The Manuscript Academy, LLC

Alice Speilburg is the founding agent of Speilburg Literary. She represents commercial fiction and narrative nonfiction and has worked with bestselling and award-winning authors, literary and professional societies, and branded content.

Cultural Narratives, Gender Issues, Microhistory, Music, Nature Narratives, and Pop Science. In fiction, Alice is looking for character-driven novels for the adult market that fall under the following genres: Historical Fiction, Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Sci-Fi/Fantasy.

Agency: Stonesong Literary
Genres: Alyssa represents childrens and adult fiction and picture books, and has dabbled in humor and pop culture nonfiction. She is especially drawn to diverse voices, ensemble casts, and thorough world-building, plus any book with a format that is specific to the story and gives it its own context.

Amanda is a freelance editor and former full-time Scholastic and Penguin Random House editor of nonfiction middle grade, YA, and adult projects. She specializes in narrative nonfiction (historical, scientific, and memoir), creativity and gift books, and historical or science reference for MG readers. To see previous editorial projects, see https://www.ashiheditorial.com/book-publishing.

Amy Elizabeth Bishop, agent at Trellis Literary Management. She represents a wide variety of adult fiction and nonfiction, as well as YA, and is especially interested in upmarket and literary fiction, literary suspense, speculative, mysteries, and fiction from BIPOC authors. For YA, think contemporary (fresh rom coms, thrillers). For nonfiction: Historical narrative, biography, pop science, psychology, current events, feminist works. No memoirs.

Anjanette represents books across all age categories in both fiction and non-fiction. Some of her favorite themes include the natural world, found family, faith and myth, science, slow burn romantic relationships, and exploration of culture. Genres she is especially drawn to include anything under the Speculative/SFF umbrella, romance, book club fiction, popular science, and all things Middle Grade. She does not represent erotica or true crime.

Bibi Lewis is a literary agent with the Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency, where she has been since 2014. She has always had her nose in a book and is delighted to represent a great mixture of Childrens and Adult books, especially Picture Books, MG adventure, YA Non-Fiction and Contemporary Fiction and Adult Romance and womens fiction. She is the office manage and foreign rights manager for EELA and is a contract nerd through and through. She lives in NYC with a lot of plants and a chatty black cat.

Editor at Quirk Books. I am always after intriguing, off-the-wall, geeky, smart, and/or lady-centric projects in both fiction and non-fiction. Genres: Fiction: Humor, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult. Non-Fiction: Cookbooks, Crafts/DIY, Humor, LGBTQ, Pop Culture, Science.

Bridget Smith has been an agent at JABberwocky Literary Agency since 2019. Before that, she worked at Dunham Literary from 2011, interned at Don Congdon Associates, read slush for Tor.com, and graduated from Brown University with a BA in anthropology. She represents young adult novels in all genres and science fiction & fantasy, historical fiction, and contemporary fiction with genre elements for adults.

Caitlin McDonald is an agent at Donald Maass Literary Agency, where she represents adult and young adult fantasy and science fiction as well as select nonfiction titles. She has worked with numerous award-winning and bestselling authors, created high-profile nonfiction proposals, and been a contracts manager. Caitlin seeks to elevate diverse voices and is always looking for new ways to help aspiring authors.
*Zoom is recommended for video. Google Meet may require cameras off due to technical difficulty.

Henry Holt Books for Young Readers/Macmillan Childrens Publishing Group. Middle-grade and YA with a focus on books featuring underrepresented stories and voices. Character-driven, whipsmart protagonists, spooky and atmospheric MG speculative fiction, contemporary YA thrillers in the vein of JANE ANONYMOUS or SADIE, friendship breakup stories, romance with lots! of! angst!, and stories rich with diverse cultural traditions and storytelling.

Literary Agent at Mad Woman Literary representing children’s and adult fiction. Before becoming an agent I was a perpetual publishing intern with experience in various areas of the industry including indie presses and lit magazines. I'm actively building my client list with a focus on authors of bold fiction in picture book, middle grade, YA, and adult categories, specifically in the genres of fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, suspense/thriller, and romance.

Chelsey Emmelhainz joined Copps Literary Services as a literary agent after a decade as an editor in the NYC publishing world, working on a wide range of adult commercial fiction and nonfiction. Shes a very editorial, collaborative agent, and loves new authors. Literary, commercial, women's, young adult, and genre fiction--mainly romance, erotica, horror, cozy mysteries, suspense, and thrillersas well as nonfiction projects exploring subjects like gender issues, politics, pop culture, and history.

