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7 Insider Secrets to Get a Top Agent, Publisher, and Book Deal
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Literary Agent Directory
Important: Visit each agent’s website (links in their listings below) to see if they’re open to submissions before querying.
- You are searching within category(ies): Science Fiction
Biography
Jessica joined The Dijkstra Agency in 2013. A graduate of the University of California at Irvine, Jessica is a lifelong book lover and former indie book reviewer.Jessica is most drawn to riveting and heart pounding romance. She loves fun, fresh voices and character driven stories that keep a reader turning the page because they need to know what happens next. Independent heroines are a must, in addition to well realized heroes who aren’t alpha-holes. She also loves fantasy that will appeal to a broad readership, especially if it has some spice in it! In the children’s realm, she connects with anything that has heart and humor. Jessica does like the occasional pop-culture or millenial leaning non-fiction project.
Notes
FICTION: Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Crime Fiction, Erotic Fiction, Espionage Military Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Multicultural Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Upmarket Fiction, Women’s FictionCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Picture Book, Young Adult Fiction
Biography
Bethany Weaver is the founder and a literary agent with Weaver Literary & Management. She began her career as an intern for the phenomenal Creative Media Inc where she then moved between different avenues of publishing. Most recently, she worked for Storm Literary Agency as their sole Foreign Rights agent.Before publishing, she earned her BA in English with a concentration on writing, editing, and media and pursued a career with her local newspaper eventually making the switch to the USA Today where she still resides.
Notes
FICTION: Action Adventure, BIPOC Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Crime Fiction, Erotic Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Graphic Novel, Horror, Magical Realism, Mystery, New Adult Fiction, Religious Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Suspense Fiction, ThrillerNONFICTION: Humor Nonfiction, Journalism, LGBTQ Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Pop Culture, Spirituality, True Crime, Women’s IssuesCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
Cherry Weiner
Cherry Weiner Literary AgencyCLOSED to SubmissionsQuery Method(s): Email or Postal MailBiography
Cherry Weiner is a literary agent with the Cherry Weiner Literary Agency. The Cherry Weiner Literary Agency ÒunofficiallyÓ started at the end of 1976 and officially in May of 1977. Criteria: Much as I always say I have no room, there is always room for one more. But that one more has to come from a TOTAL EXCITEMENT on the manuscript and knowledge that the author and I do have a chemistry that will allow us to work together. Usually that comes from meeting someone at a conference, or one of my authors and/or editors recommends that I take a look at someone’s work. No more than 50 clientsÉat this point it stands around 45. I don’t charge reading fees. Never have. Never will. I don’t handle children’s/ young adultÑexcept the occasional, limited to my already authors, poetry, most non-fictionÉbut there again you could hook me depending on the subject As for favoriteÉno matter the genre, if the writing is good and I can get excited I will handle it to the best of my ability. SALES: in both hardcover and paperback: Mainstream (whatever that is), Thrillers/suspense, Women’s novels, All the various romance categories, Westerns, Native American *big* novels and Nonfiction, Historical/contemporary mystery series, Military science fiction/General science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror.
Notes
FICTION: Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Horror, Mainstream Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science FictionNONFICTION: Biography, Business Book, Economics, General Nonfiction, How-To, Money Finance, Nonfiction
Biography
Jennifer Weis is a literary agent with and the founder of The Weis Agency. Jennifer has always had a passion for all things literary. After receiving her BA and MA in English from Yale University, she worked at St. MartinÕs Press, serving as an Executive Editor and publishing bestselling titles like Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris, Climate of Hope by Michael Bloomberg, Baby Teeth by Zoe Stage, and ReniaÕs Diary by Renia Spiegel. In the fall of 2019, she moved to the other side of the desk as an agent. After several years with Ross Yoon Agency, Jennifer decided to continue to take her hands-on approach to client development to the next level by founding her own agency.JenniferÕs areas of specialty include high-concept, cleverly plotted bookclub fiction of all categories and nonfiction with new voices and new angles on perennial subjects. Above all, Jennifer is looking for books with a hook, a strong voice, and a powerful plot.Outside of the literary world, Jennifer is the co-chair of Project Lyme, a non-profit based in NYC that focuses on awareness, education, and advocacy. She also chairs the UJA Executive Committee for Publishing and is a UJA board member. She is based in NYC, where she lives with her husband and four children.
