agents: Jason Allen Ashlock, Meredith Dawson, Craig Kayser

interested in: Cookbooks, Non-Fiction Books, Self-Help, memoir

send: Book Proposal

looking for: Non-Fiction Book

agents: Taryn Fagerness

interested in: Popular science, narrative non-fiction, memoirs that read like novels, quirky non-fiction

client list: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy Frost and Gail Steketee (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, spring 2010); ROWING THE ATLANTIC: Lessons Learned on the Open Ocean by Roz Savage (Simon & Schuster, October 2009); SOMETHING MISSING by Matthew Dicks (Broadway, July 2009) and WHO TOOK ALL THE PAPERCLIPS: Fun Things to Do with Office Supplies When the Boss Isn’t Looking (Running Press, November 2008)

looking for: Non-Fiction Book

agents: Michael Congdon, Susan Ramer, Cristina Concepcion, Maura Kye-Casella, Katie Grimm, Katie Kotchman

interested in: Michael Congdon: Biography, History (including Military History), other Narrative Non-Fiction (Science, Medicine, Nature, Sports).

Susan Ramer: Narrative nonfiction interests include social and cultural history, popular culture (including music, film, fashion, food), women’s issues, psychology, mental health. She looks for memoirs with unfamiliar themes, and in general loves nonfiction narratives that combine personal experience with larger social/cultural observations, history and/or reporting. In any work, she is first drawn to a strong, distinctive voice, and she likes her humor on the dark side.

Cristina Concepcion: Nonfiction: classical music, popular music, history, wine, visual and performing arts, sociology, essays and criticism, politics and current affairs, culinary subjects, biography and memoir, science, philosophy, self-help, non Eastern religion, travel.

Maura Kye-Casella: seeking narrative works (memoirs/adventure/true crime), parenting, cookbooks, pop culture and humor.

Katie Grimm: quirky or edgy narrative non-fiction, both serious and more commercial history, pressing cultural and social issues, memoir with distinct voice, religion from a historical or sociological point of view, narrative science and medical, multi-cultural, and counter-culture. *Please include first chapter with query.*

Katie Kotchman: true crime, pop culture, photography, animals/pets, fashion, narrative non-fiction

client list: Ray Bradbury, David Sedaris, Kathryn Stockett, Russell Baker, Edna Buchanan, Ellen Gilchrist, Richard Matheson, among others.

send: Query only

looking for: Non-Fiction Book

agents: Michael Stearns, Chris Richman, Danielle Chiotti, Ted Malawer

interested in: Children's and adult fiction and non-fiction.

Michael: Michael’s tastes run the gamut from picture books for the very young right up through cutting-edge teen fiction, but the common elements of all the projects he handles are a careful use of language, an often wry quality to the writing, and a fearless wedding of more literary aims with genre plotlines. Yes, he loves good writing, but he also loves for things to happen in a story. Generally, he won’t be drawn to more issue-oriented books.

In terms of teen fiction, he is looking for: realistic, humorous coming-of-age stories along the lines of John Green, Ned Vizzini, E. Lockhart, or Andrew Auseon; breezy re-thinks of traditional fantasy for girls (not so much Marion Zimmer Bradley as Kristin Cashore or Tamora Pierce and Patricia Wrede); dystopian breakneck thrillers such as Michael Grant’s and Suzanne Collins’; and Pullman-esque novels that straddle genres (the Sally Lockhart books or The Golden Compass).

Regarding middle-grade fiction, he is a big fan of traditional children’s fantasy: real-world stories with one fantastic element—more the vein of Half Magic and The Borrowers and The Graveyard Book than, say, high fantasy featuring worlds with made-up languages and the like. He loves humor and wit in my middle-grade novels, and is a big fan of Bruce Coville, Andrew Clements, and Vivian Vande Velde. As well, he loves realistic stories such as those written by Rebecca Stead and E.L. Konigsburg.

As for picture books, he is looking primarily for language-driven stories for the very young. Please, no long manuscripts nor folk tales nor “storybooks” in which the manuscript is longer than six pages. Picture book authors whose work he adores are Mem Fox, Deb Lund, and Bob Shea, and he will always respond well to stories that are about the sound and play of language for the youngest of readers.

Chris: For middle grade, Chris is looking for works featuring unique characters, compelling plots with twists and turns, and strong, confident writing. He will consider works with fantasy elements, but prefers stories that are grounded in the real world. He has a special interest in funny books for boys. Some middle grade titles he would have loved to work on include Trenton Lee Stewart's The Mysterious Benedict Society, Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, and everything by Roald Dahl.

For teen, Chris prefers contemporary stories, but will consider urban fantasy or works that create a new, compelling world not far from our own, such as in Kristin Cashore's Graceling, Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games, or Lois Lowry's The Giver. For young adult works geared toward boys, he would prefer submissions with strong commercial hooks and fantastically funny voice, like Ned Vizzini's Be More Chill or Jake Wizner's Spanking Shakespeare. He is not looking for paranormal romance, books based around supernatural creatures such as fairies, vampires, or werewolves, or chick-lit.

