What do I send?

Please follow WCA’s submission guidelines and provide the following. If you are unsure about formatting, please refer to the Chicago Manual of Style guidelines.

  • your credentials/bio and contact information
  • any relevant social media handles
  • a brief synopsis of your work
  • a writing sample of ten to twenty pages, sent within the body of the email (not as an attachment, please!)
  • prior submission history for the project
  • for graphic or illustrated projects, please also provide an art sample if one is available.

Our agents bring their unique interests to their individual client lists, and we encourage you to familiarize yourself with what each of us is prioritizing when it comes to new submissions. Generally speaking, we are looking for authors who have a mastery of language, a passionate, expert or original perspective on their subject, and a gift for storytelling. We very much welcome submissions from authors from diverse backgrounds and from prospective clients whose perspectives have traditionally been underrepresented in publishing. Though it isn’t strictly necessary, a demonstrated ability to connect with readers, whether by social media platform or other means, is greatly valued by publishers, and therefore by us as well.

WCA represents:

  • literary, upmarket, and quality commercial fiction in all age categories
  • a wide range of narrative non-fiction
  • a limited range of practical non-fiction, including cookbooks and wellness titles
  • select graphic novels and other illustrated works with high quality writing for all age categories

Please note that WCA does not represent screenwriters, playwrights or poets, and that we are proud to specialize in representing Canadian authors.

Who do I send it to?

Send all queries to: submissions@wcaltd.com

The following agents are closed to submissions except by referral: Jackie Kaiser, Emmy Nordstrom Higdon, Hilary McMahon, John Pearce, Bruce Westwood, and Meg Wheeler.

If you previously submitted to Emmy, your letter will remain under consideration.

Please note that we only accept electronic submissions.

If you believe your query is best suited for a particular agent please include their name in the subject line of your email. Like you, our agents have their own tastes. We encourage you to refer to the agent bios to determine which agent might be the best recipient of your submission. Please do not query more than one agent at the agency simultaneously, and please only submit one work at a time (until we have had a chance to review and respond to your first query). 

When will I hear back from WCA?

Thank you for thinking of Westwood Creative Artists! We appreciate the effort you have placed into querying the agency, and in return ask for your patience as we review your submission.

You will receive an automated response when your query has been received in our system. Because we receive an extremely high volume of submissions daily and the ongoing pressures of COVID-19, we regret that we are only able to reply to successful queries at this time.

Please allow up to six months for our team to consider your submission. If we have not replied within that time, it can be assumed that for one reason or another we have decided against pursuing the project, and we wish you the best in finding alternative representation.