Notes
FICTION: Contemporary Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Mystery, New Adult Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Thriller, Upmarket Fiction, Women’s FictionNONFICTION: Art, Business Book, Current Events Affairs, Dating Relationships Sex, Family, General Nonfiction, Health Wellness, History, Journalism, Lifestyle, Memoir, Mind Body Spirit, Money Finance, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Parenting, Pop Culture, Psychology, Science, Women’s IssuesCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Young Adult Fiction
Biography
Rob Weisbach is a literary agent with Creative Management. Rob attended Phillips Academy Andover and Stanford University, where he studied American literature and poetry. Weisbach began his publishing career as an editorial assistant at Bantam Doubleday Dell in 1989 and was named Senior Editor in 1992. There he published three consecutive #1 New York Times bestsellers: Seinlanguage by Jerry Seinfeld; Couplehood by Paul Reiser; and My Point…And I Do Have One by Ellen DeGeneres. His other titles at BDD included Feeling the Spirit by New York Times photographer Chester Higgins, Jr. and Alice, an urban fairy tale by Whoopi Goldberg.In 1996 Weisbach was named President and Publisher of Rob Weisbach Books at William Morrow, where he oversaw the editorial, publicity, and sales strategy for a list of highly original fiction and nonfiction. The imprint’s first title, The Tenth Justice, launched the career of lawyer turned novelist Brad Meltzer and became an instant New York Times bestseller, as did Babyhood by Paul Reiser and Book by Whoopi Goldberg. Other bestselling and critically acclaimed writers Weisbach published at the imprint included The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart; literary fiction stars A.M. Homes, Dale Peck, and Amanda Davis; director and screenwriter Ethan Coen; humorist Sandra Bernhard; painter and nature writer James Prosek; and U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky.Rob Weisbach Books received industry honors for innovation in marketing and jacket and catalogue design. The imprint also became known for reaching the next generation of readers through its Virgin Fiction series for first-time writers and cutting edge visual books including The Pop-Up Book of Phobias; Tim Burton’s cult classic The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy; and the companion to Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent. Other imprint titles included The Nazi Officer’s Wife, the Holocaust memoir by Edith Hahn; Openly Bob, the award-winning collection of essays by pioneer gay comedian Bob Smith; and Use Me, the acclaimed literary fiction debut of Vanity Fair contributor Elissa Schappell.In 2002 Weisbach was named Vice President and Editor-at-Large at Simon & Schuster. There he developed cross-platform projects with other divisions of parent company Viacom and published select fiction and nonfiction titles with the Simon & Schuster adult trade division, among them the New York Times bestsellers The Know-It-All by Esquire contributor A.J. Jacobs; The Funny Thing Is…by Ellen DeGeneres; and Without You by Anthony Rapp.In 2005 Weisbach was named to the dual role of President and CEO of Miramax Books and President and CEO of The Weinstein Company’s new book division. There he oversaw the publication of the existing Miramax Books list and built a new infrastructure and publishing program for Weinstein Books. Miramax Books titles he published included the New York Times bestsellers The Debutante Divorcee by Plum Sykes and Ptolemy’s Gate by Jonathan Stroud as well as Lighting the Way by Karenna Gore Schiff, My Father’s Secret War by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lucinda Franks, and SPY: The Funny Years by Graydon Carter, George Kalogerakis, and Kurt Andersen. Weinstein Books titles included the Giller Prize-winning Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures by Dr. Vincent Lam; the New York Times bestseller Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston; The Gift of Rain, the Man Booker-nominated literary debut by Tan Twan Eng; We Bought a Zoo, a family memoir by Guardian columnist Benjamin Mee, and The Journal of Helene Berr, the recently discovered Holocaust diary published in fifteen countries in fall 2008.In 2008, Weisbach represented his first project as agent, the literary survival memoir Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad, selling world rights to HarperCollins’s Ecco imprint. Ollestad’s extraordinary book became a New York Times bestseller, has been sold around the world, was chosen by Starbucks as their summer selection and by Amazon as one of the Ten Best Books of 2009, and was optioned by Warner Brothers for film.Over the course of his twenty-year career in entertainment