Gordon Warnock
Gordon Warnock, Senior Agent, combines industry knowledge with a sharp editorial eye and experience as a college-level tutor to provide friendly and thorough aid with polishing manuscripts and book proposals. From his start as an intern, he has since worked his way up to becoming a full agent and an integral part of Andrea Hurst Literary Management. He frequently participates in conferences and workshops and speaks throughout the community. He is an honors graduate with a B.A. in Creative and Professional Writing.
With a zest for fresh, new writing and a deep love of the classics, Gordon always has his eye out for works which will not only thrive in the current market but will also withstand the test of time, bringing joy to readers for years to come. In that spirit, he seeks to establish involved, long term working relationships with talented and dedicated authors of many genres.
A note from Gordon on submissions:
Please query via email at gordon(at)andreahurst(dot)com or in person at any of the conferences listed below. Queries via paper mail will not be returned. And though I would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter, unsolicited submissions via either of those will get you deleted without notice.
For tips on writing an effective query (among other things), check out our blog.
My response time is usually between one minute and 8 weeks. I will respond to your query, but due to the volume of submissions, I can not offer lengthy responses or detailed critiques outlining why your work was not selected.
In order to avoid a potential conflict of interest, I will not offer representation to clients of my freelance editorial or consulting services.
Non-fiction:
Non-fiction comprises around ¾ of what I represent. I’m looking for projects in which the book is the means, rather than the end. Essentially, your book should be a part of something bigger, involving more people than just yourself. I prefer to work with socially-responsible books that raise new issues or illuminate common issues in new ways. I’m a big softie, and I love books with strong charity tie-ins and celebrities coming together to promote a good cause. Please email your query letter only. Unsolicited attachments and links will not be opened. The genres I consider include the following:
- Memoir
- Cookbooks
- Political and Current Events
- Pets
- Self-Help
- Humor
- How-To
- Career
Some of my favorites are: The Glass Castle, The New Brooklyn Cookbook, What to Drink with What You Eat, Drinking at the Movies, Tuesdays with Morrie, and Barolo.
Fiction:
Since fiction is a much smaller portion of my list, a novel really has to grab me from the first page without letting go until I finish it at 4 AM. This is most likely to happen with adult or young adult realistic novels set in the present day. I am not a big fan of fantasy/paranormal, so please, no vampires, zombies, werewolves, angels, chupacabras, etc. Novels must be completed, polished and between 55,000 and 100,000 words long. Please paste in the first chapter below your query. Unsolicited attachments and links will not be opened. The genres I consider include the following:
- Contemporary Commercial Narrative
- YA (Think Ellen Hopkins and Jay Asher, not Stephenie Meyer)
- Pets
- Humor
Some of my favorites are: Super Sad True Love Story, The Garden of Eden, Feed, Real Ultimate Power, Unlucky Lucky Days, and Nietzsche’s Kisses.
Not looking for:
- Religious Fiction
- Genre Fiction (Western, Romance, Sci-Fi)
- Legal Thrillers
- New Age
- Children’s and Middle Grade
- Novellas
- Screenplays
- Collections of essays, short fiction or poetry
“Gordon’s support and attentiveness are positively unwavering; it has been his compassionate encouragement and unfailing literary expertise that have carried me through the arduous process of revising and pitching my manuscript. I can’t imagine where I would be without his guidance, and would never think of making a decision regarding my career without consulting him first. Gordon has many times over proven what an excellent agent, writer, reader, and editor he is. Above all else, he has become one of my dearest friends, and a welcome addition to my community of literary folk.”
Tanya Chernov
A Real Emotional Girl
“With Gordon, I know my book is in the most capable of hands. His insight into the publishing industry and his expert understanding of the market have been invaluable assets in navigating the world of publishing, and without his editorial eye and finely tuned aesthetic sensibility, my book would never have become what it is today. Perhaps most importantly, Gordon is the most dedicated and personable agent with whom a writer could hope to work; his kind, calming presence and passionate dedication to my work have made the pitching process a joy.”
Kelly Davio
Jacob Wrestling
“I will forever feel fortunate that I found Gordon Warnock as my literary agent. How can I possibly describe what Gordon has meant to me as we travelled through the process of finding a publisher for my new book? He embraced my topic, immediately got into my head, and we began talking the same language from the get-go. He understood my work, my mission and my goals, and together, we walked through the process seamlessly. It could not have been a more enjoyable trip and one I could not have taken without Gordon as my partner. I believe there can be no finer agent than Gordon Warnock.”
Nan DeMars
You’ve Got To Be Kidding! How to Keep Your Job Without Losing Your Integrity
2012 Events
SDSU Writers’ Conference, January 27-29 – San Diego, CA
San Francisco Writers Conference, February 16-20 – San Francisco, CA
WNBA Meet the Agents, March 24 – San Francisco, CA
Writers’ Institute, April 13-14 – Madison, WI
Write on the River, May19-20 – Wenatchee, WA
Book Expo America, June 4-7 – New York, NY
Mendocino Coast Writers Conference, July 26-28 – Fort Bragg, CA
Alaska Writers Conference, September 7-9 – Anchorage, AK
- New Age
