Thank you for your interest in working with me.

I am seeking new clients solely in the area of how-to and reference crafts.

Submit by sending a query letter describing your project and your qualifications to:

Kate @ Epstein literary.com
(remove the spaces)

If you absolutely must mail me something, you must still approach me via email first. Putting "Query" in your regarding line is the best way to avoid being mis-filed. Please send your initial query with no attachments; all text must be in the body of the email. Initial queries with attachments may be deleted unread.

The ideal format for your regarding line is Query: Book Title (your book title that is!).

Most of the time the queries that keep me interested to the end are no more than three paragraphs long. It's not a hard and fast rule, but something to keep in mind.

Please have a book proposal available for my review when you send me a query; sometimes I respond quickly with a request to see it. I prefer, upon my request for it, that you submit your proposal via email attachment. Formats that work include MS Word (docx or doc), PDF, and rich text format--ask me if you need to do something else. Your proposal should generally include an overview of the project, an author bio, competitive/comparative titles, outline, projected manuscript length and delivery schedule, promotion plan, and sample material. Additional material that supports the project such as endorsement and market analysis would be welcome, too.

I normally respond to email queries within six months. If you haven't heard from me yet, it may mean one of the following:

• You sent an unsolicited attachment and I deleted your query unread.
• You have a spam blocker that requires me to register or jump through some other hoop to get my response through.
• Your return email address was rejected by my server.
• I never received your query. With e-queries, if your regarding line could somehow be misinterpreted as porn or spam, try using a different one. Don't embed links.

If you haven't heard from me on an e-query after three months, assuming your project is in my areas of interest, it's fine to check in with me via email. If you haven't heard on a paper query in six months, it's also OK to inquire via email. Again, the best way to keep me from losing an email query is to put the word Query in your regarding line.

My For Writers section has more information for writers.