Rob Weisbach has developed and published a diverse list of high-caliber talent including New York Times bestselling authors Jon Stewart, Brad Meltzer, Jerry Seinfeld, Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen DeGeneres, Paul Reiser, A.J. Jacobs, Bob Schieffer, Anthony Rapp, and Kathy Freston; US Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky and Pulitzer Prize-winner Lucinda Franks; literary stars A.M. Homes, Bruce Wagner, and Elissa Schappell; filmmakers Tim Burton and Ethan Coen; rights advocates Karenna Gore Schiff and Evan Wolfson; photographer Chester Higgins, Jr., painter and nature writer James Prosek, and chef Padma Lakshmi.”My mother and father, a psychologist and an editor, instilled in me the importance of marshalling one’s intellect, compassion, and will to help others achieve their aspirations. For twenty years, my professional life as a publisher has been devoted to promoting my authors’ talents. That hands-on experience, along with relationships I’ve built in national media, film, and television, now will enable me to offer my clients sophisticated, broadly informed representation from the other side of the desk.””In these times, more than ever, creative artists will need to become the architects of their own success. Over the years I’ve experienced great satisfaction from helping authors shape their work, focus on what they can do independently to ensure exposure in the marketplace, develop opportunities for themselves beyond the book page, and think beyond the traditional limits of publishing to build an audience in the digital age. Now, I’m looking forward to discovering and developing a new stable of distinctive, dynamic talent and empowering them to marry a rich creative life with good business strategy.”
Notes
FICTION: Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Science Fiction, ThrillerNONFICTION: Art, Autobiography, Biography, Celebrity, Cookbook Cooking, Current Events Affairs, Dating Relationships Sex, Film Entertainment, Food Drink, General Nonfiction, Gift Novelty, Health Wellness, History, Humor Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Politics, True AdventureCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Picture Book, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Nonfiction
Biography
Samantha Wekstein is a literary agent with the Thompson Literary Agency. She grew up in Westchester, NY. She attended the University of Maryland, College Park and received a B.A. in English. She now lives in NYC with her husband and dog. After internships with Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency and Rowman & Littlefield, she began her career in 2013 at Writers House LLC. She then briefly worked as an assistant at The Agency Group (now UTA) before returning to Writers House for the next 5 years where she began supporting the CEO, and then the Founder, before becoming an agent. SheÕs been lucky to work with a variety of best-selling and award winning authors across all genres. She joined TLA in 2019 where sheÕs excited to grow her list. In YA, she loves creative and epic fantasies, but she is also drawn to realistic stories with multi-dimensional female characters. She is always interested in elevating diverse voices, particularly through feminist narratives. She is seeking middle grade of all stripes, but especially stories that deal with themes of friendship, adventure, or encountering tragedy for the first time. She is also on the lookout for whimsical, meaningful, and funny picture books. On the adult side she is drawn to commercial voices in Romance, WomenÕs Fiction, Historical Fiction, Sci-Fi and Fantasy.
Notes
FICTION: Action Adventure, BIPOC Fiction, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Family Saga, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ Fiction, Magical Realism, Multicultural Fiction, New Adult Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Upmarket Fiction, Western Fiction, Women’s FictionNONFICTION: Cultural Social Issues, History, Humor Nonfiction, Lifestyle, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Pop Culture, Women’s IssuesCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Picture Book, Young Adult Fiction
Biography
Jennifer Weltz is a literary agent with the Jean Naggar Literary Agency. As President of JVNLA, Jennifer Weltz has sold books domestically, internationally, and for film for nearly two decades. Coming from a mediation background, Jennifer sees herself as a liaison between her author and the editor and publishing house that acquire her author’s work. This role takes on a myriad of formsÑbusiness manager, confidant, task master, preliminary editor, and matchmakerÑto name a few. Since Jennifer takes up an author’s career and not just a project, she is very careful and selective about signing on new authors.
