FAQs

A giraffe standing inside a library room with tall bookshelves, green walls with gold patterns, large windows, and table lamps.

  • We hoped you’d ask!

    Giraffes are representative of communication in the animal kingdom. They also happen to be our founder’s favourite animal!

    The Light was originally a lamp post in our OG 2016 logo. (We see you fellow Narnia fans!) It not only indicates a light in the darkness, but the bright spark of new creative ideas.

  • Yes! We love working with first time authors.

  • We represent a wide range of books in both fiction and nonfiction.

    • Fiction

      • Commercial Fiction

      • Literary Fiction

      • Fantasy/Sci-Fi

      • Mystery/Suspense

      • Historical Fiction

      • LGBTQIA+

      • Women’s Fiction

      • Bildungsroman

      • Gothic Fiction

      • Environmental Fiction

      • Dark Comedy

      • Drama/Tragedy

    • Nonfiction

      • Inspiration

      • Redemption Stories

      • Thematic Nonfiction

      • Memoirs

      • Self-Help

      • Narrative Nonfiction

    • Graphic Novels

      • Original, long form novels

    We do not currently represent comics or artists looking for introductions to DC or Marvel. We prefer original IP and characters.

  • We are currently not seeking the following genres/subgenres:

    • Children’s books

    • Serialized comics

    • Poetry

    • Horror

    • True Crime

    • Politics/Current Events

    • Romance

    • History

    We are also not currently representing or accepting submissions in foreign languages for translation into English. All manuscripts must be in English to be considered.

  • No (but it helps)! Publishers often look at social media followings to determine whether an author - especially a first-time author with an unproven record - has potential to sell their book.

    However, we believe quality is more important than quantity and, if you have a great book, we will consider you even if you’re not famous… yet.

  • Great question!

    Our agency is not like most other agencies who take 15% right off the top. We function like agencies used to with the 10% commission rates on most client contracts.

    Why?

    Because we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach.

    Some projects come to us ready to be introduced to the market without needing any editing. Other projects need a little more finesse with developmental edits or line edits.

    We do not feel it is fair to charge an inflated commission percentage to all clients across all revenue streams in perpetuity and prefer to give clients options based on our creative and industry analysis of each work that fit their comfort level, budget, schedule, and desired outcomes.

    We NEVER require clients to use our editorial services as contingency for signing them. We give authors options which we discuss up front with our authors before signing.

    If we feel a project requires editing before we can query it, we will 1) work with authors in an advisory capacity included in our 10% commission structure and allow the authors to undertake the edits in their own time; 2) give authors the option to hire an independent third party developmental or line editor; 3) give a substantially reduced industry rate flat-fee for us to undertake developmental edits only—we never charge for line edits—if the author does not wish to do it themselves; or 4) if the author does not have the funds to solicit our developmental editing services, we will raise our commission based on an honest and transparent appraisal of the amount of work a manuscript requires in a case-by-case basis never to exceed 15%.

    We believe in being up front and transparent about what each project requires on a case-by-case basis and giving our authors options. We aim to educate and accommodate authors to give them the information to make the best decision for their lifestyle and project to help first-time authors break into the publishing world.

  • No problem!

    We offer ghostwriting services. We know many people have never written a book because they have been too busy doing amazing things in their given professional spheres.

    Our ghostwriting services are designed to get to know you, your story, and your experience and marry it with our knowledge of literary structure and award-winning writing skills.

    We schedule interviews, help you determine the best modality of storytelling for the book you want to write, create detailed outlines, learn your unique personality, write the book in a voice that reflects who you are, and collaborate with you to edit it for the marketplace.

  • We hope it can! Having been in the film industry for over a decade, we know the demand for content and how lucrative book rights can be. We will educate you through the pros and cons of subsidiary rights, like film rights, and whether it is better to sell those rights to your publisher or negotiate to keep them.

  • If it were that simple, we’d write a book about it.

    The sad truth is, not every book sells. Even if it is agented. There are simply no guarantees in publishing.

    The market is constantly changing and money drives the machine. Sometimes you can have the most beautiful book, but if a publisher cannot see a market ready or big enough to buy it, they will pass on a project.

    However, we do our best to find the market hooks that will show your book has the potential to be a money maker and match it with editors looking for the type of material you write.

  • Sadly we do not.

    While we do offer screenplay coverages for producers and screenwriting-for-hire services, we do not currently represent screenwriters or original specs to producers as part of our literary agency arm as that is an entirely different animal.

  • We are flattered that you want to work with us!

    If you think you would be a good fit for the GiraffeLight Media Agency team, feel free to send us a message on our Contact page.

  • Yes! While we cannot represent everyone who applies or accept every submission that is sent in, we will at least do our best to respond to every initially inquiry in a timely fashion.

    Please reach out using our contact form, but DO NOT send excerpts from your manuscript or lengthy summaries. Inquiries that do not adhere to this rule will be immediately discarded.

    If we are interested in your idea, we will ask you to send us a manuscript directly through secure channels, and we will NEVER ask you to pay for us to read a manuscript. No legitimate agency will ever ask for reading fees.