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James Farner

@jamesfarner.bsky.social

220 followers 59 following 75 posts

Agency Assistant at JABberwocky Literary Agency | he/him | Open to Mystery/Thriller Queries: https://QueryManager.com/JamesFarner

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James Farner @jamesfarner.bsky.social · Nov 8

I'm done with the old site and will just be updating here going forward.

I'm currently open to Mystery/Thriller queries.

What I'm looking for: awfulagent.com/agents/james...
Where to Query Me: querymanager.com/JamesFarner

“Remember — hate is always foolish, and love is always wise.”

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James Swallow @jmswallow.bsky.social · 7h

DARK HORIZON is a "superb, propulsive read" - thanks to @antonyjohnston.bsky.social for recommending my latest action thriller this on @theincomparable.com podcast!

The Incomparable @theincomparable.com · 9d

The Incomparable Mothership episode 787 just posted: Injured in the Jaguar Attack [Mystery Reading List]

Injured in the Jaguar Attack (The Incomparable Mothership 787)

It’s autumn, things are turning dark and gray, and that puts us in the mind of… (fictional) murder! Want a mystery novel, or series, to read? Our expert readers have many, many suggestions for you. - Jason Snell with Jean MacDonald, Antony Johnston, David J. Loehr, Scott McNulty, Sandra Wong and Annette Wierstra.

www.theincomparable.com

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Antony Johnston @antonyjohnston.bsky.social · 3d

"Book club spotlight" scams are so ubiquitous that friends of mine who simply share names with authors are now getting the same bullshit emails. AUTHORS: DON'T FALL FOR IT. They all ask for money eventually, and it's almost certainly all AI-driven. A thread of recent examples:

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Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 4d

Andrew, we're voting you off the island and back to the suburbs.

Our new ad just aired during Survivor.

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JABberwocky Literary Agency @awfulagent.bsky.social · 8d

It’s been a whirlwind time at New York Comic Con so far — here are some client highlights we’ve seen! 🧵

@mauricebroaddus.bsky.social was on the fantastic Young, Gifted & Whack panel, covering the intersections of creativity and nerdom among Black communities, moderated by Wayne Brady! #nycc

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Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · 12d

Can’t decide what to buy on Prime Day?

Try: absolutely nothing, and then go support indie bookstores instead 📚

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Brady McReynolds @bradymcagent.bsky.social · 16d

Howdy, writers!
I'll be closing to queries at the end of today (aka Friday, 10/3). The submissions have been coming in quicker that I can keep up.
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So I'm going to focus on reading all the lovely books that have already come in for the next few weeks and months.

James Farner @jamesfarner.bsky.social · 17d

I hope this is true 😅

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JABberwocky Literary Agency @awfulagent.bsky.social · 17d

We've been busy — here are some of the exciting projects our clients announced in the month of September alone 🥳

Congratulations to JAB clients Emily Rath, Isaac Fitzsimons, @jessmeywrites.bsky.social, @brandonsanderson.com, and Peter Orullian on their book deals!

Book deal announcement reading "Author of the Jacksonville Rays series and the Tuonela duet Emily Rath's DEVOUR ME, the first in an MMF paranormal trilogy, in which a young woman becomes caught between a handsome witch and a cursed wraith in a brewing war against dark forces, to Laura Schreiber at Avon, in a major deal, for seven figures, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, by Susan Velazquez at JABberwocky Literary Agency (NA). Rights also to Gillian Green at Bramble UK, at auction, in a six-figure deal, by Stevie Finegan at Zeno Agency."

Book deal announcement reading "Author of THE PASSING PLAYBOOK Isaac Fitzsimons's ASTRA FOX AND THE WONDERWORKERS REBELLION, the author's middle grade debut, set in an alternate Gilded Age where an aspiring wonderworker gains a once-in-a-lifetime apprenticeship, only to discover the illusions she creates uphold the very system that exploits her people and conceals the city's rotten core, pitched as a magical take on Newsies, to Alyson Heller at Aladdin, for publication in fall 2026, by Jordan Hamessley at JABberwocky Literary Agency (world English)."

Book deal announcement reading "Jess Mey's GRACE & JO HAVE NEVER SOLVED A MURDER, in which two witty and wise millennial women team up to solve a murder—or at least try to, to Gemma Creffield at Datura, with Ella Chappell editing, in a nice deal, for publication in October 2026, by James Farner at JABberwocky Literary Agency (world English). Rights: susan@awfulagent.com"

Book deal announcement reading "Brandon Sanderson and Peter Orullian's SONGS OF THE DEAD, the first book in the Strata Wars contemporary fantasy trilogy, following a struggling musician who, after his death, wakes up in a new reality, where music and light are considered magic and past eras play out underneath the streets of London, to Joe Monti at Saga Press, in a three-book deal, for publication in summer 2026, by Joshua Bilmes at JABberwocky Literary Agency (NA). Audio rights also to Georgia Holmes at Bolinda (UK), by Stevie Finegan at Zeno Agency."

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Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 18d

The Sora AI thing is proof of something very important: The technology itself is useless without the ability to use the likenesses of real, living, unpredictable people, and the art they create. And the only way to get those likenesses or that art is to summarily steal it.

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Emmeline Duncan @emmelineduncan.bsky.social · 18d

If you need signed copies of Chaos at the Lazy Bones Bookshop or Mayhem at a Halloween Wedding, the Well-Read Moose has this many:

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James Farner @jamesfarner.bsky.social · 18d

Can't emphasize this enough!