Notes
FICTION: Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Graphic Novel, Horror, Magical Realism, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller, Women’s FictionNONFICTION: Art, Dating Relationships Sex, General Nonfiction, Humor Nonfiction, Lifestyle, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Parenting, Photography, Science, Self-Help, TechnologyCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Middle Grade Nonfiction, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Nonfiction
Biography
Lauren Wendelken is a literary agent with Susanna Lea Associates. She is a Midwesterner and a neuroscientist by training. She began working with Susanna Lea Associates in New York in 2007. After a six year hiatus in San Francisco, where she worked at UCSF with Dr. Victor ValcourÕs NeuroAIDS research group, she was thrilled to return to the SLA fold in 2016. Lauren is passionate about nonfiction books with a social mission, or those which aim to make science accessible to all, as well as upmarket commercial fiction, literary fiction, and speculative fiction.
Notes
FICTION: Action Adventure, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, New Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Upmarket Fiction, Women’s FictionNONFICTION: Biography, Cultural Social Issues, History, Journalism, LGBTQ Nonfiction, Memoir, Nonfiction, Pop Culture, Science
Biography
Alisha West is a literary agent with Victress Literary. She resides in Washington State. SheÕs had a life-long love affair with stories, earning a BA in English and an MA in WomenÕs and Gender Studies. Her thesis, Exploring the Missing Pieces: Readers, Religion and Societal relations in One Magazine, 1954-1963, concerns one of the first widely circulated gay and lesbian magazines published in the U.S. (downloaded 300+ times). Her personal essay, ÒWalking Sweet Dee,Ó took third place in the Adult Short Topic category of the Pacific Northwest WriterÕs AssociationÕs Literary Contest in 2022.After bonding with Lizz during the after party of the PNWA awards ceremony, Alisha jumped at the chance to join Victress Literary as an editorial assistant in November 2022. Because of her commitment, cheerleading, and creativity, she was promoted to Junior Agent in May 2023. Her favorite tasks include reading submissions and editing manuscripts from Victress clients.When Alisha isnÕt reading, editing or writing about womenÕs rights and queer history, she enjoys playing with her fur babies (Roary Gilmore, Sweet Dee and Charlie Kelly), practicing guitar, gaming, and watching all the best stories film has to offer with her partner, Matt.
Notes
FICTION: Action Adventure, BIPOC Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Erotic Fiction, Family Saga, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, Humor Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Literary Fiction, Magical Realism, Mystery, New Adult Fiction, Paranormal Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Thriller, Women’s FictionNONFICTION: Biography, BIPOC Nonfiction, Cultural Social Issues, Current Events Affairs, Dating Relationships Sex, Environment, Fitness, Food Drink, General Nonfiction, Health Wellness, History, Humor Nonfiction, Journalism, LGBTQ Nonfiction, Memoir, Nonfiction, Politics, Pop Culture, Psychology, Self-Help, True Crime, Women’s Issues
Biography
Kimberly Whalen is a literary agent with and the founder of The Whalen Agency. Before founding The Whalen Agency, Kimberly Whalen worked at a major New York City literary agency for 15 years, where she represented dozens of New York Times bestselling clients. Those clients delivered over 40 New York Times bestselling books, multiple #1 New York Times bestsellers, dozens of international bestsellers (including #1 international bestsellers) and netted several eight-figure deals.Prior to her renowned career as a literary agent, Kimberly Whalen worked as the foreign rights director at St. MartinÕs Press. The experience of working at a publishing company as well as her background in selling international rights for over 20 years provides her clients with a truly unique and global expertise that is unparalleled in the industry.