Chris is not currently interested in picture books or representing illustrators.

Danielle: For nonfiction, Danielle is looking for compelling projects that present a unique voice and point-o-view, or that shed light on a previously “unknown” topic in the areas of narrative nonfiction, memoir, self-help, relationships, humor, current events, women’s issues, and cooking.

For fiction, she is looking for commercial women’s fiction and multicultural fiction (with a slightly “literary” edge), romance, paranormal romance, and young adult fiction for girls. She tends to favor fish-out-of-water stories, and is drawn toward gorgeous writing and strong, flawed characters who aren’t afraid to take big chances or show a little bit of a dark side.

Ted: specializes in middle grade and teen fiction. Currently, Ted is accepting queries only through conference submissions and client referrals.

client list: Martha Brockenbrough, Kurt Cyrus, Cole Gibse, Shaun Hutchinson, Helen Landalf, Deb Lund, Christina Mandelski, Stephen Mooser, Edith Pattou

send: Query and Partial MS

looking for: Non-Fiction Book

agents: Zoe Pagnamenta

interested in: Commercial fiction and non-fiction, including biography, history, memoir, narrative, business, and popular science. NOT interested in screenplays, self-help, poetry or genre fiction including mystery, sci-fi or romance.

client list: Todd Solondz, Dan Washburn, Paul Haven, Alice Mattison

send: Query and Partial MS

looking for: Non-Fiction Book

agents: Marlene Stringer

interested in: Non-fiction: history, military history, parenting, music, sports, and science.

client list: Alex Bledsoe Jennifer K. Blom Jenny Dahl Erica Hayes Alyxandra Harvey

send: Query and Partial MS

looking for: Non-Fiction Book

agents: David Gernert, Sarah Burnes, Allison Cohen, Stephanie Cabot, Courtney Gatewood, Chris Parris-Lamb, Will Roberts, Erika Storella

interested in: They represent equal parts fiction (commercial and literary writers, both well-known and soon-to-be, whether writing for adults or younger readers) and nonfiction (biographers, memoirists, journalists, essayists, bloggers, and writers of trade and scholarly nonfiction in subjects ranging from sports and history to current events and science).

Sarah: As an editor, she acquired and edited literary fiction and non-fiction, and as an agent has added children's fiction to her list. She is always on the lookout for sharp, original voices.

Courtney: does not accept queries

Chris: Things he likes include, but are not limited to, college basketball, fly-fishing, most forms of musical expression, and novels that engage the reader through both their prose and their story.

Will: His main interests are history, politics and fiction.

Erika: her personal library includes literary fiction and memoir, as well as works on history, contemporary art and theory, sociology, and crafts.

client list: John Grisham, Alexandra Potter, Stella Duffy, Stewart O'Nan, Nicholas Griffith

send: Query and Partial MS

looking for: Non-Fiction Book

agents: Robin Mizell

interested in: Robin Mizell is looking for:
- Prescriptive nonfiction
- Long-form narrative journalism
- Neuroscience, psychology, sociology, and popular culture
- Memoir and biography
- Literary and commercial fiction
- Graphic novels
- Young adult fiction and nonfiction
- Book-length short story collections suitable for electronic formats

send: Query and Partial MS

looking for: Non-Fiction Book

agents: Nancy Coffey, Joanna Stampfel-Volpe

interested in: Currently looking for unusual chick lit, hen lit, erotica, a spectacular gothic novel and a great historical novel.

Specific Interests:

JOANNA - chap books to upper YA (non-fiction, contemporary, humor, historical and fantasy *fantasy/sci-fi needs to really stand out, unique), romance (historical, paranormal, contemporary), fantasy (women's, urban, steampunk, unique), up-market fiction (dark, literary, horror, dark comedies, speculative fic), narrative non-fiction (pop culture, environmental, foodie)

NANCY - thrillers (political, espionage, military, psychological), historical novels (womens), up-market women's fiction, multicultural fiction, gothic romances, sagas, middle grade and young adult fiction

What we both are NOT interested in right now:
cozies, cookbooks, academic non-fiction, epic fantasy for adults, hi-science fiction, poetry, collections/short stories, screenplays

client list: THE AMERICAN by Andrew Britton, REVENGE OF THE SHADOW KING by Jon Lewis & Derek Benz, LUMBY LINES by Gail Fraser, TALES OF A DRAMA QUEEN by Lee Nichols, TAKEN BY STORM, Rochelle Allers, FROM THE HEART OF COVINGTON by Joan Medlicott, MIDWIFE OF THE BLUE RIDGE by Christine Blevins

send: Query Only

looking for: Non-Fiction Book

agents: Kirsten Neuhaus

interested in: Kirsten Neuhaus Literary is a full-service boutique agency specializing in non-fiction, particularly current events, international affairs, pop cultural studies, and narratives with strong female voices, as well as up-market, commercial fiction.

send: Query and Partial MS

looking for: Non-Fiction Book