Jo Ramsay is a literary agent for adult authors with the Transatlantic Agency. Jo (they/she) comes to Transatlantic after nearly three years working as literary assistant to Carly Watters at P.S. Literary Agency. TheyÕve worked in publishing for over eight years at a number of publishers and literary magazines which include Simon and Schuster, Shrapnel Magazine, Arsenal Pulp Press, PRISM International, and Greystone Books. Their journalism has been published in The Globe & Mail, MacleanÕs, and This Magazine among others. After graduating from UBC with a major in English Literature and a minor in Creative Writing, Jo went on to live in Japan and the UK, always keeping a foot in the publishing world. Now based in Toronto, Jo is looking to represent a variety of adult fiction and nonfiction.
For fiction, Jo is seeking books that subvert genre expectations or combine genres in innovative ways, as well as stories with dark humor and absurdist elements. They crave shocking ideas and twists that make readers leap to text their friends about or jump on to social media to engage in conversation. They are also seeking books across all genres that feature queer relationships (particularly WLW/sapphic), BIPOC characters, or explore gender identity.
TheyÕre particularly searching for books that feature unhinged women, female rage, or women in power. Emerging terms in the space of female rageÑsuch as Òcoming of rageÓ (A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers, Beef on Netflix, Severance by Ling Ma) and Ògood for herÓ (My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite, They Never Learn by Layne Fargo)Ñare a high priority. They are also interested in Millennial quarter-life/mid-life crisis (Ripe by Sarah Rose Etter, Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou), dark humor (Bunny by Mona Awad, Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder), and books that centre platonic love and affection.
Other genres that they adore are speculative fiction/light sci-fi (Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer), eco-fiction/cli-fi (The Overstory by Richard Powers, The Bear by Andrew Krivak), interesting workplaces with an ensemble cast (The Bear on Hulu, Succession on HBO), and messy families.
For nonfiction, theyÕre interested in investigative journalism, cultural critique, social psychology deep dives, eco-nonfiction, as well as personal narratives on art and pop culture. Books that unearth buried histories (Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann), interrogate online discussions and trends surrounding ageing, and examine the experiences of former child influencers are especially wanted. They are also looking for books that offer sharp commentary on culture and socio-economic structures that are written in an accessible and approachable voice.
They are not the right person for self-help, health and wellness, cookbooks, historical fiction focused on WWI, WWII or Cold War conspiracies and/or spy-adjacent books, kidlit/YA, or high/epic fantasy with heavy world building.