Notes
FICTION: Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mainstream Fiction, Mystery, New Adult Fiction, Paranormal Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Thriller, Women’s FictionNONFICTION: Celebrity, Dating Relationships Sex, Film Entertainment, General Nonfiction, Lifestyle, Memoir, Music, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Pop CultureCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Young Adult Fiction
Biography
Kathryn Willms is a literary agent with The Rights Factory. Kathryn specializes in nonfiction.
She is particularly interested in ambitious, unconventional, smart, and well-written book projects that contribute new perspectives, revel in the quirkiness of the world, and change the way we see it. SheÕs passionate about work that translates specialist knowledge to the mainstream to push cultural conversations in new and surprising directions. She enthusiastically welcomes submissions from BIPOC and LGBTQ-2S creators.
While acquiring big-idea book projects across genres, Kathryn is currently focused on building her nonfiction list in culture, social justice, psychology, history, nature/environmentalism, lifestyle, and food and beverage. She is not currently acquiring conventional memoirs (although books exploring a topic that incorporate a personal story are very welcome).
She is starting to acquire hard science fiction and speculative literary fiction in Fall 2023. SheÕs attracted to the same qualities in fiction and nonfiction: big ideas; ambitious and/or clever premises; a sense of humour; and engagement with the big questions of our times.
For over 10 years, Kathryn has worked with authors to edit, produce, and bring their books to market in various capacities, including as a hybrid publisher. She was vice-president and senior editor at Colborne Communications before going freelance. Since 2017, sheÕs run Kwill Communications, an editorial company specializing in educational editing. She joined The Rights Factory in 2021, fulfilling her dream of becoming a literary agent.
Originally from BC, she holds a MA in English from the University of Calgary and lives in Toronto.
Notes
Accepting Submissions | New Literary Agents |BIPOC Fiction | LGBTQ Fiction | Science Fiction |Biography | Business Book | Cultural Social Issues | Environment | Food Drink | Gift Novelty | Health Wellness | History | Lifestyle | Psychology | Science | Self-Help | Women’s Issues |
Biography
Jennifer Wills is a literary agent with The Seymour Agency. She has 5 yearsÕ experience in some of the publishing industryÕs leading literary agencies. She worked with publishers around the world as an assistant in Trident Media GroupÕs huge foreign rights department and with domestic publishers as an assistant at Writers House (where, incidentally, she began her career as an intern).She joined the Seymour Agency in April 2016, where she has quickly moved up the ranks to Literary Agent. Jennifer has always loved helping fledgling authors become NYT bestsellers, and sheÕs ready to be a relentless champion for her own clientsÕ work.Jennifer is particularly interested in a wide range of picture books and cookbooks, with a soft spot for author/illustrators of sweet and wacky picture books, and cookbooks with mouth-watering recipes of the health-conscious, budget-friendly, or celebrity chef variety.For fiction, sheÕs also interested in middle grade and YA with a sci-fi/fantasy, horror/suspense, or contemporary bent, and upmarket womenÕs fiction with a sense of humor. On the non-fiction side, narrative non-fiction and memoir are also welcome. If your manuscript has a great hook, a distinct voice, and can make her laugh out loud or ugly cry (or even better, both), sheÕd love to see it.
Notes
FICTION: Action Adventure, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Humor Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Literary Fiction, Magical Realism, Multicultural Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Satire, Science Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Thriller, Upmarket Fiction, Women’s FictionNONFICTION: Animals, Celebrity, Cookbook Cooking, Cultural Social Issues, Dating Relationships Sex, Film Entertainment, LGBTQ Nonfiction, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Parenting, Pop Culture, Self-Help, Women’s IssuesCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Picture Book, Young Adult Fiction
Biography
Desiree Wilson is a literary agent with Looking Glass Literary & Media. They joined LGLM in 2023, after three years working at The Bent Agency. They hold a masterÕs in Book Publishing and a post-baccalaureate in Comic Book Studies from Portland State University, and in 2021 was a PW Star Watch honoree. Prior to working in publishing, they were in the military, in medicine, and spent several years as a 911 emergency dispatcher Ñ all experiences very much put the experience of working in publishing into perspective. When they sign a client, their goal is to champion the person behind the writing as much as the project itself. They specialize in representing graphic novels for middle grade readers and above, as well as prose from MG/YA crossover spaces, YA, new adult, and select adult titles. Their sweet spot is genre fiction especially horror (and kid-horror), high-concept fantasy, speculative fiction, and magical realism.