Christina Lopez is an assistant editor at St. Martin’s Press. She is interested in adult and YA commercial fiction, women’s fiction, historical fiction, romance/rom-com, and speculative fiction/ magical realism. She especially loves character driven stories with layered protagonists; sparkling chemistry; complex relationships; and stories based in an underrepresented culture or history. Originally from El Paso, she lives in Austin, TX. Her favorite things include her cat, Nova, lattes, and reality TV.

Claire is actively seeking adult projects that shine a spotlight on people, places, and events that are often overlooked or not given the attention they deserve. In fiction, she's looking for rom coms, psychological thrillers, select horror, and cozy mysteriesall for millennial audiences. For non-fiction, Claire is seeking a range of projects, including lifestyle guides, pop culture celebrations, pop psychology, cultural criticism, humor, true crime, essay collections, and illustrated books for adults.

Dani Segelbaum is a literary agent at Arc Literary Management. She is interested in non-fiction titles with an emphasis on politics, womens issues, popular culture, and current events. Dani also loves memoir, narrative non-fiction, lifestyle, and cookbooks. In fiction, she is looking for literary and upmarket adult fiction including debut, historical, rom-coms, and womens fiction. A graduate of Boston University, Dani started her career as an assistant editor at HarperCollins Publishers.

Literary Agent at Upstart Crow. Danielle has worked in publishing for sixteen years. Formerly an editor, she joined Upstart Crow when it was founded in 2009, specializing in young adult and middle grade fiction, as well as cookbooks, select nonfiction, and literary and upmarket fiction for adults. Thanks to her extensive editorial background, she enjoys working closely with authors to develop projects. Genres: Fiction: Literary, Middle Grade, Young Adult. Non-Fiction: Cookbooks

Emma Peters edits and acquires cookbooks, travel books, and health & wellness guides for Countryman Press, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Company. She has previously edited children’s books and YA sci-fi and fantasy. She’d love to work with you on:
Fiction: Adult or Young Adult science fiction and fantasy, romantasy, literary fiction
Non-fiction: Memoir, essays, cookbooks

Agency: Neighborhood Literary
Genres: Young Adult (bright, diverse new voices in YA. Send your sci-fi, your fantasy, your contemporary, your pretty-much-any-genre in YA), Science Fiction & Fantasy, Cookbooks, Blog-to-Books, Literary & Commercial Fiction, and Nonfiction (books that focus on pop culture, geekery, and/or teach readers about the odd and the unique, plus essay collections, particularly humor.

Erica Bauman is a literary agent at Aevitas Creative Management and represents a wide variety of authors across middle grade, young adult, and upmarket adult fiction. She focuses on speculative novels, graphic novels for all ages, fearless storytellers that tackle big ideas + contemporary issues, + working with and supporting marginalized authors and stories. She is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and has worked in the publishing industry since 2012. Prior to Aevitas, she worked at Spectrum Literary.

Erica Finkel (she/her) Senior Editor, Abrams. Erica focuses primarily on chapter books and middle-grade novels, as well as the #1 New York Times bestselling Questioneers series. Some of her favorites include The Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz, Sidetracked by Diana Asher, and Once Upon an Eid edited by Aisha Saeed and S.K. Ali. Her favorite genres are contemporary realistic, fantasy, and magical realism. Check out her work here: https://www.pinterest.com/ericafinkel/books-ive-edited/

Senior Agent and Partner, Transatlantic Agency. Childrens and YA books, from picture books to older teenage, split about 70/30 fiction/nonfiction. Likes: Unreliable narrators, MG stories with real children in an imaginary world, and feelgood YA. Enjoy elements of cycling, suspense, mysteries, plots that go awry, humor. No memoirs, rhyming picture books, poetry, or faith-based works.

Hannah Robinson is a freelance collaborator and author coach with more than a decade of editorial experience. As an in-house Editor, she worked at HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette Book Group, where she published award-winning and best-selling nonfiction. When she’s not editing, you’ll find her in the kitchen or out for a walk.

Hannah specializes in narrative and practical nonfiction, including: self-help, metal health, psychology, pop science, relationships, travel, spirituality, and memoir.