Jordan Hamessley @thejordache.bsky.social · 18d

Quick reminder: I only consider queries through QueryManager unless it is a referral from someone I actually know. I've gotten a lot of queries* to my email recently and those are deleted. *Many also CC TONS of agents.

Following guidelines is the first step to a strong author/agent relationship.

Jordan Hamessley @thejordache.bsky.social · 19d

I am very behind on my queries and requested material reading, so I'm going to close to queries at the end of the week for a short time until I'm caught up. Feel free to query in the meantime.

QueryManager.com/HamessleyQuery

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Jess Mey @jessmeywrites.bsky.social · 25d

How old do you have to be to stop getting excited about Scholastic book fair week? I'll let you know, but the number is higher than 36.

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Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · Sep 18

They are literally canceling culture

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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · Jul 18

Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.

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DAW Books @dawbooks.bsky.social · Sep 15

The Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch is a must-read for those who love magic, mystery, and thriller 🤩 Get books 4-10 for $2.99 on eBook format – what a steal (Peter Grant don’t arrest me)!

buff.ly/EoKwGsy

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nilay patel @reckless.bsky.social · Sep 12

Just to be blunt, if you want Wired and 404 and The Verge to employ reporters who understand the memes on bullet casings and can connect them to gaming culture while having the legal and support resources to deal with waves of harassment when we do it… you have to subscribe and pay for the work

onion person @junlper.beer · Sep 12

the entire media ecosystem is just not built or ready for events like this and far right billionaires like larry ellison buying news orgs will only make this worse

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James Farner @jamesfarner.bsky.social · Sep 12

Thanks!!

James Farner @jamesfarner.bsky.social · Sep 12

Humor, hijinks, and whodunit coming next year to a bookstore near you!!

Jess Mey @jessmeywrites.bsky.social · Sep 12

I got ✨the✨ screenshot from @jamesfarner.bsky.social this morning, which means I finally get to tell you all about... my book deal. 🥹 "Grace & Jo Have Never Solved a Murder" coming fall 2026 from @daturabooks.bsky.social!

#amwriting #bookdeal #mystery #writingcommunity

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Elad Nehorai @eladn.bsky.social · Sep 10

They have never, ever expressed anything close to this level of pain and sympathy for school shooting victims.

On Fox News, the anchor Will Cain choked up on-air as he read aloud President Trump's announcement of the death of Charlie Kirk. "I don't know where we go from here as a news program," Mr. Cain told viewers, "and I don't know where we go from here in America."
Megyn Kelly, streaming live on YouTube, was tearful even before the news was confirmed, sobbing with her guest, Glenn Beck of The Blaze.
She described Mr. Kirk as a friend who supported her even when her relations with the MAGA world were strained. "I am so sorry to be bringing you this news," Ms. Kelly told her audience. Later

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Maya Kaufman @mayakaufman.bsky.social · Sep 4

BREAKING, from NY Playbook PM: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will sign an executive order allowing pharmacists to prescribe and administer Covid vaccines to New Yorkers who request them.

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Colin the Copywriter @colinthecopywriter.bsky.social · Sep 3

A shout out to all in America. Here's your chance to get your science-fiction-murder-mystery-it's-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it literary fix cheap!
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/exo-colin-...
@diversionbooks.bsky.social @zenoagency.bsky.social @awfulagent.bsky.social @barnesandnoble.com
#BNPreorder

Exo by Colin Brush available at 25% off to Barnes and Noble members from Sept 3 to Sept 5.

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Anil Dash @anildash.com · Sep 2

Good news about the cutting-edge AI tools from the $3-trillion-dollar company.

Google AI search result for “was 2010 fifteen years ago?” returning: “No, 2010 was 14 years ago, not 15 years ago. The current year is 2025, and to find the number of years ago 2010 was, you subtract 2010 from 2025, which equals 14.
Current Year: 2025
Past Year: 2010
Years Ago: 2025 - 2010 = 14 years”

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Techdirt @techdirt.com · Aug 29

House Republicans Want To Doxx Wikipedia Editors Over Bogus ‘Bias’ Complaints

Congress has absolutely zero constitutional authority to investigate a private website for its editorial decisions. Zero. None. This is First Amendment 101. Yet House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and…

House Republicans Want To Doxx Wikipedia Editors Over Bogus ‘Bias’ Complaints

Congress has absolutely zero constitutional authority to investigate a private website for its editorial decisions. Zero. None. This is First Amendment 101. Yet House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and Cybersecurity Subcommittee Chairwoman Nancy Mace have decided otherwise. In a letter to Wikimedia Foundation CEO Maryana Iskander, these two Republicans are demanding that Wikipedia hand over editor identities, internal communications, and arbitration records because some studies suggest there might be bias in Wikipedia articles about Israel-Palestine issues.

www.techdirt.com

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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · Aug 29

Trump take LEGO

www.404media.co/lego-stops-s...

LEGO Stops Shipping Individual Bricks to United States After Trump's Tariffs

www.404media.co

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JABberwocky Literary Agency @awfulagent.bsky.social · Aug 26

Also celebrating its release today is the American Mystery Classic reprint of THE TRAGEDY OF X by Ellery Queen 🎉

The first of the Drury Lane Mysteries, THE TRAGEDY OF X is among Ellery Queen's most beloved series, perfect for new and long-time fans!

awfulagent.com/ebooks/the-t...

The Tragedy of X (#1) – JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc

awfulagent.com

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