Notes
FICTION: Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Horror, LGBTQ Fiction, Magical Realism, Multicultural Fiction, New Adult Fiction, Paranormal Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Thriller, Upmarket FictionCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Middle Grade Nonfiction, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Nonfiction
Biography
Morgan Wilson is a literary agent for the Belcastro Agency. MorganÕs love for writing and books and was fostered from an early age by a grandmother that wrote them bedtime stories and taught them how to write poetry. As they grew this love evolved into devouring books faster than their bookshelves could keep up and writing their own stories in magical kingdoms galaxies away. With over a decade of work in classrooms across the Midwest, Morgan wants to uplift the stories that their students needed so that everyone can see themselves on the page using magic, finding love and defeating the bad guy. They are dedicated to being an agent for change in the publishing industry and working with marginalized voices so that every child and adult can experience the joy of a book that speaks to them.
Notes
FICTION: Family Saga, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Romance, Science FictionCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
Biography
Rebekah Winslow is and Agent at the Doug Grad Literary Agency.
Notes
FICTION: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction
Biography
Kent Wolf is a literary agent with Neon Literary. He is also founding partner and rights director. He launched his agenting career in the depths of the 2008 recessionÑa fitting start, given his affinity for forging new markets in a risk-averse industry. A lover of the bizarre, the profane, the unsettling, the dark, and the darkly funny, he is drawn to writing that occupies a literary uncanny valley and to writers who move the cultural needle through direct confrontation, self-interrogation, the blurring of genres, the bending of language, and damn good writing.Once told that he would Òbe more successful if he werenÕt so intentionally weird,Ó Kent has sold multiple bestselling and award-winning books to publishers both large and small. His clientsÕ titles have been translated into dozens of languages and many are in active TV/film development.He represents literary fiction (story collections and novels) and narrative nonfiction in the areas of immersive journalism, personal essay, pop culture, memoir, Òanti-lifestyle,Ó and anything that aims to dismantle prevailing power structures.Raised in rural Illinois, Kent lives in Manhattan with his husband. He currently serves on the board of Lambda Literary and is a member of The Association of AuthorsÕ Representatives.
Notes
FICTION: Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ Fiction, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Story Collection, ThrillerNONFICTION: Cultural Social Issues, General Nonfiction, Journalism, LGBTQ Nonfiction, Lifestyle, Memoir, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Pop Culture
Biography
Kirsten Wolf is a literary agent with and the founder of Wolf Literary Services. Kirsten Wolf is a graduate of University of Massachusetts Amherst and Boston University School of Law. A native of Boston, MA, Kirsten relocated to New York in 2003 and began her career in publishing. After several years as an assistant, associate agent, and contracts manager, Kirsten founded Wolf Literary Services, a literary agency and consulting company, in 2008. As Wolf Literary has grown over a decade in business, Kirsten has become a trusted and invaluable resource for numerous literary agencies and other companies throughout the industry, and has extensive experience with a wide variety of publishers and others. Currently dedicating her time to legal and financial consulting for media agencies, publishers, and independent artists, Kirsten prides herself on guiding her clients through the confusing, confrontational, and sometimes downright dull parts of the media world in the most painless way possible, while always making sure that the client is assured their interests are being safely looked after.
Notes
FICTION: Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, New Adult Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Women’s FictionCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
Biography
Eleanor Wood is a literary agent with Spectrum Literary Agency. Eleanor (B.A. New York University, M.A. Bryn Mawr College) is the founder of Spectrum Literary Agency. Her list includes authors of science fiction, fantasy, suspense and other areas of commercial fiction as well as a smaller number of nonfiction writers. She is proud to represent Spectrum Authors and hopes you will browse their web pages.