Before joining Sanford J. Greenburger Associates in 2024, Hannah spent over four years at the Jane Rotrosen Agency. Born and raised in Tennessee, she graduated from the College of William & Mary in Virginia with degrees in English and marketing and attended the Columbia Publishing Course. Hannah is looking for literary and upmarket fiction, as well as select nonfiction. In fiction, she gravitates toward nuanced and compelling work that digs deep into a wide range of emotions.

Ismita Hussain is an agent with Great Dog Literary, representing adult fiction and non-fiction, and YA. She specializes in literary fiction, health/disability-related works, and books set in the South. She also works on short story collections. She is a founding member of Disability in Publishing. Some of her favorite authors are Flannery OConnor, Cormac McCarthy, Oscar Wilde, and Tom Perrotta.

Ivan Taurisano is an Associate Editor specializing in children's novelty, board books, graphic novels, and select MG and YA titles. He is interested in kid-centric, funny, action-packed board and picture books. In MG and YA, he would love to see fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian, horror, and adventures/quests featuring morally ambiguous characters, magic, and high stakes. Ivan is not the best fit for nonfiction, retellings, historical fiction, and novels in verse.

Jane represents writers and writer-illustrators across literary, upmarket, and commercial fiction, select nonfiction, and graphic novels/nonfiction in middle grade, YA, and adult. She is seeking contemporary, historical, fantasy, sci-fi, speculative, and horror. In nonfiction, she would like memoirs, narrative nonfiction, investigative journalism, history, cultural criticism, and books about nature, climate, science, food, travel, and pop culture. See her MSWL for what she is/isn't looking for.

Jenissa Graham is an Associate Agent and Subrights Manager at BookEnds Literary Agency. She represents MG and YA in contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery/suspense, and thrillers as well as Adult in mystery/suspense and thrillers. As a first-generation Jamaican and advocate for marginalized voices, Jenissa is dedicated to increasing the BIPOC space in Publishing.

Jessica Felleman is an Agent with the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency with an MFA in writing from CalArts. Adult Literary and upmarket commercial fiction, women's fiction, RomComs that play with tropes, speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, fiction that balances on the edge of genre, YA science fiction and fantasy with an emphasis on LGBTQIA+ characters and underrepresented POVs, pop culture, memoirs, prescriptive self-help from experts, narrative nonfiction on psychology, science, and history.

Agent at Context Literary, co-founder of #MSWL, ManuscriptWishList.com, and The Manuscript Academy.

Genres:
Fiction: Middle Grade, YA, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Romance, Womens Fiction, Upmarket/Literary, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Speculative.

Jessica Watterson is an agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. She has been with SDLA since 2013 and is always on the hunt for new and exceptional voices in the genres of: romance, women’s fiction, contemporary young adult fiction, middle grade, select picture books and select cozy mysteries. She is most excited about fiction that presents itself as unabashedly feminist, in addition to tackling societal norms.

Literary agent at Folio Literary Management. I represent a diverse list of iconoclastic voices in young adult, middle-grade, picture books, and everything in between. Im seeking unique voices in fiction for young people, stories that move readers, moments that make me look up and say "Wow, yes. I've felt that." Send me the books kids will sneak/steal/borrow in secret. Those personal, dangerous, life-saving stories. Genres: Children's, Middle Grade, Picture Books, YA, author-illustrators. No adult works.

Julie Falatko writes books for children. She is the author of the picture books Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Ask to Be in This Book) and Snappsy the Alligator and His Best Friend Forever (Probably), No Boring Stories!, The Great Indoors, the Two Dogs in a Trench Coat chapter book series, Rick the Rock of Room 214, and Chester Barkingham Saves the Country. Julie lives with her family in Maine, where she maintains the Little Free Library in front of their house. PICTURE BOOKS ONLY PLEASE.

Agent at Bradford Literary. The stories I like to acquire range from emotional to funny. I also look for diversity all in forms, including, but not limited to, BIPOC, neurodiversity, and LGBTQ+. For picture books, I enjoy all formats from character-driven to concept. I connect with lyrical writing (rhyme and non-rhyme) just as much as funny. I also enjoy nonfiction STEAM books and picture book biographies. For novels, historical fiction, mysteries, magical realism, humorous, and friendships stories.

