Erin C. Niumata

Erin C. Niumata has been in publishing for over fifteen years. She started as an editorial assistant at Simon and Schuster in the Touchstone/Fireside paperback division for several years; then moved over to Harper Collins as an editor, and then she went to Avalon Books as the Editorial Director, working on Romance, Mysteries and Westerns. Erin has edited many authors including Leon Uris, Stuart Woods, Phyllis Richman, Senator Fred Harris, Dean Ornish, Michael Lee West, Debbie Fields, Erica Jong, Brenda Maddox, Lawrence Otis Graham, and Joan Rivers.

What I'm looking for

Fiction: commercial women's fiction, romance (no supernatural) both contemporary and historical, romantic comedies, historical fiction, psychological thrillers, suspense, humor. I love sassy Southern and/or British heroines.

Nonfiction: cookbooks, biographies, pet care/pets, parenting, self help, women's issues, fashion, pop culture and humor.

What I'm not looking for

Absolutely no paranormal romance, westerns, poetry, short story collections, business, travel memoirs, or picture books.

How to contact me

For email queries send a short query, a synopsis and a page or two all in the body of the email. Your query letter should include your name and contact information, the date, the type of project (genre), the word count, a brief summary of the project, if any editors have seen the info, a bit of personal information about yourself (books published, MFA, articles written, etc.), and a full synopsis and the first 5 pages of text. If you have sold previously, I'd like sales information about your books.

For postal mail, FOLIO Literary Management, 505 8th Avenue, Suite 603, New York, NY 10018

Email Address: ecniumata(@)foliolit.com

Some of my favorite (non-client) books

Anything by Marian Keys, Phillippa Gregory, Erica James, Mary Kay Andrews, Sophie Kinsella, Dan Brown, Maeve Binchy, Jennifer Weiner, Patricia Cornwell, Janet Evanovich, Michael Lee West, Phyllis Richman, Scott Turow, James Patterson, Neale Godfrey, Sally Samson, to name a few.

What kind of writing inspires me

I look for books that excel in storytelling; I'm not interested in abstract symbolism, but in well-developed characters, a compelling plot, and good pacing. I do like books that explore larger themes and ideas, like Sheri S. Tepper's novels, but I always want the story to be first and foremost. If a book grabs my attention, I'll devour it, and I'm always on the lookout for authors that are particularly skilled at world-building. I'm also very conscious of the author's writing, and although I won't think any less of you for having the occasional typo or grammatical mistake, I will get annoyed if there are a large number of misspellings and grammar errors.

What I love about my job

As an avid reader of many genres I love finding something new, exciting and well written. It's especially thrilling to know that I can help the author with their career, helping edit the work; sending it out to potential editors, and eventually get the book into print. Finding new authors is always a joy. Helping them build a solid writing career is truly the best part of the job.

My response time

I usually reply to email queries in a couple days. I typically respond to snail mail queries within a couple weeks or sooner.

If you've sent me a query and I haven't responded, please resend it, using the same means that you initially made contact. Include a copy of your original query.

If I've requested material from you, I typically respond within a couple of weeks for partials or non-fiction proposals, and 3-5 weeks for full manuscripts. If you haven't heard from me within the expected timeframe, please send an email and we'll sort out things.