Notes
FICTION: Commercial Fiction, Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Suspense Fiction, ThrillerNONFICTION: General Nonfiction, Nonfiction
Biography
Andrew Wylie is a literary agent with The Wylie Agency. Andrew founded The Wylye Agency in 1980, now with offices today in midtown Manhattan and in London, representing more than 700 clients. Wylie has been described as a formidable agent, particularly on foreign rights, with incredible taste…one of the most influential authors’ representatives in the world.
Notes
FICTION: Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, ThrillerNONFICTION: Art, Biography, Business Book, Cultural Social Issues, Current Events Affairs, Dating Relationships Sex, General Nonfiction, History, Humor Nonfiction, LGBTQ Nonfiction, Memoir, Money Finance, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Politics, Pop Culture, Reference, Religion, Science, Self-Help, Spirituality, Sports, True CrimeCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Middle Grade Fiction
Maximilian Ximenez
L. Perkins Agency (Lori Perkins Agency)Accepting SubmissionsQuery Method(s): EmailBiography
Maximilian Ximenez is a literary agent with the L. Perkins Agency. He grew up within the New York publishing industry. Prior to joining the L. Perkins Agency, he worked at Blizzard Entertainment, creators of the popular Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo video game franchises. He is a strong believer in publishing and narrative as a central pillar of franchise and transmedia development.Maximilian is actively pursuing clients for both fiction and nonfiction works. In fiction, he is actively pursuing science fiction, fantasy, horror and thrillers, particularly cyberpunk and neo-noir as well as books with a uniquely deconstructive bent. For nonfiction, Maximilian is seeking popular science, true crime and books pertaining to arts and trends in developing fields and cultures.MaximilianÕs clients include two-time New York Times bestselling graphic novel author, Micky Neilson, and Lucien Soulban, lead writer of the BAFTA award winning video game Far Cry 3.
Notes
FICTION: Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Horror, Science Fiction, ThrillerNONFICTION: Art, Cultural Social Issues, Film Entertainment, Nonfiction, Pop Culture, Science, True Crime
Biography
Jason Yarn is a literary agent with the Jason Yarn Literary Agency. He is a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives and an attorney registered in the state of New York. He graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in English and from Brooklyn Law School with a JD. He started his career in publishing with Writers & Artists Agency and then continued with Paradigm Talent Agency for ten years, acting as both a literary agent and a business affairs executive.For fiction, Jason is primarily interested in science fiction, fantasy, thrillers, suspense, literary fiction, and commercial fiction, all at the middle grade, young adult, or adult levels. For non-fiction, he is interested in a wide array of genres, though especially in narrative, science, food, current events, history, and adventure/true stories. Jason also works with a number of comic book and graphic novel writers and illustrators on their film and television rights, and is always interested in finding original graphic works for publishing or other media.
Notes
FICTION: Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Graphic Novel, Horror, Literary Fiction, Paranormal Fiction, Science Fiction, Suspense Fiction, ThrillerNONFICTION: Biography, Cookbook Cooking, Current Events Affairs, Food Drink, General Nonfiction, History, How-To, Illustrated, Lifestyle, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Politics, Pop Culture, Science, True Adventure, True CrimeCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Middle Grade Fiction, Middle Grade Nonfiction, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Nonfiction
Biography
Nancy Yost is a literary agent with the Nancy Yost Literary Agency. Nancy, a Las Vegas export, started her literary career in the contracts department at Random House, then joined Avon Books as an editor, and worked 15+ years as an agent before starting NYLA in 2009, but her passion for books has been lifelong. In addition to being a world class bookworm, she’s an avid scuba diver, recovering opera singer, unrepentant animal lover, and shameless caffeine addict.Some of her NYT, USAT, and international bestsellers and award-winning authors includeÑalphabetically!ÑIlona Andrews, Linda Castillo, Loretta Chase, Deborah Crombie, Suzanne Enoch, Jeaniene Frost, Karen Hawkins, Miranda James, Beverly Jenkins, Stephanie Laurens, and Victoria Thompson.Nancy’s primary focus is commercial fiction. Her areas of expertise include: crime novels (suspense, mysteries, thrillersÑboth contemporary and historical); women’s fiction (historical romance, accessible upmarket fiction, book club reads, romantic comedies, and any combination thereof); urban fantasy/paranormal; and sci-fi/fantasy.She looks for complex, engrossing character- and voice-driven reads, great world-building, atmosphere, intelligence, humor, and adorable (or not-so-adorable) animals. She loves learning painlessly, be it history, science, or the arts; and has a special fondness for good gothics and ghost stories. Her nonfiction tastes lean in the same direction.