Agency: The Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
Genres: Non-Fiction: Cookbooks, Humor, Memoir, Pop Culture, Psychology, Travel. Favorite sub-genres: Beauty, Femoir, Food, Home Arts, Lifestyle, Parenting, Relationships, Self-help, Wisdom

Katie Greenstreet joined Paper Literary in 2022. A corporate lawyer by training, she worked for several large law firms before making the leap into publishing. She started her career in books as an assistant at ICM Partners in New York, where she supported a list of Booker, Pulitzer, and Nobel Prize-winning authors. She then moved to London and joined C&W. Katie would love to see your: Crime, Thriller, Suspense, Psychological Thriller/Suspense, Book Club, Romantic Comedy, and Upmarket Women's Fiction.

Kayla Cichello is an agent at Upstart Crow Literary open to picture books, middle grade, young adult and select adult manuscripts. A former Conference Coordinator for the Summer and Winter Conferences for the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators, she most recently logged several years as assistant to Senior Agent Jennifer Rofé at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She is searching for those voices that make her laugh and keep the page turning.

Kayla Lightner is an agent at Ayesha Pande Literary who represents adult upmarket fiction, literary fiction, and nonfiction. She loves stories that can masterfully straddle the line between great storytelling and teaching her something new. Especially speculative fiction, book club fiction with sharp prose, BIPOC family sagas, compelling, well-researched narrative histories, and platform-driven memoirs. She also represents a small, select group of illustrators and middle-grade titles.

Currently Director of Operations for Jaigantic Studios, Keith brings 27 years of experience as a Producer, Director and Assistant Director, on projects for HBO, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Comedy Central, YouTube Red and Teen Nick, to name just a few. After a season on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Keith was accepted to the ?DGA's Director's Single Camera Program?, and shortly after, directed on the PBS series, Madison Heights.

Kelly Van Sant (Red Sofa Literary). Categories/Genres
Children's, Young Adult, Middle Grade, fantasy, science-fiction, speculative, mystery, contemporary, adventure. Kelly has a decade of experience in the publishing industry. She cut her teeth in New York working at esteemed literary agencies such as Writers House and Harold Ober Associates. She has worked as a freelance editor and is a teaching artist at the Loft Literary Center and runs the Pub(lishing) Crawl podcast.

Agency: Donald Maass Literary Agency
Genres: Kiana focuses primarily on YA Contemporary, but she'd love to work with low/high Fantasy and Sci-fi, and is HUNGRY for queer and POC voices, especially if the narrative is as much driven by the main character(s) as by a high-concept plot. She's also looking for an achingly bittersweet queer love story with thriller or genre spin, and adult thrillers, romance, and upmarket genre fiction.

Senior Editor, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Focusing on Middle-Grade and Young Adult. Commercial narratives, preferably ones with a dark and twisted plot, where someone may or may not be dead; Emotionally-layered complex stories that are multicultural and feature diverse characters; sports; strong friendship stories; literary MG with heart and commercial appeal. No high fantasy or science fiction, please.

Agent at Arthouse Literary. Middle Grade adventure with big emotions, inquisitive MG with big questions, horror stories with a historical lens, contemporary books that push against the status quo, fantasy with underrepresented mythology, YA with an emotional punch. Historical fiction like Stacey Lee and Ruta Sepetys, speculative contemporary. In Adult, she is looking for romance with lots of tension! She is also looking for literary fiction, generational sagas and societal commentary.

Agent at The Tobias Literary Agency. I represent a wide range of fiction and non-fiction projects: Romance, fantasy, science fiction, pop-culture, science, and more. I am LGBTQ-friendly and am looking for works with diverse characters in a way that is not appropriation. Genres: Fiction: Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction, Womens Fiction. Non-Fiction: Journalism, Pop Culture, Science, True Crime.

Larissa Melo Pienkowski is a literary agent at Jill Grinberg Literary Management, the assistant publisher of Dottir Press, and a freelance editor. As a Latinx, mixed-race bookworm, she's passionate about #OwnVoices stories, uplifting marginalized voices, and reading across genres, especially YA, MG, literary fiction, and narrative nonfiction. She earned her BSW at Simmons College and her MA in Publishing and Writing at Emerson College, and makes pottery in her free time (when she’s not reading, that is).

