Cindy Bullard

Senior Literary Agent and
Subsidiary Rights

Cindy is closed to traditional submissions.
She is only open to indie authors and publishers for representation of subsidiary rights. 

Cindy opened Birch Literary in 2021. Presently she represents subsidiary rights and a select few career authors. Please visit our "Sold" page to see Cindy's represented deals.

MSWL

• Please do not submit unfinished work.

• Please do not submit first drafts or work that has not been through a critique group. Beta readers are not the same!

• Join a critique group that will read (and redline) your manuscript. Then, polish your final draft before submitting it. 

• Please review the suggested guidelines for word count below.

In nonfiction, Cindy loves books about nature (kids and adults),  faith-based books, self-help from experts, mindfulness, humor, history, sports, and true crime.

Cindy is NOT seeking adult fiction or children's fiction at this time. 

Submission Guidelines

Your non-fiction proposal should include:

• A proposal that covers the title, audience, and the reasons why you are the one to write the work. 

• A list of recent comparable titles.

• A marketing plan of how you will promote the work.

• A table of contents.

• A chapter outline that includes a one-paragraph synopsis for each chapter.

• The first three completed and polished chapters.

• Your biography. Please focus on your expertise in the area in which you are writing. 

CLOSED FOR SUBMISSIONS EXCEPT FOR

• Pitches received during conferences or pitch sessions.

• Indie authors seeking representation for
  subsidiary rights.

• Publishers seeking representation for subsidiary rights.

Please check back for updates. 

When open to submissions, my preferred submission method is cindy@birchliterary.com

Suggested Guidelines for Word Count

Non-fiction 50 - 80K 

Adult Fiction Mystery 70 - 90K Adult Fiction Romance 70 - 90K
Adult Fiction Cozy Mystery 50 - 60K
Middle-Grade Fiction 30 - 50K
YA Fiction 60 - 90K

Kay Cornett

Literary Agent

Closed to submissions.

Before joining Birch Literary, Kay began her publishing career as an intern at Folio Literary Management after receiving her MFAW from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Following a role in marketing and public relations, she landed Birch Literary. As an agent, Kay takes an active role in the editorial process and is dedicated to cultivating a long-term career and vision for her authors.

MSWL 

Fiction

• Adult literary thrillers, mysteries, suspense, and well-researched true crime

• YA in any genre (but she's particularly fond of fantasy or a good origin/fairytale retelling)

Also eager to read:

• Coming-of-age stories featuring main characters with scratchy voices

• Immortal characters and unlikely love interests

• Ghost stories that keep me up at night, but no horror

 Nonfiction

• Cookbooks (plant-based, regional, or fresh spins on old classics)

• Lifestyle Nonfiction: health, wellness, relationships, parenting, lifestyle, interior design, minimalist/clean living, fitness, apothecary, mindfulness

• Platform-based Nonfiction: must demonstrate a built-in following with expertise in the specific professional space

Also, (very) selectively seeking:

• Narrative Nonfiction and Essay Collections that make me see the world differently

• Poetry Collections that haunt me (in the best way, of course!)

Submission Guidelines

Closed to submissions.

Please send your query to kay@birchliterary.com

In the subject line, type ATTN Kay, and include your project's title.

• A brief query letter

• The first 10 pages of your manuscript
  pasted in the body of the email.

• No attachments, please.

• For nonfiction, please send
  a detailed proposal that includes the first two chapters of the manuscript.

Rhian MacGillivray

Literary Agent

Before joining Birch Literary, Rhian worked for more than a decade as a Spanish-English translator, editor, and proofreader. 

MSWL

I’m looking for adult fiction that falls under the following genres (no YA or children’s, please):

Book club fiction

I’m looking for books with emotional depth and human connections, or ones that will open up a new world to me. For example, I loved diving into videogames in Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, and ice skating in The Favourites by Layne Fargo. I also enjoy books that explore the relationships between siblings (like Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors), and those that explore motherhood and female friendship (like the incredible So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne).

Commercial fiction

I’d love to find some commercial fiction with the humor and heart of the Vera Wong books by Jesse Q. Sutanto, or the interconnected characters with depth found in Liane Moriarty’s work.

Historical fiction

Historical fiction is one of my first loves. I want to be immersed in another time and place through a sense of place and excellent characterization.

Two of my favorite books of all time are In Memoriam by Alice Winn and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I’ll also read anything by Kate Quinn or Kristin Hannah, and I loved Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu.

Romance

In romance, I want to see complexity: conflicts, great pacing, and characters with goals beyond the romance. I’d love to find a sports romance about a more niche sport.

I’m not a good fit for the fake dating trope as I’ve never been able to get into it. Spice is okay, but it shouldn’t feel gratuitous. No erotica please.

My favorite romance book would have to be Beach Read by Emily Henry.

Romantic fantasy

I generally prefer romantic fantasy over romantasy – basically, I want tight pacing in a plot that shines and where the romance is secondary. I really enjoyed Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley with its high-stakes trials, and strong female character.

Fantasy

I’d love to find a heist novel (think Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, but for adults rather than YA), or a clever fantasy akin to Babel by R.F. Kuang or The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown.

Not the best fit for steampunk, portal fantasy, or vampires.

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I am not a good fit for: sci-fi, horror, crime, thriller, suspense.

I do not represent non-fiction, memoirs, screenplays, novellas, or short story collections.

Submission guidelines

Please send a short query letter along with the first three chapters or 10,000 words of your manuscript, and a 1-2 page synopsis, all in the body of your email, to rhian@birchliterary.com.