Notes
FICTION: Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Crime Fiction, Family Saga, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor Fiction, Mystery, Paranormal Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Thriller, Upmarket Fiction, Women’s FictionNONFICTION: Animals, Art, Celebrity, Environment, Film Entertainment, Food Drink, Gift Novelty, History, Humor Nonfiction, Memoir, Multicultural Nonfiction, Nature, Nonfiction, Pop Culture, Science, True Crime
Biography
Sarah Younger is a literary agent with the Nancy Yost Literary Agency. She ibegan her career in publishing in 2010 at Press53 in Winston Salem, N.C., after receiving her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She later attended the University of Denver’s graduate publishing program in 2011, where, upon completion, she moved to New York City. Sarah joined the Nancy Yost Literary Agency in the fall of 2011 and has since cultivated a diverse and talented list of authors, including a variety of commercial fiction and select non-fiction titles. She has been a member of AALA since 2014.She is specifically interested in representing all varieties of adult commercial fiction, from book club titles to romantic comedies, genre romance, adult science fiction, fantasy, and romantasy, mysteries, thrillers, suspense, and very select non-fiction. Sarah is currently closed to queries at this time.
Notes
FICTION: Action Adventure, Chick Lit, Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Crime Fiction, Erotic Fiction, Family Saga, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor Fiction, Inspirational Fiction, LGBTQ Fiction, Multicultural Fiction, Mystery, New Adult Fiction, Romance, Satire, Science Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Thriller, Upmarket Fiction, Western Fiction, Women’s FictionNONFICTION: Animals, Biography, Business Book, Celebrity, Cookbook Cooking, Dating Relationships Sex, Design, Film Entertainment, Fitness, Food Drink, Gardening, Gift Novelty, Health Wellness, How-To, Humor Nonfiction, Military War Nonfiction, Multicultural Nonfiction, Music, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Photography, Religion, Science, Sports, Technology, TravelNONFICTION: Christian Books, Christian Fiction
Biography
Laura Zats is a literary agent with and the co-founder of Headwater Literary Management. For a decade, Laura has worked with books in every way from book selling, to editing and ghostwriting, to helping authors self-publish. A literary agent for over six years, she finds the most joy in working closely with authors to build their long-term careers in ways that contribute positively to their financial and mental health, as well as the greater community. Since 2016, Laura has hosted Print Run, a weekly publishing podcast, with Erik Hane. Passionate about teaching, mentorship, and the role books play in the fight for social justice, she regularly participates in the Manuscript Academy, attends conferences, and is currently serving her third term on the board of the Minnesota Book PublishersÕ Roundtable, a non-profit that provides ongoing education for new and established publishing professionals. In her spare time, Laura plays tabletop role-playing games, follows the long-distance dogsled-racing season from her couch, and drinks a lot of tea. Connect with her on twitter @LZats.
Notes
FICTION: Commercial Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Erotic Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ Fiction, Literary Fiction, Magical Realism, Mystery, New Adult Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Suspense Fiction, ThrillerCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Young Adult Fiction
Biography
Barbara J. Zitwer is a literary agent with the Barbara J. Zitwer Agency.
Notes
FICTION: BIPOC Fiction, Commercial Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction, Literary Fiction, Multicultural Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Suspense Fiction, Thriller, Women’s FictionNONFICTION: BIPOC Nonfiction, Lifestyle, Mind Body Spirit, Multicultural Nonfiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, TravelCHILDRENÕS BOOKS: Children’s Books, Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Nonfiction