Literary agent at Red Sofa Literary, co-host of Print Run podcast. I am especially interested in well-drawn female characters, fresh story-telling techniques (unreliable narrators, lists, emails, charts, texts, etc.), and voices that are unexpected for the genre the book is in (literary, lyrical middle grade, for instance). Genres: Fiction: Erotica, Fantasy, Horror, Middle Grade, Mystery, New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction, Womens Fiction, Young Adult.

Léonicka Valcius is a Literary Agent at Transatlantic Agency, representing commercial and genre fiction for adults and children (MG, YA, and Adult, in romance, historical, sci-fi/fantasy, and contemporary). As the founder of #DiverseCanLit and the former Chair of The Festival of Literary Diversity, working with writers of colour is a key part of her mandate. Léonicka previously worked on the Online and Digital Sales team at Penguin Random House Canada, & French book buyer for Scholastic Book Fairs Canada.

Leticia Gomez is a literary/film/television agent who specializes in bringing culturally diverse voices to the forefront. She has helped her clients secure deals with the largest publishers in the world and seen several of her projects successfully optioned for film and television rights. Upmarket Women's/Debut Fiction, Mystery, Suspense/Thrillers, Literary Fiction, YA, Middle-grade, Narrative Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, True Crime, Politics & Current Affairs, Health & Medicine, Cookbooks, Lifestyle.

Agent at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency. Linda is open to MG and YA fiction, all genres; select graphic novels; select picture book writer-illustrators; adult fiction (namely, upmarket/book club fiction, women's fiction/romance, and literary horror)

As an Associate Agent at Creative Media Agency, Liv is excited to both discover refreshing, compelling, and fantastical stories and champion new and underrepresented voices in the industry. In her free time, Liv loves to go hiking in the Rocky Mountains near her home in Colorado Springs, as well as collect books as she slowly works toward making her home office a 1,000-book library.

Genres — MG, YA & Adult: Fantasy, SciFi, LGBTQIA+, Thriller, Mystery, Speculative, Paranormal, Dark Academia

Liz Kossnar, Editor, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. She mostly acquires middle grade and chapter books but occasionally works on young adult novels, nonfiction, and picture books. She most enjoys reading whimsical, diverse middle grade, and subversive, contemporary young adult fiction. Anything feminist is a plus. Liz is not the best match for animals, sentimentality, or traditional romance. @liz_adventures

Editor at Grand Central/Forever/Hachette Book Group team looking for contemporary, historical, multicultural, LGBTQIA, and erotic ROMANCE, romantic comedies, and romantic suspense. I'm looking for stories and writing that take me someplace new. Whether it's a Regency ball or the Scottish Highlands, a charming small town or crowded city streets, I want to be surrounded by characters who mostly make me laugh, only occasionally make me cry, and always make me believe in true love.

Maeve is an agent at Copps Literary Services specializing in genre-blending commercial queer SFF in YA/MG/Adult/Graphic Novels with a particular focus on BIPOC authors and authors of marginalized identities. Maeve began her career in Foreign Rights and Sales at Scholastic and Insight Editions. She began agenting in 2019 at Ladderbird Literary and now in 2022 is continuing her crusade for increased POC representation in publishing at CLS. She often judges books by their villains.

Marilyn R. Atlas is a talent and literary manager and award-winning film producer. Her clients have appeared in shows such as Star Trek, Fringe, Pretty Little Liars, How to get Away with Murder, 90210, Revenge, Hart of Dixie, NCIS:LA, True Blood, Dexter, Chuck, Castle, and Criminal Minds. Marilyn herself has been in development on pilots for Showtime and ABC Family.

Maureen Moretti is an associate agent at P.S. Literary Agency. She holds a B.A. from Saint Marys College of California, and attended the Columbia Publishing Course. She is actively acquiring both non-fiction and fiction. Within non-fiction she is searching for Narrative Non-Fiction, Culture, History, Biography, LGBTQ+, Cookbooks and Lifestyle. Within fiction she is looking for Womens Fiction, Thrillers, LGBTQ+, select Science Fiction, Literary Fiction and genre-bending unique voices.

Megan joined The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency as an Associate Literary Agent in 2020, after interning for nearly three years at several top literary agencies, including P.S. Literary Agency and Folio Literary Management. She has a BA in English from Hollins University. She represents a wide variety of adult fiction with a focus on historical, upmarket, bookclub, literary, women’s fiction, thriller, and historical fantasy. She also represents narrative nonfiction including memoir.

