Verification Email Sent)
Earth Shaker (In Progress)
Joe and the UFO (In Progress)
Lengthening Shadows (In Progress)
The Collector (In Progress)

Full Manuscript Rejection:

Full Manuscript Read:
Swamp Story (In Progress)
The Border Nation (In Progress)
The Jewess (In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.

Client Work:
James Cheetham - Prairie Frost
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

Reading for Fun:
Does Client Work Count?!
Sexy smutty stuff for research purposes!
The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman (With my son)

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

Crazy crazy busy!

That is all...

That being said, here is the status of submissions as of today for the month of October:

Five Page Rejection:

Three Chapter Rejection:
Eulenspiegel Hall
The Legend of Marko Kraljevic
Time Dancer

Remaining on the Three Chapter Read List:
Title removed at author's request.
Earth Shaker (In Progress)
Joe and the UFO (In Progress)
Lengthening Shadows (In Progress)
The Collector (In Progress)

Full Manuscript Rejection:

Full Manuscript Read:
Swamp Story (Verification Email Sent)
The Border Nation (In Progress)
The Jewess (In Progress)
Title removed at author's request.

Client Work:
James Cheetham - Prairie Frost
Kim Cresswell - Reflection
Robin Wolfe - The Shadows of Dusk
Talitha Kalago - I, Aratika
Talitha Kalago - Meka

Reading for Fun:
Does Client Work Count?!
Sexy smutty stuff for research purposes!
The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman (With my son)

**All submissions are listed by title to protect the author's identity. If you are the author of any of the above titles and wish to have them removed from this listing please feel free to email The Barnard Agency at info@barnardagency.ca and we will attend to the matter promptly.

Are there any Toronto Knitters on my list? I seriously need help and don't know what to do...why did I promise my son I would knit him these darn gloves!

These Darn Gloves!

Anyone in the area talented enough to help a gal out? I'm stuck right where the flap and fingers are most likely to be created.

*sobs*