I see they're not accepting unsolicited manuscripts any more. Does anyone know of any other way to contact a reader there directly? The MS I'd like to submit is a children's (8-12) novel.

Erm . . . . The only way I know of is by getting an agent who'll put it there for you, but I guess you've made a decision not to do that???

Try submitting with an 'if undelivered please return to sender' address on the envelope.
If it comes back unopened you know they mean what they say and you haven't lost anything but the postage in trying.
If it comes back in your returns envelope with a rejection slip (or not!), you know they're still running a (much reduced) slush pile

- Naomi

Wow. I would never have thought of that.

Ha ha...cunning!

Sappho, am definitely still courting agents as the preferred method - but was starting to get a little itchy waiting around for the Favoured Agent to get back to me and have been looking at various houses that accepted unsolicited work in the meantime. Figured that even a name would be a foot in the door, but that might be asking too much!

You could try them with a query, maybe, in the same way that you would query an agent? Strictly speaking 'no unsolicited manuscripts' is not the same as 'no queries'. If they like the query, they may request a partial. If they like the partial, they'll ask for the whole thing. In other words, the ms is solicited, not unsolicited.

I haven't seen what they are saying, though. It might be they even want to discourage queries. I shall go and check out their website.

<Added>

It says:

Faber continues to accept unsolicited submissions of poetry but we regret that we are no longer able to accept any other unsolicited material. This includes submissions of fiction, non-fiction, plays, screenplays and children's submissions - please do not send these in as we are unable to read or return them.

I'd go to the writers' handbook and find out who the named children's editor is, then send them a very good query letter.

or return them

Bummer.

Must be pretty serious then, although I wonder if they are just saying that to scare people away? Nah, probably open them to check if there's an agents letter attached, then bin them.

Roger, that was vaguely what I'd been thinking...finding a way to get the MS "solicited" in the first place! The progression from query to partial, partial to full, and full to...no, I won't say it.

Shall do some research into the kids' editors. In the menatime, if anyone knows a name...

Commissioning editor for children's fiction at Faber is Julia Wells.

It can get a bit complicated if you start submitting to agents and publishers at the same time: remember that if you do get an agent, they'll be submitting to some of the same publishers, so things could possibly get a bit messy! But best of luck. My agent didn't even get a response from Faber, by the way.

It can get a bit complicated if you start submitting to agents and publishers at the same time

Good point, this.

Have compiled a list of second and third wave agencies, so shall try them first before hitting the pubs.

Thanks, all.

And for every publisher you've tried, an agent is going to have to cross them off their list when reading your submission and thinking about where they'd send it.

Emma

Yes - I really think that the 'either/or' policy is best when submitting - make a decision and either submit only to publishers, or only to agents.