Agent at Stonesong Literary. I am interested in commercial MG and timeless MG with heart. I also represent adult commercial fiction, predominantly thrillers and womens fiction. I am looking for fresh voices in both genres unusual takes on the tropes that we all love. Genres: Fiction: Children's, Commercial, Middle Grade, Thriller, Womens Fiction,
Non-Fiction: Humor, Pop Culture.

Melissa Vogan (Warten) is an editor at Epic for Kids, the leading digital reading platform for children, where she works on IP comics development projects for readers ages 12 and under, including the smash hit series Cat Ninja. Prior to Epic, she spent more than five years on the editorial team at Farrar Straus Giroux Books working on picture books, middle grade, young adult, and select nonfiction and graphic novel projects. Her works include NYT Bestsellers and Award-Winning tiles.

Molly Cusick is a former editor & agent, and works on Young Adult, Middle Grade, and picture book projects, as well as romance, thriller, and select nonfiction projects. Molly has represented and edited authors including #1 NYT bestselling author Julie Murphy, bestselling picture book author Pat Zietlow Miller, Newbery Honor winner Julie Berry, and bestselling suspense author Nina Laurin. She works with all genres.

Agency: Odom Media Management.
FICTION (LITERARY ONLY): Childrens, Graphic Novel, LGBTQ+, Multicultural, Short Stories
Picture Books by Illustrator

NONFICTION: Art,Black Feminism,Business,Comics,Journalism,Cookbook, Cultural/Social Issues,Entertainment,Environmental Justice,Film/TV,Food,Gardening,Gift Book,Graphic,Memoir,History,Home Decorating/Design,How To,Humor,Journalism,LGBTQ+,Lifestyle,Multicultural,Narrative,Nature & Ecology,Parenting,Personal Growth & Wellness,Photography, Science

Monica Rodriguez is the Director of Brand Management and a Junior Agent at Context Literary Agency. Genres: PB, MG, YA & Graphic Novels. Action/Adventure, Contemporary, Commercial, Family Saga, Historical, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Literary, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Upmarket, Journalism, Pop Culture, Psychology, Science, Travel.

Agent at Trellis Literary. Natalie is looking for accessible voices with a literary sensibility. She enjoys narratives of queerness and diaspora, hidden histories, complex friendship stories, workplace satires, explorations of subcultures, grounded speculative novels, and narratives where faith and queerness intersect.

In the nonfiction space, she is looking for issue-driven hybrid memoirs that combine personal stories with reportage, journalistic narrative nonfiction, and cultural histories.

Nour is an associate literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency representing adult fiction and nonfiction. As an Arab woman and an immigrant, she loves books that amplify joy and connection, or feature complex and nuanced histories, power dynamics, or underrepresented narratives. She represents upmarket and commercial fiction as well as select literary fiction. She also works on thrillers, mysteries, horror, and romance. In nonfiction, she works on big-idea books, and narratives on pop culture, art, and nature.

Penny Moore is a Senior Agent at Aevitas Creative Management who represents mainly childrens literature: chapter books, middle grade, and young adult novels. She also represents select adult titles in romance and fantasy (no sci fi). Though her tastes are broad, shes specifically seeking inventive works featuring diverse voices with strong plot and character development.

Genres: Children's, Fantasy, LGBTQ, Middle Grade, Romance, Young Adult

An agent at Folio Literary Management, Quressa joined Folio in 2022 after working at previous agencies and as an editor. As a New York based agent, she's eager to build her MG, YA, and Adult lists. Quressa is also a member of the 2017-2019 WNDB Walter Grant Committee and holds an MFA in Creative Writing: Fiction from Columbia. In 2020, she was named a Publisher's Weekly Star Watch finalist. In 2021 she was named an influential gatekeeper in Book and Film Globe’s inaugural Publishing Power 30 list.

Rachel Diebel is an editor at Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, acquiring middle grade, young adult, and graphic novels. Throughout her career, she has worked on multiple New York Times bestsellers, as well as celebrity projects including books by Lili Reinhart, Jimmy Fallon, and the forthcoming Natalie Portman's Fables. She is always looking for projects from marginalized voices and has a particular soft spot for stories of found families and YA and MG graphic novels with colorful, commercial art styles.

