Books that make a difference, since 1994

Welcome!

The Robert E. Shepard Agency serves authors of serious non-fiction books. With clients across the United States and around the world, the Agency is proud of its authors and their books--works that educate and inform, introduce new subjects to public view, and offer new insights into traditional areas of interest. Currently located in Berkeley, the Agency has been a proud member of California's literary community since 1994.

Enjoy browsing our site. You can learn more about:

The Agency's history and mission	How to write a great non-fiction book proposal
The Agency's clients and books	The differences between non-fiction and fiction
Agency News	Some good reasons to have a literary agent

Please continue reading below to find out more about the Agency's key subjects--as well as areas in which we are not interested in receiving submissions. You'll also find information on submitting query letters and proposals.

Non-Fiction Is Our Specialty!

In fact, it's the only thing we represent. Every literary agency has a different set of specialties and brings a different set of perspectives and interests to its work. Here are some of our key categories ­ and also some subjects in which we do not consider projects:

What we're ESPECIALLY looking for:

• Current affairs, politics, and issues facing or shaping contemporary society and culture
• Narrative non-fiction, including works in history that shed new light on important events, periods, and individuals
• Narrative works about sports
• Business, especially books that focus on newly emerging business issues
• Judaica
• Issues in sexuality, including lesbian/gay non-fiction
• Current science, explained for lay audiences
• Literary non-fiction; books with a very strong narrative and lessons to teach

We DO NOT represent:

• Autobiographical works
• Fiction - What's the difference between fiction and non-fiction? Click here!
• Poetry
• Screenplays and stage plays
• Most "collected" works: books that gather letters, articles, newspaper columns, anecdotes, etc.

We prefer that you query by email or letter before sending a proposal. All queries should be in writing; please do not query by telephone. Please describe, in a page or two, something about your subject, your intended audience, your background, and why your work should be of interest to agents, editors, and the reading public. Focus on what's new and different! If you send a query or proposal by mail, be sure to enclose a postage-paid return envelope capable of holding your material; otherwise, it will not be returned. If you query by email, please do not attach any documents to your message­­for security reasons, they will be deleted. Please see How to Write a Non-Fiction Book Proposal for more information, including our full proposal guidelines. We DO NOT represent novels, short stories, screenplays, poetry, or drama.

Contacting the Agency

Please click here for mail and email addresses and other guidelines. The Agency does not accept queries by telephone or fax.

"The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty."

­James Madison