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Barbara Poelle

An agent with Word One Literary (see other agents at this agency).

About

Barbara Poelle opened the doors of Word One Literary in 2023 after 16 years with the Irene Goodman Agency. She has found success placing literary and upmarket fiction, suspense, horror and thrillers, and is actively seeking her next great client in those genres, but is passionate about anything with a unique voice. Barbara is also the author of Funny You Should Ask: Mostly Serious Answers to Mostly Serious Questions About the Publishing Industry where she demystifies the mysteries of this career for authors at every stage.

Country & Year Established

United States
Agent since 2007

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

Statistics Synopsis

Slower
Barbara Poelle's overall average response time is slower than most agents.

Fiction Open

Barbara is looking for high octane thrillers, edgy mysteries, and literary, upmarket and commercial adult fiction. Further, if your critique partner has ever said your work reminds them of either Jordan Peele or Tina Fey, now would be the time to leap into her queries inbox. Barbara is not looking to acquire new Young Adult, Middle Grade or Picture Books, but will consider an industry referral in any genre.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience, including: Adults.

Genres:

General Open to all/most Subgenres
Mystery/Crime Open to all/most Subgenres
Suspense/Thriller Open to all/most Subgenres

Lengths:

Novel

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary, Mainstream.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Submissions:

Method: Email.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

Agent Impersonation Scams are becoming commonplace.
A legitimate agent will not contact you and request money to represent you. Never pay an agent an up-front fee. That is not how literary agent representation works. Agents earn a commission only after they've landed a publishing deal for you. Also, agents scarcely ever contact writers. If an agent that you haven't queried contacts you about representation, be suspicious. Look up the agent and check if the email address is correct for that agent/agency.

Barbara Poelle Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the agency or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Filter:
Accuracy
We have received 5 reports from 5 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported
38 min | 159.6 mean avg | 121.0 median | 316 max days (184.6 std dev)
Pending
9 responses are pending (68 min | 218.3 mean avg | 186.0 median | 555 max days waiting | 161.3 std dev) from 7 different members This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 08 May 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 07 Feb 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 02:30 UTC (7 hours, 14 minutes ago).

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Your Submissions

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the agent or agency being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the agent/agency meets your standards.

  • Always read the full guidelines provided by the agency/agent.
  • Unless the agency's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
  • For agency submissions, it is standard to submit a query letter and sample instead of the full manuscript. Do this unless otherwise instructed.
  • Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 05 Sep 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.

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