Agent at Folio Literary. Rachel Ekstrom Courage has spent her fifteen-year publishing career working with debut, bestselling, and award-winning writers. She started out in the publicity departments of St. Martins Press, Minotaur Books, and Penguin. Genres: Fiction: Children's, Commercial, Crime, Historical, LGBTQ, Middle Grade, Mystery, Thriller, Womens Fiction, Young Adult.Non-Fiction: Cookbooks, Humor, Journalism, LGBTQ, Memoir, Pop Culture, Psychology, Science, Travel.

Rebecca Raskin is a former assistant editor who acquired nonfiction and fiction on Harper Wave, Harper Business and Harper Perennial lists at HarperCollins. She has previously worked at Kensington Publishing and Folio Literary Agency. She has a B.A. in English Language and Literature.

Renae Moore is an Assistant Agent at the Tobias Literary Agency. Stories that speak to the universal nature of the human experience are her favorite to dive into. Whether its magical realism, fantasy, sci-fi, or romance, she gravitates to fiction that is gripping, poignant, and heartfelt.

Renee C. Fountain, President of Gandolfo Helin & Fountain Lit Mgmt. With eight years in Big 5 publishing, writing reviews for Kirkus and NY Journal of Books, five years as a story analyst for a television network. Interested in developmental editing and critiquing: All types of non-fiction. Most fiction, especially: YA, adult thrillers, rom-com, mystery, horror, fantasy (urban, dark, magical realism). Not interested in PB, MG, political, religious, westerns, hard sci-fi, erotica, poetry.

Literary Agency. Genres: Fiction: Action/Adventure, Children's, Commercial, Crime, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Humor, LGBTQ, Literary, Middle Grade, Mystery, Picture Books, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Non-Fiction: Biography, Cookbooks, Humor, LGBTQ, Memoir, Pop Culture, Psychology, Science, Travel, True Crime
Favorite sub-genres: Diversity, Feminism, Literary Middle Grade, Magical Realism, Narrative Nonfiction, Pop Psychology.

Saba Sulaiman is an agent at Talcott Notch Literary Services, a boutique agency located in Milford, CT. She holds a BA from Wellesley College and an MA from the University of Chicago, where she studied modern Persian literature. She is looking primarily to build her Middle Grade and Young Adult lists, especially contemporary realistic. She's also open to category romance (except paranormal), literary, upmarket, and commercial fiction, character-driven psychological thrillers, cozy mysteries, and memoir.

Agency: Thompson Literary
Genres: Fiction: Children's, Fantasy, Historical, Humor, Middle Grade, New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction, Womens Fiction, Young Adult. Non-Fiction: Humor, Pop Culture. She loves creative and epic fantasies in the vein of Sarah J. Maas or Leigh Bardugo. But she is also drawn to contemporary YA with multi-dimensional female characters like those of Julie Murphy and Melina Marchetta. She also loves middle grade with themes of friendship, adventure and tragedy.

Sara Sargent is a Senior Executive Editor at Random House Books for Young Readers. Having acquired and edited numerous bestsellers, Sara has a background in YA, middle grade, and picture booksthese days, she focuses on picture books, which she believes are a form of true artistry. PICTURE BOOKS ONLY, PLEASE. ALL OTHER AGE GROUPS WILL BE CANCELLED AND REFUNDED.

Sara Schonfeld is an editor at HarperCollins Children's, working on picture books, middle grade, and teen. As an author and editor, she approaches each project with curiosity and aims to help authors uncover the heart of their story and feel inspired.

Former literary agent Sarah LaPolla has over a decade of experience in the publishing industry. Starting at Curtis Brown, Ltd. in 2008, and later as an agent at Bradford Literary Agency, Sarah has primarily represented Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction in a variety of genres featuring complex, diverse characters who often challenge the status quo and address timely issues. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing (Nonfiction) from The New School and a BA in Creative Writing from Ithaca
College.

Savannah Brooks, KT Literary. She earned her MFA, focused in creative nonfiction, from Hamline University and her BS in marketing management from Virginia Tech. She focuses most heavily on kid litfrom picture books to YA, both fiction and nonfictionand also represents adult thrillers, romcoms, and contemporary/commercial fiction. Shes especially interested in stories that teach her something new, add to a larger sociopolitical conversation, and highlight underrepresented identities.

