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Julie Barer

An agent with The Book Group (see other agents at this agency).

About

Born and raised in New York City, Julie Barer began her career as a bookseller at Shakespeare & Company, where she discovered the joy of putting books into people’s hands. After fifteen years in the business, Julie co-founded The Book Group with her partners Faye Bender, Brettne Bloom and Elisabeth Weed in 2015. Julie represents a variety of writers across a literary spectrum, with a special emphasis on fiction.

Julie’s clients have been winners of numerous grants and prizes, including the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics’ Circle Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and many others. Works by several of her clients have graced the cover of The New York Times Book Review, have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, and have been made into feature films and television series. A number of books that Julie represents have been chosen by national book clubs including the Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club, Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Book Club and Oprah’s Book Club.

This agent may not respond to all queries. After waiting 90 days, assume your submission will not be accepted.

Country & Year Established

United States
Agent since 2004

Professional Associations

Member of AALA

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

Statistics Synopsis

Slower
Julie Barer's overall average response time is slower than most agents.

Fiction Open

Julie is looking for novels that are deeply rooted in story, with a powerful emotional center and compelling characters. She loves books with a strong sense of place, and enjoys being transported, challenged, and moved by what she reads. Her taste is expansive - ranging from old-fashioned, traditional storytelling to genre-bending fiction that breaks the rules.

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

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.

Julie Barer 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 3 reports from 3 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.
Days Reported
143 min | 147.7 mean avg | 146.0 median | 154 max days (515.6 std dev)
Pending
4 responses are pending (3 min | 36.3 mean avg | 28.0 median | 76 max days waiting | 883.9 std dev) from 4 different members This only includes pending reports from people who have been active on Duotrope within the past 30 days

Other Information

The agent will try to make a decision within 90 days. (100.0 % of the responses reported to us for this listing have taken longer than 90 days.)
This agent may not respond to all queries. After waiting the time indicated above, assume your submission will not be accepted.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 09:31 UTC (37 minutes ago).

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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: 16 Jul 2026

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

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