Sent proposal 7/14/25 Contemporary Romantic Suspense - 100k
Rejected 8/1/25--Form letter from an assistant (three lines of drivel--"the project isn't quite a fit for us."

Brief RANT by me:

WIthout any real feedback to guide me, I have to assume Tamela's assistant is the only one who read my proposal. Am I to conclude that proposing a moral, ethical and uplifting story is not overtly Christian isn't quite a fit for them? I am so frustrated with agencies like this one who make complex guideline demands on submitting writers but then provide zero in return.

If you are considering submitting fiction to the Steve Laube Agency, here are some of the items you will need to pull together into a concise book proposal: A cover letter (different than a query), a hook line, a promo sentence, a "back of the book" blurb, an author's bio, an audience appraisal for your submitted book, your internet presence list, your current marketing efforts (if you have published books before - I have two), a list of three current comparative titles for your book and why they apply, if you have previously published titles provide the back of the book descriptions, any awards, and sales figures, list any potential endorsements available for your current book (I listed four other authors who would endorse my book), a list of your future book projects with descriptions and hooks (I listed three - one that I'm currently writing and two others that are in the wings), a synopsis of your current submission, and, finally, the first 3 chapters of the currrent submission.

The book proposal for their little agency in Arizona grew to over 10 single-spaced pages of careful prose--not counting those first few chapters of the actual manuscript. Let me be clear, their exercise was helpful in clarifying my thoughts about my project, so it wasn't a wasted effort overall, but their callous three line form letter response from some assistant struck me as disrespectful.

"Disrespect" pretty much sums up my response to six months of querying a myriad of agents. Whether it's the 1-day rejections from some intern, or the typical absence of any response at all, or the brief form letter after months of waiting after a full request, agents disrespect us. They talk-the-talk in interviews and on their websites about how they care about authors, and the craft of writing, and their never-ending search for quality, but in practice, none of their words are true. They seem incapable of doing even the very first things: reading and communicating.

I guess I should be thankful that at least somebody from their agency responded in 18 days.

End of my rant.

Sent proposal on 7/14/25 via email, per their website request - Christian Historical Romance - 80k

83,000 Contemporary romance

Signed contract with her for representation 5/23/2025, proving that dreams do come true. Keep querying, folks!

This is a brief summary. During the following 11 months, we had a steady back and forth communication going, so I was not left in the dark, which I appreciate so much!
Submitted Christian Hist. Fiction 6/15/24
2/20/25 full request of my manuscript requested.
After a few more back and forth emails, I received an offer of representation on 5-14-25. I accepted.
All our interactions have been great, and I look forward to working with her!

Agent (and the agency in general) is looking for Christian Romance and other genres in the Christian market.