I work across books from children's to adult with a special place in my heart for all things magical. I'm looking for those books I can't put down, the ones that get the gears in my head turning, and make me excited to get to work on them. My passion for a story is what makes me a good advocate, and a good advocate is going to help make an authors book even more fantastic to bring to a broader audience.

Stacey Graham, agent at 3 Seas Literary, has worked both sides of the literary door as a humor writer with the wickedly funny Zombie Tarot, author of three books, screenwriter, ghostwriter, and short story writer. She loves working with writers at all stages of their careers and uses her experience in authorship to help navigate the sometimes turbulent waters of publishing for her clients. She is currently looking to expand her list with snappy Rom-Coms, hilarious/spooky middle grade, and weird nonfiction.

Stefanie Molina is an agent at Ladderbird Literary Agency. She is primarily looking for BIPOC stories across all age groups, especially contemporary and urban fantasy, romcom, mysteries, and thrillers. She loves stories that incorporate food, animals/the outdoors, and intergenerational relationships. Outside of agenting, she enjoys hiking, swimming, baking, and playing the piano. Her favorite place in the world is Yosemite National Park! You can find her on Twitter @fiction_tech.

Agency: Red Fox Literary
Genres: Fiction: Children's, Middle Grade, Young Adult
Favorite sub-genres: Author-Illustrators, Contemporary YA, Illustrators, Literary Middle Grade. In middle grade, Id love to find some magical realism, a little bit of darkness, and/or a connection to folk stories or fairy tales. In YA, I like contemporary settings with authentic, hilarious voices and strong emotional impact. I am interested in complex storytelling, unreliable narrators, and mysterious twists.

Stephanie Stein is a Senior Editor at Tor Books. Before joining the Tor team, she spent eleven years in marketing and editorial roles at HarperCollins Children's Books, where she worked with acclaimed and bestselling YA and middle grade authors including Sarah Underwood, Shveta Thakrar, Ava Reid, Mark Oshiro, and Michael Leali, and Erin Hunter's #1 bestelling Warriors series. For her list at Tor, Stephanie is acquiring science fiction, fantasy, and fantasy romance for adult readers.

Stephanie Winter is a multi-passionate booklover, specializing in visual works across genres and age categories, including graphic novels and nonfiction. From horror and thrillers to queer romance, her tastes in prose and illustration are varied and expansive. Stephanie holds a BA in English from the University of Toronto, a MA in English: Issues in Modern Culture from University College London, UK, and is a member of the Toronto Comic Arts Festival Board of Directors.

Taj aims to widen the entryway for marginalized authors into the publishing industry and to normalize Black joy, fat joy, celebrations of culture, and love without limitations. She represents Adult Fiction (contemporary, romance, romcoms, women's fiction, mystery/thriller), Adult Non-Fiction (memoirs, narratives, cookbooks, satire, empowerment), Children's Fiction (MG and YA contemporary, mystery, romance, thriller, fantasy), Children's Non-Fiction (historical narratives, picture books).

Thao represents children's, YA, Romance, and Sci-fi/Fantasy. Thao’s clients include New York Times and Indie bestselling authors such as Ali Hazelwood, Thea Guanzon, Sandhya Menon, Evelyn Skye, Jessie Sima, Jessica Kim, and more… She’s a fan of commercial and high concepts that feel fresh and exciting. She’s especially drawn to character driven stories from the POV of diverse protagonists.

Vanessa Aguirre is an Editor at St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books, where she acquires both young adult and adult fiction. She has a soft spot for fantasy, horror, and science fiction, but also loves a good romance and mystery/thriller, as well as select upmarket fiction with a darker edge. She has worked with several bestselling and award-winning authors, including Casey McQuiston, Rainbow Rowell, Julian Winters, and Hayley Kiyoko. You can find her across socials at @vnssaguirre.

Vivian Lee is a writer + independent editor. Her book list includes Matthew Salesses' The Hundred-Year Flood, Viet Dinh's After Disasters (PEN/Faulkner Finalist), Naima Coster's Halsey Street (Kirkus Prize Finalist), + Harold Schechter's Hell's Princess (A Washington Post Bestseller). She specializes in literary fiction, narrative nonfiction, true crime, memoir, essays, long-form reporting.In both fiction + nonfiction, she is interested in a strong story + narrative dealing with identity + relationships.